Page 45 of Twice Missing
"Ethan," Mia hissed, shooting her brother a warning look.
"What? It's just a question," he shrugged.
Callie chuckled, opening the fridge. "It's alright, Mia. Yeah, we're good friends."
"Like the way you are with our father?" Ethan pressed, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Mia punched Ethan's arm, her face flushing. "I'm sorry, Callie. He has a way of putting his foot in his mouth."
Callie smiled, grateful for the distraction of planning dinner. "It's different," she replied diplomatically.
"Different as in Jake's hot and our dad's not?" Ethan grinned.
"Oh, kill me now," Mia groaned, slumping down on the sofa.
"I work with your father. We're colleagues. That's all," Callie said firmly.
"That's all?" Ethan's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise.
"Yes, Ethan," Callie confirmed, fighting to keep a straight face.
"Okay. I was just checking. I didn't want to get startled if I woke up one morning to find you coming out of our dad's bedroom half-naked."
Mia's cushion flew across the room, hitting Ethan squarely in the back of the head. "I swear, Ethan, if you don't shut your trap, the cartel isn't going to need to kill you, I will."
Callie's head snapped up. "Cartel?"
Mia froze, realizing her slip. She glanced down at her phone, suddenly very interested in the lack of signal. "You're right, there isn't much of a signal out here," she mumbled, holding her phone up as if searching for a better connection.
"Mia," Callie pressed, her voice taking on a more authoritative tone.
Mia sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Oh, it was just a remark that I heard my uncle say. That my father thought it was the cartel that ran him off the road because of their accents. Then you bring us out here, which dad never does. He's encountered his fair share of weirdos and murderers, but he's never requested we go anywhere but Gretchen's or Kerri's place."
Callie leaned on the breakfast counter, her mind racing. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a message to Ray: "What is this about the cartel?"
No reply came. Callie's unease grew. As far as she knew, the men who had run Noah off the road were allegedly working for the Ashfords. McKenzie had mentioned the cartel when they were staking out that motel, but she had dismissed it as idle chatter. The idea of a cartel operating in High Peaks seemed absurd, let alone the notion that the Ashfords might be involved with them.
Suddenly, Noah's reluctance to have her watch the kids made more sense. Callie crossed the room to her bag, checking that her service weapon was there. She took it out, verified the magazine, and tucked it into the small of her back before moving to the window. The snow-coveredlandscape outside revealed nothing but drifts and shadows.
Returning to the fireplace, Callie added another log, watching the sparks rise.
"Personally, my thoughts are Luther Ashford is behind it," Mia offered, her voice cutting through Callie's thoughts.
"And why do you think that?" Callie asked, curious about the teen's perspective.
"My father has been gunning for him ever since he returned to High Peaks. It's become like a personal vendetta for our father."
Callie nodded, considering Mia's words. Meanwhile, Ethan had claimed the remote and was flipping through TV channels. "Ah, sweet. At least we've got TV out here. No Netflix, but..." he trailed off, settling on a rerun of a popular sitcom.
"What do you think?" Mia asked, her eyes fixed on Callie.
Callie stood, brushing soot from her hands. "Your father once told me they don't pay us to think, they pay us to gather facts. Unless all the facts are in, the jury is out."
"But you must have your own opinion," Mia pressed.
"I do, but I keep it to myself. Better that way. Less chance of landing yourself in trouble."
"You mean like my father."
