Page 42 of Cursed Luck
Edward clapped his hands together and nodded.
“What? What do you mean you can’t talk?” Brandy asked, lines forming between her eyes.
He raised a hand in an aha moment and opened the note app on his phone.
Mia did this to me. She was fucking pissed, and I’m not sure why. I told her I could explain, and that’s when she did this shit to me.
“Mia took away your voice? What the hell did she think you were doing?” Brandy asked.
Edward looked at Claudia, both unwilling and unable to say. He did not know how Mia would draw such an ugly conclusion, but it had been clear in her eyes before she put the whammy on him.
“She saw you hug me. Didn’t she?” Claudia whispered.
Edward nodded and offered her a sad smile before running a hand down his face.
“But she knows you’re with Max. This doesn’t make any sense,” Brandy said.
“I haven’t spent nearly the same amount of time with Mia as you have. She would have seen me from the back and then you showed up, so it’s not like she could just guess it was you he was hugging. Think about it, Brandy. If you found Ryan hugging another woman from the back? She could be anyone, and we both know the bond has made us extra territorial over our mates,” Claudia said.
“Call her,” Brandy told him.
He waved his arms in exasperation. How the hell was he supposed to talk to her with no voice, he mentally asked his sister.
“Ugh! Just give me your damn phone,” Brandy demanded. They stood in silence, watching as Brandy made five calls to Mia with no luck. “Here, she obviously doesn’t want to talk toyou. Let me find my phone.” She dug around her purse and dialed Mia when she finally found it. “She’s not answering me either. Claudia, call this number,” she said and called out Mia’s number.
Meanwhile, Edward dropped into the office chair and held his head. He had been so excited to come home and see Mia. The last couple of nights on the phone with her had been amazing—if he did not count that it was written on her face how exhausted she was. He had taken a pit stop at the café to speak with Claudia over the possibility of working for Mia when this mess had erupted in his life.
He rubbed his chest and was overcome with the urge to cry, something he had not done since his father’s death. He was not a man of many words, always one to sit back and observe his surroundings, but having his voice taken made him realize how much he had taken it for granted.
“She’s not answering my number either. Are you guys even sure she has her phone on her?” Claudia asked.
He grabbed his phone and tapped out another note.
She might have left it. Let’s go to her shop.
He pushed to his feet, showed them his phone, and had the door open in seconds. He nodded toward the exit and waved his hand to get them moving.
“We’ll be right back, guys,” Brandy called as they hurried out of the café.
“You love her, don’t you?” Brandy stated more than asked, breaking their silent walk.
He peered down at Brandy but didn’t respond. Did he love Mia? Wasn’t it too soon to love her? Only weeks ago, she had ambled up to the bar to get her coke with lemon. The ache in his chest intensified, and it became harder to catch his breath.
“You can’t imagine your life without her, can you?” Claudia whispered.
The truth seeped in with her simple question. He shook his head. A life without Mia in it looked bleak. He knew without a doubt he would lay down his life for her. This must be how the others felt about each other.
Edward had never believed love was a possibility for him, always fearing the repercussions of handing that much of himself to another. Now that he had, he realized how much his life had improved with her in it. They had not even had sex and he was closer to her than any woman he’d fucked in the past.
He set his feelings aside for later inspection when they neared the florist shop. Edward jogged to the door and pulled, not surprised to find it locked. It was dark inside, and he waved the others toward the back of the building.
“I don’t see her SUV,” Brandy stated.
Edward grabbed the back door and found it locked also. He pressed the doorbell a few times and rolled to the balls of his feet.Where did you go, Mia?he wondered.
Brandy looked around before closing in on the door. Edward heard a click and stood straighter. His sister opened the door and waved them in. He took the stairs two at a time to her apartment and found the door locked. He raised his fist, then banged a few times before pressing his ear to it.
“Edward?” Claudia called up the stairs. “She left her phone in a drawer here.”
