Page 69 of Hot Puck
“Bex is here.” His breathing evens out. “EMTs and the cops too.”
“Oh, okay, that’s good.” I breathe easier knowing Cami and Whitney aren’t on their own. “I’ll stay at the house with the girls if you can find out what’s happening.”
“Give me five and I’ll call you back.”
“No!” I reach for the door handle as the car turns into our driveway. “Keep me on the line.”
“Gem, let me call you back.”
He hangs up before I can argue, and I can’t hold in a growl of frustration. Which isn’t like me. I rarely show my emotions. Then again, I’ve been doing a lot of things I don’t normally do since Chase and his sisters came into my life.
Like now.
Instead of heading to the office after flying in from Atlanta, I’m going home. To spend time with Chase and the girls.
I miss them.
It’s only been forty-eight hours, and I miss them so deeply I can’t think about anything except seeing their smiling faces.
And now I need to figure out what the hell is happening with Whitney and Cami.
I waste no time getting out of the Uber, don’t even throw a thank you over my shoulder before slamming the door. Lugging my carry-on behind me, I race toward the front door, smile when I see Cassidy’s and Crystal’s faces pressed to the window either side of it.
Hopefully Candace is still asleep. If she was fussy today, she probably didn’t have a morning nap. Or she’s teething again. I wish those damn teeth would just cut through already. The poor little thing has been plagued by them for weeks now.
Pleased the girls don’t open the door for me, I pull out my keys and slide the right one in the lock. They might not have opened the door, but the second I do, they’re disarming the security system.
“Is Cami okay?”
I stop, turn my head to look at the girls. “Cami?”
“Yeah, she fell down the stairs when a man tried to grab Whitney,” Crystal explains. “We raced straight home to tell Chase.”
“You didn’t go back into school to tell someone?”
“No. We were already out the gate, and there were a few teachers and the principal in the parking lot. They all ran over,” Cassidy adds.
“And the guy ran.” Crystal’s eyes grow so big I worry they’ll fall out of her head until her next words stop my breath and flush away any relief I felt knowing Cami and Whitney aren’t alone. “At us!”
I can’t form words. I’m too busy conjuring up all sorts of horrible images in my head. A cold sweat snakes its way down my spine. Shaking myself to erase the distressing thoughts from my mind, I slam the door and reach for them.
If they’re shocked by my actions they don’t show it, and if the way they cling to me is an indication, they need this hug as much as I do.
“You’re both okay, right?” I swallow, fear thick in my throat, constricting my chest. “Other than being scared, you’re not hurt, are you?”
“No.” Cassidy leans back, tears in her eyes. “But I think Cami is.”
“Maybe, maybe not. We have to wait until your brother calls me back.” I ease up my grip. “Let’s go to the kitchen. Get a snack and a drink.”
“He ran to school.”
I smooth a hand over Crystal’s hair. “I know. I was on the phone with him.”
“Should we go there?” Cassidy asks.
“No. Best if we wait until we know what happened, what we need to do. Plus, Candace is asleep and your brother said she was fussy today.”
“She was fussy last night too. Pa gave her some of that stuff for her gums.”
