Page 169 of A Dirty Business
I said the same and put the phone away. I was replaying the conversation in my head, opening the door. The hallway was dark. The light was on in the living room from the television.
“Jess?”
A shadow flashed across the living room, and my mom came to stand in the doorway, looking down to where I was at. Everything was dark except the living room, so I moved forward a step.
“Mom?”
“Oh, there are you.” Her relief was clear. Her hand went to her chest. “I must’ve dozed off and just woke.”
“Oh. No.” I held up my phone. “I went to call Trace, but I thought Leo was with you.”
“No. He’s not. I got scared. You both were gone.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “What?”
She gave me a look back. “What?”
“Leo left you?”
She nodded, motioning behind me. “He’s gone. I don’t know where he went. Looked through the house, but I couldn’t find him.”
That was ... That was not right.
My gut shifted. Something was wrong.
Something ... I couldn’t put my finger on it. He wouldn’t have left her. Maybe be in a room away, but within earshot. He wouldn’t have totally left. He wouldn’t put her through that, if she woke and no one was around.
“Mom,” I murmured, distracted, and starting to look around.
“Hmmm?”
“Do me a favor?” I began guiding her backward. “Go into the bathroom.”
“Bathroom?” she echoed, sharply.
“Yeah. Just to be safe.”
“Be safe?”
I moved her back, found the door to the bathroom, and pushed her inside. “Stay here.”
“Jess—” She grasped onto my hand, as if to hold me in place.
I needed to find Leo. Something was off. I needed to figure it out. I said to her, trying to be gentle, “I’m going to close this door. You’re going to be fine.”
“What are you doing, Jess?”
I couldn’t explain. There wasn’t time. I moved back, shutting the door, and I whispered through it, “Lock it. Just to be safe, Mom.”
“Jess—”
“Lock it!”
I heard the lock click into place, and then I turned.
Leo was family.
She said she looked through the house. So, he wasn’t in the house.
