Page 187 of The Sweetest Obsession

“We have to find her. I’ll call, you go get Nell. I left her doing her homework in her bedroom,” I tell him.

Grant nods sharply, standing as well.

There’s a fraught moment when he starts to reach for me, and I’d have fallen into his arms in a second, desperately needing comfort, damn the complications.

But then he stops, hesitates, pulls back.

There’s one last forlorn look between us before he pivots and thunders upstairs, his voice echoing back as he calls, “Nelly-girl?”

Meanwhile, I stab at my phone, lift it to my ear, and listen to the ringtone shrilling horribly. It’s too much like horror-movie violins ramping up my nerves with every scraping sound.

Three rings.

Four.

Five.

Then a lonely click—

“Ros?”

—before her voicemail message chirps at me cheerfully. “This is Ros! You know what to do, I’ll call you back when I can.”

Crap.

Crap crap crap.

“Ros, it’s me. Call me back as soon as you get this. Please. Make sure you’re alone when you do.”

I hang up, staring at my phone.

Endless horrible images rush my brain, starting with the slimy way Aleksander touched her, looked at her, kissed her right there in front of me, his eyes swirling with so much hunger—

No, we’re not going there. But if I think about my sister alone with him for even another second, I really will puke.

I fire off a text instead.

SOS call back NOW it’s life or death please please please Ros this is beyond serious

As soon as I hit Send, I try calling her again.

While the phone rings dumbly in my ear, Grant comes tearing down the stairs again and thrusts a crumpled piece of paper written in screaming red colored pencil at me.

“We’ve got another problem,” he grinds out.

The sound of Ros’ voicemail trills at me in the distance as I read Nell’s loopy handwriting.

And my heart has a new reason to plummet.

Gone To Find Miss Ros: Dont Try To Find Me

“Oh, no,” I breathe, dropping my phone.

When I look up, there’s a direct mirror of my confusion, my pain, my disbelief in his face.

Grant’s eyes darken like never before, swirling with worry and a cold determination I wish I had.

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