Page 97 of The Garden Girls

“I’ll call her now. I’ll make it happen. Have all of us together and ready on time.” Even if he had to hogtie her.

“Be careful, Tiberius,” Fiona said, from the other end of the line.

“I can stay,” Violet said. “I’m not afraid.”

“Well, John will be,” Ty said. “You aren’t only thinking about yourself anymore. He has a little girl—you have a little girl now. Go before it grows any worse.” He turned to Owen and met his steely dark eyes.

Owen tapped his chest with his fist twice. “Ride-or-die, bruh. I’m staying. We can all drive out together.”

“Call when you’re safe,” Asa said, and ended the connection.

“You should go with Violet. If it hits faster than expected, you’ll be out of the danger zone.”

Owen didn’t budge. “What, no Top Gun song to hum?”

“Now is not the time, O. You need to vacate the premises.”

Owen stared him down. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Violet left them in their standoff, and he called Bexley’s phone to inform her that he was on his way with Josiah to pick her up.

Her phone went straight to voice mail. Where would she be that she couldn’t answer her phone? He went downstairs and knocked on the room Josiah had been staying in. “Sorry to wake you, dude, but we have to go.”

No answer. Bexley had mentioned he slept like the dead. Ty opened the door, but Josiah was gone. His gaming system was on his bed and the covers thrown off and crumpled on the floor. Didn’t appear to be a struggle.

He clicked on Bexley’s icon on his phone’s location-sharing app, but it said Unable to show location. His heart went into arrhythmia as he raced back to the second floor.

“What is it?” Violet asked, wearing a black raincoat and pulling her rolling suitcase behind her.

“Bexley isn’t answering her phone. I can’t see her location.” Where would she be? Why would her phone be off? “Josiah is gone. Did you see him leave? Did anyone see him leave?”

“No. But he’s on ground level. We haven’t been gone that long.”

“Well, he’s gone so it doesn’t matter how long it’s been!” he bellowed. He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

No signs of anything broken. Windows were boarded. Josiah must have walked right out the door of his own volition. But with whom and to where?

“I understand. You want me to stay? I will,” she said.

He shook his head. “We got this. Get out of Dodge.” His phone rang. Selah. He answered. “What do you have?” He put her on Speaker.

“I narrowed down the Grangers who would be in their midfifties now. I have three names but only one fits. Gabriel Granger. Nothing on him until he turned seventeen—which would be after he left the Family of Glory. He got into some misdemeanor trouble until his thirties. That’s when things turned serious. He’s currently in prison for abducting a woman in Greensboro and holding her for three days. It’s ugly. Torture. Sexual assault. My guess is that wasn’t his first victim, just the one that got him caught. She escaped from a cellar and found a car driving down a lone highway. Flagged it down. I’m sending over a file with news articles and his photo. He looks like you—like your father. But he’s not our guy. He’s been in prison all this time.”

“Thanks, Selah.” He hung up. “How is my entire family insane and I’m not?”

“Your sanity is debatable.” Violet smirked and Owen chuckled.

“Real funny. Time’s running out. Get to steppin’.” Ty all but shoved her to the door. When she’d left, he turned to Owen. “Let’s go. Maybe Josiah went home and her phone died. Power’s out all over. No point worrying until there’s something to worry about, right?”

Owen nodded. “Right.”

But they both knew that was a lie. They had a lot to worry about. Ty grabbed the keys, and they ran into the fierce wind and rain. Roads were already flooding in areas, and the sea churned like a furious leviathan ready to snatch and drown its prey. The car rocked, and he gripped the wheel to steady them on the road. Once they arrived at Bexley’s, they parked and raced to the porch. Her phone must have died—her car was here.

Ty knocked but no one answered.

He turned the knob and it opened; hairs rose on his neck. The power was out and the house was eerily quiet. Not even a whisper. Only the howling wind and whipping rain beating the snot out of the roof.

“Bex? Josiah?” he called as he entered the kitchen, smelling the scent of coffee and cinnamon. No one answered, and his pulse quickened. Where were they? Why was the door unlocked?