Loving Her (Mitchell Family #9)(69)

“We ain’t seen Ty all night. I know he’s over at the guest house, but he won’t answer the phone. Bella’s bein’ stubborn. She refused to eat dinner. Van’s a mess. She thought she was helpin’ and now she’s afraid she’s made things a lot worse.”

“It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”

I was being driven into a mess and I didn’t know who I needed to comfort first; my messed up daughter, or my broken husband.

Colt drove us to his house and I wasted no time getting out and running up the porch steps. Van was in the living room, sipping on a cup of tea. She chippered up when she saw me standing there. “Hey.”

I walked over and hugged her. “Stop blamin’ yourself. This ain’t your fault.”

“I feel terrible.”

I looked around and didn’t spot any kids. “Are they all sleepin’ already?”

She shook her head. “The little ones are, but I think Noah and Bella are in his room, playing a video game.”

I walked upstairs quietly and opened Noah’s bedroom door. He was sitting on the edge of the bed playing a game, but Bella wasn’t in the room with him. “Hi, Aunt Miranda. I didn’t know you were here.” He looked like he was up to something.

“Where’s Bella?”

He shrugged and looked even more guilty. “I don’t know.”

“Noah, your mother said she was up here with you.” I put my hands on my hips demanding him to answer me.

“She told me not to tell anyone.”

“You better tell me, right now!” I was raising my voice, demanding an answer and I wasn’t leaving his room until I got one.

“She said she wanted to be alone and for me to not come lookin’ for her.” He knew he was in trouble when he admitted it.

“So, you don’t even know where she is?”

He shook his head. “No. she went out the back door with her bag and a flashlight.”

“WHAT?” I couldn’t believe he let her go outside all alone.

I ran down the stairs, alarming Van and Colt immediately. “She’s gone. Noah said she left a while ago claiming she wanted to be alone. She’s out there somewhere, all alone!”

“Calm down. Maybe she’s with Ty?”

I shook my head. “I have a terrible feelin’.”

Colt went into the pantry and came out holding three flashlights. “Take this. I’m goin’ to fetch Noah and we’ll all start lookin’. Hopefully she’s hidin in one of the barns, or she’s with her dad. Try to calm down, Miranda. She won’t go too far.”

I was freaking out. Clearly, they weren’t considering how devastated my child was. She’d learned that her biological father not only didn’t want her, but was also a murderer. She’d also learned that her perfect aunt had ended his life to save her own. I couldn’t imagine how messed up the child was and I hated myself for allowing it to happen.

I went running out the door desperate to find her. I yelled her name and was determined to not stop until I found her. Without waiting for Colt, I hopped on a Gator and headed for the guest house, praying she was with Ty and they were both safe.





Chapter 37


Tyler


I woke up on the couch to beating on the door. Much to my surprise, my wife was standing there as I opened it. I went to speak, but she shoved me inside and started looking around. “Is Bella here with you?”

“What? No. Wait, how did you get here? What are you doing here, baby?”

“Ty, she’s missin’. Colt and Van thought she was upstairs with Noah, but he helped her sneak out of the house. They tried to call you.”

“My phone died.”

“Get some clothes on. We’ve got to find her.”

I rushed into the bedroom and started throwing on clothes. Once I had enough layers, we headed out to the Gator. “What the hell is going on? Where would she go?”

I didn’t expect Miranda, who was clearly frantic, to have answers. “I don’t know.” She started crying.

“Okay, we need to stay calm until we find her. I’m sure she’s not far. It’s too dark out here.”

“She’s so upset Ty. We should have known this would happen. We should have paid more attention.”

We started yelling her name as soon as we pulled away from the house. “Where’s Colt?”

“He and Noah are searching the barns. We need to stick to the woods and surrounding areas.” She was determined and suddenly nothing else mattered except our need to find our daughter.

With all other issues aside, her life could be in danger. We’d been in this type of situation once before and it didn’t come without injury.

We continued yelling her name out into the dark night.

Nothing.

No crying or screaming, just sounds of bugs and wildlife.

“Jesus Christ. Where would she go, Ty?”

I tried to stop worrying for a second and think about where Iz would go if she was upset. I thought about all the spots that we’d played hiding-go-seek and every place that someone her size would feel safe. Since my arms would have sufficed before all this drama happened, I stopped the Gator and realized one place that nobody had checked.