Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
Harley wrapped her arms around me and whispered, “Good,” before slipping into sleep.
I held her and listened to her gentle breathing. Over and over again, the same words played on repeat in my head.
Love,
family, mate, love, family, mate. It was strange, but in the best damned way. I fell asleep smiling.
TWENTY-FOUR
HARLEY
Even after Tate had explained that he didn’t trust Emily, I still had a hard time not thinking of her as a friend. A friend who was acting weird as hell, but a friend, nonetheless. I wasn’t concerned exactly, but I needed to know what was going on. It had been over a week since I’d heard from her, and despite everything, I was worried about her. She said she’d see me again before she left, so I knew she hadn’t left town.
It was early September, and a beautiful day, so I decided to see if she was home. I knew it shouldn’t have bothered me, but the curiosity was almost overwhelming. One way or another, I had to figure out what the hell was going on.
Emily had told me where her grandmother’s house was. I’d always meant to go out and see it, but life had kept me occupied. I got into my car and headed out. The chance of her being there was pretty small, but I had nothing better to do, and there was still a chance. She would probably be there, doing some gardening to spruce it up before it got listed. Improving the curb appeal or whatever.
I turned the radio up and rolled the windows down, enjoying the cool late-summer air. One thing about Colorado: it was a much different climate compared to New York. It was warmer
but less humid. It felt cooler than it should, and I loved it. My body was already going through hot flashes with the pregnancy, so any respite was welcome.
Finding the street Emily had mentioned was easy, but I had no idea which house was the one she’d talked about. When I turned onto the street, the choices were pretty simple. It wasn’t really a
neighborhood per se. It was just a dead-end street with three houses and an empty lot where an old house had once stood. All that was left there was a crumbling chimney.
Frowning, I cruised down the street, checking each house to see which one was correct. The first house was a small one-story ranch-style. A middle-aged man was out mowing the lawn, and there were toys scattered around the porch. That couldn’t be it. The second house was similar to the first but a little bigger. There was a small car and a minivan sitting in the driveway, neither of which was Emily’s car. Sitting on a porch swing was a younger couple having a conversation. It had to be the third house. When I pulled up to it, confusion swept over me.
It was abandonednot just that it was obvious that no one lived there. The yard was overgrown, the windows were dusty and dirty, and the paint around the windows was peeling and faded. This didn’t look like a house someone had spent weeks getting ready to sell. It also didn’t look like a home that had been lived in. Not for a very long time.
I sat there trying to figure out what was going on. Was Emily having financial trouble? Maybe she didn’t have the money to fix the place up on the outside. Was that it? Had she used what money she had to fix up the inside instead? Doubtful, but wanting to know for sure, I pulled into the driveway. A quick walk up to the first window and a peek in told me that was
not
what was going on. The inside was caked in dust. Cobwebs hung freely from the ceiling, and it looked like some type of black mold was growing on a wall in the living room.
What the hell? I was positive this was the road she’d mentioned. The other houses didn’t look like they’d been newly bought. Even if Emily had listed it and sold it on the same day I’d seen her last, it would have taken at least two weeks for all the paperwork and stuff to clear. No one could have bought and moved into a new house that fast. It didn’t make sense.
I walked slowly back to my car, wondering how I’d find Emily. As I got back in the car, a lightbulb went off in my mind. Her grandma. She said she was in a home, and there was only one nursing home in the whole county. Emily had said she was there. If I could find her anywhere, I’d find her there.
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into Harmony Grace nursing home. A small part of me hoped to see her car in the parking lot. I hadn’t. I thought she might be inside in a waiting room of some sort. Again, no luck. The nurse at the reception desk smiled at me as I walked up.
“How can I help you, ma’am?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m here to visit Ms. Heath?” I said, using Emily’s last name. There was a fifty percent chance her grandmother shared it with her.
The nurse frowned but tapped at the keyboard for a moment. “That’s what I thought,” she said to herself before looking back up at me. “Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid we don’t have a patient by that name here.”
Well, that hadn’t worked. I smiled back at her apologetically. “I’m sorry. I assumed they shared a last name. I’m friends with her granddaughter, she’s her caretaker. It’s her only family. Can you find her by the guardian’s name? Emily Heath?”
The nurse typed at her workstation again and shook her head again. “We don’t have any guardians by that name. We don’t have anyone with the first name Emily.”
What the hell was going on?
The nurse looked at me, concerned, and said, “Are you okay, miss?”
Snapping out of my daze, I said, “Oh, I’m sorry to have bothered you. I must have… I guess I was misinformed.”
“No problem at all, ma’am. Have a good day.”
This time, the walk back to my car was filled with swirling thoughts and questions. Emily had lied about this? Why? Tate said he didn’t trust her, and I’d been hesitant to believe him. Was he right after all? I refused to believe that she was working with Luis. It made my skin crawl to even think about it. But if not, what was she doing?
I drove around town, stewing on all the questions, for thirty minutes. My stomach growled, and since I was already out and Tate was working, I decided to treat myself to lunch. Giving it one last shot, I dialed Emily again as I waited for my food. Still no answer. An uneasy feeling had filled my chest as the day drew on, as more things started to not add up. After my food came, my next call was to Tate.
“Hello, beautiful,” he answered.
Despite my misgivings about Emily, I blushed, and said, “Hello, handsome. How’s your day?”
“It’s fine. Just going over some contracts for jobs later this year. What are you up to?”