North Country(56)

Shit.

Sarah watches me closely. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s the blond one, right? I met her last week when they threw a rock through my window. I saw her at the Bale House last night too.”

“That’s the last place anyone saw her.” Sarah hesitates. “She’s a Whitley, you know. Her great-grandmother was, anyway.”

“So I’ve heard.” I’ve given up all pretenses of stacking wood. “How serious do they think this is?”

“It doesn’t sound good. Emery called and asked if Isla could hang out at our place until later. You know, keep her busy. She doesn’t want her sitting at home alone, on her phone.”

“Makes sense.” My mind spins. What are the chances that the girl I run into earlier in the night is now missing? “Do they have any leads on where she went or what happened?”

“No idea. You’ll have to ask Emery.” She hesitates. “Maybe you can if she stays over again tonight.”

I groan. “Are you fucking kidding me? He told you too?”

“Of course he did. He’s my husband! He tells me everything!” Her tone of reproach is almost comical.

“And who else has he run and blabbed to, besides you and Dad?” Obviously, my mother knows. “Is he gonna tell Mak too? “Cause that guy loves to gossip.”

“He hasn’t told anyone else.”

“The last thing Emery needs is a rumor like this floating around.”

“It’s not a rumor if it’s true.”

I glare at her in warning.

Sarah laughs. “Come on, I’m only teasing. No one’s gonna say anything to anyone. It’s Landry business.”

“No, actually, it’s no one’s fucking business. Tell your husband to shut his big mouth.” And to think I was starting to like him.

“Okay. We won’t say another word about it.” She holds up her hands in surrender. “I’m just glad my baby bro finally got laid after so many years. Maybe you’ll smile now. You know, stop scaring the children.”

I roll my eyes at her, but it only earns a robust cackle.

“It’s a good thing Mom bought you those condoms—”

“We’re done here.”





Isla stares me down, two playing cards gripped tightly within her grasp. “You’re bluffing.”

“Put your money where your mouth is, then.” We lock eyes.

Beside her, Thomas sits quietly, glowering at the four community cards.

“Fine.” Isla pushes five snack-size chocolate bars into the center of the dining room table, followed by two more. Halloween is in three weeks, and my mother is already stocking up on candy for the horde of kids who never come to our door. Glad to see some things don’t change around here.

Thomas whistles, then tosses his cards down. “Too rich for me.”

“Smart kid. You could learn something from him.” Though, my guess is he should have folded last round. “Call.” I toss in seven chocolate bars and flip the last community card up. A nine of hearts.

Isla’s eyes widen for a beat, then dart to me, trying to read something from my expression.

She’ll find nothing here.

“So? What’s it gonna be? I haven’t got all night.” I do, actually. It’s almost ten and I can’t leave the property until tomorrow morning .

She looks at her hand again, then at the community cards, then at my hidden hand, and I watch the confidence seep from her like a deflated balloon. “Fold.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” She scrunches her freckled nose as she pitches her cards. “All I had were triple nines.”

I lay my hand down. “Too bad, you would have won.”

“What?” She throws her arms in the air with a groan of annoyance. “You risked all that for two twos?”

My stony expression finally cracks as I smirk at her.

With a deep scowl, she shoves the pot toward me. “How are you so good at this?”

“I had a lot of time to play cards with the best liars, and I learned how to pick out tells.” It was a rare week that I didn’t win something from the commissary.

“I don’t have any tells,” Isla scoffs.

I chuckle. “You don’t think so?”

Macy hovers nearby, already dressed in pajamas and clutching a stuffed bison. This is the closest she’s gotten to me yet, and I know it has everything to do with the pile of treats her big blue eyes are zoned in on.

The twins are too glued to their tablets to notice anything.

I hold out a Mars Bar to her as I explain to Isla, “You bite your bottom lip when you’re excited.”

Macy hesitates for all of two seconds before her clammy little hand snatches the treat and she scurries off.

“I do?” Isla frowns, as if replaying the last round in her mind, searching for the moment she gave herself away. “What else?”

I swipe the discarded cards. “You tuck your hair behind your ear when you’re nervous.”

“My hair?”

“Yeah. Your mom does it too. She always has.”

I feel Isla studying me as I shuffle before setting the deck in front of her. “You also hold your breath when you want to ask something, but you know you shouldn’t.” Another of Emery’s habits.