“Yes. I forbid you from heating my tamales in the microwave.”
As much as Taylor wanted to keep Miguel and his family far away from Billy, she couldn’t just kick them out, that would raise suspicion.
“Of course, come in. I hate to be rude, but it will have to be a quick lesson. I have to shower for work.” As the family filed in, she shifted nervously on her feet, trying to block the view down the hallway, but had to relent and join Maria at the stove for her lesson.
“It is really simple. Just put a few inches of water here. Place this on top. Then once it boils, place the tamales here and put the lid on. In ten minutes, perfect tamales.”
“Seems simple enough. I will definitely be noshing on these tonight after work, and I’ll return the pan and the dishes tomorrow.”
“We’re sorry, are we interrupting something?” Miguel asked as he glanced around, seemingly taking in everything.
“No, not interrupting, but I’m so far behind. I took a nap, and well, it was one of those naps that was supposed to be thirty minutes, but lasted hours, and now I’m late.”
She was rambling, but she had to get these precious people, who wanted nothing more than to be friends, out of the house where a dead body and a madman were just feet away.
“Of course, of course.” Maria gathered her sons, looking dejected.
“How about Saturday I come over and cook dinner for you guys, to make up for me rushing you off tonight? Spend the day getting to know each other.”
Her offer made Maria smile, and that made her feel better. Miguel had a shrewd gaze about it but relented. “Of course. Youtake care, Taylor, and in the meantime, if you need anything, anything at all, we’re just a shout away.” The way he projected his voice made her wonder if he knew something. She blanked her face as best she could.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she closed the door behind them. She looked at the clock on the microwave, and it was not quite seven.
For a moment she thought of going for her phone, but knew Billy would make good on his threat, and she would not let Miguel and Maria’s family pay for her mistake.
She wasn’t taped, and that was something. She had a fighting chance, but only if …
Just then, Billy came from the bedroom, grabbing her by her hair and dragging her back.
“Now we’re going to have some fun.”
ELEVEN
PROWLER
The second the realization hit him that Taylor was gone, he called emergency church.
“I need everyone to drop everything and find my mate. You.” He indicated Kansas and Boogeyman. “Check every type of record you can. Public, private, fucking Reddit. I don’t care. Hack her cell phone, her smartwatch, whatever it takes.”
“Did someone take her?”
The question scraped at Prowler’s heart. Of course, his brothers were ready to go to war for him. But admitting that she’d run and why was going to be a jagged pill to swallow.
“No.” He sank back into his chair. “She ran … from me. But now. Now, I’m not so sure. Call it a gut feeling.”
There were murmured questions all around. None of which he wanted to answer. Thankfully, both Kansas and Boogeyman, despite their questions, were already typing away on their laptops.
“Listen, I … she caught me in a compromising position. I?—”
Before he could continue, questions flew at him from all directions.
“How could you …”
“Why didn’t you …”
“You could’ve tracked …”
It was deafening.
