Chapter 2
Logan
I frown as I look over the statements for the trust account. Something looks off and I just can’t place it.
I’ve been working on this damn account for the past two days. I shouldn’t have left it for so long but I’ve been swamped with work since I took over from George. Usually the accountants deal with all the accounts, but the trust account has nothing to do with Indie Ink Publishing, and seeing as I’m the attorney that set it all up, it falls on my shoulders.
I start to work through the statements from the past four years, individually totaling up our expenses. Carter has hardly put through any claims so I cancel his expenses out. Maybe that’s why there’s too much money in the account? It’s just that I expected the balance to be a lot less.
I verify that Marcus, Rhett and Jaxson have indeed put through their regular expenses. Nothing is out of place. All of my expenses are in order as well.
What’s wrong then? I can’t put my finger on what’s bothering me so I start to compare the expenses year to year. That’s when I see the difference. During the first year of the trust account being set up there’s almost eighty thousand dollars more in expenses than the second year.
I start to go through every transaction in the first year, comparing it to the second year’s transactions.
The frown on my face deepens when the first thing I notice is that there was nothing paid towards Mia’s studies for the second year. When I check year three it’s the same thing and that’s when I get a horrible feeling in my gut. Checking the last year I see that all of Mia’s expenses practically stopped at the end of the first year, all except the monthly debit for her phone.
“What the hell?” I grab my phone and quickly get Rhett on the line. “Do you have a minute? I need to show you something.”
“Sure, I’ll be up in ten.”
I circle the last month Mia’s expenses show and impatiently wait for Rhett. When he walks into my office, I push the sheet over to him.
“Did you know that Mia stopped claiming her expenses from the trust account? The only thing she claims for is her phone. Other than that there’s nothing.”
Rhett frowns and shakes his head, taking hold of the sheet, and quickly looks over the numbers.
“She’s been claiming,” he says more to himself than me. Then he looks up at me with confusion darkening his face. “Are you sure these are right? What about her rent, food, clothes? Fuck, what about her studies?”
“I’ve checked them, Rhett. She hasn’t put through any claims. What has she been doing? When last did you talk to her?”
He takes his phone out and looks at it. “I spoke to her on Monday.”
I get up from my chair wondering what the hell is going on.
“When you saw her the last time, did everything seem fine?”
Rhett gives me a look of warning. “I would know if something was wrong with my own sister, Logan.”
I just stare at him waiting for him to answer my question. Although he’s angry I can see him thinking about it.
He stares at his phone and I see the moment his confusion turns to worry.
“I would’ve met up with her while we were in Saluda. She was getting ready for graduation and I was just going to stop by before coming home. Then everything happened with Della and Danny. We’ve all been pretty much trying to find our feet after we found out Carter has a daughter. You know how it’s been.”
I sit down again as the feeling that something is very wrong creeps over me.
“I haven’t seen Mia in … fuck, I think the last I saw of her was when we left to move here. When was the last time you actually saw her?”
Rhett sits down and I watch as panic flashes over his face. He brings the phone to his ear and I can hear the muted ringtone before it goes to voicemail.
Rhett shoves a hand through his hair and gets up again.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m catching the first available flight. I need to see Mia. I need to see with my own fucking eyes that she’s okay.”
Rhett doesn’t turn to leave but instead the color drains from his face, as he whispers. “I can’t remember when last I actually fucking saw or spoke to her in person. We’ve been chatting via texts. She’s been busy. I’ve been busy. Fuck.”
Rhett races out of my office and it’s only then I pick up my own phone. I scroll through the messages looking for signs that Mia was hiding something. I’ll be the first to admit we haven’t been talking a lot, but the few messages over the past three years made me think she was fine. I thought she was busy enjoying being a student.
She’s always been pretty level-headed. I can’t wrap my mind around any of it. I start to make excuses, telling myself that there’s something wrong with the trust account. Maybe the bank has been debiting the wrong account with all of Mia’s expenses. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.
I quickly log onto the bank and start to go through all the accounts I have access to.
I’m sure it’s all just an error on the bank’s side.
~
The second my phone rings I answer. I’ve been worried sick. I’m about to get on the first flight myself. I’ve been imagining all the horrible things that could’ve happened to Mia.
“Is she okay?” I ask Rhett. I need to hear the words that it’s all just one big misunderstanding and that Mia is fine.
I can hear Rhett breathing before he clears his throat. “I can’t find her, Logan. The house is empty. It’s been fucking empty for months. The garden is overgrown. Everything is covered in dust inside the house. She’s left most of her stuff, though. I don’t fucking understand what’s going on.”
He lets out a harsh breath, and I can feel his worry seep right through the line.
“I checked with the college and she didn’t graduate. She dropped out without letting me know. What the fuck is going on?”
“Contact her, Rhett. Phone her. Message her until she answers you. Ask her to meet face to face with you, or to come to New York.”
“Don’t you fucking think I’ve already tried that? She doesn’t even answer my texts anymore. It shows that she reads every one of them, but she flat out ignores them.”
I close my eyes as a fresh wave of panic hits. Why would Mia ignore us?
“Come home, Rhett. I’ll make a plan. We’ll hire someone to track her down. I’m sure she’s fine and just rebelling. It’s normal.”
“It’s not fucking normal, Logan. Mia’s way of rebelling is by ordering four pizzas instead of one. Something is wrong. If anything happened to her I’ll … fuck … what the fuck did I do? I shouldn’t have left her here. I should’ve dragged her ass to New York.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Rhett. Mia is fine. We’ll find her.” I keep my eyes closed as I lie to him. Right now I need him to stay calm or I’m going to lose it as well.
“She’s my baby sister. I’m all she has and I’ve been too busy to make time for her. I’m the one person who should be rock solid in her life.”
I can hear that Rhett’s on the verge of crying and it makes me want to breakdown myself.
“Come home. We’ll find her,” I whisper, trying to convince myself that she’s okay.
I end the call and lean back in my chair, as I let the memories swamp me.
I remember how beautiful she looked the night I took her to prom. I got to hold her in my arms for hours as we danced. The way she smiled up at me, almost made me believe that she could love me one day.
I remember how nervous I was when I taught her how to kiss. I totally took advantage of her innocence that day, just grateful that I’d be the first to kiss her even if she didn’t feel the same way about me.
Damn, to this day it’s still the best kiss I’ve ever had. She tasted like a mixture of sweet innocence and hot fantasies.
I remember the attraction I felt towards her. She was only eighteen and I couldn’t do anything about my feelings for her. Rhett would’ve killed me. Besides, the feelings were just one sided. I couldn’t risk telling her and risk her being awkward around me.
I let her go, knowing she deserved more than her brother’s friend fantasizing over her from a distance. I was convinced I was doing the right thing by not pursuing her.
Thinking about it now, maybe I should’ve told her how I felt about her. Shit, at least I’d be a part of her life. I’d know what she was doing and where she was.
I take a deep breath and shove the panic and worry down. None of that’s going to help find her.
I start to search for PI’s so we can go see one as soon as Rhett is back.
Come hell or high water, I’m going to find my girl.