8. Rebel

Jaz,Marcus, and their kids showed up on the fifth day after Evie arrived. We were grilling hamburgers because it was Evie's turn to cook. Upon seeing Marcus, Evie immediately fixed her gaze on him.

"Please just ask me whatever you want to so we can move on to the barbecue. Jaz made some potato salad, but she"s making me wait until dinner to have any."

"Thank you for everything you're doing to help find my sister. Kylie is a veterinarian, but she's not someone who has seen a lot in this messed-up world."

"Have you heard anything about her? You can tell me anything. I've been searching for my sister for months, and believe me, I've seen some bad stuff, so don't feel like you have to hold back," Evie implored. I stood behind her, shaking my head.

I'm sorry, Evie. We haven't found anything. It's like she vanished from when she was taken. Usually, we can find some clues, but we can't find anything on her. Sometimes, that could mean someone liked her and decided to keep her for himself," Marcus explained.

"So, she might be with a family maybe working as their nanny, and they're keeping her from a phone. This is such a relief. I'm convinced that's what happened." Evie whispered.

"I can finally breathe knowing she isn't hooked on drugs and living on the sidewalks in some city, vomiting all over herself," Evie sighed with relief.

"I'm going to make you my specialty; it won't take long," she declared before running into the house, then quickly reappeared. "Let's keep this from my parents. I don't want to raise their hopes."

"What the hell did I say? I never mentioned anything about her being a nanny," Marcus whispered to us in confusion.

"Please don't say anything to her; she's finally happy," Reaper interjected. "Besides, she's making you her specialty. You have to tell her how much you love it."

"I don't know, guys," Jaz said, visibly distressed. "She looked ready to cry her eyes out."

I followed Evie inside and found her on the floor, crying. I sat down next to her, pulled her into my arms, and held her as she wept.

"I'm sorry, but I want those mafia guys to hurry up and find me so I can go back to looking for Kylie. I know she's not anybody's nanny. You'll have to tell Marcus I don't feel like cooking today," she murmured as she moved fully onto my lap and rested her head on my shoulder.

"It'll be okay. We have plenty of food. I'll start searching for Kylie tomorrow and see what I can find," I said, patting her back.

"I'll go with you. We'll leave early," Evie said, raising her head and looking at me.

"No, you're not coming. It's too dangerous. You are still hiding from the mafia," I insisted. Neither one of us noticed Jaz quietly putting the salad in the fridge or the others standing in the doorway.

"I'm going to pack," she stated defiantly. "Are you going to let me get up?"

"You are not going with me," I repeated firmly.

"If you sneak off, I'll go by myself. The first place I'll go is to the Southern border."

"We'll both stay here and let the FBI find her," I said, lifting her as I stood.

"I don't like the idea of you all having to watch over us. I don't want to put anyone in danger. Why can't I just talk to the mafia guy myself?" She asked, pushing all those curls back off her face.

"I'll explain the situation and show him the messages I received. I'm sure whoever sent them has a grudge against the other Reaper and is trying to stir up trouble."

"I don't want you to worry about us looking after you. This is what I want to do. Now I'm going to set the table for dinner," I said, pushing Evie's hair away from her face.

"I'll help you."

As she glanced around the kitchen, she noticed the others. She turned and looked at me. "They were very sneaky. I didn't hear a sound from any of them," Evie remarked, drawing a few chuckles from the group.

"Dinner is ready," Reaper announced. We all enjoyed dinner outside, which was pleasant; even Martha and Adam, Evie's parents, joined us.

I turned to see where Evie was and heard the piano in the family room. It hadn't been played since Adeline, Grandpa's wife, passed away. Grandpa bought it for her as a wedding present.

Then I heard her singing a popular pop song. I walked in to find the kids dancing while she sang. Jaz was swaying with her boys and the toddler while Marcus danced with their new baby.

As I watched, I knew I would have to take a step back or be doing what I swore I never would—falling for Evie McDonald would be the biggest mistake I could ever make.