Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

“I ran into Irma today.”

His mind raced. Irma? Then it hit him, and his stomach plummetedmaking him sit up even straighter. “Yeah? She say something to you?”

She was silent for a moment but after a few harrowing seconds, shefinally spoke up. “She did actually. She lost her earring when she spent thenight at your place. Said it was the night before she showed up . . . The nightshe was so angry when she saw me there.”

Shooting up from the sofa feeling incensed and horrified,Byron refrained from growling. “I would’ve told you, Savannah. I swear to God—”

He froze when the line went dead. Glancing down at his phone he gotconfirmation that she’d hung up on him. “Fuck!” He roared at the top ofhis lungs before hitting redial instantly.

Of course, the call went straight to voicemail and he ran hisfingers through his hair roughly. “Son of a bitch!”

After trying Savannah a couple more times with the same outcome,he scrolled through his old texts since he didn’t even have Irma on his contactlist anymore. But before he could find the last exchange between them which wasmonths ago there was a knock at his door. The door flung open before hecould even ask who it was. Beast, Nine, and Orlando walked in.

“You ready to get back to this shit? Trying to be done with thisin under an hour,” Beast said as he walked straight to the fridge. “Lila’s withAli and the kids but I don’t wanna keep her there all night. Sure as fuck wishAli would just let me hire a temporary care taker until she fully recovers fromher C-section.”

“Why doesn’t she?” Orlando asked taking a seat at the kitchencounter.

“Doesn’t like the idea of strangers around the kids.” Beastpulled out a water bottle from the fridge. “I don’t either, but we’d go throughan agency that does extensive background checks and shit. Only her sister’sadamant she’s got it. Whole foster care crap they went through growing up, hasthem both dead set against the kids being cared for by strangers. Even Lila’snanny is a longtime and trusted family friend of her husbands.”

“I don’t blame them,” Nine said shaking his head. “It’s why Ithank God Dee Dee can work from home.”

Byron listened impatiently to the Husbands of Boyle Heights blatheron about their childcare matters. Several long minutes later, Beast slapped hishand down on the counter, marking the end of their little daddy drivel fest. “Let’sdo this. I wanna get out here before six.”

With all his calls to Savannah still going straight to voicemailand her not responding to any of his pathetic pleading texts, Byron had nochoice but to get back to work. She’d probably be home soon anyway. Shewouldn’t be able to talk in depth until at least much later tonight.

Knowing how much Beast wanted to get back to his wife and kids,Byron offered to let his own footage be shot last, so his brother could leave early.Half hour after that, Byron’s phone rang, and he nearly jumped off his stool.His heart just about gave when he saw it was Savannah’s mom.

Not sure what to expect, he answered almost breathlessly.“Hello?”

“Is Savannah with you?”

“No.” He walked away from the crew without explanation, his heartspeeding up now for an altogether different reason. “I thought she’d be withyou.”

“She was supposed to be. Should’ve arrived over an hour ago butshe never got here, and we can’t get a hold of her.”

“I . . . I’ve been working. I thought she’d be home by now.”

“She’s not. When’s the last time you talked to her?”

Byron checked his watch relieved, and not sure why her mothersounded so alarmed. “Just over two hours ago. She said she was going back toher dorm to turn in an assignment, then head back home right after.”

“Oh, thank God!” she said sounding overly relieved. “So, shewasn’t at school anymore?”

“No, why?”

“You haven’t watched the news? There’s some kind of standoff ather school. A shooting, and we haven’t been able to get a hold of her in overtwo hours. Xochitl isn’t answering either.”

Feeling his heart thud, Byron stopped in his tracks. “Standoff?”

“Yes, we’ve been so worried.” Her mother went on. “Her fatheris already headed out there with his brothers and my son. But you’re saying twohours ago she was going back to her dorm?”

“Yeah.” He nodded suddenly feeling enormously relieved. Obviously,her mom was overreacting, right? “She also mentioned needing to pick up her phonecharger but would be headed out right after. She should be there soon. Maybeher phone just wasn’t charged enough. It might’ve died on the way.” He explainedabout Savannah having left her car charger at his place. “The one at her dormonly charges on the wall.”

It made sense, he told himself inwardly, despite her parentsbeing this worried making him feel alarmed. All Byron’s calls to her had gonestraight to voicemail. Even if she was pissed at him, she wouldn’t have deliberatelyturned her phone off knowing her family might try to get a hold of her. Hermother said she’d call her dad and let him know, since he was likely still thinkingthe worst.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,” Byron said. “Pleasecall me if you hear something first.”

“Will do.”

They were off the phone, but there was no way Byron was goingback to filming. There had to be something he could do. “I gotta cut this short,guys,” he said as soon as he was back to where they were waiting on him, butdidn’t even wait for them to respond, or bother to explain why.

He hit speed dial as he rushed upstairs to his apartment. To hissurprise, Savannah’s phone wasn’t going straight to voicemail anymore, but shestill wasn’t answering. He waited until it finally did go to her voicemailbefore hanging up.

Grabbing his keys, he cursed himself for not having askedSavannah’s mom for Xochitl’s number. He’d never thought to ask Savannah for iteither. With no other recourse, he told Nine to close up for him because he hadto leave ASAP and headed to her dorm.

He rushed out and into his car,