Trapping His Monster

30. Like Mother, Like Daughter

Addison didn't know what to do. She was worried for her mother all over again. Reporters all over Queens were reporting on her mother's disappearance. Her so-called friends were harassing her about Derek's involvement. She knew that could be true, but she also knew Derek wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't get too involved with something that could land him in prison.

School wouldn't be out for another three months, so she could deal with the constant harassment or ask for help. Addison was getting tired of it, so she called on her cousin. The last time they'd spoken, he'd told her all about how they were too closely related to date and that he was going to propose to his girlfriend. She didn't want to call him, because she feared things would get awkward between them.

"You know I'll always have time for you," Vincent said. "What do you need?"

"...It's Derek. He said he's leaving on a trip with Uncle Asher." Addison looked over her shoulder. "I just want to know if he's involved in my mother's kidnapping."

"Do you want me to find out or you want to find out for yourself?"

"Both."

"Uh-huh..."

"Vinnie, come on!" Addison resisted the urge to push his papers off of his desk and plead with him. "You and I agreed that we didn't like Derek. If there's one way to prove he's a bad person, then we should see if he's the reason my mom's missing."

"I honestly could care less about your mother. She's not married to my uncle anymore."

"Vincent! She cares for you. I'm sure she'd love to hear that you ousted her cheating husband and saved her from a marriage that could end with her still missing. Or..."

"Dead?" Vincent sighed. "Fine. Is he home?"

"I don't know. He doesn't hang out with many people, so I wouldn't know if he was out with them or not."

"Jeez, Addi." Vincent finally looked up from the paperwork he'd been sorting through. "If you want to search someone's home without them there, you should at least find out if they're home or not. If we get there and he's there, then I'm leaving."

"Why?"

"I hate confrontation."

"What if I said he's thinking about taking Théo back."

Vincent stood up and grabbed his coat. "No one messes with my baby cousin."

There weren't any cars parked in the cul-de-sac. Addison knew she shouldn't assume no one was home. The house had two garages. Anyone could have entered the property via the back entrance. Addison and Vincent would have to find out the moment they entered the house. They couldn't be sure who they would encounter today.

"What are we looking for?" Vincent asked.

"We can't look at his phone records," Addison muttered.

"I could."

"Of course..."

"Addi, are you still sour about what I did? Be lucky I'm not some pervert. I could have slept with you and given you something before telling you we were related."

"I didn't want to talk about that."

"Neither did I, but it needed to be addressed. When I visited your grandparents, you avoided me. When I called your friend to see if you were home, she said you didn't want to talk to me. Suddenly you need my help? Why should I help you?"

Addison sunk down in the front seat and sighed. "I just miss my mom. I want her to be found, but...no one wants to believe her loving, handsome husband is the issue. My friends are harassing me, because they found out Derek was cheating on her. They keep saying he wanted to get her out of the way."