Let Them In (Book 3.0) -INTERSEX

Chapter 34

Iris

I begin to panic as I search for Imani. This can't be happening. I feel like a terrible mom, having allowed her to go missing. The possibility of her wandering off down the street or someone taking her fills me with dread. Teagan asks other parents if they saw where the kids went, but no one seems to have noticed anything.

Faith is crying, so I hug her tightly. "We're going to find them... we have to," I reassure her. Meanwhile, Hope paces back and forth on the phone with her parents. She mentions Olivia and Alex working for some agency, a Reed family secret that Hope accidentally let slip in the midst of the chaos. Their connection to the agency could potentially help us find the kids faster.

After asking around the park, Teagan returns empty-handed. She walks over to Faith and hugs her while she cries. "We'll find him, baby," she says, echoing my sentiment, and this somehow triggers Faith.

"How do you know, Teagan!" She yells, pushing her away.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help."

"You want to help? Find our son because it's your fault we have him in the first place! You came inside me... twice!"

"It takes two to make a child, Faith. Are you saying that you wish we never had him?" She asks defensively.

"No. What I'm saying is—"

"Hey, you two, shut the hell up! It's no one's fault... Actually, it's all of our faults for not paying attention, but no one regrets Grayson!" Hope interjects, stepping between them.

Faith crosses her arms and sits back down, away from Teagan. She's understandably angry since our children are missing, but I'm not going to get mad at Hope like Faith is at Teagan. I agree it's all of our fault, and arguing won't help us find the kids.

"Mom said Imani called her," Hope informs us.

"She has a phone?" I ask, confused but hopeful.

She nods. "Yes, apparently, she gave Imani the phone as a gift for her birthday in case of an emergency. Our daughter is smart and called her." I glance up at her, noticing she called Imani "ours," but now isn't the time to question what might have been a slip of the tongue.

"So Mom knows where they're at?" Faith asks, wiping her tears away.

Hope nods again and looks between us. "George took them."

***

Olivia

"Ray, baby, have you seen my shoes?" I search around the room for my red bottoms to match the short, tight black dress I plan to wear on a date with my baby daddy.

"No, love, check the closet," she yells back, prompting me to sigh. As I walk towards the closet, a buzzing from the nightstand catches my attention.

"Did you leave the vibrator on again?" I ask.

She shuffles through the door, attempting to put on her loafers. "What?... No... I don't think so."

I open the drawer, only to find that it's not the vibrator making the noise. I tilt my head when I realize it's the burner phone I gave Imani. The decision to give her the phone was more of a joke after she discovered the old one that Ray and I used to call each other with on my missions, hidden in my closet. I never expected to actually hear it ring. Perhaps she just wants to test whether it works. Curious, I answer the call while sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Hello? Imani?" I put her on speaker.

"Lili?" Rayden looks at me, concerned, and I wave her over.

She is sniffling on the other end of the phone. "Yes, baby, what's wrong?"