The Wrong Brother

Chapter 25

IRIS

Monty’s arms wrapped around my waist and started to pull me away from Maddox. I made sure to get a few good smacks in before I was lifted off my feet and moved away. “What do you mean she’s gone?” Maddox asked.

I spin around in his arms with tears streaming down my cheeks. “Nia’s window is open and she’s nowhere to be seen,” I cried. “We have to find her, Monty, we have to find my baby girl.”

Everything was finally registering to Monty and I saw as the color drained from his face. “Shit, we’ll find her, Iris. Don’t worry, baby girl.”

“I’ll call the police,” Maddox stated, pulling his phone from his back pocket. 

Monty reached around and smacked the phone from his hand and we watched it hit the ground together. “Like hell, you will,” he said. “This is all your fucking fault and the best thing you can do right now is slither back where you came from.”

“She’s my daughter, Monty. Are you really going to say no to my help?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitating. “And don’t call her your fucking daughter again. I don’t know why you’ve decided to pretend like you care suddenly, but nobody is buying it. We don’t have time to figure out your ulterior motives here, we have to find Nia.”

Maddox opens his mouth but closes it again quickly. Perhaps he was doing the right thing for the first time in his life. Monty and I don’t wait for his epiphany. Monty takes my hand and leads me out the back door. “Nia! Nia, where are you?” his deep voice billows through the neighborhood. “Is there anywhere she likes to go to play or meet friends?”

“No,” I shake my head. “Her friends are closer to her school or the ones from softball aren’t around here. God, Monty, maybe we should have asked Maddox for help.”

“We don’t need him, Love. I’m going to start knocking on doors on the next street over, you knock on this street.”

“Okay,” I nod. “I’m going to call Jade too. Maybe she can get off work early and help us.”

“Good idea, baby. Keep your phone on.”

He kisses the top of my head and then jogs down the sidewalk that leads to the next street over. I start with my next-door neighbors, I make it to four houses, and none of them have seen Nia or anything out of the usual. Jade returns my phone call and tells me she’s heading home as soon as possible. I knock on the next door and a woman about my age answers. I recognize her, but we haven’t formally introduced ourselves since she moved in. “Hi,” I say attempting to calm my voice. “I’m from a few houses down and…um…my daughter, Nia, she’s nine and she is missing.”

“Oh god,” the lady gasped. “Did you call the cops yet?”

“No, not yet. She has to be around here somewhere. Hopefully. You haven’t seen anybody in your front yard or anything out of the usual?”

“I haven’t,” she steps on of her door and pulls her sweater around her front, “Have you checked the park? There are always kids down there, maybe she went to play with them?”

“Not yet, she doesn’t really hang out with anybody in the neighborhood. Her best friends aren’t nearby.”

“That was my next guess.” The woman opens her front door again, “Devin, come here please!” It takes just a few moments for a young boy about Nia’s age to show up in the doorway.