Page 92 of Her Hidden Smile

I went to the front of the house and started walking. I passed Amadi who was smoking an e-cigarette and looking at his phone.

“Those things will kill you,” I told him.

“We’re all going to die anyway.” He waved back at me.

I gave him a chin tilt and made a note to sic our sister Polly on him. Obviously, she didn’t know about this, otherwise he wouldn’t be smoking.

When I was in front of the Freeman’s house, I called Millie again and got her voicemail again.

“Millie, I’m worried about you, Cariña. Can you please call me and let me know you’re all right?”

I then texted her the same thing.

I remembered her out near the blackberry bushes. I should have called her yesterday.

Dammit!

I called Simon. I needed him to go check on her.

Another fucking voicemail!

I called Roan.

Another fucking voicemail!

Who in the hell in Jasper Creek was answering their phone?

I called Nash Rivers’ cell phone.

The fucker went straight to voicemail and I sure as hell wasn’t going to call the sheriff’s department.

I called the Down Home Diner.

“Down Home. We don’t take reservations.”

“Where’s Little Grandma? Why isn’t she answering the phone?” I demanded to know.

“She’s at the hospital.”

That stopped me in my tracks. “Who’s this? What’s wrong with her? What hospital?”

“Who’s this?” the woman asked.

“I’m Renzo Drakos. Who’s this?” I asked again.

“Oh Renzo, hasn’t somebody called you?”

An icy shiver ran down my back. A premonition. “Is this about Millie?”

“Yes. She’s in Sevierville at the medical center.”

“Why?” I could hardly speak.

“Honey, I don’t know all the reasons. Nobody’s called me back. Mama drove Little Grandma, and I’m holding down the fort. I just know that there was a shootout at her house a couple of hours ago⁠—”

“A shootout!”

“She’s not shot!” Lettie yelled over the phone. “I said that wrong. She’s not been shot. She was held hostage for awhile is all. She’s been injured. Somebody needs to call me.”