Page 6 of Lost
“No,” Lysander admitted. “It was my sister he had the grudge against. She dumped him in August, and he couldn’t get it through his thick head that they were through. He was always trying to get her back.”
“And where’s your sister now?”
“He took her.”
“She’s missing,” Mrs. Corte amended, shooting Lysander a disapproving look. “She vanished the night their mother died. She was still at home when her friend called her at around seven, but by the time Lysander got home she was gone, and Samantha was dead.”
Lysander could recall every second of that night in great detail, from counting the three porch steps as he climbed them to finding his mother on the kitchen floor, her neck bent at an impossible angle. There had been an oil spill on the tiles, and at first he’d believed she’d slipped. But then he’d seen Dakota’s room.
“So what are the police saying?” Pat asked.
“The mother slipped and broke her neck,” Mrs. Corte replied, glancing at Lysander briefly. “That’s the official report. The girl they’re not so sure about. It’s likely that she saw her mother, panicked, and ran off. She’s fifteen, she has a history of skipping school—”
“She wouldn’t just run off,” Lysander growled.
“They’ve got police monitoring the house in case she comes back, and they’ve got the entire area on the lookout.” Mrs. Corte looked to Zack, absently turning the mug in front of her. “She’s yours, too. They’re twins.”
Zack was speechless.
Pat wore the same look of surprise, but composed himself quickly. Zack ran another hand through his dark hair, looking as if he might be sick at any moment. His eyes locked onto Lysander’s again.
“There are two of you.”
Lysander nodded. He could almost see the cogs in Zack’s head turning.
“And she’s missing?”
“No,” Lysander said before the lawyer could speak again, “she wastaken.”
“Taken.”
Lysander couldn’t tell if Zack believed him. The man looked like he was having a hard time believing that he had a daughter at all. He hated having to push the rockstar, but this was the reason he had reluctantly agreed to come to California in the first place.
“Yes, taken.” He kept his eyes on Zack. “By her ex-boyfriend, Jacob Alfonzo.Please.” His voice cracked. He clenched his fists; he was stronger than that. He wouldn’t cry over this. “Please,” he tried again, calmer this time. “She’s my sister. Mytwin. I can’t lose her.
“I need you to help me find her.”
CHAPTER THREE
Zack didn’t know what to think.
The kid had all but admitted the only reason he was in California was that he wanted money. That the only reason he’d voiced who his father was had been so he could reach the man to ask for help. This was not a great way for them to start a relationship. Had it been a woman showing up to demand a share of his fortune, Zack would already have thrown her out. But Lysander wasn’t some hussy looking for money — he was Zack’s son, and he was here for unselfish reasons. Apparently.
Zack considered him from across the table. It was just the two of them now, Maria having departed with assurances that she would keep Zack updated. Pat had been her ride home, and had reminded Zack before he left that he (and the rest of the guys, for that matter) were only a phone call away if he needed them. Zack wanted to stop him, to sayI need you now, damnit!But he’d only nodded. He had to step into his new role eventually. It might as well be now.
Two days ago, he’d been a married man with two dogs. Today he was a father.
Lysander sat with his hands in his pockets, eyes taking in his surroundings with little interest. His sandy hair was a mess. He looked tired, Zack realised, even though it wasn’t yet five o’clock. What time was it in Wisconsin? Seven? Still early. But after everything the boy had been through, he probably wasn’t sleeping well. Zack wouldn’t have been able to.
He should say something. He cleared his throat.
“There’s only two of you, right?”
Yeah, that was a great way to start a conversation.
Lysander looked at him in surprise. “What?”
“Two,” Zack repeated. He was almost afraid to ask. “You’re not going to come to me tomorrow and tell me you’re actually a triplet, are you?”
