Carla slowly opened her swollen eyes to meet the tired eyes of Damien staring right at her. Closing her eyes with her hand over eyes, she sighed.
Anna was gone for real and she had cried herself to sleep.
"I quit." She said it without thinking, without regret and without fear. Damien could as well go to hell.
"We'll find her." His voice was calm.
Carla wanted to tell him to go to hell, she needed Rhys right now and not him. Rhys would probably have the right things to say and a better way to go about this.
"The police are on this and there is a search party going on around Portlag in search of…"
"Didn't you get the message yesterday?" She took her hands off her eyes but her glare was watered down.
"Sit back and not do anything about my daughter when I don't know what is fucking going on between you and that fucker?" Damien had his hands crossed across his chest, he looked like a breathing sarcasm.
"Shut the fuck up!" Carla raised herself to a sitting position, held Damien's burning gaze without backing down till Damien closed his eyes and cursed.
"You have got to stop whatever fucked up thing you guys have going on." His jaws worked on seeing her wry smile.
"You are not even worth a pinky finger, who do you think you are…"
"Shut up Carla."
"No! You shut your gutter! You made her go missing!" She wanted to rip his face apart.
They went into a staring competition.
"It was hard not to drive a nail through his head while you had your tongue down his throat."
"Oh yeah? You can as well drive a nail up into your balls." She looked away at the wall, frowning slightly at the growing headache.
"The police will be here soon to question you." Damien eased into the couch uncomfortably.
"What police? I do not want the police on this."
"Are you crazy!"
"Our daughter is out there! Alone!" His nose flared.
"My daughter." She corrected before looking away in the bid to hold back her tears.
She knew Rhys was right, this wasn't ordinary. Something was coming, something was about to happen. She could feel it in her bones.
'Rhys, please come. I need you.' She pleaded in her head and just like that, the door swung open.
"Rhys?" She tried staggering up but Rhys rushed towards her instead and engulfed her in a warm hug.
She caught Damien's dangerous stare and gave him a middle finger.
"Don't do that." Rhys whispered into her ear, already reading her mind.
"The police…" There was a knock on the door shutting her up.
"The police are here, go wear something nice." Damien sounded extremely pained but his face was blank. It was hard to imagine that voice was his.
"I do not want the police on this!" But Rhys' pat on her shoulder calmed her down.
Damien's eyes focused on that contact between them, his lips almost curling up in a snare.
"I don't trust you." He was on his feet, gently walking towards Rhys.
Carla was fast enough to come in-between them, throwing warning glances at Damien.
"I won't tolerate this anymore. Who is he?" Damien's calmness was unsettling.
"I'd find out for myself." He turned towards the door instead and flung it open for the police.
"Anna is my child and I do not want the police on this." Carla yelled out loud before the head officer could greet.
"Carla!"
"Carla, don't."
Damien and Rhys cautioned at once.
"She is unstable at the moment and would need some time alone." Rhys went on to explain to the police whose frown was intense.
"Let's go to your room." He gripped her shoulder but a strong hand held one of his wrist stopping him in his tracks.
"Hands off her." Damien's glare was scorching.
"Rhys?" She called but Rhys did as he was told.
"Rhys?" She turned to look at him.
"The police are here and we don't want a family drama with the absence of popcorn to watch." He smirked at Damien who was on the edge of losing his cool.
"Question him."
"Mr. Graves?"
"I said to question him, he is the main suspect." Damien's free hand clenched by his side only turning when the police nodded at his demand.
"What do you think you are doing?" She hissed, eyes darting from Damien to the police officers.
"Taking you back into the room to get some rest as my woman." He whispered into her ear and carried her into his arms without prior warning.
Carla's heart chilled as they approached the door to her bedroom.
"If you try something stupid, I will yell and have them come after you." She looked away from his face.
"I would love to see you try."
"Fucker!" She hissed again.
"Proudly but our daughter is missing so this can wait till she is found." He dumped her on the bed.
"You might want to tell me what is actually going on. If you know something that would help…"
She blurred out his remaining words and closed her eyes. 'Tell him so that he could expose it to the world and have me labeled a witch and stoned to death?' A shudder ran through her.
"Fine! I'd get down to it myself and I swear, I would cut off his hands if he is seen near you after all this is settled." He threatened but she still had her eyes closed.
She felt him bend forward probably to kiss her and she was right, seeing his face up close and his lips puckered about to press it against her forehead she turned her face to the side and he missed.
When she saw the hidden hurt in his eyes, something pricked her chest but she pushed it aside, her forehead was only meant for Rhys.
"Really?" He asked and she panicked for a second thinking he could hear her thoughts.