Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1818

Elysia glanced at the clock. It was almost six in the morning.

Clayton Hawkins was an early riser, so she decided to call him instead.

He picked up almost immediately. "Dad, is Tarquin at home? I can't reach his phone."

Clayton had already heard from Elliot that Tarquin had left to find Axel, and that they were keeping Elysia in the dark.

He lied smoothly. "He left before dawn. He's probably on a flight right now, which is why you can't reach him."

Elysia was surprised. "Before dawn? Where did he go?"

"Out of town on business," Clayton replied. "Something urgent with the company, I believe."

Elysia frowned, a knot forming in her stomach.

"Is it an emergency?" Clayton asked gently.

"No, it's fine. Did Lowell go with him?"

"Yeah, they left together."

Elysia sighed softly, made some brief small talk, and ended the call.

She turned back to Blossom.

"Tarquin and Lowell went on a business trip. They're on a flight, which is why they're unreachable. Try to relax. As soon as they land and see my missed calls, he'll call me back, and I'll ask him about Axel."

Blossom buried her face in Elysia's shoulder, weeping. "I want to go find him. I'm so worried, Elysia. I just know something happened to him."

Elysia rubbed her back, entirely unsure of how to comfort her.

Blossom's panic was contagious, and intuition was a powerful thing—often disturbingly accurate.

But going after Axel was completely out of the question.

First, they had no idea where he actually was.

Second, if he truly was in danger, they would only be a liability, not an asset.

"Blossom, please, hold on. Let's wait until we talk to Tarquin to figure out what's going on."

With Blossom completely distraught, Elysia stayed by her side, murmuring reassurances while anxiously waiting for Tarquin's call.

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