Read Online Finally Finn (Los Rancheros #4) by Brandace Morrow - Free Book Online

seat as my knees give out. Bridgette has
always called me Aunt Sadie, but never Hannah. Go figure something
like this would make her like me.
    “Ma’am, these officers would like to take
your statement. If you could grab your ID and step out of the car,
please?” a man in a suit says. I eye him and guess he must be the
principal. Where the fuck was he when shit was going down?
    I turn the key in the ignition and crack the
windows, making sure the air conditioning is on full blast, but
leave the passenger door open. I don’t know why. Crazy scenarios
are running through my head since I didn’t actually observe my
brother and sister leave. Images of them trying to get to the kids
and me diving through the door to speed away is all I can think
about. I keep my hand on the doorframe to the car.
    The cops take my statement, asking me who
they were, if I know the case number of my lawsuit, if I want to
press charges, get a restraining order, if they can talk to the
kids. I let the kids talk to the police, not even thinking that I
should be calling Batty until my phone starts exploding. An officer
looks at me with concern. I shrug.
    “It’s their father. I need to let him know
what’s going on.”
    “Alright, ma’am. We’re done here for now. The
suspects fled, but please contact us if you have any trouble at
all.” I shake everyone’s hand.
    “Thanks.” I leave the now emptying school and
head straight for home.
    “Aren’t we going to soccer?” I shake my head.
No fucking way I can take them running all over the place in two
different directions out in the open.
    “Not today. We’re going to skip it.” They get
pouty, and maybe a good mom wouldn’t break routine, but my nerves
are shot. “Let’s go swimming in the lake.” The girls start bouncing
and clapping.
    “We’ve never swam in the lakes before! Can I
jump off the dock like we do at the pool? I’m a good diver,”
Bridgette practically yells in my ear.
    “Yes. We’ll take it slow and move up to that,
okay? You’re both practically fish, anyway.” They giggle and I
smile, pushing the remote for the Los Rancheros gate that I took
out of the truck.
    My phone goes off again as we pull up to the
house. “Go in and get your suits on. I’ll be in to put sunscreen on
you in just a minute. I have to talk to Uncle Finn first.”
    “Hello?”
    “What in the ever loving fuck is going on,
Sadie?!” Shit, he’s pissed. I sigh and rub my temple.
    “Brian and Patricia were at the school when I
went to pick up the kids.”
    “How can this happen? Where was the school
security?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. All I did was borrow your
truck and the teachers helped the kids in and smiled at me. They
parked in the parking lot from what I saw.”
    “This is unbelievable. I’m coming home.”
    “What? I know you’re freaked out. I’m still
shaking, but they never touched the girls. The police took
everyone’s statement, including the kids, and they never touched
them.”
    “Sadie.”
    “Finn, I swear they’re fine. We’re at the
house for the rest of the day, behind all of the gates that this
place has. We’re skipping soccer. I’ll have them call you if you
want.” He sighs.
    “Fine. Have them call me before bed,
please.”
    “Okay,” I say quietly, but the call has
already been ended. A cold sense of unease works its way through
me.
    Walking into the house, it’s a tornado of
backpacks, socks, and other various clothes all the way down the
hall. I pick up as I go, starting a load of clothes like I usually
do at bedtime when they change out of their clothes for the day. I
French braid their hair and slather them with sunscreen then change
my clothes.
    When we get out to the docks, I set the
fluffy towels down on a long dock and peer into the water. I’ve
never seen anything but fish in the water. I turn back to the
girls.
    “Has there ever been any alligators or snakes
in here that you can remember?” They shake their head no, eyes
wide.