Ryan didn’t say no at first.
He just stood in the doorway of the study, keys in his hand, face carved into that controlled stillness Eve had learned to read as danger, not danger aimed at her, but danger aimed at anything that threatened to pull him into chaos he didn’t choose.
“Steven called you,” Eve said quietly, because the silence was starting to feel like denial.
Ryan’s gaze stayed on his phone. “Yes.”
“And Alissa is missing.”
“Yes.”
Eve’s hand drifted to her belly again, the movement automatic now, an instinct that had nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with fear. “Then we can’t stay here pretending this will solve itself.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened. “We don’t know she’s missing. We know she’s not answering.”
Eve stared at him. “That’s missing.”
Ryan’s eyes lifted,
