Read Jennifer Apodaca - Samantha Shaw 04 - Batteries Required for Free Online Page A

coming into the house. Blinking, I fought to steady myself. To be strong. The boys came in first. I turned and handed them each a plate of brownies. They took them to the table.
    Then Grandpa came up, putting his hand on my shoulder. “How are you, Sammy?”
    I looked up into his crafty blue eyes. Grandpa had been the father I never had. Father–daughter dances? Grandpa went and charmed everyone there into forgetting that he wasn’t my father, but my grandfather. He made the absence of a biological dad bearable.
    Hell, I’d have traded any father for Grandpa.
    “I’m scared for her, Grandpa.”
    He put his arm around me. “Me, too, Sammy. Me, too. I’m gonna check in with all my friends and see if anyone’s heard anything. Angel’s not the type of woman to go unnoticed. Someone may have seen something and not realized Angel was in danger.”
    In spite of my utter terror for Angel, I smiled. It was true. Angel was stunning, with long red hair, green eyes, and killer legs. But the real core of Angel was her fearless determination. She was bright, resourceful, and not a woman who was easily controlled. That gave me hope for her.
    Putting my arm around his waist, I said, “Thank you, Grandpa.”
    He kissed my head, picked up a plate with a warm crumbling brownie, and went to the table. I followed, carrying two more plates. I set one in front of Gabe, then took the seat next to him.
    Gabe looked over at me. “Sam, can you put together a list of phone numbers of the guys in the the Silky Men’s group and Angel’s friends? Barney and the boys can call them to see if anyone knows where Angel is, or has heard from her.”
    I nodded and glanced at my sons. Both of them looked a little more hopeful and steady. Having a job made them feel like they were doing something. I reached behind me to Grandpa’s desk and grabbed a yellow pad of paper. I started making the list.
    Gabe went on, “OK, here’s what I got from my source at the casino. Angel checked out Saturday morning around eleven, but stayed at the casino long enough to charge a dinner at about five-thirty in the afternoon and a couple of Diet Cokes at the last show of the evening. We presume she left after that show and came home, meaning she wouldn’t have gotten home before eleven.”
    I stopped writing and looked at Gabe. “How did you get all that?”
    “The head of security at Daystar is a friend of mine. Another ex-cop. I told him it was extremely urgent that we locate Angel. Also, Daystar has a reputation to worry about. They want us to find her.”
    It made sense, though I doubted any of this information flowed over official channels. “OK, here’s the list.” I slid it to Grandpa.
    Gabe took a bite of the brownie, then washed it down with coffee. “The police will check the local hospitals and urgent-care facilities to see if ”—he glanced at the boys—“anything significant turns up there.”
    Meaning, I knew, a knife wound. I appreciated Gabe’s sparing the boys that information.
    He looked at me. “In the meantime, Sam and I will go talk to Angel’s ex-husband and take a look around. You up for it, Sam? Or would you rather stay here at the house?”
    I looked around the table. The men I loved the most in the world sat around the table. But Angel was my best friend. She had seen me through some really tough times and celebrated my good times. I meant to be there for her during this bad time. Grandpa and Ali would take care of TJ and Joel. “I’m going with you. We’re going to find her.”
     
     
    Since Angel had gotten the house in the divorce, Hugh Crimson and his wife, Brandi, lived in Brandi’s duplex off Lincoln Street. Hugh’s beat-up old Mercedes dripped oil on the asphalt driveway. But I didn’t see any sign of cops.
    Or Angel.
    The weed-choked brown grass crunched beneath my shoes. We headed up to Hugh’s half of the duplex. I rang the doorbell.
    Hugh yanked open the door, his large forehead gleaming like a dead fish in