Page 11 of Bombshell

“I can’t stay here. I need to go home. Now. I want to go home!” Her eyes began to water as I watched her build herself up into a panic.

“I’ve already told you, it isn’t safe. If you go home, Canyon will come looking for you there.”

She threw her hands up in clear frustration. “And if you are right and he is a bad guy, then that puts Mrs. Mildred in danger and Jeremy! His dad doesn’t come home most nights until way after midnight, and even then, he’s three sheets to the wind! He’s just a kid. I have to be there. I have to make sure no one is hurt.”

I set my drink down and stood up. “Listen, I can send men to watch your apartment. Make sure everything is—”

“NO! I need to make sure they are okay. I’m not staying here.” Her voice cracked then. “Please, Micah. Please let me go home.”

Dammit all to hell.

6

Dolly

I wasn’t sure how long I had been alone in the library after Micah slammed out of there, angry. One minute, I had been ready to bolt, and the next, he had stormed from the room, as if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

Why was he angry? I was the one being held against my will. I was the one who needed to get back home. He…he was just not getting his way. That was all.

Maybe Canyon was a bad guy, and just maybe, Micah was right, but I knew—I just knew—Canyon wouldn’t hurt me. Even if he had been in prison and done the things that Micah seemed to think he had, I wasn’t in danger from him. Getting Micah to listen to me was another thing. Especially since I was now sitting in this library, alone.

I let my eyes wander over to the bookshelves. They were full of books, and that impressed me. The men here didn’t appear to be readers, yet here, they had a library that I was jealous of. I started toward one of the shelves to see what books they had when the door swung back open. I expected to see Micah, but instead, it was Tex.

He held up my purse. “Got something for you,” he replied.

Relieved at the sight of it, I hurried toward him to take it in case he changed his mind. “Thank you,” I replied out of habit. Not that I had a reason to thank him. He was a part of all this.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he replied. “I’m also supposed to show you to your room.”

I was in the process of pulling my phone from my purse but paused and looked up at him. “Room?” I asked, not liking the sound of that one bit.

“There was an issue at Toxic Throttle, one of our clubs. Micah had to go handle things. He said to give you your shit and take you to your room.”

“He’s just gonna keep me here? How long will he be gone?” I asked, feeling the panic rise in my chest.

“Not sure, darling. But you’re safe here. No one is gonna hurt you.”

I knew arguing was pointless. I had my phone now. I would call Pepper. She’d help me. I nodded and followed him out of the library and down the long hallway, passing the stairs and finally stopping at the second door on the right.

Tex opened the door and stepped back. “Go take a bubble bath or some shit women do. Nina will bring you some food soon.”

Pepper would hopefully be here sooner. I nodded and thanked him, then closed the door and locked it. I realized they probably had a key to it, but it made me feel marginally better. Taking my phone, I dropped my purse on the bed and went through my missed calls and texts. Momma had called twice, then left a text about me helping at the potluck dinner at church tomorrow night. She wanted me to make a Crock-Pot of chicken and dumplings. Zander, one of my coworkers at the campus library, had texted, asking if I could take his shift tomorrow morning. That wasn’t looking promising at the moment. Then, there was a missed call from Canyon. He’d left a voice message. I stared at the message for a moment before pressing play and listening to it.

“Babe, I’m sorry. I handled today wrong. The shit with The Judgment and Micah Abe is old, and I had hoped they’d let it go. I should have protected you. I should have never let them take you. I’m so fucking sorry. Know that I wouldn’t have allowed it if I’d thought you were in trouble. I knew Abe wouldn’t hurt you if you were important to his sister. Just…” He paused, and I blinked back the tears burning my eyes. He was admitting it. He knew about my connection to Pepper. He had known who I was to her. “Don’t shut me out. Let me explain. I need to explain, baby. Please. Call me.”

I sank down on the bed and stared down at the phone. Canyon’s name with a heart emoji beside it. What was I supposed to believe? I needed to talk to Pepper. She would help me sort this all out. Make sense of it all. I typed in her name, then pressed Call on my cell.

Three rings, then voice mail. Ending the call, I decided to text her instead.

I need you. It’s a 911 kinda thing. I am currently being held at your brother’s club or whatever this place is. He thinks I’m unsafe at home. Call me.

After pressing Send, I waited for the phone to ring or even to see that she had read my text. Neither happened. I tried calling again. Three rings, then voice mail. She would call me as soon as she saw this. I placed the phone on the bedside table and lay back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. Maybe Pepper would read it and come straight here. Not even call. She’d be so mad at Micah that she would burst in here and take me home.

The knock on my door had me scrambling off the bed and hurrying to the door. Perhaps that was Micah and I was getting to leave. I unlocked it and swung it open to find Nina standing there with a tray of food, just like Tex had promised. Disappointed, I forced a smile.

“Thank you, Nina,” I told her, although I wasn’t in the least bit hungry. I reached out to take the tray.

“I know you’re ready to go, and that food won’t make that any better, but I did add a large slice of my coconut cake. It can give you a brief moment of joy maybe.” The pity on her face didn’t reassure me that I would be sleeping in my bed tonight.

---