Page 9 of Her Dragon Outlaw

“Okay bee, be safe. I love you.”

“Love you to mom.”

I hang up the phone and dial Tammy's number, reversing the car and heading towards midtown. Tammy doesn’t live too far, only about twenty minutes away.

No answer. I redial.

There could be alot of reasons why Tammy hasn’t answered her phone. Unfortunately none of the reasons I can think of are good. If it was as simple as a lost phone she would have contacted us by now. She knew our numbers by heart.

No answer. Again.

I redial, inhaling and exhaling harshly to stop myself from throwing up. The anxiety of this is gut wrenching.

There are only two possibilities. She’s ignoring us, or something is very wrong. I chew on the inside of my cheek. I try, for a second, to convince myself that Tammy is ignoring us for whatever reason. But I know it isn’t true.

If something was wrong, Tammy wouldn’t shy away from speaking her mind. Tammy would let us know if she was upset with us.

By the third failed attempt at contacting her, I slam my hand down on my steering wheel with a curse. This can’t be happening, it just can’t.

I try to recall the last time I spoke to my sister. It was about a week ago and everything felt normal. What am I missing? Pushing my foot down on the gas, I eat up the rest of the distance. I park in front of her house and look around. Her car is parked in the driveway but the lights in the house are off.

I walk up the smooth pavement to Tammy’s porch. Making a beeline for the living room window, I cup my hand, pressing my face to try and squint through the darkness. It doesn’t look like anyone was home but why would her car be parked in the driveway if she wasn’t.

My thumb skims over the doorbell a moment before I push it. Time slows and a strange sense of deja vu dogs my brian. The bell rings, one, twice, three times. No answer. Just like the phone. I rasp my knuckles on the door.

“Tammy? Tammy, are you home?” I shout in desperation.

No answer.

My heart is slapping against the inside of my chest like a wild salmon.

I zone in on the doorknob, figuring I could jimmy the lock. Tammy isn't going to be happy when she finds out I picked her front door, but better safe than sorry. Pulling a pin out of my hair I push it into the keyhole and start to twist the knob back and forth when it turns all the way to the left without resistance. My eyes widen as the door swings open with a barely perceptible hiss.

Shit this isn't good. Why wasn't the door locked?

Too many things aren't adding up.Tammy would never ignore my moms calls, or keep her door unlocked. Anxiety morphs into fear. I look down at my hands, they're shaking. I clench my fist to control them as I cautiously step into the darkness.

The quiet is haunting. The familiar scent of cake and sugar causes a wave of nausea to roll through me. I used to love the smell, but without my sister in her bright yellow apron to accompany the smell, it is too sweet. So sweet it makes the bitterness of her absence sharper.

I call out to her as I walk through the darkness.

Even when I know for certain, I won’t hear anyone answering back.

8

CODY

Even though I have a full night ahead of me to relax and do nothing, I can’t stop thinking about the woman I met at Miller labs.

There was something about her that stopped me in my tracks. Something I don’t understand just yet.

Maybe it was her eyes, I think to myself. She had beautiful eyes.

Whatever it is, I want more of it.

I crack open a cold one and settle into the sofa for a night in. At least, I try to. Her voice rings in my head, that scoffing tone she had when she said, “Say hi to your next Tinder date for me.” What could she possibly mean by that?

There are few women who can throw around casual, biting humor so easily, at least of the ones which I have met. I must see her again, if only for the dressing-down she certainly will give me.

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