Page 43 of Sheltering Hollis

"Fuck," I muttered. "This is getting out of hand fast."

"Tell me about it."

I leaned back in the rocker, the wood creaking beneath me. The desert night was cool now, a stark contrast to the burning intensity of the day. "We'll figure this out. But we need to be smart and fast. Whoever's behind this is counting on us to make a mistake. Or it could have nothing to do with us, right?” I said hopefully.

Maddox stood up, stretching his back. "I'll keep you posted. Gonna head back and check on things."

I watched him go, the rumble of his bike fading into the night. I finished my coffee, the bitter taste lingering on my tongue. This wasn't part of my plan when I came home. Fuck.

The next day, after breakfast, I slipped away to make some calls while the girls worked on unpacking. As soon as they were done, we had a few errands to run, but I’d use this time to work. First on my list was Javi.

“Yo, Javi. You got anything for me?” I asked as soon as he picked up.

“Dimitri, man, I’ve been digging. The guy that was dumped was Michael Porter. He wasn’t from around here; I couldn’t find any connection to the Iron Brotherhood or the Cobras. Porter wasn’t from Arizona, either. There’s no record of him checking into any of the hotels in town or the surrounding towns, no car found, and no effects, according to police.”

We had a guy with the locals and Javi had done a good job getting the information quickly. I processed this, pacing the porch. “Alright. Keep digging. Keep a close eye on Pike.”

I hung up, my mind racing. There had to be more to go on. I needed to talk to Pike myself, see if he knew more than he was letting on. I’d gotten into the police files and gotten crime scene photos. They were gruesome, both eyes gouged out, the ‘X’ deep in the forehead. Whoever did this was deliberate. It wasn’t their first time, either.

There were plenty of times I’d tortured and killed people and couldn’t give two shits about it, but I didn’t mark my kills. That was what was bothering me here. This person signed their work and displayed it.

TWENTY-THREE

Hollis

The sky was a brilliant blue, fluffy white clouds sitting on the horizon that seemed almost too perfect. Olive sat in the back seat, humming a tune I didn’t recognize, her excitement contagious. Dimitri drove, his fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on the steering wheel. I could feel the tension radiating from him, but he’d been evasive about what was bothering him. I decided not to press, hoping a day out would lighten the mood.

“Are we almost there?” Olive leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Almost,” Dimitri replied. “Just a few more minutes.”

Haverboro was the kind of small town that felt like it had been plucked from a storybook. Quaint shops lined the main street, their brightly painted facades welcoming as we parked the car. The town square boasted a fountain surrounded by benches and neatly trimmed hedges, a perfect spot for a lazy afternoon. A few newer businesses were sprinkled here and there on the edges, but it was a cute little town. It was much less “strip mall” than Santee, although there were a few smaller versions along the edges.

Olive practically bounced out of the car. “Where to first?”

“We need to get your mom a phone first. She lost hers,” Dimitri winked at her. I was upset to lose my phone. There were photos on there that I couldn’t recover. I’d had a plan for one of the cheaper carriers, but it wasn’t backed up. However, there were things I could change and things I couldn’t. This was one that I couldn’t. Lesson learned.

After the phone was purchased and set up, Dimitri took us to the diner Helena had mentioned, the Odd Duck. Olive laughed at the little goofy one-legged duck on the sign. We sat by the window, the sun warming our faces as we chatted, laughed, and stuffed ourselves full of burgers and malted milkshakes.

It was an adorable diner, bustling and full of life. I’d thought about what Helena had mentioned. “So, the club owns this?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Dimitri answered, dragging a fry through his ketchup. “The previous owner was going to sell it, but it has always been a real mainstay in the community for jobs and traffic in the town. If it closed, it would have been a real issue. So, the club bought it, and we have a local running it.” He pointed out a young redhead that I’d spotted earlier. “Daisy over there does a bang-up job. We had our doubts at first, but she’s amazing.”

I looked over at the girl who balanced trays while talking a mile a minute to every person she passed. “Helena mentioned that I could potentially get a few shifts here.”

“If you worked here, could I come after school and get milkshakes, momma?” Olive was interested now. She was used to me swapping jobs but liked it best when food was involved. I winked at her, but I wasn’t confident about our arrangements yet about getting her to school or how I would get her home.

“You absolutely can if you’d like to, malysh.” Dimitri had an arm sprawled over my shoulders, toying with my hair as he finished his food, lazily rubbing his fingers over my neck. “You don’t have to, though. Don’t be in a hurry. You have Olive to get to school.”

“That doesn’t take all day, Dima,” I frowned. “I need to find out about the bus schedule too. And after school care …” There was so much to do. I never wanted to put Olive in extra programs, but if shifts were available, sometimes overlapping programs would need to happen. I appreciate Dimitri’s offer, but I felt weird about not working.

“No bus. No after-school program,” he said. I looked over at him sharply. “If you can’t pick her up, then I will.”

I opened my mouth to argue that he couldn’t speak for me or make decisions for my daughter like that, but he had caught my mood. His eyes darkened, and his lips went flat, but he forced a smile in Olive’s direction.

“Now that our bellies are full, do you think you want to go and get that kitten you’ve been talking about?” Dimitri suggested.

“Yes!” Olive’s face lit up even more if that was possible.

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