Page 9 of Freedom to Love

“I’ll connect you now. Thank you.”

Brynn sat straighter. Another woman answered. Brynn hesitated, but only for a moment.

“I’m calling for Sergeant Vander,” she said.

“She’s resting and can’t take calls.”

“Resting? So she’s okay?”

“She’s in recovery. Who may I say is calling?”

“Her sister.”

“She doesn’t have a sister…Who can I say is calling?”

“Thank you, I just needed to make sure she was okay.”

Brynn ended the call, heart racing. She was alive. She made it.

Brynn sighed with relief. Thank God. Now she just had to let her know about her dog. Hopefully, when she called again, she would be able to speak to her. Brynn cleared the call and returned the phone to Bea’s pocket. She wouldn’t understand the phone call or the need to check on Vander. Bea just wasn’t made that way.

Brynn slowed and exited at a gas station. Instead of parking in the pavement lot, she parked in the field behind the building to avoid cameras. She gave Bea a rough shove and climbed out, opening the back door for the dog. He jumped out, happy to go explore. Brynn found him easy to walk. He heeled and listened well. After he finished his business, she returned him to the car, left the air on, and entered the store. She grabbed a Coke and some Advil and found Bea chatting up the cashier. Brynn got the feeling they knew each other.

Brynn put her goods on the counter and nudged Bea aside, giving her a look, letting her know she needed to shut her mouth. Brynn paid for them both and pushed out the door with Bea hot on her tail.

“What the hell, Brynn?”

Brynn kept walking, wiping fresh sweat from her brow. She climbed in the car and shut the door. Bea followed her with a pinched face.

“He’s my friend.”

“Doesn’t matter. The last thing we need is you running your mouth, creating a trail.”

Bea scoffed. “He won’t snitch.”

“Yeah, right. You better hope not.”

Bea cursed and opened her Dew, nearly downing the whole thing. “You never believe me.”

Brynn didn’t answer, just pulled back on the highway. Bea was right. She never believed her, but there were a million reasons why.

“The cop lived,” Brynn said to test her reaction. “Vander.”

Bea stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. “So?”

“So, that’s good. We did something good. We helped a cop. Saved her life.” Come on, Bea, care. Care about someone, something, anything.

Bea belched. “What about the other dude?”

Brynn closed her eyes for a moment as a new sensation washed over her. Guilt. She should’ve checked him better. “I don’t know. I’m not sure where they took him.”

“Some place where they work miracles,” Bea said. “That dude looked seriously fucked up when we drove past him. He looked dead.”

“Yes.” But that didn’t mean he was. They should’ve taken him too. But she’d been too panicked, afraid. She’d just wanted to get out of there.

“I’ve never seen so much blood,” Bea said. “They used him for target practice.”

“Just shut up. Be quiet, okay?”

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