Page 101 of Until Bax

“When Dad spoke to Cobi, he seemed hopeful that the police were going to catch him soon.”

“That’s what he’s been telling me, too,” I mutter.

Every time I’ve spoken to my cousin, he’s told me that the men hunting this guy where he was last seen in Kentucky were sure that they were close. They just needed to wait him out. And from life experience, I know someone can hide out for only so long without any contact with the outside world. Eventually, he will need to step back into the real world, and hopefully, the cops will be there to arrest him.

“I’m sorry we haven’t been around much these past few weeks. I…”

“Mom, I get it.” I cut her off before she can spiral. She always wants to be everything to all of us kids, even though we’re all adults, and then feels guilty when she can’t be. “You have a new grandbaby on the way, now Nalia is home, and the holidays are coming up. I know if I really needed you and Dad that you’d be here.”

“In an instant,” she agrees softly, then asks, “Are you on your way home?”

“I’m turning into my driveway now.”

“Well, I’ll let you go then so that you can spend time with Olivia. Tell her that we say hi and that we’re looking forward to seeing her Thursday.”

“I’ll tell her.” I hang up with her and hit the button for the garage, noticing Olivia isn’t home yet. I’m not surprised. I called her about forty-five minutes ago when I was leaving my job site, and she told me that she and the girls were finishing up their last drink before calling it a night. As much anxiety as I’ve had all day thinking about her being out, even if she is with friends and her mom, the moment I heard her voice and heard how relaxed and happy she was, that anxiety settled. I know she’s been feeling suffocated and overwhelmed by everything coming at her, and I hate that I’ve added to that with my need to protect her.

Putting my truck in park, I get out, and Gemma gets out with me.

After checking the mail, I head inside and shrug off my coat before I head down the hall to the kitchen. I feed both Gemma and Ira, then put some leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes in the microwave to reheat. As I’m leaning against the counter, waiting for the microwave to go off, I can’t help but notice just how quiet and lonely the house feels without Olivia here. It’s hard to remember that this was my life before she came and started taking up space and filling each of the little moments with her light.

When my cell starts to ring, I reach for it, expecting it to be Olivia, but it’s actually Liam.

“What’s up?” I answer, opening the microwave when it starts to beep.

“You home?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, I’m headed your way. I got that dresser you asked me about from my storage unit. I’m gonna drop it off so you can get it to Nalia.”

“Thanks, man.”

“No problem. See you in a couple of minutes.” He hangs up, and I lean against the counter. As I’m eating, my cell rings again, and I slide my finger across the screen, putting the call on speaker.

“Hey,” I greet Cobi.

“They got him,” he says, and my head falls back to my shoulders. “He was picked up outside of Bowling Green. The idiot checked into a hotel using his ID. The clerk at the front desk didn’t recognize him, but he did recognize his name, so he checked him in and called the cops.”

“Thank fuck he’s an idiot.”

“They always are.” He laughs. “When I get more info from them, I’ll call and fill you in.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Anytime. Talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you later.” I hang up with him and dial Olivia’s number. As it’s ringing, Gemma takes off out of the kitchen barking, so I follow her to the front door. I’m hoping it’s Olivia pulling into the driveway, but it’s Liam getting out of his truck.

“You wanna help me with this?” he asks, walking to the bed of his pickup.

“Yeah. Give me a sec.” I end the call when it goes to voicemail and shove my cell into my pocket while Gemma takes off to chase her sister around the yard. Shutting the front door, I head down the hall to the garage and open it, hitting the button for the door.

By the time I make it to him, he’s got the dresser out of the truck and is putting in the drawers.

“I just got off the phone with Cobi,” I say as I walk up to join him at the back of his truck, and his eyes come to me. “They got him.”

“Where did they catch him?”

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