Page 132 of Muted

Chester: We found her. She’s injured, but safe. I’ll let you know what happened and where we’re headed when the ambulance gets here.

“They got her,” I tell my traveling partners, letting out a long gust of air in relief. “He’s going to tell us where they’re going as soon as he knows.”

My chest aches for Elaine when she throws herself into Ronnie’s chest and sobs in relief. I’ve gotten to know them a bit over the past twenty-four hours, and the one thing I know for sure is that they adore the woman I’m obsessed with.

We’re sitting outside the gate for our last flight before arriving back in town. My knee bouncing in agitation because I want to be therenow.

Dialing Theo’s number, I wait for him to answer and the moment I hear the call connect, I ask, “How far out are you?”

“I’ve got another fucking hour!” he growls down the line, the noise from his truck engine loud in the background.

“I assume Chester is going to be distracted, so if you find out where she’s headed, will you call me? Our flight takes off in about thirty minutes and we should start boarding any minute. The moment we’re in the air, I’ll turn my phone back on.”

His engine gets louder, and I frown at the noise. “Yeah. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear. I hate not knowing what happened.”

Before I can answer, Elaine’s phone rings. She grabs it from her purse as fast as she can and answers. Looking at Ronnie, she whispers, “It’s the hospital.”

“Elaine just got a call from the hospital. Hold on. I’ll let you know what she says,” I say quietly into the phone and then hold the phone to my ear as she and Ronnie lean their heads together with the phone pressed between them.

My blood is rushing to my ears each time they react to something they’ve heard and the questions they ask. After telling the person on the other line that they should be there later this afternoon, they hang up.

Holding my phone up, I ask, “Would you mind if I placed Theo on speaker so he can hear as well?”

Ronnie seems about to argue, but Elaine cuts him off. “That’s fine dear.” Sitting next to me, she says, “Good morning, Theo. I’m Elaine and Ronnie, Susanna’s uncle, is here with me as well.”

“Morning,” he grunts out. I want to smack him, but I think we can all forgive his rudeness due to the situation we’re in. “What did they say? Is she alright?”

“We don’t know much yet, but it sounds like they believe she’s stable. She’s being transported by ambulance to the closest hospital. I’ll have Vance text you the address. She’s currently unconscious, but she did wake up briefly after they found her. They said that she has quite a few superficial injuries, but their main concern are two places on her head where she was struck.”

Her voice trembles when she gets to that part, and I quickly lower the volume of my speaker when Theo starts cursing up a storm.

“You’re on speaker, Theo,” I warn him and give an apologetic look to Susu’s family.

“Sorry,” he grumbles out. “Did they tell you what happened?”

Elaine shakes her head, clearing her throat. “No. The woman we spoke to said they don’t have those details yet, but there should be an officer waiting for us when we arrive. If… If you find out before we get there, would you let us know?” She looks at Ronnie, who’s blinking up at the ceiling as if he’s fighting off tears. She lowers her voice to whisper, “I think we need a head’s up.”

This time, when Theo responds, he’s calmed and gentles his voice. “I’ll let you know everything I find out the moment I’m there. Most important thing is that they have her, and she’s getting checked over. That’s everything.”

The woman beside me starts crying silently, her shoulders shaking with each sob and the way Ronnie comforts her by tucking her into his chest is heartwarming. I’m so thankful that Susu was raised with these people. If nothing else, her home life seems to have been wonderful.

Coughing to cover up the emotion clogging my throat, I bring my phone back to my ear. “Drive safely. I can tell just by the sound of your engine that you’re speeding. It won’t do her any good if you get your ass arrested for reckless driving.” The broken voice of a flight attendant over the speaker alerts us we’ll be boarding soon.

“We’re about to get on the plane. I’ll let you know when my phone is back on. See you soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon,” he says, distracted by his own thoughts just before he hangs up the phone.

Pocketing my phone, I grab all the bags once I stand up and stare down where Ronnie is still holding onto Elaine. “Come on. Let’s go see our girl.”

Chapter 38

Honor

Theo

Skidding to a stop as I make it to the room Susu is in, I ignore the glare I get from the nurse’s station as I shove the door open and hurl my body inside.

I left Susu’s roommate to catch up in the parking lot. When I got the word that we needed to leave, she demanded I bring her with me. It only took her a few minutes to make the call to work for some time off. So, the moment I shoved my truck into park, I took off without waiting for her.

---