Page 72 of Verses

Standing, I followed Wolf into the kitchen. Once we were there, he whispered, “Would you keep an eye on her for just a minute?” When I nodded, he walked back through the living room quickly toward where I imagined his bedroom was, and I moved to the doorway so she was in view. It wasn’t long before Wolf was back in the kitchen. “That son of a bitch better not try coming over here.”

My voice was also quiet. “Do you think he knows she came over here?”

Before he could answer, the woman stood. “Thank you.” We walked back to the living room and she handed me my phone back.

Wolf asked, “Does he know where you went?”

“No. I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out, but he doesn’t know what direction I ran.”

Wolf moved across the room and slightly opened a slit in the blinds to peer out the window. “That’s gotta be him. Big truck…driving slowly.”

“My sister and her husband are on the way.”

“Then we’ll wait. In the meantime, do you want me to get some ice or a cold washcloth for your face?”

“No. I’m okay for now.”

But that had to be the most tense twenty minutes I’d experienced as an adult. I was scared that her cop boyfriend would bring the entire Charlotte police force to Wolf’s house. Even though there weren’t many cops in Charlotte, they all carried guns and seemed to have a superiority complex.

Meaning I could imagine them coming here, killing us all, and then saying we were dangerous criminals dealing meth to cover it up.

Several minutes into waiting, the kitchen started to fill with smoke. “Shit.” Wolf stood up. “Be right back.”

It wasn’t the potatoes.

It had to be the steaks.

Damn.

A while later, my phone rang and it was a number I didn’t recognize. “Is this your sister?”

“Yes.” When I handed the phone back to her, she swiped at the screen to answer the call. “Yeah, to the east.” She looked at me as if trying to communicate through her expression, but I had no idea what she was trying to say, so I just tried to look sincere and caring. “Would it be easier if we met you somewhere?”

Ah. The boyfriend was still patrolling the area.

“Okay. I’ll be ready.” When she hung up the phone, she said, “They’re going to drive around a little bit, because they’re pretty sure they drove past John and they want to make sure he didn’t recognize Becky’s car.”

I was ready to vomit—but if she could continue being calm, it was the least I could do.

Wolf said, “They don’t want me to get you out of here and meet them somewhere else?”

“No.”

When a vehicle honked its horn out front a few minutes later, I nearly jumped out of my skin. The woman practically shoved my phone in my hands. “That’s them,” she said and I noticed the text message on the screen that said,we’re here.

“I’m not letting you walk out alone.” And, with that, Wolf accompanied her out to the car.

The woman quickly got in the backseat and her sister rolled down the passenger window. “Thanks for helping her.”

“No problem. But I’d get the hell out of Dodge right now if I were you.”

The guy at the wheel said, “On it. Dot, buckle up.” And he sped up so quickly, his tires spat gravel. Maybe it wasn’t so smart, but Wolf and I stood in front of the house until the car was out of sight.

And no sign of her crazy boyfriend.

“Jesus,” I whispered.

“Let’s get you inside. It’s cold.”

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