Page 57 of Protecting What Is Mine

“Hey, wait a sec.” Sam’s eyes perk up as she reaches for her phone.

“What are we waiting for? Decide to try her yourself?”

Sam raises an index finger at me as she turns her attention to her phone. She swipes through her contact list and smiles to herself when she finds what she’s looking for. She looks up with hope in her eyes as the phone rings.

I hear someone speak but can’t make out what they say.

“Hi there, this is Mollie’s cousin, Sam. Sam Williams. Hey, I thought her shift was supposed to end already, but I haven’t heard from her. She’s not around by any chance, is she?”

Sam’s face falls. “She already left? And you’re sure about that? No, no I’m sure everything is fine. Yeah, after what happened there I can understand.”

Shit.

“Yep. When I hear from her, I’ll make sure she calls to let everyone there know she’s fine. Okay. Bye-bye.” When Sam looks at me, her calm façade is gone, replaced by fear. “Now, I’m getting worried too.”

“That settles it.” I dig my phone from my back pocket to call and cancel on dinner. “Gabe? I thought I dialed Mom.”

“You did.”

I can hear the smirk in his voice and I don’t have time for it. “Well why the hell are you answering her phone?” I roll my eyes. “Jesus, what does a person have to do to get a break from you?” I cover the microphone with my hand and chuckle. “See Sam, everybody’s got family they wish they could get rid of.”

Gabe fires back. “What are you, jealous? It’s because you know I’m Mom's favorite, isn’t it?”

Under different circumstances, that statement is exactly the kind of thing I’d take the bait on, and our conversation would devolve into another, typically childish argument. But now is not the time. “Please shut up for a minute. Could you? I called Mom to let her know I can’t make it tonight.”

“Dude, are you serious? You know she’s going to be pissed.”

“Yeah, I know.” I clench my teeth. “That’s why I’m calling.” I pull the phone away while Gabe gets the lecture about family responsibility out of his system. When I don’t hear him bitching anymore, I bring the phone back to my ear.

“Are you finished?”

He scoffs. “I’m just saying, you better have a good reason.”

“Of course I have a good reason. Asshole. Mollie hasn’t come home yet and we haven’t been able to reach her.”

Gabe pauses for a moment. “The cousin...he’s still in the hospital, right?”

“I don’t know if he is or not.” I sigh. “He should be back in jail. That’s where he belongs.”

“After what you did to him, do you think he’d go after her again?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. Mollie filed a report that night and she and her cousin are both seeking restraining orders. So who knows. Maybe he would, just because he’s got nothing left to lose.” Thinking about Clint only makes my anxiety worse. I take a deep breath to try and calm myself.

Gabe’s attitude flips a hundred and eighty degrees as he comes to understand the situation. “Listen. I’ll smooth things over here. Don’t worry about it. Go do what you need to. If you need someone to ride shotgun, I can slip away in a little while.”

“Thanks bro, but you stay there. It’s a celebration after all. I just need to find her. To know she’s alright. Until I do, I’d only be a drag on the party.”

“Understood. Hank? Be careful.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll keep you posted.”

I slide my phone into my back pocket and swipe my keys from the table by the door on my way out.

“Good luck,” Sam yells. “And call when you…”

I slam the door closed and hustle to the truck.

Please be alright.

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