Page 89 of Sundowners
That got a groan out of me. “Not sure I could move if you made me. Damn.” I was definitely sore and tired, but in the best kind of way.
Roman winced. “I’m sorry. I should have gone easier on you.”
“Don’t you dare,” I said with a salacious smile. “I loved it.”
He paused in the doorway as if he wanted to say more, but instead his cheeks flushed and he took off after Rhonda.
I let myself fall back into restorative sleep. Between the sex, Roman’s blood, and not having to sleep with one eye open, I crashed hard. I vaguely recalled Roman coming in and telling me he needed to run by Vanessa’s, something about his auntie Bernadette and cousin Emmanuel, and then Rey came in to say he’d been called into the PD, but that Roman would be back soon.
So when I woke up to a quiet house hours later, the sky dark, I shot out of bed.
Rhonda wasn’t in the room, and I heard her crying and scratching at the door.
I opened the bedroom door and she rushed to my side. I called out for Rey and Roman, but there was no answer.
I rummaged through Roman’s dresser and found a sweatshirt and sweats that mostly fit, and I grabbed socks and my shoes.
I didn’t have a phone any longer, it died when I dumped my motorcycle. I looked around and discovered that they didn’t have a house phone either.
“We gotta go, sweetheart,” I said to Rhonda. I took her outside, and she did her business, but she kept whining.
“I know. I’m worried too.” I looked around the neighborhood and noticed a streetlight out and lots of cars parked on the street. It would be easy for someone to watch the house undetected. They could be watching now. They also could have been watching when Roman left.
“Shit. Come on, girl. I’m going to leave you inside. Don’t destroy Roman’s house.”
She went to lay on the rug by the floor vent and curled up tight, staring at me with big eyes.
“I promise, I’ll be back this time.”
I don’t know if she believed me, butIhad to believe me.
I closed up the house, leaving the window to Roman’s room unlocked in case I needed to get back in. Rhonda would guard the house for sure.
It was a three-mile walk to the police department from Roman’s, and I jogged most of it. When I arrived, I went into the front desk and asked for Detective Vanessa Cabral, which meant waiting. I went back up to the desk after twenty minutes and asked if the desk sergeant could let her know it was Creed Lowell waiting, and if she wasn’t available, perhaps Captain Rojas or Detective Ross? She did not seem pleased and said she’d see what they could do.
After another thirty minutes, I went up again. I was agitated and there was only so much energy I could consume from the angry folks there to complain.
“I’m sorry to disturb you—”
“They’re in a meeting in the conference room, and I can’t just barge in there—”
“Creed, Jesus Christ, get in here!”
Rey held open the gate and frowned at the desk sergeant.
“Thank you,” I said, sending her a little healing energy. Her acid reflux wasn’t going to get better working the front desk, that was for sure.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“I woke up and everyone was gone, so I came over here. I don’t have a phone.”
“Well, we’ve got trouble, dammit. They’re fucking gone. All of them. Vanessa’s pissed and I’m losing my shit.”
Anger rolled off Rey like the crashing waves that had battered the Santa Cruz coastline to the point that many houses were in danger of toppling into the ocean. Rey’s fury was in danger of topplinghimover the edge.
“What do you mean, gone?”
But I knew what it was as soon as he sat me down in a chair and Vanessa ran over.
