Page 92 of Panther's Magpie
“If you don’t leave, I’m going to call the cops,” she yells.
“Ashley, you don’t know me, but my name is Maggie. I could really use your help. Well, your brother’s help. He knows where my best friend, Calloway’s sister, is. All we know is she’s in danger and that he’s trying to keep her safe. Please just help us find your brother. I need to know my friend is safe,” Maggie says through the door.
Maggie sucks in a breath when we hear the lock turn. Slowly the door opens, and Ashley pokes her head out through the crack.
“How do I know you aren’t lying?” she asks.
“Woman to woman, I wouldn’t show up on your doorstep without knowing you personally if it wasn’t important,” Maggie tells her.
She takes a deep breath and opens the door, stepping to the side.
“Did anyone follow you?” she asks as we walk inside.
“No. I made sure of it,” I tell her.
Ashley nods. “Have a seat.”
Maggie and I sit on the couch while Ashley sits in a chair.
“So you know my brother? How?” she asks as she wraps her arms around her waist.
“My best friend, Aspen, his sister, and I made the mistake of stopping at the wrong bar. Your brother Asher tried to get us to leave, only he didn’t know Aspen doesn’t like being told what to do. Long story short, he got me out immediately to find help, but in doing so, I had to leave her,” Maggie tells her.
“And now your brother and my sister are stuck in the clutches of a dangerous MC. We just want to get her back safely,” I tell her.
“Asher won’t let anything happen to her. Not if he can help it,” Ashley promises.
“It’s been two months, though. He can only do so much,” Maggie says softly.
Ashley turns and looks out the window, deep in thought. As she tries to decide what she’s going to do, I reach over and grab Maggie’s hand.
“Okay, I’ll try to contact him, but it won’t be that easy,” Ashley says after a few minutes.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Maggie squeezes my hand. “Honestly, we appreciate it. Do whatever you have to do. Please.”
“You don’t understand. It’s not as easy as a phone call. I’m not supposed to have any contact with Asher. Not right now. I have to page him and wait for him to call me back whenever he can. It could be immediately, or it could be a week from now,” she says, choosing her words carefully.
Something about the way she talks makes me wonder who Asher really is.
Who takes that kind of precaution?
Maggie leans forward. “Please page him. I know you don’t owe me anything, but I’m begging.”
Ashley nods as she stands. “I’ll be right back.”
She leaves the room, and Maggie leans into my side. Turning my head, I kiss the top of hers.
“Think she’s paging him, or do you think she’s calling the cops?” Maggie asks quietly.
“I guess we will find out,” I murmur against her hair.
A few minutes later, Ashley walks back into the living room, this time with her phone in her hand.
“I paged him. Now we wait. Like I said, this isn’t a guarantee,” she says as she sits down across from us once again.
“I appreciate it.” Maggie smiles.
