Page 30 of Hounds Ascend
“No, I’m going home now. Not tomorrow. Now.” I’m stern and determined. I’ll find a way to get home.
Raven sighs. She turns without a word and walks off. When she returns a few minutes later, she has a duffle bag over her shoulder and a set of keys in her hand.
“Going somewhere?” I ask, my mood already improving.
“Yeah, looks like I’m taking a damn trip to Baton Rouge.”
I nearly knock her over as I hug her aggressively. “Thank you!”
“Yeah yeah, just get in the damn car before I change my mind. And hurry, we don’t have much time to get going before we’re spotted.”
“Wait, you didn’t tell Micah?” I ask.
“Nope. Can we finish this conversation in the car though? I mean it, we don’t have much time. Go.” Raven ushers me out the front door of the clubhouse, barely giving me enough time to snatch my cigarettes and phone off the bar.
We climb into a white Kia Sorento and are out of sight of the clubhouse within minutes. Adrenaline pumps through me at our narrow escape, making me temporarily forget about the reality of the situation and why I’m rushing home in the first place.
It doesn’t take long, though, before thoughts of Mindy hit me like a ton of bricks and I pick up my phone to call the hospital. I had put it off and didn’t call initially because I wasn’t sure what they’d have to tell me or how I’d handle it.
“Baton Rouge Medical, how may I help you?” A sweet voiceon the other end of the phone greets me.
“May I speak with Alanda, please?” I ask.
“Hold, please.” There’s a beeping tone and then ringing commences.
“This is Alanda,” she answers cheerily.
“Hi Alanda. My name is Lilly Summers. You called me about Mindy Hollis.”
“Hello, Miss Summers. I’m so sorry about Miss Hollis. She was involved in a one-car crash. She’s in ICU, but she is looking good and we think she will be fine. The truck, however, is completely unrecognizable and the insurance company is certainly going to total it.”
“Truck? Mindy doesn’t drive a truck, ma’am.”
“She was tonight. A dark blue, blacked-out Chevy.”
Linc’s truck.
“Is she conscious?” Lilly asked.
“She is, but she’s extremely tired and has been resting a lot. If you’d like, though, I can transfer you to her room.”
“No, that’ll be okay. Thank you, Alanda.”
“Yes ma’am, Miss Summers. I will call you if anything changes, but for now she is stable and doing okay.”
“Thank you. Goodnight.” I press the red button to end the call and set it in my lap. I see Raven looking at me, waiting for some clarity I would assume.
“Mindy was in Linc’s truck and they said it was a one-car accident. The truck is totaled, but she’s going to be okay.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“I’m still pissed at Cass, though. Hey, do you smoke in here?” I ask, hoping the answer is yes.
“I do, you couldn’t tell? And trust me, I’d be pissed at Micah if he pulled some shit like that. I could see if it was someone you didn’t know, but this is your best fucking friend.”
“Exactly! And he’s gonna get an earful as soon as I see him. And no, I couldn’t tell. It smells pretty damn good in here.”
I light a cigarette and crack the window. While we ride down the interstate toward the Mississippi-Louisiana state line, we sit in silence. The radio is playing nineties country, and it makes the drive go by faster than I thought it would. We finally turn into the driveway of the clubhouse and my gut is in knots.
