Page 28 of Gemini
I had to hold my tongue from snapping at him to not call me sweetheart. Art gripped my shoulder a little tighter. He started to push me gently toward the door, and I obliged.
The man turned as we left, his eyes continuing to follow us as he leaned against the bar. A few of his friends stood at the door as if waiting, glaring at us.
“Excuse us,” Art said.
They didn’t budge. I felt Art grow tense next to me, his arm now around me as if he was ready to put me behind him.
I felt the walls closing in, the men’s presence overpowering. I thought of Trish’s ex, Luke, with his skull bashed in.
There was a roaring in my ears, my body wound up, ready to bolt or fight.
They’re going to attack us, a panicked thought shouted in my head.They’re going to hurt us.
Then something changed and the men relaxed, side-stepping from the door.
“Stay safe out there,” said the man at the bar.
Art quickly led me out, flinging the door open and making straight for the car.
We got into the Jeep without a word. As I fumbled for my keys, Art took out his gun from the glove compartment and cocked it, setting it on his lap. I found my keys and started the car. We turned out of the lot as the door opened again, and I shoved my foot on the gas, taking off.
When we were sure they weren’t following us, I started to slow down. Eventually Art un-cocked his gun and put it in its holster.
We drove in silence until we got to my apartment building and I let him out by his car.
“We stick to letting the cops do their job,” Art said. “You hear me, Lena?”
I nodded.
He got in his car and I watched him leave. It was then I noticed a Mustang with a red stripe down its side moving slowly down the street. I took out my phone and saw the last message Dom sent.
Lena. Leave NOW.
That was when Art was trying to get us out the door. Dom must have been rushing there in that moment, then followed us to the apartment when he saw us leaving.
For the first time, I was grateful he had been watching.
I’m okay, I texted back.
He didn’t reply. The Mustang stopped for a moment, then eventually disappeared. I couldn’t blame him if he was angry.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“You sure, you’re okay, Lena?”
I blinked and looked over, noticing Cameron watching me from behind his protective goggles. A circular saw was in his hand.
I’d been staring into space again. My gaze hyper-focused on the chest cavity in front of me. I’d been so out of it the last couple of days.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m good,” I said, not so confidently.
He studied me a second longer before turning on his saw and cutting the corpse.
My eyes drifted to the lights on the ceiling. I was dead tired, my sleep practically non-existent the last few nights.
I still hadn’t heard a word from Trish even as I tried her number every night. Yesterday, I got a call from my dad saying the police were still looking into new leads. Mom came home and immediately started getting other family members involved. She and Dad finally made an official campaign. There were going to be flyers all through the city. Friends, coworkers and family were all going to pitch in to find her. Dad even paid for a billboard just off the freeway.
When word spread about my sister missing, I started getting a lot of messages from school friends, so much I could barely keep up. Eventually, I had to make an official post on my socials letting people know I was going to be slow to respond.
