Page 9 of The Sweetest Note

“That’s what I thought. Look, there’s a woman sitting next to him in the car, but that’s not Lennon,” Atlas murmurs. “She’s always turned away from the fucking cameras. How is that even possible?”

“Some of it is the angle of the video or camera,” Jordan says, frustrated. “This person is also very careful about avoiding looking directly out the windshield. Ugh, God fucking dammit,” he yells at the computer. If I wondered how he felt about Lennon, I no longer do. He’s invested in finding her too.

“I can follow Larsen’s movements from last night on the city cameras out to Albuquerque’s limits, and then he disappears into the desert. Which is where Derek is coming from,” Jordan sighs.

“The motherfucker’s got a lot of explaining to do,” Mav grunts as he leans back in his chair.

“How did Larsen manage to pass my security measures?” Jordan groans. “I fucking sent him through the label’s team to run his background check. Dammit.”

“There are a lot of ways he could have passed it,” I sigh. “Hopefully that’s yet another thing Greg can help us figure out. He texted me before his flight left to say he’ll be here before seven in the morning. I don’t know how, but Greg was able to catch a ride on a private plane, courtesy of a friend. I’m just happy he’s on the way.”

“How do you know Greg?” Jordan asks. “Do I need to do my own background check on him? I can go a lot deeper than the pricks at the label can.”

I can tell Jordan is itching to use his hacking skills so he can do something to help.I’m feeling pretty helpless right now too, old man.

“His files are probably all sealed,” I explain with a shrug. “Over the years, his security clearance has been raised, and he’s practically a ghost now. It’s his story to tell, but he worked hard to make sure the people he loved were safe in his line of work. I have a friend I used to jam with, and now she’s married to three men that make her crazy in the best ways, one of whom is Greg. Red and I are still tight, and I called her tonight for help. I don’t think the police will be able to do fuck all for Lennon.”

Mav snorts in derision. “They definitely didn’t seem to have any leads,” he says, cracking his knuckles, annoyed.

“Everything about this just happened too cleanly. And the fact that Larsen left town the way he did doesn’t look good. I’m trying to track the license plate now but…” Jordan growls at the computer, and I have the strangest feeling he isn’t going to get far there. “Motherfucker! The license is registered to a dead woman.”

I really want a drink, but I need to keep a clear head. Roark collapses next to me on the couch and I squeeze his knee. He shudders at my touch and I wince. Ror is trying so hard to keep it together, and he’s been clean for so long.Dammit, Lennon… where the fuck are you?

She is the glue to our family and I need her like I need air. Turning my mind towards surviving the next minute and then the one after that, I wait for Derek to arrive so we can get some answers.

LENNON

“Up you go,” says a cruel, gruff voice and I moan, opening my eyes.

I fell asleep somehow to the screaming that reverberated throughout the room all night. As the drugs work their way out of my system, I shiver in the cold, padded room. I feel groggy, confused, and still worried I’m going to see my dead mother. My memories are so confused about what’s real and not real.

“Where am I?” I rasp, turning my head up to see… an orderly.

He’s in gray, drab scrubs, has shit brown eyes, and is huge. The man hauls me up one-handed by the back of the straightjacket, causing me to yelp. My stomach roils and I close my eyes, determined not to vomit.

“If you puke on me, little girl, you will regret it. Do we understand each other?”

I nod slowly, whispering, “yes,” even though it feels like nails are clawing at my throat.

“Good. It’s best to learn your place quickly while you’re here. You’re to follow the rules, take your meds, and figure out what caused you to lose touch with reality,” he drones on, uncaring of my now wide-eyed stare.

My eyes find his name tag on his shirt, since he hasn’t bothered to introduce himself.Collymoreis what’s printed on his scrubs, and I’m sure I could crack a few jokes about what may be his last name. Unfortunately, I’m weaving on my feet, even with him holding onto my encased arm tightly.

He begins to pull me forward, and I trip over my feet as his thick fingers dig into me. There’s a keypad/card swiper I missed earlier when I was out of it, on the wall, and Collymore swipes his card.

“We are going to go visit the nurse now, and get you all checked in. You were a danger to yourself and had to be sedated when you arrived,” he continues, ignoring how quiet I am.

I was a danger? What the fuck happened to me?

“I’m not sure who brought you in, as that’s not in your file. However, you’re looking pretty rough, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a manic episode and went out partying,” Collymore says in disapproval as he continues out of the room and into a hallway. “This facility is for the elite to hide away from society, to heal, or remain out of sight so as to not embarrass their families.”

I see flashes of a stage, a man whose arms are covered in tattoos that look like vines…

“Where’s Turner?” I ask, feeling a bit more confident that I don’t belong here, wherever that is. I have people who love me, a career… “I think there’s been a mistake.”

Collymore snorts as he continues to drag me down the hall. Everything is a brilliant white. White walls, white floors, white furniture. It hurts my eyes as the fluorescent lights create a glare off of everything, and my head pounds even more.

“If I got a dollar for every time someone said this to me,” he chuckles. “No one believes they should be here, but denial is a part of treatment here atHidden Hills. If you’re a good girl,” Collymore sneers as he lets his eyes trail down my body, ”then you may be one of the lucky ones who actually get out.”

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