Chapter Sixteen
Ryder
My first stop was the coffee shop she hung out in. I’d been here a few times myself. Maybe someone there would know something about where Layla was. As I pushed open the door, a sense of dread washed over me. What if no one knew anything? I didn’t know Layla’s last name. Where else would I go?
“Oh, hey, Ryder, what’s up?” Jacob asked. I ran up to the counter, slamming my hands down on the table. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”
“Did Layla come in here? It would have been a few hours ago. Was she here? Did she say where she went?”
Jacob frowned. “No, man, sorry. She hasn’t come in since yesterday. Why? Is she okay?”
“No, I can’t find her,” I said. “I need to find her. I’m afraid something may have happed to her. She sent me these weird texts and told me to leave her alone.” I couldn’t believe I was telling Jacob this much. Sure, he came into the bar to hear me play every once and a while and I stopped in for a coffee every now and then, but we weren’t exactly buddy-buddy.
A worried look crossed his face. “I hope not. She did give me a fake name when we met. And she was holding that bear pretty tightly. It looked like it meant a lot to her. I don’t think she would just leave it if she never wanted to see you again.”
“Any idea where she could be?”
“Under the bridge, there’s a group of junkies. Maybe they know something.” I stared at him. “I noticed marks on her hand when she first came in. Those are a dead giveaway.”
“Thanks, Jacob, next round of beers is on me,” I said, running out the door.
“Any time. I hope you find her!” Jacob called.
I raced toward the bridge. A girl in baggy clothes glared at me. “What’s your hurry?”
“Excuse me, do you recognize this teddy bear? It belonged to a girl-”
“No,” she interrupted. “I don’t. Did the chick dump you or somethin’? Save me your sob story and leave. Unless you were looking to get off. Fifty to suck. A hundred to go all the way.” She itched her nose. The ring in it moved.
“N-no, no, thank you.” I backed away. “Thanks for the offer.”
“Hey, that’s Lilly. What are you doing with it, boy?” A girl popped her head out. She was further under the bridge which explained why I hadn’t seen her. “Did something happen to Layla?”
“You know Layla?” I asked as relief washed over me.
The girl walked up to me. She was petite, very thin like a bird. Her face was weathered and her skin looked dry. “Ooh, cutie. What’s your name? Haven’t seen you before. Of course, I just moved to this part of town.”
“My name’s Ryder. Now, you said you know Layla?” I asked impatiently. “Any idea where she could be?” It was a long shot, but a small part of me believed she’d be sleeping under the bridge.
“Last I heard she was one of Devin’s girls. Not a good scene. I mean, the streets are bad, but Devin is just plain nasty mean. Money ain’t worth my life, man. But Layla, she’d do just about anything for a warm bed. Been out here so long, I almost forgot what warmth is. I hope she’s okay. She was a good girl. Didn’t talk much, but I always liked her. Always willing to share her food.”
A rock dropped into my stomach. “Oh no, that’s who she ran from…”
“Ran? She ran?” The girl’s eyes widened. Her expression made my heart plummet. “Oh, shit, dude. That is not good. Not at all. The girls who run, man, they’re never the same.”
“Oh god…” I felt sick. My skin went clammy. “Where could she be?”
She thought for a minute. “He used to live on Dweber Avenue. Big house, can’t miss it.”
I smiled. “Thank you so much!” Clutching Lilly tightly, I took off running. Dweber Avenue was four blocks away. Wait, what would I do once I got there? Should I call the police? If I called the police, what would I tell them? Would the people who supposedly had Layla hurt her if the police got involved? That was too big a risk.
I whipped out my phone and waited. Finally, the only person I could trust with this situation picked up. “Dave, I can’t say much, but if you don’t hear from me by tomorrow night, call the police, okay?”
“Sure, dude. I have tons of questions, but you sound like you’re in a hurry. Stay safe, my friend.”
“Thanks, man.”
“We’ve been through a ton of shit together. Don’t mention it.”
Hanging up, I was so happy Dave was someone I could trust not to ask questions. I’m sure he was worried sick, but he wouldn’t call the police prematurely because I had asked.
I heard my heart in my ears. I tried to walk as normally as possible when I really wanted to run. If this were a movie, I wouldn’t be scared. I’d be the super cool dude who ran to the drug dealer’s house, kicked in the door, and knocked out the bad guys. But I wasn’t a super cool hero who would kick down a door and beat the bad guys. I was just a guy. I didn’t have any fighting experience and they were drug dealers. Drug dealers had guns. I’d never even held a gun. I hoped Layla was all right. Seeing her alive would be worth getting shot.
You could always use the story of how you met me in a song, Layla would say. My heart slowed down a bit. I had to stay positive. She was okay. Of course she was. She had to be.
I refused to think I was going to rescue a dead body.