Gavin
The sun goes down on another perfect day as I quickly toss the things I bought for Zoey into the fridge—milk, eggs, bacon, and her favorite cherry flavored Pop Tarts. That should last her a day or two. I’ll take her to dinner in the next few nights to prove I still want her around, just not on the other side of my bedroom wall. I plan on making some noise. That’s not entirely true. I plan on eliciting some noise from Emmy. A volcanic heat rushes through my veins just thinking about it. I snatch the bouquet of flowers off the table and head home to Emmy. That’s who the flowers are for. That’s who every other flower I ever buy will be for.
A dull smile rides on my lips as I jog toward the cabin. The door is wide open. The place looks ransacked, no thanks to Zoey’s latest meltdown.
“Em?” I call out as I make my way through the house. I find Zoey sprawled out on her bed hugging her pillow. “Hey, you okay?”
She sits up with her tear-stained face, her bloated lips. Shit. She looks far from okay.
“Did she talk to you?”
“Who, Emmy?”
“Yeah, she said she’d take the boathouse, no problem.”
“What?” Obviously the conversation with my sister didn’t go as planned. It looks like Zoey’s crocodile tears worked their magic. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know. She took off a while ago.”
“Took off?”
“I heard her speed out of here like a bat out of hell.” She springs to her feet and wipes her face down with her sleeve. “Boy, she really fell for that poor little ‘ole me act.” My sister gives a snide smile. “This is my house as much as it is yours. Think twice before you go giving away my place in this world.”
Shit.
“No one is giving away your place in this world.” I sigh as I stalk the rest of the cabin. “Emmy?” I head outside just as Ace comes up the walk.
“Reese and I are about to head down the hill. Won’t be back for another few weeks.” He gives a quick fist bump, and that’s when I see the carport is empty. That’s where Emmy’s Honda has sat for the last few months. We drove it around the lake a few times just to keep it from locking up, but she’s never taken it on her own. “Earth to Jackson. Everything okay? I said if you need another hand, I can be up next weekend. Just let me know, kay?”
Reese runs up and gives me a quick hug.
“Where’s her car?” I stagger over to the empty space. “Did you see Emmy take off?”
They look just as lost and confused as I do.
Ace and Reese help me comb the entire back region of the mountain. We make six revolutions around the lake at least. Two hours later, we’re right back in my driveway just as empty handed as when we began.
“It’s late, dude.” Ace pulls me to the side as we get back to the cabin. “I think if you’re really worried that something happened, you need to call the cops.”
“The cops?” I’m so shaken—so exhausted and scared out of my fucking mind. A thousand different scenarios run through me, and not one of them is good. “No cops.”
“What?” Ace smacks me in the arm. “If I thought something was off with Reese I’d have every damn boy in blue looking for her.”
The wind whips over my arms, lashing me with its icy bites. She has to be cold. She’ll freeze in that fucking car.
My body swells with a horrible ache. I can’t breathe not knowing where she is.
“Is there something about this girl you’re not telling me?”
I swallow hard. Ace has always been like a brother to me.
“I don’t know her name.”
“Excuse me?” He takes a full step back. “What the hell are you talking about? Were you two in some kind of fight? Is that what this is about? Is that the reason you’ve conveniently forgotten her name?”
“She’s—” I glance up at the cabin and spot Zoey on the couch watching TV. Reese is in the car patiently waiting for Ace. “She’s the love of my life, and I have to get out there and find her myself. Get yourself to school, college boy.” I give his arm a squeeze. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
I jump in my truck and take the long way to the overlook. I took her there once. We shared a kiss that I still replay on a loop whenever we’re not together. Maybe she wanted to think? Maybe she just wanted to get the hell away from my psychotic sister and catch a fresh breath? I hit the end of the road and stop. If you don’t know the lay of the land, it’s easy to drive straight off the edge. I pull the flashlight from under my seat and hop out into the dismal, moonless night. The howl of a lone wolf goes off in the distance. I run to the edge and shine my light over the cliff for signs of a car that might have accidentally plunged off, thankfully there’s nothing.
“Fuck.” I kick a tree stump trying to let some steam out, but I’ve got enough misery coursing through my veins to propel me to the moon and back. I’m so damn hopped up on fear I can’t see straight.
“Emmy!” I roar it out into the night as the city lights wink in and out of turn, mocking me. “Emmy.” I drop to my knees and close my eyes. “Come back to me.”
The next morning, Ace endures the two-hour drive back up the mountain and meets me at the Corner Store where I’m already waiting for Warren to show his smarmy ass.
“Dude.” Ace pulls me into a half hug. “Still no word?”
“Nothing.” I grind my palm into my eye. I didn’t catch a wink of sleep last night. “I had Zoey replay their final conversation a million times. Nothing makes sense. I found the necklace I gave her, broken on the floor. I can’t imagine what could have driven her to rip it from her neck. I’d like to think it was an accident. That this whole damn thing was some stupid misunderstanding, but the only thing I can come up with is that maybe Zoey is holding something back. Maybe she’s only giving me half the story because she sees how bad she fucked things up.”
“And what is her side of the story?” He nods to his sister, and Neva brings him a cup of coffee.
“She said she talked about how much she missed our parents. Some bullshit about how the cabin represented them. She said Emmy told her she thought of her as a little sister and jumped at the chance to sleep in the boathouse. The end.”
“Hmm.” He twirls the cup with his fingers, considering this. “Nothing out of the norm. So you don’t think Zoey is telling the truth?”
“Hardly.” Neva slides a cup of coffee my way. All I see each time I look at her is a puddle of black hair with eyes. “No offense, but your sister wouldn’t know the truth if it smacked her in the ass.”
Ace and I exchange looks. It’s no secret Zoey is a wild child, but Neva seems a little harsher than usual this morning.
“What’s the story?” Ace nods to her as he takes a careful sip.
Neva pulls her espresso-colored lips back a moment like she might be sick. “Rumor has it she’s fooling around with Dough Boy.”
Warren comes in and says good morning before taking a seat.
“Go to hell.” She tells him before heading toward a pair of customers down at the other end.
“I think we know who Dough Boy is.” I scowl at him. “Are you fucking with my sister?”
Ace holds a hand out to me. “You’re about to blow it.”
We spent the better half of the night on the phone, and I confessed everything about Emmy’s sordid past.
“I probably am.”
“Take it down a notch, would you?” Warren slaps his briefcase on the counter. “I’m not fucking with anyone’s sister.” He turns to Ace. “Yours included. So if this is supposed to be some kind of early morning ambush, you can back off.” He glides out of his tweed blazer only to expose an argyle sweater complete with dress shirt and tie beneath that. If I had to wear that every single day, I’d pump some lead into my head just to mix things up.
“What are you all dolled up for sweetheart?” I pull my coffee toward me and wish to God I were having breakfast with Emmy instead.
“I’m working at my father’s accounting firm.” Warren shakes his head as if he’s reached the edge of a cliff, and he might just want to jump.
“No shit?” Ace raises a brow. “Is law over for you?”
“Yeats revoked its offer for grad school.” He flicks a finger. “Neva fetch me a beer,” he belts. “Anyway, I’m falling back on my accounting degree. What do you idiots care? I’m sure you’ll both be working for me in a year anyway.”
Shit. If I were in a better mood, I’d laugh in his face.
“All I want from you is the name of you father’s escort service. The one he used in December to be exact.” A riot of emotion runs through me. I want to shake the shit out Warren, Warren Senior, Zoey, and maybe even Emmy for landing us in this position to begin with.
“Where’s that hot chick you’re banging?” He looks over his shoulder. “She not doing it for you?” Warren is stumped why I’d bother to ask.
“She took off, and I want to know where she went.” I press my lips together afraid the truth is about to come out, and I’m afraid it might have to. As much as I want to protect her reputation, I just need her here, safe with me.
“Dude.” He inches back, examining me while putting it all together. “Was she a fucking whore?”
Ace grabs the beer from Neva and puts it in Warren’s stubby little hand. “We just need the connection, that’s all.”
“No.” I dig my fingers through my hair because I hate where this is about to go next. “She was the one who was supposed to service your father in December, and she ended up in my boathouse instead. Look, I’m not judging your father—I just need to know where she might have went. She left yesterday, and I haven’t heard from her since.”
He gurgles a laugh into his beer. “Damn, my dad’s hooker was hot.” He shakes his head. “Call her. Did you ever think of that, dipshit?”
“I don’t have her number. She was with me all the time. We never—” I squeeze my eyes tight, all I see is blood red, then Emmy’s beautiful face. “It’s probably not her real name. I don’t know her name. I never saw her driver’s license. I don’t know jack shit. So you see, Warren”—I clench my jaw because I hate that so much hinges on the asshole seated beside me—“I need the name, number, and address of whoever it is your father uses to get his wrinkled rock’s off.”
He gives my arm a hard slap as he stands.
“I’ll see what I can find out.” He scoops his briefcase and nods at the two of us. “He’ll deny it. He always does.” And with that he’s out the door.
He’s right. Warren Senior denies the shit out of it.
And I am so fucked.
So fucked without Emmy.
I close my eyes and never want to see the light of day again.