Monday afternoon, on my way to work, I checked my voice mail. I had been working a ton of overtime, which was a good thing because as soon as I sat still, my thoughts went to Tatum. At this point, anything to keep her out of my mind was a good thing. It hadn't been one of my smartest moves, to run out on her without giving her a chance to explain, but I was so hurt at the thought of losing her again, I didn't have a choice—my flight response had won. But now all I wanted to do was hear her sexy, sweet voice.
I had decided to shut my phone off last night, so I could get my paperwork caught up before leaving the station. I was even more frustrated with myself when I turned my phone on and found I had missed a call from her. She had called me a few times throughout the week, and I had wanted to return those calls, but by the time work was finished, it was way too late. But last night was the first night she had finally left a message, and she sounded stressed.
I pulled into the parking lot at work and saw my phone flashing with an incoming call from the station.
"Harrison."
"Hey, Parker, it’s Randy. I was going over some releases and thought you'd be very interested to know that the guy who assaulted Tatum is out."
"What? When?"
"He was released Thursday. Paperwork states he's to return to his city of residence until his pending court date."
"Fuck, she was supposed to be notified right away. It’s Tuesday. He’s out for five days without a word. Has anyone spoken with Tatum about this?" I needed to know that she was safe.
"All it says is that a message was left for her regarding this matter."
My heart was in my throat. "All right, thanks. I'm coming into work. I'll stop by in a bit. Thanks, Randy."
Hanging up, I dialed her number. I needed to talk to her before I started work. Her phone rang and rang before going to voicemail. I was worried that if the courts hadn't called her cell phone then the message was sitting on her home machine, which meant she didn't know.
I dialed her number again and held my breath, waiting for her to pick up. Again, it just rang and went to voice mail. I smashed my fist on the steering wheel. I wanted to hear her voice before I went to work, but it looked as if that wasn't going to happen. I sat there for a couple of seconds trying to figure out how to get a hold of her. I didn't know the number to her office, so I did the next best thing and called Elliott.
"Bancroft," I heard Elliott's voice come over the phone.
"Hey, bro. Have you heard from your sister lately?"
"No, why?"
"I just spoke to Randy from the courts. That fucker got released Thursday. I'm wondering if they called her cell or if they just left a message on her home phone. I've been trying to call her, but there is no answer.”
"No. She hasn't spoken to me since the night before she left. I admit I was pretty hard on her. But I just got off the phone with Jen, and she said she spent Friday night with her."
"Do you think you can call her back and have her get a hold of Tatum? Or try and call yourself? I want to make sure she knows that he is out. I'll call and leave a message, but please try and call. I want to make sure she is safe. Plus, I have to finish this warrant tonight or else our case is going to shit."
"Yeah, I can."
"Hey, how about after my shift we head up there in the morning? I should be done by six. I'll head home and sleep for a couple hours, and then I'll swing by and pick you up. Say around noon? I'm really missing my girl."
"I think that is a great idea. I'll see you then."
"You got it. I gotta run." Hanging up, I dialed her cell number again. I didn't want to scare her, but at the same time I wanted her to be aware he had been released.
"You've reached Tatum. Leave me a message."
Tapping my hand on the steering wheel, I heard the beep. "Tatum, baby, it’s me. I got your message. I want to talk to you, too, sweetie. I miss you, and I'm sorry for the way I handled things. We can talk tomorrow. I've talked to Elliott; we will be on our way there in the morning.
“I'm not sure if anyone has contacted you or not, but you need to know that Dean has been released. He made bail. He was released on Thursday and he was supposed to be making his way back to the city, Tatum. I hope you get this message soon. Please be safe. I love you."
Hanging up, I took a breath and placed my head against the steering wheel. I hoped to hell this guy wasn't as unhinged as he seemed. If something happened to her, I would never forgive myself.