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“Yeah, so obviously we’re suspicious. We had a squad car go by his house, and he’s not home. The car is still in the driveway. One of his neighbors came out to let us know that he left a couple of nights ago and they haven’t seen him sense.”
What the fuck?
“Is there anywhere else he would go?” I ask, trying to come up with a possible explanation that doesn’t put Mateo in that Range Rover.
“We checked with whatever family he has, and no one is talking,” Sander says.
The sound of a door swinging open echoes throughout the stairwell, and we stand there silently, listening as the footsteps descend. A second door opening leaves the stairwell silent, and I turn back to Sander.
“Can you guys track his phone?”
He levels me with this look. The corner of his mouth ticking up in amusement.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re pretty good at this detective stuff. Ever consider being a police officer?” he asks, and I chuckle.
“No, I like to drive way too fast for that,” I joke, but the fact that he even thought it was worth considering is interesting.
He laughs through his nose, “Who says we don’t drive fast?”
“Define fast,” I say, and he just shakes his head.
“Anyway, back to the point. I don’t feel like sending Regina and Keaton back home is a good idea. At least, it’s not a safe one, as far as I’m concerned.”
“I’d have to agree with you there. Not until this shit sorted out anyway,” I say.
“Yeah, well, now I have to figure out whether putting them in a safe house is the next step, and then convince Keaton to not fight me on it,” he says, and the defeated look in his eyes tells me just how much strain there is hanging over their friendship.
I shove my hands in my front pockets, and the jagged edge of the house keys brush against my knuckles.
That’s it!
I pull the keys out and hold them up in my open palm.
“I may have just the answer you’re looking for.”
Chapter 82
For the first time since I woke up, I find myself alone with my mom.
She looks like she’s aged ten years in the last week, and I know that I’m to blame for that. It breaks my heart because all I ever wanted to do was to take care of her while Eli was gone. To make life a little less stressful.
Then I go and drive off a cliff.
A lot of help I’ve been.
“Penny for your thoughts, Keaty-Kat?” she asks from the chair beside my bed. Her kind, warm smile hasn’t left her face once though all of this.
And just like that, I’m crying. Full on, ugly crying.
“Oh, sweet girl,” she says and stands, leaning down to embrace me as best she can around the number of wires still monitoring me.
“I’m so sorry, Ma,” I cry into her shoulder, sniffling and drawing in her familiar scent.
“I know, I know,” she coos, smoothing my hair back.
“I just wanted to help, but after Eli left, everything just got worse,” I say.
