was an unrecognized number, and a feeling of dread flooded my gut.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Is this Reagan Anders?”
“Yes.”
“I think your roommate is here and in need of your assistance.”
“Who is this?”
The bartender was calling from a seedy bar on the other side of town where Ivy had found two older men to buy her drinks. Then she took one into the bathroom leaving her phone and purse on the bar. She had apparently told the bartender to call me to come play. He was not amused.
I could hear Brock still trying to calm Neal and realized that I had to go alone. I would rather Brock go with me for protection or for help carrying Ivy, but Neal couldn’t know. This whole thing would be ten million times worse if he got involved.
I stepped out in the hall and tried to wave Brock discreetly back to my room, but Neal flipped out. “Was that her? Where is she? Something’s wrong. I know it!”
“Man, chill out.”
“It wasn’t her!” I screeched then Neal came toward me and pinned me to the wall.
In a moment of rage unlike anything I had ever seen, Brock took Neal and threw him off me. “Stay away from her!”
I didn’t know what to do, but getting away from Neal was necessary. “I’m going to look for her,” I told them. “You two stay here in case she shows back up.”
Brock stopped me at the door. “You okay, Rea?” He was always asking me that.
“Yeah, I’m good. Don’t let him break anything.”
Brock dropped a kiss on my lips and whispered “Be careful,” like he knew where I was headed.
Neal groaned. “Can you guys do that some other time when Ivy isn’t missing?”
With one last glance at Brock’s worried face, I raced to my car and drove to the other side of town. I wasn’t exactly sure where the bar was, but I was familiar enough with the area to know where it could be. I found it with little trouble when I saw a red neon sign that simply read: ‘Bar’ .
The gigantic bouncer eyed me strangely then said, “You here for the girl?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
He returned my nod, then held the door open for me. The place was smoky and reeked of sweat and beer. It was an unpleasant combination, and I couldn’t figure out why Ivy would come here. Needless to say, she wasn’t hard to pick out. She was dancing on the stage to some country song that did not match the rhythm of her dancing.
“Reagan!” she cheered, then jumped off the stage to tackle me in a hug. “My girl is here, everybody!”
I looked around the room at all the drunken bikers slumped over their beers. It was definitely time to leave. “Okay, let’s go, Ivy. Neal’s been looking for you.”
“Boo! I don’t want to go back to him. He’s no fun.” It was then I saw how unfocused her dilated eyes were. She wasn’t just drunk. She was on something.
“Sure he is. Now, let’s get your stuff.”
“No!” In a ninja-like move she grabbed my keys and bolted out the door. I was forced to chase her, and I reached my car just as she climbed in the driver’s seat of my mom’s old Camry. I didn’t think. I just climbed in the passenger seat and immediately tried to talk her out of driving.
She didn’t listen. She started the car and whipped out of the parking lot. “You know what it’s like, Reagan?”
“What what’s like?”
“Flying,” she said as she whipped around a curve, making me buckle my seatbelt and hold on to the oh-shit handle.
“No. Why don’t you pull over, and I’ll drive?”
She ignored me. “We’re all going to die eventually. We came into the world alone, and we leave it alone. The people we love only leave us, so what’s the point?” She spoke with remarkable clarity for someone higher than a 747 over the Pacific.
“I don’t know, I…Please pull over,” I begged again.
“You love Brock. He loves you, but you torture each other.”
“Neal loves you.”
“No. Neal thinks he loves me. He wants to rescue me. Silly boy.” She sped up, and I knew we
“Hello?” I answered.
“Is this Reagan Anders?”
“Yes.”
“I think your roommate is here and in need of your assistance.”
“Who is this?”
The bartender was calling from a seedy bar on the other side of town where Ivy had found two older men to buy her drinks. Then she took one into the bathroom leaving her phone and purse on the bar. She had apparently told the bartender to call me to come play. He was not amused.
I could hear Brock still trying to calm Neal and realized that I had to go alone. I would rather Brock go with me for protection or for help carrying Ivy, but Neal couldn’t know. This whole thing would be ten million times worse if he got involved.
I stepped out in the hall and tried to wave Brock discreetly back to my room, but Neal flipped out. “Was that her? Where is she? Something’s wrong. I know it!”
“Man, chill out.”
“It wasn’t her!” I screeched then Neal came toward me and pinned me to the wall.
In a moment of rage unlike anything I had ever seen, Brock took Neal and threw him off me. “Stay away from her!”
I didn’t know what to do, but getting away from Neal was necessary. “I’m going to look for her,” I told them. “You two stay here in case she shows back up.”
Brock stopped me at the door. “You okay, Rea?” He was always asking me that.
“Yeah, I’m good. Don’t let him break anything.”
Brock dropped a kiss on my lips and whispered “Be careful,” like he knew where I was headed.
Neal groaned. “Can you guys do that some other time when Ivy isn’t missing?”
With one last glance at Brock’s worried face, I raced to my car and drove to the other side of town. I wasn’t exactly sure where the bar was, but I was familiar enough with the area to know where it could be. I found it with little trouble when I saw a red neon sign that simply read: ‘Bar’ .
The gigantic bouncer eyed me strangely then said, “You here for the girl?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
He returned my nod, then held the door open for me. The place was smoky and reeked of sweat and beer. It was an unpleasant combination, and I couldn’t figure out why Ivy would come here. Needless to say, she wasn’t hard to pick out. She was dancing on the stage to some country song that did not match the rhythm of her dancing.
“Reagan!” she cheered, then jumped off the stage to tackle me in a hug. “My girl is here, everybody!”
I looked around the room at all the drunken bikers slumped over their beers. It was definitely time to leave. “Okay, let’s go, Ivy. Neal’s been looking for you.”
“Boo! I don’t want to go back to him. He’s no fun.” It was then I saw how unfocused her dilated eyes were. She wasn’t just drunk. She was on something.
“Sure he is. Now, let’s get your stuff.”
“No!” In a ninja-like move she grabbed my keys and bolted out the door. I was forced to chase her, and I reached my car just as she climbed in the driver’s seat of my mom’s old Camry. I didn’t think. I just climbed in the passenger seat and immediately tried to talk her out of driving.
She didn’t listen. She started the car and whipped out of the parking lot. “You know what it’s like, Reagan?”
“What what’s like?”
“Flying,” she said as she whipped around a curve, making me buckle my seatbelt and hold on to the oh-shit handle.
“No. Why don’t you pull over, and I’ll drive?”
She ignored me. “We’re all going to die eventually. We came into the world alone, and we leave it alone. The people we love only leave us, so what’s the point?” She spoke with remarkable clarity for someone higher than a 747 over the Pacific.
“I don’t know, I…Please pull over,” I begged again.
“You love Brock. He loves you, but you torture each other.”
“Neal loves you.”
“No. Neal thinks he loves me. He wants to rescue me. Silly boy.” She sped up, and I knew we
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