I opened my mouth to say, “Fine,” but hesitated, and he noticed.
“You’re bored,” he said knowingly.
“Maybe a little,” I confessed. “I don’t want to complain. I needed a job, and you gave me one, no questions asked. But, yeah, I do wish I had more to do.”
Luke cleared his throat. “The bookstore isn’t really a bookstore. Well, it is, but its main purpose is to provide a place for agents to conduct business without drawing any unwanted attention. There’s more to it than that, but if you’re interested, we could definitely use some help with the administrative side of things.”
“I’m definitely interested.”
“You’ll have to sign a nondisclosure agreement and a few other things. We’ll get the paperwork completed and submitted this week so you can start your new role on Monday.”
“Thank you!” I said excitedly. “I can’t wait.”
10
ASPEN
I’d had an uneasy feeling all day. At first, I thought I was nervous about my new role at the bookstore, but the more I thought about it, I didn’t think that was the reason. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something felt off. I tried my best to ignore it, but the feeling seemed to grow stronger as the day progressed. Even with more work to do, the day seemed to drag on forever, which only made things worse. When it was finally time for me to leave, I was more than ready to get out of there and take solace in the comfort of my own home.
As I was gathering my things, my phone dinged with a text message.
Game:Is Coal with you?
I frowned at the message as my heart started to speed up. Something had to be wrong. Coal was supposed to be at work with Game. And Game wouldn’t be asking about Coal if he was at work.
For a brief second, I tried to convince myself that he was probably just running late. But Coal didn’t run late. And if he did, he called to let someone know.
I tried to remain calm instead of going into full-on panic mode like I wanted to and replied back to Game.
Aspen:No. I thought he had to work today.
My whole body flinched when my phone started ringing in my hand with Game’s name on the screen.
“Hello,” I answered and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for whatever he was about to say.
“Hey, Aspen,” Game said, sounding much calmer than I expected. “Coal was supposed to be here about an hour ago. I’ve tried calling him, but he’s not answering his phone. When was the last time you talked to him?”
“This morning before I left for work. Do you think something’s wrong?” I asked, even though I was already sure it was. I hadn’t known Coal for that long, but I’d been around him enough to know that he always had his phone on him.
“I hope not, but this isn’t like him,” Game said, verbalizing my own thoughts.
“I’m getting ready to leave work now. I’ll stop by your house and see if he’s there. Maybe he got sick or fell asleep,” I suggested.
“Thanks, Aspen. Let me know one way or the other.”
“Same goes for you. Call me as soon as you hear from him. Or have him call me.” I didn’t bother to hide the desperation in my voice. Coal had quickly become a very important part of my life. The thought of something happening to him was almost too much to bear.
“Will do. Talk to you soon,” Game said and ended the call.
I reached into my purse and grabbed my keys. “I’m heading out,” I announced to Tatum and Josie as I headed for the back door.
“See you tomorrow,” Josie called.
As I hurried to my car, millions of thoughts raced through my mind. Where could he be? What could have happened to him? Was he sick? Did he have a wreck? Maybe he slipped in the shower.
I frantically clicked the unlock button on my key fob and yanked the door open to climb inside. As I was preparing to race toward his house, it dawned on me that I was in love with Coal. I knew I cared about him deeply, but I didn’t realize how much until I was faced with the possibility of losing him. The pain in my chest deepened, threatening to take my breath away, as tears started to blur my vision. I quickly blinked them away, willing myself to hold it together at least until I reached his house.
I turned the key in the ignition and started to put my car in drive when the passenger door opened. My mother got into the passenger seat and pointed a gun at my face. “Drive,” she demanded.