“What was that?”
“Chance responded and said he is on his way.”
Chance responded via text, telling us he redirected to Arizona. We were too far apart to communicate telepathically, so I replied via text to let him know I would be on my way soon.
The conversation I wanted to have with Reese would have to wait until I returned.
* * *
Reese
I watched as Chael’s truck disappeared into the distance. It was time that I set out to get the answers that he refused to get for me. I stood at the edge of his home’s driveway and pulled my phone from my shoulder bag. I replayed the voice mail Charlotte Rowe left for me sometime the day before.
Reese, it’s Charlotte. I know it’s been a while, but I have some news regarding Creekview, and I’d like to interview you again, or at least meet in person, to discuss Dr. Pines. I found out some disturbing details about his career and what he might be doing to the residents at Creekview.
Please give me a call back as soon as you can.
I’d tried to call her back that morning when I received her message, but the call went to voice mail. I glanced over my shoulder and then waved at a few friends who entered the commune’s store, across the street and down a little ways from Chael’s home. Charlotte’s phone went to voice mail again, but as I started to leave a message, my phone beeped.
It was a text from Charlotte.
Charlotte Rowe: Hi, I’m in a meeting right now, but I would love to meet in person with you soon. Can you tell me where you are?
I pursed my lips and started to type a reply. But, my thumbs froze. I peered around at my surroundings and knew there was no way I would tell Charlotte Rowe where I was or have her meet me out here.
Me: I can come to you. Where are you?
How on earth I was going to get to her, I had no idea. I thought about asking Ms. Elsie if I could borrow her car, but I doubted her vehicle, which looked as if it was from the 1980s, would make it outside of the commune, let alone get me back to Texas.
I waited for Charlotte’s response while mentally going over the different options I had at my disposal.
Charlotte Rowe: I will be home later this evening. Can you drop by my house?
She messaged her address, and I plugged it into my phone’s GPS. I cursed at seeing how long it would take to get from where I was back to her part of Central Texas.
“I suppose your trip to Colorado didn’t go that well.”
I peered up into Sera’s honey-brown eyes. Her gaze dropped to the phone in my hands. I thought about what to tell her when an idea came to mind.
“Sera, do you have a car?” I asked. I’d never seen her drive, but most of the pack members drove or had a vehicle to get around when they needed it.
“Why?” Suspicion laced her tone.
I deliberated on what to tell her. There was a good chance that if she knew where I was going, she’d tell Chael. But hell, he wasn’t there anyway, so what did that matter? So what if he found out. He was the one withholding information from me. He’d promised me that he would get Dr. Pines fired and that I could go back and visit the residents at Creekview to let them know I hadn’t forgotten about them.
Yet, he hadn’t given me any updates about it in the days since he spoke those words.
“I need to get back to Texas,” I admitted to Sera.
Her eyebrows lifted and then narrowed as she stared at me for a few seconds. Then, she nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” I inquired.
“We’ll go to Texas,” she answered calmly.
“We?”
“My car doesn’t go anywhere I don’t go.”
