“Good.” She sounded pissed.
“Oh, and Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry we lied.”
“I am too.” The line disconnected and I felt like I was ten years old again and had broken a piece of her favorite china.
Except this was her daughter, and if something serious happened to Bailey, they would never forgive me. I’d never be able to forgive myself, either.
* * *
It wasn’t toosurprising that the entire section of the city where the convention center was was blocked off. Maria pulled her truck up to one of the barriers and I rolled down my window to talk to one of the police officers.
“Excuse me. Where did the people go who were attending the concert?”
“Some of them have been taken to La Playa Memorial. Some are still inside being interviewed by police. But most of the crowd dispersed two hours ago. Are you looking for someone?”
“Yes. My sister and her friend.”
“My recommendation would be to start with the hospital and then go from there.”
“Were there any… fatalities?” I hated to ask the question.
“I’m afraid I can’t say.”
You can’t say, or you won’t?
“What about the Outlaw Souls? They were here helping with security. Where are they?”
“Oh, we sent them home about an hour ago. We’re inside reviewing security footage and once the crowd was gone we didn’t need crowd control.”
Dammit. I couldn’t find Ryder or Lily or Bailey.
“Okay, thanks.” I turned to Maria. “It looks like it’s gonna be a long night for me. If you want to drop me off somewhere, I can take an Uber to the hospital.”
“No way. I’ll take you there now.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it. You’re going way far out of your way for someone you just met.” As we were pulling out of the parking lot, I remembered there was a Starbucks down the block. “Can I get you a coffee or something to say thank you?”
“Honestly, that sounds really good about now.”
The news was still talking about what had happened, but there was no real information coming out. My plan was to get some coffee, get to the hospital, and see if the girls were there. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted them to be there, or not.
* * *
I wasglad the Starbucks was still open. The hours posted said they closed at 11:00 but there were still a ton of people inside. It had been a very traumatic experience for a lot of people and when that happened, people tended to want to come together.
Maria had a handicapped placard that she said was from a back injury from when she was pregnant with Mario, and so we were able to park right in front. I was really worried about the girls and just wanted to run in, grab a couple of coffees, and get to the hospital. If the Starbucks had been a drive thru, we wouldn’t have even gotten out of the car.
“Let’s just grab our coffees and get to the hospital. I’m sure your sister is just fine,” Maria said, gently touching my arm.
“I hope you’re right.”
“What can I get started for you tonight?” The older woman behind the register was probably the owner and was working so that her employees could go home. Given how packed the place was, she would likely be here all night.
“Just a tall Americano,” I said.
