“We’ll go out and look,” said Hawk, nodding to Chalupa.
“Too bad you don’t have Find My Friends,” Scorpion said. “That app is a lifesaver sometimes.”
“Oh my god, I do! We added each other before I left.” I pulled out my phone. “Dammit. It’s dead.”
“Here.” Swole handed me her backup charger. “This’ll take a few minutes but you’ll get enough of a charge.”
“Thank you!” I said, plugging the phone in.
“I want it back. Tammy will kill me if I lose it.”
“Will do.” I fist bumped her and then they all rode off in different directions. Now I just had to wait until my phone charged and then hope that Paige’s phone wasn’t dead too.
* * *
It wasthe longest five minutes of my life as I sat alone in the Bun Boy Restaurant parking lot waiting for my phone to charge enough to be able to turn it on.
I had too much time to think. I thought of my parents and what they would have gone through tonight with Lily being missing. I wondered what they would think of her and the job I did raising her.
I could almost hear my mother’s voice as she said, “I am so proud of you, mijo.” Tears sprung to my eyes.
I wanted what they had. She and my dad had loved each other so much. It was one of those fairytale kinds of things where they were always together—even in death.
I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life alone. Didn’t want to end up like Sofia. I wanted love, like Swole and Tammy, and even Hawk and his wife.
And as much as it surprised me to realize this, I was starting to think I wanted all of that with Paige. She was beautiful and funny and fierce and passionate. She was everything I could ever want in a woman, even though she was way out of my league.
Just then, the parking lot dirt lit up. My phone was on. I entered my password, opened the app, and there it was. The blue dot that indicated where I was (thank you Verizon for the reception out here). But where was Paige’s blue dot? “Please let her phone not be dead…”
My heart sank when I only saw one blue dot. Her phone must be dead. But then, I squinted to see, and it looked like there was a second blue dot flashing right under mine. “That’s weird. Why would the dots be…”
Then it hit me. She was here. She’d been right here the whole time!
The only place they could be was inside the abandoned restaurant. I ran over to the window and pressed my face against the glass. I didn’t see much because it was pretty dark, but it looked like there might be some sort of light coming from the back.
I took off running around the back of the building. The door was ajar, and I could hear voices. I stopped to catch my breath so my panting wouldn’t alert them to my presence. I wanted the element of surprise.
“I said take your fucking clothes off.” His voice was coming from the kitchen area.
“Look, you really don’t have to do this…” that was Paige’s voice.
“I don’t have to. I want to. And once we get started, you’re gonna want it too.”
It sounded like a belt fell to the ground and my stomach clenched. I wanted to kill him immediately but I forced myself to be quiet as I tiptoed to the entrance.
He had her backed up against a counter and his pants were down around his ankles. I saw a pistol and a handgun on the counter behind them.
“Please, no. Don’t do this.” She was starting to cry and he was pawing at her clothes.
“Get your fucking hands off of her.” I shouted. Chanclas practically jumped out of his pants. Paige lunged away and I dove for the gun.
Grabbing it, I aimed the gun at Chanclas who was standing, facing me, with his dick hanging out. “Don’t shoot!”
“Like hell I won’t.” I shot the motherfucker in both knees and he went down hard.
“Let’s get out of here. We can call 911 from the parking lot,” I said, grabbing Paige’s hand.
We ran out the back door, and as soon as we got outside she threw her arms around me. “Thank you! How did you find me?”
