He was alive. I felt his heartbeat under my fingertips, strong andsteady.
Dylan was here. Addison over there. The threat in front of me, another in the kitchen. But where was Ben? Where the hell wasBen?
“Where’s Ben?” Idemanded.
Sheri walked jerkily into the room then, eyes dilated into massive black holes. "Do you have the money?" sheasked.
“Slowly walk over to your friend,” I demanded. My voice shook, cracked with rage.Where wasBen?
Her eyes bounced around the room, never once acknowledging the gun in my hands. She took two steps toward where I told her to go and lurched into a cartoonishstop.
“You got my money. Don’t you?” she snarled and scratched violently at the top of herscalp.
I wanted to scream at her—at the both of them—why could no one tell me where Benwas?
The guy became instantly agitated next to her, slamming his fists into his chest, glaring at me. “Give us the money, bitch. Just give me the fuckingmoney!”
Both of them looked like severe meth addicts.Sheri looked better the day I found her with a needle jammed in her arm, overdosing on heroin than she did tweaking out in front of me right now. Had she even stayed in rehab at all? Her face was covered in small sores and looked gaunt and hollowed out. She looked like she’d aged about thirty years since the last time I saw her. And the guy she was with showed signs of meth mouth. He was missing most of his bottom teeth, and what was left were blackened gums and a foul odor I could smell all the way from where Istood.
Addison whimpered in the corner and cried out for me. “Callie,” she wept, “I’mscared.”
My throat clenched up, and my heart crashed against my ribs like a punching fist. Both meth heads stared at me, twitching their shoulders and necks, wiping and slapping at whatever bugs or creatures they hallucinated were crawling on their skin. Still, neither noticed there was a gun drawn onthem.
“Do you have my gummy bears?” Sheri asked, clawing at hermouth.
"We need the gummy money," the guy said, pacing and circling Sheri. "Where's yourcan?"
I smiled calmly at them with uncontrollable, trembling lips. “Both of you, sit down on thecouch.”
“We need to get the money. The gummy money!” the manscreamed.
Addison cried harder in the corner and covered her face. God, poor Addison; this would give her nightmares for the rest of herlife.
"Sit on the couch, right now, and I'll give you the gummy money. I just want to get Addison," I said, holding my hand out for the child. “Come on, Princess. I’m righthere.”
“You want my family?” Sheri asked, giggling. “Fifty bucks,” she offered, licking her lips obsessively. “Fifty. Sixty! You got sixty? Ninety?” She was running in place now,spastically.
I hoped Addison didn’t understand any of this. “Come on, Addison.” I gestured my fingers at her. I needed her out of the house, or at the least in another room. I needed her away from these monsters, but her wide eyes darted back and forth from Sheri to Dylan, and she hugged her knees closer to herchest.
God, poor baby…these were her parents. The bridge of my nose burned with emotion. I just wanted to get her away from them. I wanted her safe. She shouldn't see thismadness.
“You got the money? We need more Crissy,” Sheri said, bouncing her shoulders up and down. She bumped into the guy, and a smudge of blood smeared over the sleeve of hershirt.
Crissy…they were on crystal meth.Damnit. And what happened to the guy’s arm? I eyed it until I saw what the source of blood was: a compound break in his forearm. He wasn’t using the arm, but I didn’t think he realized yet what happened to it. I had the feeling Dylan had something to do with the arm. I just couldn’t figure out how this guy got the upper handafter.
“Gimme. Gimme money, and you can have the family. Take them. I just need the right amount. Did you get the ATM to work?" Sheri askedme.
"Where's Ben?" I asked, trying to get a peek outside the window from the corner of myeye.
I didn't hear him crying. A huge lump clogged my throat, and I swallowed back tears. God, please don't let something have happened to him,please.
I shifted back slowly, closer to Dylan, and nudged him with the toe of my boot. He moaned softly and attempted to open hiseyes.
"Dylan? Dylan?" I pushed my foot into his side, and it came away drenched in blood. "Whatthe…?"
Sheri made a sudden move, and I screamed, "Okay! Okay, sure I have the gummymoney."
They both stared at me, becoming more excited and twitchy thanbefore.
