She's everything.
And we're not letting her go.
26
CARLOS
The text comes through at 2:47 PM while I'm installing crown molding in the Patterson house.
Nacho: Callum showed up at the grocery store. Confronted Jessica. I intervened. She's shaken but safe. Taking her home now.
My hands stop moving. The nail gun goes silent.
Mrs. Patterson, hovering three feet away like she always does when I'm working, leans in to look at my phone.
"Is everything alright, dear?"
I pocket the phone and force a smile. "Family emergency. I need to head out."
"Oh no! Nothing serious, I hope?"
"I can handle it." I start packing up my tools, movements quick and efficient. Years of carpentry mean I can break down a job site in under five minutes. "I'll be back tomorrow to finish up."
"Of course." She's already pulling out her own phone. I can see the gears turning behind her eyes. Family emergency. Negrorio boy. Middle of the day.
By the time I'm loading my truck, she'll have called half the town.
I don't care.
I throw my tools in the bed faster than I probably should, not bothering to organize them the way I usually do. The nail gun goes in sideways. The miter saw is at an angle that'll probably scratch the bed liner. I'll fix it later.
Right now, I need to get home.
The drive from the Patterson house to ours takes eight minutes. I make it in five, pushing the speed limit in ways that would get me a ticket if Nacho wasn't otherwise occupied.
My phone buzzes three more times before I pull into the driveway.
Sergio: On my way home. ETA 20 minutes.
Pedro: Closing the clinic early. Be there by 3:30.
Nacho: She's in her nest. Pretty shaken up. Callum's been texting me. Not good.
I check the time. 3:15 PM.
The house is quiet when I walk in. Too quiet. I can hear the old furnace kicking on in the basement, the creak of floorboards upstairs, but no voices. No movement.
"Jess?" I call out.
No answer.
I take the stairs two at a time, sawdust still clinging to my jeans and flannel, and head straight for the guest room.
The door is cracked open. I knock anyway.
"Sunshine? You in there?"
A small sound. Not quite a word. More like a whimper.
