Page 20 of Black Waters

“Yep.”

“Good.” She sighed. “Good twenty minutes, Reether. In fact, they were great because I was thinking of you.”

“Then why were you crying at dinner, beautiful?”

“For Whit to see the difference in us made it so real. You actually want to have a real relationship me. It… touched my heart so deeply.”

Those simple words told me I had been an incomprehensible asshole. Nothing more. Nothing less. And I decided to use every day I had to make it up to her. I was about to tell her just that when a text came through. I read it, yelled, “Connie, I’ll call you back,” and rushed home.

“Mom!” I ran through our front door.

Hearing no immediate answer, I hollered, demanding a reply. “MOM!”

“I’m here,” she said as she ran down the curved stairs toward me. “I’m here—”

Leaping up two stairs at time to meet her, I had her in my arms before she could say more.

“What has gotten into your father and you lately?”

I inhaled my mom, so happy she was okay. As I walked her the rest of the way down the stairs, I explained, “I got your text saying come home—there’s an emergency.”

“Yes, baby. Your aunt is ill, and we have to go to her right away. Your father said to pack. We fly out in two hours.”

Back on the floor, my arms dropped in disbelief. My father is forcing me away from my Whitney. I ran to my bedroom, dialing Crash.

“Hey.”

My words were rushed in fear. “I think shit’s going down. I can’t be sure, but my dad says my aunt is sick, and I’m leaving town. I don’t believe him.”

“No wonder my dad has us on lockdown. We must’ve also received a threat.”

That’s why he was going to be late to Whit’s. “But why?”

“My dad hasn’t beaten that information into me yet. Listen, I’ll stay awake all night and watch her.”

“Wait. If you’re on lockdown, how the hell you going to manage that?”

“’Cause I’m a crafty son of a bitch, literally. Questions?”

“No, but, if you have to, shoot first. Got me?” I couldn’t avoid that flight. If I did, my dad would’ve known what I had been up to all along.

“Her dad hasn’t come home, so maybe they haven’t received a threat. Maybe she’s okay?” Crash asked with a hope we both knew didn’t exist.

“Or her dad is leaving her to take the punishment for whatever is going on.”

“Reether, I know you don’t agree, but she needs to know.”

“No! The less she knows, the better. You said so yourself.”

“No, my father says that.”

“You are to watch over her from a distance. Got it? Distance. Your dad said no Russians should connect you with her. Distance. Hopefully no threats are followed through.”

“Damn it!”

“Yep.”

On the way to the airport, I asked my dad to have the driver swing by Connie’s home. I texted her on the way, and when I arrived, she came running out to the headlights pulling into her long driveway. I was still haunted by Whit not wanting me the way I needed her, so I searched for comfort.