“You want one first aid kit? Or four?”
I growled. “As many as you’ve got over there. And a Mountain Dew.”
“You want a sandwich, too?”
“You make ‘em?”
She snickered. “No, asshole. I don’t. And you got fifteen minutes before I call the cops myself. You’re scaring everyone in here.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Focusing on the phone was a chore. Hell, focusing at all was a chore in the first place. Things faded in and out of focus. Some things were blurry, while others hurt to look at. Like how damn bright her fucking phone screen was. I turned the brightness down just so I could type in Dani’s number. But it was as if the phone kept moving. For every right number I pressed, I got three wrong. So I had to keep backspacing.
“That’ll be sixty bucks for the first aid kits, plus the forty you offered me. So, a hundred bucks and we’ll call it even for the night. I’ll throw in the drink for free.”
I scoffed. “Thanks.”
“Hey, I could’ve pressed the silent alarm button on you.”
My head whipped up. “Did you?”
She nodded to her phone. “Why don’t you place that call and get out of here, just in case. Okay?”
I growled again. “Yeah. Thanks.”
I finally got Dani’s number typed in and I called her. It rang and it rang. And it rang some more. I grew frustrated when her voicemail picked up. I hung up and dialed her right back. Surely, she hadn’t fallen asleep on me in that damn dorm room of hers.
When she didn’t pick up the second time around, I became worried.
“You almost done?” the clerk asked.
I nodded. “One more phone call. It’s an emergency.”
“By the looks of you? I’d say it is.”
I wanted to fly off the handle, but I didn’t. I had bigger fish to fry than this woman who kept flexing her muscles at me. It took me ages to type in Rupert’s number, but I got it. And when he picked up on the first ring, I almost rejoiced with relief.
“Who the fuck is this?” he growled into the phone.
“Rupert. It’s me.”
“Max. Holy fuck. Where the hell are you? Are you okay?”
I snickered. “I’m all right. Kind of.”
“Kind of? The hell does that mean? Tell me where you are. I’ll send someone for you.”
I couldn't dwell on the pain. Even though the weight of my injuries was getting worse, every second I wasted meant Dani’s chances of injury grew. I had to find her, and quickly.
“Rupert, listen to me. They’re going after Dani.”
I heard an engine roar. “I’m close to the school. I’ll go and get her. Now, tell me, where are you?”
“I’m going to my father’s.”
“What? Are you insane? Think rationally for a second. You can’t go there by yourself. I think we can confidently say he has a hand in this. You need backup. You need to let me help. Wait for me or the boys.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I need to go, and now. Go to the school. If she’s there, get her the hell out of there. Get her out of town, for all I care. As fast as you can, and don’t look back. Then tell John not to come after me. I know he’ll try. And I’m telling you, he won’t make it out if he does.”