“Are you crying?”
“Just shut the fuck up and get here.”
“Fine. I’m on my way. But I’m leaving Allison behind. She doesn’t need to get involved with his shit. Just like you shouldn’t have.”
“Spare me the lecture, please?”
“Stand on the curb so I can spot you. Bye.”
I hung up the phone call and stood there like a damn idiot. The sounds faded into nothingness for a few seconds, and it forced tears down my cheeks. I knew the first question Michael would ask the second I got into his car. He’d want to know if I called the police. And if I didn’t, he’d chastise me for it. He’d tell me I was turning into Clint, and I’d really risk losing my friend then.
So as I stood there waiting for him, I pressed that little red emergency button on my phone screen.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“Hi. Yes. I’d like to report an… ambush?”
“An ambush, ma’am?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes. An ambush. My boyfriend came to—”
Boyfriend? Is that what Clint was to me?
The word made me smile.
The operator cleared her throat. “Your boyfriend came where, ma’am?”
I shook my head. “Yes. Sorry. My boyfriend came to see me at work. We were standing in the parking lot after I locked up, and four drunk guys in a car pulled into the parking lot. Started harassing us. Calling us names. Throwing beer bottles and things at us. They were trying t—”
I heard the operator typing in the background as tears rushed to my eyes again.
“They were trying to what, ma’am? Where are you currently?”
I sighed. “I’m in Riverbend, in front of the elementary school beside a place called Grady’s Groceries. I don’t have any other address other than that. You guys have to hurry. My boyfriend started fighting with these guys so they wouldn't get to me. They were talking about things. Taking advantage of me and all that. He got on his bike
and rode off, and a car full of drunk teenagers are following him. He’s in a lot of trouble. Please.”
“All right, ma’am. I want you to stay calm. About how old do you think the boys are?”
“No more than eighteen. They go to Lincoln High School.”
The operator hummed. “Do you know what the car looked like?”
I searched around for Michael’s SUV as I racked my brain.
“Uh… it was a low-riding car. Like, not like the usual way a car sits on its tires, if that makes any sense. And it was white. A white, low-riding car with tinted windows. I don’t know anything other than that, though. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s okay. Just take some deep breaths for me. You’re panting pretty hard.”
Was I?
Shit, I was.
I drew in some deep breaths. “I don’t want my boyfriend to get in trouble. He only fought against them and sped off to get them away from me. They were grabbing for me. There are parking lot cameras at Grady’s Groceries. The footage should show—”
The operator cut me off. “It’s okay. First we get everyone safe. Then we figure out who’s at fault. But, from one woman to another, I believe you. Okay? Just stay where you are.”
But just as she said that, Michael’s SUV pulled up to the curb.