"We're responding to a request for a welfare check, ma'am. Is your friend, Makenzie, with you?"
Finally, Talia opens the door far enough to show the police officers that I am standing beside her.
"Mr. Barrett wanted to make sure the two of you were cautious and careful for the next couple of days and nights."
"Cautious? Cautious of what?"
The younger officer looks over at the older one, who gives him a nod like he's giving him permission or something, "His brother has disappeared and the sheriff issued a warrant for his arrest based on the evidence you gave Mr. Barrett."
"You're the only witness to the fact Emory Barrett impersonated Mr. Sterling." The older officer puts it more bluntly for us. I'm in danger.
"Thank you, officers. We'll make sure to lock up for the night and take extra care for the next couple of days."
They nod and turn to leave but stop so they can listen for Talia to draw the lock.
"That's super fucking creepy." She double-locks the door. "I'm freaked out and scared for you. Are you scared?"
I want to tell her the truth but instead, I lie, "A little." Inside I'm too sad to care about someone coming for me, I'm hurting too badly to be worried about someone trying to kill me.
"A little? Are you serious right now? Someone might be out there trying to kill you and you’re only a little bit scared."
"Talia, I fell in love with a ghost, I lost my home, and I have no clothes or anywhere to live." Talia's face scrunches every time I give her another incident that has happened in my life over the course of four or five days. "I went from having it all to having nothing. So a death threat really isn't all that upsetting at this point in my life."
Silence meets my statement. Then she reaches to put her arm around me, "We need more rum."
For the first time all day, I can honestly say I am completely lost on what I might actually need to make this all better but I'm almost completely sure it's not more rum. Still....if it makes Talia happy, what could it hurt.
Chapter Eleven
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Sterling
How the hell did Makenzie slip away from me? Everyone is in my face trying to figure all of this shit out when all I want to do is spend more time in her presence. It's odd that I feel so lost now that she's not in the room with me. What the hell has she done to me?
"Sir, we've been to your brother's house and his girlfriend's house. He's not at either of them but there are signs he may have known we were coming. The television was still on and there were still ice cubes in his drink."
"Of course he knows we were coming. That stupid woman Lynda tripped probably had time to call him and tell him everything was going to hell as soon as you opened your eyes."
Makenzie was telling the truth. The fucker forged my name. He made it look like I sold the house to him and then he sold it to Makenzie.
"The nurse flipped on Emory. She's with one of our detectives telling them about how he paid her to make sure you never came out of that coma. Lucky for you, you have friends that wouldn't leave you alone so she could go through with the job."
"He'll be coming after Makenzie to make sure she can't make a statement."
"Shit!" I look at my friend when he says that my ass of a brother might be coming after my...um, Makenzie.
"I can send some guys over for a welfare check if you know where she's at."
"She's probably with her friend, Talia Benson since she doesn't...,"
"Have a place to live." I finish for Kane. God damn it. "She might be at Celeste's."
"I can send a unit by this Benson woman's home while you look for her at Celeste's if you want."
"I have the address if that makes it any faster." Kane speaks up and starts repeating the address back to the Sheriff. As he starts making calls I leave with Kane. Even though Celeste's house is technically at the end of my driveway, it feels like it takes forever to reach. I am the one knocking on her door like a crazy person once we pull to a stop.
"Mr. Barrett?" She seems surprised to see me.