TWENTY-NINE
Forest
“Motherfucking shit!” The call dropped. I could hear the girls sounding scared. Then Bailey told Cammy and Piper she loved them, and that was it. My heart is hammering in my chest, nerves shot to shit, and I make the call to 9-1-1, relaying the information to the dispatcher, breaking every law I can to get there, and it still won’t be fast enough. The dispatcher is pretty useless, telling me that the description of my call has been brought to their attention multiple times and an ambulance is en route. As if that doesn’t make my anxiety skyrocket. I hang up on her, pull up Bailey’s number, and dial again, hearing the ring echo in my truck. I’m cutting my time in half with the rate I’m driving, that’s if I don’t get pulled over. “Answer the phone, baby. God, please answer the phone. Let my girls be okay.” The empty truck doesn’t respond. The only thing I can hear besides the tires of my truck eating up the dark asphalt as I’m flying down the interstate is Bailey’s phone ringing. I hang up when I hear her sweet voice say, “Hi, you’ve reached Bailey. Leave a message,” soft and sweet, innately her. I don’t bother calling again, scrolling through the display screen until I get to Madden’s number. He’s closer to my house, and if there’s any luck in my world, maybe he’s working at home today.
“Hey, you guys still doing pizza tonight?” My brother answers the phone. Fuck, the thought that morning could have been the last time I saw the three of them eats at my soul.
“Madden.” My voice is cloaked with emotion, and I’m unable to get the words out right away.
“What’s wrong, Forest? Is it Mom, Dad, the girls? You have to tell me what’s going on, bud.”
“The girls. Bailey called, said she was being followed. Tried to stay calm and drive to the police station. I don’t know what the hell is going on and can’t get to them fast enough. Bailey isn’t answering her phone, and the dispatcher said they called in backup but couldn’t elaborate. I’m still fifteen minutes out. Please tell me you’re home.” I gun my truck, going around a slow driver in the left lane on the interstate. A problem that isn’t usually an issue, until today when I’m trying to get to where I’m going.
“On my way out the door now. You want me to call in the rest of the family or see what we’re dealing with?” Hendrix must not be home, or she’d be asking a million questions.
“Fuck, I don’t know the right answer. On one hand, I want our family around for every single moment, but on the other hand, I just don’t know.” I take a deep breath, holding it in to calm these fucking thoughts, so many what-ifs plaguing my mind, knowing that it won’t help a Goddamn thing at this point.
“I’ll call them. They need to be there no matter what. Keep your head in the chin. It doesn’t matter what we walk into; your girls are going to need you, okay?” Madden says, always level-headed, in my corner and being there no matter what it takes.
“Yeah, call me when you know something. I’m gonna get off the phone.” I’m over the conversation since there isn’t shit I can do about it anyways. The office might have been a good solid investment. It’s worth nothing to me with the traveling forty minutes both ways on the couple of days I am at work. I’m going to be making some vast changes, and soon.
“Stay safe. You can’t help the girls if you wreck. Love you, man.”
“Love you. Call me the second you know something.” We hang up, my mind and body completely unsettled. Nothing is going to calm the storm building inside me until I lay my eyes on Bailey, Cammy, and Piper.
Unable to stop myself, I hit the redial button on Bailey’s phone. I’m sure she won’t answer, but that’s not what I’m after. I listen to it ring and ring before I re-listen to her soft lyrical voice, waiting for the beep, ready to lay it out, to tell Bailey exactly what I feel for her. “Bailey, baby, hate that I’m not with you. That I’m not there as you protect our girls. The minute you’re in my arms, I’ll be saying this to your face. Seeing that pretty smile of yours, my hands touching your skin, hearing your pretty voice. You’ve changed me, sweetheart. The man who didn’t want another woman in his life made me see that having you, it’s fucking everything. You’re my everything, and fuck me, you’re so deep inside me, I don’t want you to ever leave. What I’m trying to say is, I love you. Hold on, baby. I’m on my way to you.” I hang up the call. The only thing on my mind is getting to the three women in my life.