Page 90 of Rules of Engagement

"Maddox, can I borrow that burn phone?" I asked.

"Sure. You want to call your mom?" he asked, patting his pockets for it.

"Yes," I replied while crossing my fingers behind my back. "Thanks," I said as I took it from him. "I'll head out here and leave you two to talk."

In the corridor, I fished the card from my pocket and dialed the number. It went directly to messages. "Hi," I began hesitantly since I didn't know who would be listening to it or if it would be recorded forever. If Mikey and Mooch had anything to offer me by way of learning about criminal enterprise, it was a clear warning not to be so stupid. I wasn’t about to leave a direct message that could be used against me in court later.

"Thank you for the delivery and gift. I really appreciate it. I wonder if you heard about all the excitement after you left yesterday? One of the guests departed before we got the chance to talk and he didn't leave his contact details but he might have been somewhere near Ninth Street. It would be great if he visited us again. I don't have my phone with me but I hope we can talk soon. Bye!" I hung up, wondering why I left such a cheerful goodbye but figured it fitted in well with the cryptic message. I was sure Duncan O'Malley would know exactly which unwelcome guest I was referring to. I only hoped he could work his network and produce him soon. I wanted to say more about the Niners but I had no doubt O'Malley had already connected those dots long before we did, since he located Mooch so quickly.

One thing I was sure about: the Niners had nothing to do with O'Malley. I couldn't see him being thrilled about business contacts taking shots at his friend. All I could hope for was that O'Malley had plenty of gift wrap.

I called my mom next and she answered the phone with a cautious, "Hello?"

"Mom, it's me."

"Lexi, thank the Lord! I was afraid someone was calling with bad news."

"No one would call you in that case. They'd simply knock on your door."

"That would be so much better," said Mom dryly.

"Didn't Garrett call you?"

"Yes, but he wouldn't tell me anything and that doesn't stop me from worrying. I'm your mom. It's what I do. Lily's here and she's worried about you too."

"Tell her I'm okay."

"When can you come over? Or should we come see you at the hospital?"

"I can't come over. Not yet anyway," I told her, "but say hi to Lily and Dad and I'll call you again as soon as I can."

"Where are you?"

Garrett didn't give me express instructions not to say where I was, but he didn't say I could either. Plus, what if the phones were tapped? Maddox kept insisting it was a good thing I left my phone behind. He dismantled his and was already prepared with another burner, which made me wonder: what did he need to be prepared for?

"I'll call you soon, Mom. I promise," I said and hung up before she made me feel any guiltier than I already felt. My parents were worried. My family was worried. My fiancé was in a coma and surrounded by armed guards and I couldn't get to him. His family were worried. And... my cheeks burned when I remembered last night... I kissed Maddox. My guilt was so overwhelming, I seriously wondered if I should cash the million dollar check, hire a therapist, and take up residency on the couch while I talked it out for the next decade.

I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder.

"Hi, Damien."

"You look worried. Are you okay?"

"Perpetually full of joy!" I squeaked.

"So... yes?" Damien frowned at me.

"Yes."

"Who were you talking to?"

"My mom."

He nodded knowingly. "I had a short talk with my buddy in gang enforcement and I have some information," he said. "Let's go back into your brother's office." He turned and walked ahead while I trailed after him. As I neared the door to the office, the large whiteboard standing in the corner grabbed my attention. Instead of following Damien, I walked over to the whiteboard and came to a stop in front of it. Folding my arms, I focused on the case information Garret's detectives had already gathered about Solomon's attack. Very little of it was new information but it was strange to see a photo of Solomon in the center and a photo of me on the side. Apparently, someone must’ve questioned if I had any motive to shoot Solomon and a large red cross nixed that idea.

"Lexi!"

I turned and nodded to Garrett as he beckoned me forwards. "Ignore all that," he said. "We have to brainstorm new ideas."

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