Page 1 of The Secret's Out

Prequel

Nancy

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Nancy Alexandra placed her phone on the table. She looked down, but wasn’t really focused on it. No, her mind was running over things from the phone call she just had.

Her youngest daughter, Josie, hadn’t been home that Christmas holiday. In fact, she hadn’t returned home in a long time and Nancy was worried. For the tenth time that day, she called her daughter’s mobile demanding answers. Only it wasn’t her daughter who supplied them.

Josie’s housemate, where she lived in a small apartment close to her school, had answered.

“Mrs Alexander?” she whispered into the phone. Nancy should have realised then that something was wrong, but she didn’t.

“Simone, honey, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Nancy? Now, can you tell me where my daughter is? I’m getting sick of this run around. She’s either too busy to talk or on her way out somewhere. But I’m worried about my girl, Simone.”

“You should be,” Simone uttered and Nancy started to panic.

Nancy sat straight in her chair. “Tell me, Simone.”

“It’s not really my place.”

“No, Simone, you tell me now so I can help.”

“She won’t want her mum here. That’ll make things worse.”

“Simone, tell me!”

“Josie’s in the bathroom, but I can hear her crying. She cries a lot, Nancy, and I think it has to do with some guys who are hassling her. She’s so quiet and timid. The stupid-heads find it fun to cause her problems.”

“Is that all?” Nancy snapped in a hard tone.

“I-I think so? Please, please don’t come here. I swear it’ll make things worse.”

“Oh, I won’t come, darling. I’ll be sending someone else.”

“Who?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just know help will be arriving soon, and watch over my girl ‘til then.”

“I will, Mrs–I mean, Nancy.”

“Thank you, Simone, for telling me.”

“I hate seeing Josie upset.”

“I do also. I’m going to let you go now. I need to make a phone call.”

Simone hung up the phone and not long after, Nancy stared at the phone on the table thinking. She picked it back up again and put it to her ear.

“Hello, my wonderful son-in-law.”

“Nancy,” was all Talon said.

“Josie is having trouble as school. Some guys are...annoying her, Talon.” Usually, Nancy would taunt him to get a rise, but she wasn’t in the mood, and she knew her son-in-law could tell by her tone.

“Fuck,” Talon growled low. “I’ll handle it.”

“Good,” Nancy said and hung up.

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