Page 53 of Where He Ended

My sister is quiet. We sit there, saying nothing as the clock on the wall clicks louder and louder. It's the only sound until something clutters in the kitchen. Wyatt walks into the room holding a small tray. “Here,” he says, putting it on the table in front of us. “It's quick and sloppy, but it should do.”

On the tray is a plate of lumpy oatmeal cookies studded with what seems to be bits of cranberry. There are also two steaming mugs, and when I pick one up, Wyatt points and says, “Green tea. It'll warm you up.”

“Thank you,” I say, taking a long sip. It sticks to my tongue, creating a coating of sweet and bitter. Kara lifts a cookie, sniffing it. I go one step further and take a bite. The flavor explodes in my mouth - bright fruit and decadent maple.

As we eat and drink, I bring Wyatt up to speed. I tell him about Annie, watching as his face crumples from the disturbing news. He turns solemn after hearing about Dominic fighting off the guards so he could give us his car and flee.

“So he told you to come here,” he mumbles. “But what happens next?”

“Can't you get in touch with him?” I ask.

Wyatt lifts a small cell phone. I've never seen him with one before. “Not sure how. He probably has my number in some employee file somewhere. But I don't have a clue what Dominic's number is.”

“I do,” Kara says.

My eyes widen. She gives me a quick glance, then an unapologetic shrug. Taking the phone from Wyatt, she taps into it with both of her thumbs, then hands it back. Wyatt squints, then starts to type something out. “I'll text him a message. Ask him what he wants me to do now that you guys are here.”

The phone makes littleswishnoise as the message is sent. I scoot to the edge of the couch, anxiously waiting for Dominic to respond. Wyatt sees me looking and gives me a mild frown. “Don't obsess, eat drink and catch your breath.”

Lifting my mug in both hands, I cradle it to me and inhale the steam. It doesn't relax me, but it's nice to have something warm in my stomach—something other than this wriggling fear. I don't know what Dominic is going to say; everything that I hope feels foolish. He told me goodbye, he said it was time for me to go home. Nothing in his final words was anything ambiguous.

But I'm still praying that he'll change his mind and say that he's going to come with me.

I can't picture a world without him.

The phone beeps and all of us jump. Tea spills in my lap but it doesn't burn. I'm too excited, too focused on watching Wyatt read the message on his screen. His eyes dart side to side, and then he must be finished reading, because he blows air out of his nose. “Jesus.”

“What is it?” I ask desperately.

Wyatt eyeballs me then my sister. “Dominic struck a deal.”

A deal. I've learned to hate deals. They’ve never been good to me.

“He says you two aren't prisoners anymore. His parents will leave you alone. According to him, you're free.”

“Free,” Kara whispers.

The word free doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to my sister. Leaping to my feet I reach for the phone. “I need to talk to him, please.”

“Laiken, isn't this what you wanted?” Wyatt asks.

I keep my face expressionless, my palm extended towards him. “I just want to talk to him. What's the harm in that?”

My sister gives a bitter chuckle. To her credit she doesn't speak, but she doesn't have to to get her point across.

I implore Wyatt with my eyes. Finally he hands me his phone. “Go ahead,” he says. “It's not up to me to stop you.”

Both of them are openly watching me. Everything I do in front of them is under a magnifying glass. I carry the phone out the front door, wanting some privacy. It's cold but I don't care. Tapping the little green symbol on the phone, I call Dominic.

Each time the phone rings it vibrates through my bones, stealing a little bit of my energy when he doesn't answer. One ring. Two. Three. I'm up to four and expecting him to ignore the call.

There's a loud click. His voice is gritty and low. “What is it? Didn't you get my message?”

“Dominic,” I wheeze.

There's a long pause. “Laiken? Why are you calling me?” He thought I was Wyatt.

Squeezing the phone harder. I start pacing in front of the house. “Dominic, please, I don't want to leave without you.”

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