Page 130 of Savior

“Take me home, please.”

She sighs from a deep place that likely has so much pent-up frustration bubbling over that she wants to spew at me, but she keeps it to herself and puts the car into drive.

I secured a job at the local university in the theology department. With all I’ve saved over the years by living in the rectory, I got myself into a decent apartment close to campus.

Everything feels new and odd. I know it’s because Sloane is still missing.

Every day, I fall to my knees and beg God to bring her back, to give us a lead, anything.

But every day, my prayer goes unanswered.

“Any word?” Mom asks, breaking the ringing silence in the car.

I shake my head, unable to put words together.

I’ve cried about all I can.

Though, when I think I’ve cried myself to death, more tears come.

There will probably be more.

Taking out my phone, I text Ardesia, as I do each morning.

Anything?

Nothing I’ll speak about over text or phone conversation. Dinner tonight?

Where?

My place

I’ll be there.

6 p.m. Bring wine.

Pocketing my phone, I try to slow my heart down some. He’s done this before, and it boasted no more information than we had before. I can’t let my hopes get too high.

“They’ll find her,” Mom says, returning me to the here and now.

“And if they don’t?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “You can’t think like that. I know you’ve left the faith, Luca, but you need to keep the faith about this. She’s going to come back to you.”

“But in what shape?” I counter.

As she pulls up the curb of my apartment complex, she heaves another sigh from her broad chest.

“The shape doesn’t matter. You love her?”

I lick my lips. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. Too much fucking time. “I do.”

Something inside me feels as if it clicks together at the admission, as if my body was waiting to mend itself until my brain caught up to my heart.

“I love her,” I add. “So much. I know our ages make little sense…”

Mom tsks, rolling her eyes. “Who cares about that?! Love is love.”

“John will never let me live it down, and you know it.”

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