Page 84 of Road Trip
“Abra,” I said calmly, realizing she was responding from her frustrated state. “I just want to make sure I got all of those instructions right.” I repeated them to her, and she began to smirk, as though hearing her words gave her a clue to how intense she was coming across. I could totally understand so much more about the woman I’d fallen in love with. She had pushed me away because she didn’t want me to have to deal with this side of life. Little did she know that I wouldn’t be easily deterred. Although, if her mom kept looking at me like that…
I kissed the top of her head as I climbed into the Suburban. “I got this, doll. You go be with your gran.”
She didn’t look convinced. “Set the alarm. She does like to wander.”
I winked at her.
“I’ll treat this like a prisoner transport,” I joked.
She rolled her eyes at me one last time and waved. I looked in the rearview and saw that Adrianna looked serene and relaxed. I checked my GPS and made sure I knew where I was going. It was a short drive and other than mumbling a little, she was still.
I pulled into the driveway next to Abra’s Mustang and paused for a second to make sure I was ready for this. “Ms. Velasquez, are you ready to go inside?”
She didn’t answer me. I checked on her once again and then gathered myself to get out of the car. I opened her door and held out a hand for her. She blinked a few times, realized we were at her home, and then sighed.
“Oh, thank goodness. I thought she was sending me away again.” She took my hand and let me help her from the car. She seemed quite frail for a woman of her age. I hadn’t met Gran yet. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought this was her gran.
“Let’s get you inside and get you some dinner. How does that sound?”
She smiled up at me, then her eyes dropped to my shirt. “Are you really a police officer?”
I laughed. “Yes, ma’am. I work in Hayward.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Did you arrest my daughter? Is that how you met her?” That one caught me off guard.
“No, ma’am. As a matter of fact, she rescued me from quite a bad situation.”
We had ascended the steps onto the porch, and I found the key she said would unlock the place. Once inside, I stepped over to the alarm panel, grateful that these women were at least somewhat protected. This neighborhood, while not the worst in town, had a lot of dark corners. It was actually an unincorporated area and under the jurisdiction of the Alameda County Sheriff, which depending on the shift could be good, or a crapshoot.
Adrianna shuffled over to a rocking chair near the window and eased herself gently into it.
“Do you need anything from me? I’m just going to get dinner started.”
She didn’t respond, so I stepped closer and knelt down.
“How about some tea or some water?”
She smiled at me. “You are a nice young man. I would love some Chamomile.” I stood to move toward the kitchen when she said, “Officer?”
“It’s Kelly, ma’am.”
She nodded. “Kelly? I know my daughter can be a lot to take, but I’m really to blame for that. I hate it that she’s had to take care of things.” Her speech seemed to tire her out. She closed her eyes. “I’m just so tired.”
There was a knock at the door just then. I pulled it open to find a pink-haired twin of Abra’s, or at least in the fashion sense.
“Oh! God! Is everything okay? Is Mrs. Velazquez okay?”
The shirt.
“Yes, ma’am. Are you Jilly? I’m Kelly.” I stuck my hand out, but she still looked confused.
“Where’s Abe?” She pushed past me and her eyes found Adrianna passed out in the chair. A sad look crossed her face and she clicked her tongue.
“Abra is at the hospital with her gran. I told her I’d bring her mother home and stay with her. She should be home soon.”
She narrowed her eyes, then a huge smile of recognition appeared.
“Far out! You’re Abe’s cop? Damn! She said you were hot, but whoa! You are a beast.”
