Page 73 of Defended By Bam
She waved me off. “It's over now. But some people have no manners.”
“Drama on the playground?”
“I wish. I was reading a book and put it down when we had recess, but when we came back, Justin took it and wouldn’t giveit back. But he wasn’t even reading it. He probably can’t even read.” She crossed her arms.
“That’s not very nice, Sofie.” I was sure that’s what Linny would say. I wanted to ask for this punk's last name and go have a chat.
Once I got to the red light at the end of the street, my phone buzzed.
Ollie: girls leaving, following
Leaving? Annoyed, I tried calling him, but it just rang until his voicemail came on. I waited a few beats, then tried again.
“Bama, the light,” Sofie said.
Looking up, the light was green, so I hit the gas, but tried his cell again. After the fourth try, I called Linny but no answer. Same for Glenda. By girls I could only assume he meant Linny and Glenda since they were like peas and carrots.
Losing patience, I called the VP, and he picked up after only two rings. “Rogers,” he answered.
“Hey, you seen Ollie?” I didn’t want to mention Linny with Sofie in the truck. The fact that he’d sent a text and wasn’t answering didn’t sit well, especially since Linny and Glenda weren’t either.
“Uh, hold on. Been in the office with Hammer for a while. Why?” A door opened and it sounded like he was walking down the hallway.
“He texted me about two minutes ago and now isn’t answering.”
“Hold up. Hey Breaker, where’s Ollie?”
I kept driving as I waited on the line, trying to listen to the conversation. We weren’t far from the clubhouse, but I couldn’t get there fast enough with Sofie in the truck.
It was too distorted to make out what he said, and a woman was talking as well, maybe Pinkie. Rogers told them thanks then came back to me. “Breaker wasn’t sure but Pinkie said she sawOllie take off running about an hour ago. Let me give him a call and I’ll let you know what happens.”
“An hour? Is Glenda there?”
“Hey Pinkie, where’s Glenda?” he called out.
Pinkie said something, but I still couldn’t make it out. My jaw clenched as I stepped on the pedal a little more.
“Pinkie said her and Linny were working earlier but she hasn’t seen ‘em in a while.” The sound of another door opening was followed by sounds of birds chirping and open air. “Weird. Her car’s gone. Maybe they took a ride.”
“See if you can get him on the phone. I’ll be there in three minutes.”
“You got it. Everything okay?”
“No. But let me know if you get him. See you soon.”
I disconnected the call, then smiled over at Sofie. Her brows rose, but she didn’t say anything. She was so much like her mom sometimes.
After the longest three minutes of my life, I tore into the clubhouse parking lot, sending Sofie into a fit of giggles. “Silly!” she shouted once we came to a stop.
“You like that? Maybe we’ll go to the go-kart track soon? How’s that sound?”
Her eyes lit up as she unbuckled. “I gotta tell Mommy!”
“Not today, silly girl,” I said, trying to figure out what to tell her. Everything could be fine, but until I knew where they were, I had to play it off. “I think Mommy and Glenda went out, though. Auntie Allie is gonna play with you until we all get back.”
“Okay! I wonder if we can swim!” she shouted as she jumped down from the truck.
Following her inside, I headed to Allie’s room where she’d been sulking. After knocking gently, I finally said through the door, “Hey, Sofie’s here.”
