Page 53 of The Voices are Back

I walked out the door and set the alarm and locked the door on my app.

Seconds later, I called Folsom on the way to the bike, unsurprised to find Folsom’s number already in my phone.

She answered after the second ring.

“Hello?” she answered.

She knew exactly who it was without having to look it up.

“I didn’t block her,” I told her bluntly. “I would never block her.”

The sincerity in my voice must’ve been enough convincing for her, because she said, “I’ll look into it.”

Then she hung up.

After making sure the app on my phone said the house was armed, I headed once again for my bike.

The ride to the fields took me ten minutes. Five of which were following behind an elderly man that likely needed to lose his license a couple of years ago seeing as he was so hunched over he could barely see over the wheel.

That, and his glasses were so damn thick that even I could see through them easily from fifteen feet away.

When I got to the practice field, it was just in time to see Bowie heading out of the dugout with his bag slung over his shoulder.

My gaze went to the man behind him. The coach that really was too close to a couple of the other boys. Luckily, he wasn’t anywhere near my son, or I might’ve confronted the dude. Today wasn’t the day to fuck with me. Not after all that I’d gone through with Morrigan earlier.

And her pulling away without actually leaving my side.

I’d physically felt her withdrawal as she’d sat on the back of my bike. First in body, then in mind.

I couldn’t even explain it, either. It was just one of those things that I’d always been able to read when it came to Morrigan. Whether she was mentally present or away in the clouds like she was sometimes wont to do.

“You need to get a better mode of transportation,” Bowie grumbled darkly.

I hadn’t even realized he’d made it up all the way to me until his voice penetrated my thoughts.

“Costs money, bud,” I said. “And my bike works great. If I need to get somewhere when it’s raining, I just bum a ride from one of the guys, or your mom.”

He rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, but also the problem is now I have to ride on the back of this bike with you, and it’s unsafe.”

I felt my eye twitch as I handed him his helmet.

I didn’t say anything, because it honestly felt like he was looking for a fight.

I drove him home after that, getting whacked multiple times in the face with his bat, likely on purpose.

When I got to his house, I got off the bike and went inside, smiling at Lolo as she waved from the couch. “Hey!”

God, that kid. She was such a good one.

“Hey, kiddo,” I said. “Y’all eat yet?”

She shook her head, her eyes looking hopeful.

“No,” she said. “What’d you get?”

“Get?” I said. “I didn’t get anything. I ordered pizza.”

From the app as I’d been stuck behind the old man who shouldn’t be driving, actually.

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