Well, almost everything.
We have one significant difference; one small shift in our DNA that makes us irrevocably different. My mother explained it as a rare genetic condition I was born with that Linda didn’t have. A gift I never asked for and didn’t want.
So many times, Linda said she would have given anything to have my gift, and she didn’t understand why I didn’t want to embrace it. When our mother died, our father moved us from the big city to a small town on the outskirts of San Antonio. He thought that would be a good place for us to grow up and it was, for the most part. Easier to keep my gifts hidden from others.
The tears swell too fast for me to wipe them all away. I wish Dad was still here to tell me what to do. Never in a million years did I think we would lose touch with each other, but when Dad died, I wasn’t ready to come back home. I had moved on to bigger and better things, focused on becoming the top female reporter. It’s a much better label than “freak.”
My phone turns off the “Do Not Disturb” feature and makes up for its hiatus with a series of notification bells. I check the texts first. Everything else can wait.
Harry – We need to talk. Come see me when you get into the office.
There it is…something else I wasn’t ready to deal with, but like my dad always said, “Sometimes, honey, you just have to take the bull by the horns.”
I return the clock to the stand, throw on some clothes, and grab my keys. I know I have been distracted in my work for a while now, and today I’m going to be called onto the carpet for it. But I’m not ready to break the latest story or really do much career wise. Not when the most important mystery of my life hasn’t been unraveled.
I arm myself with a peace offering, his favorite coffee with cinnamon, but he ignores the gesture.
“Sit down, kid.” Harry nods toward the seat.
“Look. I know what you’re going to say,” I begin, then taper off my prepared speech. Sitting in front of Harry makes the hellish nightmare even more of a reality. I close my eyes, embarrassed to cry in front of my boss. I swore to myself I wouldn’t cry.
The San Antonio Police Department announced yesterday the trail had gone cold and they are no longer actively looking for my sister. I’ve kept myself together, but if Harry goes soft on me now, the frayed edge of the last string holding me together is going to snap.
“Kid, you look like shit. Couldn’t you at least have put on some makeup or something?”
“I don’t see you wearing lipstick.” I pull a pretend cap off my middle finger, applying two imaginary coats and recap it, then send an unimpressed smile. “Better?”
He raises his hands in mock surrender. “Good to see your spirit is still intact.” He takes a breath, then asks kindly, “Have you taken a moment to actually consider that maybe they’re right, and she went off with somebody?”
“Oh, come on! For two months?” I raise my brow at the suggestion. “There’s more to it, Harry. I feel it in my bones. I can’t close my eyes at night without seeing her. I have to do something. I need to go and pick up where the cops left off. I have a few of my own leads. Wanna hear about them?”
“Sure.” Harry leans back in his oversized chair, settling in to hear me out. It feels good to finally have someone to tell. Besides, someone needs to know about the text.
Come alone if you want answers.
“The MC took her, Harry,” I say. “It’s time for those SOBs to pay.” They think they are above the law. Untouchable. I am prepared to prove that theory wrong.
His smile drops. His eyes go wide. I know what he’s imagining and he’s probably not wrong. People get uneasy when you go talking about the motorcycle gang.
Their reputation more than proceeds them. We both know if I get caught, this won’t end well.
“It’s a bad idea,” he says.
“It’ll make great headlines.”
“Lizzy.” He talks like my dad. “This is a bad idea.”
“But think about it. We could expose them for what they are. Now, I’ve been working through several scenarios and came across some interesting evidence.”
“You know what happened to the last person who went head-to-head with them?”
“Of course, I know. Man wages war against the group and disappears. His body is never recovered, and he now lives in the exaggerated memories of practically everyone they exacted their brand of justice on, and he met an untimely, agonizing death. Now would you like to hear what I have uncovered?”
“Did you give it to the police?”
I lean forward in my chair, placing my hands on the edge of his desk, keeping my eyes on his.
“Some of it. And you know what? It disappeared. The cops don’t want to hear about anything happening in the city where the MCs are concerned. We have a group of one-percenters, who are basically invincible, and it’s not right. I think the cops are being paid to be quiet and look the other way, and I’m putting together the pieces of the puzzle to prove it. This is big, Harry. Huge! Besides, setting dirty cops aside, this is not just another story about a girl. This is my sister. And if the cops will not help her, I will. Even if you think this makes me certifiable, I have to do it.”
“Lizzy. As much as I would love to get an exclusive, I can’t cover you on this one.”
“It’s okay.” I lean against the desk, untangling my badge from my barely-brushed hair. “Let me make it
