Bubba moved faster than I would’ve expected. He returned a few minutes later with the electronics from Kia’s room. Danielle was with him.
“Young lady, where is my grandson?” Pop asked immediately.
“Huh? I don’t know.” Danielle shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. Am I in trouble?”
“Not as long as you’re telling the truth,” I said, the threat evident in my tone. “Now, where the hell are Kia and Nevada?
“Seriously, I don’t know where she went,” Danielle said, sounding annoyed by the questions.
“Danielle, listen. This is not a game we’re playing. We need to know where the hell they are. Now ain’t the time for you to be trying to hold on to girl code or whatever the hell it is y’all do,” I warned. “You need to tell me what you know.”
Danielle’s eyes went from Marie to me. “I don’t know nothing, Vegas. I swear to God. I didn’t even think she was with Nevada. I thought she was somewhere with Bob.”
“Damn, you right. Bob didn’t show up today, didn’t he?” Bubba chimed in.
I turned to Marie. “Who the fuck is Bob?”
“He’s Kia’s biggest client,” she said.
“Biggest? That’s an understatement. He tips her more than it costs for the date. Everything she has, Bob gave it to her: bags, shoes, jewelry, hair, makeup, you name it. Whatever she wants, she can have. I should’ve snatched his nerdy, cornball ass when I had the chance. If I knew then what I know now.” Danielle shook her head. “He wants to marry her.”
“Biggest as in every day, sometimes twice a day,” Marie clarified.
“What’s his phone number? I need to talk to him,” I told Marie. “As a matter of fact, give me his address too. I can go find him myself.”
“Vegas, I can’t give you my client’s private information.” She said it like it was a ridiculous request.
“What do you mean, you can’t? This is my son we’re talking about! Your future stepson.”
“My clients expect confidentiality. It’s the mainstay of my business. I can’t just go around giving you their addresses and numbers.”
“You think I give a shit about some pussy-paying motherfucker’s privacy right now? ’Cause I don’t! This is my son we’re talking about, Marie! Now, either you give it to me, or give me back that fucking ring on your finger.” I stepped toward her, and Bubba went into defense mode and jumped to Marie’s side.
“Calm down, Vegas,” he warned.
I almost felt sorry for poor Bubba. Big as he was, he knew he couldn’t take me. Hell, I’d taught him a few take downs. “You better sit your big ass down, Bubba, ’cause it’s a long way to the floor.”
“Bubba, please sit down,” Marie told him.
I felt Pop’s hand on my shoulder. “Let’s all just calm down for a second. Marie, how about you call this Bob guy now while we’re here? That way you can still maintain his privacy.”
Marie looked at me like she wanted to slap me as she sat down at her desk and started typing into her computer. I guess I’d embarrassed her in front of Pop and her employees. I tilted my head back and exhaled. Snapping on my fiancée wasn’t my intention, but she needed to learn that when it came to my son, she was either with me or against me.
She picked up the phone and dialed a number, then put it on speakerphone so we all could hear. The first call she made went straight to voicemail, but thankfully, the second call was answered.
“Copy Hut.” A woman answered.
“Uh, hello, I’m looking for Bob Jessup. Is he available?” Marie said.
“He’s not here. Can I take a message?” From her girlish voice, I could tell she was a younger employee.
“My name is Marie. I needed to talk to him about a large order for my business.”
“I’m sorry, miss. Bobby is on vacation with his girlfriend,” the woman said.
“Good for him. I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”
“I know, right? Neither did we.” The young woman tried to contain a laugh. She sounded like the type that loved to gossip. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, he was the one who thought up the idea. Where did they venture off to? He’s not answering his cell phone.”
“I don’t know exactly, but when I talked to him, he was excited because he’d just left the Dr. Pepper museum. Bobby loves Dr. Pepper. It’s his favorite soda.” She giggled.
“Okay, well, thank you so much,” Marie said. “When I talk to Bob, I’ll be sure to tell him how pleasant you are on the phone with customers.”
“Thanks. Maybe he’ll give me a raise.”
“She’s lying,” Bubba said after Marie ended the call. “There’s no such thing as a Dr. Pepper museum.”
“Nah, she’s not lying,” I said, holding up my phone so they could see the results of my Google search. “There actually is a Dr. Pepper museum.”
“There is? Where?” Pop asked.
“In Waco, Texas,” I said. “And If Nevada’s with Kia and Kia’s with Bob, then they’re in fucking Texas.”
“How can you be sure?” Danielle asked skeptically.
“We can’t, but there’s only one way to find out,” I replied. “We’re gonna have to go down to Texas.”
“Well, at least it’s not El Paso,” Pop said halfheartedly.
Nevada
39
I’d been lying there, staring at the cracked mirrored ceiling for hours, and to say I was uncomfortable and bored was an understatement. To begin with, the dingy bed I was laying in was hard as a rock, the sheets were scratchy, and the pillows were lumpy. It was a far cry from the bed I’d been sleeping in at the hotel with Mom or my bed at home. But the bed seemed luxurious compared to the nasty stained comforter, which I’d thrown in a corner five minutes after I entered the room. To top it off, the TV was broken, along with the showerhead in the bathroom.
The only silver lining so far was that
