I climbed into my SUV. “Penny, I gotta hang up now, but don’t worry about Raegan. I’m sure she’s fine and just lost track of time while she tried on new clothes.”
Even to my ears that sounded lame, because Raegan had left discount clothing behind once she hit the big leagues of Madison Avenue.
“You might be right, Clinton. She said she needed to get some new shorts since she wasn’t sure when she was headed back.”
I grimaced, hearing her call me Clinton. Rae had called me that as a joke and then she turned it into the nickname ‘Parliament’, since the lead singer for the group was George Clinton.
“All right, Penny. Let’s hang on to that. You haven’t called the police yet, have you?”
“No, but I really want to.”
“Don’t, sweetheart. We don’t have enough to go on yet. I’ll be there soon.”
I slid my phone into the hands-free dock, then I drove to Penny’s.
RATHER THAN PARK IN front of the house, I circled the block and parked my SUV a couple doors down. I jogged up the walk making note that the rental car Raegan had been driving was nowhere in sight. That didn’t make me feel good, but it still wasn’t enough to call the cops.
With my key just in the lock, the door opened, and Penny stood there with a hopeful expression which fell to disappointment.
I yanked the key free of the lock. “I’m sorry I’m not who you want to see, Penny.”
She shook her head and slowly shuffled out of my way. “It’s all right, Clint. Maybe you should call her. She’s answered your calls.”
“Whatever makes you feel better, Penny.”
I pulled my phone out and cued up Raegan’s number, but I knew it wasn’t going to result in anything. As I moved into the living room, I noticed Tanya packing up a diaper bag and settling her baby into a carrier.
When the call went to voicemail, I tucked my cell back in the holster. “Sorry, Penny. It went to voicemail.” I looked to Tanya, “Thank you for staying with her.”
She set the diaper bag on the arm of the loveseat. “What makes you think I’m leaving? Kyle’s working late, but he promised to bring us dinner and I’m holding him to that. So, I’m not leaving yet.”
I nodded, but deep down I felt like Tanya amped up the drama level, and nobody needed that right now. When I looked at Penny, she was settled in the couch, snuggled up with Tanya’s oldest child. If the feeling in my gut was anything to go by, Penny needed to get whatever comfort she could, wherever she could.
A heavy thud came from the front of the house, followed by the screech of tires, and I raced to the front door. Throwing the door open, I couldn’t see any vehicle, but at my feet was Raegan’s body wrapped in a ratty blanket.
“Shit,” someone hissed, and it wasn’t until I pulled my phone out, I realized it was me.
When the 911 dispatcher answered, I gave my name, the address and all the pertinent details by rote. Part of me felt like I was back on the force, and another part of me felt like I was living a nightmare.
My eyes closed when I touched Raegan’s neck to check for a pulse because I couldn’t bear to see her body if she was dead. A steady beat met my fingers, and I exhaled before telling the dispatcher she was alive.
Putting my phone on speaker, I set it aside so I could unwrap the blanket to make sure Raegan hadn’t been wounded. When she was fully unwrapped and I knew she wasn’t seriously harmed, I threaded my fingers into my hair with relief. Which was the very moment Raegan spoke.
Chapter 8
Love It That Much?
Raegan
AS I OPENED MY EYES, I saw Clint pulling at his hair. “Don’t pull your hair, honey. At least not until I get the chance to run my fingers through it.”
I didn’t know what hit me first. The quick shift in his expression or the sound of my voice uttering those thoughts.
He let his hair go, leaned over, and stroked my cheek with his thumb. I thought he’d do more, but then he lunged and grabbed his phone. With the press of a button, he put it to his ear and recited something about me being conscious and a unit was on the scene.
Immense pain in my head took me to the brink of tears. I turned my head to the other side hoping to alleviate it, but Clint made a tsk-ing sound at me. “Rae, stay still. We gotta have you checked out, baby.”
My breath hitched. I told myself to resist the feelings that ‘baby’ brought on. I closed my eyes, and Clint’s strong hand gripped my shoulder urgently.
“Do not go to sleep, Rae. You gotta stay awake for the paramedics.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Okay,” he whispered back.
It seemed like moments later, two young men crowded around me. They helped me sit up before examining me.
After they got my vitals, the paramedics asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital for a more thorough examination, and I said, “No.”
The paramedics left, and the police officers started in with their questions for me. I didn’t have much information for them. As I was putting the last bag in the trunk at the Target, I’d sensed someone behind me, but before I could turn around, it was lights out.
Clint had asked if they were going to send a unit out to check for my rental car, but I didn’t catch their response.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into Mom’s kitchen feeling like a bag of rocks was rolling around in my head.
Mom sat at the kitchen table with a frozen dinner. Tanya puttered
