I blow her a kiss. Next to me, my phone lights up with a notification from Erin:Call me ASAP.
“Seems like they need me at Arcadia.”
“Ahh, your pretty blue-eyed troublemaker needs you?”
I roll my eyes. “No. And forget I even brought it up.”
I finish what’s left in my glass and add, “Besides, there’s nothing to talk about. The guy is as straight as a rabbit in spring. Flirting at the front desk, checking out the waitresses.”
Tiffy chuckles. “It’s hilarious to see how much it bothers you.”
I curse under my breath. I’m not in the mood to talk about it anymore, and I need to get back to Arcadia if I want to make it before sunset, so I raise my hand for the check.
I wasn’t planning on calling Erin back until I’d dropped Tiffy off at her place, but my phone won’t stop buzzing in the cup holder. Fourth call in a row. Erin’s name keeps flashing on the screen, each vibration rattling annoyingly against the plastic. I try to ignore it, but it’s getting on my nerves.
Tiffy smirks. “She’s not giving up until you pick up the phone.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Can you answer and put it on speaker?”
She grabs the phone, swipes to accept. Before I can even say a word, Erin’s voice fills the car.
“Finally! Where the hell are you? We have a problem.”
“I’m still in Saint Luna, what’s going on?”
“Tom’s in isolation. You need to get here. Now.”
My foot slams on the brake pedal, jerking the car to a stop just before the intersection. My heart skips a couple of beats. Tiffy’s almost plastered against the windshield. I catch my breath, sweeping my hair from my face.
“Yosh? Are you still there?”
“What happened!?”
“I don’t know. I just got here, haven’t read the log yet. Apparently he’s been in isolation since last night.”
“Last night!?” The words leave my mouth like a growl, heat shooting up my spine. “Why the hell did no one call me? He’s my guest!”
Erin snaps. “I know. They left me in the dark too!”
My grip on the wheel turns iron-tight. “Who had the night shift?”
A pause. I hear the soft clicks of her mouse. “Terrence.”
Of course.
That rat has been trying to undermine me for months and I heard from colleagues he’s after managing the department as well. Locking Tom in isolation and ‘forgetting’ to report it is exactly the kind of shit he would pull to make me look incompetent.
“I’m on my way,” I say, ending the call.
My hands tremble. I don’t have time to waste on Terrence, karma will catch up with him soon enough. My priority is Tom.
24 hours. He’s been locked up for almost a full day. Why? Tom isn’t someone you throw into isolation without a damn good reason. What the hell could have happened? Did he lash out? Did something trigger him? And if it did, why didn’t I see it coming?
Tiffy watches me. “Are you okay?”
“No.” I pull the wheel, making a sharp turn. “But I need you to keep this to yourself. You shouldn’t have heard any of that. This stays between us.”
“Of course. I won’t say anything.”
