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“I’m going to try to go back to sleep,” I said.
He nodded, not looking me in the eye.
** ** **
Surprisingly, I did fall back asleep but was awake around 9:15. I got up and took a shower and when I came back into the bedroom just in a towel I froze because I noticed Dario was asleep on the couch here in this room. He was asleep in a t-shirt and track pants, the first time I’d seen him not in a suit. He was quite built, a lot like Tommy. I didn’t let my eyes linger on him for long, not wanting to look like a creep watching him while he slept. Clearly he took his job of protecting me seriously if he was sleeping here instead of one of the bazillion guest rooms.
I rushed into the closet to find some clothes and got dressed in there. When I came out, he wasn’t on the couch any longer. I went downstairs and looked out the window and I saw 3 men mulling about outside. I got a coffee and sat at the kitchen table and found yesterday’s newspaper to kill time.
Sarah came in from the back hallway, a laundry basket filled with folded towels on her hip and ear buds in her ears. She was singing a pop song. She smiled when she spotted me and pulled a bud out, “Breakfast?”
I shook my head, “Not yet. Thanks. I’ll just get myself something when I’m ready”
She smiled and wagged her finger at me, “Don’t put me out of a job, Chiquita!” then headed out of the kitchen and upstairs, I presumed.
I decided to wander around. I saw it lacked a homey feeling. It was decorated sort of man cave’ish like the master bedroom with leather and dark wood and drab-colored or neutral walls but there weren’t pictures or photographs on the walls or in frames, there weren’t any mementoes. It was sort of sterile. I opened a door in the hall off the kitchen and found two other bedrooms. One was sort of utilitarian with a single bed and nightstand with a lamp and then table with four chairs and a coffee maker, fridge, sink, and stove so I assumed it was for the guards. There was a patio door in that room that led to the backyard. The other room I didn’t venture into as it was obviously Sarah’s room. It was large and had a warm vibe, decorated with cream and burgundy furnishings and dark cherry wood and had a dresser filled with framed photos and a sitting area with a coffee table fanned with books and magazines.
I found my way outside and decided to get some fresh air. There was a guard in the yard but he left the area when I went out. Good that they were trying to be as inconspicuous as possible but it was so obvious that the place was under lockdown and that everyone was on edge. I sat at the pool’s edge and dangled my feet in, staring out at the forest beyond the pool.
I heard voices in the kitchen so I strained to listen. Dario was on the phone again,
“I don’t give a fucking shit!” he yelled, “Find him!”
He stormed out onto the patio, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, putting his phone into his pocket (he was already dressed in a fresh suit) and then he lit it as he spotted me. His expression dropped and he inhaled deeply, as if the smoke was cleansing him.
“Mornin’” he finally said, gruffly. He looked like he hadn’t slept much either.
“Morning,” I replied and then looked back out to the forest. I didn’t want to ask as it was obvious that Tommy was missing.
** ** **
That day felt like a long one, like my gut was raw all day. I’d sat outside a while and then went into the kitchen and finally made myself eat a piece of buttered toast. Then I wandered back upstairs and looked around at the bedrooms, which all looked sort of the same, like hotel rooms. I found my way back to the master bedroom and tried to take a nap but I didn’t sleep. I felt that sick almost over-caffeinated feeling you feel when your body is tired but your brain is on overdrive.
I wondered how Rose was doing, how everyone was faring while wondering if I was okay. I wanted to reach out to them but there wasn’t a phone in this bedroom right now as the cordless phone base still sat empty. Dario’s words about not making calls rang in my ears but as it got darker I decided that I just had to make that call and at least tell her not to stress, that I was fine. I found a cordless in the family room and tucked it into the back of my shorts and pulled my sweater over it and then went back up to the master bedroom. I’d managed this feat without drawing any attention as Dario wasn’t in sight, Tommy’s office door was closed, and all the guards seemed to be outside. Sarah was busy cooking something in the kitchen.
I dialed Rose’s cell phone and got her voicemail. I was relieved to get her voicemail on one hand because that’d mean that I wouldn’t have to answer questions but on the other hand it made me sad because it wouldn’t tell me if she was okay or not.
I left a message, “Rose, it’s Tia. I just want you to know I’m fine. Everything is okay. I hope everyone is okay there. Please know I love all of you and I’ll be in touch again soon. Please don’t worry and please just leave things be --- I don’t want anyone at risk. Don’t worry about me, okay? Things are actually somewhat better so don’t stress. Love you guys. Bye.”
I hung up and then I hit the redial button and then the erase key. I then went down to return the smuggled phone to the family room. I got caught red-handed by Dario who walked into the family room just as I deposited the phone into the cradle.
“Tia, what the hell?”
I felt the color drain from my face, “I just left a voicemail for my foster mom to tell her I was fine. I don’t want them meddling and putting themselves in danger and thought if I just left a message to tell her I’m fine she would back off.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking so much like his brother that I felt a stab of fear in my gut. He shook his head, “No more, okay? I can’t deal right now.” He left the room. I followed him into Tommy’s office.
“What’s going on?”
He shook his head and reached for a phone charger plugged into a power bar under Tommy’s desk and plugged his cell in, “Don’t worry about anything. It’s all good.”
“I call bullshit,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
He rolled his eyes, “Alright, we can’t find him. We’re looking. I’m torn between going myself and staying. He wants you safe so I’m staying like he wants and trying to organize things from here is frustrating.”
“What about Earl and Juan Carlos?”
“He dealt with both of them; we know that.” Dario said.
