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It looked like the same stacks she had yesterday.
“What’s in those things?” I sat forward with my wine. “And why isn’t it on an external drive? Wouldn’t that be easier to carry?”
She groaned. “Because, truth be told, and a security secret, there are some people who believe our files are more secure this way. We can’t be hacked. And who would think we’d bother with paper copies of contracts?”
I swallowed the wine. “Strange, but good point.”
“Maybe if we just had an elevator,” she whined.
“I’ve said that every day I’ve lived here.” I smiled. “Do you still want to watch a movie, or do the boxes mean you have work to do?”
She frowned. “So much work. But maybe I’ll be finished soon.”
I kicked my feet to the floor. She could have the living room to work. “It’s ok. I’m too tired to keep my eyes open. I would fall asleep no matter what movie we watched. I think I’m going straight to bed.”
“You sure?”
“Oh yes. Positive.” I traipsed to my room. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
Chapter Nineteen
I fumbled for the phone in the dark. I didn’t know what time it was, only that I had been sleeping long enough to feel a heavy fog engulf me. I hit my hand on the lamp. A sharp pain shot across my wrist.
“Shit,” I grumbled before landing on the phone.
The screen looked blurry. It was my father. I sat up. “Dad, what’s wrong?” It had to be horrible for him to call me.
“Elliot, it’s your brother.”
I couldn’t breathe. The dread tore through me. An icy chill coated my skin. Good news never came in the middle of the night. This was no different. I could feel the instant hollowness engulf me and fill my room. It permeated the darkness.
“Dad, tell me,” I pleaded.
“It’s—one of his friends called. He’s not doing well.”
I let the breath go. “Where is he?”
“They don’t know.”
“Who is ‘they’?” I turned on the lamp. I shielded my eyes as my room was illuminated. The light didn’t ease my panic.
“The guys he was living with at the beach. Logan and Ben called when he didn’t show up for work.”
“Dad, he does this all the time.” I was irritated with my father. He had been removed from Garrett’s life for so long he had either forgotten the pattern or failed to see it. Garrett would show up in the morning.
“No, it’s more serious. It’s been two weeks since they’ve seen him.”
“Two weeks?” I eked out the question. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t think it was a big deal until now.”
“How could it not be a big deal? He’s off his meds. He’s bi-polar. Episodes like this are a huge deal. Who are these guys?” I pulled a pillow to my chest. “Who have you called? The police? Mom?” The last part sounded strange. My parents never spoke.
“Your mother doesn’t know. I asked them not to call her.”
“Holy shit, Dad.” I tried to process it. What to do next. How to react. What to say.
