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Hugs, kisses, love & light & all that shit.
Sulli’s favorite uncle,
Loren Hale
P.S. Banks, thanks for looking out for my son all those years. I don’t think I said that enough.
Surprise chokes me up.
I didn’t expect more from Lo. He didn’t have to do this.
A man who rises above expectations is a man that I’ve rarely met. And I’m stunned quiet for a second.
Glancing over at Akara, I see Lo wrote the same letter with a different ending.
P.S. Akara, don’t work yourself to death. The people you love will remind you of that more than I can. Lily always does for me.
His lips rise. “Lo’s handwriting is literal chicken scratch.”
“Janie’s is worse,” I say.
“For fucking sure,” Sulli breathes, and we’re all quiet, rereading the letters one last time. I feel my mouth curve up, and Sulli is smiling softly too, one that wanes fast. But I thank the Lord for the short distraction. Maybe this good feeling can carry us home.
40
SULLIVAN MEADOWS
My dusty old laptop rests on my bed’s turquoise quilt, and I’m standing hunched over the keyboard. I rewatch the security footage on max-zoom to inspect the thief’s face. He’s wearing a fucking ski mask. A ski mask! It’s so comical that I almost laugh, but then I remember what he stole. All humor fades away to be replaced by something hollow.
Something cold.
I hug my arms around my body and back away from the laptop. “She’s just gone,” I whisper sadly. “Just like that?”
All these years, I vowed to protect that Jeep. Keep her safe. For my dad.
Failure roots me down, and this failure isn’t like losing Olympic gold. This failure is far more eviscerating.
“We’re going to get the Jeep back, Sul,” Akara assures me without glancing up from his cellphone. He’s composing an email to the rest of SFO and attaching the footage. All of Omega will be on the case of the Missing Jeep.
She’s just a car.
I try to convince myself.
But it’s not working. Because I know, deep down, the Jeep is not just a car.
Banks rewinds the surveillance footage, examining the perp closely. “Definitely a man. Maybe five-nine to six-foot.” He looks to Akara. “This is really the only footage they’ve got?”
“Yep.” Akara breathes out a tensed breath. He turns to me. “Do you want us to tell your dad, Sul?”
My stomach tosses. I failed him. “The family trip is in a week…” And I’ve declined most trip invites while I’ve been training. With the Olympics over, I was looking forward to an adventurous getaway. “If my parents pick Costa Rica, I’ll be ruining one of my favorite places on Earth with tears and stress…and I really fucking wanted you guys to see the treehouse.”
The Costa Rican treehouse. Off the beaten path. Secluded among tropical foliage and wildlife.
No bodyguard has ever been. We leave them behind in the nearest city, and outside my immediate family, only Moffy has ever stayed there.
I keep thinking maybe my parents will want Akara and Banks to see the treehouse. To really be a part of the family, but I can’t tarnish something so pure with something so awful. Now I’m wishing upon every fucking star we’re not headed there.
Before they can speak, I add fast, “We can’t tell them the Jeep is missing if we go to Costa Rica. But if it’s some other place, maybe…” I blink back tears, picturing my dad’s gutted reaction. “I don’t know if I can survive this trip with my dad knowing I lost the Jeep.”
Banks softens his gaze. “You didn’t lose it. It was stolen.”
“Same fucking difference,” I mutter.
“Hey,” Akara says strongly. “It’s not just on you. And if anyone knows the definition of losing something, it’s Banksy.”
“Exactly,” Banks nods heartily.
I love that they’re trying to uplift my spirits. Even if it’s not working. “We need to find it.” I try to replace sorrow with determination. “Before the family trip. Let’s scour Philly. Hit the streets and start combing backroads.”
Banks and Akara share a look like it’s a failing prospect.
“You two don’t have to come with me. Put a temp on my detail. I’m fine to drive around the city without you.”
“Whoa,” Akara holds up a hand.
Banks nods to me. “Don’t go ditching me so quickly, mermaid.”
I smile a little.
Akara stalks closer, just to hug me and fling my hair at my face.
I shove him, smiling more.
He smiles back, “I also don’t remember volunteering to stay home, Lady Meadows.”
I hold onto his forearm, my heart aching with love and grief. “That look though…” I thought they didn’t want to help me.
“We’re just worried we won’t find it,” Akara explains. “Not that we won’t go. We’ll be beside you.”
“Every time.” Banks already has the SUV keys.
They’re agreeing to my plan. The plan with 5% chance of success. But it’s better than sitting here and twiddling our thumbs.
