AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nods. “I’d tease you for falling so quickly for this woman, but I know how that works. Hopefully, you’ll be more successful in your endeavor than I was.” Roman frowns.
I pause when we get outside, waiting for him to expand on his words, but he doesn’t. He shakes my hand, jerks his head toward Arman, and they both head to the black SUV parked a few spots down from me.
As I sit in my car, my call to Mandy rings twice then goes to voicemail, so I send a text. She responds right away, saying she’s busy and will call me when she’s done.
Done with what, is my question. She’s supposed to be off work any minute and after all the pushing she did to be able to go to the halfway house today, I can’t believe she’s willing to work late instead.
I open the tracking app and hit her profile.
“Oh, Mandy,” I growl. “You’ve been a very, very bad girl.”
Mandy
A light drizzlefalls around me as I stand in front of the Freedom House. My stomach twists as I look up at the entrance from the bottom of the stairs. It’s possible someone here knew Gunner. Maybe they even know where he is now.
I spent my afternoon at work calling all the halfway houses in the city that I could find. None of them were very helpful, but when I called the Freedom House, there was a pause before the man on the phone said he couldn’t answer my question. I took that hesitation to mean he recognized my brother’s name, but policy meant he couldn’t say so.
My phone buzzes in my hand. Maxim. I let it ring a few times then decline his call. I don’t want to explain myself. I just want to get my questions answered without anyone getting in my way. A text comes through, and I quickly fire off a response. He can’t get mad if I’m working.
“You coming in?” a man asks me as he brushes past me and jogs up the stairs. “You’ve been standing there my entire walk from the coffee house down the block.”
He opens the door and holds it for me. I push aside my trepidation and climb up the steps to the brownstone building.
“Thanks,” I say and walk into the warmth of the house.
“No problem. I’m Joshua Denver.” He puts his extra-large coffee cup on the countertop and reaches one hand to me. “I’m the house manager today.” He unzips his coat.
“Oh. Good. I mean. I guess you’re the guy I should be talking to.” I smile, still feeling shaky inside.
“I’ll see what I can do for you. Are you visiting one of the guys in the house?” He leads me to the check-in desk in front of a small office, leaving me on the outside while he walks through the door to get behind the desk.
“Uh, no.”
He shakes out of his coat and hangs it on a hook on the wall. “If you’re looking for housing, we only take men here, but I can get you a list of places for women.”
“No.” I put my hand out to stop him. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous.”
He pauses for a moment and his brow wrinkles. “What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?” There’s no accusation in his tone, just concern.
“No, sir. I’m, well, I’m trying to find out information on my brother and there’s a chance he may have lived here for a while. I was hoping to find someone who might have known him?” I pull out the flyer I keep in my pocket.
He looks at the photo for a long moment in silence. I can’t tell if he recognizes Gunner or not; his expression remains blank.
“His name is Percy, but he probably went by Gunner.” I laugh. “He hated his name.”
“You called earlier.” He frowns. “Like I said, unless you’re on the roster, I can’t give any information out.”
Tears rush to my eyes, but I blink them away. “He was here,” I breathe. “I know it. Please. I just need to know if you can point me in the right direction.” I’ve never gotten this close before. I can’t give up now at the first sign of a little resistance.
“Do you know…” I pause. “Do you know where he went after he left here?” I’m sure I’m begging, but I don’t care. I just need a break, a small lead, anything to give me hope that he’s all right.
“Hey, Josh. Where’s the chore schedule for tomorrow? I want to get a head start so I can make plans for the afternoon,” a man interrupts us. I move a step over to give him room.
“It’s on the board where it always is, Andy.” Josh points behind me where a cork board hangs with several papers pinned to it.
“Thought that was the old schedule.” He nods, then turns toward me. “Hey, is that Gunner?” He points to the photo in my hand.
“Yes,” I say with more hope. “Did you know him?”
