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“I knew you’d come back to us, Teigen. That you would see the way.” Her mother patted her hand.
“I’m only here to see you, Mama. Then I’m going back home.” Teigen couldn’t let any of them believe that she had returned for good, not even her dying mother.
Her father came up behind her. “We’ve been waiting for you, Teigen. Now that you’re here, we can’t let you leave. Your mama needs you.”
Nonononononono…but now wasn’t the time to fight. She didn’t have the energy. ”Okay, we’ll talk about it later.”
Her mother closed her eyes. It became apparent that she was falling asleep, so Teigen took the opportunity to stand and collect herself.
Bobby still stood in the doorway with her bag. She walked over and took it from him. “I’m going upstairs to my room. I’m exhausted myself and I need a good rest. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
Without waiting for a response, Teigen climbed the stairs to her old room. Shocked to find it just as she’d left it when she got married, she dropped the bag at her feet and lay down on the bed staring at the ceiling.
Then a thunderbolt thought hit her.Ellison.She hadn’t told him where she was going. She hadn’t told anyone.
She grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. She’d put it on mute while she’d been working in the office and forgotten to take it off, something she did far too often. She had to kick that habit and fast. Ellison had called her and she hadn’t heard the vibration in her purse on the floor. What’s worse was that there was no cell service here. Of course not. There wasn’t a cell tower for miles. Only the higher-ups in the commune had access to a few landlines.
Fuuuuuuk!The shock of hearing about her mother had fried her brains. She should have called Ellison before she left.Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!When she didn’t call him after a day or two, Ellison would get worried, and now she had no way to contact him.
Her mind kept spinning. What if her editor had a question about her article? If she didn’t respond could it keep him from putting it in the issue?
She sat up abruptly.Think, think, think.The odds of being allowed to use the landlines were slim to none.
In a panic, she ran down the stairs. Her father was sitting next to her mother while she slept, his head resting on the bed.
“Dad. Did Bobby leave already?”
Her father raised his head, his eyes swollen from crying. “He went to return the car to the mayor.”
Ignoring her father’s distress, she went back up to her room. There was nothing she could do until morning. Then she’d figure out how to contact the outside world.
* * *
Ellison
It took most of the next day before Frank Evans decided Teigen had to have gone home. He’d found a few possible locations for the commune, most of which were located in the northern part of Vermont, at least a seven-hour drive away. With Frank onboard, Ellison decided not to wait till the next morning, hoping to get most of the way there before they stopped for the night.
He couldn’t figure out why Teigen would go back to visit her parents given what she’d told him. But family had a way of keeping hold no matter what you wanted. He’d never had this happen before in a session, but if Teigen really had a bad delayed reaction after their scene, it could have driven her back to the perceived safety of the commune.
He banged on the steering wheel in frustration as he drove down the road, attempting to keep vigilant about his speed because he continually accelerated well past the speed limit as his desperation propelled him forward. The fact he couldn’t call her only exacerbated his anguish.
Why didn’t you turn to me for help, Teigen? I’m your Dom. I’m supposed to help you.The words formed a loop in his brain, winding around and around as he sped on.
“Hey, man, get it together or you’ll be no help to your girl, and if you keep driving like a crazy person, I’m going to take over. I’m not getting killed tonight.”
Frank’s words pulled him back from the brink. Nevertheless, he drove on till he pulled into a motel close to where Frank thought was the most likely community where she could be. It was too late to barge into a place he knew he wouldn’t be welcomed. The last thing he wanted was to be shot by some self-righteous guy who thought he was invading their compound.
He barely got any sleep. By the time the sun creeped through the curtains, he and Frank were showered and ready to go.
Pulling up to the gate to Trinity Farm, they found it locked. Pressing the intercom, he had to wait several minutes before someone answered.
“What do you want?” asked the disembodied voice.
“I’m here to see Teigen Finley.”
“She isn’t here. She left the commune years ago. Go away.”
“She may have just come back and you didn’t know it. Could you please check?”
