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Watching as Vivi walked away, I turned back to Hope to find her talking with a customer. Seeing a craft booth close, something on display caught my eye. Walking over, a wave of nausea washed over me. Covering my mouth, I turned, looking for the nearest bathroom. Running towards my destination, I pushed open the bathroom door and sank to my knees in one of the stalls just in time to hurl what little contents I had in my stomach.
Finished, I leaned back against the stall, as my hand covered my stomach. Closing my eyes, I tried not to think about the queasy feeling, breathing through it so it would pass when an unthinkable thought burst forth into my head.
My shot.
I totally forgot about it.
Shit.
I was due for another one shortly after I had my casts removed.
That was months ago.
Leaning my head back against the stall wall, I sighed. “Well, shit.”
Slowly getting to my feet, I flushed the toilet and left the stall. Walking over to the sink, I rinsed my mouth before washing my face. Looking in the mirror, I could see how pale I was. I hadn’t looked like this since I arrived in Oklahoma. So much had happened since I came here. My life changed for the better. I was finally where I wanted to be. I was with a man who loved me and treated me like a queen. He adored my children, even claiming them as his own, and yet some part of me wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be.
I didn’t know why.
The pain of losing my brother still rode me hard, but that wasn’t it, either.
It was something else.
Chalking it up to grief, I grabbed a few paper towels and dried my hands before leaving the bathroom, only to be stopped by Detective Conroy. “You okay, Kali?”
“Yeah. Upset stomach.”
“Want me to take you home?”
Looking around, I couldn’t find Vivi anywhere.
Nodding, I replied, “That would be great. Thank you. Just let me text Vivi I’m leaving.”
“I saw her out by her truck loading her loot. She got a call and asked me to find you. She knows you’re with me.”
I said nothing else as Detective Conroy escorted me out of the building and to his waiting car. Sitting in the passenger seat, I put on my seatbelt and leaned my head back on the headrest. My stomach was still upset and the Oklahoma heat wasn’t helping.
When Conroy got in, I politely asked him to turn on the air conditioner only for him to tell me it wasn’t working. Sighing, I just nodded and closed my eyes, praying it would be a quick trip.
Conroy didn’t say anything on the ride back to my house and I was grateful. I was too busy concentrating on keeping my stomach calm, but the further we drove away from the Farmer’s Market, the worse my stomach felt when I heard the police scanner belt out.
“Attention all officers. Need a 20 on Detective Conroy? Do not approach. Considered armed and dangerous. Wanted for the murders of…”
Opening my eyes, I saw Conroy quickly turn off the scanner.
“Shit,” he muttered. “Wished you hadn’t heard that.”
“What’s going on? What murders?”
“Really wish you hadn’t heard that,” he replied, before his fist landed on the side of my face, knocking me out.
I woke sometime later when I heard a rumble of thunder. Opening my eyes, I moaned as my head pounded heavily against my skull, making me sick to my stomach. Wherever I was, it was dark and musty, which did nothing to help the queasy feeling in my stomach.
Rolling to the side, I threw up on the floor next to me to find Detective Conroy sitting in a chair watching me. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hands, I sat up. “Where am I?”
“In a barn on my great uncle’s farm. Don’t worry, no will find us here.”
“What do you mean? I want to go home.”
