AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The woman’s name is Lorena Dobbs. Jacob somehow met up with her when he was in Idaho searching for Sarah Evanston.” Bit never once let go of Sylvie’s hand as he continued to fill her in on what had taken place since her attack. It was all she could do to get enough oxygen in her lungs. “We’re not sure how, but Jacob convinced Dobbs to find a way into one of our lives. General Elliott confirmed this from Jacob himself during a meeting at the federal prison. Anyway, we’re still searching for her. Theo has barely slept since everything happened, and I’ve been scouring the city through the street cameras. Lorena Dobbs knows how to avoid them. Oh, and don’t worry about your father. He’s in good hands. Arden is staying at your apartment until you’re released from the hospital, and we triple-checked the health aide’s identity who was sent over to help out. We’ve got everything covered, Little T.”
Something was wrong with the picture that Bit had painted, but it was proving quite difficult to keep her thoughts in order. It was as if her body wanted to shut down again. She recalled her father’s IV having a timer to deliver his pain medication, so maybe the nurses had done the same for her.
“I’m right here, Little T.” Sylvie was almost certain she felt his warm lips on her forehead, but by the time she had opened her eyes, Bit was in the same position as before. “You’re safe.”
“Brook.” Sylvie had managed to figure out what had been bothering her, and it was the fact that Bit hadn’t mentioned Brook at all. “Where is Brook? Is she okay?”
Bit wasn’t answering her questions.
There was something that he wasn’t telling her. Something important, and she needed to know before her mind and body shut down. Her heart was beating hard against her chest, and she couldn’t get it to stop. Those annoying alarms began to go off once more, and she attempted to hold on tighter to Bit’s hand.
Sadly, she sensed that she was losing his grip.
Sylvie could hear him say her name, but she could no longer respond. The draw of the darkness was much too strong, and she couldn’t stop herself from being pulled into the abyss of safety.
Chapter Eleven
Lorena Dobbs
February 2024
Saturday — 5:06 am
A bone-chilling breeze sliced through the alleyway. The only bonus with this type of winter weather was that it was too cold for the dumpsters to give off a rank odor. There were lights overhead the side entrances of the buildings, but they weren’t a hindrance. Technically, the dim illumination from both were perfect for what needed to be done.
Lorena's breath formed little clouds, reminding her that she hadn’t had a cigarette in days. Maybe she could bum one from the guy she was about to approach. She peered around one of the large metal bins, but the area near the doorway was still unoccupied. She bit back a groan as she leaned against the cold metal side of the dumpster.
The frigid air wasn't helping the pain on her left side.
For some reason, keeping her arm close to her ribs helped stem the sharp sensation from becoming so bad that it sparked her nausea. It would have been a lot easier had she been able to enter the vestibule like she had the other day. The building had those nice heating vents in the ceiling. Unfortunately, two officers were currently parked out front across the street.
Lorena knew their routines better than they did themselves – when they sipped coffee from steaming cups or when they lazily scrolled through their phones. She had also learned the patterns of those who served on the staff of the building, specifically where and when they took their smoke breaks.
The alleyway between buildings was the employees’ usual hangout, even in this weather. A good ten minutes had passed before a man exited the side door. He was running late today, but at least he already had a cigarette in his mouth. All he had to do was take a lighter to the end.
By the time she came around the side of the dumpster, he was already puffing away on his cigarette to the point that plumes of smoke were rising in the air. She made sure the hood of the black jacket that she had chosen to wear today framed her face. At least this jacket didn't reek like the last one.
"Hey there," Lorena called out loud enough to be heard over the hum of the city's traffic. "I stopped by earlier to see Brook Sloane but got turned away."
The man exhaled another cloud of smoke as he squinted at her with tired eyes. He was sizing her up, so she decided to throw him off a bit.
“You wouldn’t have an extra one of those, would you?”
The guy put his cigarette in between his lips so that he could search his jacket. He finally found where he had stored the pack, but he was playing her. He was trying to see her face, so she feigned that the cold wind was too much for her. She even made sure to chatter her teeth and stomp her feet while she waited for him to produce the cigarettes.
All the jostling made her left side hurt even worse.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before he was holding it out for her. She used her right hand, shifting with the motion so that the light wouldn’t illuminate her face. Since her pain level had ratcheted higher, all he had managed to do was make her angry.
"I was just looking for some clarification," Lorena said sharply as she took the lighter. Keeping her left arm close to her side, she managed to flick the lighter. The first inhalation was like breathing in heaven. "Did the old man in the lobby mean that Brook was home and not taking visitors, or that she wasn't home at all? She has some information for me, and she told me to stop by since she wasn’t going into the office today.”
Lorena continued to hug her side discreetly as she spoke, pain slicing through her with every puff of the cigarette. She couldn't go to the hospital for stitches, but the steri strips weren't doing a good enough job of keeping the wound closed. Maybe she should superglue the injury shut. She'd seen that done on television before.
The guy flicked his ashes onto the ground before answering, and she was getting the sense that he didn’t believe her story. She fought the urge to put out the ash end of her cigarette using his face.
"Look, lady," he began with a nonapologetic shrug. "I can't be giving out that kind of information. Residents' privacy and all. If you want to go around to the front, my shift starts in around fifteen minutes. I can have Charlie call up to Ms. Sloane and see if she answers."
"Thanks for your help." Lorena didn’t care that her voice dripped with sarcasm. "And for the cigarette. I'll get in touch with Brook another way."
