Page 63 of Shadows Relived
They had only agreed because, really, they all had the same thought.
“Sage and Abbie picked up the SUV at the motel and are driving it back,” Dane continued. “They should be closer to where Callen’s heading, so I’ll reroute them as well.”
“Sounds good, boss,” Elvis said before ending the call.
She stared between the seats at the GPS on the dash, which showed a green path ahead, but none of them trusted that. Not anymore.
She’d refused Gage’s offer of his phone to call Callen, knowing he’d probably not answer, and even if he did, she didn’t want to hear his excuses. It would only piss her off more.
“Let him be surprised,” she’d said with a smirk. But now, the thought left a sour taste in her mouth.
Her stomach fluttered uneasily as she shifted in her seat. She’d go crazy if she just sat there doing nothing while Elvis drove, so she dug into her purse until her fingers curled around the small burner phone they’d picked up at a gas station on the outskirts of Mobile. Cheap, plastic, and preloaded with just enough minutes to keep someone off-grid for a few days. Still, it worked, and that’s all she needed.
Unzipping the worn leather notebook tucked in beside her lip balm and the black pen Callen had stolen from the motel, she flipped quickly through the scribbled names and numbers. Her thumb hovered over the first entry.
Lucas.
Her heart tugged as she thought of the small boy who had been unfortunate enough to be with her when the shooting started. If his family had been around, had been on time at pickup, Lucas would never have been caughtup in her nightmare. No one answered the last time she called, but this time was different.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then a woman’s sharp voice, cautious but clear answered. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Thompson? This is Meaghan Harrington, Lucas’s teacher. I wanted to call and check on him. I heard he made it home safely. How’s he doing?”
There was a long, charged pause, and then she heard a frustrated sigh. “Of course you are. You’re the one who called and left the message.” Her tone wasn’t exactly hostile, but it wasn’t warm either. Meaghan couldn’t blame the woman. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping. I just… I knew nothing about any of this until those strangers dropped my son off at my door.”
Meaghan blinked. “I—I’m so sorry. I left a message?—”
“I’m not mad at you,” the woman interrupted, her voice shaking now, softer at the edges. “I’m mad at his dipshit father. We’re in the middle of a divorce, and to put it bluntly, the man’s an ass. He was supposed to pick Lucas up from school and keep him for the weekend. That’s why no one was there to get him. The man’s as irresponsible as the day is hot.”
“I understand,” Meaghan said gently. “You should know… Lucas was incredibly brave. Even helped protect the other students. I didn’t let go of him once.”
“I believe that. Lucas told me everything. Said you had a superhero helping you protect them.” Another sigh, this one more tired than angry. “I just… he’s all I’ve got, and to find out like that… from some strangers showing up at my door, telling me there’d been a shooting, and he was safe now…” Her breath caught. “I wasn’t prepared for that.”
“No one ever is,” she whispered. “I wish it had been different. But he’s home now. That’s what matters.”
“He’s asked about you,” the woman said. “Said you taught him how to breathe when he thought the world was ending.”
Meaghan smiled, a dull ache pressing behind her ribs. “He listened too. Not every kid would’ve.”
“Thank you, Miss Harrington. For being there when all hell broke loose and not leaving my kid behind. I’m just sorry we weren’t.”
“You didn’t know,” Meaghan said, her voice low. “Just… take good care of him. Tell him I’ll be back soon.”
“I will. I promise.”
They hung up, and Meaghan sat for a moment in silence, phone resting in her lap, notebook still open. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the next number.
Sophie. This time, her older sister answered with a heavy sigh, sounding like she’d just stubbed her toe on a Lego or something. “She’s fine,” the girl drawled without preamble. “In her room doodling some silly ass superhero on construction paper.”
Meaghan chuckled, but it was soft and worn around the edges. Callen had made an impression on all of them, it seemed. “Thanks for watching her. Tell her I’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah, yeah.” And then the line went dead.
Charming as ever.
