Page 106 of Loyal
“What in the world…” I mutter, rubbing my eyes. “Matty, is there a fire?”
He ignores my question, but I feel him roll over in bed. His phone lights up the room, and the sound stops immediately.
“Sorry,Mami, go back to sleep,” he says as he dives out of bed.
“Matty, I’m not going back to bed when there could be a fire,” I tell him as I whip the covers off of me.
Then it hits me. That’s not the fire alarm. That’s the alarm that’s set up for the bracelets.
“Matt, where is she? Is she in danger?” I demand, jumping out of bed myself.
“Please stay here. I will have someone with you. I need to go.”
“Go?” I scream. “Go where? You aren’t going anywhere without me. Where is my daughter?”
He ignores me, sliding on his boots. When he walks out of the room, I quickly put on clothes, making it to the living room as he has his hand on the door.
“Loyal, talk to me!” I demand.
I hate the way my voice quivers, but thankfully he doesn’t notice.
He stops and looks at me with a look I don’t know how to describe. “I don’t know what is going on yet. Dex is monitoring her location and tracking her. She isn’t harmed. He could see that much from the cameras. That is all I know.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Good, then let’s go. We are wasting time.”
“Sami, you aren’t going anywhere. It could be dangerous,” he argues.
“Yeah, which means my daughter is in danger. She’s my responsibility. I’m coming,” I tell him as I grab his leather jacket and put it on before walking toward the door.
“Mami…”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, but you aren’t talking me out of it. Either you let me get on the back of that bike with you or I get in my car and follow anyway. I am going to get my daughter, and there is nothing, and I do meannothing,that will stand in my way.”
He looks pained as he takes in my words. I don’t want to throw it in his face, but he isn’t a parent. He cares for Farrah, but he didn’t raise her. He didn’t make his whole life about her. If something happens to her, it might as well happen to me too.
I won’t sit by idly while she is in danger. I can’t. My body and mind wouldn’t let me.
“Fine. But you have to listen. If I tell you to stay back,” he demands.
I nod. “I stay back.”
“Okay, lets go. We’re taking my bike.”
I slip my feet into shoes as I follow him out the front door. We rush across my yard to his driveway. He grabs something from his saddlebag and slips it on as he jumps on.
As I start to get on, he speaks. “Dex says the dot is moving.”
I jump on, and before I’m even securely on, he starts moving.
“Hold on!” he shouts, right before we take off.
My hands rub the fabric, and I realize what it was he put on. A bulletproof vest. Dread fills my stomach.
Does he really think that it’s necessary? That whatever we are about to walk into will require this level of protection?
As we start to move, I lay my head between his shoulder blades, and my head begins to spiral. I want to ask him how he knows that Dex said that. Did he get a text when I wasn’t looking?
I should be mad we didn’t grab helmets, but I can’t be. Not when my baby is in danger.
