Page 74 of Loyal
As if he heard her speak, he looks up, his eyes locked on her. I see the interest there before he pushes it away.
“Vivian, I did not know you were working today. I thought you were at yoga,” Dex greets her, ignoring me completely.
“Yoga was canceled. Why do you know my schedule?” she asks, adding a little sass into her tone.
“I know the schedule of everyone under our protection. It is my job.”
Her face falls, but she turns to me to hide it. “See. It was nice talking with you, Loyal. Hang in there. Things will get better. Remember, the sky is clear after a big storm.”
“Thanks, Viv. Take care of yourself,” I tell her, watching her walk away.
Once she is gone, I turn to Dex. “Really, man? You watch everyone’s movements?”
He presses his lips together. “She gets angry if I tell her I am treating her differently. So I do watch everyone. It’s not a lie. It’s why I was coming out here. Sami has left the hospital unexpectedly, and I don’t know why. Someone could have stolen her phone, but I checked the cameras. It was her.”
I rub my hand on my face. “Farrah left school without permission. She is going to get her.”
He nods. “That makes sense. Tell her to let us know next time. I almost sent out a security alert.”
With that, he turns, walking away while I shake my head. I should have known Dex would be watching. He always is. It’s his way of showing us he cares since he doesn’t know any other way. It’s also why we allow him to get away with a lot more than we would anyone else.
He means well. I also think he cares more about Viv than he lets on.
I stay out of it, though. I have enough relationship problems of my own. I can’t solve theirs too.
Looking back at my phone, I sigh. I’ll give her another thirty minutes before I call her. I just need to know she is okay.
I don’t have to wait that long, though. My phone lights up with an incoming call.
“Mami,did you find her? Is she okay?”
She sighs. “Define ‘okay.’ She’s not harmed, but things are worse than I thought. I feel so hopeless. I don’t know how to help her.”
Taking Viv’s advice, I don’t go into “fix-it mode.” Instead, I take a steadying breath.
“I know. It’s okay. I’m here to hold your hand through the storm. We will figure it out. Together.”
“You always know what I need to hear,” she murmurs into the phone.
I let out a relieved sigh. It’s not always going to be peaches and cream with us, but I know one thing is for sure. I will always do what I can to make her life better no matter the cost.
It’s my rare day off, and Farrah is up in her room. My hair is up in a messy bun and I’m wearing the rattiest clothes I have, trying to get as much random cleaning done as possible.
I blow a piece of hair away from my face as I lean back on my heels, sponge still in my hand, and look down at the baseboard. The scuffs I’ve spent the last five minutes attacking have faded, but now the spot looks whiter than the rest of the board.
Tipping my head back, I groan.
“Fucking baseboards,” I mutter to myself.
The doorbell rings, making me frown.
Who the hell is here?
I drop the sponge into the Tupperware container of soapy water and head to the door, wiping my hands on my shorts as I go.
“Hi, can I help you?” I ask as I open the door to a woman in a suit.
“Hi, are you Samantha Abrahams?” she asks.
