I ended the call, the smile fading from my face as I grabbed my bag from the floor and hauled ass down to Cherry Bomb and set out, desperate to log as many miles as possible before the sun set.
Chapter Five — Cooper
“She just took off? On her motorcycle? Alone?” Angela asked once I’d recounted the story to her. I’d been going stir crazy in the office, unable to settle my nerves since a couple of staff members from the IT department had burst in to my office to tell me that Allie had received an upsetting phone call and bolted from the office. I called Angela to talk myself off the ledge. After Allie hung up, I’d actually considered going to her apartment, giving her a sedative, and flying her to Kansas that way.
“Yeah.” I rubbed a hand down my face. The visual image of Allie on Cherry Bomb, racing down the highway was haunting me. All I could think of was a long list of things that could go wrong. What if she ran out of gas? Got a flat? Stopped at a rest stop and her bike got stolen? Tangled with a group of bikers? Why didn’t I stop her?
There were a million reasons why I hated the idea of her alone on the thousand plus mile journey. And then, there was another batch of thoughts, even worse than that…what if she didn’t make it in time?
I hadn’t been able to get many details, but a serious heart attack compiled with a car wreck didn’t leave room for much hope. All I could do was hope it was better than it sounded.
“What are you going to do?” Angela asked softly.
I looked out my office window, watching as the city below started to transition from day to night. It was nearing five o’clock and at this time of the year, the sunlight wouldn’t hold out much longer. “I have no idea. Take care of her cat and try not to lose my mind while I wait for a call.”
“I’m sorry, Coop. Do you want some company?”
I shook my head. “Nah, that’s all right. Thanks though.”
“All right. Call me if you change your mind. All I got on the books is a bottle of wine and plowing through some scripts.”
I pinched my eyes closed at her mention of scripts. It was something I’d been meaning to bring up in conversation, but somehow the timing seemed all wrong. Angela had finished her treatment a month prior and had made a remarkable comeback but the thought of her falling back or relapsing was enough to bring me to my knees. Acting had been her whole life for the past several years, and I knew I couldn’t hold her back forever, I just hoped she was being realistic and taking small steps. “Thanks sis.”
After hanging up with Angela, I forced myself into my chair and focused on tackling the ever growing list of emails that were waiting for responses. Each time I clicked send, I lost myself in wondering where Allie was at that exact moment, and by the time I’d replied to a few dozen messages, it was nearing nine o’clock and I knew I was the last one at the office. I closed up my office and was halfway home, before pulling a u-turn and heading over to Allie’s apartment on the opposite end of the city.
“Hey Sam,” I said, as I stepped inside—pocketing the spare key. Seconds later, a little ball of fluff came running up to meet me. I’d been to Allie’s apartment a few times and had secretly plied his affection with kitty treats under the table when Allie wasn’t looking. She had him on some all natural, hippy cat food and my handful of fish flavored treats had been happily accepted.
I squat down and scratched the cat under his chin. “Sorry buddy, no treats this time. I’ll bring some tomorrow.”
Sam trotted off back to the couch where he’d apparently been camped out before my arrival, and I took the two short steps into the kitchen, suddenly realizing the gnawing pit in my stomach had morphed from anxiety to hunger pangs. Allie’s apartment was an organized disaster—per usual.
There were stacks of unopened mail on her kitchen counter, at least a couple day’s worth of dishes in the sink, and a smattering of crumbs on the counter tops. I smiled as I assessed the room. It was so Allie. She was always in hurricane mode, rushing from place to place, never quite on time, but she was so gregarious and full of life that no one could fault her for it. I cracked open the fridge and sighed at the pathetic assortment on the shelves. Allie was a strict vegan and none of the dishes in her fridge looked like they contained real food. Both crisper drawers were stuffed full of greens and the shelves were lined with some green juice concoction. She’d been rambling on about a juice diet and as I surveyed the contents—I realized she must have been serious.
I chuckled and shut the fridge, wishing she was there so I could tease her. Allie was always complaining about her weight. I’d taken her shopping once, at a high end department store, and after three outfits, she gave up and dragged me out of the store, claiming there was no way her thighs would ever fit into anything in the entire shop. I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. Her petite frame was curvy to be sure, but in all the right places. But my compliments and assurances often fell on deaf ears. I usually resorted to showing her just how sexy and intoxicating I found her to be…
“Fuck.”
I shook off the thoughts, knowing that longing for her body was only going to make the entire situation worse. I crossed to the living room to find Sam rolled into a ball. “Hey, little man, since your mama insists on rabbit food, I’m gonna have to go grab us men some real food. I’ll be back.”
He blinked his understanding—or, at least what I took as understanding—and I ran down to the corner market to grab a couple cans of normal cat food, a frozen pizza, and a six pack of amber ale. It was pure comfort food and I spent the rest of the night on the couch with Sam, half heartedly watching some crime scene show, and eyeballing my phone, willing it to ring every commercial break.
Eventually I fell asleep on the couch, with the purring fur ball vibrating on my chest.
* * * *
Allie still hadn’t called to check in by the next morning and a cold, creepin
g panic was taking hold of me. Before I even rolled off the couch, I booked a flight to Wichita, remembering that Allie had once mentioned that was the closest big city to her parents’ country home. She never talked about her parents, any information I had about them was all gathered through strategic questions I’d asked over the past few months. How was it possible that I’d spent nearly every waking minute with the woman for the past several months, and yet, still didn’t know the basics, like where her parents lived?
Light was flooding in through the windows and I knew I still needed to go home to shower and change before I could go into the office. I pushed off the couch, careful not to disturb the sleeping Sam.
Minutes later, my phone chirped to notify me of an email, and I knew it would be the flight confirmation. I made a deal with myself to get through the day, arrange for the managers to hold down the fort, and then I’d head to the airport. But then what? I didn’t have her parents address and if Allie wasn’t answering her phone, there was no way to get the information. I couldn’t drive around to every hospital asking for her father. I leaned against the counter and pinched the bridge of my nose. “It’s such bullshit,” I groaned to myself.
I set out a fresh can of food for Sam and left the apartment, making a mental note to hire a pet sitter before boarding the afternoon flight.
Chapter Six — Allie
Less than two hours outside of the city limits, the rain started pouring down. It was as though I’d officially left the bubble that surrounded LA and dove straight into the desert thunderstorms. Before leaving my apartment, I’d thrown on my full leathers, which included long pants and a thick jacket, but even with the extra protection, I was freezing cold from the whipping of the cold desert wind. I pushed through, letting the images of my dad lying in a hospital bed propel me forward, but nearing midnight, I decided to stop. Unfortunately, by that point, I was five or so hours outside of the city and on a patch of highway that was sprinkled with small towns and not much else as I crossed the border into Arizona. I raced down the highway as fast as I dared, knowing that while I was an experienced rider, it still wasn’t smart to go full out on a slick road.