“That they’re afraid, of what I don’t know. It’s like when you’re in a fight, and you’re losing, so you use dirty tactics to regain the upper hand.”
“Like Tyson biting Holyfield’s ear in ninety-seven.”
“What do you boys know about that? You weren’t even born yet.” He looked back at us in the backseat while he drove. At least the twinkle was back in his eye.
“Classic boxing on Hulu Unc.” He popped a gut laughing, and his voice went back to his happy-go-lucky self once he was sure we were okay. We still went for ice cream, though, and sat like good little boys before we were released back into the wild.
He dropped us off at home so Lance could pick up his car. “I’ll see you later; gotta go make sure dad is really okay.” We shook on it, and he left. Pop was already back, so I went to see about him as well. Dealing with his anger helped keep my mind off of Gia, but by the time bedtime rolled around and all of my defenses were down, I kept imagining what Lance had described earlier about seeing her leaving school with her grandma.
I threw myself into my plot against Ricci as a way to cope, as a way to not go to her, to make sure she was okay. I thought of just sneaking into her house to watch her sleep, just to reassure myself that she was okay. But in the end, I gave up on the idea because it would serve no purpose other than to prolong the inevitable.
I slept fitfully and woke up still feeling unsettled, but in the shower, I did think of a way to put my mind to rest. I’ll just send a member of my team to sit on her house and maybe follow her to Virginia when they leave for a few days at least. It was an awesome idea, and I thought Denver would be perfect for the job, but before I could hunt him down to tell him what my plans were, the twins came bounding down the stairs.
“Gabe, is she with you?”
“Is who with me?”
“Gia, Gia’s missing.”
“What did you say?”
“Look, she sent this, but it was scheduled for delivery, which means she wrote this a while ago, like hours maybe.” Anna held out her phone for me to see, and at first, I couldn’t make sense of the words or figure out why she was so upset. Then I was flying down the outside steps two at a time.
No-no-no Gianna, what the fuck did you do? Her grandmother was coming out of her house when I peeled into the driveway. “Where is she? Where’s Gianna?”
“I was just about to come to your home; Gianna’s gone, she took off.”
“Took off? Took off where?” Why is nothing making sense?
She held out a handwritten note that basically said she needed some time to herself to deal with everything that happened and not to look for her and not to worry. This one gave the impression that she was coming back, while the one my sister received was an outright goodbye. I felt blood gush from my nose for the first time in about ten years.
“Gabe, Gabriel, young man.” This is my fault, my fault. Even those words made no sense to me; they just sounded like gibberish in my ears. The world was spinning, and I couldn’t get a grip, especially with the boulder on my chest. Eloise’s face kept blitzing in and out of my vision, and my head got so tight I barely registered the sound of wheels squealing over the pounding in my ears.
“Gabe, shit, son, I’m here, I’ve got you.” Pop, good Pop’s here, I can let go. Lights out!
* * *
I awakened sometime later to whispers in the room. I couldn’t make out what was being said or who was talking, but it was more than one of them. What the hell happened? My body didn’t feel like mine, and only my training kept me from panicking.
I had a bit of trouble pulling out of it, but when my eyes came fully open, my mother, Sheila, and the twins were hovering. “He’s awake, Pop; he’s coming to,” Rosa called out. Why is my little sister crying? I turned my head, and Pop came into view with his phone clamped to his ear and an unsettled look on his face. “I don’t care what the fuck. How far could one little girl get? Find her.”
Little girl, Gianna! It all came rushing back, except for why I was here, in my parent’s room. The last thing I remember is Pop putting his arms around me. I jackknifed up in bed and tried to get out of the bed. “No, son, you stay put; your uncle’s on his way to have a look at you.”