Cam
After I paid Alex's and Liz’s tuition bill, I headed over to the station to tell Chief Riley that I needed to take a couple of days off. I had vacation time coming, and I couldn't think of a better reason to use it than to help Alex find Liz. I also needed to talk with Leo and be at the press conference for Richard Metzler later in the week, but first thing's first.
"Connor, what's up? Isn't this your day off?" Chief asked as he looked up from his paperwork.
"It is, but I need a favor," I said as I stood in front of his desk. "I need some time off, Chief."
"Is that so?" he said, leaning back in his chair. "And what brought this on? I hope it's not something that's going to interfere with your duties here at the station."
"No, sir," I said, shaking my head vigorously. "I just need a few days to straighten out a few things and tie up some loose ends."
"Well, this is rather inconvenient, Connor," he said as he studied me. "Given that Vangel has called out sick for the week."
"Oh? That's weird; I didn't know he was ill," I said in a sarcastic voice.
"He's not, but I'm not his daddy, so I'm not going to go digging around in his business," Chief said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "I'm going to assume that this is something important."
"It is, sir, or I wouldn't be asking." I nodded. "I've got some things that need to be taken care of and they are urgent."
"All right, I guess we can transfer a guy over from one of the other stations for a few days," Chief said as he picked up the schedule and drew a line through my name on it. "This had better be good, Connor."
"It is, sir," I said as I turned and headed for the door. "It's of vital importance."
As I left the station, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket, and when I pulled it out and saw the message from Alex, I knew she knew. She was mad, and prob
ably rightfully so, and I was going to have to answer for my actions. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but first I needed to talk to Leo.
I drove to the office, but Leo was out, so I left a note on his desk telling him to let me know when and where I needed to be for Metzler's announcement and that I'd be there.
After I'd taken care of the first three things on my list, I knew it was time to call Alex. This was going to be a difficult discussion and I knew it was possible she wouldn't understand my reasoning behind paying her bills, but I crossed my fingers and hoped that, at the very least, she'd hear me out before she dumped me.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Alex
A hot breakfast of eggs, home fried potatoes, and bacon with sourdough toast went a long way to making me feel less angry at Cam. I was still annoyed, but by the time I'd finished my meal, I'd decided that it was possible for me to listen to his side of the story before I decided whether I was going to dump him or not.
I kept my phone next to my plate as I ate, waiting for a text or a call, but nothing came. By the time I'd paid my bill, I was starting to get irritated again. If we were going to discuss this, he needed to respond, and soon.
On the way to the library, my phone rang. I smiled as I pulled it out, but when I looked at the screen I was shocked to find that it was Liz calling me, not Cam.
"Liz! Liz! Where are you?" I yelled into the phone.
"Alex, I need help," said the voice on the other end. It was Liz, but she sounded weak and scared.
"Where are you, Liz?" I asked. "Tell me and I'll come get you."
"I'm not feeling so good, Alex," she groaned before she started crying. "I'm in trouble. I need help."
"Tell me where you are, Liz," I repeated. I knew that I needed to find a way to figure out where she was, but she didn't seem to want to tell me. "Liz, tell me where you are."
"North Side, I think," she said. "I'm looking out the window and I can see the street signs."
"What do the signs say?" I prompted her. "Liz? Tell me what the signs say."
"Um, one says Jarvis and one says...um..." she faded away.
"Liz! What does the other one say?" I yelled into the phone. If she was high, I needed her to tell me where she was before she passed out again. "LIZ!"