Tessa came out of the store holding three white bakery boxes. She passed them to me. I opened the door and put them on my seat with the ring.
“Oh, just a sec. Let me get the trunk open. You can’t hold those on your lap.
I passed her the phone, “Listen, it was nice to meet you but I’ve actually gotta go. I wanted to leave the second you were in there but I wouldn’t have left your babies alone.”
She looked at me weird. I started to walk away.
“Wait a second.” she called after me, “What’s going on? Did you and my brother have a fight?”
“You could say that.” I called back, “Sorry. He’s a psychopath, Tessa, he really is. I can’t do this, can’t be his prisoner; I am outta here.” Then I started walking faster. She was standing there looking confused.
A few paces and I glanced back and saw her dialing on her phone. That’s when I knew I couldn’t walk away. I had to fucking run.
Tommy
I couldn’t believe the fucking screw-up. First, my meeting runs late because I have to watch a couple guys rough up someone who owes us money, like I have time for this piddly shit, but then I find out that my sister fucking took Tia. The gate guard that relieved Nino had some fucking stomach bug and was in the pool house taking a shit so Marco hadn’t left yet despite being on since last night. Tino was at the front gate but then there was an emergency with a shipment that was coming and a few guys dropped by and swapped out Nino’s brother Tino with a newbie who just had to man the fucking gate waiting for the other guy to come back. I called Earl and told him to get over there and straighten this shit out.
My sister heard I’ve told Pop I’m running late and I’m not sure if we can make it and she conspires with my other sister to make sure they get their claws into Tia so Tess swings by my house and it’s miraculously during the period the inexperienced guy is there and the experienced guy is in the john and my five foot two 100 pound sister proceeds to bully the guy into letting her take Tia to my Pop’s.
He works for us but isn’t in the inner circle so doesn’t know the rules for handling Tia. All he knows is he’s watching the gate for a minute and my sister wants to give my fiancée a ride. The guy’s phone is dead so he tells her he’s gotta confirm it’s okay but she starts getting pissy about running late and name dropping that she’s Tom Ferrano Senior’s daughter and does he really think she shouldn’t take her own future sister-in-law to me? She’s like a midget Doberman or something, both of my sisters are.
He lets her take Tia. The other guy comes back out, finds out. After I get off the phone I see I missed a text from Luc telling me not to worry about Tia; that Tessa has gone to get her. I piece everything together as my guy at the house is phoning. Tia’s not answering her phone and then I finally get ahold of my sister.
Two minutes after I get off the phone with her my sister is calling me and telling me that Tia took off on her, ran like her hair was on fire, and left her engagement ring in the fucking car. I heard her voice in my head, how she ended that call with me saying, “Goodbye, Tommy.”
Fuck! Not only has she taken off without the ring that has the damn GPS in it but the anonymous note we got is nagging at me. Heads are gonna damn well roll!
Tia
I got to a mall two blocks from that strip plaza and finally found one of the few remaining pay phones in the world and I was debating between calling Susie and calling Rose. I was freaking out. I turned the stupid iPhone off and dropped it in a garbage bin a block from the mall.
I decided to call my Aunt Carol to ask where my father was. I called directory assistance and they connected me, after the operator laughed at my asking for Carol O’Connor. “Archie Bunker?” She giggled, like I’d been prank calling.
“No, Carol a female, not the actor.”
It started ringing and then there was a scratchy sounding, “Hello?”
“Aunt Carol, it’s me, Tia. Athena,” I felt shaky but tried to keep my voice steady.
Dead air.
“Aunt Carol, I’m really sorry to bother you. I know you don’t talk to him much but it’s imperative that I find my father. Like life or death kind of thing. Do you have any idea where I might reach him?”
She sighed, “I have nothing to do with your father, Athena. He’s a loser. I’m sorry to say that, but he is.”
“Please; do you have any idea how I can reach him? It’s really important.”
She sighed, “He works at the car parts place on Dufferin Street. Aimco. Last I heard, anyway. I don’t know if he’s working today. It’s Sunday. I don’t have a home number. His girlfriend is Sadie Lewicki. She’s probably listed.”
“Thank you.”
“Athena?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t call me again.”
Click.