Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“But why?” I insisted.
“Abbey was drinking, and no one knows how to drive a stick but Hannah, and she didn’t feel comfortable doing so.”
That made no sense. Sam had taught Hannah to not only drive a stick but how to push-start one, and how to change a tire and use battery cables. She was prepared for most situations, so something else was going on.
“George,” I said, taking a breath, putting the phone on speaker so Sam could hear, as he was now hovering over me. “Is my daughter all right?”
“She is. We’ll see you shortly,” he said and hung up.
Sam sat down beside me, and we were both quiet for quite a while.
“I told her the last time, when she called George to pick her up at the Holmeses’ house, that she needed to call us and not him,” I finally said.
“It’s probably easier for her to have him show up when she’s got a friend who’s drinking, because we would call her parents.”
“I’m still going to do that. I mean, what if she drank too much and got alcohol poisoning, or left the house once she was dropped off? We have to notify them.”
“I’m not arguing with you, I just think in Hannah’s mind, maybe she’s not a narc if George is there instead.”
“Well, I’m going to talk to her about it when––”
“Here they are,” Sam interrupted, standing up and walking to the front door. I was right behind him, and we reached the front gate as George parallel parked the Chevrolet Suburban with an ease I would never possess.
Hannah opened the passenger side door, and as soon as she turned in the seat to Sam and me, I saw her face in the overhead light. Instantly, I noted the split lip and what would be a beauty of a bruise across her left cheek.
Sam stepped in close and took her face gently in his hands, tipping her head back to examine her. “Explain.”
She took a breath. “It’s Jill’s birthday too. That’s why I wanted to stop there last and give her the present I got her, but she’s having a huge party, much bigger than mine.”
Glancing at the others who’d gotten out of the car and were now on the sidewalk, I noted that Shanti looked like she’d been crying, and Jake wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“Her parents are gone for the weekend,” Hannah continued as George came around the car, the only one wearing a mask, and opened the door as wide as it would go, “and…anyway, it doesn’t matter. I was ready to go pretty much right after we got there, and I went to look for her to say bye, but I ran into Kay, and he wanted to talk to me, but he was drunk so––”
“Did he hurt you?” Sam asked in a voice I knew well. It sounded flat and calm, but it was a lie. The flashpoint of his anger would be instantaneous.
“No. He just wanted to talk, but we were right by the master bedroom, and he shoved me through the door and then he locked it, and some of his friends were in there, drinking, and I think instead of saying what he wanted, they egged him on, and it just got ugly.”
Sam let go of her face and took hold of her hands, taking a breath through his nose. “Tell me what you mean.”
“He started yelling, and he got really close, so I got around him and went to the other side of the room and called George, because I knew once I got out of there, I wouldn’t be able to drive. I mean, Abbey was already wasted, and my adrenaline was pumping, and you always say to never drive when you’re like that.”
Sam nodded.
“Once I got off the phone, I went to the door to unlock it, but Kay’s friend Eddie, he tried to grab me, and he was drunk too, and he tried to”—she swallowed hard—“touch my chest, so I had no choice but to put him on the ground.”
Every now and then it hit me how important it was for everyone, men and women both, to be able to defend themselves when necessary. I was so relieved my daughter could.
“But when I turned to unlock the door, Kay grabbed me,” she said with a heavy sigh. “And I’m sure he just meant to stop me, because he really wanted us to talk, but when he took hold of my arms, his friend Tim backhanded me across the face, and then Eddie got up.”
Sam and I were silent, waiting.
“But I didn’t even see Eddie because I was still looking at Tim, which was so stupid,” she said angrily, her eyes filling. “I know better, and I’m so mad at myself,” she sniffled. “I can’t believe I did that, all my training shot to hell in a second.”