Chapter 14 #2
I brought my hand to her cheek and waited like I had been, but she still didn’t move.
“I’m hungry!” Rue called out the minute we walked through the door.
“Riot, can I have chicken nuggets?” Bel asked.
“Oooh, with french fries?” Rue added.
I rolled my eyes. “Y’all know it’s not dinner time yet, right? And I’m making those pizza burgers you really liked, too.”
“Yes!” Cruz shouted, and I smiled at his enthusiasm.
“Okay, so how about you eat something smaller? Besides, we don’t have much time before we have to go get Wynter, and I want y’all to get your homework done first. You can have apple slices with peanut butter?”
They all grumbled a little but eventually agreed. I pulled out four apples, one for each of the older ones and half each for the littles, and began cutting them with the expertise of someone who had cut a lot of fucking apples for little kids before. Quickly.
My phone rang as I was getting the kids settled. I frowned when I saw it was Wynter. It was a little early for her to need a ride already.
“Hey, Wyn, is everything okay?”
“Riot.” Her voice broke on a sob.
I froze, the peanut butter still in my hand. Wynter never cried. “Wynter, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry!” She was really crying now.
My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to stay calm.
“Hey, Wyn, it’s okay. What happened? Are you okay?”
“C-can you pick me up?” I was moving before she finished asking. The jar hit the counter, and I unhooked Storm from his high chair with one hand. His jacket had been thrown over the back of the couch, and I grabbed it. He didn’t need shoes; I’d carry him.
“C’mon, guys, we gotta go. Someone get Hawk’s jacket,” I yelled to the kids.
“I’m coming, Wynter. Are you safe? I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I-I’m not at the school.”
My stomach dropped. Where was she?
I put on shoes. I was pretty sure they were Koa’s. I didn’t give a fuck.
“We gotta go now!” I snapped at the boys. They all startled, never hearing me yell like that, but I couldn’t worry about it now.
“Wyn, sweetie, I need answers. Are you safe? Where are you?”
“I’m safe. I-I’ll put my location on. I-it’s a McDonald’s. I’m sorry, Riot. I messed up.”
I quickly checked the location. She was two towns over. What the fuck was she doing there?
“Don’t worry about that now. Are you hurt?”
Was that why she was crying? Should I call for an ambulance first?
“No. No, not like that. I’m fine.”
Fuck. That was good. “Is there somewhere you can go where you can wait for me?”
“Y-yeah. I think so.”
The boys finally all hustled up, Rue holding Hawk, who was crying, confused, his hands tangled tight in his hair, a big sign of distress for him.
It broke my heart, but I couldn’t do anything to help ground him right now.
The boys, however, were all surprisingly good at it, and I hoped they could at least keep him settled till we found Wynter.
“Okay, stay there. Is your phone charged, Wyn?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Good, that’s good. Stay on the line with me, alright? I’m coming.”
“Please hurry, Riot. I’m scared.”
We ran out of the house, and I got the little ones strapped in their car seats faster than I ever had in my life. Hawk kept signing for home.
“Cruz, can you grab his spare headphones?”
“Y-yeah.”
I jumped into the driver’s seat and took off as soon as everyone was buckled in. “Keep talking to me, Wyn. It says you’re forty-five minutes away, but I’m coming, sweetie. Okay? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“Good. I-I messed up,” she repeated, her voice cracking.
“Don’t worry about that now. We’ll talk once I get you. Just hang tight. What did you do at school today? You had advanced art, right?”
“What?”
“Just talk, Wyn. Tell me about your art class.”
So she did. In starts and stops. I could hear other people around her, but no one seemed to bother her.
When she ran out of things to say, I started talking about my visit with Cara.
Then Rue chimed in, talking about a kid in his class’s birthday and how he’d brought in pretzels instead of cupcakes, and most of the kids had been upset except Bel because he hated cake and loved soft pretzels.
By the time Rue finished describing every detail of the kickball game they’d played in recess, we were pulling up on the street.
I turned into the parking lot at an outrageous speed, almost ran over a mom and her two toddlers, but somehow managed to not commit vehicular manslaughter and park safely.
Then it was the matter of getting the kids out.
I could’ve had Wynter come to meet me, but I didn’t want her leaving her spot of safety until I had eyes on her.
“We’re here, Wyn. Give me a minute.”
I carried Storm while Cruz held Hawk’s hand. The twins stayed close to me, and we all ran inside.
I had no idea what to expect when I first laid eyes on my sister. She’d said she wasn’t hurt, but what if she’d been lying?
I found her sitting in a booth in the corner. Her knees were up to her chin, and she was looking down at the table. I breathed. She did look uninjured.
We all ran to her. “Wyn.”
She looked up and immediately started crying again.
I moved Storm to my other arm, slid in the booth, and grabbed Wynter.
She buried her face in my chest, her shoulders shaking. For a second, I froze. When was the last time Wynter had willingly hugged me? It had to have been a couple years.
“I’m here, sweetie. You’re safe.”
All I could do was hold her while she cried for a while. We were getting looks, but I ignored them. Once she calmed down some, I was able to dig out my wallet and send Cruz to the counter to order some food for the boys. I could tell Wynter wanted some privacy before she told me what had happened.
With Hawk coloring on one of those paper menus from the trays with a pen from my pocket and the boys ordering, I hoped Wynter would finally talk.
“What happened, Wyn?” I asked her gently, hoping I didn’t sound judgmental.
She looked up at me and wiped her eyes. “I’ve been talking to my dad.”
The world stopped. Everything around me disappeared and for a moment, I was floating in nothingness. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. Wyn did not need me freaking out.
“Since when?” I asked, surprised by how calm I was.
“Since a few days after Koa kicked him out. I found him on social media and reached out. We’ve been secretly texting.”
I cleared my throat. I glanced over her shoulder, needing a minute. The boys were waiting for their food. I told them to get it to go so we could leave. I needed to get the fuck out of this place. “Did you see him today?”
That would make sense. It was the only reason she would be here.
Wynter nodded. “Yeah. He said he wanted to see me and couldn’t wait till the courts figured their shit out. He asked me to meet him here because he was afraid you would find out and call the cops on him if we stayed in town.”
Damn fucking right I would’ve. If I wouldn’t have just murdered him myself. How dare that fucker. But something Wynter had said clicked.
“Wait, you said meet? How’d you get here?”
Wynter looked down, cheeks red. “I, um, took the bus.” Motherfucker. I’d done a lot more than taking the bus by myself at thirteen, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t so bad, but I’d thought she was at school. Safe. Anything could’ve happened and I would’ve had no fucking idea.
“What happened, Wyn?” I asked as gently as possible. “Did he hurt you?” I scanned the place again, half-expecting Aren to pop up somewhere.
“N-no. He was, um . . . I’m pretty sure he was high.
He showed up with some other guy. He creeped me out a lot, that guy.
Kept looking at me. When I asked Dad if it could be just the two of us, he said he was his ride.
Then, um, he asked me for money. Asked if you had given me a credit card or anything.
When I told him no, he got mad. I got scared and ran into the bathroom and locked the door.
I waited like ten minutes and then checked.
He and the guy were gone. Then I called you.
I’m sorry, Riot. I should’ve listened to you. ”
I had to remind myself this wasn’t the time.
“I’m just glad you’re safe and that you called me when you were in trouble.”
“You’re not mad?” she asked hesitantly.
I thought about lying, but I tried not to do that to the kids.
“Yeah, I’m mad. But I’m relieved you’re safe more than anything.
And even if I am mad, I will always, always come get you, Wyn.
Got it? This was all kinds of wrong, and we will discuss it, but no matter what, I will always pick you up. I am always safe to call.”
Wyn wiped her eyes again. “I know. I-I love you, Riot.”
She could’ve punched me in the face and I would’ve been less shocked. “I love you too, Wyn. Always.”
The boys came back then with the bags.
I wiped a tear streaming down her face. “Let’s get home. Then we’ll figure it all out.”
Wynter nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”