Chapter 7
Seven
Julie
The first few days of staying with Gage were actually better than I had anticipated.
I knew that it might be odd, given his issues with my brother, but I couldn’t have predicted how kind and caring he would be toward me and Daisy.
Though, in all fairness, I should have known better because throughout all the years I’d known him, Gage had never been anything but kind.
I had been antsy ever since he found the AirTag in Daisy’s stuffed unicorn, but I was relieved when we hadn’t found any more.
We did some research and found that if Joel tried to track it, Gage’s place would be the last location that it showed.
Eventually, he would come looking for us, but for now, I was relying on the raging blizzard outside to keep him away.
At least it gave me a few days to figure out my next steps.
I had just finished my shower and was heading to the living room to check on Daisy when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the caller ID, smiling when I saw my brother’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Pat,” I said happily, stopping immediately when I heard his tone.
“What the fuck is going on, Julie?”
There was so much panic in his voice that I froze, my heart dropping to my stomach.
“What do you mean?”
“I just got a call from your boss that he hasn’t seen you in four days and that he’s worried about you. He said that you had an emotional breakdown and then suddenly just vanished. He said that he’s worried about Daisy, that you hinted you might do some—”
“I would never hurt her,” I hissed, pressing the phone tighter against my ear. “He’s lying, and everything is okay.”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t really say right now,” I said, chewing my nail nervously as Gage’s eyes landed on me and his eyebrows furrowed.
“Can I watch Beauty and the Beast again?” Daisy asked Gage. “Belle is my favorite princess.”
“Is that Daisy?” Patrick asked, hearing more than I thought he’d be able to.
“Yes.”
“Okay,” he replied with a heavy sigh. “What the hell is going on, Julie? Are you okay? None of this sounds like something you’d—” He stopped mid-sentence as Gage asked Daisy if she wanted popcorn.
“Where the fuck are you?” my brother growled, his irritation and anger now overriding the panic I heard a few minutes ago.
“It’s a long story that I don’t really have the time to get into right now,” I said softly, wincing as I heard my brother mutter a curse word on the other line.
“Tell me you are not at Gage’s house,” he bit out.
“Not technically.”
“Julie...” he warned.
“I went to his grandmother’s inn. I didn’t know he’d be here,” I explained as Gage walked over and stood in front of me.
“I swear to God, if that mother fucker even—”
“Even what?” Gage asked, folding his arms over his chest.
I frowned and tilted my head before pulling my phone away, wondering if I somehow accidentally put it on speaker phone.
Nope, my brother was just that loud.
Giving up on trying to keep the conversation civil, I pressed the button to put the call on speakerphone and held it in front of me. Thankfully, Daisy was already invested in her movie, so she didn’t seem to care about what we were discussing.
“You better stay the fuck away from my sister,” Patrick warned.
“Or what?” Gage retorted.
“Enough,” I scolded, giving Gage a pointed look. “We don’t have time for this.”
They both stayed silent for more than a few seconds, so I continued.
“Pat, if my boss calls you again, I need you to promise that you won’t give him any information about me or where I’m at. Okay?”
“No, Julie, not okay. I have no idea what’s going on, so until I’m in the loop, I’m not promising shit.”
“It’s a lot to explain, and I can’t really talk freely right now, but please trust that I did what I had to do in order to keep me and Daisy safe. I don’t work for Joel anymore, and I won’t be returning to my apartment.”
“Is he...”
“I don’t know what you’re hinting at, but let’s just say the answer is yes.
Whatever the worst thing is that you’re conjuring up in your mind—the answer is yes.
Please do not send anything to the apartment, as he has access to it.
For now, I will be here with Gage until the storm passes.
After that, I will be looking at trading my car in for something different and changing my phone number.
I may be off grid for a while, so I need you to understand that and maybe fill mom and dad in as needed. ”
“I’m supposed to hear all of this and trust that you’re okay? Do you hear what you just said?”
“Yes. I am well aware of how bad things are right now, Patrick, and I am doing the best that I can.”
“I’m going to look at flights out and see how quickly I can get there,” Pat said.
“You don’t need to do that.”
“You’re my sister, Julie. There’s nothing in this world that will ever stand in my way of protecting you and Daisy.”
“I know, and I love you for that. But I need you to stay where you are for right now. You couldn’t get out here anyway. This blizzard is no joke, and the roads won’t be cleared for days. Just stay where you are, and I’ll keep you updated. Okay?”
“Fine. But I need you to do me a favor,” he said as Gage shifted beside me.
“That depends on what it is,” I replied flatly.
“Give the phone to Gage and take it off speakerphone. I need to speak privately with him.”
The color drained from my face as I let out a small whoosh of air.
“Pat, I don’t really think—”
“It’s fine,” Gage said reassuringly as he held his hand out for the phone. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
“I don’t know that you’re the one I’m worried about.”
I shook my head and handed Gage the phone.
“I love you, Pat. Be nice.”
“I love you too, Jules. Tell my niece that I love her and I’ll see her soon for Christmas.”
I opened my mouth to question him about that, but Gage shook his head, so I let it go. I watched as he pressed the button to take the call off speakerphone and head to his bedroom so I couldn’t eavesdrop even if I wanted to.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly as I went into the living room and plopped down on the couch beside Daisy, where I could get lost in a fictional world for a little while.