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“Thank you. And I was thinking, maybe you and Julia can come over this weekend. If we all beg, I might be able to convince Spencer to make these Cuban egg rolls.”
Dad’s expression twists, conveying his trepidation. “Cuban egg rolls?”
“Shouldn’t work, but totally does. It’s fan-fucking-tastic.” My desk phone rings and a familiar number flashes across the caller ID. “Speak of the devil.”
I pick up the receiver and lay it to the side. “Hey, baby, you’re on speaker. Tell my dad how you make those Cuban egg rolls with that dipping sauce that I’m convinced has crack in it.”
Baby?Dad mouths at me, waggling his eyebrows.
“Hi, Mr. Hatcher. Um, can we talk about egg rolls later, Nathan? I need to talk to you about Ruby.” Spencer’s tone is off—urgent and panicked. “Should I call back?”
“No, go ahead. My dad knows everything.”
Dad goes alert. He sits up straight, staring at the phone intensely, like it’s a pot about to boil. “Are you okay, Spencer?” he asks, inserting himself into the conversation.
“I’m okay. But I don’t think Ruby is. She ambushed me and Miller outside of Beaumont at pickup. She asked me to take Claire for a few days while she goes out of town.”
That’s not good.“Did she say why?”
“No, not really,” Spencer answers. “She just said it was an emergency.”
“I have a tail on her. I’ll call and figure out what’s going on right now. Thanks for telling me, Spencer.”
Fully in go mode, I nearly hang up on Spencer before she’s ready. “Nathan, wait. Claire… She’s here at your house. Is that okay?”
My heart knocks heavily inside my chest as the situation washes over me. The last time Claire was in my home was not a pleasant memory. I wonder what she’s thinking. “Of course it is. How is she?—”
“Perfectly fine. The girls are getting changed to go swimming. We’re sending Miller out for pizza and ice cream. I think Ruby didn’t realize tomorrow is a teacher work day. The school is closed, so if it’s okay with you, I’m going to take tomorrow off work and hang out with them.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. Maybe I should…” I place my fist to my lips, debating how to ask the nerve-rackingquestion on my mind. Except I don’t have to, because Spencer reads me better than anybody and answers the question I didn’t ask.
“Claire’s walking around this place like it’s filled with happy memories. She showed Charlie which room used to be hers. She’s so smiley and at ease… She wants to see you, Nathan. She’s missed you very much.”
All I can do is bury my face in my hands. I’m filled with relief and simultaneously overwhelmed with guilt. She needed me,she missed me, and I wasn’t there.
“Nathan’s really happy to hear that,” Dad says when I let the silence carry on too long.
“Just do what you need to. Call about Ruby. I’ll take good care of the girls until you get here. We’ll save you some pizza, okay?”
“Thanks.” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat. “I’ll see you soon.”
Spencer ends the call, and after replacing the receiver, I dial Hodge, also on speaker. He answers immediately. “Hey, boss. Finally. I called you half an hour ago.”
“Sorry, I was working. Didn’t hear my phone. Where’s Ruby?”
“That’s what I was calling about. I have my guy Terry on it. He’s following her. He thinks Ruby’s driving for the border. She loaded up a few duffel bags of cash.”
“She’s going to get herself killed. I need to stop her.”
“If she gets to Sierra Vista, border control is bound to have some questions about why she’s headed to Mexico with random bags of cash. I have a contact there. I can see if we can hold her up.”
“Do that, now. Get your guy Terry to location share. I’m on the way.”
“Roger that, boss. Stay tuned.”
The room falls silent until I roar out, “Fuck!” in frustration. “Dad, if she enters Mexico?—”
“She’s not coming back,” he finishes. “What the hell has she gotten herself into now?”