Page 5 of The Broken Note

“Damn it, Cadey. I want to help.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“And I don’t give a damn. I’m coming to get you. Don’t fight me on this.” I hear a door creak open and shut. A moment later, Dutch’s low murmur is met with another voice.

One of his brothers?

My phone buzzes with a text.

I hang up and eagerly check it.

It’s not Viola.

Breeze: No sign of her at the mall.

Cadence: Would she have gone back to your house?

Breeze: I just texted my mom. Vi’s not there.

I grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut, struggling to keep myself together. The world is tilting at the edges, crackling like paper held to the flame.

Disintegrating.

Bit by bit.

Vi, please be okay.

My options are dwindling. Vi isn’t at the mall—possibly her most favorite place in the world. Or the park. Or the library. If she isn’t with any of her friends, with Breeze or with her new buddies The Kings then…

I don’t know.

I’ve hit a brick wall.

Tears of frustration press against my eyes.

My feet hurt. I’ve been walking for hours, wondering if maybe Vi is hiding out right in our neighborhood.

She dropped her cell phone in the doorway earlier and she doesn’t have a lot of money. At least, not enough to go too far.

But being close to home brings its own problems.

Now that night is falling, those who like to play in the dark will be creeping out of their holes. Gunshots. Casualties. There’s no need to be humane when the sun goes down and your sins are hidden in the black.

If Vi runs into some thugs looking for trouble—

My stomach feels sick.

I ignore my aching feet and jog forward, heading away from the light of the convenience store and turning down a dark alley.

Please be okay, Vi. Please, please, please.

I slip out of the alley’s mouth and notice a group of guys hanging out at the corner of the street. Cigarette smoke blows from their lips and they laugh loudly.

Alarm bells clang in my head. I eye the group warily. I can tell, just from a look, that they’re dangerous. Hardened eyes. Hardened smiles. Criminals with no sensibilities.

Fear trips through my veins.

I turn the other way, knowing better than to cross their path.