Page 72 of Noah's Reckoning

“Shelby,” Eli barked as he approached the table. He set the beer in front of me. “He doesn’t know yet. Cal just told me. That’s why we’re here. To break it to him. Gently.”

“Oh no,” Shelby said, her hand over her mouth. “You mean she didn’t call him and tell him herself? That isn’t right. I don’t care what anyone says about that. And I liked her, too, gosh darn it.”

It was like trying to think through the fog. It had been like that since Olivia had dropped a bomb on my head. A bomb that scrambled my brains and wrecked me inside and out.

So much that I hadn’t been able to say what I needed to say…

I don’t want to hurt you.

I don’t want to fail you.

I don’t want to disappoint you.

That I hadn’t been able to do what I should have done…

Call her.

Go see her.

Force her to talk to me again.

“Will one of you two please try to make some sense?”

Shelby started patting my hand again.

Eli sighed. “The only way to do this is to rip it off. Olivia’s gone, man.”

“Uh, yeah,” I said, stating the obvious. “She’s been in Anchorage for the past two weeks.”

Two weeks. Two weeks. Why hadn’t I been able to call her in two damn weeks?

“No, my brother. She’s not in Alaska anymore. She left Dyson. Took another job.”

The fog got thicker as I tried to process what Eli had said. “What do you mean she took another job.”

“Headquarters told Cal, big oil had been recruiting her. She’d been getting offers for some time apparently, but someone finally must have made her an offer she couldn’t turn down. Today was her last day.”

I stood so fast I knocked the chair back. I strode out of Bud’s and a blast of cold air hit my face and body, but I didn’t stop walking. I made it to Gert’s and held up my phone. Sometimes you could get a signal out here.

As soon as I saw two bars, I dialed her number. Still on top of my recent contacts.

It rang several times before it went to voicemail. “Olivia, you better fucking call me! Now!”

I hung up and called again. And again.

Voicemail every time.

She wasn’t going to pick up.

“Fuck. Shit!” I stormed back into Bud’s. I needed more information.

Eli and Shelby had their heads together, talking, but stopped when they saw me. I approached the table feeling like I was going to come out of my skin.

“What company?” I barked at Eli.

“Dude, I don’t know.”

“Sally might know,” Shelby offered. “She would have done the exit interview.”