I expected him to be. My heart lurches, knowing he was probably losing his mind.
“How is Ian?” I ask him.
“He’s better now. He barely ate, barely slept. If you ask him, he’ll try to make it seem like he wasn’t that bad off, but it was obvious. He’s pissed. He wants to kick Kam’s ass, but lucky for Kam, nobody knows where he is.”
“He didn’t come back?” I ask him.
“Nope,” Blue tells me. “He’s not answering again.”
Knowing he’s not back yet makes the road in front of us just a little easier. After finding that out, I get right to the reason I called. “Can you pick me up, Blue? There’s something I’d like to talk with you about, and I prefer to do it in person.”
“Are you sure you’re ready to be around people?” he wonders. “You don’t want to rest first?”
“I do, but I don’t know how much time I have,” I tell him. “Megan or Alana could wake up at any moment, and I’m not rested or strong enough to fight them off right now. I need to do this while I’m awake.”
“What's the address?” is his next question.
“I’ll send it as soon as I find out. Oh, and don’t mention to Ian that you’re coming to see me. Don’t worry; it’s nothing like the last time I asked you to keep our meeting private.”
“Veronica,” he sighs out. “I don’t want to do that. He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out about this.”
“No, I don’t think he will be this time,” I say softly. “Please, Blue?”
After a beat with no answer, he finally sighs. “Yes, alright, I won’t tell him. I’ll come to get you.”
“Okay, good. Thank you.” Part of me is glad I’m going to see him, but the other side is breaking. “I’ll see you in a little bit then?”
“I’ll be there, wherever that is,” he confirms. “Veronica?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m glad you’re back home safe. I’m sorry- I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to look into the warning you gave me-”
I cut him off. “Don’t blame yourself, Blue. You did what I asked with nothing to go off of. You did what you could. I’ll see you in a little bit. Okay?”
“Okay.”
After I hang up, I sit in silence for a little while, letting it ring in my ears. My heart is heavier than it has ever been. I’m dreading this conversation, but it’s one that needs to be had. I sigh, letting my head fall in my hands for just a minute as tears threaten to start falling. I fight them off, if I start, I won’t stop, and I don’t want to face Cal and Lauren with a red puffy face.
But before I do anything else, I need a shower. I’m still in the clothes Alana had on when Cal and Dexter Jr. showed up, and I want these far away from me.
As I shower, I prepare myself to go downstairs. I don’t know who’s here, but by the time I’m out, I’m ready to face whoever.
The house is so quiet; I’m not sure there’s anyone else here. As I walk through, I don’t hear anything. I thought I’d hear children playing coming from deep in the house, but there isn’t even that. I’m about to turn around to go back upstairs when I start to pick up voices coming from the kitchen. They’re not hushed, but they aren’t talking loud enough for me to make out what’s being said. I take a moment before I walk in to Cal and Lauren sitting at the island. Cal’s back is to me, but Lauren sees me as I enter. She cuts off what she’s saying, her grim expression changes instantly, and Cal turns around to me, his gaze concerned.
“Hey.” Lauren gives me a relieved but very nervous smile. “I’m glad to see you’re up.”
I can already tell I brought tension into the room with me, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. Still, it’s inevitable, given the situation surrounding us. I power through it.
“It feels good to be home,” I tell her, nodding. “How long was I out?”
“Not long,” Cal informs me. “You slept through the plane ride and the morning. It’s just a little past lunch now.”
“Yeah, that feels about right,” I say, my hand going to my stomach. My hunger is much more intense, having missed three meals.
“Do you want lunch? There’s some stir fry I can heat up for you,” Lauren offers, and I’m nodding before she’s even done with her sentence.
“Anything is good,” I tell her.