Sonja rolled over and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. She turned on the shower and stepped inside. Pouring a generous amount of shampoo in her palm, Sonja massaged the long lengths of her wet hair into a lather. It was still early, and Casey wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. Maybe she and James could go out for breakfast.
Sonja finished up in the bathroom, got dressed, then wandered back to her bedroom. James was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, she contemplated not waking him. Deciding to give him a little more time, she went out to the kitchen and started a fresh pot of coffee.
After having two cups of coffee, reading through the paper and giving in to her hunger by eating a muffin, she wandered back to her bedroom. It’d been about an hour and half, and he still wasn’t up. Maybe he was sick. Sonja moved to his side of the bed—when the hell did she start referring to it as his side of the bed? Sonja shook her head and sighed. She supposed it had become his side, hadn’t it? Smoothing the hair off his forehead, she smiled. Damn this man for sneaking into her life like he had. Damn him for accomplishing what she swore last night she’d never let him do.
Stealing her heart.
Sonja bent over him and pressed a tender kiss to his lips, then placed soft kisses along his jaw to his ear. “Wake up, honey.”
James jerked a bit, then cupped the back of her head with his palm. “What time is it?”
She nipped his earlobe. “Just past ten thirty, sleepyhead. You feeling okay?”
“Mmhmm. Just tired.” He ran his hand down her back and pressed her closer. “Casey up yet?”
She kissed down his neck. “No, she’s at Trina’s, remember?”
He sat up. “Wait. She’s not here? Did you check her room?”
“No. Why would I check her room?” James got up out of bed, practically shoving her aside and donning his jeans. “What’s wrong?” She followed him out of her room. “James? Where are you going?” Sonja stopped when he knocked on her daughter’s door.
“Casey?” He knocked again.
“Honey, what’s going on? I already told you she’s not here.” She grabbed his arm, but he pulled away and knocked again. He was in a state of panic.
Before she could stop him, he opened Casey’s door and barreled into the room. Sonja went in after him.
“Fuck!” He turned to face her, a look of sheer panic and fear on his face.
“James, for God’s sake, what’s the matter with you?”
“Shit…I can’t fucking believe she did this.” He ran into Casey’s bathroom, and was back out in mere seconds. “Where does she keep her backpack?”
Sonja glanced around her daughter’s messy room. Clothes were strewn everywhere. “In the closet. You know what, you’re scaring me. Maybe you need to sit down.”
He opened the closet door and rummaged around on the floor. “I think she’s taken off.” He moved to her and grabbed both of her arms. “Casey called me last night. I picked her up from some party with that scum boyfriend of hers, and now she’s gone. Her backpack isn’t here and neither is her iPad or phone. So, please, call the police. I’m getting dressed.” He turned away from her and ran out of the room.
Sonja took a deep breath to calm down. He was talking crazy. Getting hysterical along with him wasn’t going to help the situation. She followed after him to her bedroom. “Are you sure you didn’t have some sort of nightmare?”
“Sonja, I did not have a damn nightmare.”
“For goodness sake, she’s at Trina’s. That’s why her backpack and stuff is gone. Let me call her, and you can even talk to her. Just, take a breath for me, okay?”
“Fine.” He pulled his shirt over his head and nodded before bending to put on his socks and boots.
Once she got Casey on the phone, she was definitely going to make him lie back down. He obviously needed a little more sleep. Sonja dialed Casey’s cell. Holding the phone to her ear, she took a seat on the settee and listened. It rang and rang, then went to voicemail. Disconnecting, she glanced up at James. He had his hands on his hips, an impatient look on his face. “The girls are probably still asleep. I’ll call Trina’s mother.”
“Fine. Since you’re looking at me like I’m nuts, you do that. But I guarantee you, your daughter took off and is probably with that dickhead right now!”
Raising both brows, she leveled her tone. “James, do not raise your voice at me.”
He let out an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms. “Fine. Make the call.”
Sonja shook her head, mostly in disbelief at this whole display. Bringing up Trina’s home phone number, she hit the call button and put the phone to her ear. Maybe she needed to rethink that whole he’d-stolen-her-heart thing because this crap was outright unacceptable. Trina’s mother answered after the third ring. “Hello, Adrianna, sorry to bother you, but Casey didn’t answer her phone. I assume she’s still sleeping. Could you wake her please?”
“No problem, Sonja. Just a second.”
“Thanks.” She glanced over at James, who was now wearing a path in her carpet, pacing. “She’s going to wake her up. Will you please sit down and relax?”
With his hands on his hips, he continued pacing. “No.”
“Sonja, you still there?” Adrianna asked.
“Yes. I’m here.”
“Casey isn’t here. Trina said she woke up earlier this morning and Casey was gone, so she went back to sleep. She figured she went home.”
She stood up. “Are you certain?”
“That’s what Trina said. Is she not home?”
“No, but I’m betting she’s wandered down to the Starbucks or something. Thank you, and again, sorry to disturb.” Sonja disconnected the call and stared down at her phone.
“She’s not there, is she?” He turned and headed for her door. “I told you! Dammit, Sonja, call the cops.”
She ran after him. “You still haven’t told me what exactly happened last night, and if you would give me a minute, I’ll text her. I’m not calling the police. Please stop jumping to conclusions.” James walked to the kitchen, and she followed, sending a text to Casey to call her ASAP. “Have a cup of coffee and you can tell me what happened.” She moved to the pot and poured him a cup and handed it to him.
He took it from her, set it on the counter and glared at her. “Call the police, then I’ll tell you what happened.”
Anger beat through her like a drum and she slapped her hands down on the counter top. “Call the police and say what exactly?” She’d about had enough of these theatrics. “What the hell happened?”
“So much for not raising voices, right? Her room is a mess. Her stuff is missing. And she’s not here. Report her as a runaway! You’re a goddamn lawyer, you should know this.”
“She has not run away!”
“I got news for ya, denial’s not a river in Egypt, sweetheart. Now, call the fucking police.”
Sonja flinched like she’d been slapped. The last damn thing she was was in denial. Her daughter wouldn’t actually run away. The idea was preposterous. Sonja pressed her lips together. The fact that James accused her of being in denial was offensive, and downright insulting. Refusing to even look at him, she cleared her throat and spoke. “You can leave now.”
“Like hell. I’m not leaving.”
“If you’re not going to explain to me why my daughter called you to pick her up last night, then there’s no reason for you to be here.”
“Fine. You win.” He blew out a harsh breath and took a seat at the counter. “She called me from some shit-hole apartment down in the Village.”
Sonja’s ears began to ring. The Village? She gripped the edge of the countertop. Casey didn’t have any friends in the Village. “What do you mean?”
“I mean just what I said. Around three a.m. I woke up to my phone ringing. Casey was scared and crying and asked me to come get her. So I got
dressed and went and got her.”
“What the hell was she doing in some apartment in the Village?” Sonja’s voice came out in a high-pitched tone. She flinched at the sound and tried to tamp down the panic spreading through her body. She swallowed, and her vision went hazy. James must’ve gotten up without her realizing it because in a flash he was in front of her. She tried to focus on his face as she gripped the front of his shirt. “What the hell was she doing there?”
“Shh, mo chroí, take a breath.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Come on, sit down.” Sonja let him lead her to one of the bar stools. After he’d settled in the seat next to her, he turned the chair to face him and continued. “She was at Trina’s, and Drake called. Apparently there was a party. She wanted to go, but Trina didn’t, so she left after Trina went to sleep.”
Bile rose in Sonja’s throat, and she clasped her hands together in her lap. James took her hands in his and squeezed them. “She was a mess when she called so I made her text me the address, and I went and got her.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked in an effort to clear them. How could he take this upon himself, keeping something so important from her? “Why didn’t you wake me? You should’ve woken me.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. But I didn’t want you to freak out. I figured I’d grab her and get her back home safe. If she truly wasn’t okay, then I would’ve woken you when we got back. But she was fine, just a bit shaken up.”
“You didn’t have the right to make that decision. I’m not okay with what you did.” She pulled her hands away. “Tell me what happened.”
“Look, I did what I thought was right at the time. You don’t have to tell me what I have a right to do and not do. You’re wasting time and energy taking your fear out on me. What you should be doing is calling the police.”
Sonja crossed her arms and anger beat through her. Who in the hell did he think he was talking to? “First of all, I’m not afraid, and you need to stop telling me what I should be doing in regards to my family. Secondly, you can’t just come in here and step into a role no one invited you into.”
“I’m not stepping into any role, but if you really want to argue that point right now, consider why she called me instead of you.” James stood and turned to leave.
Sonja flinched again at his harsh words and pressed her hand to her chest. “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving. You’re right, I’m out of line. She’s your daughter and not my responsibility. You do what you want with her.”
Panic ricocheted through her stomach. Jumping from her seat, Sonja grabbed his arm. “At least tell me what else happened, please?”
He stopped, but didn’t turn to look at her. “She’s fine. We talked for a little while once I got her back home, but then she got pissed at me.”
Sonja moved around him in order to see his face. “Why did she get pissed at you?”
“Because I told Dickfazio to stay away from her. She didn’t like that. She stormed off and went to bed and so did I. You can get the rest of the story from her if you want.”
“James, wait.”
“No. I’m tired of waiting. Tired of caring. And always being left on the outside. I’m done.” The cold tone and look in his eyes made her blood freeze in her veins. He stepped around her and left the kitchen.
Sonja rubbed her arms, unsure what to do next. A few minutes later she heard the echo of the front door closing. She swallowed, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Grabbing her phone, Sonja sent a text to Casey.
With her phone in her hand, she waited another thirty minutes for a reply from her daughter. When one didn’t come, she dialed another number and forced herself to say the words she’d never imagined would come out of her mouth. “Hello. Yes, this is Sonja Martin. I need to report my daughter as a possible runaway.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jimmy left Sonja’s apartment and walked several blocks, trying to clear his head, before finally taking the subway the rest of the way home. He was torn between being pissed off because she reacted the way she did, and knowing deep down inside she was right. Unlocking his front door, he entered his loft and closed himself in.
He was out of line and had overstepped her boundaries. Casey wasn’t his daughter. And though he cared about the kid a whole hell of a lot, it still wasn’t his place. But dammit, he did what he thought was right…not that he’d thought about it much at all; he just acted.
He’d do anything for Sonja’s daughter. Jimmy was only trying to help—not that it mattered. Scrubbing his palm over his stubbled jaw, he blew out a harsh breath. Hell, he’d do anything for Sonja too, but that didn’t seem to matter either.
Setting the coffee pot to brew, he palmed his phone and shot Andy a text, asking her to come by. He needed to talk about it, or not talk about it. He wasn’t sure which; Jimmy just knew he was worried a fuckton about Casey, and he didn’t want to be alone. Twenty minutes later, Andy was banging at his door. Dragging himself off the couch, he let her in.
“What’s up?” She strolled past him, giving him a peck on the cheek. “You look like shit, by the way.”
“Nice to see you too, sweetpea.” He swung the door closed. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Pouring her a cup, he slid it her way and then refilled his own. “So, what’s up?”
Andy laughed and rolled her eyes. “Dunno, playboy. You tell me.” She sipped her coffee.
“Damn, is it that obvious?”
“Jimmy, I’m your best friend. You’re as transparent as a windowpane. What happened?”
“You know I love you, right?” He pulled her into a hug.
She patted his back. “Yup. And I love you too. What happened?”
“I don’t know if I want to talk about it yet. Can we watch some reruns of some mindless show first?”
She stepped back from him with a grin on her face. “What? No chick flicks?”
“Not today. I don’t have any tissues in the house. And you know what a girl I am when it comes to feely chick movies.” He chuckled and moved past her to the living room.
Andy joined him on the couch. For the next couple of hours, they sat in silence, their feet propped on the coffee table, drinking coffee and watching old episodes of Will & Grace. This was one of the reasons why he loved his best friend so much. She didn’t press him, just pulled up a section of couch with him and let Jimmy be a vegetable.
“I think I’m ready for food.”
“Are you kidding? It’s been—” Andy glanced at her watch, “—two and a half hours. I’m surprised you haven’t eaten a throw pillow.”
“Duh… They’re way too starchy.”
“Right? You want to cook or go out?”
“I don’t feel like going out or cooking. How about delivery?”
She picked up her phone. “Cool. I’ll order a couple calzones from around the corner.”
“Sounds good. But I can order. I’ve got them on speed-dial.”
Andy laughed. “Ooookay—but let me tell ya—I don’t know if you realize it, but you haven’t stopped checking your phone the whole time I’ve been here. I’ll order. You go shower. You’re stinking up the joint.”
“You say the sweetest things to me.” He rolled his eyes. He hadn’t been checking his phone that much. Had he?
“It’s all said in love.” She batted her eyes and put her cell to her ear. “Maybe consider shaving too.”
“Fine.” Standing, he stretched and then headed upstairs.
Jimmy plugged in his phone to charge in the bathroom. He wanted it close in case Sonja called, or at the very least texted, while he showered. Christ, was he even going to hear from her? Anxiety pulsed through him as he turned on the water and then stripped off his clothes. Sonja probably wasn’t even going to bother letting him know if Casey came home or not. And that just pis
sed him off.
After finishing the wash-down, he took Andy’s suggestion and shaved. The shower hadn’t done much to reduce his tension, but at least he was clean. Grabbing a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt from his drawer, he pulled them on and went back downstairs, cell phone—with its lack of messages—tight in his hand. A knock sounded at the door when he reached the bottom step.
“Food’s here,” Andy hollered from the kitchen.
“On it.” Grabbing his wallet from the table, Jimmy took out some cash and went to the door. When he returned, Andy was setting the table.
“Oh, that smells soooo good.” She took the small boxes from him and set them on the table. “Drinks?”
“I think I have some beer. You want one?”
“Sure, why the hell not? It’s Saturday and long past noon, so, all good, right?” She laughed.
“True story.” Jimmy grabbed two Coronas from the fridge, popped the caps and brought them out to the table. His stomach let out a howl and he rubbed it. “Damn, guess I am hungry.”
“Me too.” Andy cut into her calzone, dipped it in the sauce and took a bite.
“Thanks for taking care of me, Andy.”
“Anytime. But, when we’re done eating, you’re telling me what the hell happened. Deal?”
He nodded and cut into his food. “Deal.”
Sonja paced the library, half-empty glass of Chardonnay in hand. It was after four in the afternoon already…and nothing. No word from her child, or the police.
She’d tried using the “Find My iPhone” feature for Casey’s cell. Sonya had no idea how, but it appeared her daughter had shut it off. None of her friends knew where she was either. She’d scanned in a picture of Casey and faxed it over to police station and now all there was to do was wait. Talk about feeling powerless.
Sonja wasn’t going to call Thomas, not until she was left with no choice anyway. He’d end up hopping the next flight here, and she didn’t need that. She cringed. The thought of dealing with him while trying to keep the freight train of emotions plowing through her in check had Sonja on the verge of being sick to her stomach.
Defensive Heart: The Donnolleys, Book 2 Page 25