Alyssa ordered a plate of nachos and took a long drink from the straw, enjoying the warm sensations running through her as the liquid made its way to her empty stomach.
Her phone rang in her purse. Had Chad woken up? Grumbling, she pulled it out. It was Valerie. She was on the other end of the globe, and they had been playing phone tag since Zoey's encounter with the intruder. She was feeling more relaxed by the minute. She could handle the conversation now.
"Valerie. How are you?"
"Why is it so loud, Alyssa? Isn't it midnight over there?"
"Something like that. I couldn't sleep, so I put on a movie." Alyssa took another long sip. The fish bowl was half-empty, or was it half-full?
"Oh, okay. Well, what's going on? You sounded upset when you left the message yesterday. Although, you have every reason to be upset. I was just worried about Zoey. Is everything all right?"
"There was a little incident, but she's fine."
"What do you mean?"
It didn't feel like a big deal anymore. "Someone broke in our house, but we changed the locks and had the security system upgraded, so now everything is safer than ever. No one's getting back in." She took another drink.
"Is Zoey okay? Are all of you okay?"
"We're all fine. I didn't want to worry you, Valerie. She can tell you about it herself. She actually saw the guy—she was a hero. You should be proud. Because of her, they were able to draw a sketch of him. He looked like the unabomber, but they caught that guy, right?"
"Zoey saw him?"
"Yeah. She even tried to fight him off. Like I said, you should be proud of her. You raised a fine one, Valerie. Then she came and got us. She was upset, of course, but she didn't even want us to tell you what happened. We couldn't do that."
"She fought him off? Oh, dear lord. I've got to get back home."
"No. Don't do that. You've got all that work to catch up on. She's never been safer than she is now. At least at our house. No one is getting in or out without our knowledge. We got the most expensive of everything."
"Are you sure? I don't want to put any added pressure on you guys."
"No. Not at all. It's nice to have her with us. She and Alex are helping each other out. They've always been like siblings, and now they're really pulling together. It's cute actually."
"If you're sure."
"I can have her call you when I…when she wakes up." Alyssa took another drink, and the bowl was empty.
"Thank you, Alyssa. That would be wonderful. Oh, and get some sleep. You sound awful. If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were drinking."
She burst out laughing—a little too loud. "You know me. I won't touch the stuff." It was true; she hadn't touched it. She'd only drank it.
"Okay. Tell her I'm keeping my phone on me, and I'll answer her call no matter what time it is or what meeting I'm in."
"Will do."
"Bye, Alyssa."
"Talk to you later, Valerie." She put the phone away just as the waitress arrived with her nachos. She pushed the bowl aside. "Can I get a refill?"
Her eyes widened. "You already finished that? If you want more, I'll get you more."
"Can you make the next one a little stronger?"
"I…yeah. Okay." She gave Alyssa a concerned look and walked off.
Great. She was back to being a fragile doll. She picked up a chip covered in cheese. It was harder to get into her mouth than it should have been. Maybe she shouldn't have gone through the drink so fast. Who cared? At least she felt good, even if she still remembered why she had come here, and what she had been trying to forget.
She would keep drinking until she was able to forget for a little while. For now, she still knew her daughter was missing, even though it didn't feel as bad as it had earlier. She ate more nachos, focusing completely on that task since it was a bit of a challenge to get them into her mouth. She kept ending up with salsa on her face.
This was what she had come to.
Ride
Alyssa looked up. A new fish bowl sat in front of her. When had that arrived? She grabbed the straw, drinking as much as she could. This batch was noticeably stronger. She drank until it was more than half-gone.
Alyssa blinked slowly, looking around. Her eyes wouldn't move fast at all. It was as though they had been put on a slow motion setting. Her arms didn't move as fast as she wanted, either. She looked at them as she moved around. They felt rubbery. It was a little bit fascinating.
She grabbed a chip, watching it in slow motion. It wouldn't go into her mouth, though. Somehow, she ended up with a sharp end of a chip up her nose, and it really hurt. Like, a lot. She put the chip down on the plate. It had red on it, but she didn't think that one had had any salsa on it. She rubbed her nose, and it felt squishy inside.
Something felt wet under her nose. It took a minute for her hand to get there, but she wiped it and saw red on her finger. That didn't look like salsa. She licked it. Ew. It definitely wasn't salsa. She had managed to give herself a bloody nose with a chip.
Someone sat next to her. She looked at him. He was tall and slim with curly hair and gorgeous eyes. He looked like he could have been on the cover of a magazine. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Name's Rusty. I just want to make sure you're okay."
"Never better. I came here to forget something, and I can't remember what, so mission accomplished." She didn't like how slurred her words were. She reached for her straw, but the stranger moved the bowl away from her. "Hey." She glared at him.
"Maybe you should take a break from that for a minute."
"What's it to you?"
"You've had a lot already. You're a tiny thing. You can't be more than, what, a hundred and twenty pounds?"
"One twenty-five. What's it to you?"
"Just trying to look out for you."
"Why?"
"I'm a good citizen. Do you want me to get a napkin for your nose?"
She moved her rubber hand up to her nose, even though it took a long time. It was still wet. She shrugged, sure that she couldn't reach a napkin without knocking something over.
He handed her a couple napkins. How did he move so easily? It wasn't fair. Her body was made out of rubber and he moved like an Olympic athlete, in total control.
"What's your story?"
She raised an eyebrow, holding the napkin up to her nose.
"Why did you lie to your friend on the phone?"
"Did I lie? Was it that obvious?" She reached for the drink, but he pushed it further away. "Don't let that fall on the floor. I haven't even paid for that yet."
"I won't. You told your friend you were watching a movie."
Alyssa pointed to one of the TV's on the wall. "See? A movie. No lie."
"That's a replay of the NBA championship."
"Well, it's good enough to be a movie. Who did you say you were?"
"I'm Rusty. I've been trying to figure out what's going on with you."
"And I told you. I came here to forget something."
"You look familiar. Have we met?"
"I have one of those faces." There she was, lying again.
He nodded.
"Would you like a ride home?"
"I have my own car. I drove here."
"Do you think it would be such a good idea to drive it home? You can't even eat nachos without injuring yourself." He smiled. It was a beautiful smile. He probably had women lined up somewhere. What was he doing talking with her?
Alyssa glared at him. "I would hardly call it injuring myself. It's just a bloody nose."
"I wouldn't mind giving you a ride home. I couldn't live with myself if I let you get into your car in your state."
"Do I look like I'm ready to get back into my car? Hey—what's that?"
"What?" He turned around.
She grabbed the fish bowl and took another long sip.
He turned back and looked at her, shaking his head. Some curly locks fell into his eyes and he pushed them away. "Looks like you got
me. Can I have some of that?"
"I don't know you. You could have all kinds of crazy germs."
He laughed. "Can I take that from you then? I'm afraid you're going to puke all that out."
"What's it to you? I'm not getting in your car."
"I think you should. I have a tow truck and I make a habit of offering free tows to those who shouldn't get on the road."
"Why? What's in it for you?"
"Plenty. I get to write off those tows on my taxes. More importantly, I save lives. Not only those poor souls who have had too much to drink, but also those they would have hurt or killed. That's why I hang out here in the wee hours."
"So you work all night doing that?"
"I work when I'm needed."
"Doesn't your family hate that?"
He shook his head, keeping her eye contact. "They were killed by a drunk driver years ago."
Alyssa dropped a chip she didn't even realize she was holding.
"I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through. I can't prevent them all, but I will prevent the ones I can."
She stared at him, at a loss for words. Finally, she pulled her cap off and ran her hands through her hair.
His eyes widened. "Wait. Are you that Mercer lady? Macy's mom?"
Alyssa put her hands in her face, fresh tears spilling. Even with all the alcohol she had consumed, she couldn't completely forget who she was or why she had gone to the bar. "Yes. I'm Alyssa Mercer. My daughter is missing, and we're all over the news. Looks like you figured out why I came here." She grabbed the drink and downed the rest of it before he could try to take it away. "And I can't forget it."
"You know, drinking isn't going to solve anything."
She stared at him through the tears. "Who asked you?"
"No one. I'm offering you unsolicited advice. Get counseling, but don't turn to alcohol. Please."
Alyssa sighed. "I don't even have closure. We don't know if she's dead or alive. They found her bloody clothes. Did you know that? The results just came back today. Someone broke into our house last night, too…or was it the night before?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. My life is falling apart, and if I want some alcohol, I'll have as much as I want. I'm sorry for everything you've been through. I'm sure it was as bad of a nightmare as my life, but you still don't get the privilege of telling me what to do."
He pulled a wallet out from his pocket and showed her a picture of his family. Alyssa held her breath as she stared at the photo of him with an equally gorgeous lady and two beautiful boys, no older than five.
Her breath caught. "They're gone?"
Rusty nodded, a look of sadness shadowing his face. "Have you ever been to a rehab facility?"
"What? No."
"Trust me, Alyssa. You don't want to. I turned to drugs, unable to cope with losing my family. I ended up almost losing my house, my job, and everything else. I didn't care. I couldn't get over the grief, and nothing else mattered."
"I don't want to hear this. This is the first drink I've touched in a long time. I think I deserve a drink after the week I've had."
"And I don't want to see you go down the path I did."
"Why do you care? You don't know me."
"I kind of do. I've been sitting here with you for a little bit."
The waitress came by and looked at Alyssa. "Do you need anything else?"
"Just another one of those fishb—"
"She needs some water."
"No, I don't. I want another bowl." She'd show him.
He shook his head. "I'm going to take her home. She's already had too much."
The waitress shrugged. "Water it is, Rusty."
Alyssa groaned. She couldn't even go to a bar and get drunk right. Her stomach didn't feel well. It wasn't exactly growling, but she couldn't ignore it, so she grabbed a few chips and managed to eat them without hurting herself. The waitress brought two waters and left without a word. At least the tow truck guy had stopped talking.
What if he went out and told everyone that he had found her drunk? Her stomach dropped. The media would eat them alive. "You're not going to tell the news that you found me drunk in a bar, are you? That's going to make my family look really bad. I don't—"
"No. I just want to help. I know what it's like to deal with grief that's too overwhelming."
She looked into his eyes, not able to focus on them. He seemed genuine enough. Hopefully he was. If he drove her anywhere other than her house, she wouldn't be able to fight him off. Not when her extremities were rubbery.
Her stomach continued to feel strange. She stuffed more nachos in her mouth, trying to appease it. Just before she finished off the plate, her stomach twisted in knots and heaved. She was going to throw up.
Alyssa covered her mouth and looked around, afraid she wouldn't find the bathroom in time.
"Over there to the right. Let me help you—"
She jumped out of her seat and ran to the restroom, barely making it in time. She threw up so much, she was sure it was everything she'd put in her stomach since arriving at the bar. That wasn't money well-spent.
By the time she got to the table, only the waters remained.
"Do you feel better now?"
She shook her head as she sat down.
"Whenever you're ready to go, just say the word."
"I guess I should get back home. I threw everything up. I can get myself home."
"No, you can't. All that alcohol is still in your blood."
She knew he was right, because she still felt dizzy and rubbery.
"Are you ready? The sooner I get you home, the sooner I can get home."
"May as well. I need to get back before anyone wakes up. I don't want to explain myself." She opened her purse to pay for her purchase.
"I already paid your bill."
She looked up at him. "You did? Why?"
"Consider it my good deed for the day."
A headache was coming on. "I could have paid it."
"I'm sure you could have. Find something good to put the money toward. Buy something for your son."
Alex. Hopefully, he would be sleeping when she got back. The last thing he needed was to see his mom coming home drunk, especially with some guy named Rusty dropping her off. "Let's go."
She took in the fresh night air as she watched him attach her car to the back of his truck. When he was done, he turned to her. "All set. You ready to go?"
"So, do I get in my car?"
He gave her a funny look. "Haven't you been towed before? You ride in my cab with me."
"Cab?" She looked around for a taxi.
Rusty pointed to the front of his truck. "Just climb in."
She nodded, feeling stupid. He opened the door, and she put her foot on the step. Her foot slipped, and she slammed her shin against the step. That would leave a mark. Possibly even blood.
He took her arm and helped her up. A couple of minutes later, they were driving back toward her house. She looked back several times to check on her car.
"It's fine. I know what I'm doing—really. I even have a license and everything."
"Sorry."
"No need to apologize. Do you want to give me your address to put in my GPS or do you just want to give me directions?"
If she gave him her address, he would have it permanently. Did she really want that? Or did it even matter? He would be able to figure it out once he got there. The headache was getting worse, and she didn't want to have to think. She told him the address, and closed her eyes. Hopefully, that would help. If not, at least it would keep the lights outside from making her feel dizzy as they drove past.
What had she been thinking? Why had she drunk so much?
Soon, the brakes hissed. She opened her eyes and saw her house. Had she fallen asleep? Is that how they had gotten back so fast?
He pulled the keys out of the ignition. "Let me help you get out. It's a big drop, and I don't want you getting hurt."
"You think I'm an idiot, don't you?"
Oh, why had she said that?
"Not at all. I just don't want you injuring yourself. Just wait in here while I take care of your car."
She sighed and then waited. With any luck, no neighbors were awake to watch. There were several who loved to gossip, and they would eat this up—her arriving early in the morning in a tow truck. She looked at the windows she could see, but everything looked as it should: no nosy neighbors peeking from behind any curtains.
Her door opened, and Rusty put his hand out for her to take. With his help, she managed to get out onto the street without any more blood.
"Do you want me to leave your car here, by the sidewalk? I can put it up your driveway if you'd like."
Chad would know something wasn't right if her car was parked on the road. He wouldn't think anything of it being in the driveway, because half the time she didn't bother putting it in the garage anyway. She sighed and then handed him her keys.
When he was done parking the car, he returned the keys to her. He gave her a nod, his eyes full of kindness. "I hope you find your daughter soon. In the meantime, please don't turn to drinking."
She rubbed her head. "Not if it keeps feeling like this."
"Glad to hear it. Have a good night."
"Wait. Let me pay you something."
"No. Like I told you, it's a write-off. You're helping me out with tax time coming up."
"But you covered my food too."
"It's all a write-off. Just get in there and get some sleep. You're going to need it."
"Okay. Thanks."
"Goodnight."
Alyssa walked to her front door. When she got there, she turned around and saw that Rusty was sitting in his truck, watching her. Was he making sure she could get into her house? She must have been in pretty bad shape if he doubted her ability to do that. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door.
She turned around and waved, letting him know he was free to go. Then she opened the door and went in, resetting the alarm. She was half-surprised that she remembered the new codes, but at least she did.
The house was quiet and it was still dark. No one had any reason to get up early, so she was probably safe from having to explain herself.
When she got into her room, she let a sigh of relief seeing Chad in the same position he had been in when she left. She got in the shower to wash off the smells from the night.
Gone (Gone #1) Page 18