Lucky Forever - Cee Bowerman Page 0,61
knew he would understand when I mentioned the horses names. We had jokingly talked about naming our mares sweet names like that and had discussed all sorts of Disney names, but decided to go with Rowdy’s theme of female singers instead. My horse was Stevie Nicks, Leia’s was Aretha because she had always loved her songs, and Leia had chosen Dolly because she loved the song “Hard Candy Christmas.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said into the phone. “Um, get me that salad I like from there. The one with the fresh raspberries on it. Would you ask them for extra raspberries since they’re my favorite? I’ll pick my tomatoes off and give them to you.”
“Someone’s there,” Rowdy whispered.
“Oh, and did you get the batteries for the emergency radios? I know Leia was messing with them and trying to call and talk to Jewel or somebody over there and the batteries were messed up.”
Beverly waved her hand, motioning for me to wrap it up.
“Are the girls safe? Are you saying they’re in the shelter?”
“Yeah, well, I’m still in the barn so I’ll just wait here for you until you come home.”
“Is it Beverly? Is she alone?”
“Yeah. You know how much I love the horses, so I’m going to let you go now. I love you so much, Rowdy. I’ll see you soon.”
I flipped the phone closed and clutched it in my hand.
“He’s on his way to pick up food and then he’s going to be here. Shouldn’t be long now.”
“Okay,” Beverly narrowed her eyes. She grabbed my phone and opened it before she bent the earpiece all the way back and snapped the phone in half. “I thought for sure you were going to warn him somehow, but I guess you’re just too stupid to figure out a way.”
‘Oh, bitch, if you only knew how good I was at being the victim who plays along until she finds a way to rescue herself and her baby, you’d have me tied up or dead by now,’ I thought to myself.
◆◆◆
ROWDY
“Holy fuck!” I yelled as I snapped my phone closed. “Fuck!”
I ran from the back room through the open area area Jace used as his studio and headed toward my truck at a dead run.
“What the hell is going on?” Hank asked me as he jumped up from the chair he had been sitting in while he visited with Jace. He put his arm out to stop me and I shoved him away.
“Beverly! She’s at the house. Sierra couldn’t say it, but she was saying weird shit and I knew something was wrong, so I guessed. She’s holding Sierra in the barn, but I think the girls are locked in the storm shelter.” I jerked to a stop and opened my phone up to call Grunt. While the phone rang, I prayed that he was home.
“Sup?” Grunt answered.
“Leia’s mother is at our house. She has Sierra in the barn. When I talked to her on the phone, she said that Leia had been playing with the radio and had run the batteries down. I think the girls are in the shelter. If they are, they’re trying to raise either you or Nicole on the walkie.”
“Fuck. Let me grab it,” Grunt’s breath was heavy as he started running and I could hear his kids yelling in the background at his house. He started yelling and I knew he was talking to his kids and not me when he said, “Get in the house and lock the fucking doors! Spruce, call Lout and Kale. Tell them to get here now and to do it quietly.”
I heard Grunt’s oldest son say, “Yessir,” and then only Grunt’s breathing again and thumping as he took the wooden stairs down into the basement of his and Shannon’s house.
I bent over and gulped down a sob when I heard my daughter’s voice saying frantically through the speaker of the radio as Grunt got closer to it, “Somebody answer me, I need help. This is Leia Lincoln. Please, somebody. Anybody. I need help. Over.”
“Baby girl, it’s Grunt,” I heard my friend say, his breathing hard. “I hear ya, honey. Are you okay?”
“We’re safe. We’re locked in the cellar. There’s a crazy fucking woman up there that says she’s my mother.”
“Okay, honey - is Lexi with you?”
“Yeah and we have a baby, too. Lexi stole it from her when I put my thumbs in her eyes just like you and Uncle Lout taught us. Then we ran down here and sealed the door.”
“Good job,