Page 36 of The Flight Risk

I whisper, “I should get that. It might be Lottie.”

Another frustrated growl comes out of Oakley’s chest as he rests his head on my bare shoulder, setting it on fire. I feel his fingers loosen and I miss them around my neck instantly. I fumble for my phone and glance at the screen. Sure enough, it’s Lottie.

“Hello?” I answer the call. All I can hear is blasting music. I press a finger against my other ear. Lottie is kind of whispering and I have no idea what she’s saying. “Hello? Lottie? I can barely hear you.”

“Aunt Tess, can you come and get me? I’m sorry I lied to you. I didn’t think the party would get this out of control.”

The combination of panic and the word “party” sends me into my own spiral. Stay calm. You are the adult in this situation. “Are you okay?” I look at Oakley and his body tenses. He knows something is wrong, too.

Now I can tell that she’s crying and a pit in my stomach sinks deeper when Lottie says, “Green Jellybean.”

Shit. “Okay, I will be right there.” I hang up, then frantically stand up, wobbling a little. “I need to find my keys.”

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Oakley gets up slowly from the couch and limps slightly.

“That was Lottie. She asked me to come and get her. She sounded scared, like she was crying. Plus she used our code word. Green jellybean.” He looks perplexed. “It's her least favorite jellybean flavor. It just means that it’s an emergency. I need to go get her. Now.”

He presses his large hand against my shoulder. “You’re not driving.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m fine to drive.” I locate my keys from within my mess of a tote, which I swing onto my shoulder. Then my keys get swiped from my hand.

Oakley dangles them in front of my face. “You’re not fine to drive. You’ve been drinking. I’ll drive you there. Send me the location and I’ll put it in my GPS.” He turns and walks toward the front door.

I maneuver my way around his bulky frame and spread my entire body up against the door, blocking him from going any further. “Oakley, you have to leave early tomorrow for a game. I can’t ask you to drive me.”

He picks me up with ease and sets me aside so he can unlock the door. “You’re not asking. I’m telling you that I’m going to drive you and we’ll get Lottie. Together.”

He is locked in and has the same fierce look on his face that he does when he is guarding the goal on the ice. Not backing down. Not budging. Not taking no for an answer. His protective nature has been fully activated and I know he isn’t deactivating it anytime soon. I end my attempt to get my keys back and scurry out to my car.

I share the location with Oakley. He presses the GPS to start the route to this apparent house party.

When we merge onto the highway, Oakley breaks the silence. “I thought she was at a sleepover.”

“So did I. But it sounded like a party in the background.” Suddenly, a sense of dread fills my chest. How many parents don’t know their child is at a house party where the odds of underage drinking and god knows what else is happening? I never thought Lottie would lie to me.

Oakley’s hand clenches around the steering wheel and I wish I could read his mind. I’ve never seen him so angry and concerned. We stay silent the majority of the car ride until we turn onto the street where Lottie’s friend, Sophie, lives. Cars line the entire street and it’s obvious there is a party at the exact location Lottie sent me. “Maybe find a parking spot down the street so we can easily get out of here.”

All Oakley does is nod, stern look still plastered onto his face. Silent.

Once we get to the door, we don’t bother to knock. Clearly these kids don’t care about any type of security and their lack of awareness of who just entered the house is astonishing. I thought for sure these teenagers would recognize Oakley with his enormous 6’7” body. There have been a few glances in his direction, but I fear these kids are too intoxicated to put two and two together.

I tug on his shirt because it’s impossible to hear anything in this noise. I can’t believe that I used to do this with my own friends. We were young and reckless and didn’t think twice about the consequences of anything we were doing. I scan the entire downstairs area but don’t spot Lottie anywhere. I feel myself getting dizzy. Where the hell is she? Oakley leans down and I say, “We need to find Sophie.”

We scope the entire downstairs again and are about to make our way upstairs when I spot Sophie’s blonde hair. I bee-line to the completely clueless Sophie. I don’t alert Oakley but he’s still right behind me. I can feel his body heat and warmth. It’s like he’s my own personal bodyguard.

I tap on Sophie’s shoulder and when she whips around, her face drops. Her hazy eyes clear when she realizes an adult has infiltrated her foolproof security system.

“Where is Lottie?” I yell, partly so she can hear me but also because I’m so upset.

“Oh my god, please don’t tell my parents.” Her scared eyes dart from me to Oakley, knowing that she’s in so much trouble.

I scoff, “Oh, trust me. I’m telling your parents about you having a party with plenty of underage drinking going on. I’m a cool aunt but not that cool. Where. Is. She?”

She points upstairs. “The last time I saw her, she was going upstairs with a senior football player. That’s all.”

My heart plummets to my stomach. When I turn around, Oakley is already halfway up the stairwell.

Oakley and I open every bedroom and bathroom door. Empty. Empty. Empty. What if she left the party with that guy? I will never forgive myself. Oakley is scanning yet another empty room when I turn the doorknob on the last bedroom, and it’s locked.