Tuesday Morning, Continued
The Strong Brew, the corner coffee shop Gin and I had brought Paisley and Benji to less than a week ago, was bustling with people getting coffee to go. It felt like months had passed in that time.
I’d never get coffee with Paisley here again.
The idea of eating turned my stomach, but I forced myself to get in line to order an Americano and breakfast sandwich. Food would help me keep my strength up. My whole body felt tired, like it needed me to curl up in the corner and go to sleep for one hundred years. But that had to wait.
Only Maggie mattered.
There was an open table at the back and I slid into it with my coffee and freshly panini-pressed sandwich. I’m sure the fresh egg and melted cheese was delicious. It could have been rat poison on cardboard for all that it mattered to me as I chewed automatically.
I stared at my phone, waiting for Alex to message me. A trade. Me for Maggie. Hopefully I’d have a chance to kick him in the balls after Maggie got away to safety.
Almost as if he’d known I’d been thinking about him, my phone pinged.
Go to Third and Grand.
Why? I glared at my phone.
Text me when you get there.
***
Nondescript office building surrounded me on the corner of Third and Grand. There was a blue mailbox on the corner, and a newspaper box selling the daily paper from the city. A quick glance around told me the only thing else on the corner was a small shop selling candy bars and bad coffee to the offices around it.
My sister better be okay. If you harm a single hair on her head, you’re dead.
Buy a newspaper. Check the top of the box.
The top of the box? There wasn’t anything on top of the black metal box, so I pulled a few quarters from my bag and plopped them into the money slot. I opened the box.
I leaned over and looked at the top of the box, but couldn’t see anything. I ran my fingers across the top of the interior. Bingo.
A quick twist and a manila envelope was in my hands. I shut the box behind, ignoring the newspaper I’d paid for.
My fingernails were just long enough to tear through the tape holding the box shut. Inside was a simple black cell phone.
There was a text message waiting for me.
Did you buy the newspaper on the bottom of the stack?
No.
Silly girl. Go back.
My hands trembled slightly as I fed more quarters into the newspaper box, opened the door, and pulled out the newspaper on the very bottom of the stack. I pulled it out and the new phone dinged with a text message.
Turn off your iPhone.
I glanced at my phone. It felt like a buoy, holding me to life.
Why?
Turn it off now or don’t bother looking for Maggie. You’ll never find her.
Fine.
Now leave it behind. Put it on top of the newspaper box.
Okay.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and kept the new phone in my hand.
Not in your pocket. On the newspaper box. Now.
I wheeled around, scanning the windows, cars, and pedestrians near me. No Alex. But he had to be watching.
Now.
I put my phone on top of the dark green newspaper box and I wanted to snatch it back.
Back away. Then open the newspaper.
I stepped back so I crossed the middle of the sidewalk and stopped by a red brick building. I slowly opened the paper, and pulled out the yellow sheet of paper stuck inside.