𝗣 𝗬 𝗥 𝗢 𝗠 𝗔 𝗡 𝗜 𝗔 | BOOK THREE

F I F T E E N

[graham eaton]

Jolene sits on the stool on the opposite side of the island from me in my apartment. I make dinner--an upside down night, pancakes and bacon due to my lack of dinner foods. I need to go grocery shopping soon so that I can actually make a decent meal for once in my life, especially now that a girl will be living the apartment with me.

"I hope you don't mind pancakes," I say, flipping one. "It was all I really had on such short notice."

"I'm fine with whatever, really. You don't have to make big elaborate dinners for me just because we're gonna be living together for a while. Seriously, I eat Chinese take-out almost every other night." She says.

I spin around and smile at her.

"What do you have for dinner on the nights you aren't having Chinese food?" I ask, flipping another pancake.

She shakes her head and smiles.

"Pizza or burgers. I know, I'm disgusting." She says. "It's just so easy, especially when I have to bring something home to finish on time."

My phone rings and we both go quiet, staring at the illuminated screen. It's my father. I answer on speaker phone so I can continue to cook.

"What's the latest, Dad?" I ask, looking back at her.

"James Barker doesn't exist." He says. "Sure, people with that name combination exist, but when cross referenced with the photo you described, he isnt coming up. We've still got a Ghost."

Jolene's eyes are watery as she looks at the screen.

"James was the only name I knew him by," She says. "There was no other name to call him."

"Don't worry, Jolene, we're going to solve this. Until then, Graham will keep you safe." He says. "Just stick with him and you're safe."

She nods to me, her eyes still watery.

"I'm gonna keep searching. Zeke has a program loading right now back at the station that pulls up anyone with any similarities in facial features and flags them. I'll let you know numbers in the morning." He says. "Stay safe and call me if you need anything."

I hang up and look at her.

"He might just not be in their records yet. I promise, my Dad knows what he's doing." I say.

She nods, running her hands through her hair.

"I have no doubt in your Father's work. I just don't want you guys getting hurt trying to protect me." She says.

I shake my head.

"We aren't going to," I say. "We're trained to fight fires and the people who start them, that's what we're doing."

She exhales sharply, burying the balls of her palms into her eye sockets.

"He's going to kill me," She says weakly. "Whoever he is, he's going to kill me."

I shake my head and face her completely now.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," I say. "As long as you're with me, you're safe."

* * * * *

Jolene follows me into the station wearing a large grey fire department sweater and a pair of black leggings. She has a shoulder bag filled with portable work supplies so she can still fill her quota for the week, even on the go. She takes a seat at the table in the common area, retrieving a medium sized sketch book and a singular graphite pencil. I can tell the paper is thick, like card stock, strong enough to withstand watercolor if she decides to paint this piece. Atticus approaches me, exhaling sharply.

"You promised that you weren't going to be doing any Hero moments," He says. "Now, you're in the thick of the situation."

I walk past him to my locker.

"I didn't choose this, Atti, Dad did. If you have a problem with it, talk to Dad." I say, tired of him telling me not to take the 'Hero Moments' as he calls them.

"What does Mom think of this?" He asks, crossing his arms.

I shrug, taking a sip of water.

"Not sure if she knows or not. Either way, I'm a twenty-two year old man. I have to make my own decisions eventually." I say.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I reach for it. Dad again. I answer and raise the phone to my ear.

"Anything new, Dad?" I ask.

"The guy doesn't exist. We tried James, Jim, Johnathan, Jason, and Jacob Barker as well as Parker. People came up but he wasn't one of them. He's a Ghost." He says.

"Shit. What do I tell Jolene?" I ask.

"Tell her the truth, but the best version of the truth. She needs to know what's happening but we need to make it easier for her to understand so she doesn't freak out." He says.

I nod, watching her work on her sketchbook, wondering what masterpiece she's creating now.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll keep you updated. Call you later tonight. Bye." I say.

I hang up and tuck my phone away in my pocket. I approach her, leaning against the table.

"Hey," I say, placing my hand down beside her. "I got an update for you."

She closes the sketchbook and looks up at me.

"They didn't find him in their system, did they?" She asks.

I shake my head, sighing as I look down at her.

"He doesn't exist in their system." I say. "It might be the name. He might have given you a fake name."

She exhales, looking up at me.

"I don't understand, I mean, he's lived here his whole life other than when he went to college. He told me a story about how he shoplifted when he was a kid, broke a window running from the cops, then broke his wrist. Had to have a cast on for a few months after all of the surgeries to fix it. Has a huge scar on his left wrist." She says.

I raise an eyebrow and stand up straight. I reach down, holding out my hand for her to take.

"We've gotta leave right now to beat traffic. We can stop by and see my Dad on the way, let him know any other information you might have." I say, running through the common area to the exit.

"Wait!" She exclaims. "Where are we going?"

I spin around and smile at her.

"We're gonna go see my mom," I say. "She might be able to help us."