Siren's Mark

Chapter 60

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

Kami has a point. I really have to stop breaking shit.

I scrape out the last of the remaining bits of dried mortar from the missing chunk of our living room wall. Next time I punch a hole in the wall, I'm aiming for an area that's easier to fix.

I bring in the bucket of mixed cement, slip a pair of work gloves on, and use a trowel to apply a thin layer to the space where the new bricks will go. My phone buzzes on the coffee table, but I can't exactly answer it with my hands covered in blobs of grey sludge.

After the new bricks are placed, I pull off the work gloves and take a look at my phone.

The screen says: New Voicemail - Ava.

I hit play on the voicemail and put it on speaker so I can listen to her message while I clean up.

"Hey, um... so I'm coming home from the café and I'm in a bit of a tricky situation," her voice says through the speaker.

I immediately freeze upon hearing the shaky, apprehensive tone in her voice.

"I'm stuck in the alley behind Café Allegra and that guy from the bookstore is here..."

My palms clench and a cold sweat washes over me. In moments like this, my heart usually pounds, but instead, it feels like it has just stopped.

I grab my phone and keys before heading out at lightning speed.

"And I can't get back into the café so um... could you come get me?" her message continues.

I opt for the fire escape over the elevator, knowing that I can make better time on foot. The fire escape rattles and shakes as I race to the bottom, the steel reverberating with each step. In an instant, I find myself in my car, speeding out of the garage.

My mind attempts to calculate how long it will take me to reach Ava. Café Allegra is one of a few she frequents for business meetings or when she needs to get out of the house. It's about fifteen minutes away, but I think I can make it less than ten if I double the speed limit and completely disregard traffic rules.

I attempt to call Ava back while driving, but instead of the ringing I expect, her voicemail picks up immediately.

Fuck.

I try again, but again it goes straight to voicemail.

FUCK.

I can't help but feel responsible. If I hadn't been moping around the house like a bloody arsehole over this shit with Kieran, she wouldn't have felt like she needed to work out of the café. Sure, she didn't say that was the reason, but I'm sure it didn't help.

I watch the time tick forward another minute as I blow through a stoplight, leaving a chorus of angry horns in my wake.

My stomach drops and I feel an intense fear overtake me.

Something is wrong. Ava is in trouble.

I look at the clock. It's been a few minutes since Ava's call, and I'm still at least five minutes away.

Another thought hits me, and it's one that turns my stomach.

There is one other option.

Fuck.

I pick up my phone and call the only number I can think of.

"Oh, so you're talking to me again?" Kieran's voice says through the speaker.

He sounds truly baffled as to why I've called him after our less-than-amiable last encounter.

"Kieran," I say sharply. "It's Ava, she's in trouble."