Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
She was quiet so long Jeremy feared she’d gone into shock, but at last she offered a hoarse, “I’ll call you back,” and hung up.
She sat silent for another twenty seconds, still leaning forward over her knees with her forehead pressed to the seatback in front of her. Jeremy was dimly aware of the floozies hovering in the aisle and Cat’s hands resting oh-so-gently on Laila’s shoulders; he couldn’t look away from Laila’s downturned face or the curls that hid her expression to look at any of them.
Laila barely got a hand up in time to smother a sob. Cat grabbed her in a fierce embrace, cradling Laila’s head to her shoulder. “Babe,” she tried. “Laila, what’s going on?”
Laila didn’t answer, but Jeremy didn’t expect her to. Laila hated losing control with an audience, preferring to lick her wounds in private. Jeremy had known her for three years before she finally trusted him with her hurts; showing Cat her vulnerability was still an ongoing struggle despite how much Laila loved her. He didn’t know if Cat could reach her now, so he had to try.
Jeremy crouched in the aisle so he could reach her easier. She had a death grip on her phone still, so he caught hold of her knee and gave it a careful squeeze. “Hey,” he said, keeping his tone as even as he could. “Laila, tell me what happened.”
Her hand was trembling when she let go of her face. She caught hold of Cat’s arm in a white-knuckled grip but turned her too-wet gaze on Jeremy. He watched her jaw work, watched her swallow her grief and horror with obvious effort. Her voice was still a touch too frail when she said, “They’ve burned the house down. Our house.”
He heard the words, but he couldn’t digest them. All he could do was stare blankly at her and wait for something that made sense. Laila’s expression fractured, but she maintained desperate control as she looked up at Rhemann. “Coach, please leave me in Cedar City. My uncle says there’s a regional airport there. He’ll send his jet to collect me if you’re willing, and he’ll fax your office any paperwork you need to relinquish me from your care.”
“Wait one,” Rhemann said, and went up front to confer with the drivers.
Cat finally found her voice. “Burned it down,” she echoed, in a tone Jeremy had never heard from her before. “You aren’t serious. The house? What do you mean they burned the house down? Babe. Laila.”
Laila briefly pressed her knuckles to her chin, fighting for a calm she could barely find. “Security has footage of three men throwing something through the living room window seconds before the alarms went off. I don’t—” Laila sucked in a slow breath and tried again. “The firefighters are still working, so Gary can’t go in, but he says it’s going to be a total loss. It’s been burning too long.”
Rhemann returned to say, “We can detour at Cedar City, but we’re still about three hours out. I’m not sure how many seats you’ll have available, but I assume all of you will be getting off.” He glanced at Cat, then looked over Jeremy’s head at Jean. “Do you need or want one of us to go with you?” He gestured toward himself to indicate the coaches.
“Gary will pick us up at the airport in LA,” Laila said as she called her uncle back. “We don’t need you.”
It was a rude way to refuse, but considering the circumstances Rhemann didn’t take offense at her poor wording. He waited in silence while Laila hashed out the details. Flight time to Cedar City was about as long as the drive south from their current location, so Laila could get off the bus and onto the plane almost immediately. It would get her to Los Angeles at least three hours ahead of the Trojans: way too late to save her home, but significantly better than sitting helpless on a bus with so many witnesses to fret over her. Her uncle’s jet could fit six, and the glance Laila flicked Jeremy said she expected him on it with her.
“Thank you, Coach,” Laila said when she hung up at last.
“Let me know if we can help,” Rhemann said, and retreated to give her space.
Cat was still staring at Laila like she didn’t know her, and her quiet, “All of it?” broke Jeremy’s heart. “It’s all gone?”
Laila dragged Cat into a short, fierce hug, then motioned for Jeremy to give her space. “I’ll get us some answers, one way or another,” she said, getting up when Jeremy returned to his seat. She moved toward the front of the bus, phone at her ear. It felt an eternity before her call connected, and Jeremy knew she’d called her mother when her strident demands came out in Arabic. Cat stared after the stiff line of her back, looking forlorn, but Cody leaned over the seatback to wrap their arms around Cat’s shoulders.