Take It On The Run

Chapter 42

POV: Avery

I took a long sip of my coffee and used a wooden spoon to scoop the eggs I'd scrambled for the guys into a large bowl. Then I pulled out my burner and dialed *67 before calling my parents' house in Savannah.

There was a good chance The Collectors were monitoring the phone lines of anyone close to us, so I couldn't talk long or have my new number come up on caller ID. I wanted my family to be able to reach me if there was an emergency, but I also couldn't risk compromising our current location.

After a few rings, my mother answered in English, her voice low and groggy. "Akira residence."

Shit. I completely forgot about the time difference. It was around three or four in the morning in Georgia.

"Ohayō, Ohukuro. Genki?" I asked. My Japanese was admittedly rusty since I didn't use it every day, not like I did at home when I was a kid.

She went from groggy to miffed in ten seconds flat. "This can't be my son, Avery, who hasn't called home in ages."

Her guilt trip worked. "Sorry, Mama. Things have been busy."

She huffed her displeasure on the other end of the line. "Why are you calling us at three in the morning? You're not in trouble, are you?"

I almost asked what she was doing up in the first place and fussed at her to get some sleep. My mother was a successful, tireless lawyer with the ACLU and only slept a few hours a night. All of her free time was dedicated to reading and dealing with cases.

I put the call on speaker, so I could butter a slice of toast and plate the bacon I'd fried. "Just checking to see how y'all are doing. Everything okay? How's Angela?"

"Your father and I are fine, but Angela is in the hospital."

My stomach lurched. "Why? What's wrong with her?"

"Your sister just gave birth. Congratulations, you're an uncle."

I paused my ministrations, staring down at the screen. "Wait, what? I thought she wasn't due for another two weeks?"

"Baby came early. We tried to reach you, but your phone was off."

I sighed, gathering the strength to lie. "Yeah, sorry about that. Someone tried to steal my identity. Had to get a new number."

"When are you flying in to meet your niece?"

"It's a girl?" I grinned, tearing up a little. "What's her name?"

"Aiko Wattson."

I snorted. "I'm surprised Greg went for that."

My brother-in-law was...well, there was no polite way to say it. Greg was a redneck. I hadn't expected him to give his daughter a Japanese name or carry on the A name tradition, but he was a really nice guy and loved the hell out of my sister. The name choice made me like him even more.

I could almost hear my mother's smile as she replied, "His family threw a fit, of course, but he agreed that both sides of her heritage should be represented."

I checked the clock on the stove. I didn't have much time if I wanted to avoid tracing. "I'll fly to Savannah as soon as I can, Ohukuro. I need to go now."

"What could you possibly need to do at this hour?"

"I need to deliver the next chapter of my book to my editor in a few hours, and I'm nowhere near done."

It was only a half lie. My editor expected chapters from me, just not today.

"You're writing again? That's nice. Something must be making you happy. Or should I say someone," she fished.