Coffee & Criminals

28. The Phone Call

This sentence will be followed by a strange lookin' fellow with pouty lips. (• ε •)

Outside, the wind blew in soft gusts. Hair instantly invaded my face and I had to tuck it into a ponytail as soon as I took no less than five steps into the winding stone driveway. There were three black cars parked on the grassy area beside a line of blooming white flowers and a dark red Corvette on the opposite side. I walked to the lush garden bordering the penthouse and took a seat on the grass, blades of it tickling the palms of my hands. I was thankful to have my clothes back on again since it was so chilly. But the breath of fresh air was worth being cold for. It took some persuasion to make Wolfe unlock the doors but he gave in at the end and left to take a shower.

Even though it was a penthouse, the outside looked more like a mansion than anything else. There were only two suites, but the other was unoccupied. Wolfe's home stood alone on a sloping hill, built on higher ground and providing a stunning view all around with trees below. Manhattan sprawled in the distance, the tall skyscrapers and cold steel buildings reaching up to the greying sky above. The Brooklyn Bridge sat quietly in the horizon. It looked so far away that I felt an ache in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know whether it was because I missed home or because I didn't want to leave. In the last 24 hours, I learned more about Wolfe Sterling than government agents who were searching for the Crowns had in their whole lifetime.

Could I really go to the police after everything? I should. It was the right thing to do. I'd be a hero, plastered all over the state of New York as the girl who took down one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the country. But I'd be betraying Wolfe. How could I do that? But how could I not? The Crowns could destroy my parent's livelihood and mine. They were criminals, after all, and if they were caught then we would be in as much trouble as they were.

And then I'd never taste the magic that was Twizzlers ever again. I couldn't jeopardize something like that.

The blades of grass were tall, not having been cut in a long while. I rested my chin on my knees and pulled a few out of the ground, playing with the strands and still trying to think of a reasonable explanation as to why Mom had left me in front of the Espresso House doors and I somehow managed to disappear for an entire day and night.

Explanation. What would be a good explanation? Anything was better than saying I was shot.

Dad, I was kidnapped by aliens but they couldn't use me in experiments because my bloodstream was filled with Twizzler molecules. Aliens have a different perception of time and so that is why I was gone for so long. They don't have phones or cellular reception because, duh, they're from outer space.

Mom, I accidentally took acid and tried to swim across the New York Harbor because Lady Liberty and I are in love and getting married. I was detained by the police overnight for questioning and they released me just this morning.

Dad, I was stuck in traffic. And before you ask, yes, it did take me 24 hours to finally get out. This is Brooklyn, after all.

Mom, I was trying to do a winged eyeliner and lost track of time. I mean, beauty can't be rushed.

Dad, time is an illusion and nothing is real.

Mom, in Soviet Russia, you're the one who went missing.

Oh man, I was so screwed. I was screwed harder than a pornstar. I was screwed so much, a screwdriver couldn't unscrew me because I was screwed so tightly. I was screwed more than the screws on a rollercoaster. And like a rollercoaster, I was going to be taking a dive pretty soon. Except I'd be taking a dive into a mountain of trouble and a life sentence of being grounded forever-