Borderline [On hold for major revision]

Chapter 7: Breaking in the New Boss

Dedicated to SilentDesires for providing me with interesting conversation and awesome stories to distract me while I typed this whole thing. :P

Chapter 7

Later that night my phone rang and I rushed to pick it up.

"Hello?"

A deep Southern voice came over the line. "Hey, our Caller ID says you phoned us earlier? If you're wanting to sell something, I'm afraid we're gonna have to pass for now."

I breathed a sigh of relief. That was Ryan, blunt as usual. "Hey, bro, it's Cal."

"Cal? Hi, we haven't heard from you in ages! How's it goin' down there in California? Shoot any bad guys recently?"

"Um...yeah, a few." Why did he always ask if I've shot anybody? "So where were you guys earlier when I called?"

He sighed loudly over the phone. "Well, you know how dad is. He went out hunting and got lost again. He can't even figure out where he is in his own home, I don't know what he thinks he's doing out in the woods. But anyway, he was lost for a couple days and we all went out looking for him. He's at the hospital now, a little dehydrated but nothing too serious."

I didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. I went with the one that would give me less stress. "Well, that's a relief," I said.

"Yeah, guess so." He paused. "Um, why were you so curious, by the way? Is there something wrong?"

I felt kind of guilty that they automatically thought something was wrong when I called; which, of course, something was. "Everything's fine, just...watch out, okay? It's a dangerous world out there, wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"Uh...okay then. Talk to you later, I guess?"

"Sure, bye." I hung up and returned the phone to the cradle. Could that conversation have possibly been more awkward? I think not.

Lacking something better to do I tried sleeping, but I was having trouble with it since I'd gotten over twenty hours of sleep already today. Besides, I kept thinking too much for my brain to be able to shut down.

I was starting to get worried about Hector-his paranoia had gone to a whole new level. He was so worried about being caught that the whole family had to live in a secret basement and he pointed a rifle at anyone who knocked on the door. I was scared to think of what would happen if a Border Patrol agent other than me happened to knock on the door. Would Hector kill him in the name of protecting his family? Knowing him, he probably would if he thought they were a threat.

Eventually I managed to fall asleep; I think it was around four in the morning. Even then I kept having nightmares about the Estrella family dying in some violent way. The same thing, over and over.

The next morning I woke up with a monster of a headache, and even after taking more Tylenol it stubbornly refused to go away. The incessant honking coming from my driveway wasn't helping matters. I peeked out of the blinds of my window to see Terra repeatedly pressing down on her car horn. I had been hoping to skip work again, but I supposed I wasn't going to get off that easily. I signaled from the window for her to wait a minute and quickly shrugged on my uniform. After slipping on my boots and an old Stetson hat I'd gotten as a Christmas present last year I ran out to her car and got in the passenger seat.

"Thanks for the ride," I said by way of greeting.

"Sorry, I just can't handle Tellis by my own anymore. I'd like her bad attitude to be directed at someone else for a change."

I smiled and raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

She nodded and pulled out of my driveway. We drove in silence until we reached the station.