The Color of Your Eyes

Chapter 48: Calls

"Jessy? Hey Jessy? Wake up," Hannah gently shook Jessy's shoulder who was still asleep on one of the couches in the Aurora bar.

"Huh? What? Where am I? Lia?" Jessy jerked up and looked around in confusion.

"It's okay, you were just asleep," Hannah helped Jessy get up.

"I didn't realize I fell asleep. Did I miss anything? Why is Jake here? Weren't you supposed to hide in Hannah's place?" Jessy pointed to Jake who was standing behind Hannah, with his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"Where is Thomas?!" Phil angrily went around his bar and then entered his kitchen carrying his baseball bat.

"I don't know..." Jessy trailed off in embarrassment for falling asleep during a critical moment. "Maybe he is in the basement? With Poke? Have you tried calling him?"

"Multiple times," Phil said, gritting his teeth. "I swear if I get him..."

"Hey cut it out! He is trying his best, okay?" Hannah put her hands on her waist, obviously angry towards Phil for acting so aggressively towards Thomas, who she knows, is one of the weakest members in the group, even after Dan, the one in the wheelchair.

"Stop defending that wimp you call boyfriend. Seriously Hannah, sometimes I don't know what you see in him," Phil now opens the door of his office and peeked in.

"Don't call him a wimp, he has his good qualities," Hannah stopped on Phil's way towards the storage room.

"Oh please, save me from your speech about Thomas, I don't need that right now. All I know is that Thomas had one job, one job Hannah! And seriously, I don't know why he is in this operation anyway. I mean look at him. What does he contribute anyway? I mean sure, we all are no soldiers or policemen, but Jake is a hacker, Lilly has hundreds of thousands of followers, you are a nationwide champion in swimming, Cleo knows everything and everyone in Duskwood, Dan can use guns, Jessy is smart, I know how to deal with criminals and Richy knows everything about cars. And Thomas? What can Thomas do? I don't know. Maybe screwing everything up?"

Hannah's face turned paler than normal, and she was about to say something when the door of the bar opened, and Thomas walked in, seemingly very much out of breath.

"Oh look who just strolled in," Phil exclaimed.

"Where were you?" Hannah asked.

Thomas looked up and mumbled a few words.

"Exercise? Are you kidding me?" Phil groaned. "What about my calls? Why didn't you pick up for God's sake."

Thomas made a waving motion with his hand. "Sorry, it was on mute, I know I should have picked up. Sorry."

"Sorry? That's all you have to say?" Phil asked in disbelief.

Before Thomas could react, Lilly who was on a call with Cleo puts her phone away and tried to get everyone's attention.

"Guys! Cleo and Dan are on their way, they said they found Alan sitting on a bench while they were walking here. Alan is with them. They are going to be here any minute!"

All eyes fell on Jake now. He took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said. "You guys know what to do. I will be ready once Alan has arrived."