White is for Virgins

Chapter 31

"I can't have you here, then," she said.

"But Nina, who's gonna hel–" I started.

"It's a Monday, honey. It's always slow on Mondays. The last thing I need is two contagiously-diseased teenagers around my health center, while I'm pregnant," she reasoned, trying not to sound hurtful but insistent.

"Okay Nina, I'll take her home then," Fox nodded, hooking my arm with his and pulling me toward the door. I felt horrible for leaving her, but she was right. I didn't want to get her sick, too.

"Rest up, my babies!" she called. In Fox's car I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes, ready to get back home to bed and sleep the day away. Fox cleared his throat painfully. When I opened my eyes, we were on the highway.

"Um," I started, clearing my throat as well, "where are we going?"

"I tracked down Carlos," he said. As if it was a normal thing to say. Nuh. Uh. I stared at him open-mouthed, processing what he'd just said. He'd found Carlos, possibly Nina's baby's father... and we were going to see him.

"Don't you think we could do this some other time? Maybe when we're both in our right minds?" I said, feeling a fit of coughs coming on.

"When Emery? Nina will think we're up to something and I have to finish my hours at the center anyway, you have the daycare to worry about – this is the perfect time." He was right. There was no way we were going to get such a great opportunity again in the near future.

"What if he's at work or something?" I asked.

"I have his work address," he responded easily.

"What're you? The FBI? How'd you pull this off?" I questioned suddenly.

He smirked. "I know people, who know people."

"Yeah, and those people know people," I continued, "who stalk other people and kill everyone that knows about them. You just brought me into some kind of master plan that I have no desire to be in, buddy."

"Emery, nobody's killing anybody. The only master plan here involves convincing Carlos to talk to Nina," he said, merging onto the fast lane and picking up speed.

"How long's the ride?" I asked tiredly.

"Long."

"Like 10 minutes long or an hour long?" I clarified, closing my eyes and resting the seat back.

"The latter."

"Goodnight then, sir," I yawned, massaging my throat and turning on my side.

***

When I was woken up, we had arrived to a large glass corporate building. I assumed this to be the place of Carlos's new job. "We're not in Hamford anymore," I mumbled, stretching out of the car. Fox chuckled, taking hold of my elbow to steady me when things got dizzy. I coughed and thanked him quietly, following him inside the building.

"Boston, Massachusetts, actually," he informed me.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Quite the commute from his girlfriend."

"Hey, I think they could make it work," I insisted.

"It'd be expensive."

"Yeah, well if they love each other it shouldn't," I coughed, "be a problem." Approaching the secretary in the large marble lobby, I shivered. We asked for Carlos Menendez and were told to take the elevators to the twenty-first floor.