Chapter 5 - A Mother’s Broken Song
The black Suburban cruised down the secondary coastal highways beneath heavy gray rainclouds, bypassing state police checkpoints through narrow country backroads. In the backseat, Ellie had fallen asleep against June's arm, her tiny fingers clutching the silver coin Dominic had given her. June looked down at the child, tears welling in her eyes as she pulled the old flip phone from the lamb backpack. It was 11:58 AM. Every single day for seven months, the phone rang at exactly noon. Dominic glanced at the dashboard clock, noticing June's anxious expression. ""Who calls at noon?"" he asked quietly. ""Her mother,"" June whispered, brushing a stray curl from Ellie's forehead. ""Megan. She works two shifts cleaning rooms at the Grand Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. She gets a fifteen-minute lunch break, and she spends every second of it talking to Ellie. If she calls and nobody answers, she’s going to lose her mind with worry."" Dominic nodded toward the phone. ""Answer it. But do not tell her where we are. Just tell her there was bus trouble and you'll be there before sunset."" At precisely 12:00, the old green button lit up, playing a tinny nursery rhyme chime. June flipped the plastic casing open with shaking fingers and pressed it to her ear. ""Megan? Baby, we're okay."" ""Mom?"" A young woman's frantic voice burst through the receiver, breathless and full of panic. ""Mom, where are you guys? The news is saying there was a shootout on a charter bus outside Richmond! They said people ran into the woods, and there was blood everywhere! Mom, please tell me you weren't on that bus!"" June choked back a sob, looking desperately at Dominic. Dominic reached back, gently taking the phone from her hand and placing it to his ear. ""Megan,"" Dominic said with absolute authority and calm assurance. ""My name is Dominic. Your mother and your daughter are sitting right behind me in a bulletproof vehicle. They are completely safe, unhurt, and under my personal protection."" ""Who are you?!"" Megan screamed, terror turning into fury. ""What have you done to my baby? If you hurt them, I swear to God—"" ""Listen to me,"" Dominic interrupted, his voice dropping into a deep, reassuring baritone. ""Your little girl saved my life two hours ago. That makes her family to me. Nobody hurts my family. Some very bad men tried to do something terrible on that bus, but it's over now. We are heading south toward you right now. But Paul’s people might have checked passenger manifests. Does anyone at your hotel know you have family coming from Philly?"" Silence fell on the other end, followed by a sharp intake of breath. ""A man... a man in a dark suit came to the front desk twenty minutes ago,"" Megan whispered, her voice trembling violently. ""He was asking for housekeeping records, asking about June Harper's daughter. I hid in the linen closet. Dominic... what is happening?"" Dominic’s jaw clenched. Paul’s reach had stretched all the way to Virginia Beach. ""Stay hidden in that linen closet, Megan. Lock the door from the inside and do not come out for anyone except me or your mother. We will be there in two hours. And after today, nobody will ever threaten your family again.""
