Page 97 of Losers, Part II
With my phone in my hand, I felt braver. But I swore I was hearing things. After the doorbell rang a second time, a long silence followed in which I was almost certain I heard the creek of a footstep downstairs. But it was impossible. The door was locked. The alarm was set.
But what if...
Dialing Manson’s number, I tried to calm myself down as I listened to it ring. He was an old man. I could defend myself. He wasn’t a supervillain, he couldn’t just blast through a locked door —
“Hey, angel. You okay?”
Manson’s voice sounded groggy with sleep. I hadn’t even bothered to check the time. My intention had been to sound calm, but that wasnotwhat came out of my mouth.
“Your dad is at my house,” I blurted, the words shaking and far too loud with panic. “I mean he’s...he’s outside. He —”
“Is your door locked?” It sounded like Manson was moving, his words short and clipped. But calm. I didn’t understand how he managed to stay so damn calm.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s locked. The alarm is set. He was watching me take out the trash and then he...” As if I could exhale the trembling fear from my body, I slowly breathed out through my mouth. “He followed me to the door. He’s been ringing the doorbell.”
“I’ll be right there.” There was muffled conversation on the line, rustling fabric, and the sound of a door slamming shut. “Jason and I will be there in five minutes, okay?”
***
By the time Jason andManson arrived minutes later, Reagan was gone.
“There’s no sign of him,” Jason said, after he’d driven around the neighborhood for a while. Manson had stayed with me, holding me in his arms as we laid in bed. He almost had to pry the kitchen knife out of my clenched fist when he arrived.
Now that Jason had returned, I finally felt like I was safe again in my own house. Reaching out for him, I grabbed his shirt as he came close and dragged him down onto the bed. He snuggled up tight against my side and Manson adjusted his arms to make room for both of us.
“Will you stay here tonight?” I said. “My parents won’t be back until tomorrow evening, so...”
“Of course we will,” Manson said, and Jason nodded in agreement.
“We need to start keeping you at our place,” Jason said. He’d wrapped his arms tight around me, his hand resting in such a way that he was holding my breast. He squeezed, sighing in contentment before he said, “I don’t know how you can keep your own hands off these; they’re so soft.”
Laughing, I said, “Do you really think I’m going to walk around playing with my own titties all day?”
Jason nodded enthusiastically. “Uh, yeah? I would, if I had tits that nice. My hand would be down my shirt all damn day.”
“Instead of down your pants all day?” Manson said, and Jason gave a mocking laugh.
“Very funny, asshole, but untrue. My hand is downVincent’spants all day, thank you very much.”
As they went on teasing each other, I drifted off to sleep. I was still shaken up, uncertain now of where I could expect danger to be lurking. But I liked Jason’s idea; how he’d so casually mentioned keeping me at their place.
That was exactly where I wanted to be.