The Probability of Violet and Luke

Chapter 16

Luke

She’s scaring the shit out of me. She won’t talk. Will barely move. I have to lift her back into the truck. Once I get her inside and get the door shut, I climb in the driver’s side then pick up her phone off the seat, which has been ringing since she dropped it.

“Hello?” I answer, my arm moving around Violet as she lowers herself down onto the seat and puts her head on my lap. She clutches onto my jeans, still not moving, barely blinking as she stares ahead into nothingness as if she’s completely and utterly lost.

“Who is this?” someone asks on the other end of the line.

“Luke… Price.”

“Oh…” He sounds uneasy. “This is Detective Stephner. Is Violet there with you?”

“She is but she can’t talk right now,” I tell him, smoothing my hand over her head, which seems to be helping, her breathing settling just a little bit, but her eyes are still so hollow. “What exactly did you say to her?”

“I’m not at liberty to tell you that.” He pauses. “Are you guys back in Laramie yet?”

I glance at the road in front of us. “No, we’re headed back now and are about halfway there... why?”

“Well, I would suggest turning around and taking Violet with you to stay somewhere just for a few days,” he says. “Just until we can get some answers about someone.”

I continue to run my fingers up and down Violets cheek and she nuzzles into my touch. “Does this have anything to do with my mother?” I ask quietly.

“You need to talk to Violet. That’s all I’m going to say,” he replies in a formal tone. “Have her call me as soon as she calms down.”

“Okay,” I tell him then we hang up and I put the phone on the dashboard and stare down at her; her head on my lap, her eyes so full of fear. “Baby do you want to talk about it?” I ask, fighting to keep my voice even. I don’t want to push her, but I’m desperate to know if this has to do with my mother.

She shakes her head and closes her eyes as my fingers brush through her hair. “No, not yet.”

My hand pauses in her hair. “The detective… he said maybe it’d be better if you stayed away from Laramie for a bit.”

“Okay, you can leave me on the side of the road.” She’s not joking either. In fact, she sounds hopeful that I’ll do it.

I’m not sure how long I stay parked on the side of the freeway, trying to figure out what to do—where to take her. Back to Vegas? I don’t want to do that, don’t want to go back to that kind of environment. There’s only one other choice, one I have to swallow up what little pride‘s left, before I take out the phone and dial my dad’s number. He answers after two rings and I sputter it out before I back out.

“Hey, I need another favor.”