Chris was already off the couch, grabbing his jacket and reaching for his keys.
“Where are you, honey? Are you okay?” I was starting to feel the panic welling up in my chest.
Alexis whispered harshly into the phone, her voice laden with fear. “I’m fine. I just need you to come get me, please. We’re at a party.”
“A party?” My voice raised an octave, but I didn’t want to push her away. Lowering my voice I repeated, “A party? Where?”
“Down past the old furniture factory.”
Southside? She’s always known better than to go to Southside. That’s a dangerous area. “The old factory? Alexis, that’s in Southside. What are you doing all the way in Southside?”
“I know, mom. It was a mistake.” By that time, I could hear the sobs in Alexis’s voice. “Olivia’s dating a guy from Southside and wanted to sneak out to come see him, so I agreed. But she left with him. Please, mom. Come quick. I’m scared here by myself.”
Chris nodded and handed me my purse, directing his voice to the speakerphone, he assured her, “I grew up in Southside. We’ll be there as quick as we can.” Something about the sound of his voice gave me the sense that he was scared too.
I held the phone in my hand as we were walking out the door. “Okay, honey. We’ll be there soon. Can you tell me exactly where you’re at? A road? A neighborhood?”
“I don’t know, mom. I think it’s called Park-something.”
Chris’s eyes darkened and a grave look flashed across his face. His voice was stone cold when he spoke. “Parkwood Heights. Got it.” Then softening his tone, he spoke to Alexis, “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll be there soon.”
Stoic, he stalked to the car and held the door open for me. Circling to his side, he sank into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He was starting to freak me out.
His solemnness spoke volumes as he silently steered the car out of the driveway. His knuckles were white, firmly clutching the wheel. I tried not to lose it as I watched his jaw twitch in the darkness. Clearly Parkwood Heights was no place for my daughter.
The streets were lined with vehicles. Multiple duplexes stretched from one corner to the next. The neighborhood was dark. Only a few porch lights were illuminated. When we pulled up to a stop sign I noticed a few dark figures sitting in folding lawn chairs around a small fire pit.
“Don’t look,” Chris hissed. “The people in this neighborhood won’t think twice about smashing our windshield with a crowbar.”
I snapped my head forward, tearing my eyes away from the scene. My heart pounded in my chest. “Why would she come here?” I pleaded, begging for some kind of understanding.
Chris shook his head solemnly. “Teenagers do crazy things. Text her and ask where I need to turn?”
The phone shook in my unsteady hands as my fingers nervously tapped out the message. I immediately got a response.
“She said the party is near the old high school. She remembers driving by it. I guess we just look for a bunch of cars parked out front.”
“Got it,” Chris said with an unexplainable look of fear, mixed with anger and vigilance.
We pulled onto the street behind the old high school and suddenly I understood Chris’s plight. An eerie feeling washed over me as we drove down the dark and empty street. I just wanted to find my daughter and get the hell out of there. I silently thanked God when we pulled up to a house with a driveway full of cars and all the lights on as though there may be a party going on inside.
We’re here. Coming in to get you, I texted Alexis. Oh god, I hope she’s okay.
Chris pulled me out of the car and wrapped his arm around my trembling body. “Don’t worry,” he said as he closed the car door behind me. “It’s gonna be all right.”
We walked toward the front door of the house. A few guys were leaning against the railing of the front porch while a couple of girls sat on a dilapidated sofa.
“’Sup?” Chris said, nodding in their direction. “Alexis here?” The tone of his voice was deep and confident. I, on the other hand, I was shaking like a leaf under Chris’s protective arm.
“Who?” one guy asked, chugging his beer and tossing the empty bottle into the bush behind him.
There was no time for explanations. “My daughter,” Chris demanded. “I came to get my daughter.”
The guy shook his head. “Sorry, man. I don’t know anyone here by that name.”
One of the girls on the sofa giggled. “You lookin’ for that skinny white girl that Deuce been tryin’ to hook up with all night?”