42. Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-two
Phoebe
Deacon was taking no chances with my safety. Until we got things settled with Richie, my walks were history. As much as I enjoyed my daily ritual, I didn’t have a problem with it. Me driving to work set both our minds at ease.
It had been two days since Jennifer’s middle-of-the-night visit, and Deacon had been on edge since. We had an appointment to speak with a lawyer tomorrow, and I hoped it would mark the beginning of the end.
Since Hailey needed a ride home, having my car at the shop worked out well this evening. She chattered away as we went through our end-of-the-day routine, cleaning and packing up leftovers. She was taking a box of muffins home to her siblings, and I had a few of Deacon’s favorites.
I couldn’t make Richie go away, but I could give Deacon cookies.
“Are you seeing my brother tonight?” Hailey asked as I locked the door.
“Every night,” I replied. “After I drop you off, I’m meeting him at Joy’s. She’s got him fixing a cabinet for her. It’s really just an excuse to get him there so she can lay her eyes on him.”
Hailey hummed. “I don’t know why Aunt Joy couldn’t have been our mom. Think of how different our lives would have turned out.”
I bumped her with my shoulder. “I don’t know, sweetheart. Seems like your and Deke’s lives are pretty rosy these days. The Spellmans adore you.”
“Yeah, they do.” She grinned. “And you adore my brother.”
“No doubt about that.”
We walked around the back of my car together, the setting sun still warming the air. As I popped the trunk, Hailey slung her backpack off her shoulder with a grunt. The sheer size of it never failed to amaze me. I had no idea how she lugged it around, and what was inside would remain a mystery for the ages.
I reached up to close the trunk, and something hard jabbed into my lower back, freezing me in place.
Hailey yelped.
An arm snaked around my throat, locking me in a crushing grip. Hot breath blew against my ear. “Get in the truck.”
My blood ran cold.
“Richie?” Hailey’s voice was strangled with disbelief. “What the hell are you doing?”
He yanked me tighter against his chest. “You too, Hailey. Both of you. Get in the truck, or I shoot her. I only need one of you.”
My breath caught. The pressure against my spine pressed in harder.
A gun.
It had to be.
I slid my eyes toward Hailey. Her face was flushed, gaping in shock as she stared at her brother.
“You don’t have to do this,” I rasped. He wasn’t cutting off my air, but his hold made it hard to speak. “Let’s talk to Deacon about this.”
Hold the line.
“I’ll talk to him once I have you somewhere safe,” Richie snapped, the barrel digging into my back. “You don’t move, I’ll put a bullet in her head and take you anyway. You think Deacon’ll keep you around after that? Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Fine! I’ll get in the truck.” Hailey scrambled backward, and before I could tell her not to, she climbed into the truck.
They always said to never go to a second location, but there was no way I would let Richie take Hailey without me. If I went with them, I could protect her.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll come.”
Richie shoved me into the back seat, closing the door behind me. I lunged for the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. He must’ve had the child locks engaged.
He hopped in the driver’s seat and took off down Main Street like a bat out of hell, careening around a corner, nearly mowing down a pedestrian. In less than a minute, he took us away from the heart of town and onto a country road. During that time, I strapped Hailey and myself in, having zero trust in Richie’s ability not to crash into a ravine.
The only weapon I had was my voice. Richie wasn’t a reasonable man, but I had to try.
“This is a terrible idea,” I said, keeping my tone even.
“Fuck off.” He stared daggers at me through the rearview mirror, his knuckles white against the wheel.
I held his gaze, unflinching. “Deacon will never forgive you. Neither of them will.”
His pupils were pinpricks—wired. He’d taken something before setting off on this disaster of a kidnapping.
Hailey’s hand shot across the seat, latching onto mine. I squeezed back. We were in this together, for better or worse.
He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “He should’ve just done what I’d asked him to do.”
He flung both arms into the air, letting go of the wheel, sending my heart into my throat.
The truck swerved, tires spitting gravel as we hit the narrow shoulder. My body lurched sideways, my seat belt digging into my shoulder. At the last second, Richie grabbed the wheel and yanked us back onto the asphalt, overcorrecting so violently the truck fishtailed before steadying.
“All he had to do was drive a truck, drop off a package, and be done with it,” he ranted, taking his eyes off the road to glare at me. “I would’ve given him a cut. But no. Prison made him noble or some shit.”
“I never want to see you again,” Hailey vowed, her chin jutting bravely. “If I have kids one day, I’m going to tell them I have one brother and that’s all.”
Richie slapped his chest. “Aw, Hailes, don’t break my heart. You’ll be all right. I don’t wanna hurt you, kid. It’s just bad luck you were with Deke’s girl.”
“Done,” she hissed. “You talk about bad luck, but you’re the idiot who decided to start selling drugs or whatever garbage you’re mixed up in. Like Mom and Dad were great role models.” She shook her head, curling her lip in disgust. “ Gawd , how dumb are you?”
He slammed the heel of his hand down on the wheel over and over, the truck wobbling with every hit. “Shut up, shut up, shut up ! I’m the one with the gun here. That means I’m in charge. Stop running your little mouth—it’s quiet time until I say you can talk.”
Richie was unraveling fast.
I gave Hailey’s hand a firm squeeze, then tapped my lips with my finger. She swallowed hard, her nostrils flaring, but nodded.
There was no point in trying to talk to him. Not now.
Hold the line.
In the suffocating silence, I planned. No matter what happened, Hailey needed to get away from Richie. If I could create a diversion after we arrived at our destination, she might have a chance to run.
I just have to wait for the time to be right.
Beside me, Hailey stiffened as we turned onto a rutted dirt road. The path jostled us with every deep divot leading toward a cluster of buildings, each more dilapidated than the last. It’d been years since she’d lived with her parents, but the way her breath hitched, I knew she recognized the Slater compound.
It was worse than I’d imagined.
Dust swirled around us as Richie rolled past rusted-out junkers, their skeletal frames lining the path like some kind of ramshackle gate, trash blowing around like tumbleweeds.
The main building looked to be made of corrugated metal, and the few windows were smudged or broken, some completely boarded up. Three smaller wooden structures huddled nearby. One had half its roof missing. The others leaned precariously, like a stiff breeze might finally put them out of their misery.
I turned to Hailey. Our eyes met, and I mouthed my plan to her. After a beat, she nodded in understanding. She’d be ready when the time was right.
Richie yanked the wheel hard to the right, whipping us around the main building before gunning it toward a small, lopsided shack.
"Slow down," I mouthed. Hailey’s fingers dug into mine. "Slow down, slow down—"
The last one tore from my throat in a scream, matching the truck's brakes as it jerked and skidded.
Hailey’s hand clung hard to mine. I grabbed the handle above my door and slammed my eyes closed, bracing for an impact that never came.
We stopped.
I didn’t have a chance to catch my breath. Richie pried my door open, waving his gun in my face.
“In there, both of you,” he ordered, jerking his head in the direction of the shack.
I slid out, pulling Hailey with me. Her body trembled against mine, her grip on my hand ironclad.
Richie stayed close, the barrel pressing into my spine.
He shoved me past the door and yanked it closed behind him. “Hailey, go stand in the corner. Phoebe, sit your ass in that chair. We’re gonna get you nice and comfortable, then we’ll make a call to my brother.”
Hailey hesitated, and Richie flashed his gun to her. “Remember, kid, I only need one of you. If you’re gonna cause me trouble, you’ll become the disposable one.”
Her breath came out hard like he’d punched her. “Don’t hurt Phoebe.”
“Don’t give me any reason to.”
“Go,” I whispered, pulling my hand from hers. “It’ll be okay, sweetheart.”
Hold the line.
She trudged to the corner, never once taking her eyes off her brother. He chuckled, scratching his head with his gun.
“Always were a good girl, Hailes. Keep it up, and everyone will get outta here in one piece.”
His attention snapped back to me, and he shoved me toward a chair, one of three around a grimy table. A few shelves lined the walls, stacked with unmarked boxes, but there wasn’t much else.
"Sit."
I dropped onto the chair, my pulse hammering.
Richie moved behind me. “Give me your hands, girl,” he ordered, the muzzle of the gun digging into the base of my skull. “Hold on to the back of the chair.”
I didn’t want to. God, did I not want to. But this might’ve been my moment. If Richie was going to tie me up, he’d need both hands to do it—that meant he’d have to put the gun down.
When he did, Hailey could get away.
Slowly, I wrapped my fingers around the ladder back of the chair. Richie yanked my wrists together, something rough sliding over my hands. He pulled hard, the binding slicing into my skin.
My heart galloped.
I sucked in a sharp breath and yelled.
“Run, Hailey! Go, go, go!”
She bolted before I got all the words out, whizzing by us and out the door in a flash. At the same time, I slammed my head backward with as much force as I could muster, ramming into what felt a lot like Richie’s chin.
Something cracked, and Richie grunted, then went crashing onto his ass.
Stars detonated, shooting across my vision. It didn’t matter, though. Hailey was gone.
“Bitch,” Richie roared. “What’d you go and do that for? We had an understanding.”
He staggered to his feet, gripping his chin. A dark satisfaction bloomed inside me despite the throbbing in my head. I’d hit him hard , even with my arms tied behind my back.
“Now I gotta go chase her down.” He turned, half stumbling, but steadied more and more with each step.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Hold the line .
“You better not leave me here, Richie.” I bounced in the chair, scooting it across the filthy floor. “If you go after her, I’m not going to be here when you get back.”
He whirled around to look at me, then twisted back to the door, torn on what he should be doing.
I scooted and bounced the chair to draw his attention to me. Hailey needed more time to get off the compound, and I was determined to do anything to give it to her.
“You said yourself you only need one of us,” I reminded him. “Call Deacon. Tell him you have me. Your brother loves me. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe.”
A flicker of uncertainty passed through his eyes.
Good.
I just had to keep him here long enough.
“Fuck,” he muttered, pacing a tight circuit near the door. “Fine. We’ll play it your way. Besides, it’ll take Hailey all day to walk back to town. By then, it’ll all be over anyway.”
He narrowed his eyes, pinning me with a hard glare as he placed his gun on the table. “Are you going to be a good girl, Phoebe Kelly?” He picked up the end of my braid and methodically wrapped it around his fingers.
“I’ll cooperate.”
He let my braid unravel. “Let’s call my brother then.”