Chapter Thirty-Two RUSSELL
Chapter Thirty-Two
RUSSELL
I glanced over at Paisley’s brother. “She’s at your family’s vacation place, and your friend is there. Why the fuck didn't you warn her about him?”
“He won't hurt her,” Ryder said quickly.
“Are you sure about that?” I was furious and strung tight with worry.
“Look, I know he won't hurt her,” he insisted.
“You better fucking be right. Now, do you want me to call her back?”
“When did she leave the message?” he asked.
“Right as we were landing.”
“I don't want you to call if she's at the summer house.”
He was driving, and we were zooming down the highway. Ryder had insisted on driving because he knew where he was going. Even though I'd wanted to argue, he had a point.
“If she left around twenty minutes ago and was headed to pick up pizza, where would she be now?” I asked.
“Probably at the pizza place.”
“I’m calling.”
I tapped the screen to return her call, and Paisley answered on the second ring. Relief slammed through me, seizing my breath in my lungs for a moment.
“Paisley! Where are you?”
“I'm at the pizza place,” she explained. “I was trying to decide if I should stay here or go back to the summer house.”
“I'm with your brother. Please stay at the pizza place.”
“I'm a little worried that if I don't go back, Todd’s going to wonder where I am. How far away are you guys?”
I moved the phone away from my mouth. “ETA?”
“About forty minutes, and that's if we don't get pulled over for speeding.”
Paisley heard his answer and replied, “If I wait that long, he’s definitely going to wonder.”
“Paisley, I don't want you to go back there.”
“Todd won't hurt me,” she insisted.
“People do weird shit when they feel like they’re in over their head.”
She didn’t respond to that. “You need to tell Ryder our father knows what’s up. Just put me on speaker, so I can explain.”
I did as she asked, lifting the phone away from my ear and holding it in my palm. “Paisley has something to tell you,” I said as I glanced at him.
Her voice came through the speaker, and my heart clenched. “Dad knows, Ryder. He hasn't told Mom because he’s hoping you'll do the right thing. Also, it doesn’t look like we’ll be doing anything fun for Mom and Dad’s anniversary.”
“Fuck,” Ryder hissed. He bounced his fist lightly on the steering wheel. “And what's the right thing?”
“He's off the case, and they've told him they'll negotiate a deal with you if you testify. If you’re wondering, I didn’t tell him anything. He figured it out on his own.”
I watched as her brother clenched a fist and released it. “I'm gonna have to figure out what to do, but right now, I don’t want you to go back to the summer house.”
“What's Todd going to do? He knows where I am, and he knows what I'm driving.”
“Stay put, or go to the grocery store. Just go somewhere public,” her brother replied.
“You're an asshole. You know that, right?” Paisley responded, her voice tight. “What the hell is going on? I got that call from Todd, and I'm stressing about you.”
“Paisley, I couldn't tell you what was going on. I didn't want you to know everything. I sure as hell didn't think you were going to hop on a plane from Alaska and try to do something by yourself. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“What the hell, Ryder?” she countered. I could hear the tears in her voice, and my heart ached.
“This whole thing is a mess, and I just want you to be okay. I'm not going to go back to the summer house. I’m starving, so I’ll eat here.
After that, I'll go to the grocery store or something. What are you going to do?”
“Go talk to Todd.”
“Why don't you call Dad?”
“And let the police deal with us? Because Todd’s my friend,” Ryder replied quietly.
“Yeah, but you're both in over your head, I think,” Paisley replied, her voice softening. “Can you put me off speaker, Russell?”
I immediately did as she asked and lifted the phone to my ear. “You okay?” I asked immediately.
“Not really. I want to talk, but not right now.”
“Same here, but we're in the middle of a situation right now.”
“We are.”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
“Can you keep my brother from doing anything stupid?”
“You got it.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Paisley I loved her, but now didn’t feel like the time.
“So let’s talk later after this whole thing is sorted out, okay?”
“Definitely. I’ll talk to you soon.”
After we ended the call, I slipped my phone into my pocket.
I stared ahead at the highway, watching the lines as they rolled by while I gathered my thoughts.
“Here's the thing. I'm not gonna let you call the shots tonight. Maybe I don't have all the details on how you ended up in this fucked-up situation, but for once, you need to do the right thing for Paisley, for yourself, for your father, and for your friend, even if he’s not thinking clearly. Call your father, figure out who you need to call, and then put a stop to this right now.”
Her brother was dead silent for a full two minutes before he finally said, “Okay.”
I was wound too tight with worry to relax. “I think I know Paisley pretty well, but obviously, you've known her longer than me. Do you think she’ll stay away from the summer house, or will she go back anyway?”
“Paisley’s sensible, so I think she’ll stay away until she hears otherwise from us. I don't think Todd would do anything to hurt her, but he might try to use her for leverage. It’s definitely best for her not to be there.”
He reached for his phone, where it was resting in the cup holder between the seats.
I listened while he called his father and then called someone else.
The car ride felt endless. I was annoyed, and my heart ached.
I was mostly tied up in knots with worry for Paisley.
Because until I knew she was okay, she wasn't okay.
I also knew she was torn up over what was going on with her brother.
I was relieved her brother was doing the right thing.
Until I heard him say, “Excuse me, what? Fuck. I'm going there.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked as his phone clattered into the cupholder.