“I’m not sure who that message came from, but I promise you that I will find out.”
Her head lifts and she looks me in the eyes. “I can’t go home. I can never go home again.”
Why? What the hell happens in that house? What does he do to her that has her so scared of her own home? It doesn’t make any sense. “Can you tell me why you can never go home?”
“Because I’m scared. But, he’ll find me if I stay in Redwood. I know he will.” Her eyes hold sadness, but deeper than that, they hold hope. She wants more than this life she was given. We’ll say goodbye in a week and before long, she’ll be a distant memory because she deserves to find happiness.
“Then you won’t. I think I have an idea.” I take her hand in mine. “C’mon.”
“Where are we going?”
“Someplace where you’ll be safe." I’m about to do something that I never thought I would have to do. I have to betray my friends. “I have to make a call real quick.” Opening the passenger door, I wait until she climbs in before I close it.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and tap the first name on my contact list—Anderson Thorn.
“Pushing it pretty close, you’re down to the last hour. I was just about to leave for my trip,” he says from the other end of the call.
“What if I told you that I could guarantee you’ll never have to worry about this Josh fiasco again?”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll be at your house in ten minutes. You have a houseguest coming to stay with you.” I end the call before he questions what I just said.
Anderson wants peace of mind and I can give it to him, but he has to give me something in return. He’s always away on business and this is just temporary until I can get the money from my dad to help Willa leave. As a top-dog mafia leader, Anderson has high-end security and the perfect home to hide Willa away.
We pull up to the mansion that sits on forty acres of desert land. A lot of people in this town come from money. You don’t find many average Joes in the neighborhood, but Marni’s dad is far above average. He’s an extremely successful ‘business’ man who lives a very private life. Well, he did until we came along.
“Do you trust me?” I ask Willa, as she stares at the house in front of us.
“Not at all,” she says honestly, without even giving it a second thought. I’m not surprised. She shouldn’t. I don’t even trust myself.
“Well, for the next ten minutes, pretend that you do because I have to leave you out here while I talk to someone.”
“You’re leaving me out here in Marni and Axel Thorn’s driveway?”
“Just for a few minutes. I’ll be right back. I’ll keep it running, so you’re warm. Lock it after I get out.” I open the door and step outside before closing it. Running my hands down my shirt, I brush myself off then run my fingers through my disheveled hair. Here we go.
Taking a deep breath, I knock my knuckles to the door, but before I can even tap a second time, the door swings open.
Anderson waves me inside and looks out the door, both ways, before closing it. “Who’s in the car?”
“Willa Mack. She’s in some trouble and needs a place to stay.”
I follow behind him as he walks into his study. He grabs a glass carafe full of bronze liquid and fills a small glass half-full. “That’s what shelters are for. What the fuck does this have to do with me?”
He extends the drink to me, but I hold up a hand. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Suit yourself.” He tips back the glass and takes it all in one swallow.
“You said you’re leaving for a long business trip. I want you to allow Willa to stay in your house while you’re gone.”
“Now why the hell would I do that? The last thing I need is the pastor’s daughter snooping through my house.”
“There will be no snooping. If you agree to let her stay here for a week, I’ll tell you everything that really happened that night.”
An unpleasant look takes hold. One that would instill fear in most people. But I have his future in the palm of my hands.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I already know what happened that night. I was drunk, hit the boy and left him there. You assholes recorded it and my misfortune was your gain.”
“There’s a bit more to it and I’ll fill you in once you agree to my terms.”
“I’m not agreeing to shit. Last time I did that, you turned my daughter against me.”
It’s true, in a sense. Marni is pretty furious with her dad. She knows that he agreed to step aside while we used Marni for Talon’s game. What he doesn’t know, is that he should be just as angry with her. She’s known for almost a month that her dad didn’t kill Josh and she hasn’t said a word. At first, she wanted her trust fund, but now, I think she’s just riding this out until we know where Josh is.
“Marni will come around eventually. She’s just hurt. This isn’t about her, though. This is about Josh. Agree to my terms and I’ll tell you the truth.”
“What is it you want?”
“Willa gets to stay here. I get access to the cameras. Security is on call if anything happens.”
Even if he doesn’t believe that I can help him, he is desperate for any way out
