“Woah. I’m not leaving,” he says in an aloof manner. “You really think I’m just gonna drop you and go. Someone is on to you, Willa. Someone out there knows you're pregnant and they sent that recording for a reason.”
“Fine. You can stay, but I just need to be alone right now. Do you mind?”
“Nope. I’ve got some calls to make, anyways. I don’t have class until the afternoon, which you already know, so I’ll see you in the morning.”
I nod my head. “Sounds good.”
Backtracking to the door, he stops but doesn’t look at me. “You had that part in the bag. It’s a shame you're throwing away your chance to prove it.”
I remain silent until he closes the door behind him. Once his footsteps fade down the hall, my heart hammers in my chest as I miss him already. God, I hate that I’m so drawn to him. “Goodnight, Lars,” I whisper under my breath.
Pulling the cord to the white slatted blinds, I welcome the sunlight in. My eyes skate around the room as I watch the luster of light prisms blink along the walls. Stretching my hand up, I try and catch one, but much like everything else in my life, they are unattainable.
“Willa.” Lars knocks his knuckles on the door. “I’m heading out for a couple hours. Cameras are on and security is around.”
“Ok. I’ll be here,” I respond while my eyes follow the bands of color.
“Oh, I’m making an appointment at a Planned Parenthood in Washau for tomorrow morning.”
My eyes rip away from the ceiling and shoot to the door. “You’re what?”
“Come on now. You’re a sweet girl and all, but you really think I’m handing over my life savings without knowing for sure that you’re pregnant.”
Heavy steps lead me to the door as anger ripples through my core. I tear it open with one swift pull. He stands on the other side with dampened hair and tousled glistening tips. He smells really good. Like pine tar and lemon peel and his shirt is in one piece. More times than not, he’s sporting the grunge look with ripped shirts and holey jeans. But today, he looks well-put-together in his—still all-black—attire.
“You still think I’m lying about this?” I grab his hand and place it on my stomach. “There’s a baby in there, Lars. I’m not lying to you.”
His eyes slide down to where his hand sets gently in mine, pressed against my belly button. It’s still early, but I’m beginning to notice a tiny bulge. Surely he can feel it.
“I don’t think you’re lying, but those tests aren’t always accurate. I...we need to be sure before you run away for nothing. You also need to have the necessary pregnancy blood work done and start on some vitamins.”
“How do you even know this stuff?”
He holds up his phone. “Found an app about pregnancy. Lots of cool stuff on it.”
My heart skips a little beat, but I take a deep breath, not letting the gesture fool me.
Even if I wasn’t pregnant, I’d still be leaving. I’d just be leaving dirt poor and on foot.
“Fine. You want proof then you can have it.”
“Good. It’s all confidential, so you have nothing to worry about. No one will know you were there.”
My arms cross over my chest and I look down, realizing I’m not wearing a bra. “And once you have your proof?”
“Once everything is confirmed, I’ll help you leave.”
I don’t say anything. I just stand there. Stunned, shocked, in disbelief that he thinks I’m lying to him. Me? Sweater Girl, Whispering Willa, the girl with God in her heart, and an angel on her shoulder. At least, that’s the way they all see me. They don’t know that the girl they thought they knew is gone. She’s dead and she’s never coming back. “Fine. Do what you have to do.” I slam the door shut.
I’m leaving one way or another and no one will be stopping me. It’s time for me to put the pain behind me and try to live a normal life.
Once Lars is out of the house, I plop down on the bed and turn my phone back on. Holding my breath, I pray that Rick hasn’t alerted the authorities or sent out a search party for me yet. When I notice just a couple missed calls and a text from him that says: Where are you? I exhale the pent up air in my lungs. He knows I’m gone, but he hasn’t gone off the deep end, yet.
14
Stepping inside Talon’s house feels like walking into some sort of trap. These guys have been plotting destruction, day and night, while I’ve been tending to Willa. My head is in a spiral of fog and distortion as I try to prioritize and I’m not even sure what’s more important right now—getting Willa out of this town so she feels safe, or making sure that none of us become suspects in a murder case. On top of that, I’ve still got this shit with Madison to deal with.
It would appear that Zed wasted no time reclaiming his throne and getting comfortable at Talon’s house. Apparently he’s staying here again and Marni fled to a hotel because she can’t stand being under the same roof as him. Talon assured her this is temporary and that it has to be this way, but it’s obvious where his priorities lie. I wanna fucking break shit when I think about how we’re all catering to Zed just to appease him. At least he’s buying it, because if he catches wind that we’re just trying to save our own asses, we’re all screwed.
“There he is.” Zed beams as he shoots up from the
