by Rachel Leigh
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 of this mess. It’s been months, but for some reason, he’s on high alert right now. He raises a brow and prominent wrinkles crease on his forehead as he takes small strides back and forth in front of me. “And this will be over?”
“It will. I’ll make sure the video is destroyed and all suspicion will be erased.”
“Fine,” he huffs, “my office is off-limits. She can stay in the guest room on the second floor next to Marni’s room.”
My phone begins buzzing in my pocket. It’s Willa. I hold up a finger to Anderson and take the call. “Hey, almost done in here. You good?”
“Please hurry.”
“I’ll be out in a minute.” I end the call, but keep my phone out. Tapping on the screen, I log into the dummy cloud account where we stored the original video. We made this account last year for fun. Every incriminating video we’ve ever made is in here. There are about a dozen, but I zone out as I focus on one. Three months ago. The night with Willa. I knew what they were doing—what Zed was doing. Saw the phone recording, yet I did nothing. I stood by idly while they blasted the video of us to half of the town and gave an unknown girl a reputation as the bet.
Snapping out of it, I tap on the uncropped video of the night Josh died. I turn the phone around and hold it in front of me as it plays.
“He might have just got hit. They might be coming back.”
“Fuck!” Tommy shrieks.
“Oh my god. The car rolled right over Josh’s body like he wasn’t even there.”
“The driver’s getting out. Wait a minute. That’s Anderson Thorn, Marni’s dad.”
“Do you think he’s the one who killed him?” Talon asks Tommy.
“Nah. He looked scared shitless. No way. Someone else did this. Someone hit him and left his body out here.”
“Who would fucking do that?”
The video rolls silently for a minute. I watch as Anderson’s eyes all but jump out of their fucking sockets and I’m really second-guessing this decision.
Tommy’s voice comes through again. “Anderson did look scared. Like he thought he hit and killed him. Then he drove off out of fear.”
“We have a video of him running over Josh. What if we crop it and make him think he did kill Josh? We could get whatever we want.”
“What could he possibly have that we want?”
“His daughter,” Talon says with a mischievous tone.
Turning the phone back around, I hit pause then swipe out of the video.
“Is this some sort of sick joke?” Anderson scowls with a crimson-flushed face. “That’s not the video you assholes showed me. And what’s this talk about Marni.” He steps closer, then takes two steps back.
Holding up my hands, I plead with him. “Let me explain.”
“Yeah, you better fucking explain before I rip your goddamn head off, along with those imbecile friends of yours.”
Taking a few steps back, I try to move away from his reach. “Come on, man. You were a teenager once. You know how we don’t think clearly under pressure.”
His voice rises as he goes ballistic. “This isn’t a fucking football game you’re trying to win. This is someone’s fucking life. Have you all lost your damn minds?”
“I know, it was stupid. No one wanted Josh to die, but it’s not our fault. Not yours and not ours.”
He tips his chin up. “Who the hell did it? Huh? Was it Talon? Did he fucking kill him and try to pin it on me, while manipulating my daughter?”
“What? No. Talon didn’t kill him. None of us did. The truth is, we have no idea who killed Josh. We just convinced you that you did it for our own personal gain. Got rid of him and the car and made it look like he just went missing.” I try to reason with him, but it’s not looking good. “You’re missing the point here. You didn’t kill Josh and I have proof of it. You can’t be incriminated. You don’t have to live with the guilt.”
“Guilt?” He laughs and it’s sadistic and unnerving. “I didn’t feel guilt. The guy was obsessed with my daughter, you all told me so. If I had caught him out there that night, I’d have killed him with my bare hands. What rattles my fucking cage is that you all played me for the last three months. Turned my daughter against me, and for what? So that nitwit Talon could weasel his way into her heart.”
“Talon has his reasons for doing what he did, but I can tell you that he would never hurt Marni. He loves her. She’s safe with us.”
“I highly doubt that. And now you’re doing the same thing to the pastor’s daughter. Using her for your gain. You sick motherfuckers.”
“Willa isn’t part of this. Not exactly.” I’m not here because of the revenge pact. I’m here because for whatever reason she’s terrified of her stepdad. So much so, that she is willing to quit school and give up everything just to get far away from him.
The squeak of shoes across the hardwood has both of us shifting our attention to the room outside of his study. “Who the hell is that?” Anderson huffs, as he hurries over to the door.
Following behind him, I see Willa standing there. Her hands are at her sides and that fear that I saw earlier has returned. “Willa, how are you, hun?” Anderson asks, as she stands there observing me.
“You ok?” I ask her.
“I just got scared out there. You took too long.”
“Sorry about that. We were just finishing up.” I look at Anderson. “But, we’re done here, right? Willa can stay?”
After a beat of silence, he rubs the stubble on his chin and speaks. “I’ll have Ruby get the room ready. She’ll be on vacation for the next couple of weeks while I’m away. The house will be empty, but I’ll be sure to accommodate your requests. This room is off-limits and I’ll be leaving in about twenty-minutes.” Stepping toward me, he leans forward and whispers in my
ear, “I want that fucking video.” Then he turns to Willa. “It’s good to see you. Tell your parents I said hello.”
“Thank you, Mr. Thorn. I really appreciate this,” Willa says in a placid tone.
Anderson closes the door to his study and sticks a key in to lock it, then walks away.
“I told you I had a plan. You’ll be safe here. But first, you need to tell me everything.”
Her eyebrows pinch together as she questions me. “Everything?”
“I need to know who and what you’re running from. If I don’t know why you need protection, I can’t protect you.”
There’s a beat of silence while she fidgets with her phone through the front pocket of her hoodie. She opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again.
“What is it, Willa?”
“Have your parents ever told you that monsters aren’t real?”
I shrug. “Yeah. I think so, why?”
“They lied. Monsters do exist, and I’ve been living with one for the last seven years.”
13
“It wasn’t always bad. For a while I loved him like a dad. We shared the love of the Lord. Said bedtime prayers at night. He gradually became erratic and unpredictable. Mostly when mom would go to work or leave for her literature conferences. But now she’s gone and I don’t think she’s coming back this time.”
“He hurt you?”
“Sometimes.” I’m not sure why I’m telling him this. I don’t trust Lars, but I also need him to give me the money to get away. I need his pity—he owes me this much.
“Did he...did he ever touch you, Willa?”
“No.” I lie. A deep and painful lie that has my stomach twisting in knots. “Not in that way. He just gets angry and violent. That’s why I can’t stay any longer. He’s getting worse by the day and if he finds out that I’m pregnant, he’ll force me to abort the baby.” Or he may even try and do it himself. I don’t say that, but it’s the truth.
“Ok.”
“Ok?” I mimic his word, wondering what ‘ok’ means.
“I’ll get the money and help you leave. Under one condition. I need to know where you’re going. I can send you money, help out however I can.”
“Ok. I can do that.” I lie again. No one will know where I’m going, especially Lars.
This sweet side of him is all a facade. There was a momentary lapse of weakness on my part at school today, and maybe even tonight at the power lines. But I can’t forget why I’ve hated him for the past three months. I’ll never know why I loved him for the five years before that.
For five years he looked at me like I was scum. I watched as he pushed people around and laughed about it with his friends, but I still loved him. I was a fool. Now I get to have my own little secret while I pass that title over to him when I take his money and run.
These four guys took my innocence and made a mockery of me. The entire town turned a blind eye to the entire thing. Rick blamed me and I’d rather spend life in prison, or die, than ever have to face a punishment like that again. They began this game and they are responsible for everything I’ve had to endure since that night.
“Ms. Mack,” A petite elderly lady says as she appears across the room. “Your room is ready, darling.” She’s sweet and reminds me of my gram. Snowflake hair, milky skin, and dark eyes that I’m sure have seen far more than they’d hoped for. Living in this house, how could they not?
“Thank you,” I say whole-heartedly. She lowers her head and walks up the stairs. I follow behind her, and Lars follows behind me. I hope he doesn’t plan to stay here. As much as I hate him, he has the capability of stirring unwanted emotions inside of me.
Opening the door, the housekeeper waves her hand and signals me in. It’s breathtaking. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before. A king-size bed sits in the center of the back wall with white linens placed perfectly on top, not a wrinkle to be seen. I walk over and run my fingers over it in search of a flaw, but there’s not one.
A matching white canopy hangs over the bed with fringed seams that dangle pea-sized crystals. I bet that the reflections of the glass beads dance around the whole room when the sun catches them. A white Persian rug lays in front of the bed on the cherry oak hardwood and a dresser that probably costs more than Rick’s house is pressed against the wall.
Aside from that, it’s empty, but it’s perfect. The walls in my room at home aren’t even visible because of all my belongings packed into the small space.
This could be my life. I can have this, and more, if I play my cards right. My baby and I will never want for anything.
Turning around to thank the sweet lady, my mouth hangs open with the words on my tongue when I notice she’s gone.
“I noticed your bag looked empty, but you and Marni are about the same size. I’m sure she won’t mind if you borrow some clothes while you’re here,” Lars tells me.
I wanna yell at him and ask him what his reasoning is for all of this. Surely I’m not here because his heart doubled in size and found a place for me inside of it.
“No, I wouldn’t feel comfortable even going inside of Marni’s room, let alone taking her clothes.”
“Suit yourself, but the housekeeper is leaving and you only have one outfit to last you the rest of your life. Good luck with that.”
“I know how to do my own laundry, Lars. In case you’ve forgotten, I didn’t grow up with a nanny or a maid.”
“Oh yeah. And what do you plan to wear while your pajamas are in the washing machine?”
“I’m sure I can find a robe somewhere in this house.” I take a step toward him and place a hand on his shoulder to turn him around. “You can go now. I’ll be fine. Please call me as soon as you know how long this should take.”
“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.