Noah is sitting in the row to the side of ours, and he leans over to whisper, “Should we tell him about Maddy’s mom?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. Let him get some rest first.”
Noah bobs his head up and down, then angles his body toward the wall and stares out the window.
Quietness surrounds us for a while, except for the older man talking to himself in the middle row. I wish I could fall asleep, but I’m too wired, even though I’m also tired. Plus, the air smells like old cheese and onions, and it’s making my eyes water.
I’m about to open a window when my phone rings with an incoming call from a number I don’t recognize. Typically, I’d ignore it. But with everything going on, I can’t.
Hesitantly, I pushtalkand put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, brother.” Hearing Finn’s voice is like a shock to my system.
I straighten in the seat. “Finn?”
Noah’s head whips in my direction. “Finn’s on the phone?” he asks and I nod.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Finn replies tiredly.
“Where are you?” I ask. “Does Dad have you? How are you making this call?”
“It’s a long story,” Finn says, and he sounds exhausted. “I can’t get into all of the details right now, but I wanted to let you know that Maddy and I are okay, that we’re with Maddy’s real mother, and we’re going into hiding for a bit because Dad’s a fucking psychopath.”
“I know.” I rub my hand across my face. “Is Maddy with you right now?”
“She is,” Finn tells me, then I hear Maddy ask, “Is everyone okay there? Did anyone get hurt in the car accident?”
Hearing her voice nearly cracks me apart. I need to see her beautiful face, feel the warmth of her skin, and taste her lips.
“Everyone is okay. No one got seriously hurt. You don’t need to worry, baby,” I tell her, closing my eyes and wishing I were with them.
“That’s good. I was so worried.” Her exhaustion is evident in her tone.
I wish I could let her be, but I need to tell her what we found out about Grey not being her real father. She needs to know as much as possible so she can protect herself.
“Hey Finn, can you give her the phone for a second?” I slump back in the seat as the bus jostles against a bump in the road.
“Sure, but I still need to talk to you about some stuff,” he replies. “Here’s, Maddy.”
“Hey,” she greets me.
“Hey, baby, I need to tell you something.” I cast a sidelong glance at Sylas snoring against the glass. “It’s about your father.”
“Is he all right?” she asks worriedly.
“I…” I squeeze my eyes shut, despising that I have to do this to her. She already has too many trust issues. This will only make it worse. “Maddy, Grey isn’t your father. He lied. His brother actually is.”
She’s silent for a moment. “Hold on.” More silence and then I hear her say, “Who the heck is my real father, Ellie? Because River is on the phone and he says it’s some guy named Sylas, but I wouldn’t even know if that’s right because I don’t know anything.”
Chatter fills the background. Maddy growls something, then I hear a bang, like a door slamming closed.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice comes onto the line.
“Um, hello?” I say more like a question.
“This is River, right?” she asks. “You’re Finn’s brother?”
“Yeah.” I pause. “Who’s this?”
