That time he turned around completely in his chair, took his eyes off the road and scowled at me.
I frowned right back. What was it with people and assuming I somehow got us into this mess? Sure, Imogen and I were in the same situation, but I got myself in trouble on my own and she found her way here by accident. If anything, I was her savior, and I was sick and tired of not being appreciated by random strangers.
Fine, he had a point.
I sucked.
I had almost a billion dollars in the bank and enough family connections to do whatever I wanted in life, but I couldn’t rescue us from this mess fast enough.
It was time to call in reinforcements. “You have a phone?” I grated out the question between clenched teeth, but it needed to be done. I had to get a hold of Corbin.
Bird handed back a smart phone with a picture of his daughter, holding a baby who had to be his grandchild as the screen saver. I punched in the code he told me and found the keypad. I had exactly one phone number memorized.
My brother’s.
I did it because I never knew when I’d find myself in a shitty situation and would need his number. I’d laughed at Corbin’s insistence we memorize numbers originally, but now I wanted to thank him. From here on out, I’d never call his preparations overkill.
The phone rang once and then he answered. “Who the fuck is this?” His gravelly voice sounded like he had a few shit days too. I grinned, and bit my bottom lip. I loved my asshole brother.
“Corbin?” I asked because it sounded so unlike him I didn’t recognize my twin’s voice. We drove past a farm along the highway and the smell of fresh animal dung made me crinkle my nose as it invaded the cab.
“Cyrus!” he screamed so loudly I pulled the phone away from my ear but then had to put it back quickly because he started talking and asking a hundred questions at once.
I didn’t have enough strength, sleep, or food to deal with giving him the entire story now. He’d end up asking me to repeat it anyway, so I’d rather wait until we were in person.
“Listen, Corbin, there’s no time right now. We’re going to be at a truck stop in Valdosta. It’s on the state line of Georgia and Florida. Can you meet us there?”
He didn’t hesitate in his answer. “Fuck yes. I’m texting the pilot now.”
A pilot. The words soothed my soul. It was a reminder of our money and ease of escape when we had it available, two of which I’d have my hands on soon. I tried not to be materialistic, but damn, it was nice to have a pilot on hand when you needed one.
“After about an hour and a half, I won’t be available at this number, but we’ll stay at the truck stop.”
“What happened to your cell phone? I was trying to track it but it said you were still in Portland. We found it in the trunk of a car that’s been driving in circles for the last four days.”
I forgot about the trunk. “Look, it’s a long story. Can you meet us at the station?”
“Of course. Ridge and I will be there together. Does this involve Bernard?”
“Pretty sure it does. Also, can you bring clothing for two?” My brother wanted to know what went on, but I only wanted to make sure Imogen was safe.
“What the fuck went on with you?” he asked one last time, sounding exacerbated by my lack of answers, but sitting on the bed in the back of the eighteen-wheeler was not the time to fill Corbin in on everything that happened the last few days. We’d get ourselves promptly kicked out of our cushy ride.
“You have no idea. Just meet us there as fast as possible.”
I wanted to stay on the phone and talk to my brother until we reached the truck stop. His voice brought me comfort and the realization we were safe. The only other person who’d been able to do that was Imogen, and now I’d do my part to keep her safe.
As much as I needed to speak with him, I had more important duties, like keeping Imogen safe and an eye on the road. We hung up quickly, and I passed the cell phone back to the trucker with a thank you.
CHAPTER 9
IMOGEN
Iwent through most of my life never suspicious of people, but right then everyone looked shady. I didn’t know if I’d ever regain my trust in society.
And I hated it.
Before all this, I’d been a nice person. Even one of those annoying positive morning people. Companies made rude cups about people like me. I didn’t care. In fact, I considered it one of my finer points. There were worse things in life than being a morning person. Like drug dealers and corrupt cops.
