“Two weeks. Daddy’s leaving tomorrow to find us a place to live. Momma said we’ll pack up and go later.”
“T-take me t-too.”
“What?”
“D-don’t l-leave me behind. P-please.”
She didn’t know much about his life outside of school, but she knew enough. No father. A mother who didn’t love him. Days when he went hungry or dirty or both. Times when he camped out at their clubhouse because it was nicer than going home. He lived a life she couldn’t imagine. Her parents loved her, cared for her, and gave her whatever she needed and other things she wanted.
She remembered the lump that grew in her throat until she thought she would choke. She swallowed it down, her voice thick when she answered.
“I already asked. They said no.”
Her tears had flowed freely then, and he cried some too. They sat in their clubhouse until Paige knew she had to go home orget in trouble. They spent every moment together from that day until she left Fire Creek in the rearview mirror. She never saw or heard from him again, but sometimes in the years that followed, she wondered what happened to him.
Her mind hardly reconciled the scrawny little boy she once loved to the grown man who both intimidated and excited her. When they were kids, she felt like she was the one protecting him from the world. Now he offered to protect her. He wanted her trust.
But he didn’t how deep her trouble went. Anyone within her circle of trust was put at risk. She’d had to place Wally in that circle, and Mona by default. Ms. Miller only knew enough to not ask too many questions, but she had no idea the depth of the danger Paige was in if she didn’t remain hidden.
Paige didn’t realize she fell asleep until she jerked awake sometime later to her cell phone ringing. She twisted her head to follow the sound until she spotted her phone where she left it on her dresser. The call ended by the time she picked up her phone, and she saw a couple of missed calls and incoming texts flashing on the screen. The calls were from Ms. Miller and Wally with no voicemails. Not surprising since they hated talking to recordings. The texts were from Mona, asking how she was and if she needed anything.
She dropped her phone to the mattress. The calls and the messages wouldn’t stop. Eventually they’d show up on her doorstep. They’d want to know what was wrong. She could refuse to tell them, and they would respect her privacy. She couldn’t do that. They had been too kind and supportive for her to shut them out now.
So she wouldn’t. She would explain the incredible twist of fate that brought the boy she once loved back into her life at a time when her life wasn’t her own. Maybe they could help her figure out how to drive Ben away because she was sure he wouldn’t let her go until he knew everything she kept hidden. If she tried to leave, as she had before, he would follow her. She was as certain of that as she was the next breath she drew.
She stood and started getting ready to face her friends, praying answers would miraculously come to her before she had to face Ben Weston again.
Chapter Fourteen
Paige dropped her keys into her bag as her feet walked the familiar path from the parking lot to the lobby of the Skyline Motel. She’d been surprised to find the weather pleasant enough for her to shed the jacket she wore. The sun beamed on her, a contrast to the dark mood she was in. She threw open the door and stepped inside, her steps faltering when she heard familiar voices talking low from the direction of the seating area.
When Wally and Ben noticed her, they stood. From their expressions, she figured they had been talking about her, and the thought bothered her. She pinned Ben with a glare.
“You told him.” The accusation dripped with disdain.
“Not exactly.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Stop talking in riddles.”
Wally looked from Ben to her in confusion. “Charlotte, honey, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but all he said was that you and he knew each other when you were kids. That was right before you came in.”
She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I was coming to talk to you about that myself. I didn’t expect Ben to beat me to it.”
“Come over here and sit down. You look about ready to drop.” Wally motioned for her to take the empty spot on the couch next to where Ben had been sitting.
With one last glare at Ben, she moved to sit in an empty chair instead. “I’m fine. Just tired. I’m sorry you had to get Betsy to cover for me.”
Wally waved off her apology. “It does that woman good to have something to do. You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded. “It was a rough night, but I’m fine. I do have something I want to talk to you about. Alone.”
She stared at Ben pointedly, but he seemed unfazed by her ire.
“We can talk,” Wally agreed. “But I think you need to hear what Ben has to say first.
Her eyes snapped to her boss. “Wally, I don’t—”
“In this case, I think you should talk to him. Trust me on this. I’ve never steered you wrong before.”
