I walked the nearly three miles to the older man’s house. I didn’t want to spend what limited funds I had on an Uber or taxi, and I needed the vigorous exercise to help get my head on right. The early morning air was cool, and it smelled like it was going to rain, so my steps were fast and furious as I tried to beat the impending storm. I called to let Mr. Peters know I was stopping by to speak with him, and was relieved when he answered the call right away. I must’ve sounded as distressed as I felt because he asked me several times if I was okay. When I told him I sounded winded because I was walking to his place, he ordered me to stop and wait for him to come pick me up.
I hurriedly assured him I would be at his place in just a few minutes and hung up just as Huck tried to call through. When I didn’t answer, he called again and again. He eventually switched to sending me a series of rapid-fire text messages. Worried that his words would weaken my resolve to do what was best for him for once, I shut my phone off and tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans.
I owed him a proper goodbye. And I still wanted to say sorry and have him accept it. I would go to my grave regretting what I’d put him through when my back was against the wall.
He made sure he gave me an unforgettable farewell before being forced out of my life in the worst way.
I needed to be brave enough to give him the same consideration, but not right this minute. My body was still sensitive, and my blood buzzed from being stroked and kissed by him for endless hours last night. It would take very little for Huck to convince me to stay. Which was silly since he’d put a helluva lot of effort into getting me to leave, and it hadn’t even made a dent in my resolve.
It took about forty-five minutes to get to Mr. Peters. He was waiting for me on his front porch with a worried frown and a cup of coffee. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to burst into tears when he immediately wrapped me up in a hug and hustled me into the warmth of his house.
“Are those boys being mean to you, Ollie? If they are, I’ll make them pay a heavy price.” He sounded so fierce and protective, I wanted to cry all over again.
Why hadn’t I had parents who could worry about me this way? It would have made all the difference in the world.
“No. I’m not here because of the guys.” I curled my hands around the coffee mug he handed me and looked down at the dark liquid as I blinked back tears. “I know I made things difficult and asked for your help to get into Huck’s house, but I made a mistake. I shouldn’t be there. I need to leave as soon as possible. I need to leave the state. I was hoping you could help me figure out a way to go as far as I can on the limited amount of money I have.” I gulped and gave him a pleading look under my lowered lashes. “I know there is no way to legally break the lease and get my money back, but if you’d consider letting me have some of the advance rent I paid back, I would be endlessly grateful.”
The elderly man grunted and took a seat across from me at his long wooden dining table, pushing a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and toast in my direction. I couldn’t remember the last time someone cooked breakfast for me.
The tears started to fall despite my battle to hold them back as I gave my landlord the basic rundown as to why I needed to put as much distance between me and the boys as possible.
“Let me get this straight.” Mr. Peters picked up his own coffee and watched me closely. “You wanted to live with Huck because you were childhood friends who had a falling out. Things ended on a sour note, and you wanted to make amends. You also had a stalker. And now you’re worried they followed you from your hometown, or hired someone else to follow you, in order to bring you back home? And you think they’ll hurt Huck and his friends to make this happen?”
I cleared my throat and tapped my nails on the ceramic cup in my hands. “More than a stalker. And I’m not afraid he followed me; he’s not a physical threat per se. But he’s very, very wealthy and doesn’t understand the word no. If he manages to drag me back to his house, that’s the same as being locked in prison for me. No exaggeration. He’s Huck’s half brother. He’s the reason Huck and I turned against one another.” I blew out a breath and pointed at the scar on my face. “I got this scar because Huck drunkenly asked me one night which one of them I liked better. I should’ve lied and said Sawyer, but I just wanted to get Huck in the car and go home because it was late and raining. I was driving because Sawyer made me, but I wrecked the car and injured all three of us. He altered the course of his whole life because he couldn’t handle hearing he wasn’t my favorite, that he didn’t come first in my life. He has issues upon issues and enough money to be a real danger to anyone who crosses him.”
The older man didn’t seem alarmed at all, which I didn’t understand since my heart was racing so fast, I had to put a hand to my chest to make sure it wasn’t about to break free. I kept my eyes lowered and leaned forward to set down the drink. I kept falling forward until my forehead was resting on the table.
“I think someone came for me because last night; the stairs to the attic stopped squeaking all of a sudden. And there was a shadow on the wall that was definitely in the shape of a human. And I knew from the start, when I disappeared from my old life, it was only a matter of time before he tracked me down. I thought he would slow down after my mom died and he no longer had her health and wellbeing in the palm of his hand, but that was a delusional way of thinking. From the start, his obsession with me is all that matters to him.”
Mr. Peters slapped a hand on the table and leaned toward me. “Okay, Ollie. Let’s roll this back a bit. I want to help you, but you have to give me some more information. What do you mean he was holding your mother’s health in the palm of his hand?”
I got a little choked up trying to get it all out. It was never easy to explain, and I hated how weak and powerless the explanation made me sound.
“My mom was chronically ill. She had a bad heart. She was easily overworked and exhausted. I think that’s one of the reasons she was scared to leave the estate. She was a legacy employee, so they never pushed her too hard.” I sighed heavily. “Until Sawyer figured out that the best way to make me behave was by punishing my mother. If I did something he didn’t like, he took it out on her. She was always in the hospital because of something he made her do. The night of the accident, when she heard all three of us were hurt and I was unconscious, she had a heart attack. No one checks on the help, so it wasn’t until she didn’t show at the hospital that anyone performed a welfare check. She nearly died on the way to the same hospital where I was. By the time I woke up, Sawyer and Huck’s father had moved her to a specialized cardiac center and had her under the care of the best doctors money could buy. At first, I was grateful, but not long after, Sawyer’s mother let me know if I didn’t corroborate Sawyer’s story about the accident and say that Huck was driving and that he’d wrecked on purpose, all the medical care my mom was receiving would go away. She was kept alive by machines at that point, so I didn’t have much of a choice but to agree.” I knocked my head against the table again. “I’ve regretted the choice I made every single day. But how is any fourteen-year-old kid supposed to pick between their mom and their best friend?”