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He really thought this was for the best and that we would be happy living here. What delusion had brought him to this belief? How long had he been planning this?
“Elle, get into bed,” Russo said.
I did as he asked, crawling under the rough sheets and pulling the quilt up to my neck. The room felt cold. High elevation. Near the border, maybe?
He knelt on the side of my bed and leaned over to kiss my forehead. I stifled a shudder. He moved over to Heather’s bed and tried to do the same to her but she turned her head at the last minute. The kiss landed on her temple. She immediately wiped it away.
“You’re going to be sorry later for how mean you were to me.” Russo stood and moved toward the door. “Tomorrow, you can take showers. I know you girls like to stay clean and pretty.”
“How do you know that?” Heather asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I’ve been observing you both for some time. That is, before this one slapped me with a restraining order.” He gestured toward me, an indulgent smile making it harder to see his deep-set eyes because of his fleshy cheeks. “You were very naughty to do so, but I’ve chosen to forgive you. After all, you didn’t know me. I could have been some creep that wanted to do you harm. You never know these days, what with all the social media. Such evil it’s brought to the world. You’ll learn that I’m right—over time. Although it’s probably an addiction for you, so don’t be alarmed if you have some withdrawal symptoms.”
“I’m not on social media,” I said softly. “Because of you.”
“I noticed you dropped off the radar.” Russo beamed. “So proud of you for that. Made finding you a little harder but it was worth it, because look at you now.”
“She closed her accounts because of you. Didn’t you hear her?” Heather asked scornfully.
My little sister had certainly found her gumption. Now I was worried she was going to anger him.
He brushed her aside with a quick wave of his hand. “Like I said, it will all be clear to you how right I am in a few more weeks. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. I have a surprise. I’m going to go into town and buy you some clothes. You’re both going to have a whole new wardrobe. I’m also going to buy some hair-cutting scissors and dye. We don’t want anyone recognizing you.”
“Town?” I asked. “How far is that?”
“About ten miles up the road. There’s a real nice thrift store there. I’m sure I can find some pretty things for my princesses.”
Good Lord, this guy was creepy. However, a sliver of hope lifted my spirits. If he went into town, someone might see him. Only ten miles away? We weren’t as remote as I’d feared. If Caspian had survived, which I had to believe or I would break down completely, he would have told the police what he saw. He was detail-oriented and would probably recall a lot of specifics.
Unless the trauma blocked his memory. Or, worse, he hadn’t made it. The wound had been on the left side of his chest.Please, God, let it just be his shoulder, not his heart.
No, I couldn’t let myself go there.
I must have faith. They were probably searching for us right now. Would they be able to connect the two of us? That seemed like a long shot. Unless Heather’s mom thought to mention that the father of her daughter had been a criminal. But did she even know about his incarceration?
“Mike, can I ask you something?”
He placed his hand on the light switch. “Sure. Shoot. We’re family. I’ve been waiting to be your big brother all my life.” His chest expanded, as if just the thought boosted his ego.
“Did either of our mothers know what our father did for a living?” I asked. “Or that he was in jail?”
“I don’t believe so,” Russo said. “If they did, then they would have seen it in the news. We lived in Salt Lake City when that woman hired him to kill her husband. It was a big story at the time.”
Salt Lake City was not that far from Boise. Heather’s mother might have seen the story on the news and known who he was. Not inconceivable at all. She could have followed it and known he was in jail.
Out of nowhere, a thought struck me cold. What if the story helped send my mother further into depression? “What year was he put on trial?”
Russo scratched behind one year, clearly thinking. “If I recall correctly, it was early 2000s—2003, I think.”
The year my mother took her life. Had the news story made her sink further into despair? Maybe she hadn’t seen a reason to go on, having had a child with someone like that.
Still. What about me? How could she leave me? Even if my father was a killer, my mother had loved me. Indeed, because my father was a monster, I’d needed my mother more than ever. She’d left me alone in the world. Not totally alone, I reminded myself. Aunt Biddie was with me. The only adult who had ever come through for me. She’d sacrificed so much to take in a troubled little girl.
Biddie, if you’re watching me now, send me some wisdom. I need to get us out of here.
“All right now, it’s time for you two to get your beauty sleep. I’ll see you in the morning. I love to sleep late, so I won’t be waking you at the crack of dawn. What kind of big brother wouldI be if I did that, right?” He took the few steps to reach the door and turned off the light. “Night, night, pretty girls. See you tomorrow.”
He closed the door behind him, and I heard a lock click into place. I waited until his footsteps had faded and the door to the other bedroom closed. His room was on the other side of the cabin, which meant if we talked quietly he wouldn’t be able to hear us.
