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Someone innocent.
God, and Reed has had to endure this all his life.
Reed has to endure this every day when he goes to work for his dad.
My heart is both racing and clenching in my chest. I need to make this happen. I need to get Reed’s freedom.
His laughter trails off on a chuckle and he says, “I can see now what my son sees in you. Sweet and innocent. Begging for my forgiveness so sweetly. I regret that we haven’t met yet. I’d very much like to meet you, Calliope. One day. If my son stops being stubborn. In fact, I’m going to insist to him that we meet. I can be very persuasive when I want to be. I’m sure my son must have told you all about that. But anyway, it would be a pleasure to meet the girl who sounds so sweet over the phone.”
My skin is crawling right now.
Crawling.
At his slimy tone, his creepy laugh.
It makes me feel unsafe and disgusted.
It makes me want Reed. I want him to come back and chase away this chill in my bones.
And I know he will do it too.
He will do anything to make me feel safe and so I have to do this for him.
I have to be strong.
“Listen, Mr. Jackson, thanks for congratulating me and for all the compliments that I wasn’t expecting. At all. But that’s not why I’m calling,” I say sternly. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the years and I have to admit that very little of that has been flattering. So maybe I’m making a mistake in calling you but I had to. I had to because I want to ask you something. I want to ask you to let Reed go.”
“Let him go,” he repeats. “Interesting choice of words. You don’t think I’m holding him prisoner, do you?”
I swallow. “I’m not sure what you’re doing but he’s your son. I’m a lot younger than you and I don’t know everything you know, but I’m going to have a child soon. And I know that I’ll love her. In fact, I already do. I already want to hold her in my arms and protect her from everything.” I cradle my belly where she’s sleeping. “I already know that I want to give her her every wish, every dream, every little hope. I want to know every beat of her heart. I want to ease every little breath she takes. I want to do that for her. Every parent wants to do that for their child, Mr. Jackson. And yes, we’re not perfect and we make mistakes and there are times when our children hate us but that doesn’t mean that we ever stop loving them or wanting what’s best for them. So that’s what I’m asking you, Mr. Jackson. I’m asking you to give your son what he wants. I know that you know that working at your company is not what Reed wants, and I know that you forced him into it. Because of me. Because of what I did. But it’s been two years now and I want you to find it in your heart to let him out. You can punish me if you want. But please let him go.”
“Okay.”
He doesn’t even think about it. He says it as soon as I finish what I wanted to say. And somehow I know that he’s bluffing. He’s completely bluffing.
He thinks I’m sweet and naïve, and I might be but I’m not that naïve.
So I insert steel in my voice when I say, “You will let him go.”
It’s not a question at all.
But he answers me anyway. “Yes. I will. You’ve made an excellent point here. So I’ll let my son go and do what he wants to do, whatever that might be. Dreams are important to me. That’s how I built this company. You have a dream too, don’t you?”
"Yeah,” I tell him hesitantly.
“Juilliard. Very ambitious,” he murmurs. “I told this to my son too. But if you need any help, I’d be happy to be of assistance. I know quite many people there. And you’re family, aren’t you?”
I don’t care about Juilliard right now. I don’t.
Even though his words are filling me with dread.
“So you’re going to let him go?”
“Yes. In fact, this will be his last job. The job I gave him today.”
“Job.”
“Yes, to sieze this lovely garage for me.”
My heart thunders in my chest at his words.
Halo moves in my belly again. Just like she was doing this morning, restless and angry and agitated.
Through all the chaos happening inside my body, I ask him, “What garage?”
And when he answers me, I know.
I know he’s the real villain.
He’s the real evil, the real threat, the real danger.
Reed’s father.
I sit there on the couch long after the call is done, my bones shaking. My breaths scattered.
