AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He ended up calling me first.
The call came shortly after my brother and I crossed the threshold of our place.
Waiting, I took the call in the foyer after Bru went upstairs. Ironically enough, my brother said he was going to try calling some of his friends to see what was going on.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hey,” he returned and how good it was to hear his voice. I didn’t realize how good until I heard it. He sounded hurried. “The news. Has is broke? We just posted the video.”
I closed my eyes, leaning against the wall. The news had definitely broken. “Yeah, it did. Classes were canceled even.”
There was silence on his end, and I wondered where he was.
“You okay?” I asked. “You’re not arrested, are you?”
Because that would really, really fucking suck, and I was surprised to hear him chuckle into the line.
“If I was arrested, you think you’d be my only call for saving grace?” he said it lightly, flirty, and if he’d been here, I would have smacked him. “No, I’m not arrested, but I’m lying low. The other guys too.”
“Where’s Mayberry? Did…” I couldn’t even think. We were actually talking about this right now? “Did you do something to her? Did you hurt her?”
He was quiet for a beat and my mind left to wander.
“There are things I wanted to do, but I didn’t,” he said, my breath leaving me. He sighed. “Anyway, she talked easy. Didn’t have to do anything but record it.”
“Where is she now?”
“I’m assuming back in the real world. We left her ass at the location we recorded yesterday. Left her untied. What she decided to do from there was up to her.”
I wondered why she wasn’t back today, then?
Some activity sounded behind his voice, and I wondered if he was with the other guys. “What are you doing? Are you with the guys?”
“No, we parted off,” he said. “We thought it best to go our separate ways after we left Mayberry. I haven’t seen them since yesterday after we recorded her.”
“Where are you now?”
“My family’s cabin. We got a vacation home on the far side of town near Sweetwater Lake.”
He told me that, like actual information about himself and his well-being.
I wondered why and even more so why he was trusting me.
“And now my family’s blowing up my phone, my parents.” He cursed. He was silent while I assumed he studied his device. “Fuck. I just need an hour before my life changes.”
Because it would change, probably. I mean, even if he got away with the kidnapping he’d still have to answer to his family. They’d know it was him on the video.
“Where’s the cabin?” I asked, then got Bruno’s keys. “I’ll come out to you.”
“You will?” he sounded shocked. “Why?”
I didn’t know why. But I had a feeling it was the same reason he told me everything he’d just told me.
The same reason he was calling me now.
This boy and I had this weird connection. It was something I was sure he equally hated as much as myself. I mean, we loathed each other.
At least, we used to.
