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“I can give you your PTO, and then yeah, it’ll be unpaid.”
“That’s fine. Sorry for the inconvenience and for the short notice.”
“No problem. We all have families. Let me know if we can do anything for you.”
“Sure. I will.” Another throat clear. “Thanks, Ray.”
“No problem. Take care.”
Pollack ends the call. “Satisfied?”
“Not even close. But at least I know where you are. My guys will be giving me hourly updates, so if you try to escape, you’re going to have an issue.”
He nods. “I understand.”
“I’ll be in touch.” I rise finally, strap my gun back to my ankle and secure my knife. “Have a fucking nice day.”
Once I’m out of his apartment I make a call.
It’s not a call I ever wanted to make.
But I make it anyway.
“Yeah?” the familiar voice says.
“It’s me, Dad.”
12
KATELYN
I feel pretty good after coffee with Aspen. We’re not besties or anything, but it was nice to talk.
Back at my place, my phone rings.
“Oh, crap,” I say aloud. Then, into the phone, “Hi, Mom.”
“Katelyn, darling, I just wanted to check in with you and see how you’re doing.”
“As well as to be expected, I’m sure. Is that really why you’re calling?”
A pause. “That and I’d like you to come home.”
“We’ve had this conversation, Mom. I’m better off here for now.”
“I’m going to have to put my foot down. We need you home, Katelyn. You’re my only child.”
What would my mother think if she knew how I ended up on that island? How family members—family members she sent me to for the summer—turned me over to the priest?
“I didn’t want to have to tell you this,” she says, “but it’s Dad. He…”
My heart jumps. “What? What’s wrong with Dad?”
“I’m afraid he’s sick, Katelyn. He has a tumor. On his liver.”
“Is it malignant?”
“We don’t know yet. He’s going in for surgery to have a biopsy next week. I’d like you to come home.”
“Mom, I just got a new job. I start on Monday.”
“Is your new job more important than your father’s health?”
“Of course not, but there’s nothing I can do. You can let me know what the results are. I don’t need to be there for the surgery. People are depending on me here.”
“I’m depending on you, Katelyn. You’re my only child. I need your support.”
I roll my eyes.
I love my father. I love my mother too, but reclaiming my life is not conducive to being around her. “What are the chances that it’s malignant?”
She pauses once more. Then, “It’s most likely benign.”
Classic Farrah Brooks.
Dad is the one facing a potential health crisis, which is most likely benign, but she’s turned it into everyone needs to support me.
I’m not sure she even cares if my father’s ill. Doesn’t matter anyway. I have a new job, and I can’t come home.
“Keep me in the loop,” I tell her. “If it turns out the tumor is malignant, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Katelyn, how can you be so selfish?”
My jaw drops, though I’m not sure why. This behavior is on-brand for her. At least, it was before I disappeared. You’d think she might be a little more supportive of me, knowing what I’ve been through.
Clearly that’s not going to happen.
Again, classic Farrah.
“This conversation is over, Mom. I can’t do this right now.”
“Katelyn, I’m sorry. It’s just… I’m your mother. I need your support.”
No, I will not let her get to me. I already went on a crying bender today over Luke. This woman cannot affect me this way.
I swallow. Give myself a few seconds to compose myself.
“I need your support, Mom. I was held for ten years against my will. Unspeakable things were done to my body. Unspeakable things were done to my mind. Did you know I have scars on my back from where I was whipped with a yardstick? Did you know I have scars from cuts all over my body? Did you know a man used to urinate on me? I’ve been raped, beaten, tortured. I think I need your support right now.”
“Katelyn, I’m not trying to belittle what happened to you.”
“No, you’re not trying,” I say. “Clearly it just comes naturally. Look, I hope Dad is okay. If it turns out that he’s sick, I will come home. Right now, I have a job. A major company has trusted me with a high position, and I’m not about to let them down. I owe these people everything.”
“Who do you owe everything?”
“The Wolfes.”
“You owe your life to me and your dad,” she says. “Without us, you wouldn’t exist.”
“You really want to play that card?” I shake my head, knowing full well she can’t see me. “Sure, I owe you my life. Have you talked to Aunt Agnes lately?”
“Agnes? No.”
“Don’t you think it’s interesting that I disappeared while I was on a visit to Aunt Agnes and Uncle Bruno?”
“You can’t be blaming Agnes and Bruno.”
