Page 57 of Wait For You

“You’re not going to like my suggestion,” Mike said on the phone.

I slid a look at Adam as he closed his eyes. I felt the deep breath that he took. “You’re gonna say Tessa should do this.”

“Yes, but we have a plan. Rich is desperate. Whenever people do things like this, they are desperate. He may seem calm, but he’s not. I know Rich,” Mike said. “You guys know him too, and Tessa knows him better than any of us. He’s always had a reputation for flying off the handle. He’s not a cool, calm, collected kind of guy. He always lets his temper get the best of him. At the moment, he might think he has it under control, but he doesn’t because he’s done something stupid. Tessa, we need you to share your phone like we talked about so I can see what’s happening on your phone.”

The next few minutes passed swiftly. Adam was considerably calmer because he had something to focus on, the logistic steps needed to connect the police to my cell.

Mike basically told me what to say but had me text it how I would say it.

Me: You know I’ll do anything for Eric. Just tell me where to meet you. Who is meeting us there to pick up Eric?

I had called my parents in Juneau at some point this afternoon. Even though they wanted to fly here, they were waiting until the police updated them. I knew they would meet Rich, but my first choice was my uncle David. He would be the least reactive in the situation, and Rich actually liked him.

“Why can’t I go?” Adam asked while we waited for Rich’s reply to my text.

The police chief was still on Wyatt’s speaker. He interjected, “Because you can’t keep your cool either. I trust you far more than I trust Rich and I don’t think you’ll do anything dangerous. You’ve had a lifetime of controlling your temper, but Rich won’t go for it. We need someone neutral. Let’s see what Rich says. If he suggests someone, we might go with that.”

Rich’s reply came as Mike finished speaking.

Rich: I’ll see you in an hour at the Lupine trail. My mom can pick up Eric.

I clenched my teeth. Rich’s mom and I had never gotten along. “She’s been pissed off at me ever since I left,” I muttered.

“That’s fine. I can deal with Barb,” Mike said.

I took a slow breath. Of all the things I was in a sheer panic about, my mistrust of Rich’s mother shouldn’t get to me. But it did. Because I knew she knew. She knew how he treated me, and she didn’t care.

Adam’s palm circled between my shoulder blades. I savored the contact and bit back the urge to argue with the police chief.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’ve known Barb for years. She’s married to a man who’s a lot like her son. I can understand why you don’t trust her, but she’ll do what’s right for Eric,” Mike said.

Even if I didn’t want her involved, I knew he was right on that count.

“Okay. What do we do now?”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Adam

I sat beside Wyatt on a fallen down tree. “I can’t fucking believe this,” I muttered.

Wyatt slung his arm around my shoulders, his touch strong and solid. “Mike knows what he’s doing. Griffin and Kenan are right over there, and Rhys and Blake are on the other end of the only way out for Rich. That’s not even counting the police.”

“I love Tessa and Eric,” I said simply, my chest aching.

“Of course you do. One way or another, it’ll be okay.”

I took a slow breath. “I hate men like Rich.”

“Yeah. And we know men like him, including our grandfather who’s sitting in prison.” Wyatt’s tone was dry and almost matter-of-fact.

I paused internally for a moment and tried to call up that old anger—my childhood twisted, confused, and helpless anger. All I felt was a void.

“I’m pretty sure Rich will be in prison soon too,” Wyatt added.

My mind skipped back about a half an hour.