Page 47 of Ransom

Angie bursts out laughing, the sound echoing off the alley walls. It's the first genuine laugh I've heard from her since Iarrived. "That sounds about right," she says, wiping a tear from her eye.

As her laughter fades, Angie's expression grows serious again. She looks at me for a long moment, her eyes searching mine. "Listen, Ransom," she says, her voice softer now. "Blair's dealing with a lot right now. And maybe... maybe if you're not sure what you're doing in town, or what you really want, you should just go. Leave Blair in peace."

I want to argue, to defend my presence here, but the truth is, I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing. I came back to fulfill a promise to Robert, yes, but seeing Blair again has stirred up feelings I thought I'd buried long ago.

I lean back against the wall, closing my eyes for a moment. Angie's right—it's not fair of me to stir shit up if I'm not clear on what I want. But the thought of leaving, of walking away from her again, makes my chest ache.

"I hear you, Angie," I say finally, opening my eyes to meet her gaze. "But I can't just leave. Not yet."

I think about Blair's face when she saw me last night, the mix of shock, anger, and something else I couldn't quite place. I think about the way my heart raced just being near her again, even with all the tension between us.

"I know I hurt her," I continue, my voice low. "I hurt a lot of people when I left. But I need to try to make things right. Even if she hates me forever, I need her to know the truth." I'm an idiot. Didn't I just decide I'm not sharing the truth with Blair? Isn't it going to hurt her more than help?

Get your shit together Kyle!

Angie's watching me closely, her expression unreadable. "And what truth is that, Ransom?"

I hesitate, the words catching in my throat. How do I explain the mess of emotions swirling inside me? The regret, thelonging, the desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance to fix what I broke all those years ago?

"That I never stopped caring about her," I say finally. "That leaving her was the biggest mistake of my life."

Angie's eyes widen slightly, surprise flickering across her face. For a moment, I think she's going to argue, to tell me I'm being selfish or stupid. But instead, she just sighs.

"You're playing with fire, Ransom," she warns. "Blair's not the same girl you left behind. She's been through a lot."

I nod, understanding the weight of her words. "I know. And I don't expect anything from her. I just... I need to try to make it better."

"So what, you're going to hang around here and just… wait her out? Or do you have a plan?"

"I'm working on it."

Angie snorts and grabs the handle of the door. "You might want to make sure your affairs are in order before you go see her again. Leave a note or something for where we should ship the body."

17

BLAIR

"Blair!"

Maggie's voice scares the shit out of me, and I bang the back of my head on the hood of the pickup I'm working on. "Jesus. Fuck. Dammit, Maggie."

Maggie stops three feet from me, her chest heaving as she gulps for air. My heart leaps into my throat and a million terrifying scenarios flash through my mind in rapid succession. Is it Max? Did something happen at school? Or worse, is it the cancer? Has it spread? Did the doctors find something new? Maybe she fell and hurt herself. Or what if there was a fire at the house? Why the fuck didn't she call the fire department? I would have heard the trucks, though.

Already exhausted by worry, I drop the socket wrench and take a step closer, staring at Maggie's flushed face, dreading what she might say next.

"Mags? What's wrong?"

She waves me off, bent double with her hands on her knees. "Nothing... nothing's wrong," she wheezes. "Why didn't you tell me Ransom was back in town? I had to hear it from Angie!"

Fuck. Fuckity-fucking hell. "It's not important," I mutter, turning back to the car. What are the chances that he just popped into town this morning, then left? That's got to be it. Maybe he was too tired to drive back to the city, so he got a room for the night. Or slept in his car. But he's gone now. He has to be. Mr. Big City has important shit to do, right? He can't just hang around here forever.

Right?

"Not important?" Maggie's voice rises an octave. "Blair McKenna, don't you dare brush this off. Spill. Now."

I sigh, wiping my hands on a rag. "There's nothing to tell, Mags. He showed up, we exchanged a few words, end of story."

Maggie narrows her eyes, seeing right through me like always. "Uh-huh. And how do you feel about it?"

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