Page 60 of Ransom

"Nick."

"Ransom."

There's dead silence on the line, and it's enough to annoy me. "You called me."

"Right. Yeah. I did. Hey. How are you? How are things?"

How are things?

"Things are fine."

"Fine? Right. Fine. Of cour— Are you in Badger Falls?" he yells.

"Fuck me," I groan, and turn the volume way the fuck down. "Thanks. That was fucking wonderful. I'm pretty sure I just lost a quarter of my hearing, asshole."

"Right. Sorry. But are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, fucker."

"No, I'm not in Badger Falls." It's the truth; I should leave it there. I know I should. I could return home, wash my hands of all of this, of this town, and move the fuck on with my life.

I should.

"I'm about twenty miles outside of town. I was leaving."

"Was. Youwereleaving, and now?"

"I'm on the side of the road."

"Sounds like things aren't fine, brother." Nick's voice turns low, soothing. It's the kind of voice he'd use with one of the women. Directed at them, it's just who he is. Turning that shit on me? He's trying to handle me.

I just might let him because I sure as fuck have no clue what's going on anymore.

"I don't know what the fuck I was thinking, coming out here."

"Why did you pick up and go last night? I'm assuming you left last night."

"Because this—she—was consuming me, and I needed to get it done so I could move the fuck on."

"Is it done?"

"I don't know."

"Brother, you're going to have to lay it out for me."

Tired of going it alone, of trying to get my head on straight myself, I lay it out for him. My rush to town, the fucking cow, Blair finding me on the side of the road. And tonight's conversation.

"That's a fucking eventful twenty-four hours," he finally says. He's silent, in that way of his, digesting everything I told him, looking for the angles, trying to piece together a puzzle he doesn't have all the pieces to. "So you went there to finish it, and it seems like you've done that. The woman doesn't want to sell."

"No, she doesn't."

"Brother, just saying… she's been pretty clear about not wanting to sell for an entire year. But you weren't hearing it. Why?"

"I didn't believe her."

"Why?"

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