Page 65 of Release Me

“Oh, dear.” Mrs. G sighs.

“I don’t know what to do. I feel like the right thing would be to send her back to Meadowlake.”

I pause, thinking about the repercussions of that decision. She’d be back in Finn’s clutches, which is enough of a reason not to send her back in and of itself. But furthermore, she wouldn’t get the care she needs—the careIwas supposed to be giving her—and therefore she’d never heal, never learn, and never get a chance to reenter society.

“But that’s the last thing I want to do, not just for her, but for me, too damn it. I love her. I am beyond angry with her, but I have to think about things from her perspective. She’s fragile. I understand why she did what she did. Not that it makes it any easier to forgive, but when she saw Victoria kiss me, I can only imagine how it made her feel. I’ve done nothing but reassure her she’s not a piece of trash to be thrown away since she got here. Of course she would think I lied to her, or changed my mind. Fucking Victoria and her big mouth. I don’t know what she was thinking. I’ve never known her to be like that. When we were together she was never the jealous type.”

“It’s because she already had you,” Mrs. G explains. “We’ve always been glad you got away from her when you did. Mr. G and I never did like her or trust her.”

I never knew they didn’t care for her. It’s easier to see someone’s true nature from an outsider’s perspective sometimes.

“Go talk to her, Richie. Make things right.”

She pats me on the hand and gives me a smile. She’s like the grandmother I never had but always wanted. I nod and stand up from the stool at the kitchen island.

“I will,” I assure her. “Let me help you with these dishes first.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she insists.

“I know, but you do so much around here for me. I want to do something for you.”

* * *

Half an hour later, I find myself at the top of the staircase, headed to Brynn’s room. I’m nervous to speak to her, but I don’t want too much time to go by before we get a chance to discuss what happened.

Her door is open, and expecting to find her inside, I’m perplexed when she’s nowhere to be found. I notice the closet light is on and the door is open, so I walk inside and look around. The black weekender bag I bought for her is no longer sitting on the shelf at the top of her closet. There is a shirt half hanging off its hanger, and a pair of underwear strewn on the floor. A bad feeling sinks to the bottom of my stomach as I rush out of the closet and into the bathroom. Also missing is her toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo, and conditioner.

No.

Quickly running down the hall and into my room, I pull up the cameras and rewind the footage until I see her figure on the screen. She’s exiting the closet with the black weekender bag in her hand. As she walks into the bathroom, I switch over to that view. I watch as she drops each of the missing items into her bag before walking to the door and casting a final glance behind her. She wipes tears from her face before exiting her room. The last thing I notice before her form disappears is she’s still wearing her collar.

Thank God.

I pull up the tracking software on my computer and locate her heading west on Highway 36. Christ, she works fast. She only left here about forty minutes ago. She had to of hitched a ride with someone, there is no way she’d be that far away on foot already. She’s quickly falling into her old patterns, and I hardly have anyone to blame but myself. Regardless of the fact that I didn’t want to kiss Victoria last night, it still happened.

All that matters is, in Brynn’s eyes, I betrayed her. If nothing else, I can’t let her get away without telling her I’m sorry. And especially letting her know I understand why she took the actions she did after witnessing the kiss. Exiting my room, I book it downstairs and out the door. The sun is just starting to set, and I need to try and get to her before that happens. I’m already going to be attempting something stupidly dangerous, but a grand gesture might be exactly what she needs from me right now.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

BRYNN

If this dressis good for one thing, it’s getting noticed. I caught the attention of a man who was driving south a little down the road from the entrance to Richard’s estate. He stopped and asked if I needed help. I told him I didn’t have a final destination, but I could use a ride wherever he was headed. Unfortunately, he was only headed into town for a bite to eat and invited me to join him. I told him I wasn’t hungry but would appreciate the ride into town if he was still offering.

Next to the diner is a truck stop.

I don’t want to use myself as payment for a ride, but with the only other alternative being a trip back to Meadowlake, I take a deep breath and approach the first man I see. He appears to be in his upper fifties or early sixties. Slightly overweight with white hair sticking out from underneath his trucker hat, he reminds me of some of the grandpas I’ve seen in movies. Stupidly, I hope he’s as soft and caring as those characters were portrayed as.

“Excuse me,” I begin in the sweetest voice I can muster. “I’m looking for a ride, and I wonder if I might be so lucky as to catch one with you?”

He looks me up and down before answering. I think he’s going to say something lewd or gross, but he doesn’t.

“Where you headed?” he asks.

“I’m headed wherever you are. No clear destination in mind, just trying to get out of town.”

“You don’t say.” He turns toward a group of men not too far away from him. “Looks like I got some company for the long drive, boys. Don’t hate me too much, now.”

The other men grumble, and I put on my best smile, making him believe he’s as charming as he thinks he is.

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