Page 2 of Fated Love with You
“I need the rest of the story, Adeline.” His voice is firm. “You know better than that.”
“Well, it’s…” She looks up at me, finally realizing her dad has been on speaker all this time. Gasping, she turns it off and rushes away from me again.
Okay, then.
“Yeah, Kylie?” I answer the call.
“Why didn’t I research the distance between Seattle and Colorado before renting a car?”
“Because you’re you.” I smile. “Logistics have never been your strong suit.”
“Well, it’s twenty hours total, and I have eighteen left,” she says. “I’ll pull over in a few to nap and head toward you after.”
“Or,” I say, “you can save yourself the time and just?—”
“He makes people disappear, Autumn.” She interrupts me. “Every person who has ever been involved with this guy in one way or another winds up missing, seriously injured, or dead. No exceptions.”
Silence.
“That’s not even the worst thing I discovered in the database about him.” She breathes slowly. “He’s—He’s not a good man, Autumn.”
“What about Nate?”
“Nate will probably star in an episode ofTrue Crimesoon.” She sounds as if she’s on the verge of hyperventilating. “I told you what my dad says about domestic phone calls beingrecorded, so me meeting you in person is better, and it’s more than worth this drive, okay?”
I say nothing.
I stare ahead at Adele as she laughs loudly. As she makes it more than clear that she has no idea what type of man her father is.
You and me both, Adele.
“Autumn?” Kylie asks. “Autumn, are you still with me?”
“Yes.”
“Please stay the hell away from this guy and don’t speak to him until I reach you, okay?”
“Kylie, I’m already…” My chest suddenly tenses, and I’m not sure why, but something warns me not to reveal that I’m working under Ryder.
It’s the same intuition that hit me years ago when I started hiding certain secrets from everyone in my life.
“You have as many layers as I do, Autumn; you just hide them differently.”I shake away Ryder’s recent words and let out a slow, unsteady breath.
“You’re already, what, Autumn?”
“I’m already on the same page with you.”
“Okay, good. I don’t want you to mysteriously disappear…” There’s a pause. “In case you’re off somewhere when I get in, do you have a key under the mat?”
“No, just call me.”
“Okay, talk soon.”
“Talk soon.” I end the call and stare at my screen.
A small part of me wishes I never asked her to look into Ryder, but an even bigger part of me is demanding the entire truth about him once and for all.
“My dad wants to talk to you.” Adele holds out her cell phone before I can consider my next move. “He says it’s important.”
