Page 81 of Twisted Bonds
He turns and heads for the door, but I call out, "Where are you going? Release me, Brant; you can't leave me like this!"
"Once you have calmed down, we can talk some more, and maybe I can untie you, but you're too irrational at the moment. Just remember, I'm doing this for you. Try and show me a little appreciation." Brant says with a clenched jaw, and then he's gone, leaving me by myself once again.
Forty-Five
Beau
Sweat burns my eyes as it drips from my forehead. Right, left, right, right, left, right, left, left. The punching bag in the home gym has seen better days. I don't think it's been used as much as it has these past two months, not only by me but also by my father. My knuckles are scarred from all the punching I've been doing with them, even with the punching gloves on.
Two months ago, yesterday, was the last time I saw Ryan. I never even got to say goodbye to her; she never gave me the chance. When Laney and Heather returned with the new arrivals, they informed us that Ryan had one of her attacks and told them to go on and head back while she took a day to relax. It wasn't until a few days later that Laney explained that Agent Castor relayed the message to them and not Ryan herself.
I've never seen my father go off the rail the way he did upon hearing that news. These past two months have shown me just how much Ryan means to him, and when we get her back, I've already made up my mind. Even though it will be weird and maybe difficult at first, Ryan needs all the love she can get, so I will not stand in the way of her and my father being together. That said, I can't give her up, so I guess it will be the three of us for the long haul—if Ryan is okay with it.
Ryan is all that has ever mattered in the years since she came into my life, and I will spend the rest of mine making sure she has the happy ending she deserves. We just need to get her back. How does someone disappearoff the face of the earth? That's what Brant Castor has done. Not even his team knows where he's at.
Right, left, right, left, right, left…I punch the bag rapidly until I drop to my knees and fall forward, catching myself on my padded knuckles. I concentrate on my breathing: deep breath in, exhale, and repeat. I hear the door open, and footsteps stop not far from me, but my eyes are closed as I catch my breath.
"Well, the bag is still intact, so that's good." My father sighs, and then I feel his hand on my back as he says, "I thought you would want to now that I've finally heard from Liv."
I whip my head to the side and take my father in as he squats beside me. "Has she heard from Ryan?" I ask anxiously.
His lips are firm as he shakes his head no. "I'm sorry, no, she hasn't. It was one of the reasons why she called me. She hasn't been able to use a phone where she's at because of the whole protective custody, but Ryan was supposed to be calling her every day, and she hasn't."
"How is Liv? Are she and the baby doing okay?" I ask, trying to change the subject. I'm not in the right headspace to talk about Ryan at the moment.
"She is. She's actually visiting her parents with her "warden," as she called him, and that's how she can call. By the time Erik gets wind of her visiting her parents, she will already be back in the States again," Dad explains it all to me.
"Well, at least we can get some good news on one front," I tell him as I get to my feet and unwrap my hands.
"I've got a little good news. Max says he may have a lead, but he doesn't want us to get our hopes up just in case it turns out like the last one." My father's glum look tells me he's not holding his breath, either.
"Oh, like a month ago when we went traipsing through the side of a mountain because he had word that Ryan was being held in a cabin? That poor couple didn't know what to think when we practically busted their door down while being strapped," I scoff.
I really did feel bad for the young couple. They were on their honeymoon, and the woman had red hair like Ryan's. The elderly store owner at the bottom of the mountain mistook the woman for Ryan and called it in to the tip line, which actually goes straight to my father's PI.
"I'm going to go hit the shower and see if the women need any help at the shelter houses. Have you seen Mom?" I ask.
Rolling his eyes, he nods and says, "Yeah, she's sitting on the patio withhim. Your sister has already gone to pester the women. If you see her can you tell her that she still has homework to do?"
"Yeah," I say and pause briefly, then call out when he turns to go get his punching gloves, "Hey, Dad?"
"Hm?"
"You seem to be doing really good with Cayley, and I know I haven't said it, but thanks."
"What are you thanking me for?" He widens his stance and crosses his arms, waiting for me to answer.
"I don't know too many men who would take in another man's child that he had with the man's wife and raise her as his own. You're good with her; I can tell she loves you." I glance down at my knuckles and rub them absentmindedly.
What I don't say is that I'm a little jealous of the love he's been showing her when I never felt it after Mom was taken. He should have been showing me the same kind of attention, but I'm grateful he's giving my sister the love that she never had in her short life up until now.
My father walks over to me, cups the back of my neck, and pulls me into his chest as his other arm comes around me. "I'm sorry I wasn't there like I should have been. Once I finally accepted your mother being gone and moved us here, I wasn't sure how to be with you anymore. You seemed to be doing good, so I let it go. I let you be who you wanted to be until it was time to join me.
"Had I been there, I would have known about Ryan from the very beginning, and maybe I could have done something then. I don't know, Beau. There are so many what-ifs that it drives me crazy when I sit and think about them all."
"Yeah, well, that's all in the past. We just need to find her and bring her home. She may hate us, but we should be able to keep her safe and happy between the two of us."
My father is the first to pull away and then stare at me. Studying me briefly, he asks, "What do you mean?"
