Page 77 of You'll Never Know
“Yes, it is!” Her voice climbed toward a screech. Reed had never seen her like this before—it was like she was transforming into a wildanimal before his eyes. “I’m not a teenager anymore! I’m an adult. You don’t control my life. And you certainly don’t control Adrian’s. I refuse to let you ruin what we are building together. If you persist in interfering like this, I will have no choice but to sever our relationship!”
Time seemed to slow and then stop all together. The ropes in Reed’s guts knotted tighter. Spiders skittered across his neck. He couldn’t breathe. He was going to be sick.
“Excuse me,” he said, jerking to his feet and stumbling toward the bathroom. He crashed through the door and made a beeline for the sink and turned it on. He splashed cold water over his hands, over his face. He was overheating, his pulse hammering in his ears. The ground undulated beneath him, rising and falling like he was on a boat.
Stop it! What’s wrong with you?
Reed didn’t usually feel this way with cons. Sure, the circumstance was extreme—one of the worst he’d endured to date, especially the part about Donald investigating him—but Reed prided himself on his calm, his cool, and this reaction was anything but cool. He was on the verge of a panic attack. No, he was having one.
But why?
Because she’s different than the others.
Because she actually cares about you.
Because you just might care about her.
The bathroom door slammed open before he could absorb the last part. Reed felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He knew exactly who was standing behind him.
“What are your intentions with my daughter?”
Reed slowly rotated. Donald Nash stood a few feet back, fuming, his hands clenched. Reed half-expected to see two coils of smoke rising from his nostrils. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play stupid with me. I know what my daughter’s like. Answer the question. Why are you with her?”
There were so many things Reed wanted to say in that moment,so many bullshit reasons he could give the man. But Donald Nash would see through every one. So, Reed said the only thing he couldn’t argue with.
“I know you might not see it, but I love her, sir. Truly. She’s one of a kind.”
Donald Nash scowled, and a road map of wrinkles imprinted on his forehead. His eyes boiled like hot pools of tar. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but there’s something off about you. Something I can’t put my finger on. But I will. And I want you to listen to me carefully. I am not a forgiving man. And I’m not a kind one. There is nothing more important to me in this world than my daughter. If you hurt her, if you damage her in any way whatsoever, I will destroy you, Adrian. And I’m not just talking legally. No, I’ll make sure you never walk again. That’s a promise.”
Reed stood there, shocked. He didn’t need to feign it; the threat left him shaken. “I would never hurt her, sir,” he managed. “You have my word.” Then, before the man could say anything else, Reed pushed past him right through the door.
Chapter 39
AVERY
Day One
If you need me, I’ll be there.
Zane’s words echo in my mind as I kneel next to the silver Honda Accord. He’s concealed himself in a stand of pine a ways up the hill from my location, looking down on me through a pair of high-powered binoculars, ready to spring into action if I need help. The thought doesn’t give me much comfort. If that happens, it means everything I’ve done to reach this point was for nothing. If I need him, it means I’ve failed before I’ve even begun.
Ten minutes ago, he placed a quarter inch nail in front of the Accord’s driver’s side tire and I rolled over it, planting it deep within the rubber. Then, I made my way down County Road 250 and parked a half mile from Reed’s ranch-style home, directly along the route he travels every evening on his five-mile run. It usually takes him thirty-five minutes to reach this spot, but I’m here with fifteen minutes to spare just in case.
At exactly 5:20 p.m., I pull the nail from the tire with a pair of needle-nose pliers and wait for the tire to deflate. Then, I crouch next to the vehicle and pretend to struggle with the lug wrench until I hearthecrunch, crunch, crunchof Reed’s shoes hitting gravel behind me.
I don’t need to look to know it’s him.
I crank on the wrench again, my hands shaking. My heart stutters and climbs into my throat. My entire body is about to slip into a violent tremble if I let it. I bite my lip, pairing the action with a phrase.Break it!It was one of the methods Zane and I’d practiced; a visualization tool to regulate my emotions when they got out of hand. We’d spent entire days with him trying to trigger me and provoke a reaction.
Do you even miss Noah and Ethan? You don’t act like you do.
The wreck was your fault. You know that, right? You’re the reason they’re dead.
Do you regret how much you worked? How much you ignored them?
Think of your family, Bailey. Picture their faces. Visualize how much you let them down.
