Page 87 of Untamed
“I shit you not.” Heidi’s voice carries a smile. “I think you’ve got something to work with here.”
Relief like I’ve never felt has me leaning against the counter for support. “Thank fuck.”
After struggling to find information on the dead Dans, I wasn’t hopeful Heidi would have any better luck digging up dirt on William. I worried I’d have to send Ruth and Birdie to Maryland with no safety net in place. But, thanks to Heidi’s investigative skills, I’ve at least got a shot at making sure William never bothers her again.
As long as I can convince a few other people it’s worth the risk to take him on.
The biggest problem is, I don't know how convincingIwill be. I can be charming, and historically women have tended to like me, but this is a very different situation. I’m not meeting one in a bar and taking her home, something I’ve neveractually had toconvincesomeone to do. This is about persuading a woman to put her potential safety—and the safety of her child—on the line.
Ruth would be great at it, but I don't want to get her hopes up. Especially if this doesn't pan out the way I’m hoping it will. There is one other person I think is capable of doing what needs to be done. Unfortunately, bringing them into the mix is going to undo everything Ruth and I worked so hard to accomplish. But I don't see any other way. This has to be done.
And if I end up with my ass in a vice because of it, then at least I’m the one suffering and not Ruth.
After hanging up with Heidi, I go to where Ruth and Birdie are happily playing with the pile of toys I've continued to accumulate during their time here with me. Crouching down, I spend a minute pretending to be a cow in Birdie’s plastic barnyard before passing that responsibility off to Ruth.
“Will you two be okay for a few minutes while I run to my parents’ house?” I try to sound normal. The last thing I need is Ruth suspecting I’m up to something.
Her brows pinch together in concern, proving I failed. "Is everything okay?"
I won’t lie to her, but I also can't give her the outright truth. "I just need to touch base with my mom about a project she's working on." Not a lie. Technically, my mom will be working on this project, she just doesn’t know it yet. But there's not a doubt in my mind that when she hears what's going on, Deidre Bradshaw will absolutely do whatever she can to keep Ruth and Birdie safe.
Ruth seems to relax a little at that, giving me a tiny hint of a smile. "We’ll be fine."
After kissing both her and Birdie on the forehead, I hustle to my side-by-side, driving straight for my parents’ place. I find my mom in the kitchen, working on a new recipe for the fall issue of her magazine.
She greets me with a bright smile, hands shoved in oven mitts as she pulls a tray of tiny, individual loaves from her oven. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you?"
"Not bad." I settle onto one of the stools lined down the island, glad I’m at least going to get a snack out of this. "But I have a feeling that's not going to last long." There's no reason to beat around the bush or mince words. I don't want to spend a lot of time away from Ruth and Birdie since the clock is ticking down to Maryland, so I go straight into what brings me here. "Ruth and I aren’t really a couple."
My mother pauses pulling the tiny loaf pans from the baking sheet and lining them onto a cooling rack. She doesn’t say anything, just angles a brow at me.
There’s no ranting or crying, which I'm going to take as a good sign, so I keep going. "I didn't want you trying to fix me up with anybody, so I paid her to pretend to be my girlfriend."
My mother stares at me a second longer before going back to what she's doing, lining a mushy looking loaf into place. "Interesting."
She’s still not ranting or crying. Still a good sign. Still gonna keep going. "Ruth is planning to move to Maryland next weekend for a job opportunity." I take a deep breath before laying out the reason for my confession. "And to get away from Birdie's dad."
My mother nods, making a humming noise that still isn't ranting or crying.
So I tell her everything. How Ruth showed up on my doorstep. How she ended up in my house. How she’s got no one but me. I held back with Walker, but I can't hold back with my mother. Not if I want her help. And I don’t just want her help, I need it. Because Deidre Bradshaw will be so much more convincing than some random guy with good hair and commitment issues. No matter how good-looking I am.
I finish explaining Ruth’s presence as my motherattempts to de-pan her bread. It's not going well. The structural integrity of each loaf is lacking greatly, and they essentially crumble the second they’re released.
She frowns down at the project as she says, "I was wondering how you talked her into it."
I want to be surprised. I convinced myself I could genuinely trick my mother. But no one can fool Deidre Bradshaw. She's like some sort of all-knowing entity. Which is really inconvenient when you're a teenager.
"Well, now you know." I brace myself before admitting why I’m here. "And I need your help keeping Ruth and Birdie safe from him."
I tell her about the three women Heidi found. Women who, just like Ruth, were manipulated by William. Women who made the same choice Ruth did, putting themselves directly in his narcissistic, selfish crosshairs. Each one of them has a bull's-eye on their back, and I'm hoping—like Ruth—they’re willing to do whatever it takes to protect their children.
"And you want me to convince them to take him on." It’s not a question. Because again, all-knowing deity.
I slowly nod, hoping she’s willing to help me protect not only Ruth and Birdie, but three more innocent kids and their mothers. "I figure if anyone has a shot of getting them to take this risk, it's you."
My mother sighs, abandoning her failed experiment. "Does Ruth know about this plan?"
I shake my head. "Not yet. I don't want to get her hopes up until I know more."
