Page 4 of You for Her (The Edge of Retaliation 2)
I switch my phone off and stand, stretching my aching limbs. I’m not ready to face them. Not ready to pretend. Right now, the only thing I can focus on is finding out as much as I possibly can before I make my next move. Today, I’m sick as far as the rest of the world knows. I need time to feel this range of emotions currently crushing my soul, then I’ll pull my big girl panties on and show them just exactly who they’re messing with.
“Knock, knock.”
I look up to see Jo standing in my doorway, hair messy from sleep, eyes as dark as mine. I’m guessing she didn’t get much rest, either.
“Hi,” I say. “How did you know I was awake?”
“I was awake, I heard you shuffling around. Thought I’d check. How are you feeling?”
I shrug, sitting down and crossing my legs. Jo comes over to the bed and joins me. “I’m okay,” I tell her, then I shake my head. “Gosh, that’s probably the worst lie I’ve ever told. I’m not okay, I feel heartbroken and confused, a little scared. I didn’t get any rest. Everything feels …”
“Chaotic?” she finishes for me.
I nod. “I can’t get my mind to slow down.”
“It’ll take a while. I know how you feel, I thought about it all night, too. From the moment you met Tanner to all the times they did those nice things for you …”
“Yeah,” I whisper, “I know. I’ve been over it a million times in my own head. From the very first second I met Tanner, and he was in the right place at the right time. All along it was staged, everything was staged. The thing that hurts the most is that he was so kind to me. So nice. So damned genuine. How can someone fake so well? It scares me.”
Jo nods. “I can imagine. Then there’s Ethan …”
“Ethan confuses me,” I admit.
“How so?”
“Well, he warned me to stay away from Tanner. He told me not to go into the house that night, and then he said sorry, as if he knew what I’d find. He’s been calling. I have to wonder if something happened and he’s not working with them, but then I think I’m being naïve and I’ll only get hurt trusting him …”
Jo’s eyes meet mine, and she nods, understanding. “I think you’re right. I had the same thought. Ethan may very well not be a part of it.”
“Even if he isn’t, he had to know what they were doing. He could have told me. Warned me. Something.”
“He may have had good reason not to. We don’t know the story which makes it very hard to know why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
She’s right, I know she’s right. We don’t know the story. All the same, it’s never okay to torment another human. Never.
“Either way, what they did to me—”
“Is horrible,” Jo finishes. “I know. I think you should talk to Ethan, tell him you know, maybe he will have the answers you’re looking for.”
I shake my head immediately. “No. Until I know for sure that Ethan isn’t helping them, I can’t trust him. For all I know, he could be playing this part to make it look like he’s not with them, but he is. Then I go to him and fall right into their little trap.”
“Honey—” she begins, but I put a hand up.
“I know I sound crazy, Jo. I know that. This whole thing is crazy, though. If I told anyone, they’d probably laugh in my face it’s so outrageous. So, while it might seem far-fetched for me to think the absolute worst, I have to let my mind expand to the craziest things because, so far, it has been the craziest damn thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You’re right.” Jo sighs. “We don’t know how far this goes. I still think you should go to the police, or do something for your own safety, but I also know you’re not going to. I thought about your plan, and I don’t think you should seek your own revenge, or play into their little game, but I do think you’re right, you shouldn’t tell them you know and you should look further into what they were planning for you. At the very least, you might get something you can actually use to charge them for this.”
Yeah, maybe.
“Thanks,” I say to her, my mind turning with the possibilities. “I’ve got Celia’s laptop; I’m going to try and crack it today.”
“I’ve got a really good friend in IT. If you can’t get into it, I’m sure he can. Let me know if you need him.”
“Thanks, Jo. I really appreciate your support.”
She reaches over and squeezes my knee. “We’re in this together. We have been from the start. We will be until the end.”
Thank god I have her.
