Page 48 of Truth

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. I’d never been to Crazy Lewie’s, but I knew where it was. They prided themselves on live music and local talent. “Send our tickets to my office. We’ll meet you there.”

After a few more mumbled words, Ross hung up. How that man ran a business with such poor manners was beyond me. Given their ability to donate large sums to the foundation, however, they had to be doing well. Maybe it was just me he was rude with. He did seem to be getting better with Brianna.

I was impressed he’d thought to arrange for a table in the back to give her space. She would still be uncomfortable with so many people around, but Brianna did need to get out more. She couldn’t stay shut up in my condo forever.

Brianna

I was really getting into my book when the phone rang. The hero, Jack, had just met Ronnie, a sassy waitress. He’d been checking her out, and she’d noticed. She’d just “accidentally” spilled his drink in his lap. I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to see what happened next, but I knew I needed to answer the phone. It could be Stephan.

“Hello?”

I heard a sigh on the other end of the line and knew immediately it wasn’t Stephan.

“Anna.”

Cringing back into the couch, I almost threw the phone when my father spoke again. “Don’t hang up. Please. Just hear me out.”

I didn’t know what to do. “What...” Closing my eyes, I reached up and held tight to the collar Stephan gave me. “What... do you want?”

“I’m sorry I scared you before. I didn’t mean to. I just... I needed to get you out of there, away from that man.”

All I could do was shake my head as I curled into a ball in the corner of the couch. A minute ago, I’d been lost in a world of promised romance. Now I was clinging to the only piece of Stephan I had at the moment and trying to not let my fear take over and send me into a spiral of panic.

“I’m asking for you to listen to my side of the story. That’s all. Will you do that?”

I didn’t answer, and he must have taken that for a yes.

“After I realized you’d been taken somewhere, I did look for you, Anna. I promise you I did. I called in favors with other law enforcement officers I knew across Minnesota. I didn’t file an official missing person’s report on you, but I checked the police wire every day. I looked for anything that might lead me to you, but until last month, there was nothing. Then I had a friend in Minneapolis call saying there was mention of a Brianna Reeves in one of the society pages. It was a long shot, and he didn’t think it could be you, but I checked it out anyway. My heart almost stopped when I saw your picture staring back at me.”

He paused.

“You looked so scared, Anna.”

Somewhere along the way, I’d squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t want to hear him, but somehow I couldn’t hang up on him either.

“I was served with a restraining order today. It says I can’t come within five hundred feet of you.”

That made me open my eyes, and I was able to take a deep breath for the first time since answering the phone.

“Don’t do this, Anna. I’m your father. I love you. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally. What happened with Dumas... it was a mistake. An accident. No matter what happened, I’m your only family. There’s nothing that can change that.”

The phone fell from my hand, and I rolled over onto my side.

A mistake.

An accident.

That’s what he called the ten months I’d spent with Ian.

A sob ripped from my throat as I cried harder. I didn’t bother to wipe away the tears. They didn’t matter. It was all just... a mistake.

I reached in my pocket and retrieved my cell phone. My hands shook as I brought it up to eye level so I could dial Stephan. Just as I was about to push the buttons, however, the phone rang, startling me, and I dropped it.

The sound of the phone hitting the floor registered faintly as the blackness crept in. I knew I should fight it, and I tried, but it felt never-ending. The only thing I could hear was John’s voice repeating over and over again that it was all just a mistake, an accident. None of it mattered. Not me. Not what Ian had done. Nothing.

Lying there, I heard the phone ringing, but I didn’t move. The only thing keeping me from sinking into total darkness was Stephan. I wanted to be strong for him. It was just so hard.

There was a noise in the background, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. I had no idea how long I’d been there. Minutes? Hours? Then a voice. Stephan. Was he here, or was I just imagining?

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