Page 117 of The Wrong Side Of Us

“He hasn’t talked to anyone, but he did tell the police it wasn’t you who hurt him,” Damian stated. “Do you know a Kelly Nicholson?”

I raised my eyebrow at the mention of her name. I hadn’t seen or even heard of the Nicholsons since the incident with Josh and Hannah. Just hearing the name angered me. “Yes. Why?”

Damian cursed. “She’s the person that hired him.”

Shocked, I stopped Damian. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The loud yelling from the room caught my attention as I realized the severity of the situation. I had no clue what was going on, but whatever it was, it was bad.

“I said I’ll sign the goddamn release papers.” Derek’s voice echoed throughout the hallway as we opened the door. Everyone’s attention, the police men, the doctors and his, fell on us.

“Where the fuck is Evelyn?” Derek spat, his voiced full of frustration, eyes piercing with fright. “Why isn’t she with you? Why didn’t she come?”

He ran his hands through his fucked-up hair, pulling at the ends, before he stood up off of the bed, catching the doctors off guard. Derek Hensley seemed crazed, almost maniacal in the way he behaved.

“Give me a sheet of paper,” he said, snatching a Post-It from a nurse. “You guys don’t want to let me leave,” he muttered as he scribbled something on it. “I will write my own release paper, stating that I won’t hold the hospital liable for anything.”

He was pale and looked like he’d lost weight, but otherwise he seemed fine while he walked towards us.

“Are you going to explain what’s going on?” I hissed, taking hold of his arm before he left the room. Everyone seemed to be going in circles.

“I’ll explain on the way. My sister can’t be alone today,” he stated.

I frowned. “Your sister?”

He sighed, extending his hand towards me. “It’s time to reintroduce ourselves. I’m Derek Hensley, your brother-in-law.”

***

I fucking hoped everything was a joke. But the more I heard Derek’s story, more and more shit started to make sense.

I grasped at straws, trying to make sense of a senseless situation while wondering whether Evelyn was okay. I kept calling, but she wouldn’t answer the damn phone. I could do nothing else but hear each word Derek said, wondering when our lives got so screwed up.

“Her brother?” Damian asked as he wove in and out of New York traffic.

“Surprise to me, too,” Derek muttered, running his hand over his face. “I didn’t know it before.”

“Why is she trying to hurt her?”

Derek sighed. “I met a woman a few months ago in Pennsylvania, said the Carsons had fucked up her life. I believed her. Hannah did the same to me, and I just assumed Evelyn was the same—”

“You assumed fucking wrong,” I interrupted.

“I know that now,” Derek hissed. “I didn’t then, but I do now. I was meant to hurt her, mess up her life and shit. But I met Evie, and I just couldn’t. I always felt something for her. In the end, I told her I couldn’t follow through and ended up beat up.”

My chest tightened. Evelyn always said she had feelings for him and never knew how to explain them; she hadn’t lied.

“Kelly was pissed off because her son was in jail,” Derek continued while I sent a text message to Carter, hoping and praying the cops would get there on time, because I knew we wouldn’t. “I thought they’d fucked with their family, you know, they’d been taken advantage of, but I didn’t know the full story, not until I started digging up information when I realized Evie was nothing like she described.”

“Has she been the one planning this whole thing?”

I saw him shake his head. Rage filled me. “I think it’s been Josh behind everything, using his mommy.”

Suddenly, realization kicked in. One minor detail that managed to escape with everything going on came to mind. “If Evelyn is your sister, and Hannah and Evie are sisters, did you have sex with your—”

Damian snorted to suppress a laugh. “Holy shit. This is a mess.”

“No. Hannah and Evelyn aren’t sisters.”

---