Page 69 of Release You

A crazed look in her eyes weakened my knees. Francesca had always been mean and a complete bitch to Lisa and me. The way she was angry at us sometimes made us wonder if shewas all there. But this was a new level of crazy, and that scared the shit out of me.

“Scott is going to cut your ankles loose. You try anything, he’ll pump you full of drugs again. You understand?”

I nodded, glaring at her.

Scott leaned back and made a show of pulling out his knife. I wasn’t afraid of a little knife, but the look in his eyes told me he’d be more than happy to use it on more than just the ties. I swallowed. A cold rush left my toes and fingers numb. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t know how to handle the situation. I was out of words and smiles. I held my breath as he sliced the cable tie, letting his hand linger on the top of my feet.

“Walk.” Francesca opened the car door.

I couldn’t feel my legs, but I kicked them into action anyway. Getting away from Scott and his stench was motivation enough to get me moving, no matter how tired I felt, or how much my body hurt.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked. “You’re wasting your time if you think Henry will come after me. He thinks I left town.”

Her eyes widened, as if she were considering something. She waved her hand in dismissal and chuckled. “And here I thought you knew Henry. He’ll come. If not for you, then for his dearest mommy. Walk.” She pushed me in front of her.

I did as she asked, though I couldn’t see anything in front of us. Dry grass crunched under my shoes, but that wasn’t enough for me to figure out where we were. The place was eerily quiet, the air still and hot.

We crossed the entrance to a sewer line, and my spirits lifted. Francesca was taking me to some kind of hiding place. Just as I’d thought, they were planning to use Tessa and me to get to Henry, to get him to hand over the chip. Maybe the chip alone wasn’t enough proof of the crime they’d committed, butbetween the recording and James’s original will, Henry had enough to create reasonable doubt for Lisa and reopen an investigation with Jonathan as the main suspect— enough to prove to this town Lisa was innocent.

“So this is your thing, huh? Jonathan says jump and you jump,” I said. Behind me, Scott sniggered, but I continued. “Is being Mrs. Cavalier, Paradise Creek’s first lady, that important to you that you’re willing to sleep with a killer?”

There it was again, that hair-raising laugh of hers.

“You have it all wrong. I’m in charge here. Not Jon.”

Oh fuck.

“If it were up to Jon, he’d still be James’s screwed-up little brother. Because of me, he’s mayor now, respected and loved by all. Just like he always wanted.” She put her chin in the air. Some favor she did her husband.

“You killed James?” Lisa’s file had said that the injuries inflicted on James were made by a female. But I always thought that was bullshit. It would’ve been easy for Jonathan not to strike his brother with full force, to limit the strength he used to kill him.I swallowed, and a heavy lump dropped to my stomach. My sister took the blame for a horrible crime so this fucking socialite could keep enjoying a life of luxury?

I fisted my hands behind my back, struggling to break free from the cable tie. But it was no use. The more I pulled, the deeper it dug into me, cutting the already-raw skin.

“You bitch. James Cavalier always treated you like family, gave you everything. And this is how you repaid him?” I used my body to shove her. I wanted to hurt her, wipe that knowing smirk off her face. “You killed James,” I yelled.

In the dark, all I could see was the semblance of Francesca covering her mouth. I threw my body at her again, and she stumbled to the ground. I fell to my knees as angry tears trickled down my face.

She slithered away from me and cradled her face with her free hand. “I didn’t. I loved him. I love him. Shut her up,” she screamed, crying and kicking.

A second later, I felt a prick in my neck, and stale-beer breath on my face…motherfucker. Everything went black again.

Henry had pressedme against the cold wall of the tunnel. The bricks scraped my back and released a musty smell that left a taste of wet clay and grass in the back of my throat. My eyes were level with his, his shoulders a few inches wider than mine. We were ten years old again. I clung to him, my arms around his neck. When I turned my face to the left, I saw him—a man hunched over in the dark. He looked up at us, and my heart jumped into my throat.

It was Jonathan.

He saw us. I struggled to get away, but Henry placed a hand over my mouth, shielding me with his body. We were kids. We had no idea what had just happened. But there was something in the air, an electric charge, a feeling that told us we were in danger. The door opened. A blinding light made me close my eyes before the door closed with a loud thud. I stood frozen, with Henry’s lips on my cheek, and my heart thrashing in my ears. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know why I felt so lost and scared.

“Run,” Henry whispered, squeezing my hand tight.

But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t run.

I satup with a blinding headache and itchy eyes. What the hell was that? Like Henry, was I starting to remember whathappened, or was it just another dream? No, it wasn’t a dream. We’d seen his uncle in the tunnels that day. He’d moved James’s body. Jonathan had sent Henry away from here because he knew one day he would remember what he’d seen. Francesca had run me out of town for the same reason. She’d made my life impossible here so I would leave. I thought of all the pictures in Lisa’s file, all the blood, the hate behind the crime. Had Francesca helped her husband kill his own brother? Why would she do that? Why would she hate him so much?

I wiped my face. The musty scent from my dream clung to my skin and clothes. Eyes as wide as they would go, I tried to focus on where I was. The shuffling of tiny feet scraping the cement floor, the darkness, and the smell sent my senses into overdrive…I was in the tunnels. Francesca had driven in circles on the freeway to confuse me, but I was sure I was back at Cavalier Manor. I jerked to my feet, shaking, and gasping for air.

“Hipolita. Stop. Relax. You’re hyperventilating. Unfortunately, it’ll get worse before it gets better. Francesca’s sedatives have a nasty side effect.”

Small hands stroked my hair, sending a rush of calm through me. Oh my God. Tessa found me.

---