Page 76 of Control

But not long into the drive, we found ourselves wondering if we’d gotten it wrong. Because Bethany wasn’t staying close to her place of employment. She drove twenty minutes away to this restaurant. And when she got out of her car mere moments ago, she walked right into the arms of her dead best friend’s brother and kissed him.

“Why would she and Clover tell us that Reed wasn’t interested in her?” I asked Ty.

“Well, maybe Clover doesn’t know,” Ty reasoned. “I mean, they’ve come to this place on the outskirts of town, away from prying eyes. Maybe they don’t want anybody to know there’s something going on between them.”

“But why? That doesn’t make any sense, especially if Annie had tried to hook them up at some point,” I argued. “I don’t like this. I don’t like the way it feels.”

“Because it gives us more questions than answers. What an eye-opening couple of days this has been. So, how do you want to play this?”

Ty and I took the next few minutes to come up with a plan, but we realized we were mostly going to have to wing it. If this was a lunch break and they needed to return to work, we wouldn’t have much time.

We had considered waiting outside for them to leave, to make it seem like we’d arrived right as they were leaving, but since we didn’t know where they were seated and realized they could have had a view to us in the parking lot, we decided it was best to go in.

The restaurant was small—a mom-and-pop shop, not a chain. So, when we walked in and noticed just one big dining area, I realized I was going to have to be quick on my feet. It tookall of a few seconds for me to lock eyes with Bethany, and the moment she saw me, her face blanched, her jaw falling open.

I smiled brightly at her and waved, moving in that direction. “Hi, Bethany,” I said.

“Hi, Alana.”

Pretending I hadn’t yet seen Reed, I glanced at him, pulled my brows together, and said, “Reed?”

His eyes narrowed on me, and it made me feel wildly uncomfortable. I redirected my attention to Bethany. “I thought you and?—”

“Nobody knows,” she shared.

“Beth,” Reed said, his voice low and holding an edge of warning.

I was grateful to have Ty at my back, because Reed gave off vibes that could best be described as menacing.

Bethany looked at Reed, panic in her stare. When she focused on me again, she explained, “We got together, but we didn’t want to tell anyone yet. It happened right before Annie. Then it seemed insensitive.”

“That’s enough, Bethany.” Reed’s eyes cut to mine. “Are you following me?”

“What? No. Why would I be following you?”

“Because you’re a reporter who was just at my parents’ house, snooping around for information about my sister,” he fired back. “Because you then met with my sister’s best friends for the same reason. And now you’re here.”

Without turning around, I could feel the fury building inside Ty. I got the distinct feeling he was going to lose his cool if Reed continued to be as condescending as he was.

Wanting to smooth things over, I said, “Well, I’m honored that you believe my skills as a reporter are so refined that I’d be able to follow someone as high profile as yourself. As it turns out,I do work on several projects at one time, and today, I’m doing a restaurant review.”

Reed clearly did not like the way I’d spoken to him.

If not for how angry Ty could possibly get if this situation escalated, I wouldn’t have cared.

Then again, if Reed was the guy responsible for killing his sister, attacking Yasmine, and coming after me, maybe I needed to care.

“Please don’t say anything,” Bethany begged. “Reed and I are trying to work this out. We don’t want anyone to know. Not now. Not yet.”

“Bethany, it isn’t her fucking business. Will you stop?”

“Do you want her to report on us? I can see the headline now. Annie’s brother and her best friend find comfort in one another following her tragic death.”

Reed looked at me again, completely ignoring Ty. “She won’t tell that story. I think she knows better.”

That was it. That was all it took for Ty to act. “I know you didn’t just threaten her.”

Reed focused on Ty and shot a sinister look his way. “Of course, I didn’t. But I would suggest that she heed my warning. Things can get messy when people do things they shouldn’t.”

---