Page 95 of Bad For A Weekend

“In a small town like that, it’s not hard to believe. She was underage, so I never knew her name. But I was in Yellow Springs the first couple months of Baylor’s life, and people saw us around.” He weighs his next words. “A pregnant teen who didn’t keep her baby, and then me suddenly walking around with a newborn. It wouldn’t be hard for people to put the pieces together.”

“According to the people I spoke with, Lisa was mentally unwell. She was often heard talking to people about you being the father of her child and how someday you would all be a family. Her parents kept a very close watch on her because they knew she had issues. They even tried to get her help a few times, but after they died, her brothers took over. They exploited her, using her in their cons around town until they were basically driven out.”

“Shit.” Corey runs a hand through his hair. “I wanted a family so badly, I didn’t think about any of this. I didn’t worry about her knowing who I was. I should’ve.”

“Anyway, after I spoke to everyone and got a clear picture of who we were dealing with, I flew home. I didn’t think she’d do this. You have to believe me.” My voice cracks. “I had a meeting planned with Hudson after graduation. I even contacted the detectives and asked them to join us. I was going to lay it all out so they could find her before something happened.”

“The brother is still out there then?” he asks.

Sanders clears his throat. “No. Before we took Owen away for questioning, he gave us a picture he had of him. They sent out a BOLO, and an officer found him lurking around. He turned himself in right away. Apparently, he was distraught over what his sister did. He said it wasn’t part of the plan. She was supposed to approach you and ask you for money. But Lisa was unpredictable and lost to her fantasy. She thought Baylor must not be a good kid because you’d have wanted to be with her if she was.”

“And the stolen bracelet? How did they get onto school grounds?”

“Do you know a girl named Katina?” Sanders asks.

“Yeah. She’s on the cheer squad with Baylor.”

“Lisa approached her at a coffee shop. Katina had her cheer uniform on, and Lisa asked if that was the same school your daughter attended. She claimed to be your biggest fan and begged Katina to snag something that belonged to Baylor as a keepsake. Apparently, Katina isn’t your daughter’s biggest fan and agreed. She met Lisa at the coffee shop the next day and handed over the bracelet.”

“This is unbelievable.” He stands and paces in front of me.

“You did good work, Owen,” Hudson says.

“I was too late.”

“You couldn’t have predicted this. I’m just pissed that she somehow got past my men. I still need to figure out how that happened.”

“We need to speak to you and Corey to corroborate Owen’s story. But it’s just a formality,” Sanders says to Hudson.

“He’s not in trouble, is he?” Hudson asks.

“No. Not at all.” Sanders stands and moves to the door. “I’ll reach out in a week or so.”

“She’s my baby,” Corey chokes up once we’re alone. “I didn’t protect her.”

“You can’t put that on yourself. You did everything you could. It’s my men who fucked up.” Now Hudson is pacing. “I was right there. Twenty feet away.”

I know how they’re feeling. The blame game doesn’t have a winner. I spent years blaming myself for what happened at the high school, and there’s still a part of me that believes I could’ve stopped it. Just like there’s a part of me that believes I could’ve stopped this.

After that, the room returns to silence, only interrupted when Brandy breaks out into soft sobs. Hudson takes it on himself to sit next to her and wrap an arm around her shoulder. It’s unlike him, but I’m glad he has it in him to comfort her because I don’t.

An hour later, a doctor comes in. “Are you the Giles family?”

I worry Corey will ask Hudson and me to leave, but he stands and says, “Yes.”

“Baylor made it through surgery. We managed to safely remove all the bullet fragments and repair her artery. There was some damage to her kidney, and she lost a lot of blood. She isn’t in the clear, but for now, she’s stable.”

“Can I see her?” Corey asks.

“Yes, but she’s in the ICU, so we can only allow one person at a time. Visiting hours are over, so it’ll have to be brief.”

“Thank you.” Corey follows him out of the room without a backward glance. Jealousy rips through me, ugly and fierce. He gets to see her with his own eyes because he’s her family, and I’m nothing.

“I guess we should probably all go home and get some rest,” Hudson says. That’s the logical thing to do. Yet, I can’t bring myself to leave.

“I think I’ll stick around so I can be here when Corey comes out,” Brandy says.

“That’s a good idea. I think I will too.” I fold my arms, the hospital chill finally getting to me.

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