Page 111 of Something like Redemption

But Justin continues. “I knew they hadn’t found you, because I had the upper hand, thanks to the ever-helpful Stacey. But I was running low on cash, as all my efforts to track you down bled me dry. Then I was struck with a brilliant idea.

“Who has lots of cash? Drug dealers. And who would pay for information of your whereabouts?Yourdrug dealer. I told your dad I wanted fifty grand, and I would tell him where you were. He didn’t believe me, but when I gave them the cell number of your little friend, which I knew you were using,thenthey believed me when they called her phone, and her bubbly voice message answered, proving to them I was right. They didn’t even know she existed, but after they did their homework, they knew I was telling them the truth.”

Shit. That messagewasfrom them.

“They asked why I would help them, and I told them I needed the cash. They knew they couldn’t do this on their own, and with the police also after you, they had no other choice but to trust me.

“Your dad and Phil wanted you so badly, they agreed but said I would get the moneyafterI delivered you to them. Alive. I was so fucking happy. I would get my revenge and be one rich bastard after I finished with you. Life was good.

“But then, you just left in the middle of the night, and I fucking lost track of you. But your little boyfriend’s romantic gesture tipped off the police, and thankfully for me, little Stacey knew all the details. But it was pure coincidence I stumbled across you at that rest stop. Once again, fate had a part to play in our meeting.”

Justinis the reason my father and Phil were always a step behind us? He’s the reason they knew our every move? And he’s the reason Lucky got hurt? This son of a bitch has been tipping them off, and I played right into his hands.

“I let your father know we were back in the game, but the stakes had been raised. I wanted eighty grand because we had a complication.”

Quinn.

“Your dad asked if he would be a problem, and I told him no.”

And how wrong Justin was.

“I told them where we were that first night in Arkansas because they were looking for you in a different direction, the dumbasses. I didn’t want the police to find us, so we stayed in that fancy hotel to throw them off our tails.

“Phil deposited a couple of grand in my bank account as a sign of good faith, but because the stupid idiots were on the other side of the damn country, I got paranoid, thinking the cops might be onto us. So we left for Missouri, where I was supposed to wait for them. I was happy to wait out the two days there while I beat, torture, and fuck you,thenhand you over to them.

“But because of thatmotherfucker, I just couldn’t get you alone. And there was another problem. I wanted my damn money. I told your dad I would up and leave if they didn’t give me twenty grand as a down payment, and with no other choice, they paid me.

“But when I checked my account, they only paid me half. They thought they were so clever, but I showed them by leaving that early morning in Missouri. That day, that was the day I was going to hand you over, but those fuckers wanted to double-cross me, so I showed them who was in control.”

That phone call in Wisconsin, the one I overheard, was to my father. And I have no doubt thatallthe times Justin was on the phone, he was speaking to my dad, updating him on where we were and where we were headed.

Thinking back to all the vague conversations Justin and I had about him runningtowardrevenge and being a repo agent, I now get it. He was talking aboutme. He was repossessing me for his personal revenge because my tainted past ruined any chance of him having a normal future.

Hehaddone his homework, using Canada as the proverbial carrot. He never had any intention of going there. It was just another bargaining chip, and I fell for it. All those times he was nice to me, it was just a ruse to gain my trust and let my guard down. He was fucking with me, toying with me, paying me back for the times he believed I toyed with him.

He could have let my father have me within the first day of finding me, but now, everything makes perfect sense. We left Missouri because he wanted Phil and my dad to know thathehad my trust, not them, and thattheyneededhim.For someone who was never once needed before, the one time Justin was wanted, he played it for as long as he could, as he loved the power. And also, he loved the control.

I have no doubt my dad and Phil were always that step behind us, because Justin eluded them to our exact whereabouts. He was fucking with us all. We were just puppets in his sick little power trip, and he was the twisted, megalomaniac puppet master who loved the control.

I’m so stupid.

As if Justin reads my thoughts, he explains, “But there were times when nostalgia crept through, and I wished things could have been different for us. Sometimes, I felt like you understood me. So I gave you a chance to be honest when I asked what you were running from. If you could prove that you were sorry for your past, I would reconsider, but then you lied.

“So I knew what I had to do. I played you the rest of the time, trying to earn your trust. I was fucking with you, just as you were with me. Giving you a taste of your own medicine.”

“I never fucked with you.”

“Yes, you did.” He whacks my cheek, stunning me with the force. “You gave me hope that maybe I could be happy. Maybe I could be normal.”

My rattled brain can’t help but think what a pile of bittersweet irony this is, as we’re all trying to find normalcy in a not-so-normal world.

Interrupting my thoughts, Justin continues. “Finally, they paid me my money, and that’s when your little puppy paid the ultimate price. I needed an excuse for you to stay put, and what better way to keep you grounded than fucking with your dog. Phil, he is one sick motherfucker, you know that, right?”

I only shake my head because he is absolutely right.

“The morons were about two days away, so Phil told me to hurt you, try to break you down and scare you a little.”

So the voice I heardwasmy father then. Justin, the sick fuck, probably had him on loudspeaker because I know I heard his voice.

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