If I didn’t just kill someone, I would probably laugh about his entry. I hit the green call button and hold the phone to my ear. It only rings twice.
“Hello, tiny dancer.” His deep voice comes through the line, and I can hear in his voice that he is smiling.
“Cash…” My voice comes out raspy.
“What’s wrong?” His demeanor changes immediately. Going from cheerful to worried. “Payton, tell me what’s going on?”
“I-I think… I think I killed someone,” I whisper the last part as if someone might be listening.
“Okay,” he sighs, almost as if he is relieved. Maybe he didn’t hear me right. “Where are you?”
“I killed someone,” I repeat, making sure he understands.
“It’s going to be okay. Where are you? Is anyone else with you?”
“I’m alone. In the parking lot of the school I work for.”
“Stay there. Don’t move. Don’t touch anything. We’ll be right there.” The line goes dead.
Dumbfounded, I pull the phone from my ear and gape at the screen. He hung up on me. I told him I murdered someone, and he acted like it’s no big deal. It’s then I realize he didn’t even ask where I work. How is he going to find me?
I don’t know how long I sit here, but it feels like an eternity. My eyes are trained on the cracked glass in front of me, counting each line just to have something to do.
I’m about to call him back when I see headlights approaching. They’re like a beacon in the otherwise dark night.
The car pulls in three parking spots down from where I am, and for a few seconds, I panic. What if that’s not them?
Relief overcomes me when the door swings open and both Cash and Kane appear. I can’t actually tell who is who now that they are wearing different clothes. Then the backdoor opens, and someone else climbs out. At first glance, I think it’s Archer with them, but as they approach, I realize it’s not.
The twins are by my side in a blink of an eye, one of them rapping his knuckles against my window. “Open up, Payton.” He pulls on the door, but it doesn’t give. I push the unlock button, and the door flies open, making me jump in my seat.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Now that I can hear his voice clearly, I know it’s Cash running his hands over my head and body like he is checking for injuries. “You’re gonna be fine. Let’s get you out of here.”
“I… I didn’t mean to.” I point over my shoulder to where Matthew is lying on the ground.
“Don’t worry about him. We’ll take care of it. This never happened, okay?”
Never happened?
I shake my head, ready to tell him it was a mistake to call him, but he is already pulling me from my car and leading me to his. The unknown man is standing behind my car with his phone pressed against his ear, and I have no idea who in the world he would be calling.
Kane walks over to us with an unreadable expression on his face. He lifts his hand and rubs it over my arm in an oddly comforting manner.
“Myles—our brother—is taking care of this. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
“My car?” I ask as if that was the worst of my concerns right now.
“We’ll take care of that too. Why don’t you come back to our place and stay the night? You shouldn’t be alone, and tomorrow we’ll talk about what’s going to happen next.”
Oh god, what did I get myself into? They are taking me home with them. They are going to expect payment for helping me just like Matthew did. I should have called the cops. No, I should have just made a run for it.
Now I have the Hale family to worry about, and that might be worse than being in jail.