“His email?”
My heart was pounding faster. “You do, don’t you?”
“And you’re married to the man, sis. He doesn’t love you. You’re his captive. Face the facts. Mother has plans, and Everett Ramses knows his time is about to end. You were nothing more to him than a means to an end. Well, I have news; it’s not going to end well for him.”
I felt the twist in my chest. Rett and I had agreed to leave love off the table, but I cared. Damn it, I cared.
Part of me feared that it was an epiphany I’d made too late.
I pushed that thought away.
“Kyle, Rett’s been honest with me. I know what I am to him and what he is to me. He’s my husband. Please, Kyle.”
Kyle lifted his chin. “My name’s now Isaiah, use it. There’s a toilet and sink down there. Go. Unless you want to drink the water.”
Avoiding the doorway seemed impossible. “You said you’d take me down?”
“Fine, follow me.”
Before we could venture through the door and down the steps, voices came from the front of the house, loud voices. My breath caught at the loudest one. It was a man’s voice, and he was saying something about Eugene from the Park Boys.
“What is a park boy?”
“Wait here,” Kyle said as he walked past me toward the front of the house.
Emma
As Kyle walked away, my mind went back to my brief lesson on New Orleans. I couldn’t recall Rett mentioning a park boy. Did it mean someone who was at a park?
Low voices turned my attention away from the front of the house to the back, through the kitchen windows. The two people who had been in here when we entered were now out on a back porch. For a moment, I wavered between asking them for help and following Kyle to learn what had happened and maybe learn about Ian. If I were becoming truthful with myself, I cared about him too.
Getting home was my first desire.
Standing taller, I looked one way and the other.
I made my decision.
After all, when would I have another opportunity to speak to anyone?
With a quick look over my shoulder, I confirmed that Kyle was now on the front porch with Liam. Their conversation had quieted so that I was unable to hear individual words. From their body language, I would gather they were somewhere between sharing information and a celebratory atmosphere.
Not exactly my current state of mind.
“I’m in aTwilight Zoneepisode,” I murmured as I tried to think straight.
The back door creaked as I pushed it open. For only a moment, I lifted my chin, enjoying the fresh yet still air. “Excuse me?”
The man and woman both turned my direction.
They were both slight in stature. Their skin was leathery as if they spent a lot of time working in the sun. She had on a dress and he was wearing overalls. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I’d been brought to a bad movie set with stereotypical costumes. However, this was real life and there was no director to call cut.
When the two moved, I saw piles of red beans and a large pot. Their fingers were dyed by the red, almost looking like blood. I moved my gaze to their faces.
“Hello.” I waited, but neither one spoke. “My name is Emma.”
They nodded.
Okay, well, they understood me.