don’t need to do this. She–”
“Who was it?” Mom called, coming up the basement stairs.
Richard stepped back, releasing Baylie. She scrambled away from him and around Wyatt, racing to me.
I caught her. Pushing her behind me, I retreated into the front room, not taking my eyes from them.
“Baylie?” Mom continued. “Did you hear what I– Richard?”
I heard her set something down sharply and then come toward us. Taking one hand from Baylie, I reached out quickly, stopping her.
Mom looked furious. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“We just had a question for Baylie and your son, Sandra,” Richard replied carefully.
“Ed!” Mom shouted to Baylie’s dad upstairs. “I’m calling the police,” she continued to Richard, moving away from me toward the phone on the wall. “And you’re going to be hearing from our lawyers after what your boys did to Baylie in California, so you–”
“Wyatt!” Richard snapped as the guy started toward her.
I moved fast, getting between them.
Wyatt stopped. The snarl on his face turned to a disgusted sneer when he glanced at me.
Ed’s footsteps pounded on the stairs. “What?”
“Peter’s brother,” Mom snapped. “Came here to ‘talk’ to Noah and Baylie.”
Ed’s face went dark. “Get out. You get the hell out of my house right now, you bastard.”
He started down the stairs.
“Brock!” Richard barked as his son blocked Ed’s path. He looked between Mom and Ed. “Nothing’s happened here. Nobody needs to call any cops. We just had a question, and now we’re leaving.”
His sons looked back at him, incredulity damn near blatant on their faces.
“Go,” Richard ordered them, still watching Mom and Ed.
Wyatt and Brock didn’t move.
“I said go!”
Brock shuddered and then retreated toward the door.
Wyatt growled. Ed’s eyes went wide at the sound.
“Now!” Richard snapped.
Wyatt paused. “This isn’t over, cuz,” he promised, his voice so low, only Baylie or I stood a chance of hearing. “We’re gonna get that bitch. Just you wait.”
His gaze slid to Baylie. He winked, a smirk on his face, and then sauntered after his family out the door.
Ed hurried down the steps and slammed the door behind them, throwing the lock the moment it closed. Baylie came back over to me and I put my arms around her, holding her while she trembled.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You all okay?” Ed asked.
Baylie let out a breath and nodded. Behind me, I heard Mom talking to the local police on the phone.
I didn’t take my eyes from the window. Richard and my cousins were climbing into their maroon SUV. Starting the engine fast, Richard cast a look around the neighborhood and then took off down the road.
“What was wrong with that boy?” Ed continued. “Did you hear him?”
I glanced to Mom warily as she hung up the phone, wondering how she wanted to handle that.
“Richard’s boys have always had problems,” she answered neutrally.
Ed’s eyebrows rose and fell. “I’ll say.”
“That was Chief Reynolds,” Mom continued. “He’s sending an officer over.”
Ed nodded. “You sure you’re okay, honey?” he asked Baylie.
“Yeah,” she said, trying for a smile. “Yeah, I’m alright.”
“You kids just head back to what you were doing,” he continued. “We’ll keep an eye out here and let you know if the cops need to talk to you, okay?”
Baylie glanced to me and I could read the hesitation in her eyes. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Okay.”
Letting me go, she started back to the den, her gaze still twitching toward the front window.
I looked to Mom, questioning.
She gave a tiny nod.
Taking a breath, I followed Baylie.
She was waiting for me.
I paused at the door, suddenly wishing I could have stayed out in the living room to help Mom.
Though she probably would’ve just had questions too.
Cautiously, I took the two steps down into the den and then pulled the door shut behind me.
“What the hell?”
“Who was it?” Mom called, coming up the basement stairs.
Richard stepped back, releasing Baylie. She scrambled away from him and around Wyatt, racing to me.
I caught her. Pushing her behind me, I retreated into the front room, not taking my eyes from them.
“Baylie?” Mom continued. “Did you hear what I– Richard?”
I heard her set something down sharply and then come toward us. Taking one hand from Baylie, I reached out quickly, stopping her.
Mom looked furious. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“We just had a question for Baylie and your son, Sandra,” Richard replied carefully.
“Ed!” Mom shouted to Baylie’s dad upstairs. “I’m calling the police,” she continued to Richard, moving away from me toward the phone on the wall. “And you’re going to be hearing from our lawyers after what your boys did to Baylie in California, so you–”
“Wyatt!” Richard snapped as the guy started toward her.
I moved fast, getting between them.
Wyatt stopped. The snarl on his face turned to a disgusted sneer when he glanced at me.
Ed’s footsteps pounded on the stairs. “What?”
“Peter’s brother,” Mom snapped. “Came here to ‘talk’ to Noah and Baylie.”
Ed’s face went dark. “Get out. You get the hell out of my house right now, you bastard.”
He started down the stairs.
“Brock!” Richard barked as his son blocked Ed’s path. He looked between Mom and Ed. “Nothing’s happened here. Nobody needs to call any cops. We just had a question, and now we’re leaving.”
His sons looked back at him, incredulity damn near blatant on their faces.
“Go,” Richard ordered them, still watching Mom and Ed.
Wyatt and Brock didn’t move.
“I said go!”
Brock shuddered and then retreated toward the door.
Wyatt growled. Ed’s eyes went wide at the sound.
“Now!” Richard snapped.
Wyatt paused. “This isn’t over, cuz,” he promised, his voice so low, only Baylie or I stood a chance of hearing. “We’re gonna get that bitch. Just you wait.”
His gaze slid to Baylie. He winked, a smirk on his face, and then sauntered after his family out the door.
Ed hurried down the steps and slammed the door behind them, throwing the lock the moment it closed. Baylie came back over to me and I put my arms around her, holding her while she trembled.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You all okay?” Ed asked.
Baylie let out a breath and nodded. Behind me, I heard Mom talking to the local police on the phone.
I didn’t take my eyes from the window. Richard and my cousins were climbing into their maroon SUV. Starting the engine fast, Richard cast a look around the neighborhood and then took off down the road.
“What was wrong with that boy?” Ed continued. “Did you hear him?”
I glanced to Mom warily as she hung up the phone, wondering how she wanted to handle that.
“Richard’s boys have always had problems,” she answered neutrally.
Ed’s eyebrows rose and fell. “I’ll say.”
“That was Chief Reynolds,” Mom continued. “He’s sending an officer over.”
Ed nodded. “You sure you’re okay, honey?” he asked Baylie.
“Yeah,” she said, trying for a smile. “Yeah, I’m alright.”
“You kids just head back to what you were doing,” he continued. “We’ll keep an eye out here and let you know if the cops need to talk to you, okay?”
Baylie glanced to me and I could read the hesitation in her eyes. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Okay.”
Letting me go, she started back to the den, her gaze still twitching toward the front window.
I looked to Mom, questioning.
She gave a tiny nod.
Taking a breath, I followed Baylie.
She was waiting for me.
I paused at the door, suddenly wishing I could have stayed out in the living room to help Mom.
Though she probably would’ve just had questions too.
Cautiously, I took the two steps down into the den and then pulled the door shut behind me.
“What the hell?”
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