“Did any of the policemen give you a phone number to call?”
“Yes.”
“Give it to me.”
It took Angela three tries to speak clearly enough for Grant to get the number down.
“Are you at home?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to stay there, got it?”
“What about Dale?” she asked.
“I’ll take care of Dale. You need to stay home and stay out of this. Wyatt is a dangerous man, and I don’t want you getting hurt. Understand?”
“Yes. When you find Dale, will you have him call me to tell me he’s safe? Even if it’s late. I don’t care.”
“I promise.”
Grant hung up and dialed Dale’s cell phone. It went straight to voice mail. “Dale, if you get this, call my cell. I’m coming to find you. Just hold on.”
Next, he called the number Angela had given him on his way to the car. There was no way he could let Isabelle know that Dale was missing. Not in her current condition. She was too weak to stay awake for more than five minutes. He was going to have to find a way to deal with this as best he could and pray the police didn’t mess up her recovery by letting her know what was going on.
The doctors had said she’d probably sleep through the night, so he had that long to find Dale and bring him home safe and sound.
At least Keith was up there with her and he didn’t have to worry about her safety while she was in the hospital.
Grant had seen the horrified look on Keith’s face when he showed up and saw her lying there so weak and pale. In that moment, Grant realized Keith loved her. He didn’t like it, but he could hardly blame the man.
Keith would watch over her until Grant could get back to her side.
“What exactly is it you want from me?” Dale asked his father.
The highway was nearly empty this far out of town. The sun was setting, and the idea of being alone in the dark with Wyatt was bringing back all kinds of bad memories. It didn’t matter how quietly he hid in the closet, Wyatt would always find him and drag him out.
“I want to teach you how to be a real man before it’s too late and that bitch turns you into a weakling.”
Dale felt like lashing out at Wyatt for insulting the only person in the world who actually gave a shit about him and what he wanted. She didn’t even laugh when he told her he wanted to be a marine biologist. Instead, she went out and bought him a fish tank.
“What the hell are you talking about? Isabelle was taking care of me, not that you’d know what that looked like if you sat on it.”
Wyatt pulled back his hand as if to strike Dale, but he refused to flinch. He was tired of being afraid of his father. He was nearly a man himself now and needed to grow some balls. “The next time you hit me, I’m gonna hit back. Got it?”
Wyatt grinned and wrapped his arm around Dale’s neck, pulling him over for a hug. “That’s my boy. Don’t let no one push you around.”
Dale’s stomach clenched. If his father approved of him, he had to be doing something wrong. He needed to get away. He needed to escape before he lost every opportunity he might have.
“I’ve got to use the bathroom,” he told Wyatt.
“Hold on and I’ll pull over where you can piss.”
Dale needed civilization, not just some tree along the side of the road. “I need to take a dump, and I’m not doing it outside. Find a bathroom.”
Wyatt grunted his disapproval but said, “Fine. I saw a sign for a gas station a few miles up in Rolla. We’ll stop there.” He reached under the seat and pulled out a gun. “But let me be clear, son. You give me any shit at all or try to run, and I’ll end you. I’d rather have no son than one who betrayed me.”
Grant hated lying to Isabelle about Dale, but he didn’t know what else to do. There was nothing she could do to help him, and worrying wasn’t going to help her recovery. As it was, she looked like she was barely able to keep her eyes open.
She was speaking quietly with Keith, who stroked the back of her hand as naturally as if he’d been doing it for years. Grant suffered through a kick of jealousy. Even though they’d slept together, that didn’t give him any claim on her. He was leaving. She was entitled to her own life without him. Even if it included Keith.
Grant plastered a smile on his face as he made his presence known. “I brought you some clothes in case you want to put on something that doesn’t leave your ass hanging out.”
“Now, why would she want to do that?” said Keith. “She’ll spoil the view.”
The paper sack crunched inside Grant’s tightening fist. “I also threw in some of the stuff you had sitting by your sink. Don’t ask me what it all is, but it’s in there. So is your toothbrush.”
Isabelle gave him a weak smile. “Thanks, Grant. I’ll feel a lot better in my own pajamas, even if they won’t let me go home and sleep in my own bed tonight.”
“The doc said you could go home tomorrow if everything looked good.”
“Where’s Dale? I thought he was coming with you.”
Grant wasn’t a natural liar, but he’d learned how to do it just in case he needed to in his job. He made his voice casual and kept looking at her right in the eye as he lied. “He’s studying with Angela tonight for some big test tomorrow, and I didn’t think you’d want him to mess that up.”
Isabelle frowned. “No, of course not. He needs to study and not worry about me. I’ll see him tomorrow.”
“I’ll take care of him for you, Isabelle. I swear it.” At least that wasn’t a lie.
She reached out a hand toward him, and Grant couldn’t help but take it. He’d wanted to touch her so bad—pull her tight against him and never let go—but she looked fragile. Breakable.