27 Ford

Ford

Austin ended the call with his brother and remained quiet for the next hour.

“She…” he finally said, breaking the stifling silence. “My mom, she didn’t handle it so well after they arrested my father.”

I hadn’t kept up with the case after I knew they’d taken the Camp;D Killer into custody. I didn’t stay glued to the news, watching how it affected everyone and seeing how the families on both sides fell apart all over again.

I reached over, placing my hand on his thigh as I waited for him to go on. He didn’t even look down at it, but a second later, he pressed his palm against the top of my hand and curled his fingers around, holding me tightly.

He let out a bitter laugh.

“Get this,” he said. His tone made my jaw clench. He was slipping on his armor. It must have been bad. I wanted to protect him from it, from whatever he was about to reveal, but I knew it was already too late. “She still stands by him. She says she took a vow in front of God and he will always be her husband. And she will always believe in and obey her husband.”

He shook his head, eyes sharp as he looked out the window.

“Reed warned me. He said he’d heard rumors about someone doing a documentary on my father, but I was really hoping it was all talk or that he could squash it for me. But it seems like they are going full steam. They contacted my mom about an interview and it set her off, I guess. Braden— my brother— said she’s excited about it. She still thinks he’s a good man and she wants to tell people that. She treats it like a mistake that he can ask forgiveness for and everyone should be able to move on. It’s just… all the things that I try my hardest to stay away from.”

I had no idea about any of this. It was blowing my mind. I’d heard of cases where the spouse or partner refused to believe the accused— or even convicted, in some cases—had done what they’d done, but wasn’t familiar with any of them. I didn’t know the psychology behind it. It was a fine line for me. On the one hand, I couldn’t help but think these people were really fucked up to deny and ignore the crimes when there was clearly evidence, and even sometimes, a full confession. But on the other hand, I’d been involved in enough ongoing cases and done enough interviews to get a glimpse of how a situation like that could break someone down.

“Do you not want her to do the interview?” I cautiously asked.

He shrugged, tugging my hand a little with my movement.

“I don’t really care. I’m over her.” Another bitter laugh slipped out. “I’m just worried about my twin sisters. Dina and Diana are a few months away from being fifteen. They barely remember what happened when our father was arrested. I think they side with Ma because that’s all they know, so I can’t hate them for that.”

“But it hurts?” Though it sounded like a question, I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

“Yeah,” he said softly, his shoulders bounced with another shrug.

“Is that why your brother called? Does he not want her to do it?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t close up on me. Not that I would blame him if he did. This couldn’t have been easy for him to talk about.

I hadn’t been able to hear his brother’s part of the conversation, and since Austin hadn’t responded much, especially toward the end, I didn’t have many context clues to work with.

“Eh, I don’t think he’s crazy about the idea, but he’s not going to stop her.” He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “He says he’s staying there for a few days because he doesn’t trust the way Ma is acting.”

He inhaled a heavy breath. I waited, giving him the chance to open up if he felt comfortable.

“We’ve talked about it before,” he said. “The idea of me trying to get custody of them.” I glanced over to see his face closed off, eyes narrowed and hard. “Right after he was convicted, she kind of lost her shit. We had to have her committed. Had a psych evaluation done. For a few years, she was on meds… well, I don’t know if she took them. Then about five years ago, she had another… ‘episode’— as she has taken to calling them. About three years ago, she started having them more frequently. It happens a couple of times a year, but they haven’t been bad enough where she can’t take care of my sisters.”

“Is that what you think is going on now?” I hesitantly asked.

“Braden seems to think that’s what’s comin’.” He sighed. “He knows better than I do since he lives closer to them and tends to visit more than I do. Ma… she’s better with him than she is with me. Probably because I don’t take her shit. Braden at least lets her go on and on. He just doesn’t respond much.”

I lost him for a few minutes. He was silent as his blank eyes stared out the window.

“Do we need to go get them?” I asked, feeling helpless. “Your sisters?”

His head turned, eyes pinning me with a look I couldn’t decipher.

“You’d do that? You’d go with me to deal with my crazy family shit? No question… you’d just, be there for me?”

“Yeah,” I said simply. “I wouldn’t leave you to deal with it on your own. Whatever this is…” I cleared my throat. I hated feeling insecure, but I also knew now wasn’t the time to get into that. “I want you to know that I’m your friend, no matter what. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

He released a breath as he slumped back in the seat. The back of his head hit the headrest, and he gave my hand the type of squeeze that said the things he couldn’t voice.

“I don’t know what to do,” he said just barely above a whisper. “Braden has them for now. We’ve got to get your name cleared, then I can figure out that situation.”

“If you’re sure,” I said softly.

“Yeah, it’s the best I can do right now.”

He was trying to play it off like it didn’t bother him that much, but I felt how torn he was. I wished there was more I could do.

I was fucking stuck until I cleared my name. I couldn’t even get out of the car at a gas station for fear of being recognized or picked up by a camera. I knew the game, so I knew how to play it. Oh, yeah, I saw how fucked up it was. It turned my stomach to think about it too deeply. It didn’t slip past me the information I had from work and the training I’d spent my career doing was the very thing I happened to be using to stay under the radar. Which also were the exact things Lipton had been using for years to run an empire that hurt people. Kids! He hurt kids. He kidnapped them. He forced them to do things they…

“What are you thinking about?” Austin’s voice snapped me fully back into the present. It was a good thing since I didn’t need to get blinded with rage while driving, and I was well on my way there. His thumb rubbed soothingly over my knuckles. “You’re gripping my thigh like you’re trying to strangle it.”

He gave a huff of a laugh, but I could tell he was only trying to lighten the mood. He knew it was serious.

“Sorry,” I said, releasing his thigh and flipping my hand over so I could curl my fingers into the spaces between his. I glanced over long enough to see his shy, smiling expression as he looked down at our joined hands. “I was just wishing this situation was over.”

“Oh,” he said, sounding surprised. “Yeah, I bet it would be nice to have your life back. The normal and all, right?”

He was doing that thing again, trying to play it off. But again, I could tell something was bothering him.

Sure, I could have ignored it. Could have let it slide. Or I could have even coaxed him into telling me what was wrong.

But… I didn’t want to do that.

I didn’t want to play games with him. I didn’t want him second-guessing anything. The only reason I was being so reserved with him was because I didn’t know where my life was going. Was I going to get out of this? If I couldn’t, I wasn’t going to drag him down with me. I didn’t hope that he’d fall for me and stick by my side while I was falsely accused and thrown in prison.

“Yeah, normal would be good,” I said teasingly. “I was just thinking about how I could help you if it werent for this shit. I hate what he’s done to me. I hate that you’re caught up in it. I hate that… I can’t be there for you.” I hate that I can’t give you all of me right now.

“That’s what you were thinking?” he asked, his voice soft. “You’d want… I mean, you see…”

“I see you in my life without all of this madness, Austin,” I told him honestly. I glanced over at him, nearly melting at the look on his face. It was like he’d finally let someone in and they hadn’t let him down. Like he knew what it meant to have someone be there for him, no strings, no expectations. It broke my heart, but at the same time, it made me feel like I’d done something right for the first time in my life.

“Yeah,” he said. If I wasn’t mistaken, I caught a bit of pink tinting his cheeks before I turned my attention back to the road. “Yeah, that sounds okay, I guess.”

I smirked. His words were calm and cool, but his tone clearly gave him away. He couldn’t seem to cover up the excited tremble as he spoke.