♡♡♡

Andy stomps through the room without knocking. A sudden jolt of fear runs through me at the prospect that maybe he's changed his mind. Maybe he's just going to kill me now and get it over with before tonight.

"I'm giving you your last, final phone call," Andy smirks.

"You don't need to say last and final in the same sentence," I deadpan, tying my hair up in a messy bun, brushing the wisps that frame my face behind my ear. "It's completely redundant. They mean the same thing."

"What?"

I sigh. "Nevermind."

Andy jabs a finger in the air, pointing it at me. "Don't get technical with—"

"When can I take this phone call? Now?" I stand up, pushing past him.

I feel different now, free almost. What's the point of obeying Andy fucking Haswell if he's just going to kill me anyway?

I walk into the kitchen, feeling a sense of deja vu when I pick up the phone. 

"Now," he says, suddenly all serious. "I have some things to do, but I won't be too far away. I'm sure you can understand what I'm insinuating."

"Don't try to run or you'll what, kill me? Like you aren't already going to," I spin around on my heel, not wanting to face Andy anymore. I punch in my home phone number, waiting as it dials.

The house is suddenly quiet when Andy stalks off to do whatever he needs to. I hear the click of someone answering, and I suck in a breath. There is heavy breathing on the other end.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"El," my dad breathes, his voice soft. "El, I'm so glad—"

"Look, who knows how long I have, alright? I could be cut off at any moment. I need to tell you everything I know before it's too late."

"El, it doesn't matter anymore, it's—"

"He's going to kill me tonight. So if you're planning to come to get me, now would be nice," I deadpan. 

"El—"

"They have a room full of their drugs," I continue, talking too fast but not having time to slow down. 

"It's in their basement, tell the police, alright? I know you might not want to tell them about me being kidnapped because there will also be repercussions for you. If you do, though, I know there will be plenty of evidence left in the barn with my fingerprints and my hair. There is also plenty of evidence in the room I've been staying in, especially in the shower. You should tell them to check the drains, I'm sure my hair fell out and—"

"El, stop," Noah's voice breaks through the line and my heart stops, along with my voice. "You don't need to tell us any of this. When you come home, you can tell the police first hand."

"So you are coming to get me, then? How? It isn't like Andy is just going to let you run rampant through the property. "

"We have a plan. With Hunter."

 "What?"

"He called me, El. Hunter called me the other day and told me what happened. Now I'm not gonna lie, I hung up on him four times. But damn, that dude is persistent."

I smile at the thought of Hunter trying so hard for me. It brings temporary warmth to my heart.

"After Andy found out about dad being at home, he was furious and I know it was going to be bad. So did Hunter. So we made a plan."

"How will it work?" I squeeze my eyes closed, trying not to get my hopes up.

"It doesn't matter how, El, just that it will. Hunter's not as bad as I thought," he mutters and I laugh, a tear rolling down my cheek. I knew that that would have been hard for him to admit.

"We'll see you soon," my father's voice booms down the line as Noah whispers in agreement.

"Yeah," I say, wiping away the tear. "I'll see you guys soon."

I hang up the phone, knowing that I shouldn't get my hopes up, not when I've been let down so many times by my family. But this feels different. This makes me feel wanted, important.