One Big Mistake - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,4

were on. Ramsey paused, unsure what to do. He could see shadows of movement behind the curtains on the large window. He stole towards the house and edged up against the siding. He peeked in between the crack where the curtains came together. His heart froze as his brain tried to grapple with what his eyes were seeing. Edison and Allie were standing beside the couch, embracing.

Anger splintered through Ramsey, his brain racing to fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together. Edison and Allie had set up the kidnapping. That’s why Edison hadn’t wanted to get the police involved. Jefferson had disinherited Allie, and now they were making him pay the one-million-dollar ransom for her return. Ramsey felt the hot string of betrayal from the two people he’d thought were his closest friends.

He marched up the steps and pounded on the door with his fist. He stepped back so that he could clearly be seen through the peep hole. A second later, Edison opened the door. “Uh, hey,” he said sheepishly, raking a hand through his hair.

Ramsey’s blood was pumping like a piston through his veins as he stepped inside. He glared at them both. “How could you do this?” He was both disappointed and disgusted. Allie was dressed in pink pajamas. Her eyes were wide, her face rigid. Without makeup she looked like a kid.

Edison held up his hands. “Take a seat, and we’ll explain everything.”

“The only explaining you’re gonna do is to the police.” Ramsey pulled his phone from his pocket.

“You don’t understand,” Edison said. Panic wrapped his voice as he glanced at Allie.

“Ramsey,” she began, “my dad left us no other choice. He was going to cut me off without a penny.” Her eyes narrowed. “Just because I love Eddie.”

An image of Jefferson and Bitsie flashed before Ramsey’s eyes. How torn up they were about the kidnapping. He thought of the pictures of Allie plastered over the wall in the den, how Allie was leveraging her parents’ love to extort them. It was despicable. “I can’t believe you played me,” Ramsey said to Edison. “I thought we were best friends.”

“We are,” Edison responded with a pleading expression. “Look, man, I didn’t want to lie to you, but Allie thought it was for the best.” He looked at her again, silent information passing between them.

Ramsey wondered how he could have been so duped. “What y’all are doing is wrong. Criminal!”

“We’ll cut you in,” Allie inserted. Her tongue slid across her lips like her father’s had done.

An incredulous laugh rose in Ramsey’s throat. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” Edison said evenly. “Let’s all sit down and talk this through.”

Ramsey couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No thanks.” A deep weariness settled over him as he looked back and forth between them. They’d spent countless hours together, hanging out, eating pizza, sharing jokes. Before tonight, Ramsey would have thought that he knew nearly everything about them, but he’d not known them at all. “The jig’s over,” he said dully. “I’m calling the police.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Edison said, his voice flint hard.

Ramsey saw a flash of metal and realized Edison had pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans. His insides shriveled. Was this real or a nightmare? A hoarse chuckle pushed through his throat. “What’re you gonna do? Shoot me?”

“If I have to.” Edison’s face was a mask of gritty determination.

Ramsey stumbled backwards, intent on fleeing.

“Stop right there!” Allie’s voice cut through the air like a clap of thunder. Her head snapped around to Edison. “Do it!” she hissed. “We can’t risk him going to the police.”

Ramsey’s blood ran cold. Allie’s expression was ruthless like Jefferson’s had been. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Ramsey caught the slit of indecision in Edison’s eyes, could tell that his emotions were warring inside him.

“Shoot him,” Allie demanded.

“I—I can’t,” Edison stammered. “He’s my best friend.” He gave Allie a wrenching look as he lowered the gun.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Give it here, and I’ll do it.”

The petty irritation in Allie’s tone made it sound like they were squabbling over who would take out the trash. Terror laced a tight thread through Ramsey’s insides. His instincts screamed that he had to act now! Adrenaline spiked a razor-tip arrow through Ramsey as he charged at Edison, knocking him to the ground. The two wrestled, fighting for the gun. Edison was slightly bigger and more muscular than Ramsey but growing up on a ranch with his