Page 123 of I Will Ruin You

“Walnut Beach?”

Bonnie looked at him and nodded. “I know where that is.”

“Me, too,” he said, taking his foot off the gas and letting the car slow.

“It’s him,” she said. “It has to be Richard. He’s sending a message. Has to be. Has to be Richard.”

Trent nodded furiously. “That’d be my bet, too.”

He brought the car to a stop, glanced in his side mirror, saw no car coming, and did a U-turn, tires squealing. Once the car was pointed in the right direction, he floored it.

“Call your sister,” he said.

Bonnie was already on it. Marta answered on the second ring.

“Walnut Beach!” she shouted.

“What?” Marta said.

“We think we know where he is! Walnut Beach!”

Marta said, “How do you—”

“A text! I got a text!”

“From Richard?”

“Not his phone. But I bet it’s him!”

“Okay, wherever you are, stay put and—”

“We’re going there now.”

“No, Bonnie, no, let us—”

“I’ll text him back, tell him we’re coming!”

“No!” Marta shouted. “If it’s Richard, he must have done it secretly. If you send a text back—”

“Okay, okay, I won’t,” Bonnie said. “Trent and I are on our way!”

“Do not go—”

Bonnie ended the call.

Fifty-Eight

Richard

“I do not know anything about this,” I said, raising my hands to shoulder level, trying to appear nonthreatening with that gun being pointed at me by Andrea.

“What the fuck is this?” Gerhard asked.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know.” I pointed a thumb behind me. “Ask him. Ask Stuart. This is his deal. I’m just a bag boy.”

“Hey, dipshit!” the woman shouted at Stuart. “The hell is this?”

“What are you talking about?” Stuart said.