“Call them,” she urged.
When he just stood there staring at her, she patted the sofa next to her.
He went there and sat. He leaned forward and looked down at his phone.
Savanna reached over and took his phone. Seeing he’d made it to their contact information, she pressed the call button and handed it back to him.
“Hey,” he said too late.
“They’re your parents, not the IRS.”
He put the already-ringing phone to his ear, marveling at her tough-love methods.
“Hello?” His mother sounded shaken. She must recognize the number. Of course, why wouldn’t she?
He felt like a dolt. “Mom.”
“Korbin.” He heard her breathing faster and then she called for his dad. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m okay. I—”
“Where are you?”
“I’m safe. Still in Colorado.”
“Oh, Korbin. Why haven’t you called us sooner?”
This was not what he expected. “I’m just wanted to call and tell you that—”
“We’ve been going out of our minds with worry. The news...” She let out a breathy grunt. “It’s been pure torture. What’s going on, Korbin?”
“None of it is true.”
“What? What’s not true?”
“I didn’t kill anyone. Damen did something that I’m trying to make right. I’m close, but until I have proof, the police will be looking for me.”
“Oh, Korbin.” There was that disappointment he’d heard before. She told his dad who was on the phone.
“Your dad’s going to pick up another line. Didn’t we warn you about that boy? Damen was never good for you.”
“I know, Mom. At least, now I do.”
He heard his dad pick up the line.
“What about Fallon? Did she really see you the night of the hit-and-run? When we heard that...” Another breathy grunt. “We just couldn’t believe you’d do it, even by accident. You got yourself in trouble, but not that kind. We just...”
“Yes, Mom, she did see me that night. She hasn’t spoken to me since the funeral. But she must have changed her mind, or was close to it.”
“So, she didn’t go in? We couldn’t tell from the news. They didn’t say. Have you spoken with her?”
“No, not yet. She didn’t come to the door that night, only saw me in the house.” She hadn’t been quite ready. “I’ll try to get in touch with her. With the media...”
“How did this all start? How did you get yourself in this situation?” This question came from his dad. He wasn’t as forgiving as his mother.
“I wanted out,” he said. “After Niya died...after I grieved for a while, I realized this isn’t what I was meant to do. I told Damen ‘no more.’ He didn’t like that.” He explained the entire story about Collette. “I don’t think he would have killed her if he hadn’t known she was leaving and I was helping her.”