When Devils Sing(20)
Before she could decide, the elevator began to move. Gravity shifted and it went down, bringing her to the ground floor. When the doors opened, her daddy’s boss stood before her.
“Oh.” Russ Langley gave Sam a once-over, evaluating her, then donned a strained smile, barely more than a stretching of his lips. “Hello, Samantha.”
Sam didn’t return his smile or the greeting. There was no point in pretending with Russ. As he stepped into the elevator, she merely asked, “What floor?”
“Five.”
Sam paused, eyeing him. That was the same floor where Ben was. “All right,” she said, curiosity keeping her firmly in place. She pressed the button, leaning against the wall for support. Her heartbeat thudded loudly in her chest. She gripped the elevator railing tighter. Now was not the time to look out of sorts. Trying to steady herself, Sam took in his appearance.
Russ carried himself well. His outfit, a polo with slacks, was crisp and clean—a uniform of wealth every Clearwater resident wore with pride. His posture easy, limbs loose as his hands rested in the pockets of his khakis. Russ Langley moved through Carrion as if he were its king. But it was Sam’s daddy who was the attack dog that slept at the king’s feet.
“I’m sorry to hear about what happened with you and your brother,” Russ said, his tone even and professional. Like he was sorry for rain interrupting a sunny day. “But I’m glad you’re both okay.”
“I wouldn’t say that Ben is okay,” Sam said. “He … he nearly died last night. He’s far from okay.”
“I heard.” Russ nodded sympathetically. “Well, he is in wonderful hands here. In fact, a family friend of mine will be treating Ben personally.”
“Is that right?” Sam huffed. She struggled to smooth her wrinkled T-shirt, despite it being ruined with her brother’s blood.
“That’s why I’m here, as a matter of fact,” Russ continued. “I’ll be paying for your brother’s medical expenses after what happened.”
“You’re shittin’ me,” Sam blurted, her eyebrows furrowing. “Daddy’s been struggling to pay for my mama’s dialysis for years now, but all of a sudden you wanna cover our medical bills?” Sam knew she was being too blunt, that she should mind her words with a man like Russ Langley. But she was tired, and hurt, and didn’t have it in her to play nice right then.
“It’s called goodwill, Samantha,” Russ condescended. “It’s not unheard of around here. Besides, your father is a fine employee. It’s the least I can do after such an accident.”
A hysterical laugh bubbled up in her chest. A fine employee. The work her daddy did for the Langley family wasn’t exactly the kind of thing for which they put up a plaque in your honor. Wiley Calhoun must’ve had more blood on his hands than half the surgeons of Clearwater Regional. Russ had honed her daddy’s penchant for violence, wielding it for whatever nefarious activity he saw fit.
Though Sam wasn’t privy to the details, she knew enough. Power came at a price, and Russ Langley was the most influential, and feared, man in town. Even in all Southwest Georgia. His influence hadn’t merely been bought or handed down to him because of his last name.
No—the fear Russ Langley inspired around Carrion had been well and truly earned.
The elevator dinged; they’d reached the fifth floor.
Russ made to step out first but paused. “You know,” he began, “despite what you may believe, my family and I prayed all night for your brother’s well-being.”
“Yeah?” Sam met his cold, gray eyes. “I prayed, too.”
“Well…” Russ Langley looked contemplative, as if considering his next words carefully. “It’s truly incredible what prayer can do, isn’t it? Even the impossible can be made possible.” Without another word, he stepped out of the elevator and out of sight, disappearing down the hall.
Sam hung back, her mind racing. The elevator doors shut, leaving her alone again. She didn’t know if the sleep-deprivation was getting to her, but Russ’s parting words carried a noticeable edge to them.
Shaking the thought away, she dug for her phone in her pocket. There were two text notifications on the home screen. One was from her roommate, Bailey:
Rent’s due by Friday, FYI. Also, where the hell have you been all night?
The other was from her boss, Jason, at the Tavern restaurant on Lake Clearwater:
Can you come in early today? There’s been some call outs.
All of Sam’s fighting energy drained from her body. According to her phone, it was nearly noon, and she’d barely even sat down since she’d left the ambulance last night, whatever time that was. She ignored Jason’s message, responding to Bailey instead:
I’m at Clearwater Regional. Can you pick me up?
* * *
SAM COLLAPSED ONTO her bed. Well, it was less a “bed” and more a dingy mattress on the floor of a tiny room in a single-wide trailer, but after the night she’d had, it felt like the best place in the world. She closed her eyes, but she could still feel Bailey standing in her doorway, staring at her.
Maybe Sam was just exhausted, but that look only pissed her off. It was hard to swallow pity from her ex-girlfriend, especially when crashing at the place Bailey shared with her new boyfriend.