He nodded again.
“Holy shit.” That just…
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.” He reached over and brushed my hair out of my face. “I’m not saying don’t talk to him. I’m saying be careful.”
My chest filled with warmth as I met his eyes. “So, where’s Tara?”
He moved a little closer on the pillow. “Last I heard, she was locked in Miles’ truck with Hades and is refusing to get out. She slept in there.”
I winced. “Shit.”
“I think she called Rory to come get her today.” His voice lowered to a whisper.
“She’ll probably have to wait until after his shift.” My voice got softer as I held his warm gaze.
I moved a little closer. His breath moved over my lips. He moved closer...
“Breakfast is ready!” Asher bellowed right next to the tent making both of us jump.
Ethan cursed. I chuckled.
“That was just rude.” He muttered as he sat up and got to his feet. He sent me a smile before he left the tent, closing the flap as much as he could after him.
Asher had done that on purpose, I had no doubt. The guy’s hearing was extraordinary.
Sighing, I quickly got dressed. Since my tent door didn’t close all the way, I stayed on the side that did as I got dressed. Shorts and a blue gray slouchy boyfriend shirt was all I was willing to wear today. I pulled my gray hoodie on before slipping out of the tent.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the spot where the bones were. No. Nope. Nada. I wasn’t ready to even face that yet. Forcing myself to turn away I went to the kitchen set up. Everyone else was around the fire already. Except Tara.
“Where’s Tara?” I asked, already guessing.
“She’s still in the truck with Hades.” Miles supplied. “She says she’s not coming out until Rory gets here.”
That wasn’t good. Before anything else, I grabbed some toast and made a breakfast sandwich from the scrambled eggs and sausage. Then wrapped a paper towel around it. I headed for the parking area.
“Lexie, she was rather…” Miles struggled to find the words. “Rude last night.”
“Yeah, and I can’t blame her.” I headed back toward the parking area.
Tara was in the front on the passenger side. Her eyes had deep bags under them, her hair was a mess. It was the most real I’d ever seen her. Hades’ head was in her lap, her fingers scratching his ears. I tapped on the window.
She jumped, her head snapping around to watch me. Hades’ head lifted as he wagged his tail.
I held up the sandwich. She scowled at me.
“Tara, I know you’re freaked out by last night. Hell, so am I. But it’s actually pretty safe to come out now since I’m awake…” I didn’t know what else to say.
“You’re a freak,” she snapped.
“Yeah. And?” It wasn’t as if I didn’t know it.
“No one should be able to do that.” Tara’s lip trembled as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’re not going to get an argument from me.” I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about last night, it was a complete accident. I don’t even know how I did it. To be honest, it scared the fuck out of me too.”
She started to pet Hades, refusing to look at me.
Fine. I held up the sandwich. “Do you want this or not? You don’t even have to leave the truck.”
She eyed me and then the sandwich. “Yeah, okay...” She slowly unlocked the door and opened it a little. Hades jumped over her and shouldered the door open further.
I handed her the sandwich and stepped back. She looked down at Hades, as if she expected him to jump back in. When he didn’t, she closed the door and locked it.
Trying to be understanding, I headed back to camp. Coffee, coffee would make everything right…
I fed Hades, dished up a plate, poured my coffee then went and sat in my camping chair. I settled with my plate on my lap and my coffee in my hands.
After that first euphoric sip, I looked around the circle. Everyone was in varying stages of waking up. Asher, however, seemed wide awake. “So, how is everyone this morning?”
“Alive.” Isaac took a sip of his coffee.
“So…anything else exciting happen this morning?”
“No one raised a bear, if that’s what you mean.” Ethan grinned playfully.
I shot him a teasing look as Hades trotted to Zeke’s side and immediately was rewarded with a piece of bacon from Zeke’s plate. He was such a sucker.
“There also weren’t any more animals in camp this morning,” Asher supplied.
“That’s good.” I started using my fork to push my eggs around, my appetite almost disappearing.
“I talked to Evelyn last night.” Miles drew my attention from my plate. Miles explained about how Astrid and Ranulf were heading to Spring Mountain and the surrounding towns. “So, they’ll be here in a couple of days.”
I nodded. I could not raise the dead for a couple of days. Right?
Miles shifted his gaze to Asher. “Before anything else, we all need to talk about last night.”
Now my appetite was really gone. I set my plate on the ground for Hades. The big lug hurried over from Zeke’s side to scarf it down.
“About me,” Asher said.
Miles nodded. “What’s going on?”
Asher shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t sleep because I have so much extra energy, I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You’re getting mad a lot.” Isaac leaned forward.
Asher nodded. “I know. And I know I shouldn’t have gone after Tara last night. She made a mistake-”
“What happened?” I shifted in my chair as eyes turned to me.
Asher nodded. “When those guys asked Tara about your scars, she told them it was from your stalker so they wouldn’t ask you.”
“She thought she was helping.” Isaac got up and went to the picnic area.
“And I lost my temper with her.” Asher shook his head, his gaze on the fire ring. “I was wasted and I yelled at her.” He ran his hands over his face. “I don’t even remember what I said.”
“You don’t want to know.” Isaac finished pouring his coffee.
“I probably don’t.” Asher dropped his hands. “I owe her a huge apology.”
Isaac came back and sat back down.
“So, what do you think is going on?” Miles began tapping his leg.
Asher shook his head. “The only thing I can guess is this whole decision thing.” Asher met Miles’ gaze. “It’s stressing me out, that’s gotta be it.”
“Not sleeping, unusual stress which can cause restlessness…” Miles eyes focused on Asher again. “How long did you run yesterday? What was the total time?”
“About two hours.” Asher shrugged.
Miles nodded. “Have you gone for a run this morning?”
Asher shook his head as he cringed. “I didn’t want to walk past Tara.”
Miles pointed at him. “I want you to go for a two hour run this morning. And stay physically busy all day. Then you’ll run another two hours tonight.”
“You want me to exhaust myself.” Asher guessed.
“Yes, because you’re supposed to be the lead with Zeke on the cliff in a couple of days, and if you don’t get any sleep your judgment will be impaired.” Miles’ voice went from calm and understanding to practically military. “And I will not risk you placing a bad nut, or making a bad anchor that will get either of you killed.”
Asher nodded. “I agree. If I don’t get any sleep, I’ll stay on the ground.”
“Now, go for a run.” Miles’ voice was sharp.
Asher, already in his running clothes, headed out of the camp. Everyone waited until his footsteps disappeared.
“Do you think that’s all it is?” Isaac asked.
“I hope.” Miles rubbed his temple. “This is a stressful situation but he’s not acting like himself.”
“You didn’t ask about drugs.” Ethan pointe
d out.
Miles turned to Ethan. “That’s because he seems to genuinely not understand what’s happening.”
“So, what are the plans for today?” Isaac grinned.
Miles smiled. “Something fun.”
Rory
Cursing under my breath, I hustled up the stairs of the courthouse. They fucking changed the date… It hadn’t been the D.A. who called and told me that Ordin’s sentencing hearing was moved up to today. It had been a friend who worked in administration at the courthouse. I hurried across the marble floor and up the cement stairs. My friend had also told me several other interesting things that hadn’t been made public. I pulled open the door to the court room and strode down the center aisle to the front row. I stopped at the barrier and watched District Attorney Jones get his files in order.
“Hi, Larry.” I couldn’t keep the anger from my voice.
Larry Jones turned around, his eyes growing wide. “Um, Rory… Good. Good, you got my email about the change.”
Rage tore through me. “No, I fucking didn’t. And I’m damn sure that I won’t find one.”
Larry sighed. “Look, Ordin’s parents petitioned and won to keep it quiet.”
“Not from the victim,” I bit out. “I also learned a few more things. You told me he plead guilty. You didn’t tell me you offered him a fucking deal.”
“The kid’s parents are influential, Rory,” Larry whispered. “They have a lot of local pull.”
“So you sold out a traumatized seventeen year old girl.” I clenched my fists, barely resisting the urge to hit him.
Larry shook his head. “To be frank, what he did wasn’t that bad.”
“Sexual assault isn’t that bad? Kidnapping with the intent to take her out of the country? That’s a human trafficking charge right there. Not to mention the beating he gave her.” I couldn’t believe this son of a bitch.
“Rory, the kid is fucked up.” Larry tried again.
“No, Larry.” I stepped closer to the low barrier. “My kid got fucked up. That piece of shit is sick.”
His eyes narrowed on me. “It’s done. There’s nothing that can be done now.”
“Yes, there is.” I shook my head at him. “You’re going to let me play her victim impact statement.”
Larry sighed. “It’s not going to do anything.”
“It’ll let her have her say and make it extremely clear what’s happening here.” If Larry thought he could avoid looking at what he was doing, he was sorely mistaken.
Larry frowned at me. “Alright. We’ll start in a few minutes.”
I sat down and waited, bouncing my knee as time went on.
The door on the left side of the court room opened. A deputy led Ordin out in chains. The fucking little shit seemed perfectly healthy. He even waved at his parents and his friends in the two rows behind his table. My fingers itched to pull my Glock. One shot, that’s all I’d need. At least I had the foresight to leave my sidearm at the house today.
The judge came in and everyone got down to business. I zoned out of most of the usual court bullshit as I stared at that piece of shit. It wasn’t too long before Larry announced that I had Lexie’s victim statement to give. The judge seemed surprised but agreed.
A stone settled in my gut as I got to my feet, opened the gate and strode to the podium. “Your honor, I have two digital recordings I’d like to play.”
“Are they both from victim A?” the judge asked.
“They are. But one is a recording of her singing.” And she’d never sing that way again.
“Is it relevant?” Judge Turpine asked.
“Very, your honor.” And hopefully enough to piss off the judge.
“I’ll allow it.”
I pulled the digital recorder out of my shirt pocket and looked directly at Ordin. His face grew pale and he swallowed hard. He was scared? Good.
“I’m here today for my niece. And to understand in full how she was impacted, you need to hear her sing.” I went over to the sidebar where a deputy handed me the cord to the speakers. I plugged it into the recorder and turned around. I wanted to see his face. I selected the file Ethan had given me. Lexie’s beautiful voice filled the room. Ordin froze. I watched him as his eyes unfocused. A small smile appeared on his face. I waited until it played for a solid minute before shutting it off. I pulled up the next file. “And this is her statement and voice after the damage to her had been done by the adult defendant.”
God help me, I hit play. Lexie’s rough sandpaper voice filled the room. “Uh, this is victim A and I guess, I’ll direct this to the judge ‘cause that piece of shit isn’t worth my time.” Ordin’s eyes shined. “I’ll keep it short and to the point. As you can hear, my throat hasn’t healed yet and it’s been four months. My singing voice is gone. I can’t hit any of the higher notes anymore. And I loved to sing. But he took that from me.” Lexie sniffed on the recording. “I used to perform with a band every couple of weeks. But he took that from me. I haven’t left the house alone since that night in January. I’m scared all the time. Jumpy. My shrink says my sense of safety is gone.” She huffed. “I’d say shattered is more like it.” Her voice trembled. I kept my eyes on Ordin as rage boiled in my gut. “The nightmares… For a month or so, I couldn’t sleep alone without waking up and screaming. I had nightmares almost every night for months. I wake up and before I am even really aware, I’m running to the bathroom to shower because I feel it all over again. When he grabbed my… breast and between my legs, it was the most disgusting I’ve ever felt in my life. And I hope I’ll never feel that again.” Tears began to fall down Ordin’s face as I dug my nails into my palm. “But I do, whenever I have a nightmare, or a flashback, I relive it all. Over and over again.” She coughed, then there was the sound of a glass being put down. “The beating he gave me, the choking, I relive it all at least once a day.” Her voice cracked again.
A smile lit his face up as he turned to his lawyer. “See, she still thinks about me. I told you it was a misunderstanding.”
His lawyer turned to him. “Be quiet.”
Lexie’s voice cracked again as she continued. “That’s about as much as I can talk at once. So, thank you for letting me be heard.” I turned off the recording. I glanced at his parents. His father at least had the decency to look contrite.
I turned to the judge. “Thank you, your honor.” I left the podium and walked through the barrier. I took my seat and waited for the judge to collect himself. Whatever deal they’d made was set in stone. But I’d be damned if they’re going to feel okay about selling Lexie out. I waited for the judge to announce his sentence.
Lexie
“Whose idea was this?” I continued laughing as I hung from a cable fifteen feet in the air.
“Miles’!” The guys answered in unison from their spots around the rope course.
“You guys thought it was a good idea.” Miles shot back from across the course.
“Why can’t you guys keep your feet on the ground?” I groaned as I reached up and grabbed the cable above me. The guys laughter echoed back to me through the trees. Pulling up, I set my feet on the long horizontal board. As I set my weight on the two by four, the ropes holding it above the forest floor grew taut. I moved my sweaty grip to the rope in front of me. I reached for the next rope with my hand and snagged it. Stomach in knots, I carefully moved a foot out onto the next board. I kept moving along the boards, keeping a good grip.
Ethan watched from the next platform with a smile. “Doing good, Beautiful.”
“We’re climbing tomorrow.” I reached the end of the last board. “Why are we climbing now?”
“I think he wanted to see how everyone is working as a team.” Ethan reached out. I took his hand and trusted my weight to him while I moved my foot to the platform. He pulled me to the platform and against him. Snoopy smiled down at me. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I smiled up at him.
He tilted his head toward the next section. “Lead the way, Beautiful.”
I put my hands on the second board above and put my foot on the first. It took a bit of effort but I climbed up to the second two by four. I eyed the distance to the third run. “Looks like I’m going to need a hand.”
Ethan stepped onto the bottom rung and easily climbed to join me on the second. “How high can you get?”
The third rung was at my chin. “Let’s find out.” I reached up, got a good hold, and hooked one foot over the wood. I pulled and shifted until I was almost up but couldn’t get enough of my leg over the wood. With no other choice, I had to let go.
The giant ladder went one way, and we both went another.
Frustrated, I lay back in the harness. “Argggh!”
Laughing, Ethan snagged my cable and pulled me back. “We’re supposed to work together, remember?”
“Is that why we’re in pairs?” I shot him my smartass grin as I put my weight on my feet again.
He reached behind me and smacked me on the butt. I just laughed.
“How about I give you a boost?” Ethan looked up at the rest of the giant ladder.
“Are you sure?” I turned to him. “I don’t want to fuck your back up.”
He shook his head. “Relax, I’m not going to do anything I shouldn’t. Besides, why do you think they put me with you? You’re light.”
I chuckled. “Can you give me a knee?”
“I’ll give you anything you want, Beautiful.” He sent me a sexy grin.
I shook my head. “You’re horrible today.”
“Nah, you love it.” He kept one hand on the third rung and widened his stance before dropping and balancing one knee on the board. He braced his other so I could use it as a step.
“Yeah, I kinda do.” I couldn’t help it. But the way his smoky toe-curling voice softened every time he called me Beautiful… It was hard not to love him. It. Hard not to love it.
“Well, we don’t.” Asher’s voice echoed from further back where he was working with Zeke. By all the cursing they were both doing, it couldn’t be going well.
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