by Raathi Chota
“I-I’m going out quick,” she mumbled, then put on her beanie.
“At three in the morning,” I said. Miranda ignored me as she walked past us and out the back door. I hastily slipped on my shoes and grabbed a hoodie as I followed her.
“I’ll stay here,” Melissa said as she looked at Tiffany, who was fast asleep on the sofa. I gave a curt nod and walked out the door. I saw Miranda get into the car as I quickly opened the passenger door. When I got in, I noticed Miranda’s stare.
“I’m not letting you go out alone at this time,” I said as I buckled myself in. Miranda let out a sigh as she started the car then drove out the driveway.
Silence filled us as I rubbed my arms for warmth. The windows fogged up from the coldness, and the road was barely visible.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I didn’t mean to…” Miranda blurted out.
“It’s okay, and I’m sorry too. I didn’t know about your mom.” I turned to her.
“I hate it when we fight. I mean, you’re practically my sister,” she said as I smiled at her.
“Love you, Miranda,” I said as I playfully punched her shoulder.
“Love you too, Willson.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as we drove into the industrial area.
“Mom phoned. She needs me to pick her up.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. We drove through the streets, and surprisingly, they weren’t empty at three in the morning. Mostly drunk people and gangsters lurked. We turned a corner where the club was.
“There.” Miranda pointed to where a few people walked around. I squinted my eyes as I searched for Miss Stevens. She leaned against a lamp post as she looked around. Miranda parked the car a few yards away, and we got out. Just then, someone approached Miss Stevens. He touched her, and my eyes widened. “Hey, don’t touch her!” Miranda shouted as she ran toward the man. I followed as Miranda tried to pull the man away. The man aggressively pulled away and stroked Miss Stevens’ cheek. Miranda kicked the guy as I tried to push his hands off her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bouncer approach us from the club across the street. He was big and muscular. He ripped the man off Miss Stevens. Miranda went to her mother’s side as I watched the bouncer punch the guy. I suddenly paled as I got a view of his face. The words “we’re watching you” echoed in my head as the two men fought. Suddenly, he turned to me, and I went stiff. One of James’s men stood right in front of me. What frightened me the most was that it was the one who’d been in my room.
Chapter Twelve
Lana
Everything suddenly stopped as I stared at the men fighting. It had to be a coincidence. The memory of him when he entered my room frightened me. He was tall yet muscular, and I heard a little accent.
“Lana!” Miranda yelled. I blinked rapidly and turned to see Miranda limping toward the car.
“Get the hell out of here!” the bouncer yelled as he kicked the guy. The man wiped the blood from his mouth, then looked at me. He still dared to smirk as he straightened his posture and ran away. The sudden urge to follow him and ask him questions grew in the pit of my stomach.
“Leave us alone!” I yelled as he glanced over his shoulder to look at me. I watched as he ran and turned the corner right into the alley. I was confused as to why he’d want to go there.
“Kid, get out of here. It’s dangerous,” the bouncer said. I thanked him, then spun around. I ran to the car, where Miranda helped her mother into the backseat.
“I’ll drive,” I said as I took the keys from her. She nodded, then got in the back with her mother. I started the car and quickly drove out of the area because I hated this place at night.
“Who the hell was that?” Miranda demanded. I looked up into the rearview mirror to see her in the center while her mom was asleep on her chest. I shrugged, then looked back at the road. “No, Lana. The way you looked at that guy…like you’ve seen him before.”
“He was the one who was in my room.”
“What?”
“Calm down, okay?”
“No, I will not calm down! You should tell your dad. He can help, Lana,” she said as I rolled my eyes. “Either you tell him or I will.”
My eyes widened at the thought of my dad aware that one of James’s men had been in our house. He didn’t even know that I was at the cottage that day.
“Fine, I’ll tell him.” I sighed.
“Good. Thanks, by the way,” she murmured.
“No problem,” I mumbled as we drove and silence tramped in our thoughts.
***
I stared at my dad’s office door and debated on whether I should enter. I could tell him that Miranda and I saw one of James’s men. Not the whole room thing. Christmas was in a few days, so I’d rather tell him now than when it’s Christmas or New Year’s. I opened the door to see my father behind his desk. He was so focused on going through papers that he didn’t even notice me. Afterward, he stood up and grabbed his jacket.
“Dad,” I said, and he raised his head.
“Lana, hey. How was the sleepover?” he asked as he put his jacket on.
“I—it was good,” I mumbled as I looked down.
“But…” He trailed off. I let out a sigh as I looked up. I shut my eyes.
“We were in the industrial area, and I saw one of James’s men,” I admitted. I slowly opened my eyes to see Dad’s knitted brows.
“What? How?”
“Well, we were getting Miranda’s mom from a club, then he approached her. This bouncer came and helped us. Then he ran off into the alley.”
“The alley?”
“The alley that’s under investigation.”
“Are you sure it’s him?”
“Yeah, his face matches the one at the station,” I said. That part was right because some of James’s men had been spotted, so there were identities.
“All right,” he said after a while. “Come with me.”
“Where to?” I asked as we walked out of his office and into the living room.
“The alley. I’ll call Detective Kale, and you’ll tell him what you said to me,” Dad stated as he put on his beanie. My eyes widened as Dad ushered me out of the house after I grabbed my coat. I took out my glasses and put them on as I got into my dad’s car.
We arrived at the alley, yet it was covered in tape so we couldn’t pass. The thought of being here in broad daylight terrified me. Everything looked the same from the day Benny, Liam, Nick, and I was here. A policeman guarded the alley as Detective Kale approached us.
“Morning, Willson,” he greeted. “It’s a few days before Christmas. Why’d you call?”
“My daughter here was in the area early this morning and spotted this man. He’s one of James Cornelius’ men,” Dad said as he showed the photo on the iPad.
“He came through here?” Kale questioned as he looked down the alley. I followed his gaze to the alley. There wasn’t much since the snow arrived. Most of the evidence was either with them or gone. They still checked every day in the hope that Jack would come back to his home.
“Yeah,” I replied as I avoided eye contact.
“What’s the latest report?” Dad asked as I folded my arms. Detective Kale looked at my dad, then me. “She’s my daughter and a witness,” Dad said as he swung his arm around my shoulder. Kale let out a sigh as he looked over his shoulder at the policeman. He gave him a nod and the policeman returned the gesture, then walked off.
“We’ve done all the questioning, and they all say the same. Something’s not right. They keep saying he was an alcoholic, came here and worked in the café,” Kale admitted.
“What café?” Dad asked.
“Behind the alley. We’ve been there and interviewed them. None of them have heard of Jack August.”
“In the news, they said his co-workers weren’t fond of him. What about them?” I asked as I remembered when Jack first came on the news.
“They’re journalists and news reporters. They change it ar
ound and brainwash you to believe anything they say,” Dad replied.
“Yeah, and the surveillance cameras are no help either.” Kale sighed.
“Wha-what cameras?” I asked as I looked down the alley, yet there were no cameras.
“This wasn’t always a bad area. It was okay. Yet they still had their cameras,” Kale said as he motioned across the street. I paled as I looked at the camera that was in the building right opposite us. It faced directly at us and got a perfect view of the whole alley. “Spoke to the owners and they said it stopped working a few weeks ago and everything was wiped. Probably a fuse or something.”
“And they can’t fix it?” Dad asked as I stared at the camera.
“They’re working on it, but it’s a low chance that we’ll get the footage back from September when he went missing,” Kale responded.
“Okay, thanks. Merry Christmas,” Dad said as he placed his hand on my back.
“Merry Christmas. Oh, and Willson, we need to have that meeting soon,” Detective Kale said as we walked to the car. Dad gave Detective Kale a blank look, then a nod. I raised a brow as we got into the car.
“What was that about?” I asked as we drove.
“Nothing, just wanting to discuss a few things,” Dad mumbled. Silence filled the car as I thought over what Kale said. Who knew how long those cameras were out? I wanted to text Benny and tell him, yet I didn’t want to ruin the holiday mood. Maybe I’d tell them after Christmas.
“Do you think you’ll ever get James?” I asked after a while.
“Yes, we will,” Dad said, then turned to me. “I don’t want you to worry. We’ll get him.”
“I know you will, Dad.” I smiled.
“Listen, err…I’ll drop you at home. Someone should be there now. I don’t want you to be alone,” he said as we drove into our neighborhood.
“Thanks, Dad, for everything. I love you,” I said.
“Anything for my little girl. Love you too,” he said as he stopped in front of our house. I looked past him to see Blake’s motorcycle and Levi’s Mustang in the driveway. I didn’t want to be home with them. Not now. “Well, I gotta head to the station. See you at dinner,” Dad said, then kissed my forehead. I got out of the car and walked to the front door. The door was unlocked, so I pushed it open. When I got home this morning, Dad and Richard were the only ones home. Mom and Jade were probably out, and I didn’t know where Levi was. Well, he should have been here since his car was here. I walked in. The sound of the television played through the house as I took off my coat and placed it on the hook. I strolled to the kitchen but felt a tug on my arm.
“Where were you? You just drove off like that yesterday,” Levi stated as he spun me around.
“I slept over at Miranda’s house. Chill,” I said, then pulled my arm back.
“You could’ve said something instead of just walking out of here,” he said with an irritated look.
“Look who’s talking,” I said, then spun around. I think I bumped into a wall or something because I immediately backed away and rubbed my nose. When I looked up, I saw Blake.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. I looked over my shoulder to see Levi. He let out a deep sigh as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
“Look, err…we’re sorry again for yesterday. We didn’t mean the stuff we said about you being a whore and slut,” Levi mumbled.
“We never said whore or slut, but we were thinking it,” Blake added.
“You guys fucking suck at apologies,” I muttered. “You apologize every damn time yet you still find a way to fuck up.”
“Well, Parker made it sound like you two were boning. He literally said you kept each other happy.” Blake raised his voice.
“The problem is you believed him. It shows that you’ll believe someone you barely know without even asking for my side of the story!” I exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for always fucking up. We’re sorry for always fucking up your life!” It was the first time Blake shouted at me, and it frightened me. I was used to Levi and Miranda, but not Blake Gunner. He always spoke in a neutral or hoarse tone. A vein stuck out in his neck as he yelled, his eyes bloodshot, probably from the lack of sleep, and he smelled of cigarettes along with Levi. “We’ll make it up to you, baby girl,” he whispered after he calmed down. I folded my arms as I stared at them. I was not his baby nor his girl.
Levi’s eyes widened as he approached Blake. He whispered in his ear as Blake smirked. It intrigued me how Blake’s cold expression changed within a minute. His smirk seemed to grow as he locked eyes with me. I squinted my eyes as Levi continued to whisper. Blake slowly bit his lip as he eyed me up and down. I felt uncomfortable as I wrapped my arms around my body and waited.
After a minute, Levi was done, and they smirked. “Well, you know what they say, actions speak louder than words.”
I squinted my eyes because I didn’t know what they were up to. Levi awkwardly coughed, then walked upstairs. “You hungry?” Blake asked as he walked to the kitchen.
“Err…yeah, but this is my house. I should be asking you that,” I said as we entered the kitchen.
“Sorry for trying to be thoughtful, nerd,” he said, then walked to the fridge. “I’m hungry too, so I’ll just whip up something.”
“Whip?” I asked as I propped myself up on the counter. I couldn’t help but think of his change in moods. I didn’t like to be angry at them, and they knew that. I watched as Blake rummaged through my fridge and took out random stuff, then shut the door. He spun around with a smirk plastered on his face. He took off his leather jacket and placed it next to me.
“Whip.” He wiggled his brows. I watched as he pulled his sleeves up of his Iron Maiden crewneck. He walked toward me, but I raised my leg and placed my foot on his chest.
“Kinky,” I stated, and Blake threw his head back and laughed. His hand wrapped around my ankle as the other went on my calf. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Levi walk down, but he went into the living room. I felt a sudden tickle as I turned back to see Blake stroke my calf. I jerked away, and he used it as a chance to step in between my thighs. I placed my hands on his chest to push him away, but he didn’t move an inch as he looked down.
“Is the mark still there?” he asked. I glanced down to see him caressing my thigh.
“Obviously,” I said, then shoved him away from me. He chuckled then stood next to me and made sandwiches. I looked straight out the window and noticed our backyard was covered in snow.
“Why did your dad drop you off?” Blake suddenly asked. I shrugged my shoulders as I swung my legs back and forth by the island.
“Just.”
“Just…” He trailed off as I sighed.
“James is back. Well, the guy who was in my room,” I stated. I thought I’d get a reaction out of Blake, but he continued with the sandwiches.
“How do you know that?”
“Miranda and I saw him last night. She said I have to tell my dad, so I did.”
“Now what?”
“Now…we wait.”
After a few more minutes, Blake was done with the sandwiches. I glanced to see various little pieces of bread with the crust off and cut into stars.
“Wow.” I laughed as I picked one and ate it.
“Made by yours truly.”
“They’re cut so perfectly.”
“Thanks.” He chuckled then ate one. Levi entered the kitchen in his coat. He tossed us our beanies and gloves. I gave him a questioning look as he approached us, then took a sandwich.
“We’re gonna play in the snow!” he cheered, then walked to the back door. “Come on, Keene!”
I looked over my shoulder to see Keene enter the kitchen with a pissed look.
“Hey, when did you get here?” I asked as he leaned against the counter.
“Before you, and what friends you are!” He gestured to Blake and me. Levi was already outside doing God knew what.
“What?” Blake and I asked in unison.
&n
bsp; “I was locked up for three fucking days with that stupid-ass clown. None of you came to get me,” Keene said as my eyes widened.
“I didn’t know,” I admitted. “If I did I would’ve co—” I was cut off when something was thrown at the window. Keene spun around as we watched Levi.
“Come on!” he yelled as he threw another snowball. Blake let out a sigh as he took the last two sandwiches. He put the one in his mouth then stared at the other. I gave him a weird look as he looked at me, then the sandwich. He took the sandwich in his hand and stuffed it in my mouth, then ran out. I threw my hands up in exasperation and let out a groan as I ate the sandwich. I glanced over at Keene, who stared at me.
“What?”
“I…err…they told me what happened yesterday,” he mumbled. I looked down because I didn’t want to talk about it. Keene stepped closer and stood between my thighs. “When Parker told us at the party, I didn’t think it was true. I know you, Lana, and you wouldn’t go for a weirdo like him.” Keene ruffled my hair. I glanced up at him to see a confused look fill his features. He let out a sigh as he placed each hand on either side of the table and looked up at me. “This all my fault. I shouldn’t have given you those pills at the beginning of junior year. Then you wouldn’t have been raped by him.”
“It’s my fault for letting him do that to me.” I sighed, and he shook his head.
“It’s understandable that you couldn’t tell anyone. I get it; everyone expects you to be the perfect girl with straight A’s and always listening to your parents. It’s hard because you’re put under pressure to be this type of person when you just want to be yourself.”
Keene looked down as I watched his brown hair fall in his face. He was much more responsible than Levi. He was the mom out of our trio of him, Levi, and me. He was a foster kid who was removed from his dad and went to many foster homes. I didn’t know what happened to his mother, though. During the past few years, he brought himself up, then got a casual job and shared an apartment with someone.