“Like the Originals,” I said. The organization, known as the Originals, believed aliens were actually on Earth to destroy the human race. We apparently wanted to interbreed until there were no true humans anymore. It was all lies but they were still putting the fear into a large chunk of the population. Even the arrest of their leader for fraud hadn’t stopped them. It appeared nothing was slowing their reach.
All eyes turned to me as Krom nodded. “The Originals will do anything to smear our name. I wouldn’t rule anything out at this stage.”
“I can’t imagine them thinking one human’s death was too high a price to pay.” Considering they had kidnapped Lola, and used her life to bargain for mine, I wouldn’t put anything past them.
“We’re going to have to watch them,” Krom agreed. Nice to know we agreed on one thing in our lifetime. “What are the police doing about the investigation?”
“They’ve released me on bail but they have charged me with second degree murder. They might upgrade it to first degree, depending on what other evidence they find. I’m basically awaiting my trial,” Garrick replied. I didn’t know how he could be so calm about it. I would probably have broken down in tears by now.
“What evidence do they have?”
“I don’t know. I guess they have enough or they wouldn’t have charged me at all.”
Krom didn’t seem too happy about that fact. “They have to follow due process. I have listened to this planet’s silly laws for seventeen years, they are always going on about justice. They have to have some evidence on you.”
“If they do, I don’t know what it is.”
Krom thumped his fist on the table, making us all jump at the sudden movement. “This is all so… inconvenient.” No kidding it was inconvenient, try telling that to the poor guy who spent the night in jail.
We listened to Krom rant and rave for another twenty minutes before he finally got it all out of his system. My ears were ringing by the end of it.
“You should all go,” he finally finished. It was probably too subtle to run out of the room so I forced myself to stay put a little longer. “But you must all follow the rules and keep me updated with anything that happens. I need to know everything.”
Everyone shifted to leave but I wasn’t quite done yet. There was still something I needed to know. “And what about me? Did you call me here for a particular reason, or was I just a taxi?”
Krom grumbled under his breath like an exasperated mother might do to her children. “I understand your family has taken Garrick in. Your orders are to watch him and ensure he follows all the rules. If he breaks them, I am holding you personally liable. Understand, Member Amery?”
“Understood, Leader Krom.” I tried to keep all the sarcasm out of my voice, I really did.
Krom pushed us out of his office and we left the building all together. It was nice to get away from the place in one piece and without needing to break out.
I walked with Lochie while Garrick went ahead to the car. “You’re quiet. You barely said a word in there.”
Lochie shrugged. “You had it under control.”
“You don’t think Garrick is innocent, do you?” His tense body language told me I was right before he said anything.
“I’m not convinced, no.”
I bumped him with my shoulder. “Well, thank you for keeping that to yourself in there.”
We reached the car and I gave Lochie the keys. He seemed to enjoy driving much more than I did. Plus, if one of the guys was in the driver’s seat, they wouldn’t argue about who was riding shotgun. That honor automatically went to me.
It didn’t take them long to find something to argue about, however. We had barely got halfway back before Garrick started it. “You drive like a grandpa.”
“At least I have a grandpa,” Lochie replied snarkily, without taking his eyes off the road.
“Ooooh, low blow.”
“Guys.”
Garrick ignored me, like they both always did when they were in their stupid macho zone. “Maybe it was you who framed me. You’d like to see me go to jail for the next thirty years, right?”
“It’s true, I would like to see that,” Lochie shot back. “But I don’t care enough about you to actually waste my energy in framing you.”
“Yeah right, you care about something.”
“And what would that be?”
“Guys,” I warned again. I was about two minutes away from opening the door and taking my chances by jumping out. The landing would be painful but probably better than listening to them fight.
“Uh, I believe it’s called your own self serving agenda,” Garrick continued. I honestly had no idea what they were even arguing about at that point.
“My self serving agenda? Like you don’t have one?” Lochie spat back at him. “I know exactly what your game is and I’m not going to stand by and let you play it out.”
“Why? You scared I’d win?”
“I know you’d play dirty.”
“Like you know me so well.”
All of a sudden, Lochie slammed his foot on the brake. We lurched forward as the tires squealed to a stop. He steered the car over to the side of the road and jumped out before it barely came to a halt. Garrick followed him, stomping along until they were face to face.
I had never taken my seatbelt off that fast as I tried to get between the guys before they had a chance to start something. I tugged at each of their arms, trying to get them to snap out of the testosterone fuelled blindness.
“Lochie, Garrick, seriously. Just get back in the car.” I was wasting my breath.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Lochie grunted. It wasn’t directed at me, he had no idea I was there.
“I can talk to you however I like,” Garrick replied. This wasn’t going to end well
“When are you going to accept the fact that you’re not going to win? No matter how hard you try, I have already won. There is no game.”
“You are seriously overestimating your charm, lover boy.”
“History has already proven my charm, alien.” That was enough. Lochie should not have been using the word alien like it was something awful.
I wasn’t quick enough though as Garrick threw a punch and hit Lochie square on the temple. He reeled backwards as he poised his own arm to throw one right back at him. His fist collided with Garrick’s jaw with a horrible whack sound. It made me feel sick to the stomach.
“Quit it!” I yelled as I tried to stop them. Getting in between them was a bit too dangerous at that stage so I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed Lochie’s arm and tugged at him as hard as I could. It took him off balance. He toppled to the side and out of reach of Garrick’s swinging arm.
“Seriously, you have to stop,” I screamed again. I probably sounded like a mad woman. I felt like one.
“Amery, let me go,” Lochie seethed. That was never going to happen.
“Not until you two stop acting like two year olds and get back in the car.”
“He’s the one acting like a two year old.”
“Am not,” Garrick shot back. Oh my gosh, they were impossible. Seriously, could they not hear themselves?
“Are too.”
“You both are two year olds, now stop it.” I wagged my finger at them as they took in some deep, soothing breaths. They were both puffing like bulls in an arena. “Now get back in the car. We are going to drive home without saying another word. We will be polite to one another. We will respect each other’s opinions and feelings. Understand?”
We stood there for the longest time while they decided how much their pride would be wounded if they were the first one to move. I really didn’t understand boys. I hoped I never would, they seemed messed up in the head.
“Guys? Can I please have some consensus here? Or are we going to be standing here for the rest of the afternoon?”
Lochie finally uncrossed his arms and nodded. My scathing look went to Garrick who eventually nodded too.
“Good. Now, let’s go.” I headed toward the car and footsteps padded behind me until we all resumed our seats. Lochie started the car and we were on the road again.
They behaved themselves for the rest of the journey. The tension crackled in the air between them but they didn’t dare say a word to each other. They were probably both smarting about their injuries.
When we arrived home, all parental figures wanted a complete blow-by-blow account of the meeting with Krom. Between the three of us, we covered the entire thing until they had exhausted all questions.
By that time, it was starting to get dark and we were all talked out. My birth parents were also starting to give Lochie the evil eye for hanging around. They didn’t think he needed to linger for any longer than was necessary. And in their mind, it was never necessary.
I pulled him aside so we couldn’t be overheard. “Do you want to meet me in my room?”
“How about you come over to my place?” Lochie suggested. “We could watch a movie, have something to eat.”
“We can do that here.”
Lochie’s gaze shot to Garrick across the room and I instantly understood why he didn’t want to hang around. I guess if I was in his position, and he was hanging around another girl, I wouldn’t have liked it either. In fact, I would probably hate it.
“Okay, your place it is,” I conceded. “I’ll meet you there as soon as I can disappear here. Deal?”
He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Deal. Don’t be too long.” He always had to have the last word. I watched him leave and turned to everyone.
“Does anyone mind if I go watch a movie at Lochie’s house?” I addressed the entire room, knowing they would all have an opinion on the subject.
My birth parents were predictably against the idea. “He just left, haven’t you seen enough of him?” Birth Mom asked with exasperation in her voice.
“We haven’t spent any quality time together for a few days,” I pointed out. They didn’t have to know about the night we had spent together only the previous evening. It didn’t count anyway, we were both asleep for most of it.
Adoptive Mom stepped in. “You’ve had a big day, are you sure you want to go out again?”
“It’s just hanging out, it’s not like it’s strenuous.” Clearly nobody wanted to give me the okay. Although, why, I wasn’t so sure. “Please? I need a break from all this.”
They all exchanged a glance before Adoptive Dad answered. “Fine. But don’t be home late. Remember curfew.”
I thanked them and hurried out before they could change their mind again. Finally, some alone time with Lochie. Hopefully he would be in a better mood.
CHAPTER 5
I crossed my fingers that Lochie would answer the door first. I had a fifty-fifty shot which were pretty good odds. But apparently my luck wasn’t shining that evening.
“Oh, it’s you,” Mrs. Mercury said as she swung the door open. I was pretty certain she wanted to close it again just as quickly when she saw me. I wasn’t her most favorite person in the world.
“Hello, Mrs. Mercury. How are you?” I tried to win her over with sweetness. It hadn’t worked in the last few weeks, but you never know when your luck will turn.
She ignored my attempt at small talk. “I guess you’re here to see Lochie?”
“Yes, he invited me over.”
Her gaze drilled into me, from head to foot she looked me up and down. She sighed. “Come in then.” She turned to walk down the hallway. “Lochie!” Her yell echoed in the small space.
I waited at the door, knowing I wasn’t welcome to wander in after her. I used to think Mrs. Mercury was so nice but that had abruptly changed when her hostility bubbled to the surface. I couldn’t blame her, really, she was only worried about her son. But there was no excuse for racism either. She hadn’t exactly made an effort to get to know me any better.
“Hey,” Lochie said as he ran down the staircase to reach me. He gave me a kiss on the cheek. “They let you out.”
“You doubted my abilities to persuade them?”
“No, I know you can be very persuasive.” He breathed the words in the incredibly sexy way only Lochie could. Damn it, I wished he didn’t have that effect on me.
I swatted at his chest so he didn’t see my blush starting to burn. “Can we go upstairs now?”
He nodded and waited for me to lead the way like a gentleman. It was probably only to check me out from behind, knowing Lochie like I did.
“Door stays open,” Mrs. Mercury called from the living room. It was her way of ensuring we didn’t get up to anything untoward upstairs. Because apparently only bad things happened with the door closed. She didn’t know her son very well.
“So, movie or food?” Lochie asked as we entered his bedroom. I sat on the lounge, noticing he had tidied up slightly since I was there last.
“Both,” I replied. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until he mentioned food. It really had been a long day.
“Your wish is my desire.” He bowed and left again, leaving me with a goofy smile on my face. He was so cheesy and over the top that it was perfect.
I flicked on the television and waited for Lochie to return. The first time I had been in his bedroom, I had thought it wasn’t anything like him. He had model airplanes over his bed and his desk was super clean.
I had expected posters of nearly naked girls plastered over the walls, satin sheets on the bed, and odes to his ego everywhere. Boy, had I been surprised.
Now I knew him better, I saw how it all really reflected him. I knew he loved building the model airplanes and that he quite often did it with his brother, Jordan. I also knew how seriously he took his grades so he used his desk a lot. Even the little touches like a photo of his cat on his dresser and a collection of ties hanging over his closet door, screamed Lochie. A picture of the two of us took pride of place on his bedside table.
I wondered what he thought about my bedroom. Or if he noticed anything at all. He was a guy, after all. As long as Garrick wasn’t in there, he probably didn’t think much about it.
Footsteps interrupted my reverie as Lochie returned carrying two plates. “Tonight we have mac and cheese. Now, don’t get too excited about the sound of that gourmet meal, I wouldn’t want to get an ego.”
He laid the food onto the coffee table in front of me. I must have been hungry because it really did look like a gourmet meal. “No, we wouldn’t want any compliments going to your head.”
“But don’t feel like you have to hold in any gushing compliments, I can take it.” He grinned and sat beside me, so close our arms touched. It made me smile, he had room on the lounge to sit further away, he just chose to sit so close.
I took a mouthful of food and pretended it was the most outstanding taste in the world. “Oh my God, Lochie. This is amazing.”
“I did try to warn you.”
“You could be a chef.”
“It’s my backup career.”
He flicked on the movie, some action adventure thing of his choosing. I didn’t mind, he had sat through enough chick flicks for me. He had probably been keeping count and had a tally somewhere that I would have to make up for someday.
By the time the credits rolled, I was completely relaxed and rid of the day’s stresses. My belly was full and Lochie’s couch was really comfortable. I wished I had a pause button for the world so I could stay that way for a while longer.
Lochie, on the other hand, had other ideas. He turned the movie off but left the television on for some background noise. His arm was on the back of the couch, around me as I cuddled up to his side. His hand started wandering, playing with my long hair.
“Good movie,” I lied. I hadn’t really been paying enough attention to have an opinion.
“Yeah, that car chase was wicked.” There had been a car chase? Perhaps while I was in the bathroom?
“Totally wicked.”
His other hand slid into mine, entwining our fingers. He started playing with my knuckles,
using his thumb to gently brush over my skin. “Your hands are so small.”
“If I had hands as big as yours, I’d look funny.”
“Fair point.” He pulled my hand up to his mouth and started kissing each knuckle in turn. It sent little tingles right down to the butterflies in my stomach, spurring them into action.
“Are you having fun there?” I asked. As much as I enjoyed any touch from Lochie, the silence felt a bit awkward. I needed to say something.
Lochie laughed, his breath on my hand while it was still so close to his mouth. “I always have fun with you, Jones.” His mouth started moving up my arm as he planted kisses the entire way. He made sure to stop at my triangle tattoo, giving it a smooch of its own. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine.
His other hand left my hair to pull me in closer. I was ensconced in his embrace, unable to move even if I wanted to. But I didn’t want to. I was more than happy to be there kissing Lochie.
He moved to my neck, kissing my jaw and down to my collarbone. I should have stopped him but it felt so good just to let my mind switch off and let my body feel. Nobody made me forget everything like Lochie did.
His left hand started to wander vicariously close to my blouse. He had two buttons undone before I caught on to what he was doing. “Lochie, we can’t.”
He didn’t stop, just continued his relentless kissing spree. “Yes, we can.”
“No,” I moaned, far from convincing. My mind flashed back to the one time we had been together in that very room. It both scared and excited me to think of doing that again.
I couldn’t though, not with his mom and brother in the house. Mrs. Mercury could walk in at any time and she would probably have a heart attack if she saw the way I was corrupting her son. Because it would be all my fault, for sure.
“Lochie, I’m serious.” I said it with a bit more conviction that time. Lochie removed his lips from my neck and leaned back. “Not here, not now.”
“Nobody has to know.”
“Until your mom walks in.”
He looked around at the open door, I guess he forgot about it. “She’s probably asleep, I can close it if that helps.”
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