by J. E. Taylor
Chapter 25
Steve picked up the phone before the first ring ended. “Hello,” he said.
“You’ve got a choice,” O’Keefe said. “I looked into the situation and there are more than a handful of people who saw Bear ambush Tom in the cafeteria.”
“Cut to the chase, Jim,” Steve said, digging facts from his mind. Bear had no one who was willing to validate his story; they all clammed up, refusing to speak to the police about what happened.
“The Whipples are willing to drop the charges, but only if you agree to do the same.”
Steve sighed and wished Jennifer was here to discuss the situation, but she wasn’t due home for another half hour, so the decision was his alone. “Fine, but if he comes anywhere near either of my boys, this deal is off.”
“I will let them know. Tell CJ to keep his nose clean because as of now, he’s on our radar.”
“I’ll tell him,” Steve said and hung up the phone, relieved not to have to deal with another visit to the police station. He turned, focusing back on the dinner and carefully framed how to explain the day’s events to Jennifer when she arrived home.
* * * *
The garage door opened, sending the shrill buzz of the door alarm through the house and Steve glanced over his shoulder at the wall panel. His eyes widened at his a-ha moment.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” he whispered and let out a startled laugh.
“What?” Jennifer said, stepping into view.
“The alarm system. It should have a record of when the doors were opened.”
Jennifer dumped her pocketbook on the counter and peeled off her coat, throwing it over the coat rack in the corner by the garage door. “And that helps how?”
“It could provide reasonable doubt, especially if it has a record of when people came and went from the house. If we can say within reason that it was Tom, it might provide an alibi.”
“It could also backfire if the times in anyway coincide with the killings,” she said and crossed the room, wrapping her arms around his waist.
He gave her a kiss hello even though she blew his ray of hope right out of the sky. “I can check it out and if it helps our case, I’ll offer it up, but if it hurts Tom, then I’ll just leave it alone. He’s been hurt enough lately.”
She studied his expression and he tried to soften the blow with a smile of commiseration.
“Tom got beat up at school today.”
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. “What?” She pulled out of his grasp. “Where is he?”
“He’s upstairs now, but we spent the afternoon at the emergency room,” Steve said and turned off the burners on the stove. Rehearsing in his mind and verbalizing the words were two different things and he sighed, meeting her gaze.
Jennifer stiffened and the muscles in her jaw jumped. The telltale thinning of her lips expressed her irritation. “What in God’s name happened?”
“Apparently, some of the kids decided to take justice into their own hands and ambushed him in the cafeteria.”
“Who started it?”
Steve shifted. “Bear.”
Jennifer’s face flushed with anger and she clenched her teeth together. “Are we talking about the same person?”
“Yes. Tom’s best friend and the rest of the defensive line beat him up.”
Jennifer turned and headed toward the stairs, worry and something darker blazed in her eyes.
“That’s not the end of it, Jen.”
She hesitated, turning towards Steve, waiting for him to spill the rest, her features undecided at whether to display worry or anger.
Steve leaned against the counter. “CJ retaliated.”
Jennifer’s eyes widened.
“No, not that way,” Steve put his hand up, stopping her line of thoughts. “He challenged them to a fair fight and while it landed a couple of them in the hospital, it wasn’t anything in comparison to what happened to Tom. And CJ didn’t escape without some significant bruises.”
Jennifer started to turn toward the stairs and hesitated, glancing back at Steve. “Is that all?”
Steve shook his head and sighed. “They wanted to press charges against CJ but he wasn’t here when they came with the arrest warrant. He went down to Connecticut after the fight.”
Her eyebrows rose and her mouth popped open. “Is he still there?”
Steve laughed. “No,” he said. “Dan caught him and Sandy in bed, and if he owned a firearm, CJ would have a few buck shots in his ass.”
“Holy shit, Steve,” she gasped and ran her hand through her hair, her exasperation made him smile and he started to chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because this day has been one thing after another and I imagine I’ve had the same expression on my face most of the day.”
She allowed a smile and a sigh. “Is CJ in jail?”
“No. I agreed to drop the charges against Bear in return for dropping the charges against CJ.”
Relief swept through her form and her shoulders slumped with the release. She sent a nod in his direction and turned toward the stairwell.
“Tell them dinner is ready,” Steve said before she stepped out of sight.
* * * *
Knocking.
Tom’s eyes fluttered open to the dark room and knocking that sounded like it was a mile away. He started to sit up and lights flared in front of his eyes, followed by a bolt of pain, and he moaned, his hands flying up to the sides of his head to try to keep it from blowing under the pressure.
The door opened and the light from the hall pierced his eyes like daggers and he clamped his jaw against the sudden appearance of burning bile in his throat.
“Steve!” Jennifer’s cry filled his ears and he whimpered under the crushing sound.
Within a blink, pain wracked his body and he bellowed just before the curtain fell.
Raspy breath and a cool sensation on his forehead filled his senses and it took a moment before all his faculties returned. Tom blinked his eyes open, his clear gaze landing on Jennifer.
She pulled the washcloth away from his forehead and glanced to her right.
He turned his head, glancing at Steve. No pain or dizziness accompanied the move and he signed, “Thank you.”
“I left the cut on your face and your bruises intact, but your concussion and broken bones are fixed.”
“You scared me,” Jennifer whispered and folded the cloth.
Tom sent a questioning glance at Steve. “Why?”
“You had a seizure,” Steve said and sat down in the chair at Tom’s desk.
Steve’s hand shook when he ran it down his face and Tom realized just how unnerved both of them were. He had never seen Steve shake, but then again, he had never seen the man afraid in all the years he knew him, until now. Now both his and Jennifer’s gaze held a haunted look he didn’t understand.
“I’m okay,” he said and covered Jennifer’s hands. She met his gaze with tear-filled eyes and nodded.
“Yeah, well, we didn’t know that until you opened your eyes,” CJ said from the doorway. “You completely blacked out and stopped breathing until Steve did his thing.”
Leave it to his brother to cut to the chase.
“How long was I out?” Tom signed.
Steve glanced at his watch. “A couple of hours,” he said and stood. “I’m not sure how good dinner will be at this point, but it’s ready if you’re hungry.”
Chapter 26
Tom glanced at the school and back at Steve, pleading. Can’t I just stay home today?
“No,” Steve said, his tone firm and unyielding. “Do you want me to go into the office with you?”
Tom shook his head and plucked the hospital note from Steve’s hand. I got it. He pushed the car door open and got one leg out before Steve grabbed his shoulder. He looked back.
“Remember, you’re supposed to be injured,” he whispered.
Tom nodded. Steve had lectured him all the way to school on
the importance of keeping up pretense in this case. How could he forget? He stepped out of the car and made his way into the school, walking slower than his normal gait, with his head down and his books clutched in his arms. Before he entered the building, he cast a glance over his shoulder at Steve and received a slight nod before the car revved and shifted into gear.
Tom turned back to the hallway in front of him, willing his feet forward despite the dread crushing his chest. Paranoia wasn’t something he was used to and being this jumpy wasn’t good for appearances sake.
“Don’t worry little brother, I’ll back you up if something happens today,” CJ whispered in his ear and then stepped in stride with him like a protective bodyguard.
Eyes turned in their direction and most widened in shock at what they saw. The Ryan brothers sporting epic bruises and Tom bit his lower lip to keep the smile from surfacing. Little did everyone know, these bruises were truly only skin deep.
CJ elbowed Tom, sending him a cross glare and Tom rolled his eyes, getting back into character as they crossed over the threshold of the office. Tom handed the note to the school secretary with his casted hand, keeping his gaze down.
“I’ll see that Mr. Fletcher gets this,” she said, her tone carrying a note of disdain at having to deal with the boy accused of murder and Tom raised his head, meeting her accusatory stare with one of his own.
He was not going to let anyone get to him. He didn’t do anything wrong and wasn’t about to act all meek and guilty. Not after the crap that happened yesterday.
Mrs. Simons actually flinched at his brazen glare and hurried away from the counter.
CJ turned away from the counter and he sent a smirk in Tom’s direction. You freaked her out, dude.
Good. Maybe people won’t fuck with me today. Tom sent the thought back and gave a nod, turning away from CJ and heading towards his first class.
Call if you need me.
Tom glanced over his shoulder and nodded. If he got into trouble, he wouldn’t hesitate to call today, but he had a feeling he would be fine, especially since the assholes CJ whooped were still licking their wounds.
When he walked into the classroom, hushed murmurs filled the room and all eyes turned in his direction. Instead of adopting the timid demeanor he held yesterday, he sent a glare across the students, silently daring them to say something. When shocked silence filtered through everyone, Tom crossed to his desk and sat, painting a grimace on his face to keep the class clueless to his total lack of pain.
In the cafeteria, Tom went to the back table again, but this time, he sat on the other side, with his back to the wall and a view of the cafeteria. He opened his history book and busied himself with reading the next section but his gaze kept jumping from the page to any motion within his peripheral vision.
A tray dropped on the table in front of him and he looked up, meeting the gaze of the tray owner. Raven Adams took the seat opposite him, her blue eyes locked on his and her pink lips posed in a smile.
“Do ye mind if I sit with you?” she asked and a hint of her Irish accent bled through.
Tom nodded and scanned the room to make sure this wasn’t some kind of ambush.
“What they did to you yesterday was deplorable,” she said and dug into her turkey surprise with zest.
Tom stared at her freckled face and her wild red hair before his gaze dropped to the suggestive v-neck of her shirt before focusing back to his plate.
“Why a you hea?” he said.
“Because you’re sitting alone and everyone is avoiding you like the plague. That’s usually reserved for me, so I felt sorry for you,” she said through a mouthful of potatoes.
Tom stiffened and slammed the book closed.
“Easy big fella,” she said and grinned. “No need to get all sanctimonious on me.”
The spark of humor in her eyes gave him pause and he cocked his head, studying her closer. “Aren’t you afraid of me?” he signed.
She chuckled and shook her head. “You kill someone? I just can’t see it, especially not that skinny bitch of a girlfriend,” she said.
“Hey,” he said and shook his head. “Don’t talk about her like that,” he signed.
Her gaze followed the symbols his hands made and she shrugged. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t talk ill of the dead, but there was no love lost between us.”
Raven’s Irish brogue and sincere gaze calmed his aggravated nerves and he took a closer look at her, studying her for the first time. In a geeky Irish way, she was kind of cute, though her reputation around school bordered on crazy strange, but right at this moment all he saw was a misunderstood transplant from Ireland who had gotten a raw deal from the students at York High School.
“Are the rumors about you true?” he asked, bolder than usual, but the absence of friends and peer pressure alleviated all boundaries for him.
“What rumors?”
“Are you really a witch?”
“Yes, I’m a Wiccan. Look it up.”
Tom bit his lip, his gaze traveling around the cafeteria again. This time more than a few people were staring at him and they dropped their eyes when his passed over them. He glanced back at Raven.
“So do you have a magic wand?”
For the first time, irritation swept over her features, turning her cheek bones into severe relief maps. “No. Wicca is a belief system. A nature based religion. And while I appreciate your directness, I wonder whether you’re open minded enough to let go of your preconceived notions.”
Even the way she spoke carried an old world flavor, like a shot of single malt whiskey and he realized he didn’t want this conversation to end.
“I’m sorry,” he signed.
Her gaze traveled over him and around him and she nodded, saying nothing but taking the last bite of her meal and wiping her mouth with the napkin.
“You’re the only one in school besides my brother that believes I’m innocent. Why?”
She smiled and again her gaze seemed to trace an outline of him before meeting his again. “Your aura is pure.”
His eyebrows rose. “Wha?”
“I can see auras and yours is the purest I’ve ever seen. Your brother is just as unique, but in a different way. He is purity and power bound together by darkness and light, and the darkness in him has always scared me.” She glanced toward the table where the defensive line sat. “The rest of the team’s auras scream dicks.” She brought her gaze back to his. “I never understood what lured you to football, anyway. You never seemed to belong amongst that much negative energy.”
Tom smiled, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks and he shrugged. “I’m good at it,” he signed.
“You’d be better at soccer.” She pushed her tray to the side and balanced her chin in her palms. Her elbows propped on the table blocked his view of her freckled chest. “Then we’d all get to see a little more of you than that padded suit allows.”
This time he looked down at his empty tray and the flush in his cheeks increased. He wasn’t used to girls he didn’t know being this forward and he finally raised his gaze again.
“Are you hitting on me?”
One of her eyebrows rose and she glanced from his signed question back to his face with a barely concealed smirk. “Aw, honey, if I was hitting on you, you wouldn’t have to ask that question.”
Tom blinked in confusion.
A musical laugh belted from her lips and heads turned in their direction. “Don’t look so dejected,” she said when her laugh wound down.
In the three years he had been at York High School, he had never heard this girl laugh. If he had, he would have never looked any further. Her laugh was magical and captivating and it struck him to the core. When the impact faded, guilt replaced it and he looked down, unable to meet her gaze.
Her hand slid across the table covering his. Her touch burned, like a fiery brand on his soul and for a moment, he believed everything would turn out just fine.
“We are not compatible,” she whispered, sh
attering his euphoria.
Tom pulled his hand away and sent a glare at her, the pain of rejection opening up the wounds in his heart. He grabbed his book and shoved it in his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and marching out of the cafeteria.
He stopped just outside the front doors when his ankle bracelet beeped. Cursing under his breath, he turned and stepped back into the school, heading for the only other quiet area available.
The library.
Footfalls approached from behind and Tom dropped his backpack and spun, taking a ready stance against whoever was coming at him.
Raven skidded to a stop a few feet from him. “I did not intend to hurt you.”
Tom took a deep breath letting his pounding heart drop back into normal rhythm. He leaned down and picked up his backpack, gathering his thoughts. Once it was back over his shoulder, he signed, “Why aren’t we compatible?”
“You’re a fire sign and I am a water sign, we would be doomed from the start.”
“So it has nothing to do with the half tongued mute?” he asked and cocked his head.
She stepped forward, placing her palm on his chest. “No. Your handicap doesn’t faze me in the least.”
He sent a sad smile her way. “There are things I can’t do,” he said, “And they seem very important to some people.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “Where did you get that idea?”
Tom clenched his jaw and stepped back, unable to voice Tanya’s disappointment or her break up speech. She had been fine with it at first too.
“I can’t kiss,” he signed.
“Really.” She closed the distance and stretched on her toes, pressing her lips to his.
She tasted like salt and fruit punch and before she could break away, he pulled her close, opening his mouth under hers, allowing her tongue to explore. He knew it would only be a matter of seconds before she yanked away in disgust.
Her tongue tickled the roof of his mouth, like a feather, and he let her continue, his expectations dissolving with each feathery touch. This kiss was even more erotic and soul fulfilling than his lip lock with Tanya’s ghost yesterday had been. It melted every ounce of restraint and his hands moved, running into the soft wild curls of her hair, holding her lips to his. His heart reacted to her curious exploration, pumping harder in his chest and constricting his breath.