My best guess involved a body bag. Who ended up being in it was the only questionable part. But I prayed that I was wrong.
“So… Where were you headed off to when I called you this morning?”
“A hotel.”
Dale frowned. “No. There are way too many variables at play for me to keep an eye on you at a hotel. Too many people coming and going at all hours and too many entrances to keep tabs on.”
“Sammy won’t be back for another five days and there’s no way in hell I’m staying at the house. Not with—” I cut myself off, ignoring the look of pity on his face. “Not with everything that’s going on.”
He leaned forward again and lowered his voice. “Look, kid. I need you to stay somewhere that’s easy to watch until we bring in your dad. If you want me to intervene with Kyle and Linda—then I will. Or I can look the other way this time and let you handle it.”
I sharply said, “I don’t think you want me to handle Kyle.”
“Your momma, Adam. Talk to her.”
“I have,” I pointed out, clenching my teeth to control my anger. “She can’t stop fucking lying to me and everything I say goes in one ear and out the other.”
“I bet she’ll hear it when you tell her your dad is lurking around. And if he sees Kyle over there…”
I could only imagine the reaction if my dad went by and saw Kyle in our house. And if something was really going on between him and my mom other than business…
“It’d be a shitstorm. All right, you made your point. But that doesn’t mean I want to stay there.”
“Anywhere but a hotel,” Dale said pointedly before a sly smirk appeared. “How about with that pretty girl you went home with last night?”
“Leave her out of it,” I hissed, irritated at myself for not realizing that we had been followed the night before. But I supposed Brianna practically jerking me off during the drive was a decent enough excuse for not noticing. I really couldn’t be that angry about it.
Dale laughed and held his hands in the air as his eyebrows raised high. “Touchy. I was just throwing it out there.”
“The last thing she needs is to be dragged into my bullshit,” I said with a tone of finality. “I guess I’ll try making up with mom.”
“I appreciate it,” Dale said sincerely, all traces of mirth leaving his expression. “I can’t be sure you’re safe unless I can keep an eye on you. Your cooperation will make catching your dad a hell of a lot easier.”
“Let’s hope so,” I said with a sigh before I slid out of the booth and gave him a parting salute. “Until next time, officer.”
“That’s detective, boy!” Dale called to my back.
With a smirk he couldn’t see, I lifted my fist into the air and shot him the middle finger over my shoulder. His amused laughter hit my ears just as I was exiting the diner.
I got back into the rental car and reluctantly headed back to the house, hoping that I wouldn’t find Kyle already there or my mom completely inebriated.
Chapter Thirteen
Brianna
The plan Stacy and I had come up with sounded so much better when we had been discussing it in my bedroom than it turned out feeling when I actually put it into motion. I turned around and watched the cab drive away from the address we had found on the internet, already wishing that I had thought to ask the driver to wait while I made sure I was at the right house.
After all, Adam’s car was nowhere to be seen. The driveway was empty and the street in front of the house was also deserted.
Shit. I strode up the steps of the porch and timidly knocked on the front door, hoping like hell that I hadn’t just left myself stranded in the middle of an unfamiliar neighborhood at the wrong damn house.
The front door swung open and a rather angry looking woman eyed me up and down before she snapped, “What?”
“Is, uh… Is this the Reed residence?”
She sniffled and folded her arms over her chest while her eyes narrowed. “Depends on who’s asking. You selling something?”
“No, ma’am. I’m looking for Adam?” I explained, trying not to let myself be intimidated by the harsh look on her face. “My name is Brianna Larson. I went to school with him.”
Her expression slightly softened, but her eyes remained wary as she asked, “You the girl he went home with last night?”
I couldn’t stop the blood from rushing to my cheeks, but at the same time, I was grateful that I obviously had the right house.
“Yeah. He-He left his tie at my apartment,” I said, raising it up to eye level so she could see that I was telling the truth. “I was just dropping by to return it.”
Some of the irritation drained from her face, but she still didn’t look too thrilled to have one of Adam’s conquests standing on her porch. She mentally debated for a long moment before she finally sighed and opened the door wide enough to let me through.
“Come on in,” she dryly said.
Not the most welcoming invitation I’d ever received, but an invitation nonetheless.
“Thanks,” I muttered as I stepped past her.
The moment I was inside Adam’s house, I began scanning the room for signs of him. When I came up empty, I turned back to the woman I assumed was his mother.
“He’s not here,” she said, confirming my suspicion. “I’ll try giving him a call. Have a seat wherever you like.”
She gestured into the living room before she walked away and I warily eyed the filthy couch, trying to gauge how rude it would appear if I instead chose to stand. I figured that since she was already so reluctant about letting me into her home at all, I might as well try to be as polite as possible.
The cushion I sat down on barely moved, the plushness had definitely been worn flat over the years. The television was blaring so loudly that I couldn’t hear Adam’s mother in the other room, but I hoped she was able to get in touch with him.
As I slowly took in the state of the room, the startling realization that Stacy had been right began to sink in.
Adam might have played the part well at school, but in reality... his home life appeared to be a lot different than I thought it was.
Once again, I berated myself for judging on the outer exterior. Sure—what I could see of this house was a wreck—but that didn’t necessarily mean that his home life was bad. It was just rather surprising to see that his family seemed to be... well, poor.
“I can’t reach him, but I’ll keep trying if you want to stick around for a few minutes. I’m Linda, by the way.”
I stood up to reach for her hand, grimacing a little when she just looked down at it with a raised eyebrow. I lowered it back down and cleared my throat before I asked, “You’re Adam’s mom?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
A beat passed before she asked, “Is it?”
My mouth dropped open as I considered how to answer a question like that, but that was also the moment I noticed the faraway look in her glassy eyes and two things became clear to me.
One—The question had been rhetorical. Either that or she hadn’t even intended to say it out loud.
Two—Adam’s mom was drunk and it wasn’t even noon.
“You like soap operas?” she asked out of nowhere before heavily plopping down in the recliner opposite the couch. “I’m not sure which one this is, but I like it. Lots of drama.”
I was still standing as I took in the scene. Linda’s eyes were focused on the television screen as her hand blindly searched for the beer on the end table—nearly knocking it over when she finally found it. She tipped the bottle back and chugged down whatever was left before she distractedly said, “Adam? Be a dear and get your momma another beer.”
Despite my attempt to not judge the situation by how it looked from the outside, my heart still felt as if it was twisting up as sadness swept over me. Not only for Adam, but also for his poor mother.
I slowly turned on my heel and headed to where she had disappe
ared to earlier, easily finding the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and briefly closed my eyes when I realized that while it was nearly barren of food, it was loaded with various types of alcohol.
It was no longer a mystery why Adam hadn’t wanted to talk about his family and the feeling that I was intruding on something he obviously didn’t want me to see hit me like a punch to the stomach. As I grabbed a beer and made my way back to the living room, I tried to think of a way to bail without offending his mother.
But even if I left before he got back, Linda would undoubtedly tell Adam that I stopped by, which might look even worse than if I stayed.
“Thanks, honey,” Linda said when I sat the fresh beer beside the empty one on the end table. “Now take a load off and watch with me. I’ll try Adam again on the commercial break.”
Sensing that she really wanted the company right now, I sat back down on the couch and tried to lose myself in the drama happening on the screen. But it wasn’t enough to distract me from my surroundings.
True to her word, when the commercial break began, Linda reached for the cordless phone and frowned down at it as she dialed the number.
Seconds later, I heard the distant sound of a ringtone getting closer right before the front door hastily opened and Adam stepped inside. The moment our gazes collided—he went completely still and I watched the scowl on his face twist into a look of sheer terror.
Chapter Fourteen
Adam
“There he is!” Mom cried out as she twisted around in her chair to look at me. “Been trying to call you. Brianna here dropped by to see you and was kind enough to keep me company for a few minutes.”
“That was... nice of her,” I said slowly, unsure of what else I could even say.
This had never happened to me before. I never told anyone where I lived or had anyone over for good reasons—one of them being the possibility of them dropping by unannounced like Brianna had done.
Brianna—who was sitting in my living room with my mother.
My mother—who was swishing down a long gulp of beer.
Shit, shit, shit. How did she find out where I lived? How long had she been here?
And what had my mother said to her?
The reason why I was back here in the first place was also spiraling around in the back of my head, making it even more difficult for me to process Brianna’s presence. A day that started off so well had quickly turned into something straight out of my nightmares.
“Mom, stop drinking,” I demanded before I stalked over to her chair and ripped the beer out of her hand. “We need to talk.”
“Adam, just let me—”
“This is serious. Please go to the kitchen and wait for me.”
She rolled her eyes but still reached for the handle to pull the footrest back against the chair. She only wobbled a little when she got to her feet and I was grateful that she apparently hadn’t had the chance to get completely plastered yet.
“Hurry up, will you?” she asked, her voice trailing off as she walked down the hall. “I don’t want to miss that show. It’s good.”
I didn’t bother to reply to her, instead focusing my attention on Brianna as she stood up from the couch and awkwardly shifted around on her feet. Judging by the look on her face, it was obvious she could tell how I felt about finding her here.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice incredulous. “And how the hell did you find out where I lived?”
“I—I looked you up online. Your address is listed,” she awkwardly explained, the tone of her voice telling me that she was already regretting her decision to come here. “I just wanted to bring back your tie. You forgot it.”
It was a weak excuse and we both knew it. Still, as her hand raised to hand me the black strip of fabric that was tightly clenched between her fingers, I couldn’t bring myself to be mad at her. I just didn’t have it in me. Especially not when she was looking at me with those wide, remorseful eyes.
“Now’s not a good time,” I said softly, hoping she’d accept the dismissal and take off. “And I left that there on purpose.” She gave me a look of surprise and I smirked, lowering my voice so my mom wouldn’t hear in case she was eavesdropping. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t see me steal your panties last night.”
Brianna blushed and it was just as beautiful of a sight in my living room as it had been in the quad the night before. It almost made me sad that I needed to send her away, but I couldn’t let her stick around and get dragged into my family bullshit.
Not with as serious of a threat as it was.
Not with the nearly overwhelming feeling of shame I felt just because she met my mother.
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
Her smile was obviously fake, but what other choice did I have? I followed her onto the porch and idly wondered if my mom was hitting the liquor in the kitchen because I was taking too long.
“Where’s your car?”
“I... I took a cab and the driver left,” Brianna muttered. “It’s okay. I can walk down to the corner and call for another. It was... nice to see you again, though.” There was a long pause before she began to step away, then froze on the step to turn back one more time. “Bye, Adam.”
My teeth ground together tightly and I closed my eyes, trying to will away the urge to call out to her as she walked away. But I failed the internal battle before she even made it to the street.
“Wait!”
I opened my eyes in time to see her stop and slowly turn around, the apprehension clear on her face even from a distance. I jogged down the steps and met her, gripping her wrist loosely before I led her back towards the house.
“I’m sorry about this. It-It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she mumbled behind me.
I shook my head and continued walking. “It really wasn’t. But you’ve already seen some of the bad, you might as well stick around for some more. Besides—it’s not safe to be walking around in this neighborhood alone. Not even during the day.”
I glanced over my shoulder and watched her eyes widen with understanding before gratitude settled over her delicate features.
“Thank you,” she said genuinely as I opened the front door and stepped back to let her go in first.
“I wouldn’t be thanking me just yet,” I mumbled to her back as I stepped in and closed the door behind me.
I heard a clinking sound coming from the kitchen and cursed under my breath before rushing in to try to stop my mom from going on yet another bender when we had important shit to talk about.
Unfortunately, Brianna took my hasty retreat as panic and followed close behind, right on my tail as I entered the kitchen and snatched the bottle of vodka away from my mom.
“Hey!”
I scowled at her as I said, “I asked you to stop drinking, mom. We need to have a serious talk.”
She snorted and jerked her chin to where Brianna was worriedly lingering in the doorway. “It about her? You knock her up or something?”
“No,” I growled, not looking back to see whatever reaction Brianna might have had to the accusation. “I met up with Dale this morning.”
Mom went still—her eyes widening with fear as she waited for me to continue.
“He’s been calling me since I got back into town.”
“What does he want? Does he know?”
I appreciated that she kept it purposely vague, both of us still aware of the third party lurking in the background. I looked back and, to her credit, Brianna quickly recognized that she was intruding on a private matter.
“I’ll wait in the living room,” she said when she realized she had my attention again.
“Thank you.”
After she left and I was certain that she was far enough out of range so as not to hear anything we said, I turned back to Mom. But before I could even start to explain, she had already assumed the worst and began to rant.
“What did he want, hmm? He tell you he knows about Kyle and he’s going to bring
us in? You going to testify against me?”
“Calm down. It’s not about that,” I assured her, waiting until she registered the words and visibly deflated before I said, “But he does know about Kyle. He’s had eyes on the house for a few days now.”
“What? Oh my—Do you have any idea—”
“Mom—Stop. Dad’s in town.”
Cue her anger cooling and the dread appearing as her face turned as white as a sheet.
“Wh-What? He’s here?”
I nodded solemnly. “Yeah, he came back when he heard I was coming to town. Dale’s been tailing me since I got here and he’s had at least one officer watching the house at all times. I know I said it’s not about you—but for fuck’s sake—if you have any drugs in the house—”
“I’ll get rid of them,” she readily agreed, nodding so rapidly she looked like a bobblehead. “God forbid if that man shows up here and the place gets raided.”
I knew I shouldn’t have focused on that with all the shit that was going on, but I couldn’t help but to incredulously ask, “How much do you have?”
She hesitated for a brief moment before she met my eyes and—for once—gave me an honest answer.
“Kyle’s been paranoid lately so I… I’ve been letting keep some of his stash here.”
“You—Jesus Christ,” I muttered as I dug my hands into my hair. “How the fuck could you be so stupid, mom?”
“Don’t you dare judge me!” she shouted, her voice loud enough that I was damn near certain Brianna could hear it even over the high volume of the television. “He’s been paying me for the space. It’s the only way I can pay the damn light bill!”
“I’ve told you—”
“And I’ve told you,” she grimly said, cutting me off. “I don’t want your money, Adam. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve anything from you!”
The desire to just sit down on the floor and either drink myself into a coma or have a fucking mental breakdown was strong. Very strong. The only reason I managed to resist the temptation was because I knew Brianna was waiting for me in the living room and for the first time since I found her at the house, I was truly grateful that she was here to keep me grounded. So I changed the subject back to the discussion we needed to have and pointedly ignored the rest.
The Body Page 8