Set Me Free

by Melissa Pearl

  "Yes, of course I do! I wanted to keep him safe."

  "Then why'd you come back?"

  Tears popped into my eyes, blurring my vision and making it hard to speak. "I don't know."

  Elliot's expression slowly softened.

  I swiped at my tears, determined not to fall to pieces in front of him. "Have you told anyone else?"

  "No, I haven't. And I won't."

  I believed him. His eyes held me steady and I nodded.

  "Look, from what Zach told me, I get why you ran. And I understand why you're back." He shrugged. "The Zackster's pretty irresistible."

  I chuckled, but the sound didn't carry. It was cut short by the hardening of Elliot's gaze.

  "But whatever-your-name-is, if you're endangering him in anyway..." He raised his finger at me.

  My head was shaking before he could finish. "I don't want him to get hurt any more than you do."

  "You broke his heart when you split like that. I've never seen him so effected. Why do you think Jaeda wants to kick your butt out the front door. He was hurting...big time."

  I wrapped my arms around myself and looked to the floor.

  Elliot shuffled closer to me, his lanky frame reminding me of a giraffe. He cocked his head and studied me with those pale, brown eyes of his. "You're back now and I think it's a good thing. But..." He clicked his tongue. "You need to figure out a way to set things right and make it safe for you to stay. I don't know exactly what that looks like for you, but if you hurt my friend again, that cop's not the only guy you're gonna be running from."

  My skin must have gone from white to grey, because Elliot blanched and whipped a hand through his hair. "I'm not—I didn't mean I was going to kill you. Sorry. I just wanted the threat to, you know, have some impact."

  "It did," I whispered.

  "Yeah, I mean I could never physically hurt you or anybody. I just...I wouldn't like you very much and I definitely wouldn't forgive you." He pointed at me, his raised eyebrows adding extra force to his statement.

  A smile whistled through me, but I couldn't make it form on my lips. I totally got why he and Zach were best buddies.

  "I understand." I nodded.

  "So we're good then?" His sticklike fingers spread wide as he lifted his hand towards me.

  "Yeah, we're good." I forced the smile to appear. "Except you need to stop being so nice to me. They're already trying to figure out what's up."

  His lopsided grin appeared. "Not a problem."

  I snickered and crossed my arms, shooting him a droll look.

  Flicking his thumb over his shoulder, he gave me a pointed look. "Now get your butt back down to that kitchen before I eat your pancakes."

  Chapter 4

  ZACH

  Worried by Lucy's pale complexion and the sudden realization that Elliot had slipped from the room, Zach made his way upstairs. He found his girl sliding past his best friend and out the door.

  "Everything okay?" He touched her shoulder as she passed him.

  "Mm-hmmm. Just going to eat." With a swift kiss on the cheek, she descended the stairs.

  Zach's eyes narrowed as Elliot sauntered towards him. "Is everything really okay?"

  "Yeah." Elliot sighed. "She knows I know."

  Zach closed his eyes, dropping his chin to his chest. "Is she mad?"

  "No, I think she gets it. I promised her I haven't told anyone else."

  "I hate that I broke my promise to her, man."

  Elliot slapped Zach's arm. "Get over it. She's here and I don't think she's going to run again."

  "I just wish I knew why she ran the first time."

  "To keep you safe, you know that."

  "Yeah, but from what. I mean this guy must have done more than kill her parents to keep making her so scared, she must have encountered him somewhere else. There's got to be more to it."

  "Have you asked her?"

  Zach gave his friend a droll glare. "You've seen her, right? She's a sack of bones with black bags under her eyes. She's exhausted."

  "Where's she been?"

  Zach's jaw clenched. "Homeless, just walking around, eating scraps and sleeping in dumpsters." His gut ached as he pictured her frail and alone. "I just want to take care of her. She needs to recover and then we can deal with this."

  Elliot pursed his lips, lightly kicking the bannister with the toe of Converse. "Just don't leave it too long. If the threat is real then we need to act sooner rather than later. You guys have no hope if this doesn't end. What she gonna do? Follow you to Arizona? We both know she hasn't graduated. Is she gonna fake her way through college too? You can't live your life looking over your shoulder and that's exactly what you'll be doing if you stay with her."

  "I'm staying with her." Zach's voice was hard and sure, although Elliot still looked skeptical.

  "I want you to have a life, man. A good one. You deserve it."

  "I'm not ditching her."

  "I'm not asking you to. Just don't sit on your ass all summer. Find a way to help her get out of this mess."

  "I will."

  Elliot nodded. "I'm here for you; whatever you need. I want in on this."

  Zach's eyes narrowed as he looked up at him. "You're not falling for her too are you?"

  "Get real." Elliot rolled his eyes. "I just admire her, you know. Most people would have buckled, but she just quietly survived. I think that's kinda cool."

  "So you get why I fell for her then?"

  Elliot rolled his eyes again. "I knew the second I saw her you'd be a goner. You're so lame."

  "I love you too, man." Zach slapped his best friend's arm with a grin before jumping up and pulling him into a headlock. They tussled their way down the stairs and exploded into the kitchen, making everyone jump.

  Pulling and pushing each other a few more times, they finally sat down at the table a scraggly, laughing mess and dove into their pancakes. AJ was in the middle of some story about a patron at the restaurant where he cooked. He always spoke with so much flair. Lucy was laughing, the sweetest sound in the world. Zach couldn't stop looking at her as he popped a blueberry into his mouth. Her straight little nose crinkled as she threw her head back and tapped the table. Everyone else was chuckling too, everyone except Jaeda.

  She was so demure today and Zach knew why. When it came to her "family" she was like a lioness. You hurt my family, I rip your head off. She wanted to hurt Lucy big time and it made Zach wish he hadn't moped so much when she first split.

  "So going to miss that guy when we leave for college." AJ shook his head then winked at Liesl.

  "Where are you guys going?" Lucy's voice was soft. I knew the others probably wouldn't notice, but there was a yearning in her tone. She knew college was a pipe dream and it hurt Zach's heart to watch her.

  "I got into Texas Culinary Academy and Liesl's going to the University of Texas in Austin."

  "That's so cool you guys." Lucy grinned, obviously loving the fact they would still be close.

  Liesl nodded, squeezing AJ's hand and giving him a kiss on his round cheek.

  "How about you?" Jaeda's eyes bore into Lucy. "You heading to Arizona?"

  Lucy's brows wrinkled. "Why would I do that?"

  Zach's stomach hitched as Jaeda's eyebrow arched. "Well, didn't you know? That's where Zachy's going."

  Lucy's soft lips parted as she turned to look at him, her blue eyes dancing with pleasure. "You got into the Journalism School?"

  He nodded, trying to contain his grin. It had been the only thing to get him really excited since she left.

  "That is so awesome. Congratulations."

  Her unchecked pleasure at his success was testament to everyone at the table how she really felt about him. Liesl caught Zach's gaze and gave him a sweet smile. Lucy was instantly forgiven in her eyes. AJ was grinning too, but Jaeda was only slightly softened.

  "So, where are you going?"

  "I'm—" Lucy ran a hand through her clean hair, the thin blonde locks falling back into place easily. "I'm still wa
iting to hear."

  "Well, good luck." Jaeda's sarcastic tone was a real buzz kill.

  Zach pressed his lips together as he watched Lucy force a smile and mumble, "Thank you"

  He knew Jaeda could be stubborn, but man, she was determined to make this difficult. Before she could fire anymore venom at his girlfriend, Zach stood from the table and started clearing plates.

  "Well, time for you guys to push off," Zach said with a grin. "I want to catch up with my girl." He looked at Jaeda as he said the word. She shot him a pained look before pushing her chair back and collecting up her shopping.

  Fifteen minutes later they had all cleared out. Zach waved to his friends from the door and quietly clicked it shut behind him. As awesome as it was to see Lucy, it was throwing some major angst into his summer break. Running a hand through his hair, he made his way back to the kitchen with a heavy sigh.

  She was standing at the sink, rinsing off plates and stacking them into the dishwasher.

  "You okay?" He slid his arms around her middle and kissed her neck.

  "Yeah." She sounded sad.

  Zach squeezed her middle. "Come on, I can do those. You need some sleep...in a normal bed."

  Her tired smile was filled with relief. Taking her hand, Zach led her up the stairs towards the spare room. The bed was always made up and all he had to do was throw back the covers and lie her down. He wanted to hop in with her, pull her head onto his shoulder and listen to her breathe, but she didn't need that. She needed uninterrupted rest. It didn't matter that it was only mid-afternoon. She looked like she could sleep for the next week and still need more.

  "I'll go get you a toothbrush and some PJs."

  "Thanks." She turned to look at the bed as he strode out of the room. Less than five minutes later he returned with what she needed, but found her already asleep. She wasn't even under the covers.

  Picking up her legs, he slid them beneath the sheets and pulled her body around so she was laying straight. She didn't even flinch. Tucking in the covers, he kissed her forehead, flicked off the light and snuck out of the room.

  Dishes forgotten, he headed straight to his own room and pulled out the file he had on Lucy Tate. Flicking open the cover, he browsed the photos and news articles Uncle Alex had found. He'd already read them all before, but he decided to start afresh...again. Meticulously reading every word, he tried to piece together the crime again. There were big holes, details had been missed all over the place and it made him suspicious. Surely it had made others suspicious too. Lucy claimed her parents had been killed by a cop. He must have been a pretty powerful man and could no doubt fudge the evidence. Zach was pretty surprised that the FBI couldn't crack it though. Mr. Tate had been working for the FBI as an analyst and his boss, William Tenner, seemed pretty ferocious in the interviews about bringing down the Tate's killer.

  Zach wondered who put the theory forward that Lucy was the killer. Was it just a shot in the dark because she'd disappeared and no one else had surfaced? The evidence for the crime was minimal. Man, he wished he could get his hands on the actual reports from five years ago. There was bound to be more in there than what the newspapers could give him.

  With a frustrated sigh, he slapped the folder shut. He couldn't do anything until Lucy gave him the go ahead and there was a chance she wasn't going to do that. Elliot was right though, they couldn't just sit on their asses all summer. What would happen when he left for Arizona in August? What would happen when his parents returned from Europe? He'd have to explain why Lucy was living in their house with him.

  Tucking the folder back into place at the top of his closest, he rubbed his temples. He'd give Lucy a few days to rest and recover, but by the end of the week, he had to get her talking. She was the only person who could really blow this case wide open.

  Chapter 5

  LUCY

  Blood. It was everywhere. Soaking into my hands, staining my shirt. I got up to run, but pain shot through my leg. Looking down I noticed a large shard of glass protruding from my calf muscle. The window. Shorty.

  My body jerked. He was laying in my arms, making me promise something, but I couldn't hear what. I gazed into his lifeless eyes, feeling hopeless. But then they morphed to a pair of pale green orbs that glared up at me, promising me a painful death. I let go of the body. It thumped to the floor and rolled over to face me. Shorty's dark skin was no longer there, eyes that didn't belong to him disappeared and I was now standing over my dead father. "No!" I screamed as his face turned to liquid and reappeared as my mother, bereft of life, her limp limbs twisting at an awkward angle, blood pouring from the gunshot wound in her leg.

  "No!" I jerked awake, the darkness a sudden comfort. It always was. It meant the dream was over and that I was still hidden, safe from those pale, green eyes.

  I grabbed two handfuls of hair and rested my elbows on my knees. I hadn't slept a full night since I was thirteen-years-old. Jerked awake by nightmares constantly, I wondered how much longer I could bear it. Forcing my mind to the one task that seemed to settle my nerves, I slowly worked my way through the day.

  It had started with a truck driver.

  My breathing slowly stilled as I relived the safe details. The feel of the truck rumbling beneath me, the smell of the driver's pine freshener dangling from the review mirror. The weight of the bag on my shoulder as I approached Zach's door.

  "Zach," I whispered, my lips forming a languid smile. He'd taken me in without any hesitation, wrapped me in his arms, helped make me clean. He'd clothed me, fed me. I grinned then blinked at sudden tears as I noticed the sheets over me. I must have slept the day away. I had no idea what time it was now, but...

  "He tucked me in." I hitched in a breath and squeezed my eyes tight. No one had shown me that kind of care since Marlin...and even Marlin didn't have Zach's tenderness. I didn't deserve him, but I couldn't seem to leave him either.

  I was a selfish, selfish girl.

  Flicking back the covers, I stood from the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. I gazed down the dark hallway to Zach's door. I could just make out that it was open a crack. I had no idea what time it was, but it felt like early morning. I usually woke around four, my internal clock and security system always waking me. In spite of it being summer, I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself as I turned back to the spare bedroom. Stopping at the door, I looked back down the hallway. The idea of slipping into the foreign bed alone filled me with a sense of dread. Nibbling on my bottom lip, I took a tentative step back towards the bathroom.

  Several tentative steps later, I was at Zach's door. Easing it open, I crept into the room and approached the bed. I didn't say a word, just lifted the covers and slid in, silently hoping he wouldn't mind.

  He was facing away from me, so I sidled up behind him and carefully placed my arm around his waist. He jerked just a little, then went still. I couldn't move as I waited for his reaction. Was he awake? Would he send me back to my room?

  It felt like we were both holding our breath. The air whooshed from my lungs when he trailed his fingers down my arm then pressed my hand to his chest. I kissed the spot between his shoulder blades, the fabric of his shirt feeling rough on my tatty lips.

  Nestling my body against his, I felt his heart beat beneath the palm of my hand and smiled. This was right. I never wanted this to end. And if that was what I wanted, then I needed to figure out a way to set things straight...just like Elliot said.

  No one had to tell me that the solution had to start with the truth.

  Being the coward that I was, I waited until Zach's breathing was once again even before opening my mouth with a whisper. "I have to tell you the truth about why I ran away from you." I licked my bottom lip. "I never wanted to leave you. Even though I was mad, I wanted to stay but..." I sighed, feeling awkward.

  Maybe it was best to start from the beginning.

  "When Mom and Dad first died, I was on the run, on my own, this pathetic little kid scared out of her brain. I met this guy, Marlin, and
he kind of took me under his wing, taught me how to survive. He was like my Fagan, you know from that stage show, Oliver?" I paused, knowing he'd know it. He was friends with AJ and Jaeda, those guys knew every musical on the planet.

  "Anyway, he taught me how to pick pockets. We learned a few simple cons together and pulled them off okay. I hated it, but it felt so good not to starve or be alone that I just went with it, you know?

  "About a year later we met Shorty. He saw us pulling a con and liked our work so he recruited us...taught us how to play the bigger game. I had a bed again, a hot shower every day and food... as much as I wanted. It was the closest to normal that I'd felt since...since I was thirteen. I figured maybe I could outrun my past somehow, like with these guys I was hidden." My words caught as I remembered the night with crystal clarity.

  "But then I saw him. I tried to pull a con on the guy who killed my parents. I didn't realize it at first, but his eyes. He has these really pale, green eyes and they just did me in." My voice began to shake. "He was still out there and I'd spoken to him. I had to tell the guys after that. I still wouldn't give them my name though." I swallowed, wondering how much detail I should include.

  "It turns out he was still looking for me. If I'd known that I probably wouldn't have gone to San Francisco with the guys, but Shorty had a plan. That's when the whole high school con came into it. You know about that already." I squeezed him, kissing his shoulder lightly. "You found out about the crazy guy in the mall, right?"

  He didn't respond and it was a comfort to know he was asleep. This was a good practice run for later.

  "Yeah, well the guy that attacked Miles...that was Marlin. He tried to save me in San Francisco. He gave up his life for me, but it didn't help." I sniffed, licking the tears dribbling past the edge of my mouth. "And the worst part was, he got to Shorty too, like within days of taking Marlin. I think he tortured Marlin for information, but he told me he found Shorty because my moronic friend started asking the wrong questions.