Set Me Free

by Melissa Pearl

  This was a bad idea. I should never have just thrown myself into a con like this. We didn't even research the kid. I just threw on my flirt moves and rushed headlong at a ticking time bomb. Alex's questions were bugging me. When did Tenner get back?

  What if he sprung early and arrived halfway through the party unannounced? If he caught us in his office with his son knocked out, we had no way to predict his behavior. This was all kinds of stupid.

  "I love the idea." Alex clapped his hands together as Zach wrapped up our master plan.

  I shoved my glass under the faucet and filled it with water. My hands were trembling as I gulped down the liquid.

  "You know I have a friend at the university who can probably help me out on the chloroform thing. He's doing post grad studies in Chemistry. A total science nerd." He grabbed his phone and started texting.

  I caught Zach's eyes on me as I plonked the glass on the counter.

  "Sorry," he mouthed with a pained expression.

  I flicked my hand, too edgy to stay mad with him over his comments. I didn't have the energy for irritation, my mind and stomach were already filled with a hornet's nest of doubts. I was struggling to think straight. I should be running in the opposite direction, making myself disappear, but no - I was planning on going into the home of my parents' killer and making moves on his son.

  Bile crept up my throat. I clenched my jaw and forced it back down.

  "Sweet. He's there now. I'm gonna head over and see if he can help me. I'll be back in an hour tops. You guys start making a list of everything you need for tonight." Alex grabbed his keys, shoving his wallet and phone into his back pocket as he descended the stairs.

  And then there were three. Elliot had come back to the house with Alex and stuck around until we got back. I glanced between Zach and him, then rubbed my temples. "Okay, Elliot can you at least look up some info on chloroform. We want to use it right. We need it to knock him out long enough for us to do our thing and get out of there, but we don't want to hurt him."

  Elliot tapped a few keys, his eyes scanning the screen before he made a face and hissed.

  "What?"

  "I don't know, this stuff looks kind of risky."

  "Isn't this whole thing kind of risky?" I scoffed, placing my hands on the counter with a sigh.

  "I'm just saying if you use too much, it could kill him."

  Zach nodded, standing from the couch and hitching up his jeans. The paleness of his cheeks highlighted his freckles and his nerves. I was worried he couldn't swing tonight. How could I go in there confidently if I was worried my wingman might fall apart? He held it together at the cafe today, but this party was a whole different ball game. He'd have to socialize, sell the lie as if it were 100% truth.

  "You guys, are we sure we should be—"

  The doorbell cut me off. Elliot looked up from his screen, a frown denting his forehead. Zach shrugged and headed down the stairs. My nails drummed on the linoleum counter top as I strained to hear voices.

  "How'd you know we were here?"

  "Elliot replied to my text, unlike other people around here." AJ loomed into the room, his presence feeling big and ominous. His amiable face was devoid of a smile, his narrow eyes finding me across the room and hitting me with a dark look that told me I was no longer in the friend zone. He was even wearing black-rimmed glasses today, a very sombre substitute for his orange pair.

  Zach threw Elliot an eye dagger behind AJ's back. Elliot tried to look innocent as he leaned back in his chair and scratched the edge of his lip.

  "I thought we were meeting up later. I didn't expect you to drive to Frisco."

  "Yeah well I didn't expect you guys to be so mean to Jaeda last night so I guess we're all full of surprises."

  "It wasn't like that, man." Zach tried to slap him on the shoulder, but AJ moved out of range, spinning around and towering over Zach.

  "Really? So she didn't wake Liesl up in tears at like one o'clock in the morning, wondering why her family was being ripped apart?"

  Another accusing look was fired in my direction. I wanted to sink to the floor and hide behind the cupboards.

  "So, I'm here to try and figure what the hell is going on." His eyebrows rose, crinkling his forehead. We all stayed quiet. He looked at each of us, studying our blank expressions with growing frustration. "So, that's it? You're stone walling me? You shut out Jaeda, and now it's my turn?"

  "AJ, it's complicated, man." Zach scratched the back of his head.

  "Well, lucky for you I'm not stupid. I think I can keep up, you know?"

  "We—" Zach looked to me, his eyes begging for permission, but my lips pinched into a tight line.

  No. I shook my head.

  He let out a sigh, his lips pursing to the side as he looked at the floor. "It's private," he mumbled.

  "We've never kept secrets from each other. That's not how we work. How are we supposed to help you if you won't let us in?"

  "It's not my decision." Zach's face scrunched as soon as the words came out. I understood his regret, because AJ swung to face me with a fierce glare. "You have no right to come here and do this to us...to him." AJ pointed at Zach. "He’s a good guy who'll do anything for anyone. I refuse to let you mess with him."

  His long finger swung back to me. It was like a sword ready to pierce my center.

  "Lay off, man." Zach tried to pull AJ's arm down, but the big guy flicked him off easily.

  "What are you getting my friends into, huh? What's your story? Why all the secrecy?"

  I lowered my gaze, hating the expression on his face. AJ had always been so kind to me. I loved his flourish and flair. He was like a walking opera, the way he moved and danced through life. I'd never seen his angry side. I didn't like it. And more than that, I didn't like that I was bringing it out in him.

  "I'm sorry, AJ. Please try to understand that this is for your own good," I said quietly.

  "Don't patronize me! I'm a big boy...always have been. I can take care of myself."

  "You need to think about Liesl and taking care of her too."

  His eyes flashed venom. I looked up just in time to see it and wished I hadn't.

  "If she gets hurt because of you..."

  "She won't, as long as you stay out of this."

  "These guys are my brothers."

  "I'm sorry." I swallowed forcing strength into my voice. "I wish I could explain, but I seriously think it's best if you just leave." I cringed. "Just go, AJ. Please."

  He turned back to Zach, then threw a look at Elliot. He was waiting for their support. I couldn't believe they stayed silent. Elliot couldn't even look at AJ. His eyes were locked on his computer screen, wide and unseeing. Zach just looked to the floor and shook his head.

  "Unbelievable. You're putting her before all of us?" AJ shook his head, looking a little heartbroken. My throat clogged as I tried to swallow down my guilt.

  "You know, Zach, when she breaks your heart again, you will have earned it, you stupid ass. And Elliot I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but don't expect one of your pathetic, mumbled apologies to fix it this time. You've gone way past that now."

  He threw me one more dark look before shoving his way past Zach and thumping down the stairs.

  I closed my eyes, my legs quivering so intensely I had to lean against the counter for support. I wanted Zach to come around the counter and hold me, remind me that everything would be okay, but he didn't move. He just stood there staring at the carpet like it held all the answers in the world.

  "We should have told him," Elliot finally muttered. With a disgusted huff, he slammed the table. "I'd trust that guy with my life! And I just let him walk out of here without saying anything! What the hell is wrong with me?" He pushed up so fast his chair toppled backwards. I flinched.

  Elliot made a move for the stairwell, but Zach blocked his way. "It's too dangerous for them to know."

  "It's AJ. He's— It's frickin' AJ, man! The world's nicest human being. You don't shut him out."r />
  "Lucy doesn't want us to tell him."

  "Oh, so she's boss now?" Elliot swung his arm in my direction. "She gets to make all the decision for us? Tear our friendships apart because she's too damn scared to trust anybody?"

  "It's her life."

  "It's my life too! And I'm not losing all my friends over this. I thought I could do it, but I can't." He spun to face me. "This is a worthy cause and everything and I like you a lot, Lucy. I admire that you have been through heavy shit and survived it. But these are my buddies. AJ has been my man forever and when it comes down to it, I choose him over you."

  "I don't want them to get hurt," I whispered.

  "Are you blind? They are getting hurt!" He made another move for the stairs, but Zach blocked him again. "I will maim you too if I have to."

  Zach raised his hands, but didn't move out of the way. "Don't do this, man. We need you. The guys will get over it. We can tell them everything once this is done."

  "AJ has never spoken to me like that before. Did you not see the look on this face? I have to make this right." He shoved Zach out of the way, but not enough to stop Zach coming after him. Yanking on his shirt, my boyfriend spun Elliot away from the stairs. He crashed into the table, knocking a mug to the side. A splash of coffee dregs landed on the wood before the mug rolled onto the floor.

  With an irate yell, Elliot spun back and launched himself at Zach, pushing him against the bookshelf.

  "Stop it!" I raced around the counter as they grunted and shoved each other, their fists clutching handfuls of shirt as they swung each other around. I nearly got squashed as they fell to the floor and continued tussling. I grabbed at Elliot's shirt and heaved him off Zach. The fabric began to tear.

  "Enough!" I screamed right into his ear, pinching it with my fingers.

  He jumped off my boyfriend, flicking my hand away and rubbing his ear with an indignant cry.

  I stood back puffing, my decision final as I watched the two best friends stand next to each other on the edge of an all out brawl.

  "Elliot's right, Zach," I finally said. "I am hurting them. I'm hurting everybody and I don't want to do this anymore. When I first met you guys, you were this tight group, and I loved that. But now you're fighting like parents getting ready for a divorce! I can’t come between you...this isn't worth it."

  "So we can tell them?" Zach's hopeful gaze made my heart bleed.

  "Once I'm gone."

  "What?" Zach accentuated the T, clipping out the word harshly.

  "Come on you guys, what the hell were we thinking? We're seriously gonna drug some fifteen-year-old kid, so we can sneak into his father's office? Break into a safe...which, yeah Shorty showed me how to do once, but I've never actually done it! This is insane! It's a flawed plan that will not work. I should never have put it into motion. We're going to get busted by the FBI and then we're dead. If Tenner thinks you're linked to me in anyway, he'll go after you and all your friends. I'm not gonna let that happen. Let's just forget the whole thing."

  "We can't, Lucy. What about the FBI in L.A.? They might still be out there looking for us. We have to get something. You can't just walk away." He sounded pissed and I didn't blame him. I'd already bailed on him once, but this was the last time.

  "I have to. I can't let you be involved anymore. I can deal with this on my own."

  "I want to be involved." Zach jerked towards me. "This is your life we're talking about."

  "Yes. My life and I'll be doing you all a huge favor if I just walk away." Saying the words physically hurt. Each syllable punching out of my mouth felt like a bullet wound.

  "No, you won't. Don't you get that?" Zach closed his eyes, his jaw clenching.

  "I am destroying your future, Zach. You are blind and stupid to think otherwise!"

  "I'm not letting you walking out on me again!" He pointed to the ground. "We are finishing this."

  "Yeah, we are." I pressed my lips together. "Right now."

  His gaze hit me; hurt and anger radiated towards me like a nuclear blast. It was an effort to remain standing.

  "Lucy, don't you dare walk out that door. You want justice for your parents, you can't just walk away from this!"

  "Justice isn't going to bring them back! And do you honestly think I can live with myself if one of you got hurt or dead because of me?"

  He just didn't get it!

  "I'm not letting this go."

  "You don't have a choice, because I am. This is over, Zach." I wished my voice wasn't shaking. It was obvious to the world that it was the last thing I wanted to say to him, but I had to be strong. "Please, just let me live on my own terms. I should never have come back and dragged you into this. I'm sorry."

  Zach’s teeth ground together, I could practically hear the enamel chipping. His hard gaze made it just a little easier to turn away. I didn't want to have to face it anymore. As much as it tore me in two, I spun on the top stair and quickly descended. Wrenching open the front door, I took off down the street, my legs moving double time before I could change my mind or he could catch me.

  Chapter 21

  ZACH

  The only thing to break the awkward silence between Elliot and Zach was the slamming of the door. Zach flinched, but kept his eyes on the floor, his jaw aching from being so tense.

  "How the hell is she planning on dealing with the L.A. Feds on her own?" Elliot finally muttered.

  "Damned if I know." Zach shook his head. "Shit!" Punching the air, he let out another curse. "She can't do this to me again. Come on, let's go get her."

  Elliot hesitated before reluctantly closing his laptop and packing up his stuff. His movements were slow and infuriating. Zach was still fired up after their scuffle. The urge to hit and throw made his muscles twitch, but he contained himself by clenching his fists.

  "Any chance you can go a little faster?"

  Elliot gave him a deadpan glare. "Are you sure you don't want to let her blow off some steam?"

  "Last time I let her do that she disappeared. We're already taking too long, now hurry up."

  Elliot slowly unzipped his bag.

  "Okay, I get it. You don't want me to go after her."

  "I didn't say that."

  "You're saying it right now, Mr. Slow Ass!"

  "Look, maybe it's a good thing she's gone. If things went wrong tonight you'd be in deep shit, not to mention the fact there is still a chance the FBI are gonna catch up with us at some point. Do really you want to go further along this path? It's gonna jeopardize everything."

  Zach's eyes rounded as he pointed at his friend. "You were the one who encouraged her to keep going!"

  "Yeah, that was before I thought I was going to lose all my friends."

  "You're not going to lose them!"

  "It's looking pretty dicey right now, Zach." The way he said his name with such scorn made Zach realize just how cut up Elliot was over AJ's scathing words.

  "It's gonna be okay," Zach sighed. "AJ will forgive you, we all know he will."

  Elliot zipped up his bag and pulled out his keys. "It's not just that. I mean I was on fire about this before, but it's starting to sink in...what we're really doing and I'm..."

  "Chickening out?" Zach spat.

  Elliot shot him a dark look as the front door creaked open. Zach sucked in a quick breath and raced to the top of the stairs.

  His expanded chest deflated as Alex ascended towards him.

  "What?" He frowned.

  "I just thought you were Lucy," Zach mumbled.

  "Isn't she here?"

  "She took off."

  Alex's confused frown morphed to wide-eyed surprise as he stepped into his living room. "What the hell happened in here?"

  Elliot went instantly red, shoving his hands into his pockets. Zach scratched the back of his neck and tried for a chuckle that came off as breathy and guilt ridden.

  "We just had a disagreement and then Lucy ran off."

  "Again?" He looked pissed as he threw his keys onto the table. "What is it
with that girl? We need her to pull off tonight. She can't just ditch us now." Alex sighed into his hand. "I know you like her a lot, Zach, but she seriously needs to get herself a backbone. We're trying to do something huge here."

  "A back—What did you just say?" Zach's voice sparked with rage. "A backbone?"

  Alex nodded, stepping away from his fiery nephew as he paced towards him.

  "She— Lucy Tate is one of the strongest people I have ever met! You know what she's been through, right? The fact that she's still sane is a huge credit to her. Do you honestly think at the age of 13, you could have survived that kind of trauma? She's intelligent and resourceful and amazing and she has every right to walk away from this! She's not doing it for her, she's doing it for us!" Zach slapped his chest.

  "Which is why we owe it to her to keep going! We have to convince her not to bail. We're too close to gold. Tonight could end this...for all of us!"

  Zach growled, running his hand through his hair. "Look, you just need to back off. She's entitled to freak out. If we don't get into the house tonight, we'll find another way. We'll work it out."

  Alex looked pissed as he jerked his head. "This is a really good shot and possibly our only one for a long time. It's a safe bet. Lucy can fool this kid and if Tenner's hiding anything, he'll have it in his office, that's just basic logic."

  "We don't know that for sure."

  "Oh come on!" Alex flicked his hand in the air. "It's a damn good guess."

  "I don't care. If she doesn't want to do it, I'm not gonna make her."

  Alex licked his bottom lip and crossed his arms, the answer not appeasing him. So far today, Zach had managed to piss off everyone he cared about. He felt like a piece of dog poo on the bottom of someone's shoe. Pinching the back of his neck, he closed his eyes with a huff, wrestling to rein in his emotions.

  "My only priority right now is making sure she doesn't split," Zach mumbled. "I gotta go find her."

  With a reluctant sigh, Alex dug into his bag. "Here, just take this in case she changes her mind."

  Zach stared at the small bag in Alex's hand. It contained a small jar and a gauze cloth.