by Jack Parker
* * *
The Airport...
"Prepaid phone, please," Chad told the sales person as he glanced around the airport. He hand the man money as he took the phone. He was glad he found enough change for the bus. Saved him fifty bucks. He quickly dialed in Nicky's number, saved it then checked his watch for the time.
6:30 am
He sat with a sigh in the sitting area at his gate, flipping his hair from his vision as he started texting.
Nicky its Chad. This is my new #
He hit Send and sighed again, leaning his head back on the headrest, shutting his eyes. He gave a frown when he heard a familiar ringtone next to him, but he didn't open his eyes. He heard muttering and his frown deepened as the ringtone stopped. A few moments later his new phone vibrated and he looked at it to find a message from Nicky.
Got it. Added ur #
Chad dialed in her number and hit Send and just as he pressed the phone to his ear, he heard another familiar ringtone and this time he frowned and shifted to his right and looked to the row behind him. He glared at the brunette sitting a few seats to his right in the row directly behind him, not answering the echo of Nicky's voice from the phone. He watched her frown and looked at the phone before calling into it again as he stood, picking up his bag and board to walk toward her.
"Chad?" she called into her phone as he hung up his phone, getting closer to her. She frowned and jerked the phone from her ear when she heard the dial tone, not noticing his approach.
"You sneaky, little, green-eyed, snake!" he ground out, snapping her attention to him as he stood next to her, glaring down at her angrily. "I told you to stay at Jared's! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I'm here because you need help, whether you wanna admit it or not!" Nicky snapped back as she stood, unafraid. "You think I'm gonna let you get yourself killed while I sit pretty with Jared?!"
"Yes!" he shot back. "It's better then you getting killed with me!"
"Is everything alright, here?"
Chad spun around to see a security guard standing behind him, ready to interfere if things got bad.
"Yes, officer," Nicky smiled, sweetly, grabbing Chad's arm and shoving him into an empty seat as she sat next to him. "We're sorry if we disturbed anybody. Lover's spat, ya know? I think we're fine now, right babe?"
Chad only glared at her as she slid her arm around his, laughing nervously at his glare before looking back at the guard.
"We'll try to keep it down, Sir," she smiled and the guard nodded before stepping away, Nicky watching him as Chad continued glaring at her. "Ok, you can tear me a new one, but keep your voice down."
"Why didn't you just listen to me and stay at Jared's?!" Chad growled, lowly.
"I told you," she replied, calmly and quietly. "You need help."
"So what?! I'm not gonna let you help me and get hurt in the process!"
"Aw, and they say chivalry is dead," Nicky smiled wryly as she patted his hand.
"Liza," he snapped and she looked at him with wide eyes as he continued, "As worried about me as you are, you should know how I feel."
"I do," she admitted, "But you can't tell me you'd let me do this alone if the roles were reversed."
Chad gave a pained frown as he sighed, looking away from her to rub his eyes. He hated to admit it, but she was right. If she had left to the airport alone, he would have followed her, no matter if she'd told him to stay away or not. He just didn't want her to be used by this creep to get to him. She could get hurt, and after everything they'd shared and been through, he knew he'd feel terrible is she got hurt, or worse…killed. But he knew, the more he pushed her away, the more she'd worry, and the more she worried, the more rebellious she got, even against him.
"Fine," he grumbled, slouching forward to lean his elbows on his knees. Nicky grinned, sliding her arm around him and leaning forward as well to kiss the side of his neck as he continued, "But from now on you do as I tell you, got it?"
"Yes, dear," she murmured against his neck and he sat back, taking her with him as she added, "I'll even seal it with a kiss."
Chad his head enough to plant his lips to hers, kissing her deeply before she pulled away with a grin and snuggled against his chest.
"Hey," she whispered, drawing his attention to her as she asked, "Where's the…thing you found in your closet?"
"I left it in a box with a note at the closest police station," he murmured, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to them.
"You don't think the police will call the airport, or call the Washington police?" Nicky wondered.
"Let them," he smirked. "We'll lead them straight to the real bastard who killed my parents."
* * *
A Los Angeles Police Station...
"Hey, Lou!" Detective Katherine 'Kat' Johnson called to a desk as she walked down the isle of desks toward the older man. "The Chief in his office?"
"Hasn't been out all day," Lou replied, leaning back in his chair as she approached. "He's been in a crappy mood all day, though, Kat. I'd be careful."
"Well, I've got somethin' that'll make his day," Kat smirked, stopping at his desk to lift the box in her hands up with a nod. "Something on the Stiles case. He on the phone?"
"I dunno," Lou shrugged. "But if it's the Stiles case, you better get in there whether he is or not."
Kat nodded with a grin before hurrying past his desk and through the door at the end of the isle, knocking quickly before opening the door. Captain Parker Villa sat at his desk, on the phone, his head resting in his right hand as he leaned its elbow on the surface of his desk, showing off his thick, salt and pepper – more pepper than salt –hair. His class ring stared at her as she stood silently in the doorway before he looked up and waved her completely into the room, his amber eyes wide as he looked at her but closing in exasperation when he leaned back in his chair and she stepped into the office, shutting the door behind her.
"Well, call me when you find him!" he snapped into the phone before slamming it onto the receiver just as she stepped up to his desk.
"Problem, Sir?" Kat wondered, still holding the box as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.
"The detail we put on the Stiles kid lost him yesterday and they still can't find him," Parker groaned before lowering his hands onto his thighs with a slap and looking up at her, tiredly.
"I think I can help with that, Sir," Kat smiled, placing the box on his desk as he frowned up at her in wonder and sat up again. "This was left for the lead detective on the Stiles case. You'll definitely want to see this."
Parker's frown deepened as he gripped the open box and slid it closer to look into it. His eyes widened to an unreal size before he looked up at Kat with the same expression.
"Is this what I think it is?" he breathed in disbelief.
"Find out yourself, Sir," Kat smirked, pulling an evidence bag with a piece of paper covered in fingerprinting dust from her jacket pocket and tossing it toward him. "That came with it."
Parker looked to the bag and slid it closer to read the small piece of paper inside.
To the Lead Detective on the Stiles murder case,
This is the knife that killed my parents. It was planted in my closet. I'm going to Seattle Washington to find the man who killed my parents since you won't
"Kid's got balls," Parker muttered as Kat sat sideways on the edge of his desk. "Washington, huh? What does he know that we don't?"
"I took some prints from the note," she began to explain. "Got some pretty good ones. Sent 'em over to AFIS, and I told the crime lab I'd be down there with the knife to get some blood evidence off of it, maybe there'll be some prints on there, too?"
"Maybe," Parker agreed, glancing between the box and note in thought before leaning back in his chair again. "The uncle said the Stiles boy was gonna hang out with his friend, Nicole all day yesterday, but he didn't know where they going or what they were doing, and he gave the kid money for food and a gift for the friend. He said they ca
me back later in the day and the friend was gonna spend the night. That was around the time we got the tip on the murder weapon being with the Stiles boy. Our boys went in to question him, he and his friend took off out the window in his room."
"If the kid thinks he's innocent, why would he run?" Kat wondered.
"I dunno," Parker sighed, grabbing the phone from his receiver again and dialing a number. "But I'm gonna make a call to the Seattle police. Tell 'em to keep an eye out for him. Get packed, Johnson. You're takin' an early vacation."
"Vacation, huh?" Kat scoffed, shoving off the table and reaching for the box. "Want me to take this to the lab?"
"No, I'll do it," Parker replied, waving her off. "Get ready for our field trip."
"Our, Sir?" she wondered with a frown as he held the phone to his ear.
"I'm going with you."
CHAPTER 9
Chad tapped his armrest with one hand, gripping the other until his knuckles turned white. Nicky stared out the window of the plane to watch the activity around the tarmac before take off, then turned a smile to Chad. When she saw him grinding his teeth as he stared ahead, she frowned and placed her hand gently on the one tapping the armrest. He shot his wide, grey eyes at her in wonder, making her frown deepen.
"What's the matter with you?" she asked, and he faced ahead again, stilling his between them.
"I hate flying," he muttered.
"You've never flown," Nicky recalled.
"Doesn't mean I don't hate it," Chad retorted and she rolled her eyes. She jumped when he did when the plane started down the runway and his hands went to clutching the armrests again as Nicky stared at him in confusion.
"Chad, calm down!" she whispered.
"I can't!" he ground out. "It's a damn plane, Nicky! If people were meant to fly, they'd have frickin' wings! What if one of the engines blows up or something?!"
"You'll freak out everyone else, Chad," Nicky whispered, seeing his breathing quicken. "Just take deep breaths. Nothing's gonna happen."
"How do you know?!" Chad retorted, finally turning his gaze to her and she could see how truly terrified he was.
The force of the plane lifting off made him shove himself into his seat and Nicky took his face into her hand to keep his gaze on hers. She stroked his face soothingly, feeling him tremble and she turned quickly to pull the shade down over the window on the other side of her before turning back to Chad.
"You're so weird, Chadworth," she murmured, still stroking his face. "You're going to Washington to face a killer, but you can't even handle yourself on the plane to get there."
"Don't make fun, Nicky," he pleaded, breathlessly.
"I wasn't," she confessed. "It's nice to know you're not a tough guy all the time."
"I thought you liked the heroic BS," he recalled, starting to calm down.
"In light of recent events, I've changed my mind," she muttered, making him chuckle, and she knew he was relaxed. Turning to the window, she pulled the shade up and noticed they'd gotten high enough to look over the city and nodded him toward the window, smiling, "Look."
Chad leaned over to look out the window and Nicky was surprised when he smiled as well.
"Ok, this isn't too bad," he admitted, looking to a still smiling Nicky. "The view is nice."
"Sure is."
Both teens frowned at each other before shifting to look behind them where the familiar voice had come from.
"Jared?!" they both chirped as the sophomore grinned at them, adjusting his glasses and waving.
"What are you doing here?!" Chad demanded.
"Well, how's that for gratitude," Jared retorted. "I buy a ticket to go with you to help and that's the response I get? That hurts, Chad. That really hurts."
"Not as much as it will when my fist hits you face!" Chad spat.
"Chad, people are looking!" Nicky whispered, pulling him back to sit in their seats, properly.
"I'm gonna pummel him till he's lunch meat!" he ground out.
"I can still hear you," Jared chimed in.
"How did you even get here?!" Chad snarled, turning to talk to the gap between his and Nicky's seats. "Your parents wouldn't let you go anywhere past school!"
"Told 'em it was a last minute field trip," Jared shrugged. "It's sorta true. I am with my classmates, and I paid for this with my own money. No cost to my parents. And I 'accidentally' left my phone, so they won't be bothering us."
"Looks like you thought of everything," Nicky congratulated.
"Yeah, except that when his parents call the school to tell them he left his phone, the cat's gonna leap outta the bag," Chad retorted.
"Well, seeing as where this field trip is sending the whole school there, that won't be happening," Jared smirked.
"Smart ass," Chad muttered.
"Damn straight," Jared replied.
"What do you plan to add to this little excursion, Jare?" Nicky wondered.
"What I've been adding, Miss Skater Fox," he replied. "Tech Support. Chad's the Muscle, I'm the Brains, and you, my dear, are obviously the Beauty."
"Bright idea putting us on a plane!" Chad ground out.
"The hero is afraid of flying?" Jared chuckled. "What a disappointing character feature."
"This isn't a story, and we're not characters," Chad growled. "We could get killed. So could you."
"Alright, you guys," Nicky whispered, tapping Chad as she sat forward as well as Jared sat back. "We can talk about this when we're off the plane."
* * *
Two hours later...
Jared grunted when his back hit the column in the SEA-TAC airport, Chad holding him there by the collar of his jacket.
"Chad! Let him go!" Nicky ground out, trying not to add to the scene as she pulled on the boy's arm. "Security is gonna question us! Stop it!"
"I told you he was gonna be lunch meat!" Chad snarled at her, not looking away from the younger boy.
"You've been saying a lot of things, Chad," Nicky shot back and finally found a way to wedge herself between the boys, making Chad let go of Jared as she glared at him. "Save it for Nemo."
Chad's glare at Jared changed to a wide-eyed stare at Nicky who only glared back before they both looked away. Chad gave a growl before marching toward the exit as Jared straightened himself out and Nicky turned to him.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" she snapped at him as he adjusted his glasses then stared at her in shock.
"I thought you were on my side!" he retorted. "After I got you your ticket and everything—!"
"Chad is on edge right now, if you haven't noticed!" she interrupted. "Don't make things worse."
"I told you, I'm here to help," he reminded her.
"Start by finding us a good hotel then," she snapped, turning to finally head after Chad and calling, "You're footing the bill!"
"Figures," Jared muttered, hurrying after them.
Chad tried haling a few cabs but they sped by him, making him curse them out before trying to hail another one as Nicky and Jared caught up with him.
"Chad, you're hailing cabs, but you don't know where we're going," Nicky called over the engines and honking horns of the vehicles around them.
"We'll need a place to stay," Jared called when the older boy said nothing. "I can look up some hotels close by."
"Get to it, then," Chad retorted, not looking at either of them.
Jared pulled out his laptop and began searching the web as Nicky pulled Chad to face her, finally catching his gaze.
"He's trying to help," she whispered. "Don't be so hard on him."
"He shouldn't have come," Chad ground out lowly. "It's bad enough you're in this, now I've dragged him into my shit, too."
"You didn't drag either of us into anything, Chad," she assured him. "We came willingly. We're both here for you. You shouldn't do this alone. You can't do this alone."
Chad sighed and nodded, slightly. He had to admit she was right. By now, if at least Nicky hadn't come along, he'd probably still be a panicky mess
on the plane.
"Got it!" Jared called, stepping toward them, his laptop open and sitting on his arm. "There's some hotels that are really close. Red Roof. Holiday. Ramada. Rodeway—"
"That one," Chad chose, just as a cab pulled up for them and the other two frowned at him in wonder but he only climbed into the cab. "Well?! Come on!"
* * *
Rodeway Inn...
"Why here?" Nicky asked Chad as they entered the hotel lobby. "There were closer places."
The clerk came to the desk as they walked up and smiled, "May I help you?"
"Yeah, uh…" Chad trailed off a moment as he felt at his pockets before pulling something out of one of them and set it on the desk, sliding it to the clerk. He leaned closer to murmur, "The usually room, and keep it quiet, kay? I dunno how long we'll be staying."
The man behind the counter frowned in wonder, then gazed at the three, skeptically. But when he lifted the card Chad had slid to him, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull and he stood at attention, looking to Chad and nodding. Nicky frowned in utter confusion and disbelief between Chad and Jared as the clerk typed at his computer then gave three key cards to Chad who nodded his thanks and they all walked away.
"We got the penthouse," he explained, still walking.
"Ok, wanna explain this to me now?" Nicky nearly demanded as they reached the elevator. "That guy nearly died when you showed him your ID. Something you've neglected to tell me?"
Chad said nothing, making her frown at Jared who only shrugged just as the elevator opened for them and he stepped in, the other two following. The three said nothing more as they reached the penthouse suite and the elevator doors opened to their room, letting Jared and Nicky go ahead of him before he hurried in.
"Oh, my God!" Nicky nearly shouted as Chad headed toward one of the bedrooms. "How the hell did you get us here?!"
"Luck," Jared blurted, starting to stroll around the room as Nicky hurried after Chad. She shut the door behind her, making Chad look up at her as he set his bag on the bed.
"We don't have secrets from each other, Chad," she began. "We never have. How did you get us in here and why don't I know about it?"