(2014) Accused

by Jack Parker

  "Chad…"

  "It's alright, Miss Verona," Parker interrupted her, lowering his hand from Chad's shoulder. "I understand where he's coming from. Still, you're going home, Chad, and I'll stay here to catch this guy and when I bring him back to California, you'll get your answers. I'll make sure of it."

  Chad said nothing as Nicky looked to him, saying nothing either as Parker pulled Kat aside to talk to her. Nicky caught Chad's eyes and he looked to her with a slight smirk.

  "You should be honored that I trust you over anyone else right now," he smirked. "Even Uncle Brandon."

  "Chad, I think he's right," she murmured, making his smirk disappear. "You've been hurt really bad. What if next time…you're not just hurt? What if next time—?"

  "I know, Nicky," he sighed, looking down at his arm again. "I know."

  Nicky sniffled before slipping her arms around his neck again and hugging him close and he felt something warm and wet smear over his neck as she buried her face into it.

  "Come on, babe," he murmured into her ear. "Don't cry. You're getting your wish. We're going home, and I won't be able to chase him."

  "But you've been hurt," she shuddered. "I never wanted you to get hurt."

  "Believe me, neither did I," Chad chuckled, and it earned him a light punch to his chest.

  "It's not funny," she muttered. "Stop making light of it."

  "I'm trying to make you laugh," he explained. "I hate seeing you cry."

  "Nicky?"

  The two teens looked up at Parker as he and Kat approached.

  "Would you like to see Jared?" he asked. "He's out of surgery."

  Nicky looked to Chad, not answering and he frowned back at her before saying, "Don't look at me. I'm your boyfriend, not your keeper. You wanna visit the traitor, go ahead."

  "Chad!" Nicky scolded in disbelief.

  "You wanna go, or not?"

  "Yes, but—!"

  "Then go ahead," Chad shrugged, gently shoving her away. "Don't let me keep you. You can tell me how he's doing."

  "And what do I tell him when he asks about you?" she wondered, making him slump a bit as he looked to the floor in thought and he sighed.

  "Tell him…" he replied trailing off for a moment before smirking up at her, "Tell him he really got me with this one."

  Nicky stared at him with wide eyes before nodding slightly and turning to Parker to tell him she would visit Jared, and Kat stepped around Chad's gurney to sit in her chair again. He watched Parker and Nicky walk away from him and sighed as he shifted to lay down in the gurney to stare at the ceiling. He gave a frown when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out of his pocket with a slight struggle, catching Kat's attention.

  "What's up, kid?" she wondered, then noticed him look at his phone for a moment and asked, "Is it him?"

  Chad hesitated a moment, still staring at his phone, emotionlessly before pressing a button and laying it at his side, replying, "Wrong number text."

  Kat gave a frown but shrugged inwardly as she settled a bit more into her seat as Chad stared up at the ceiling for another moment before sitting up again.

  "I gotta take a mean whiz," he explained as he sat up and jumped off the gurney, making Kat sit up in her chair, but he turned around to tell her, "I'll be back in a while. Gotta hit the head."

  "You're not back in ten, I'll be lookin' for you," she warned before he turned to walk away, waving his good arm as he did.

  Glancing around the ward he headed toward the bathroom, but made sure he was out of sight of Kat before turning to head toward the elevator. Hitting the down arrow he tapped in impatient foot as he waited, watching the lights above the doors until the dong of its arrival sounded and the doors opened. He rushed inside and hit the button to take him to the lobby and once there he went straight to the nurse's desk.

  "Hey," he greeted, catching her attention before glancing toward the front door, leading outside then leaned on the desk with his good arm. "I'm a patient here. I'm not going anywhere, I just needed some fresh air. Mind if I stand outside for a bit?"

  "If you haven't been discharged to leave—"

  "I'm not leaving," Chad insisted, lifting his bandaged arm and smirking, "The meds are too good. Just some fresh air. I'll be back here before you know it."

  The nurse gave him a narrow gaze before sighing in defeat with a smile and nodding, "Five minutes, max."

  "Thanks," Chad smiled, charmingly as he headed toward the door and winking, "You're a doll."

  He turned toward the door, his expression growing solemn as he stepped out the door, noticing a figure dressed in a black, hooded trench coat. His steps faltered before he become more sure of himself and nearly marched toward the figure a few feet away. He glanced around to make sure no one else was around. The night air was cold, but he didn't notice, and now he didn't care that he'd spent all day at the hospital. He stopped next to the figure and looked around as if he didn't know exactly who it was.

  "Alright, I'm here," Chad began, shoving his hands into his pockets and wincing at the slight pain in his right arm. "What do you want?"

  "I think the question is, what do you want, Chad," Nemo replied, his hood so far over his face that the coat reminded Chad of a Sith lord from Star Wars. "I'm sure you haven't stopped thinking about my message."

  "Wow, it's like you're in my mind," Chad retorted, still not looking at him.

  "I'll bet you're dying to know why I called you brother, aren't you?"

  "Well, I'd think you called me that because we're siblings. I dunno about you, but I was adopted, so it's possible I've got a brother…or even a sister floating around out there."

  "Just a brother. And I promise you, I'm the only family, biological or not, that you have left."

  "And Jared? Does he have any family left?"

  "As I promised him, his parents have been left unharmed. He's served his purpose, and though you found him out a little sooner than I would've liked, I'm finished with him."

  "Glad to hear it. Now, why don't you come on up and introduce yourself to my new friends. Parker and Kat would love to meet you."

  "I'll have to take another rain check, Chad," Nemo replied, and Chad could hear the smirk in his tone. "I came here to tell you that I'm going to be at the Space Needle tomorrow. Maybe you'd like to join me?"

  "That's where you take all your dates, or am I special?"

  "Oh, you've always been special, Chad, and you know that."

  "Why don't you send me a postcard, huh? I'm going back to California. Parker insists I give this traveling thing a rest."

  "That's too bad," Nemo sighed. "I was hoping to see the sights with you a bit. Make some more fond memories for us to look back on. Maybe finally kill you this time."

  "Sorry I gotta miss all the fun," Chad retorted before glancing over his shoulder at the doors. "Well, I'm on the clock. It's been fun, but I think this is good bye for now, ya crazy psycho."

  "If you change your mind, you know where to find me," Nemo replied as Chad turned to head back into the hospital. "And if you do change your mind, I'll be sure to answer all your questions before I kill you."

  "How generous of you," Chad retorted, heading toward the doors and trying very hard not to stumble as he did.

  He'd kept his composure just fine, but inside, he'd been terrified. He wasn't sure what this guy would do next. He was unpredictable, but Chad didn't care. He had to have the answers to his questions, and it was then that he changed his mind. He'd just have to find a way to get past Kat and Parker while leaving Nicky behind. He couldn't drag her into this any further.

  * * *

  SEA-TAC The Next Morning...

  Chad and Nicky pulled their bags from the trunk of Kat and Parker's rental car, Kat carrying hers and Jared's bags as Parker remained in the car at the wheel.

  "Make sure you call me when your plane lands," Parker told Kat as the four stood on the curb, facing him. "Take these three home and have watches posted for them in case Nemo follows you. If
he does, I won't be far behind."

  "Yes, Sir," Kat nodded and Parker nodded in return before driving off to leave them in front of the airport. Kat sighed and lifted the bags, saying, "Our flight leaves in an hour. Plenty of time for breakfast. It'll be on me."

  She nodded her head toward the doors and the four turned, Jared's arm in a sling as he followed her in, his head bowed, Nicky following after him and Chad gave a slight groan as he tried lifting his bag to pull it over his shoulder with his bad arm. Nicky stopped and looked at him with wide, concerned eyes. She gave a small smile and took his bag to sling it over her shoulder so he was only left with his skateboard.

  "You shouldn't be using your arm anyway," she smiled, and turned to head after Jared and Kat, Chad following behind her. As they reached the doors leading into the airport he glanced around before stopping.

  "Hey…Nicky?"

  She turned to him with a frown as Kat and Jared continued inside, not noticing that they had stopped. He stepped toward her and pressed his lips to hers, making her eyes shoot wide in shock, but she didn't move as she stared at him, his eyes shut tightly before he slowly pulled away.

  "W-What was that for?" she breathed.

  "Don't worry about it, babe," he smirked, gently urging her toward the door as she still held their bags and he stopped her inside the doors. "I gotta tell you something."

  "Yeah?" she frowned in wonder, her frown deepening when he took a few steps back outside.

  "My middle name is Mercutio," he smiled as the automatic doors started closing between them.

  Nicky's eyes widened as she realized why he had just told her that and a moment later, he was on his board and rolling away from the doors to head away from the airport.

  "Detective Johnson!" she nearly screamed, making Kat and Jared stop ahead of her and turn to her with frowns when she looked back at them. "Chad's gone after Nemo!"

  * * *

  Meanwhile...

  Chad knew as soon as he slapped his board to the sidewalk that Nicky was going to have Kat go after him if she didn't go after him herself. He didn't dare look back as he shoved himself faster and faster down the side walk, dodging people as he got closer and closer to the open street. He heard Kat calling him, but he still didn't look back. He turned a corner then shot down an alley and slowed himself to glide down the alley and finally look behind him to see if Kat was following.

  He stopped at the end to stare down the alley and sighed when he didn't see Kat coming after him. Having a second thought he lifted his board and shoved his back against the wall to peek around the corner. She wasn't coming that way either. He slumped to the ground and sat in the alley for a moment before frowning when his phone started vibrating. He pulled his phone from his pocket to find Nicky's number displayed on the caller ID. He should've seen that coming. Unable to deny her, he answered his phone, pressing it to his ear.

  "Hey, Nicky—"

  "What the hell are you thinking, you stupid, selfish jack ass!" she screamed from the other end of the line, making Chad wince and hold the phone a bit away from his ear. He couldn't be mad at her yelling at him. He deserved it. "How could you do this?! You're supposed to come back with me, not take off and get yourself killed, you bastard! You've cleared your name! What more do you want?!"

  "I'm sorry, babe," Chad murmured, calmly into the phone. "I need answers before he clams up when the cops take him in. This is my last chance to get the answers I need, then maybe…maybe I won't have so many nightmares anymore, ya know? I know you hate me right now, but I promise, your knight in shining armor is gonna come back to you. I…I love you, Nicky."

  He glanced around the alley as he stood, not failing to notice the silence on the other end, but he could hear the background noise from the airport over the speaker.

  "I gotta go, babe," he said, letting his board fall so that he could glide back down the alley toward the street. "Tell Detective Johnson I'm sorry, but I have to do this on my own. Call me when you land in California, ok? See ya, my Skater Fox."

  He didn't wait for her response, knowing she was in shock by his confession and hung up, shoving his phone into his pocket as he reached the street and hailed a cab. He was about to climb into the back when a horn honked from the car behind the cab, making him jump and stare wide gray eyes at the now familiar car. He swallowed when Parker leaned out the driver's side window.

  "Save your money, kid," he called and waved him over. "Get in."

  Chad stared at him for a moment in shock before he looked to the cabby and apologized for the mistake and sent him on his way. The teen stepped toward the car and climbed into the front seat as Parker leaned back into the car and drove into the street.

  "You gonna take me back to the airport?" Chad guessed in disdain.

  "Nope," Parker replied, shaking his head as Chad shot a wide-eyed stare at the detective. "Kat called me and told me you took off, but I wasn't surprised. I had already figured that if you ran, I'd help you out." He stopped at a red light and looked at the boy. "So, we'll play this the way you wanna play this. Where're we headed, Chad?"

  The car started rolling again, and Chad shook away his shock before replying, "The Space Needle. He's gonna meet me there…somewhere."

  "Alright," Parker nodded.

  They grew silent as Chad tried to think of what he was going to do when they got there, but he frowned in wonder when his phone started vibrating and he pulled his phone from his pocket.

  "Is that him?" Parker wondered as Chad looked at his phone.

  "No," Chad replied, deftly, not looking up from the phone. "It's a text from Nicky."

  Parker said nothing else as Chad opened the text and felt his heart skip when he read it.

  Plz be careful, Chad. I love you.

  * * *

  Back at the Airport...

  Nicky pocketed her phone, not expecting Chad to answer as she sat with Kat and Jared at their waiting area at their gate. Jared watched her for a moment, as Kat slumped in her seat on the other side of him and after another moment of silence he lifted his good hand and tapped Nicky's arm gently, making her look up at him in wonder.

  "Everything…ok?" he murmured, and Nicky smiled, warmly as tears started to well in her eyes.

  "Yeah," she whispered, nodding and wiping away a tear that escaped her eye. "I'm just worried about Chad."

  Jared felt guilt stab at his heart and tears pricking his eyes as their gazes met and he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Nicky. If it wasn't for me—"

  "Don't, Jare," she cut in, shaking her head. "He would've done all of this even if he didn't ask you for help. I'd be crying anyway."

  Jared only nodded solemnly then jumped when she leaned her head on his shoulder, but he didn't move. She frowned when her phone went off and moved to sit up to look at her phone. Her frown deepened when she realized it was a text from Chad and opened it.

  Want a souvenir from the Space Needle?

  Nicky stared at the phone for a moment before she gave a giggle and started typing at the keyboard of her phone.

  Yeah…something sparkly like you promised.

  CHAPTER 15

  The car was parked a few blocks from the Space Needle as Parker and Chad sat in it, the detective waiting for Chad to tell him what he wanted him to do. Chad chewed on his lower lip in thought before sitting back in the passenger seat and looking to Parker with a sigh.

  "Ok," Chad finally nodded. "I'll go in the front, you pull rank to go in around the back entrance to cover me. You gotta stay out of sight though."

  "We'll have to get the place evacuated," Parker advised, but Chad shook his head.

  "You do that and he'll know I brought help," the teen replied. "I want my answers before you take him in, and he'll take off if he even catches a whiff of cop odor." He glanced at Parker's holster under at his belt then looked back up at him to tell him, "I need a gun."

  "No, you don't."

  "What happened to playing this my way, huh? Recall what he did to my arm?" Chad waved his banda
ged arm in front of the man. "I'm not goin' in without a way to protect myself."

  "You won't get through the doors with a gun. Do you even know how to use one?"

  Chad held out his good hand and beckoned with his fingers that Parker give him a gun to demonstrate with. With a sigh of defeat, Parker pulled his pistol and handed it to him. He watched in amazement as Chad pulled the magazine to examine how many rounds were inside, then reloaded and cocked it, loading a round into the chamber before aiming it at the floor between his feet to check the sights, then handed it back to Parker.

  "I'm a pretty good shot, too," Chad smirked as Parker took his gun back and holstered it.

  Parker nodded, "Alright. I've got an extra gun in the glove compartment. You take that one and I'll be sure to tell security you've got it so they don't take you down. I'll tell them you're under cover."

  "You think they'll buy it? I mean, you don't think they'll want in on this?"

  "You leave that to me and you worry about getting to Nemo."

  Chad nodded before feeling his phone go off and he pulled it from his pocket to look at the screen. A text from Nemo. He leaned over to show the text to Parker as well.

  When you get your ticket, go straight to the top. I'll be waiting on the west end wearing the black coat I wore at the hospital. Don't keep me waiting, brother.

  Chad's grip tightened on the phone before he shoved it back into his pocket and leaned forward to snatch the small revolver from the glove compartment and rolled the cylinder into view to find the gun fully loaded. Without another word he opened the door and climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind him as Parker climbed out after him.

  "Chad," he called, warningly as he hurriedly caught up to the teen who shoved the revolver into his belt behind his back and pulled his shirts down to cover it. "I know you're pissed, but you have to keep a clear head."

  "My head's clear, trust me," Chad replied, marching down the street and not looking at him. "I'm sick of this shit. The taunts and riddles end…now."