Connected: Book 1 Connected Series

by Kat Stiles

  He stared straight at me. “Is there something you want to share with the rest of us, Emily?”

  Yeah, that would be even funnier. “No, sir.”

  He frowned, and for a second I feared I was about to depart for the principal’s office. But then he began his lecture anyway.

  I let out a silent sigh of relief. Behind me I heard a clanking sound. I glanced back at Angel’s desk, and the ring sat forlorn in the corner.

  Mr. Dominic finally turned around to write some notes on the board about the importance of iambic pentameter. Tommy still grinned, and I flashed him a smile.

  After class, Angel didn’t even look at us, but gathered her things and left in a rush.

  “Have you given any more thought to telling her off?” Tommy said. “She’s practically begging for it.”

  “Yeah, sometimes I picture it in my head. I say everything perfectly, and she has no possible response. She shuts up once and for all.”

  “Well? What are you waiting for?”

  “I don’t know. Guess I’m a little nervous.”

  “Why? I think you could take her.”

  I laughed. The very thought of putting her in her place made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

  “I almost forgot, I have this for you.” I dug into my backpack and handed him the shirt I wore yesterday.

  He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. “Mmm…”

  I giggled at his reaction. For anyone else, it would’ve been bizarre.

  “This is perfect. Now I’ll always be able to smell you.”

  “Oh, and there’s something I wanted to ask you,” I said. “Roz and I were wondering if you would assist us tonight. We, uh, need to get to Adam’s files.”

  He gasped. “What are you trying to say, Em? You think because I did that once I do that stuff all the time? You think I’m a criminal, don’t you?”

  “No, of course not,” I said, feeling totally guilty. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume—”

  “I’m just screwing with you.” He grinned. “Of course I’ll help.”

  I punched him in the arm.

  “Oww. You really could take her.” He rubbed the spot like he was hurt. “So what time should I pick you up?”

  “It gets dark around seven, right? Can you meet us at Roz’s?”

  But the words didn’t seem to make it to him. I noticed Scott down the hall talking to one of his friends. He looked at us and smiled, like he knew something I didn’t. It totally unnerved me.

  I figured Tommy was distracted trying to listen in. “Did you hear anything?” I asked.

  “What? No, it’s fine,” Tommy said. “I’ll be there, Roz’s house, seven o’clock.”

  “Scott,” I mouthed. “Did you hear him?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, avoiding my eyes.

  “What does he…” I began, but Tommy cut me off with a kiss. I melted in his arms, once more.

  “Man, I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he said. “See you tonight.”

  “Yeah.” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling like an idiot. “Oh, will you park around the corner? It’s better if my mother doesn’t see your car around.”

  He flashed a gorgeous smile. “Sure, no problem, beautiful.”

  * * * *

  Dinner was nice—I was on my own as both my mother and Lauren were working. Leftovers never tasted so good.

  In getting ready for the evening, I tried on the new bra and one of the smaller shirts I got from my recent shopping expedition with my mother. Gazing into the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I almost lost my nerve. But then I took a deep breath, rationalizing to myself, they probably won’t even notice. I’ll be fine.

  I met with Roz outside on her porch. Her expression reflected a mixture of shock and admiration. “Em, you look great in that shirt.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled. So much for no one noticing.

  “You’ve never worn the right size before.” She continued to study me. “Is that a real bra you’re wearing?”

  One of the straps was exposed, and I adjusted my shirt to hide it. “As a matter of fact it is,” I said indignantly.

  “Well, you look fantastic. I’m glad to see Tommy’s having such a positive effect on you.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “You’re really into him, aren’t you?”

  I smiled. “I think I’m falling in love with him.”

  Then we heard what sounded like a stream of obscenities in the distance. Down the street, a couple of hundred feet away, Tommy pushed himself from the ground, to a seated position.

  We ran over to him, and I kneeled down beside him.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  I placed my hands on his elbow, the first injury I found.

  He stared at me as I worked, his mouth gaping. It took me a second to catch on to his reaction. “Oh God. How much did you hear?”

  Roz smiled.

  “I wasn’t listening,” he said.

  “Yes, but what did you hear anyway?”

  He glared at me. “Did you say something you didn’t want me to hear?”

  The deliberate edge to his voice caught me off-guard. “I guess not.”

  “Good.” An enormous grin surfaced.

  Did he actually hear me say I’m falling in love with him? I leaned in closer to heal a scrape on his other arm.

  “Your shirt…” His eyes focused on my chest. “You have boobies.”

  My face flushed in embarrassment. Roz burst out laughing.

  “And they’re huge.” He continued to stare.

  “It’s because she’s wearing a real bra,” Roz explained, once she stopped laughing. “Finally ditched the sports bra.”

  I shot her the death stare, full potency. She smiled sweetly back at me, entirely unaffected.

  “Sports bras are evil,” Tommy said. “Wow.”

  “Hello? I’m here,” I said. “Could the two of you please stop talking about my breasts?”

  “Why? They’re such a lovely topic,” he said, his eyes still focused a full foot below my chin.

  “Very funny.” The heat subsided, and I lifted my hands to find all traces of the scrape had disappeared. I noticed his hand was raw. “Give me your hand,” I commanded.

  He broke his gaze from my chest and offered his hand to me. Once I situated my hand on top, my eyes met his. And there it was—that look. The one I had given him so many times before. I finally understood what he meant when he said he was flattered. It felt good to be that desired. I couldn’t hold back a laugh.

  “What?” he said.

  I smiled. “I think you’re doing it now.”

  “Doing what?”

  “The look. The one I always give you.”

  “Yep.” He grinned proudly. “If Roz weren’t here…”

  “Do you two need a few minutes alone?” Roz asked.

  Tommy continued to unapologetically stare. “What I want to do is going to take more than a few minutes.”

  Roz let out a giggle. My cheeks turned a shade of bright red again.

  “Is there pain anywhere else?” I asked, feeling the temperature decrease.

  “No, I’m good, now,” he said. He stood and took hold of my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thanks.”

  * * * *

  The parking lot around back of Adam’s office was deserted and dimly lit. And it was so quiet. The kind of quiet you see in horror movies, right before the killer jumps out of the shadows. My heart pounded while we approached the rear entrance to the building.

  Tommy took out a pocket flashlight and held it in his mouth, shining it on the lock. He reached into his jacket and retrieved what looked like a key and a screwdriver. In a matter of seconds, he opened both the deadbolt and knob locks.

  We snuck in, with Tommy leading the way. Navigating in the dark, using only the small flashlight to see, it took us some time to find Adam’s cubicle. His case files were stashed in the top drawer of his filing cabinet, in a
disorganized pile. Tommy shined the light as I started rifling through them as Roz looked through the contents of his desk drawers.

  “Found an old paystub,” Roz said. “He lives near us.”

  “I think this is the file from the first attack, the Godfreys,” I said, pulling it out of the stack.

  “Did you find one for the Kenneys?” Roz said.

  I continued my search and was surprised to find one on them. “Yes, here it is.” I handed it to Roz. She looked through the papers while I examined the first file.

  “Mr. Godfrey was having trouble controlling his anger. Adam was concerned about the son,” I said. “He had an appointment written in for the day of the first attack. But I don’t see any notes on it.”

  “I wonder why,” Tommy said sarcastically.

  Roz scanned one of the pages. “He met with the Kenneys once, a couple weeks back. Marital problems. He put in a recommendation for therapy.”

  We carefully put everything away, and then snuck back out the way we came. Somehow, we made it back to the car without getting caught. Or killed, for that matter.

  “Hey, it’s still kinda early,” Tommy said, after we dropped off Roz. “Wanna hang out for a while?”

  “Yeah. But not at my house. I don’t know when my mother’s coming home.”

  “That’s fine. I wanted to check on Demetri anyway.”

  As we started the drive to Manchez, I watched the retail establishments and cold subdivisions fade away to trees and doublewides. More relaxed, I couldn’t help thinking back to my conversation with Roz earlier.

  “So did you actually hear what I said before?”

  “You must have said something good to be this concerned.”

  “Maybe.” It was clear he had no intention of directly answering my question.

  “Were you talking about me?” he asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “Nothing you’d like to repeat, then?”

  I let him sweat a few seconds. “I was agreeing with Roz about what a positive effect you’ve had in my life.”

  He snickered.

  “Were you expecting me to say something else?”

  “Maybe.”

  I laughed. “You won’t admit you heard me, will you?”

  “Heard what?”

  “You are impossible.”

  We pulled up to the station, and both of the large bay doors were open. Demetri hoisted what I presumed was the engine out of a sedan that looked like it came out of a junkyard.

  Tommy’s eyes widened. “Demetri, I have Em with me,” he said slowly, as if he were trying to tell his brother something.

  “Oh, yeah,” Demetri said, positioning himself in front of the part he’d pulled out. “Hey, Em,” he greeted me, before he did a double-take. “Damn, did you get implants?”

  I didn’t even know how to react. Tommy burst out laughing, and I guessed it was Demetri’s bizarre sense of humor that possessed him to say that. Considering the way Tommy acted earlier, it shouldn’t have surprised me.

  “Pulling out all the stops, eh?” Demetri grinned. “Tommy, you are in trouble.”

  “Yeah, I will be if you don’t shut up,” he said. “Been busy?”

  “Are you kidding me? On a Wednesday? We’ve had two customers.” Demetri turned to me. “How’s the psycho sister doing?”

  “Demetri!” Tommy said, shaking his head.

  “Those were her words, not mine,” he said.

  I laughed. “Crazy as ever.”

  Demetri draped an arm around my shoulders affectionately. “Did Tommy tell you what she said to me?”

  Tommy put a finger to his lips, motioning to be quiet.

  “Oh God, what did she say?” I asked.

  “It was pretty funny,” Demetri said.

  I thought Tommy’s arms were defined, until the weight of Demetri’s mammoth arm made me nearly lose my footing. But the gesture was warm and brotherly, like he was welcoming me into the family.

  Distracted by the gigantic arm embracing me, it took a second before the words sank in. “Wait a minute, she came into the store?”

  “She was totally rabid,” he said, releasing me. “You guys weren’t even late. I don’t know what her problem was.”

  “I’m sorry if she bothered you,” I said.

  “No, it was entertaining. Not much happens here.” An easygoing smile formed on his face, and I got the feeling it was indicative of his overall personality. Like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “So I’m guessing you decided not to ask her out after all,” I said.

  “Uh, no. I’m not that desperate,” Demetri said. “Even if she is cute.”

  “You might want to reconsider,” I said. “She is the most popular waitress at Knockers.”

  “Honestly?” It was clear from the excitement in his voice he was familiar with the place. “Sweet.”

  “Do you need any help with anything?” Tommy asked.

  “Nah, as you can see,” Demetri said, motioning to the vacant exterior, “I’ve got everything under control pretty well here. And this eng―” he started, but then stopped himself. “Uh, I mean part…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m good.”

  “Cool. See you later,” Tommy said.

  Tommy and I spent the rest of the night walking and talking, mostly. Of course we made out a little—the woods were ideal for that sort of thing. When the night finally ended, I was reluctant to leave.

  On our way to the car, I got the nagging feeling someone was staring at me. A girl stood in the distance, in my peripheral vision. When I looked directly, she was gone.

  “What is it?” he said.

  “I thought I saw someone. It’s nothing.”

  In the car, Tommy placed his hand on top of mine. “Did I mention how absolutely hot you look in that shirt?”

  “In a way,” I said. “I think your eyes said it more than your mouth.”

  “I didn’t drool, did I?”

  I laughed. “I don’t think so.”

  “I can’t believe…how big they are.”

  “Geez, not that again. The way you’re carrying on, I think I’ll switch back to my old clothes.”

  “No!” he said and then continued in a softer voice, “I like this size. I was only admiring, that’s all.”

  I smiled. It felt incredible to be so attractive to him, to know I produced the same stupefied state in him that Roz was so adept at inspiring from all other boys.

  At the corner from my house, I noticed the outline of that girl again. For a second it almost looked like Lauren.

  “Who is she?” I wondered aloud. “It can’t be her.”

  “Who is who? What are you talking about?” Tommy said.

  “The girl,” I pointed beyond the car, but she had vanished once again.

  “I don’t see anyone.” He tilted his head sideways at me. “You going to be okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Taking my hands into his, he gazed into my eyes. “Now they’re green. There’s got to be a pattern.”

  “Haven’t figured that one out yet myself.”

  “Yet another mystery about you to solve.” He kissed me slowly. I traced my hands up his back underneath his jacket, and his body shuddered.

  “What you do to me,” he whispered.

  “See you tomorrow,” I said.

  “Yeah, tomorrow.”

  He seemed out of it, and I couldn’t resist a jab. “You going to be okay?”

  “Very funny,” he said. “Goodnight, beautiful.”

  * * * *

  At the house, the Ice Queen was nowhere to be found. Maybe she’s still at work, I thought. Maybe I can avoid her altogether. I had almost made it to my room when Lauren’s cold voice addressed me.

  “Oh good. I wanted to talk to you. I know you were with him tonight,” she said.

  “You were working. How would you know?”

  “I warned you, I have my ways.” An insidious grin appeared on her face.

  I recalled the gi
rl who kept popping up out of nowhere. “Ah, the spy network. Wow, your minions even look like you.”

  She smiled curiously at me. “You were in a car with him? Does he even have a license?”

  “Yes, he has a license.”

  “Yeah, right. Is that what he told you? What other lies have you fallen for?” Her unfeeling eyes stared me down. “I bet you heard some wonderful little fantasy about his stint in juvie, too.”

  It’s going to be all right. I repeated the phrase over and over in my mind, until I finally vocalized it.

  “Yes, it will be,” she agreed. “Once Mom finds out, you won’t be allowed to see him at all. Then it will be fine.”

  Chapter Twelve

  At lunch the following day, Tommy, Roz, and I discussed the information we found from Adam’s files.

  “The Kenneys were one of his families,” Roz said. “He’s tied to both attacks.”

  Tommy nodded.

  “But we didn’t see an appointment for them,” I said.

  “What are you talking about?” Roz said.

  “There was an appointment for the Godfrey family, on the day of the attack. I didn’t see anything for the Kenneys.”

  “He probably got rid of it,” Tommy said. “Covering his tracks.”

  “Maybe,” I conceded. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a nagging suspicion he wasn’t the guy.

  “What should we do about it?” Roz said. “Do we tell the police?”

  “Tell them what?” Tommy said, and let out a scoffing laugh. “That we broke into his office to look at his case records and figured out there’s a connection between the coma victim and Mr. Kenney, who, by the way, was actually murdered? Oh, yeah, and the way we know all this is from a psychic vision of the attack. They’re gonna love that.”

  I stifled a laugh at the dirty look Roz gave him.

  “We have to do something,” she said.

  “What can we do? Nobody is going to believe us,” Tommy said.

  He was right. Unless we had hard evidence, it would be futile to turn to the authorities for help. “Maybe we can talk to Judy about it,” I suggested.

  “Don’t think so,” Tommy said. “You saw the way she reacted before. She’s too involved with Adam to be thinking straight.”

  Damn it, he’s right again. So we do nothing? I wanted to scream, and glancing at Roz, I knew I wasn’t the only one who was totally frustrated. Her hands were buried in her hair at the sides of her head. They were doing a poor job of holding up her head, which looked like it was about to collapse on the lunch table. She let out a deep exhale.