by Ali Dean
See, somehow Wolfe had managed to keep a clean record. He liked to intimidate and scare people, but my gut had always told me he was not as dangerous as he seemed. I had spent some time with the guy in the past, and he was irresponsible and unpredictable, but he didn’t seem capable of the kind of shit he had pulled with Pepper. I had always thought he was just trying to scare her and get to me with the first incident at the pool house. If I had suspected he was going to do worse, I would’ve dealt with him differently. Now, with the recent attack, I’d wondered if he’d changed. If he’d done too many drugs, or if I’d misunderstood him from the beginning. But here in this house, seeing what months of hiding had done to the guy, I could tell he was resigned to doing time, but he wanted to minimize it. And now I was curious as hell as to why he did what he did.
And when he finally told me, I realized that it had been right in front of me. It was like he was telling me what I already knew, I just hadn’t put it together.
“It was a lot of money, and I really needed it. I owed some bad guys and she wasn’t supposed to get knocked out, man,” he was saying. “My buddy got freaked out or something, I don’t know why he did that.” He was making excuses but I was tuning him out now.
Immediately, I called Pepper, and when she didn’t answer, a deep sense of foreboding sent me out the door and into my Jeep, with Wolfe calling out behind me and Frankie jogging to get in the passenger seat. I’m not sure why it felt like now that I knew, Pepper was suddenly in more danger than before Wolfe told me. It wasn’t logical, but as we drove back to Brockton at top speed, I felt like I was racing a clock, and that time was not on my side.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Pepper
“Clayton?” I ask, uncertainly. “I thought you said some of your friends were here. Where are Juan, Mitch and Steve?”
“They aren’t here, Pepper. I lied.”
I take a deep breath and force myself to look at him. “What’s going on?” He’s blocking the door, and only inches from me, and there’s nowhere for me to go.
He deadbolts the door and says again, “Sit, and I’ll explain everything.” When he walks toward me, crowding me in, I’ve got no choice but to back up until I hit the bed, and sit down. He leans back against the dresser, a couple of feet away, and crosses his arms. My eyes dart to the door and Clayton stiffens. “I’m not against tying you up and gagging you if you try anything, Pepper.”
And that’s when I know this is real. My chest squeezes, and a million disjointed thoughts race through my brain. I’m trying to remember everything through a new lens, trying not to think about what Clayton is planning next, and desperately trying to be smart and figure out how I can get out of this situation. No one knows where I am. No one even knows to look for me. And worse, I’m beginning to realize that in all likelihood, no one knows Clayton is dangerous. If anyone saw us come in here, they wouldn’t think it was odd.
“I’ve waited for you for seven years, did you know that?” he asks.
I shake my head, and a strange, surreal calmness washes over me as I realize he wants to tell me every detail, and if I can get him talking for long enough, maybe someone will find me. Okay, I doubt anyone will find me, but maybe, just maybe, something will happen that will get me out of this. Or maybe all he wants to do is talk.
“I saw you for the first time at a cross country practice your freshman year when I was leaving school. I didn’t know who you were, then, but I found out easily enough. Everyone said you were Jace’s girl, but that’s not why I noticed you. You’ve always thought it was because of him, but it wasn’t. This has nothing to do with Jace.” It’s strange, he sounds almost normal. Not delusional at all. If he hadn’t said something about tying me up, I’d wonder if I was totally misunderstanding what was going on here.
“But he’s always been a problem,” Clayton says with a sigh. “I knew it was a reach when I asked you to prom. You were too young, then. And I put my feelings for you aside for a long time. But by the time you were old enough, you were with Jace.”
He stands up then and opens the mini-bar fridge to remove a water. After unscrewing the cap he takes a long sip and then offers it to me. Though my throat is dry as sandpaper, I shake my head.
“Savannah Hawkins was into me then, but she’d always had a thing for Wilder. I saw that she wanted him almost as much as I wanted you, and we worked together to pull you two apart. She went off-script though, and got carried away. I was supposed to look like the hero in all of it, but you just ran right back to Jace. Why did you do that?”
He watches me, and he’s so controlled, it almost feels like we’re having an ordinary conversation. I shrug, not wanting to shake him up. “We’ve known each other a long time.” It’s a stupid explanation, but I’m suddenly all too aware that each word I utter matters to Clayton.
“Well, it was a mistake,” he snaps. “You considered me a few times, I know you did. That night, when we danced together? That was when I knew it was going to happen for us.” He’s jumped to my freshman year of college, when Annie left and Jace broke up with me. “I couldn’t believe it when Jace just dumped you like that. He didn’t know what he was losing, did he?” Clayton moves forward now, and when he places his finger underneath my chin and raises it so I’m forced to look at him, I don’t flinch.
“You weren’t interested in anyone after that, and the timing was off, which is why I waited until this summer. I’m the pitcher on a major league team, I’ve got my own money, and you were ready to start seeing someone again. You’ve always liked me, haven’t you?” he asks, a twinge of insecurity in his tone.
“Yes,” I say immediately.
He smirks. “I know. But then Wilder came back at the same time, and I had to change my strategy. Saving you from Wolfe didn’t help my cause like it was supposed to, not at all.” He’s frowning now, and I try to hide my gasp. He set that up, too. I’d been too immersed with his revelation about working with Savannah to think about the most recent events. “It scared you off, instead. And right into Wilder’s arms.”
My stomach churns and I’m beginning to feel light-headed. The calmness that held me for the past few minutes is disappearing quickly because his story is almost done now, and then what?
“You weren’t supposed to see Veronica Finch, she was only meant to plant some evidence here and there, but that run-in worked perfectly, didn’t it? When I came to campus that night to see you though, you didn’t react like I expected.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. We’d hung out, hadn’t we?
He moves to sit on the bed beside me and I try not to react but my body stiffens involuntarily. “You should have seen what was right in front of you. Don’t you think?” he asks darkly, tilting his head and leaning forward.
“You?” I whisper, because my vocal chords won’t work properly.
He nods. “My teammates were there, and they like you, you like them. It was an easy way to make the whole thing feel more natural. But you just didn’t get it.” His voice rises in anger, just a little, but enough to make me want to dash for the door. I know it won’t do any good so I attempt to remain still.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever see me the way I wanted you to. And I came alone today, to watch your meet, hopeful that this might be the turning point for us. Jace was there too, and he darted off as soon as you finished. A few minutes later, I got a call that Jace was on his way to talk to Wolfe, who was going to turn himself in.”
My fists clench into the bedspread as I try desperately not to let my face reveal my shock. Was Wolfe found after all? Why would Jace visit him in jail before telling me?
“Who called you?” I ask. Why was Clayton called before I was?
“A guy who owes me. He was the one who hit you on the head, which was not something I wanted, by the way. He’s friends with Wolfe, and the cops don’t know who he is yet. Wolfe told him they should turn themselves in, and that he wanted to talk to Wilder before he did. Either Wolfe has some connec
tion to Wilder I don’t know about, or I pegged Wolfe wrong, and the guy is feeling remorseful. Either way, I knew Wolfe was going to tell him that I paid him to drag you away after the game. Wolfe doesn’t know the rest, but Jace probably figured it out. He’s not stupid. I’m only surprised Wilder didn’t suspect me earlier,” Clayton muses.
So Wolfe hasn’t been arrested yet. And he probably wanted to talk to Jace about the evidence he has from the Madeline Brescoll debacle.
“I came straight to you after that. Pepper,” he says, his voice suddenly gentle, and when he moves to touch my cheek, it takes all my willpower to stay in place. “I’ve waited a long time for this, and I’m not going to wait any longer.”
“For this?” I’m shaking, and there’s no stopping it. “What do you mean?”
“What do you think I mean?” he says, and he moves so close, our legs are pressed to each other. But apparently he’s a patient guy, because aside from my face, he hasn’t touched me yet.
“Clayton, if we leave now, we can explain everything together. It looks really bad, all that you’ve told me, but I’ll help cover for you, and we can move on.” I have no idea what I’m saying, what lies I’m spewing, but they come out anyway, as I scoot just a few inches away. He notices.
“I don’t believe you. And it’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jace
I went straight to purple house first, and Pepper’s housemates didn’t seem worried. “She went to the mini-mart,” Wren told me.
“How long ago?” I asked. The girls on the couch looked between me and Frankie uncertainly.
“Maybe half an hour, she should be back any minute,” Wren said, unconcerned.
Lexi added, “She was walking, so I think she was only getting a couple things.”
“Have you guys seen Clayton Dennison today?” Frankie asked, getting to the point.
The girls seemed more alert now, sensing that this might be important. I hadn’t decided yet. She might walk in that door any second, and then we could handle everything together.
The girls knew who Clayton was but they shook their heads no, until Gina said, “He might have been at the race this morning. I thought I saw him for a second but I’m not sure.”
“If you see him, call me immediately, okay?” I asked them.
“Is something wrong? Should we be worried?” Lexi asked.
I glanced at Frankie, who was not hiding his emotions very well. He was tense as hell. “Yeah, but we’ve just got to find her, and we’ll explain later,” I said, realizing that the girls were bound to have a ton of questions, and I couldn’t spend time answering them. I just had a feeling that Pepper needed me right now, and when we left, I told Frankie to call the cops while I kept looking for her. She wasn’t at the mini-mart, or Shadow Lane either, or my apartment, and there really weren’t any other places she could be. Next, I went to Clayton’s parents’ house, but his mom said he wasn’t home. As far as she knew, he was still in Denver.
I was driving around town now, my panic mounting, when I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Is this Jace Wilder?” a male voice asked nervously.
“Yeah, who’s this?”
“It’s Matt Rifkin,” he replied hesitantly. “I was a senior when you were a freshman. We were on the baseball team together at Public.”
Oh yeah, I vaguely remembered him. He was a tall guy, a little overweight but a decent hitter. Why the hell was he calling me right now? This was not what I needed.
“Yeah, I remember you – listen, Matt, this isn’t a good time to catch up,” I told him.
“I’m not calling for that,” he said. “I just, I thought I should call you because I just saw Pepper Jones.”
“What? Where?” I interrupted him.
“I work the front desk at the Marriott in Brockton, and I was going into the back office when I saw her come in a side door with Clayton Dennison.”
I was already turning toward the Marriott, but I kept listening, my insides twisting with panic. “I wasn’t sure whether to call you, but I know she’s like, um, your girlfriend, or best friend or something, and she looked a little, well, nervous? I decided it wasn’t my place, but then I got to thinking, and I got your number from –”
I cut him off. If he wanted to get in my good graces, be part of my inner circle or something, I couldn’t’ve cared less right then. I just needed information. “How long ago?”
“What?”
“When did you see her?” I thought I might be shouting or growling but it didn’t matter.
“Oh, um, maybe half an hour ago.”
“I’ll be there in two minutes. Find out what room he’s in and go in there. Get security.”
“Dude, I don’t really have the authority…”
“Just do it!” I yelled. “She’s in trouble and he’s dangerous.”
I hung up and focused on getting there as fast as possible.
Chapter Forty
Pepper
“Can I go to the bathroom first? I’m, well, I’m on my period.” I try to fake embarrassment, but he’s not buying it. I’ve never been a very convincing liar and I’m wishing more than anything I’d worked on the skill. “And I really have to pee,” I add.
He rolls his eyes and follows me to the bathroom, and it takes a moment before I realize he’s planning to stand there while I go. I didn’t really have a plan, I guess I thought I might be able to text someone, but just then there’s a knock at the door, and Clayton immediately covers my mouth with his hand before I even think to yell.
The next sixty seconds happen so fast, I have no time to react. Someone tries to open the door but is blocked by the dead bolt. Clayton’s hand tightens around my mouth and I’m not only unable to speak, but I’m also having difficulty breathing. I don’t think he realizes he’s covering my nostrils, too. I attempt to claw at his hands but he squeezes a huge arm around my own, and I’m stuck in place, trying desperately to move my head back and forth to communicate that I can’t breathe, but Clayton’s focused on the door. There’s a loud crash, and suddenly his hands are off of me, and I gasp for air.
Clayton darts for someone and I’m blinking through blurry eyes. There’s a guy standing there, mouth agape, wearing a Marriott polo shirt, and he’s watching something. In slow motion, I turn to see Clayton pinning Jace to the ground, but in the next moment Clayton’s crashed into the television, and Jace is over him.
Their movements are violent and furious and I just stand there, in some sort of shock, unable to speak or react, for who knows how long, before uniformed officers are there, breaking them up. When they start to put Jace in handcuffs, I snap out of it.
“No! No, he’s the one who saved me,” I blurt out, but no one’s listening. A strong arm goes around me, and there’s Frankie, the biggest person in the room, holding onto me.
“Shhh… Pepper, we’ll get this worked out, okay? Don’t worry.”
The guy in the polo shirt and Frankie talk to the three officers, and the room feels much too crowded, like we might not all get enough oxygen if someone doesn’t step out. Clayton’s gaze burns through me but I refuse to look at him. What is he thinking now? How could I have been so blind about him? I’m starting to shake, knowing he’s watching me, and even though he’s handcuffed and restrained by an officer, I don’t want to be anywhere near him, and I push away from Frankie until I’m alone in the hallway, sucking in air in giant gulps.
When I finally look up, I realize there are a couple of people poking their heads out of the hotel rooms curiously, wanting to see the show. I’m tempted to run and hide because I don’t want these strangers using my life, the horror that just happened, almost happened, as a juicy story to tell to their friends. I don’t want them to see Jace and recognize him and say things about him that aren’t true. But then he comes out of the room, looks at me and wraps me in his arms and none of it matters anymore.
At my urging, Jace plays in his last collegiate home game only a couple of hours later. We’re asked a lot of questions by the Brockton police until Detective Marshall shows up and asks all of the same questions again. Clayton must have been escorted out when I was in Jace’s arms, because I didn’t see him again. I actually went to the game with my housemates, and though they got a short rundown on what happened, we cheered and acted almost normal. I didn’t take my eyes off Jace the whole game, somehow afraid he’d disappear if I did.
But I’ve got him alone now, finally, and we’re lying on our backs on my bed at Shadow Lane.
“You can get rid of the air mattress at purple house,” I tell him. We’re both staring at the ceiling, which makes it easier to talk. Otherwise I’d just crawl into him and forget about the important words I need to say.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I was going to tell you that before any of that happened today. After my run, I guess I had an epiphany. And then, when I was alone in the hotel room with Clayton, I had another one.”
He reaches for my hand. “You’ve had quite a day, huh? Tell me about your epiphanies.”
“This summer, you said something about fear, and you were right. At races, when I hit that point where it’s really hard, I haven’t been pushing through it like I used to.”
“But you did today, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, and it was awesome. I don’t know, it isn’t the same thing with us, but it just seems like it’s time to stop hesitating and asking the ‘what-ifs.’ There’s always a chance that something will happen, it always seems to with us, but I want to go for it anyway.”
