Lost & Found

by E B Brooks

  Mmmm, she knew that smell. Ryder. Everything started flooding back to her, but some of the night was still fuzzy. Shit, she drank too much.

  “Are you done making out with my best friend’s pillow?”

  Maddy bolted straight up in the bed. Her eyes took a bit to focus, but when they finally did, she saw Cody leaning against the door frame, holding a glass.

  “Hey, big guy,” she mumbled, rubbing her temple. “My head hurts too much to talk right now.”

  He walked over, sat on the bed beside her, and handed her two white pills. “Take some aspirin, and I made you our secret hangover cure.”

  Maddy glanced at the glass. Liquid the color of blood filled it, and she wasn’t sure what the hell she smelled coming out of it.

  She scrunched up her nose. “What’s in it?”

  Cody scratched his morning scruff. “You don’t want to know, but trust me, you’ll feel better once you drink it. Hold your nose and gulp it down. You did pretty well last night with shots, so this should be a breeze.” His shoulders shook as he chuckled.

  She flipped him off before grabbing the glass with one hand. With the other, she held her nose closed, and within two quick gulps, she got it down. Her body shivered from the nasty taste; she could only imagine the weird face she made, because that was awful.

  She stuck her tongue out. “Ugh! What the hell was in that?”

  Cody laughed as he took the glass from her.

  More memories of the night came back, and anger filled her all over again for what happened with Jace and Skylar. It would take a lot for her to forgive Skylar. He’d called her a slut. They thought she had passed out, but she had heard everything that happened and what was said. Something was going on with Skylar. He was a completely different person than who she met at the Freshman Meet and Greet.

  “Um… I was supposed to go shopping with Jace and Skylar today, but after last night, I don’t want to see them.” She picked at the sheet. “Do you know where Ryder is?”

  She was afraid to admit that even after everything Ryder did to help her last night, she was afraid to hear the answer. They both agreed to be just friends, but friends didn’t cuddle and kiss each other.

  “Ryder’s sleeping in my bed. You talk and move a lot in your sleep. We took turns watching over you last night. Ryder doesn’t sleep much, so he was the one who stayed with you the most, but when he does fall asleep, he’s out. I told Jace I’d take you shopping. They wouldn’t be able to take you, anyway. About an hour ago, Jace’s dad called about some kind of emergency at one of the job sites, and Jace left to go help. Skylar left last night and never came home.”

  Maddy fell back on the bed. “I’m never drinking again. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of me last night, and I’m so sorry for causing so many problems in your home.” She covered her face with her hands in shame. “If you could just help me today, I promise I’ll not bother any of you again.”

  Cody took her hands away from her face and into his big ones. “Why would you say something like that, little one? I thought you liked us.” He pouted.

  He had no idea what he did to her, what he made her feel. Turning on her side to face Cody, she took a pillow and crushed it in front of her. “God, you and Ryder are giving me whiplash. When I walked through the door yesterday, you barely said two words to me. I don’t know what I did to piss you off. You were the one to kiss me then tell me you’re not good for me. Then, after everything you did last night… I don’t know what to think. It’s obvious I’m causing problems; I seem to have a way of stirring things up.”

  Cody leaned down and kissed her head before laying down on his side next to her, using his arm as a pillow.

  A warm feeling spread over her body.

  He looked at her with those blue eyes that had so much turmoil in them. “I’m sorry about dinner.” He sighed, moving his gaze to blink up at the ceiling for a few silent moments. “Back in high school, I started dating someone, and we became pretty serious, or at least I thought so. Most of her friends hated me. They thought I was poor white trash. She didn’t know I fought in the unground, and a guy who liked her found out and took her to one of my fights. When I saw her there, I took a left hook to the face.”

  Maddy placed her hand on his chest.

  “Needless to say, it didn’t turn out well. She called me barbaric, bloodthirsty, and many other names she could think of. Said she should have listened to her friends, but she heard rumors about my dick and wanted to find out if it was true. It broke my heart. Over the years, I built a thick wall around my heart. I believed I wasn’t worthy of any kind of love. Then, I met you, and you cracked that wall in one day. No one has been able to do that or make me feel like you have.”

  His eyes gently caressed her, and a familiar heat warmed her cheeks. “The day before the party, I told myself you were better off with someone else, that I didn’t want you, and I got that damn wall back up. But when I saw you yesterday, everything I thought I readied myself against crumbled. I was mad at myself, not you.”

  Closing her eyes, she prayed she wouldn’t cry. “See? That’s another good reason for me to stay away.”

  He blew out a breath. “Little one, look at me, please.”

  Maddy opened her eyes.

  He scrubbed his face. “I’m not doing this right. I was wrong, damn wrong. Taking care of you last night made me realize how much I care, and that won’t go away no matter how many walls I build. I need you to give me some time, though. I’m in the middle of something that I don’t want you anywhere near. Do you think you can hang on for a bit longer?” His eyes pleaded with her.

  “As long as the something isn’t a girl…”

  “No, it’s not a girl, and I know about your feelings for Ryder and the other two assholes. I have no problem as long as it’s only them. All right?”

  Stunned, she laid there for a bit. Cody just said he wanted to be with her. Could she wait a bit longer? Hell, yeah, she could. “As long as there is no other girl or guy, then I can wait.”

  “Good. Can I give you a little kiss?”

  She moved closer and touched their lips together. He curled his arm around her and deepened the kiss. She moaned as their tongues clash together, and neither of them stopped until they were both panting.

  Cody pressed his forehead to hers. “Sorry, I just wanted a peck, but once I touched your silky lips, I couldn’t stop. Damn, I could get used to that. One day, we’ll spend an entire afternoon kissing.”

  She winked. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  He smiled softly. “Do you feel like doing some furniture shopping? Or do you want to wait for another day?”

  “I feel better. My head hurts less, and I want to get this done.”

  He nodded and gave her another kiss before pulling away quickly. “Have to stop that, or we won’t get anywhere. Now, be ready in half an hour.” He stood and handed her a bottle of water.

  Where the hell did that come from?

  She snagged the bottle from him, face red as could be. “You could have given me this after I drank that shit, and before I kissed you.”

  He smirked. “Yeah, I could have, but the look on your face was fun to watch. You forget I drank that a lot over the years. Half-hour, little one.”

  Asshole. She liked Cody more and more each day.

  Buzzing on the inside, she drank half the bottle of water, then ran to take a shower. As the hot water ran down her back, she remembered how loving Ryder was when he took care of her, whispering to her that everything would be all right while she was sick. How he stood up for her against Skylar. Was it wrong to just kiss one guy and be thinking of another? Or three others?

  Something had to be wrong with her.

  Getting out of the shower and drying herself off, she remembered all the shit Skylar spewed last night. He hurt her more by what he said than what he did with Amber. She could forgive Jace over time, but Skylar was a completely different story.

  She found her backpack, pulled
on clean clothes, and took a deep breath. She was as ready as she would ever be.

  When she headed downstairs, she found Cody sitting on the bottom step.

  His one eyebrow popped up. “Damn, I think you’re the first girl I ever told a half-hour to who didn’t take an hour or more. Here, I made you a breakfast sandwich. With as much as you drank last night, you need something in your stomach.”

  “Thank you.” Her stomach growled at the smell of egg and cheese, and she took the sandwich. “I’m not like a lot of girls.”

  “I’m starting to see that,” he said in a low voice.

  He led her to the garage and helped her up into his truck.

  As he was walking over to his side, she took a bite of the sandwich and let out a moan.

  When he got in on the driver’s side, she raised the sandwich. “Did you make this?”

  One side of his lips lifted. “Yes. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

  “Hell, no, it’s the best egg sandwich I’ve ever had.” Which was not much, coming from her.

  As they headed away from the house, Maddy finished the sandwich in record time, wishing she had another one. She looked out the window, watching the scenery as it passed. She was glad Cody knew where he was going because she was totally lost.

  They were talking about mundane things when he pulled up to a large furniture store.

  “I figured we should start with the bedroom furniture. No more sleeping on the floor. This is where I got our stuff.” He climbed out of the truck and hurried around to her side to open the door for her.

  As they walked toward the entrance, Maddy admitted, “I’m going to need your help. I’ve never done this before.”

  Maddy and Cody strolled into the massive open showroom, and Maddy’s mouth fell open. The place was larger than a football field. She followed Cody over to the bedroom section, where he waved his hand as if to say, Go at it.

  She looked around at all the different styles of frames on display. There were some really cool ones, but then, she used to sleep on a wooden board. Her eyes instantly landed on a frame with a headboard. The headboard was black leather, and sideboards ran the whole way around the bed.

  She wanted this frame.

  Maddy bent to check the price tag. $649.99. She dropped the tag like it was on fire.

  Fuck, that was way too much, and that was just for the frame and not the mattress. She’d never be able to afford everything, even with the extra money Mrs. Jones snuck into her account.

  The smell of old spice hit her nose. “Oh, I bet that bed would look lovely in your room,” a voice said from behind her, a hand touching her shoulder.

  She jerked, then froze.

  No, he wasn’t there.

  Her mind went back to the pantry in the group home, of being trapped and at his mercy. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her waist. Her brain told her to run to Cody. He would protect her.

  But her feet froze her in place as she relived her nightmare over in her head.

  Something large blocked the light, and Maddy froze, her hand on the box of pasta.

  It could be anyone from the foster home, but the scent of Old Spice cologne made her gut clench in trepidation.

  A meaty hand touched her shoulder. “Well, look who I just found. And guess what? She’s all alone.” His deep voice filled the small space.

  Every muscle in Maddy’s body went rigid at the sound of that voice. Glancing over her shoulder, she swallowed the large lump that formed in her throat. “I need to make dinner, Ben. I don’t have time to talk.”

  Maddy tried to keep the shakiness from her voice while her head screamed at her to run. Of all the damn places to be caught by him.

  From the moment Ben arrived at the foster home, he’d creeped Maddy out.

  She watched as he placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly closed the door behind him. The more the light disappeared, the more she panicked.

  No, no, no, no, no. She needed to get out before he shut the door.

  She ran for freedom, pushing him with everything she had. It didn’t work, and he grabbed a handful of her hair, chuckling. She was trapped.

  His nostrils flared. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Ben let go of her hair, grabbed both of her shoulders, and rammed her backward with the force of a Mack truck. He slammed her hard against the concrete wall, her head bouncing off the wall, her breath exploded from her mouth as pain ran down her left shoulder. He brought her forward, then slammed her back again.

  Stars exploded behind her eyes, and her legs gave out. As she crumbled to the floor, her heart thudded loudly.

  Looking up at Ben, tears formed, but Maddy wouldn’t let them fall.

  She shook her head. “Don’t do this, Ben. You know you won’t get away with it.”

  He let out a laugh that made her blood run cold. “I don’t see anyone here to stop me.”

  As he strolled back to close the door the rest of the way, darkness ate them up. “I’ve been dreaming that I’d catch you alone before I leave next week, and look who I find in the pantry all by herself.”

  They were in complete darkness except for the weak light that came in from under the door. Maddy scooted her way into the corner. She’d lost sight of Ben once he shut the door all the way. Right now, she had no idea where he was, and that scared the shit out of her. He could strike her at any moment, and she wouldn’t see it coming.

  Wait, he couldn’t see, either.

  She heard his feet shuffling toward her, and she clenched her teeth to hold back the pain that radiated from her shoulder. Her arm didn’t move properly, and she forced herself to stand as silently as possible and flattened herself against the shelves, hoping he’d walk right past her so she could make a run for the door.

  A hand came out of the darkness and grabbed her throat.

  A loud scream left her as he pushed her toward the back of the pantry once again. The more she screamed, the more he squeezed. She stumbled over something, and he let her fall backward. She smacked her head and back on each shelf as she tumbled to the ground. She heard rustling, then a meaty hand covered her mouth, and she felt Ben’s breath on her cheek.

  “Now why would you scream? We don’t want someone to interrupt us.” His tone dripped with sadistic glee.

  Things would only get worse unless she escaped. Her head spun, and the light under the door was fuzzy. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could remain conscious, but she had to get herself out of there or she was done for.

  With her good arm, she reached desperately for something on the shelf. Please let her find something she could use. Wrapping her increasingly shaky hand around a jar of something, she lifted it as high as possible before bringing it down hard. Glass broke, and from the dull thud, she could only assume it hit Ben’s head. The room filled with the smell of pickles. Taking a wild guess at where his body was, she kicked both of her legs out and connected with something solid.

  She scrambled up, running toward the door. The knob had to be just inches in front of her; she could feel it. Before she could find the doorknob, Ben’s large hand wrapped around her leg and pulled it back. With her hand out in front of her, desperately grabbing for the doorknob, she wasn’t quick enough to protect her face. Her head struck a shelf right at her eyebrow. Excruciating pain flooded through her, blood dripping down her face, as her body slammed onto the floor, putting all of her weight on her already injured shoulder. She heard a pop, then felt an unbearable pain run down her arm.

  Ben flipped her over and kicked her in her side. “You stupid bitch. You’re going to pay for that.” He slammed his fist into her right cheek, and her head lolled to the left.

  He ripped her shirt open, buttons scattering across the floor. When he started to pull her pants down, she kicked her feet, trying to stop him. That pissed him off even more, and he hit her in the face again.

  Maddy was so dizzy she didn’t think she could run again, even if she found the chance. All the fi
ght left her body. Closing her eyes, she prayed for it to be over quickly.

  The door sprang open, and light flooded the small room.

  “What the hell? Get the fuck off of her!” a deep voice yelled, and Ben’s body was ripped off her.

  She saw Mike’s enraged expression as he took in her torn clothes before he turned on Ben, his fists flying.

  20

  Cody

  Leaning against a wall in the bedroom department, Cody checked his phone. He hadn’t heard from Jace or Skylar. Rubbing his chin, he wondered what kind of trouble his brother got into last night. Something was going on with him. Cody needed to have a talk with him. He thought he would at least hear from Jace about what went down at his father’s construction site. Jace was probably too embarrassed to call him. He thought nobody knew about him being bi, but he hadn’t been very sneaky. We all knew and just didn’t care.

  Cody hadn’t gotten much sleep last night while he made sure everyone got out of their house and stayed up to check on Maddy. He was struggling to stay awake when he saw a sales guy walk over to Maddy.

  The guy said something to her, and she jumped about a mile in the air. As the rep laughed and touched her shoulder, she lost all the color in her face and wrapped her arms around her waist, rocking back and forth.

  The salesman must have asked if she was all right.

  She backed away from him, hit a pole, and fell to the ground before curling into herself. Her whole was body tense and shaking.

  The sales rep just stared at her like she was crazy.

  Cody pushed off the wall and ran over, falling to his knees. Talking softly to her, he placed his hand on her shoulder. She let out a terrified groan, and he jerked back his hand. He bent down to look into her eyes, but her head was bowed, her hair covering her face.

  “Little one?” His hand returned to her shoulder, and she jumped away from his touch, shaking harder.

  Under her breath, over and over again, she said, “No, no, no.”