Between the Cracks
Helena Hunting
Between the Cracks is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are all products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright (c) 2013 Helena Hunting
All rights reserved
Published by Helena Hunting
Cover art design by Shannon Lumetta
Except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chris
Inked Armor Teaser
About Helena Hunting
Other books by Helena Hunting
Connect with Helena Hunting
Acknowledgements
Johnny B, Anne and Alex and Gill; thank you for wielding your red pens. You make everything prettier.
Nina, you’re amazing and I’m so fortunate to have you on my team. Thank you for getting me through all the hard parts. Filet love forever.
Shalu, you rock the graphics world, thank you for sharing your talent with me and making this perfectly wonderful cover.
Micki and Brooks, you've been awesome! I love working with you.
Readers, thank you for sharing in my excitement and for being such amazing cheerleaders.
Blogger friends, I’m so fortunate to have been welcomed into the writing community with such warmth. I’m honored to know you.
Chris
A vibration below the waist woke me up. I cracked a lid and blinked against the dim light from the TV. A Shamwow infomercial flickered on the screen, the volume low. I was half-lying, half-sitting, sprawled over Sarah’s couch. Sarah was draped over me. Her forehead rested against the side of my neck, and all that long, pale blonde hair fanned out across my chest.
My neck had a crick and my left arm had no feeling. The position was hella uncomfortable, but the view was stellar. Sarah’s hand was curled in a fist under her chin, lips parted slightly. Her breathing was slow and even; she looked peaceful.
As the haze of sleep lifted, the memory of the events that led to my current discomfort returned. Tenley had taken off with her asshole brother-in-law or whatever the hell he was; Hayden had lost his shit, and when he’d pulled himself together, taken off after her.
The vibration, and its accompanying buzzing sound stopped, thankfully; it was annoying. I closed my eyes and relaxed back into the couch. Or tried to. Now that I was awake, it was hard to ignore the pain in my neck or the lack of feeling in the arm pinned under Sarah. A minute later the buzzing resumed. It finally registered that my phone was in my pocket.
I dug around for it, trying not to jostle Sarah and wake her up. She’d been pretty damn upset when Tenley pulled a runner, and it had taken her a long time to calm down. She’d fallen asleep eventually, and apparently so had I; otherwise I wouldn’t still be here at whatever-o’clock in the morning.
My phone stopped ringing before I got it out of my pocket, but I checked the screen anyway. It was three-thirty and I’d missed a bunch of calls from Hayden. I dialed him back.
“Thank fuck. I thought I was going to have to call Jamie.”
“What’s up? You okay?”
“I’ve got a problem.” He sounded like someone had run his vocal chords through a grater.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to Tee?”
“No. I don’t know. I mean I can’t get through to her phone. It keeps going to voicemail, so I have no idea.”
“You want me and Sarah to try her?” I couldn’t tell him Sarah had called until she fell asleep and got the same result. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to give it another shot.
“I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. She’s probably not answering because she doesn’t want to. That’s not my only problem, though. I got caught speeding. The cop suspended my license for twenty-four hours. My car’s been impounded.”
“Ah, shit, H. How fast were you going?”
“Pretty fucking fast. This night’s all kinds of screwed. I won’t be able to get my car back until Tuesday morning.”
Technically, it was Monday morning now. Hayden, stuck in the middle of wherever on his own, in the state he was in, would be bad news. “Where you at? I’ll come get you.”
“Don’t do that. I just need you to reschedule my appointments on Tuesday—”
“Fuck that, dude. Tell me where you are. I’ll pick you up. Then we can go get Tenley and bring her home.”
“You don’t even have a car.”
“Tee’s is still parked behind Serendipity. If the keys aren’t in her apartment I’ll hotwire it. If that doesn’t work, I’ll borrow Sarah’s beater.”
There was some rustling around on the other end of the line and a heavy sigh from Hayden. “I’m at a truck stop just south of the Wisconsin Dells on the 94. It’s three hours away if you don’t drive like an asshole.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I ended the call before he could argue. Sarah sighed and shifted, freeing the arm pinned under her. The rush of blood sent angry prickles shooting down my arm. I rested it on the back of the couch, flexing my fingers as the feeling returned. I turned my head, pressing my lips against her hair. Like a sap, I inhaled the clean, fresh scent of her shampoo. She used some brand that smelled faintly of mint and something else. Whatever it was, I liked it.
When most of the feeling returned to my hand, I slid it under her hair, resting my palm between her shoulder blades. She mumbled in her sleep, but that was it.
“Hey, baby,” I murmured, rubbing circles on her back.
I felt bad for waking her up when she’d only been asleep for an hour at the most, but I didn’t want to leave without telling her what was going on. She burrowed her face into my chest and moaned unhappily.
A few seconds later she lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy. There were lines on her face from my shirt and a damp spot on my chest where she’d been drooling on me. But I didn’t give a shit.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“It’s after three in the morning.”
She rubbed her eyes and pushed up off my chest, sitting back on her knees. “I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep . . .”
“Don’t worry about it, so did I. I didn’t want to wake you, but Hayden called.”
She sat up, suddenly more alert. “Did he get Tenley? Is she all right?”
“There’s a minor setback.”
“What? Is he okay? Where is he? Did that asshole Trey do something?”
“It’s nothing like that. He’s just having some car trouble. I’m gonna pick him up and then we’ll get Tenley.”
“Oh. So he’s talked to Tenley?”
“Not yet, but it’s the middle of the night. I’m sure he’ll get a hold of her soon.” True or not, I didn’t want to upset Sarah more than she already was. From the look on her face, though, I doubted she believed it either.
I pushed up off the couch, grimacing at the stiffness in my back and neck. I wondered how differently the night would have ended if this business with Hayden and Tee hadn’t gone down.
Sarah stood up, her palm settling against my chest. “I could come with you.”
I cupped her cheek in my palm. “I don’t want you to miss school and you have to work tonight, right?”
“I only have one class today and I don’t work until late.” She traced the logo on my shirt.
“I won’t be back until sometime on Tuesday.”
Her eyes lif
ted. “You think it’s going to take that long?”
“Yeah. H got a speeding ticket and his car’s been impounded. Besides that, it’s a long drive. Even if we just go get Tee and come right back, it’ll still take a whole day.” And that was best case.
“I’m really worried about her. I’m worried about Hayden, too, but Tenley . . . you didn’t see her . . . she just looked so hollow.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. Sarah dropped her head, wiping them away.
Putting a finger under her chin, I coaxed her eyes up to mine. “We’ll bring her back.”
I bent to kiss her; for as tall as she was, I still had a good head on her. Not to mention a hundred pounds. Sarah’s hands moved over my shoulders, her palms coming to rest on the back of my neck. Her lips parted and I felt the soft press of her tongue. I didn’t resist, aware it wasn’t going farther than this. I was careful not to pull her in too tight, so she wouldn’t feel my growing hard-on. Instead, I savored the taste of her mouth and the feel of her fingers sliding up the back of my neck, into my hair. I wanted to delay leaving, especially knowing how bad the next several hours were going to suck. Staying here with Sarah and making out was a more attractive option. Eventually I pulled back. “I have to go.”
“I know.” Her arms stayed around my neck and she kissed the edge of my jaw. “You’re not taking your bike, are you? It’s too cold.”
“I was planning to take Tee’s car if she left her keys behind.” I didn’t mention hotwiring it if she hadn’t.
“Take mine.”
“What about school and work?”
“If I can’t find Tenley’s keys, I can take transit to school, and I’ll take a cab to work or call one of the girls for a ride in.”
Sarah didn’t have a license to drive my bike and I didn’t like leaving her without wheels. Still it would be easier if I didn’t have to hunt for Tee’s keys. “You sure?”
“Of course. But you’ll call me when you get there?”
“Definitely.”
Five minutes later, we were standing at the bottom of the landing, me with my jacket on and her keys in my hand, and Sarah with a threadbare blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
“I’ll call once I pick up H. Try and get some more sleep.”
I went to leave, but she grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. When I turned back to her, she threw her arms around my neck and pulled my head down.
“What’s—”
As soon as I opened my mouth, her tongue pushed past my lips. She melded her body to mine. We’d been out a few times now and I hadn’t tried to get her naked because I didn’t want to make it about that; but man, it was hard. And I was hard. There was no way she couldn’t feel it with the way every long, lean line and curve of her was pressed up against me. Her nails dug into my skin. When she shivered, I broke the kiss.
“Maybe we could pick up where we left off when I get back.”
Her fingers fluttered to her lips. “That’d be good.”
“I’ll call you later.” I considered going in for one more, but it would’ve turned into a full-on make-out session, given how Sarah was looking at me.
I started down the stairs.
“Chris?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re a good person. Hayden’s lucky to have you for a friend.”
“Wait until we bring Tee back before you go saying things like that.”
I jogged over to her car. It wasn’t locked. But I didn’t bother to ask questions–I needed to hit the road.
Sarah’s Tercel was a certified piece of shit. My apartment might be a dump, but her car was way worse. I couldn’t believe it still ran. It took me more than three hours to get to Hayden because the car shuddered every time I tried to go over 55 MPH. When I arrived at the truck stop in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, the sun made an appearance on the horizon, casting a pink glow over everything. It didn’t make the drive any more appealing.
Hayden was sitting at a booth, nursing what looked to be a mug of black sludge. He barely acknowledged me when I slid into the corner where he’d set up camp. His hair was totally fucked. It looked like he’d had his hand in it for the better part of the night. There were dark circles under his eyes and they were bloodshot. For Hayden, he was a complete mess.
“You look like shit.” No point in sugar coating it. Hayden wouldn’t appreciate it anyway.
“I know.”
“You haven’t talked to Tee yet?”
“I’ve called her every half hour, but it’s dumped me into voicemail every time. Maybe her phone’s off.” Hayden lined the condiments along the edge of the table.
“Her battery could have died,” I said.
Hayden chewed on his viper bites as he mulled over the possibility. “Yeah. That might be it." After a long pause he asked, "You want something to eat before we take off?”
“Nah, man, I’m good. I gotta take a leak, then we'll head out?”
He nodded. It looked to be the only answer I’d get, so I left him at the table and hit the bathroom. He’d already settled up with the tired-looking waitress when I came back.
The trip to Arden Hills was quiet. Hayden didn’t say much, other than to thank me for picking him up and comment on the shitty state of the car.
Arden Hills was nothing like Chicago. Twenty minutes outside of Minneapolis, it had a small town feel. That Tee had grown up here shed a lot of light on who she was as a person. While I knew she wasn’t a city girl, this was way different than I’d expected.
“You’re gonna turn up here,” Hayden said.
I followed his directions and headed down a heavily tree-lined road.
“It’s supposed to be on the right.” Hayden peered out the window, fingers tapping restlessly. “That’s it.”
I hit the brakes and turned into the nearly invisible driveway. After a hundred feet of interlocking stone drive, the trees thinned out and manicured lawns and gardens took their place. A quarter mile down, the driveway split in two. The one to the right disappeared around a corner. On the left was an enormous house. Actually, it looked more like a mansion with its five-car detached garage and front steps to rival a museum’s entrance. Cassie and Nate’s place seemed like a dump by comparison, and that was saying something.
“Where the shit are we?” I asked.
“Apparently, this is where Tenley’s fiancé lived.” Hayden’s voice came out in a monotone.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
No wonder Tee hadn’t wanted to tell Hayden about that fiancé of hers. Not only was the guy dead, but it looked like his family was disgustingly rich. I pulled the car up to the front steps, surprised that the property wasn’t gated. But then, there were security cameras stationed at various intervals along the front of the house. It wasn’t like Arden Hills was a mecca for crime, so I supposed the gated business wasn’t necessary.
“You want me to come with you?”
“It might be a good idea.”
I waited for Hayden to get out of the car before I did. He looked determined as he walked up the stairs to the massive entrance. There were two sets of doors; the first were elaborately designed wrought iron, the second were heavy, carved wood. He hit the doorbell and waited. The sound of static brought our attention to the intercom system wired into the side of the house. It was one of those high tech jobs with a screen and everything.
No image appeared to accompany the tinny, female voice, “May I help you?”
“I’m here for Tenley,” Hayden barked.
There was a long silence before she spoke again. “I’m sorry, Miss Page is not receiving guests.”
Hayden’s jaw clenched. “According to who?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“Mr. Hoffman, sir. It would be best if you called prior to your arrival.”
He turned to me, “I’m going to beat that fucker’s head in.”
“Pardon me, sir?”
I cut Hayden off before he said something to get himself in trouble. “We’r
e close friends of Tenley’s. We’ve been trying to get in touch with her, but her cell reception must be bad. Think you can cut us some slack?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Hoffman has given very specific orders. I’m not to disturb Miss Page under any circumstances. As I said before, it would be best to call in advance.”
“Screw that,” Hayden said. “You tell that fuckhead Trey, he’d better get out here, or I’m going to shove my foot so far up his ass it’ll come out his mouth.”
There were very few people who could rile Hayden up to the point where he lost control. Sienna had been one of those people for him. She'd never had much of an impact on me, but then I didn't give a shit about her. She made Hayden volatile, though. Putting him in the same room with her was like pulling the pin on a grenade. Eventually, it was going to go off; and when that happened, watch out, because the destruction would be epic. It had been a relief to all of us when he finally ended things with her.
Unfortunately, it looked like this Trey guy, or anyone affiliated with him, had the same effect.
Muffled voices filtered through the intercom, until a man spoke: “Unless you’d like to be arrested for trespassing and uttering threats of bodily harm, I suggest you get back in your car and go home.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I see Tenley.”
The intercom system made a faint clicking sound as it turned off. I waited for Hayden to start beating the door down. Several seconds passed before the small screen to the right of the intercom flickered to life.
Of course the guy was too chicken shit to come to the door, which might have been good. Otherwise, Hayden would have taken him to the ground. I doubted even the best plastic surgeon would have been able to restore his face after Hayden got through with him.
The man on the screen had a narrow, expressionless face. Shadows lined the hollow under his eyes and his nose seemed swollen, like maybe he'd been punched in the face. He looked me over, a slow smile forming as his attention moved to Hayden. In some weird way, he reminded me of Damen from Art Addicts, the tattoo studio where Hayden and I had both started our careers before opening Inked Armor. He had that same snake-ish vibe, like he was gauging the threat and deciding how to take it down.
Between the Cracks Page 1
