“Well, he is one nasty perp. How is the investigation coming?”
“I have a few leads that Parker and I are following up on. Things are starting to fall together,” Jed said heading for the door.
“Good luck. Sheriff Miller gave you until Monday right?”
Nodding, Jed said, “Go get this guy. I have to go back to class.”
Grinning, Cooper said, “Ah, the advantages of being older.”
“No doubt man, no doubt,” Jed said, heading down the hall towards Nora.
Chapter 20
Well that went better than I thought. Opening my gym locker, I thought about the last couple minutes. After Jed had come out, he had grabbed my hand and walked me back to the girls’ locker room so that I could change out of my gym clothes. Gym class was almost over anyway and after that we had lunch.
He had been silent the whole way to the locker room. I was waiting for him to say something and I didn’t want him to make a scene in front of anybody.
When we got outside the locker room door, he finally spoke. “I am sorry if he scared you.”
Turning to face him, I smiled. “Jed. He creeps me out, but I wasn’t scared. I knew he couldn’t do anything with all those people. Besides, I know you will come for me if he did.”
Jed reached out and brushed a lock of hair off my face. I couldn’t even keep my unruly hair tied back in a ponytail without it escaping. I was afraid of how it looked suddenly. I usually don’t care how I look for gym class, because it is just a bunch of girls.
“You can count on it,” Jed said leaning down to brush my lips with a kiss. “Now go get changed. I’ll be waiting right here for you.”
I hurried into the locker room to change. I didn’t want to keep Jed waiting long. Thankfully, I hadn’t done anything in gym to make me sweat. Running a half a lap didn’t warrant a shower, although my hair, was a mess. Taking the time to brush it out and spray on a light body fragrance, just in case, I headed back out.
Jed was leaning up against the wall when I walked out. As usual my heart skipped a beat, just knowing that this gorgeous guy was waiting for me.
“Ready?” Jed asked, slinging his arm across my shoulders. “I’m starving.”
“Me too,” I said grinning.
“You’re always starving,” he grinned back.
Smiling up at Jed, we turned the corner and almost ran into Ollie.
“Jed! There you are,” he said adjusting his backpack. “I talked to my friend! He is friends with Mark Mason. Mark told him that he thought he knew who was buying his paper.”
Holding up his hand, Jed said, “Slow down Oll. How did he know who was buying it?”
“Apparently, Mark said something about seeing his paper on somebody’s desk. He didn’t mention the name though.”
“Has your friend sold any papers?” Jed asked.
“No. He didn’t feel it was right, but could understand why Mark needed the money.”
“Good job Ollie,” Jed said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.
“Hey man! Keep your hands to yourself,” Ollie complained.
Laughing, Jed said,” Let’s get to lunch. Nora and I have something to tell you all.”
“I knew it!”
“Knew what?” I asked puzzled.
“It’s about the case, Oll,” Jed said playfully slugging him.
“Oh. Right,” Ollie laughed. “My mistake.”
“What did you mean?” I asked Ollie.
“Just that Jed really likes you,” he said, jumping out of Jed’s reach.
“She already knows that Buddy,” Jed grinned, nuzzling my neck.
“I figured as much, I just thought you had told her...”
“About that lunch,” Jed said interrupting him.
“There’s Kent and Charlotte,” I said waving to them as the three of us entered the cafeteria. We got in line and grabbed our lunch and then joined them at their table.
“Gabby told me to ask you about gym class today,” Kent told me as I sat down. “What happened?”
“She had a run in with Martin,” Jed said sitting down beside me. “He wanted to make sure she knew he was coming after her.”
“Are you ok?” Kent asked with concern. “How did he get near you?”
I explained what had happened and told them about meeting with Detective Cooper. “Jed was with me while I gave my testimony. The detective assures me that the police are doing everything they can to catch him.”
Kent turned to Jed who was calmly eating his lunch. “How can you be so calm? That jerk got with a few feet of Nora.”
Jed responded by lifting his head and glaring at Kent. You could tell that he was anything but calm. Knowing Jed, he was probably trying to concentrate on not getting upset, using his lunch as a distraction.
“Tell them about the note,” Charlotte told Kent, changing the subject.
“What note?” I asked.
“Someone left a note taped to my locker,” Kent said pulling it out. We all leaned forward to look at it. It said, ‘Need help with your English grade Barton? Come to a private meeting tomorrow night at the Country Club at 5:00. Don’t find us, we’ll find you.’ It had the open book symbol on the top of the paper.
“Wow! That was fast,” I exclaimed. “So tomorrow at five.”
“I hope we find out something from this meeting,” Charlotte said. “I feel like time is running out. I know that sounds silly.”
“No, you’re right. We need to get to the bottom of this soon,” I said, the sooner the better as far as I was concerned. I wanted Martin caught and behind bars.
“Ollie found out something,” Jed offered. “Tell them Oll.”
As Ollie told Charlotte and Kent about his friend, I picked at my lunch. I really didn’t have much of an appetite right now. I hadn’t been kidding, when I had told Jed I was starving earlier. It just didn’t taste good. In fact, I felt rather sick to my stomach. Just the thought of seeing Martin again, turned my stomach.
The lunch bell rang, signaling it was time to go to Biology. Gathering my tray, I got up and carried it over to the garbage. “What’s wrong?” Jed asked, following me over. “You didn’t say goodbye to anyone and you hardly ate anything.”
Turning, I gave Jed my best evil eye. “Why does my not eating have anything to do with it?”
Knowing how much I love food, he chuckled, “You just seem quiet and lost in though.”
“I know, I guess all the talk about Martin, made me lose my appetite.”
“That’s understandable,” Jed said wrapping his arm around my waist as we walked down the hall. “What are your plans for after school today?”
“I was planning on going right home and catching up on all my homework,” I told him honestly.
“Hi Nora! Hi Jed!” A girl walking past us called. Jed had helped her with her books and she made it a point to greet Jed whenever she saw him. She was in my math class and was very nice. I felt bad she was so unpopular.
“Hey Missy!” I called back as we walked past and Jed gave her wink.
“That’s good. I need to spend some time on the farm. I don’t want to be worrying about you out by yourself.”
“I’ll be at home all night with Kent standing watch over me,” I said resigned to the fact. It wasn’t that I didn’t want a quiet night at home; it was just that I didn’t want to be babysat by either Kent or Jed.
“It won’t be for too much longer,” Jed promised, as he walked me to my class after I had gotten my books.
“See you before you leave?” I asked him hopeful..
“You got it,” He said as we reached my classroom door.
The rest of the day went by fast. As I headed outside after school, I saw Jed leaning against the fountain waiting for me. “Kent is going to get the car,” Jed told me as I walked up to him.
“What do you mean get the car?” I demanded. “I am not an invalid. I can walk you know.”
“Just humor me,” Jed said kissing me on the forehead. “I don’t want to take a
ny chances. Here he comes.”
Jed walked me to the curb as Kent pulled up. Turning to face Jed, I said, “Have a good night at the farm.”
He said, “I’ll talk to you later. Stay out of trouble ok.”
“Say hi to the little colt for me. Does he have a name yet?”
“Yeah,” Jed grinned, clearly in love with the little guy. “Gladius.”
“Gladius,” I said trying it on for size. “I like it. What does it mean?”
“It’s a type of short sword used by the Roman Army,” Jed replied.
“You must have a thing for swords?” I asked. “Saber? Blade? Gladius?”
“My grandfather did. It just seemed fitting to follow in his tradition.”
“He’d be proud of you Jed,” I told him, looking up into his smiling eyes.
“You guys going to stand there and talk all day?” Kent yelled out as he rolled the window down.
“I better go,” I said, opening the door. Climbing in, I waved as Jed shut the door behind me.
“Good-Bye Jed.”
“Bye,” Jed said smiling. “Later, Kent.”
Kent gave Jed a little salute, as he pulled away. “Are you going to tell Mom and Dad about Martin?”
“I don’t want them to worry. Let’s hold off for a few days, maybe by that time the police will have caught him, and I won’t have to tell them anything because he will be in jail.”
“That sounds like wishful thinking.”
I shrugged. Leaning back against the seat, I let the soft sounds of the latest country music hits settle through me. I really was looking forward to just relaxing tonight. Maybe I would take a hot bath and start a really good book.
That night, I tossed and turned. I was restless. After I had finally fallen asleep, I was startled awake with a nightmare. It was dark and I was running from Martin. I knew that safety was just around the corner, but I just couldn’t seem to get there. I opened my mouth to yell for help and no sound came out. I bolted upright just as Martin reached for me.
Drenched in sweat, I climbed out of bed and changed into a dry oversized shirt.
I had this sense of forewarning. It was almost as if I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to avoid having a confrontation with Martin. I prayed that my intuition was just the result of my dream. It kept me up most of the night thinking about it.
As I walked down the hall to class the next morning, I was struck by how normal everyone was acting. As I walked by, several people called out greetings, and two people stopped to ask me my plans for prom. I felt like my life was crazy and dangerous right now. All it seemed anyone was talking about was prom. Last week, I would have been right there alongside them. Today, I had a lot of other things on my mind that involved murder, intrigue, and danger.
I felt someone staring at me. Looking to the right, I saw a boy, probably a junior or senior leaning up against the wall near the drinking fountain. He was looking right at me almost with hate in his eyes. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place his name. Odd, I thought. I gave him a small smile and he just glared at me. Shrugging, I walked past him to class. I guess he was having a bad day.
The morning passed uneventfully. I was starting to wake up more and was looking forward to eating lunch with Jed. Charlotte and I both got to the cafeteria before anyone else, so we filled our trays and found a table.
“Where’s Kent?” I asked, as we sat down. Nowadays, Charlotte knew where Kent was more than I did. That’s ok though. It was actually kind of nice. Almost like having a sister.
“He had to meet with Mr. Cotter over something in his Chemistry class. He was only going to be a few minutes.”
“Oh, I wonder where Ollie and Jed are? Oh, here they come,” I said as I saw them walk into the cafeteria together. Giving them a little wave, I watched as they got in line for their food.
“Are you and Jed going to Prom together?” Charlotte asked opening her milk.
“I don’t know, we haven’t talked about it. How about you and Kent?”
“He asked me last night,” Charlotte said excitedly.
“And you said…”
“Yes of course,” she said grinning.
Suddenly, the cafeteria doors slammed shut. Several people screamed. Looking up I saw three masked men dressed in dark clothes standing in front of the doors. The one in the middle was holding a gun.
“Everyone stay down and be quiet. As long as nobody moves, no one will get hurt,” the man with the gun yelled.
Martin! I would recognize that voice anywhere. Dread settled in my stomach, pinning me to my seat. Looking down at the table, I realized how inadequate it would be as protection from a gun. There was no way out of the cafeteria. Martin and his men were blocking the main entrance and exit. The only other way out was through the kitchen. Unfortunately, they would probably notice someone trying to sneak into the kitchen. Strangely, the kitchen door was shut and the servers were nowhere in sight.
Searching frantically for Jed, my eyes connected with his. I knew Martin was looking for me, by the expression on Jed’s face. He looked scared. “Stay down,” he mouthed to me.
Martin strode forward obviously looking for someone. “Greyson!” he yelled, waving his gun in the air. Someone whimpered.
I watched in horror, as Jed stepped out of line with his hands up. “I’m right here Vecelli. Let these people go.”
“Shut up!” Martin yelled walking toward the middle of the cafeteria.
I watched as Jed slowly took a step toward Martin and the gun. Fear washed over me. I’ve always read about that, but didn’t realize that it actually felt like something washed over you. Like a flood of hot dread the settled in my soul. I had a feeling that nothing good was going to come of this.
“Where is she?” he yelled, looking around wildly.
Slowly Jed took another step toward Martin, with his hands held out from his sides, palm’s facing up. “She’s not here,” he said in a calm voice.
How could he act so calm? My heart was pounding. I stayed where I was, partly because I was scared stiff, and partly because Charlotte had her hand on my leg holding me down. Looking around the cafeteria, I saw some girls softly crying and people trying to hide underneath or behind the tables. I couldn’t believe this was happening. It was all because of me. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Martin looked crazy and unstable.
“You’re lying! Boys, beat it out of him. If she’s in here, she’ll show herself.”
Horrified, I watched as the other two approached Jed. Jed looked my way, our eyes met, he was pleading with me to stay hidden. I nodded, I wasn’t particularly eager to give myself over to Martin. Relief flashed across his face, before he turned his attention to the two closing in on him. One of the men reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. Flipping it open he waved it in front of Jed and laughed. Jed kept one eye on the knife, while keeping the other glued to Martin and his gun. The two men closed in on Jed. I almost didn’t see it happen. Before I could blink, Jed kicked out with his foot and sent the knife flying across the floor. Then he landed a hard fist to the other man’s jaw. In less than six seconds, both of the thugs were sprawled out on the floor.
“This is between you and me Vecelli.” Jed said, breathing harder. “You want me? You come and get me yourself.”
“Now, that wouldn’t be as much fun would it? Besides I have a bone to pick with that girlfriend of yours,” he said, looking around the room, presumably for me. As Jed advanced on him, you could see his confidence starting to fade. Jed was clearly bigger, stronger and the more dominant male. Taking a step back, Martin said, “I see we are going to have to do this the hard way.”
Walking over to the closest girl, he grabbed her and yanked her to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her neck, he alternated between pointing the gun at her and at Jed. “You come any closer and I’ll shoot this girl.”
Jed immediately backed up a step, once again holding out his hands in surrender. “There’s no need to involve anyone else,” he
said again. “Here I am, come and get me.”
By then the two thugs had made it to their feet. Vecelli gestured to them and said, ”Grab him.”
My heart cried out for them to stop, as one grabbed Jed from behind pinning his arms. The other, whom Jed had kicked the knife from, hit a solid punch to Jed’s face, snapping it back, and then another to his middle, doubling him over.
Charlotte squeezed my leg as hard as she could. If not for her, I would have jumped to my feet and cried out.
“Cuff him to that pole.” Martin instructed his men, pointing to the black support pole in the center of the cafeteria. “Then check him for weapons.” Letting go of the girl for a split second, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He leaned down slightly, and slid them across the floor to the other masked man who wasn’t holding Jed.
I watched as they pushed and shoved Jed over to the pole and cuffed his hands around it. Jed’s mouth was bleeding and his t-shirt was ripped. Even though he went peacefully to the pole, his eyes told a different story. They were filled with anger and revenge as they glared at Martin. I was even intimidated by Jed. He was huge and threatening looking, his eyes were promising violence. Martin must have seen the threat Jed still posed even cuffed to the pole, because he ordered his men to take Jed car keys, and then teach him a lesson.
As they pounded into him, he took it silently, never giving them the satisfaction of knowing they were hurting him. He silently defended me, bravely taking the beating for me. I couldn’t take it anymore. If I hadn’t already suspected that I was in love with him, I would have now. He was an incredible caring, brave man. His strength never wavered. I was through hiding. Tears were streaming down my face, as I shook free of Charlotte’s grasp and stood up and screamed for them to stop.
Immediately, Martin’s eyes turned to me. “Well hello there, Darling.”
Jed started struggling at that point. He fought them off as hard as he could until he could get around the pole to face me. “Run Nora!” he yelled at me. “Don’t let them take you. You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I can’t let them keep hurting you,” I sobbed. “I love you.”
Undercover Justice Page 21
