“That’s just it. Why me?” I asked her, truly wanting an answer.
Julie just smiled at me and reached her arm around to hug me, “Why not you? You’re beautiful and smart. You definitely deserve some happiness and what a heavenly dose he is! So okay, tell me the details now. Is he a good kisser?” The old Julie resurfaced with her detailed check list of questions.
I answered her as best I could. The whole time I wondered if it was all a dream. It sounded too good to be true even as I relived the details. How could this gorgeous guy actually be interested in me? I couldn’t believe I’d spent an almost uncontrolled night with him alone. Each time I thought of him my heart would race and my face would blush. Julie would laugh and drill me with more questions.
“So are you going to see him again tonight?” Julie asked.
“You know I’m not sure. He didn’t say anything about when I’d see him again. He just winked at me and drove off.” I could feel the depression cloud start to close in around me when I thought about not seeing him soon.
Julie must have noticed and interrupted my thoughts, “I’m sure he’ll call you soon.” I checked my phone to make sure it was on. Julie laughed and got up from the bed. “You look a little tired. Why don’t you lie down to rest for a bit before you go home?”
“Home? Oh no, if you can read my body language so easily what’s Aunt Sarah going to think?” I began to feel panicky and I stood up to start pacing the floor. “Can you help me cover this up?” I asked pointing to my face. “Maybe she’ll believe I walked into a door.”
“Rae, you know I can read you like a book. Just tell her you’re tired and go to your room. She’ll understand.” Julie smiled and went to the dresser to get me some pajamas. “Here, you can change into these that way when my parents get up in a bit they won’t think I lied to them about you staying over.”
I began to change out of my clothes when Julie gasped. I turned to look at her and she was staring at me. “What?” I asked her looking down at my stomach.
“Oh Rae, what happened to your ribs?” her hand was on her mouth and tears were building up.
I went to her dresser mirror to look at my sides. The bruises were deep purple where Nate’s iron grip had added to the possible fractures of the dog pile I was under at the bonfire. I’d almost forgotten about that with all of the other excitement. “Oh, yeah. Kyler thought I should go to the doctor to get checked out, but I’ve had my fill of doctors lately.” I pulled on the pajama top and covered up the bruises. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.” I looked at Julie and she was still staring where my bruises were.
“Rae, you need to report this to the police. You’re Aunt Sarah is going to freak out!”
“So you see my dilemma.” I smiled at her. “I can’t let her see me like this and I can’t report it to the police or she’ll find out.” Julie didn’t look convinced.
“Raegan, if you don’t tell the police, he’ll just do this to someone else, or worse, he’ll come back after you. You didn’t see his face. There was blood everywhere. Kyler probably broke his jaw and his nose. If you don’t press charges, he might press charges against you and Kyler.” She grabbed her cell phone.
“Who are you calling?” I reached to grab the phone from her.
“Let’s at least get some pictures for evidence. You can make up your mind today about the police, but don’t wait too long.” She reached for the pajama top to lift up the shirt. She took a few pictures and then left me alone to finish changing.
I plopped down on her bed and grabbed my phone. Kyler didn’t want to be involved with the incident, but he did want me to go to the police. If I go to the police, do I lie about Kyler’s rescue? It wasn’t even on my mind last night to ask him. He said it was best not to mention his name. Did Nate even know who hit him? What about Jaxon? Would he press charges too? I forgot to ask Julie about him. There were too many details to get caught up in a lie. I searched my contacts for Kyler’s name and number. My fingers were shaking as I hit the call button.
“Miss me already?” His deep voice answered on the other end.
“Actually, yes.” I replied. “But that’s not why I’m calling.” I could hear machines in the background. He must have been at the lab.
“Everything okay?” He asked concerned.
“Yeah, I just want to let you know that I’m probably going to report last night to the police, and I need to know what I can say about your involvement.” I was shaking at the thought of telling others about last night on the beach.
“Rae, if you’re going to the police, I’ll go with you. I don’t want you going through that alone.” He was walking by the sound of his breathing.
“I know you’re busy and all with whatever you’re taking care of. I know you said you didn’t want your name brought up. I just need to know what part, if any, you want in this before I go. Julie said he had a broken nose and jaw and is afraid he’d press charges if I didn’t do it first. I don’t want to go to the police, but I don’t want you getting in trouble either.” I was on the verge of tearing up again though I didn’t know why. My voice was getting shaky. I swallowed back the tears. “He broke Jaxon’s nose. Jaxon’s at the hospital. I’ll need to find out if he’s going to press charges too. Maybe that will help my case.”
“Hey Rae, don’t worry about what I did. I know what I did to him and I’m not afraid of any punishment that comes from it. I’m just glad I was there before… Look, I’ll be there in a few minutes and we can go together.” Anger was building in his voice and I wished I could reach through the phone to calm him.
“Kyler…” my body shivered as I said his name. “Go ahead and take care of your stuff this morning. I was actually about to lay down for a bit. I’m still a little tired from everything yesterday. We can take care of this later this evening. I’ll need to tell Aunt Sarah too, and that’s going to be hard enough. Call me when you’re done and we can meet up later.” I couldn’t believe I was making him stay away. I needed some time to clear my head and focus on what to do next.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You didn’t look tired this morning.” He stated doubtfully. “There’s no need to stall. The longer you wait the more chance he has of getting away with it.” His voice was full of revulsion.
“I’m feeling fine, just suddenly exhausted. I really didn’t sleep well. Plus, Julie dragged me through the ringer with her obsession to details.” I tried to giggle but felt the heat of embarrassment.
“Oh, that bad?” He chuckled on the other end. “Hope she didn’t fill you in on all the secret details of me.”
“Not really.” I sighed.
“Oh, is that so? Guess you’ll have to solve the mysteries yourself.”
“I’m already trying to figure those out and failing miserably. I need more than cryptic clues.” I stifled a yawn.
“Are you sure you want to figure them out?” he sounded uneasy. “Besides, you need the rest. I can hear you yawning. I’ll call you this afternoon.”
“Okay, bye.” He had hung up and I felt even more drained of energy. I climbed under the covers of Julie’s bed and was lost to sleep as soon as my eyes closed.
CHAPTER 12 – THE POLICE
Julie woke me up around noon. She was shaking me hard and calling my name. “Raegan, please wake up!” Her voice was full of worry.
“Okay, okay.” I mumbled. I felt like someone drugged me. My eyes were heavy and my head felt like an anvil hit me. “Get me some water, please.” I struggled to sit up.
“What the hell, Rae? You look like crap! I’ve been trying to wake you up for half an hour. You’re phone has been going off. Your Aunt Sarah called the house checking on you, and you wouldn’t wake up. I thought you were dead!” The anxiety in her voice was piercing my head.
“I don’t know, but I feel like crap. How long did I sleep?” I shuffled to her bathroom to splash my face. The room was spinning and I caught the door frame for balance.
“Only about four hours! I though
t you slept last night.” She stood there with her hands on her hips.
“I did! I slept very well until that nightmare woke me up.” Nausea was building in my stomach and I ran for the toilet to vomit.
“Eww, gross Rae. What’s wrong with you? You might have a concussion.” She reached for a wash cloth to help me wipe my face.
“I don’t know. I was feeling great, then very tired and exhausted and now sick. My head is hurting.” I didn’t feel nauseous anymore, but still felt drained.
“Your head’s hurting again?” Fear filled her question.
“No, not like before. It feels like I took some kind of sleeping pill and my head is heavy and foggy, like a hangover.” I made my way back to her bed and sat there holding my head.
“Did you drink last night?” She asked.
“Not at all, you know me.” I was never the type to drink, especially out on the beach. I had the occasional glass of wine at dinner with my parents, but that was a long time ago. “I was fine until I fell asleep a while ago. I talked to Kyler and then fell asleep, nothing else.”
“Yeah, Kyler’s been calling you too. I answered it this last time and he was getting worried so I tried to wake you up. He should be here any minute. He was on the phone for the first ten minutes I tried to wake you up.” She looked at her watch and then at me. “That was almost half an hour ago.”
“I’ve got to shower and change. I look awful. He can’t see me like this.” I scrambled for the bathroom again only to realize I didn’t have any other clothes except the ones I came in. “Julie, I need some clothes.” I called to her as I turned on the water. She came in with some of her clothes and laid them on the counter. “If he shows up soon, just stall for a bit. Don’t let him leave.”
Julie laughed sarcastically. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere.” She pulled the door shut and left me to clean up. I showered quickly and dressed in the borrowed clothes. Julie always had great clothes. I had a pair of her white jean shorts and a deep blue fitted shirt. I ran a brush through the tangles and used her blow dryer to straighten my waves as best I could. I also borrowed her make up because as much as the thought of seeing Kyler again gave me a boost of energy, I still looked ragged. I did my best to cover the black eye that was forming.
Julie’s room was empty so I figured he must have shown up while I was in the shower. I still couldn’t feel him, or hear his music, so I couldn’t be sure. Julie’s parents had left for work so I didn’t have to face them today. I walked down the hall to the living room and there they were. Julie was facing him and his back was to me. His broad shoulders turned as soon as I walked in and his tense features relaxed with relief. He didn’t rush to me but turned and held out his hand for me to grab. I felt the magnetizing draw of him to my soul. I reached for his hand and almost instantly, the headache lifted and I was filled with his energy.
“Hey.” Was all I could manage to say. My heart was beating fast again and I wanted nothing more than to hug him and never let go.
“Hey.” He smiled that crooked smile at me, but I could tell there was something hidden behind the smile.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him and looked at Julie. She had a guilty look in her eyes.
“Nothing’s wrong, now.” He squeezed my hand. “How’s your headache?” He looked at my head then back to my eyes.
“Better.” I glared at Julie knowing she’d told all the gory details of my bathroom trip. She just shrugged her shoulders and walked to the kitchen.
“Are you hungry, Rae?” Julie called from the kitchen.
“No, not really.” I replied as Kyler walked toward the kitchen towing me behind. Julie already had some sandwiches made and glasses of tea set up on the breakfast table. I really wasn’t hungry but I knew better than to protest. I certainly didn’t want the command to eat that Kyler used on me last night. That would suck in front of Julie. She’d never let me live that one down.
“You should really eat something, Rae.” Julie offered a sandwich to me and I took one to appease her.
We all sat down and ate lunch in Julie’s kitchen. I could feel her staring at me then she’d look at Kyler like we were going to do something fantastic right in front of her.
Kyler broke the silence by going on the offense. “So Julie, when do you leave for California?” A change of subject was nice.
“I’m flying out Sunday. School won’t start for another week or so, but my parents wanted to make sure I was all settled before classes start.” Her dark eyes sparkled with his attention. “What about you, Valedictorian? What did you finally decide upon? I know at graduation you received several offers for full scholarships. I can’t believe you were undecided.” Julie quickly turned the conversation back to him.
“I’m fairly certain my plans to stay local are still in effect. I’ve been working with my mom at the University helping her with her research and I’m sure they could use the free labor in the lab.” He finished his sandwich and lifted his glass to drink. Every move he made was beautiful. Even the way he drank tea had me hypnotized. How could someone so perfect be interested in me? He put his glass down and tensed and then stared in disbelief at me as if he could hear my thoughts. Then he smiled my favorite smile. “Finished?” He glanced at my plate and half eaten sandwich.
“Um, yes, I am.” I blinked and looked away from his gaze. I pushed my chair back to stand up and realized I was still holding his hand. He released me so I could get up and he followed with his own dishes.
Julie told us to leave them in the sink and she’d take care of them later. “So are you going home first, Rae? Your Aunt Sarah was looking for you, checking up on you actually. She had a string of questions about how you were feeling and all.”
“I guess we should get that over with first before we go down to the police station. Aunt Sarah is going to freak out.” I felt the pressure of hurting her weigh on my shoulders. How much could a person take in a year? I know nothing actually happened, but she’s not going to let me go far out of her sight after this. Kyler put his hands on my shoulders and I could feel the heat again, but it was not the same as last night. It was there, but subdued.
“She’ll be okay. She loves you and you don’t have anything to worry about.” He whispered near my ear. I felt electric shivers run down my body and I knew he felt them too because he rubbed my arms up and down and patted them to reassure me.
“Well then let’s get this over with.” I turned and headed to the door.
I expected his motorcycle again, but was shocked to see a Jeep sitting in Julie’s driveway. The top was on but the doors were off. It was black and the tires were huge. He laughed at my open mouth.
“It’s just a Jeep, Rae. He walked me to the passenger’s side and helped me up to the side steps. I climbed in and put on the seatbelt. He jumped in the other side and the engine roared to life. Julie wasn’t surprised. I’m sure she had seen him in it all year. She waved from the front porch and signaled for me to call her. She would want even more details than I would welcome.
We drove down the road to my house. At first I wondered how he knew where I lived but figured he knew a lot more that he was letting on. He knew where Julie lived too. That didn’t register until we pulled up in my driveway. He must have sensed my uneasiness. “Julie told me where you lived. She had a graduation party and you were the topic of conversation then too.” He smiled warmly and jumped out of the Jeep. He walked over to my side, but I was already climbing down. “Ready?” He asked.
“No, but there’s no turning back now. Aunt Sarah’s already waiting.” He smiled at me and grabbed my hand. The jolt of energy was exciting. I took a deep breath and felt full of courage as I walked toward my Aunt Sarah. She looked at me with that motherly “where have you been” look, then looked at Kyler and emotion left her face. I didn’t understand her reaction but she quickly controlled her response and smiled at him.
“Aunt Sarah, this is Kyler Stone. Kyler this is my Aunt Sarah, Sarah Mason.”
Kyl
er reached to shake her hand and she blubbered her greeting of “Nice to meet you.” She kept looking at us like she’d seen a ghost.
“Aunt Sarah, are you okay?” Kyler released her hands and smiled at her. She looked back at me and collected herself. “Yes, dear. I’m fine. I’m so glad to see you. I called Julie’s and she said you were still sleeping. Were you out late last night?” She glanced at Kyler as if she knew.
“Actually, Aunt Sarah, something happened last night and I need to tell you about it. Let’s go inside and sit down.” Aunt Sarah looked at Kyler again and her eyebrows furrowed to a frown. Aunt Sarah was looking irritated and angry at Kyler. I had to figure out a way to make her understand that he was not the one to be angry with. When we got inside, Aunt Sarah walked to the living room, but wouldn’t sit down. I sat down and Kyler sat next to me on the love seat. Aunt Sarah crossed her arms and stared at us. “Aunt Sarah, please sit down. Please don’t look at me like that. We didn’t do anything but I need to tell you what happened before we go to the police.” Aunt Sarah slid to her chair as her hand went to her mouth.
“Raegan, what’s going on?” She managed to get out through her hand.
“Ms. Mason,” Kyler intervened, “Raegan was assaulted last night at the bonfire by someone. From what I heard later, Jaxon Owen tried to stop him but ended up with a broken nose. He hauled her away from the bonfire in attempts to violate her but before he could, I found him and stopped him.” He looked away from Aunt Sarah temporarily to make sure I was not falling apart at his report. “Julie and I have convinced Raegan to go to the police today before he can do anymore harm.”
“Who was this monster?” Aunt Sarah asked.
“I only know they were calling him Nate. I don’t know any more than that.” I interjected.
“His name is Nate Stein. He’s not a local, but he’s been here all summer. He’s staying at the Windy Palms with some friends. I expect they’ll be leaving soon, so we need to get to the police station before he has time to skip town.” Kyler filled in the details I lacked. I looked at him questioningly. “He’s built up a reputation for this type of thing over the summer. This was the farthest he’s gone, though.” He looked at me, his jaw tense and his eyes fierce.
Bonded (The Raegan Mason Trilogy) Page 12
