by C. C. Bolick
“What are you talking about?” I asked Chase.
“My escape,” Tosh said, gripping the keys to her chest. Her face glowed with a happiness I never knew she possessed. “Chase promised to get me and my mom out of town.”
“I said I’d help you,” Pade moaned, his head hung low. “Why does he have to save you?”
Tosh lowered to her knees beside Pade. “You’ve already been a better friend to me than anyone, anywhere. You were willing to protect me when no one else cared. You helped me and all I did was lie to you.”
“Lie?” Pade asked, his head snapping to attention.
“Yes,” Tosh said, smiling sadly. She took his hand in hers. “I’m not pregnant. My step-dad didn’t rape me. He did beat up on my mom, and the police know his record, but he never touched me like that. It was the only thing I could say to get Mom out of his house.”
“You really made up being raped?” Bailey asked, a look of pity on her face.
Tosh nodded. “You don’t know what it’s like to be a prisoner in your own house.”
“Oh, yes I do,” Bailey said.
Chase gripped Bailey’s arms, turning her to look into his eyes. “I’ve been back for weeks. I overheard Tosh’s problems and promised to help her disappear.”
“Why didn’t you find me before?” she asked.
“I wasn’t coming back to stay. But then I saw you tonight and I knew if we didn’t talk, I might never have another chance.”
A siren sounded in the distance, first as a low whistle, then as a force of power gaining momentum over the wind.
“Go time,” Tosh said and turned to me. “Good luck.”
I wondered if she knew where Chase would take me next.
Chase reached for Pade’s arm, pulling him up to stand, but Pade shrugged him off. Bailey raced for the driver’s door of the white car. I walked beside Pade to the car, barely noticing as Tosh drove off in the jeep. Chase climbed into the passenger seat next to Bailey.
“Want me to drive?” Chase asked as I climbed in behind him.
Bailey turned the keys. “Have you ever driven a car?”
“Not exactly,” Chase said with a smile. “But it can’t be harder than flying.”
Pade stopped next to Bailey’s window. “He’s not going with us.”
“Get in,” Bailey said, “or get your ass left.”
I leaned across the seat and opened the door. “Please.”
Pade said a few words I couldn’t hear and dropped into the seat next to me, closing the door as Bailey backed the car out of the driveway and spun tires. She floored the accelerator.
“Yeah,” Pade grumbled, “tear it up.” He looked at me. “Are you going to argue with me about Chase too?”
How could I tell Pade who Chase really was? He’d think I was crazy. “He can help us.”
“Sure he can,” Pade said. “So, sister dear, what is so important about Chase? Why did we have to bring him?”
Bailey’s eyes didn’t leave the road. “That’s none of your business. Besides, what did Chase ever do to you?”
Pade laughed, an annoying cynical sound. “Come on, Sis. You can’t still like Chase after all this time. What does your best friend think about you and Chase?”
“What does that matter?” I asked.
The alcohol on Pade’s breath filled the air between us. “Well, you like him don’t you?” He laughed again, but with no semblance of humor. “Remember you talked about the guy you loved? The one who left? You see, Jes, I always listen to what you say. Only one guy left you and that’s Chase Pearson.”
Bailey glanced over her shoulder, enough for me to see the furor in her eyes. “You are the biggest idiot I’ve ever met, Pade Sanders.” She drove the car off the road and into the dirt, slamming into park. She flung herself around to look into her brother’s eyes. “She was talking about you!”
The color drained from Pade’s face. “You were in love with me the whole time?”
I wanted to laugh at his pitiful sound, but I’d had enough drama for one night. “That’s kind of hard to say at the moment.”
“What about Chase?” His eyes pleaded. “Why did he come back?”
“Because,” I said, “he’s my brother.”
“What?” Bailey asked and cut her eyes to Chase.
“Yes,” Chase said. “Jes is the sister I lost at five. My twin.”
Bailey looked from Chase to me to Pade, then back at me. “He’s your brother? I mean, your real life honest to god blood brother? That’s what Chase meant, right? About you being his twin?” She shook her head in disbelief. “And he’s from Golvern. That means…”
The air inside the car felt stale. “So am I.”
She shook her head again, but next to me Pade’s eyes were fixed straight ahead. “There’s something I should tell you. Pade and I…”
Before she could finish, a light from behind flashed inside the car. The glow gave shadows to Pade’s face that made me sick inside.
“There’s someone coming up from behind,” Bailey said as the car slowed to a stop behind us. “I’m getting us out of here.” She threw the car into gear and pulled back onto the road in a storm of dust.
“Faster,” Chase said, craning his neck to see the car.
“Oh my god,” Bailey screamed. “They’re going to hit us!”
In the next seconds, we were slammed from behind twice. “Pade,” Bailey screamed, “what do I do?” The car pulled up close and slammed us a third time. She almost lost control, but swerved to hold her place on the dark road. “Jes, call someone! Call 911!” She slowed around a curve, taking us around the edge of Lake Credence.
“Can’t you drive faster?” Pade asked, as if just grasping we were in danger.
“The authorities can’t help us,” Chase said, his voice rattled. “They’re after me and Jes.”
I closed my eyes and pictured myself outside of the car. No, I couldn’t leave everyone. As the car swerved again, I opened my eyes and stared at Chase, silently willing him to do something to save us. I wasn’t strong enough yet. He’d have to overcome his fear.
His eyes met mine. Chase knew what I was thinking, but instead of saving us, he covered his face with his hands. “I can’t…”
“Can’t what?” Bailey asked. “Why would—?” she started, but a fourth hit was more than she could handle. The car left the road and rocketed down a slope. Through grass almost as tall as the car and branches that seemed to reach out in warning we crashed, our dim headlights illuminating only a few feet in front of us. The car fishtailed and turned over, gaining speed as if carried by a river rushing toward massive falls. My last vision was of a final crash, where the remaining light caused an explosion of sparkles in my eyes.
* * * * *
Sitting upside down, held only by a seatbelt that sliced into my shoulder, I came to the conclusion I really didn’t like Tosh. And I definitely didn’t want to die in her car.
Gravity pulling against me in the darkness didn’t help the situation. I tapped the glass to my right and ran my hand below the bottom edge of the window. Gripping the window handle, I said a silent thanks that Tosh’s car had the old-style manual roll-down windows. Maybe if I could get the window down, I could climb out. I didn’t expect the rush of cold water that spilled through the gap.
As I fought to turn the handle back and stop the water, I noticed my cell phone, still gripped tight in my left hand. I’d pulled it out to dial 911. I pressed a button and a beacon of light radiated the backseat. Pade was still next to me. Thankfully, even in his drunken state he’d chosen to strap on the seatbelt. When I shoved his arm, he slowly opened his eyes.
“What happened?” he asked.
“We crashed into the lake. We’re upside down in the water.”
With my cellular flashlight, I could see that Bailey and Chase were deathly still. Both airbags in the front had deployed, and I prayed that one safety was enough. Pade hit both seats from behind, while yelling Bailey’s name, but neither s
he nor Chase stirred.
In my mind, I covered the short list of possible ways for us to escape. Pade was drunk, upset, and trying to recover his bearings. Although I knew he couldn’t be much help, I clutched his hand when the car lurched as if he could keep me from falling.
“We’re filling with water,” Pade said, his voice sobering fast.
There was only one way out, and unfortunately, I’d have to make three trips. Would I still have power left after one trip? My stomach twisted, for I wasn’t even sure I could move an entire person. I wondered what Pade would say. “I can get me and one other person out.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
The car lurched again. “It’s hard for me to explain, but—”
“There’s no time. You get Chase and I’ll get Bailey.” With those words, he placed a hand on Bailey’s shoulder and I did the same for Chase. I closed my eyes and pictured the two of us on the lake’s shore. Please don’t be upside down, was my last thought. When I looked down, I was on my knees with Chase lying in front of me, stretched out across the ground. He moaned, but didn’t open his eyes.
A noise sounded behind us and I turned to see Pade on his knees next to Bailey. When I saw her move, I released the breath I’d been holding.
“What happened?” she asked as Pade helped her to sit upright.
“We crashed into the lake,” he said.
“How did we get out?” Bailey’s eyes focused on Chase and then on me. “There’s no way you got us all out, not in your state.”
“No,” Pade said. “I got you out and Jes got Chase out.” His eyes landed on mine, searching my soul as if meeting me for the first time.
“Jes?” Bailey shook her head. “She really does have a power, like us?”
Pade’s eyes didn’t leave me. “Apparently so.”
The peculiar blend of shock and pain in Pade’s voice tore at my insides. I turned back to Chase, unable to think of anything intelligent to say. Pade helped Bailey to her feet and they approached, each stopping to kneel on one side of me. Questions? Boy, did I have enough for the rest of the night.
“Is he okay?” Bailey whispered.
“I don’t know,” I said, leaning down to hear the words forming on Chase’s lips.
“Call…your mom.”
“Evelyn?” I asked. “You want me to press the charm?”
“No,” he said, his voice ragged, “call Lorraine.” It took every bit of energy for Chase to form the next words. “She’s a Protector. She…will help…us.”
Bailey exchanged a troubled glance with Pade. I dialed Mom’s number and she answered after only two rings.
“Jes,” she said, “is everything okay?”
“Nothing is okay,” I said.
Her voice filled with urgency. “Where are you?”
“We went off the road into Lake Credence. The last turn in the road near the lake. Mom?”
“Yes?” she asked.
“Chase is with us and he’s hurt. Please come now.”
The call ended and all I could do was stare at the tiny light that disappeared five seconds later. My hands shook as I considered redialing, but my fingers wouldn’t cooperate. In less than a minute, I heard a noise above us on the hillside. Mom and Dad were making their way through the bushes.
“Jes!”
“Down here,” I yelled, my voice shaking. They were really here. They’d really zapped themselves here to help us.
Dad rushed to my side, but Mom didn’t bother to run. Instead, she appeared on the other side of Chase.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked.
I shook my head. “Just help Chase. Please,” I begged as the tears began to sting my eyes. I no longer had to be strong. “Don’t let him die.”
Mom took Chase’s head in her hands. “We need Charlie.” She looked at Pade. “Call your mother and tell her to come now.”
Pade’s eyes were cloudy, maybe because of the alcohol. He turned and dialed his phone. Before I could look back up, Aunt Charlie stood next to Mom.
“Someone tried to kill us,” Bailey said.
“Who?” Dad asked, alarm taking over his voice.
“We don’t know,” she said with a shiver. “Chase thought they were following him.”
“They ran us off the road,” Pade said.
“In the jeep?” Aunt Charlie asked.
“No,” Bailey said. “We were in Tosh’s car.”
“That girl?” Aunt Charlie reached for Pade’s arm, but he took a few steps back. “Look, no one really thinks…why not admit that silliness about Tosh is a lie?”
“It is a lie. Why didn’t you ask before you called Dad?”
She shortened the gap between them. “Pade Sanders, have you been drinking?”
Pade looked at the ground.
Aunt Charlie grabbed his arm, shaking as if trying to force him back to reality. “Don’t tell me you were drinking and driving.”
“I drove,” Bailey said, “which is why we took Tosh’s car. And no, I haven’t been drinking.”
“Charlie, not now,” Mom said. “We’ve got to get Chase to a hospital.”
Dad stood, scanning the perimeter of trees around us. “Credence Memorial will have to do for the moment. I don’t see anyone, but we should hurry. Most likely whoever ran you off the road was the first contact. The second will come ready for combat.”
Mom looked me over carefully. “What has Chase told you?”
Tears slipped down my cheeks and I wiped them away. “He said to call you. He said you would help because you’re a Protector.”
Mom’s eyes glossed and Dad looked away. “Yes, that I am. Did Chase tell you why he came back?”
“He came back for me,” I said.
“But why?” Dad asked.
How many times would I say the words before they felt real? “Because he’s my brother.”
Dad stood then, unable to meet my eyes. “Did he take you anywhere?”
“To New York,” I said, “last night. I got to meet Marsha Naples. And see my real mother again.”
“Oh honey,” Mom said. “Then you know about everything.”
“No,” I said, “none of this makes any sense. Chase said you’re a Protector. But who are you protecting?”
Mom opened her mouth, but Dad said the words. “She’s protecting you.”
The Reasons Why
Aunt Charlie got us through the waiting room at Credence Memorial and back to see a doctor in less than five minutes, which I never imagined was possible. Mom and Dad followed close behind the bed holding Chase, through the main locking doors and into the triage area. We found a waiting room with one table of magazines and half a dozen chairs. Three chairs to one side of the small table, facing three chairs to the other.
Bailey and Pade decided to walk to the cafeteria, insisting on finding a drink machine.
“Don’t go far,” Aunt Charlie warned. “We might need to leave at a moment’s notice.”
Pade rolled his eyes as he and Bailey started down the hall.
I watched Mom and Dad from the doorway of the waiting room, but couldn’t bring myself to stand near the window separating them from Chase.
“They’re doing everything they can,” Aunt Charlie said.
My hands shook. “I know.”
She gripped one of my hands. “Be strong for him.”
“I can’t lose him again,” I said, on the verge of tears.
“I’m going to check on the boys.” Aunt Charlie placed a hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t the time for tears, my dear. Fate is on our side, but you must not lose hope. Then all would be lost.” She took a quick glance around and then disappeared.
“Won’t the cameras see her?” I asked as Mom walked up.
“We’ll be gone long before anyone notices a blip on a screen in that security office. Charlie says the night guards have a habit of dozing off after ten.”
Dad followed her into the room. He held a device in his hand—Chase’s phone. “How much do y
ou want to bet this has a tracking device?”
I pulled the necklace from under my shirt. “Chase said this is a tracking device. He wanted me to press the stone if anything bad happened.”
“It’s only a matter of time then,” Dad said.
Mom fingered the charm and sighed. The charm disappeared, leaving only the gold chain to fall against my shirt. “That should throw them off.” She dropped into one of the chairs and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.
“Speaking of time…” Dad said, his voice trailing off. He straightened and stared beyond the doorway as if a ghost had entered the hall.
“Who are you looking for?” someone asked from the hall.
“My son,” said a familiar voice.
I leaned around the door to see Evelyn standing next to a nurse. The nurse regarded the two men in black suits over her glasses, which slid halfway down her nose. “They can’t be in here.”
Evelyn motioned to the men, who retreated beyond the locking doors in the hall.
“You say he’s your son?” the nurse asked, skeptical. “What about the people who brought him in?”
“Family friends,” Dad said, pushing me behind the door. He stepped into the hall as I inched from behind the door enough to see her.
“You,” Evelyn said, her words a cold command. She walked calmly to stand before Dad, her eyes locking with his, her expression unreadable. “You are Justin Delaney?”
“Who I am is not important,” he said and backed away.
She moved closer, her voice rising with every word until she stood in the waiting room doorway. “You are the man who kept my daughter from me for twelve years?”
“Kayden needed our protection.”
The room spun. I struggled to breathe. In my heart, I’d hoped to be wrong about him, but he knew my real name. There was no longer any question in my mind. He must be the dark fighter Chase admired.
Evelyn regarded Mom warily. “Lorraine Conners.”
Mom nodded, but didn’t meet her searching eyes. “I am Lorraine, daughter of Candorice Conners, formerly Candorice Reisten of Golvern.”
