“Correction, your best friend just saved your sorry ass, so stop whining like a little bitch,” Aiden said from behind me.
I spun around and caught a fist full of Aiden’s field jacket. He winced, handing over his rifle to Oliver. As soon as the gun was out of Aiden’s hands, I pulled my fist back and caught Aiden in the jaw. Pain exploded across the bridge of my knuckles.
“You’re a lying rat bastard, Aiden Jacobson,” I said, clenching my hand, willing the pain to subside.
Aiden just shot me a goofy-ass grin, stepping back to put a little distance between us as he rubbed his jaw. “Good to see you too, Jared.”
The guys stayed silent behind me, and I wasn’t sure if it was because they were as confused as I was, or if they’d realized just how fucked up the situation was.
Aiden took full advantage of the silence and walked over to where they stood. He shook their hands, introducing himself as if he hadn’t just upended my life.
Murphy stepped in front of me, shifting my focus to her when she picked up my hand and mumbled something over her shoulder to Oliver about going upstairs to get some ice.
I caught her by the elbow. “You can’t go up there!”
“The shooter’s been eliminated. It’s perfectly safe now,” Oliver said, shutting the door to the weapons’ room.
In his hand, Oliver held a slim, black remote of some sort. He tossed it to Aiden and then herded us up the stairs.
When we got to the living room, Murphy gasped, noticing the three spots chipped away at the glass.
“You got lucky,” Aiden said as he passed by me and held the device up to one of the areas where the glass had been hit. It beeped, and a robotic voice spoke. “Glass integrity, eighty-nine percent.” He moved over to the next one, repeating the process. “Glass integrity, ninety-two percent.”
I turned around and bumped into Oliver. “If you don’t start talking right now, I’m packing my shit and leaving.”
“So quick to leave everyone behind?” Oliver asked, heavy with sarcasm.
“How would you feel, Oliver? It seems like everyone’s decided it was okay to lie to me. My friend, my parents… who else? Huh? Who else!”
Aiden jerked when I shouted. I had the full attention of the entire room, but no one spoke.
“Let’s go get some ice for your hand. Maybe Oliver will sit down and talk about it with you,” Murphy said as she put her hand on my arm.
I shot Aiden and Oliver a dirty look as Murphy led me to the kitchen.
There was a lapse of silence, but only for a moment. The doorbell rang and, immediately followed by that, a fight broke out in the living room between Oliver and Aiden.
“…deserves to know!”
“You’ll keep your mouth shut until you’re told otherwise.”
“Screw you, Oliver. Everyone is done telling me what I can and can’t do. He deserves to know. He deserves to be told the truth. Let him decide what he can or can’t handle.”
Licks, Retro, and Lars beelined into the kitchen as Aiden and Oliver fought their way into the foyer in a tangle of arms as they struggled to get past one another.
“Is anyone gonna get the door?” Murphy asked when the doorbell pealed again.
Lars looked to Retro and Licks.
“Don’t look at me. I’m not opening shit. Those are bullet holes in the glass. Bullet holes. No fucking thank you. I don’t care if Ed McMahon is behind that door with a check for a billion dollars. He can stay the fuck out there as far as I’m concerned.”
“Nice,” Murphy said, shoving him.
The doorbell pealed again, but it was hard to hear over Oliver and Aiden yelling at each other as they wrestled across the foyer.
“…don’t touch that door, Aiden.”
“Fuck you, Oliver.”
“I’m gonna bust your hardass head against the floor if you don’t stop fighting with me.”
“I’d like to see you try, old man.”
Oliver lifted Aiden up in the air by the scruff of his neck and the back of his pants as the door swung open.
Everything stopped.
I had to blink several times, because surely Ace wasn’t standing at the front door with a M16 slung over his back. “What the fuck are you idiots doing in here?”
Aiden picked up his hand and waved. “Hey, Ace. Do you think you can get this monkey to let me go? I swear to fuckin’ God, he’s like part Orangutan or something.”
Oliver dropped him on the floor. He just let him go, and Aiden caught himself against the floor, landing in a push-up position. He popped up and lunged for Ace, pulling him against his chest and slamming his hand against his back. “I wondered when you’d be called in. Damn, it’s good to see you!”
Ace never took his eyes off me. There was a hollowness there, devoid of life, or maybe it was filled with agony instead. All I knew was, I fucking lost it.
“You’re a fucker, and you’re a fucker. You’re both fuckers.” I stormed towards them. They broke apart with enough room for me to walk between them, but I didn’t stop, I just shoved my arms out, knocked them out of the way, and ran up the stairs. My parents were going to answer me when I called them. They were going to tell me what the hell was going on, and why both Aiden and Ace were standing in the foyer of the vacation house owned by Cole Enterprise in the fucking Poconos.
My father answered his phone on the second ring. “How’s your fist?”
“How’s my fist? Are you kidding me right now? How’s my fist? Did Oliver call you?”
“No, I saw it on the security camera feed. Hell of a right hook you got there, son, but I’d suggest finding someone with a softer head to hit.”
“You know, Dad, none of this surprises me. I mean, here I sit, trying to make sense of it, trying to understand what part of my life wasn’t a lie. Wondering why two of my best friends, who were supposed to be in two different states, are standing in the foyer. One of which has an M16 strapped around him. So yeah, you telling me you saw it on a security camera feed, no matter how much that pisses me off, really isn’t my biggest concern.”
“What is?” he asked.
“What is what?” Could he not just answer my questions without throwing in one of his own?
“Your biggest concern, Jared?”
I paced the floor, angry that he even had to ask. “There are three bullet holes in the window of the living room, and two of my best friends here. I want to know why.”
“I’m glad the holes are in the window, Jared. Wanna know why?”
I snorted, frustrated with his smart-ass reply. “I don’t see how you could be glad about any of it. They were shooting at me.”
“Precisely. I’m glad they hit the glass because it means they missed you. The wind was in your favor, Jared. That’s the only reason you’re still alive.”
My frustration raised a notch higher. “That doesn’t tell me who shot at me and why.”
His sigh was soft, so soft I almost missed it. “No, it doesn’t. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that—”
“Why the hell not? Don’t I deserve to know?” I stopped pacing, wishing my dad were there in front of me so I could at least see his face. It was easy to lie to someone over the phone when they couldn’t gauge your facial reaction.
“I’m sorry, son. It’s classified information.”
I kicked the dresser. “Like Ace and Aiden? Are they classified information too? Why are they here? What do they have to do with you?”
“Jared, I have a body to recover, a mountain of bureaucratic red tape to get through, and reports to file. Your mother and I will be flying out next week to Scotland. When we get back, I’ll come to you, and we can sit down and talk.”
“Don’t bother. I have nothing else to say to you. I could have died, and you’re more worried about the clean up.”
I hung up on him and threw my phone across the room. It hit the wall, bouncing back along the carpet.
“Feel better now?” Ace asked as he poked his head into the room.
/>
“Fuck off, Ace.”
“I missed you too, bro,” he said, pushing away from the door.
I listened, but I couldn’t hear him walk away. His footsteps were that silent.
MY PHONE VIBRATED ON THE carpet, alerting me of an incoming message. Had it not been for the fact that I’d been waiting for Paige to get back in touch with me, I would have left it there. Picking it up from the floor, I turned it over and made my way to the window.
Paige’s message was not what I’d expected. Riley had decided not to do a funeral. I pressed the call button and waited for Paige to answer.
“That was fast,” Paige said when she answered.
“Does she really not want a funeral?” I asked.
“That’s what she said… and before you say it, no, it’s not about money. It’s what she thinks her father would have wanted.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, focusing on switching my anger to concern. “Is she okay, Paige… like really okay?”
“She’s coming out of it. Mary being here really helps.”
Outside the window, Oliver, Aiden, and Ace stood along the water. Ace pulled his phone out of his pocket and shook his head. Aiden turned to look at him and then pulled his phone out. Oliver’s finger poked out in the air, jabbing at both of them. His mouth moved and both Aiden and Ace reacted to whatever he’d said.
“…listening to me?”
“What? Oh sorry, Paige… you’re cutting in and out.”
“I was saying that Riley’s doing better. Between Mary and me, we’re keeping her busy. It seems to be helping.”
“You’re a good friend, Paige.” Better than the two arguing outside.
“Are you okay, Jared?”
Paige was one of those people who could pick up on other’s moods. “I’m good. A little homesick, but good. Have you told the others about Riley’s decision?”
“Yeah, I texted all of you together, even though Ace and Aiden won’t be able to get back in touch with me anytime soon.”
My stomach knotted, and I bit my lip to keep from blurting out the truth. I had to keep it to myself until I knew what the hell was going on.
“Have you heard from Eli?” I asked.
“I heard back from him yesterday. He said reception, even with a SAT phone, has been a little iffy.”
“But you talked to him… He’s doing okay?” What would Eli think of Ace and Aiden’s lies?
“He tried calling me, but the phone cut in and out so bad that he hung up and texted me. But he did say the heat’s been brutal and the mosquitoes are big enough to lift you up and carry you off. Other than that, he’s doing well.”
I couldn’t imagine dealing with the heat day in, and day out, with no reprieve of air conditioning. “And we thought the ones out by the Hole were bad,” I said, chuckling.
“I know, right?” She laughed along with me. “Oh, Mark’s calling me. I’ll keep in touch, Jared, but do me a favor and call Riley soon. She misses you guys.”
“I will. Tell Mark I said hello.”
“You got it. Bye, Jared.”
“Bye, Paige.”
WHATEVER DISAGREEMENT OLIVER, AIDEN, AND, Ace, had was over by the time I made my way downstairs and outside.
I walked past them, making my way to the water’s edge, and squatted down on the pebbled beach in search of a good skipping rock.
“Ten bucks says I can make it further than you,” Licks called out from behind me.
The wind gusted around us, rippling the water and rattling the leaves on the trees. I stared off at the spot where, not long ago, Aiden had hid in full camo, as I bounced the rock in my hand.
“So does your silence mean that you’re disappointed that I’m the one who came to talk to you? Or are you worried that I’ll beat you? ’Cause I gotta tell you, I got mad rock-throwing skills.”
I snorted. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. But not because of Licks—he’d never lied to me. He’d never kept things, important things, from me. “Ten bucks, huh?”
“Ten bucks,” he said as he bent down, picked a rock up, and fired it across the water. It skipped four times and disappeared into the lake.
I turned, pulled my arm back, and let it fly. It bounced across the water’s surface five times. Licks grumbled beside me as he pulled out his wallet. The ten-dollar bill fluttered in between his pinched fingers. “Double or nothing?”
I shrugged and bent over to grab another rock. “It’s your money to lose.”
“We’ll see about that,” Licks said, gesturing for me to go.
Again, the rock shot out of my hand and skipped along the surface.
“Seven. Not bad. Now watch this.” Licks put his whole body into it. His rock skipped along the water eight times before it sunk.
He turned to me and put his hand out. “I believe that’ll be twenty bucks.”
“Yeah, well, you’ll have to wait until we go inside to get your money. My wallet is upstairs.”
Licks eyes lit up, and he bounced on the balls of his feet. “Speaking of the stairs… there’s this sled-looking thing mounted on the wall of my room. We just need a drill or something to get it down.”
“Why stop there? I mean, imagine how far you could go if you brought it out to the balcony and ran it down those stairs,” I said, gesturing behind me.
Licks scanned the ground around us. “Too many rocks.”
I shook my head at him. “As opposed to a wall?”
Licks laughed at me. Sitting down on the ground, he picked up a hand full of rocks and rolled them in his palm. “Have you ever rolled across this stuff before?”
I sat down beside him. Pulling my knee up, I hooked my arms around it as I stared off over the water. “No, can’t say as I have.”
Licks picked one up between his thumb and forefinger and held it out for inspection. “See, they look round, but they have these jagged spots and it hurts like a bastard when you go skidding along the top of them. I figure at least a wall is flat and won’t take chunks out of you when you hit it.”
Licks threw the rock out into the water, creating ripples along the surface. “I know it’s none of my business, but your friends… they’re really upset about what’s going on.”
I snorted. They were upset? “They should have thought of that before they lied to everyone. Before they lied to me.”
“Yeah, but how much of it was a lie?” Licks asked, firing off another rock into the water. “Before you get pissed, just hear me out,” he said, putting his hand up, willing me to listen.
I nodded my head with a sharp jerk and clenched my jaw.
“I overheard them talking. Well, it was more like eavesdropping, but whatever.” He tossed his hand and fired another rock through the air. “Anyway, both Ace and Aiden told Oliver that you deserved to know why they’re here. Why they were pulled from their bases and hired on with Cole Enterprise. It seems your parents pulled a lot of government strings to bring them into some sort of private organization.”
I sighed, pulling my other knee up and lacing my fingers together. “That makes absolutely no sense at all.”
“Tell me about it. I had a hard time keeping up with their conversation, but I do know that none of this was planned. It just happened. Oliver said something that has me more than a little worried though…”
“And you should be,” Ace said as he walked around me, glaring down at us. “You’re putting yourself at a point of no return by sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”
Licks’ eyes rounded, and I shot up to my feet, getting in Ace’s face. “Don’t you dare threaten him. If what you guys were talking about was so important, than it shouldn’t have been said where others could hear you!”
Ace pointed at Licks, “We were behind closed doors downstairs, just for that very purpose, so how the hell did you hear us?”
“You know that trick with the glass? The one where you put it to the door and listen? Yeah, it totally worked.” Licks beamed as he shuffled
back a few steps. “It sounds like you two have a lot to talk about, so I’m just gonna…”
He spun around and bolted for the house.
“He’s as bad as you are,” Ace grumbled, crossing his arms as he watched Licks run up the stairs. “He was partly right though. Aiden never lied to you, Jared. Technically, I didn’t either.”
“Explain ‘technically’ Ace, because from where I’m standing, a lie is a lie.”
Ace uncrossed his arms, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned to look out over the water. His foot scuffed against the pebbles, letting the silence between us grow cold before he spoke. “Remember that day I came to your house and talked with your dad?”
“What about it?” I remembered it as if it were yesterday. Something about Ace had changed that day, and I’d believed him when he’d told me that he spoke to my dad about getting things in order for his mom before he left. Had that been a lie too?
“I didn’t lie about what we discussed. I just didn’t tell you everything. I couldn’t tell you everything.”
“Couldn’t tell me? Or didn’t want to tell me?”
“Not everything is all about you, Jared!” Ace kicked at the ground, sending rocks skittering.
“I never said it was!”
“You have no idea of the choices I had to make, am still making. Me, Jared! I made them.” His finger jabbed at his chest. “Do you think I like this? Do you think I’m happy with the fact that I can’t go home… I can’t be there for Riley?”
“You said it yourself… you made those choices.” I wanted to recall the words after they left my mouth.
Ace reeled as if I slapped him. “And I’d make them all over again, knowing what I know now. Even if you’re being an asshole.”
He stormed off and I watched him for a moment, wondering what the hell he meant. “Wait a minute! What do you mean—I’m being an asshole? Your choices have nothing to do with me, so stop trying to brush your problems off at my feet!”
Black dots exploded in front of my eyes, and I staggered to stay upright. My jaw throbbed in time with my heartbeat, my eyes watered, and the taste of blood coated my mouth.
End Note Page 21
