by Charli Webb
He kisses my forehead then stands up. “I have to go.”
“I know.” I take his hand and give it one more squeeze.
As soon as the front door closes, Boone clomps up the stairs. He’s off crutches, but still has to wear a walking cast. He puts his hands on either side of my doorframe and leans into my room. “Hey, are you okay?”
Tears pool in my eyes. “Have you ever wanted to kill someone?”
“Besides you, Wade and Rowdy?”
“What?”
“Why didn’t someone call and tell me you were hurt?”
“I’m sorry. There was just so much going on all at once. Were you worried?”
“I thought you were rolling around in Rowdy’s bed. I had no idea until he brought you home.” Boone grabs the desk chair and scoots it next to my bed.
“So, who do you want to kill?” He holds up a hand, palm out. “No, wait, let me guess… Anna.”
“I can’t get the image of her forcing herself on Rowdy out of my head. And I can’t come up with a plan to get us out of this mess.” I rub my forehead. “It’s giving me a headache.”
“You’re not supposed to be trying to solve problems with your bruised brain, remember?”
“I need a distraction.”
“Want me to tell you a story?”
“What? Like a fairy tale?”
“Exactly like a fairy tale.” Boone clears his throat. “Once upon a time a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful canyon.”
“Canyon? Not kingdom?”
“Do you want to hear the story or not?”
“I’d prefer to hear the real version. The one where you’re not a prince.”
His knee bounces like a sewing machine needle. “Can I still be handsome?”
Boone’s always been vain about his looks. I decide to appeal to that vanity in hopes of calming him down.
“I can’t imagine you as anything but.”
His leg slows down but doesn’t stop bouncing completely. “I have a secret.”
“Do you want to share it?”
“Yes…and no.” He takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly. “It’s my fault that Mom and Dad died.”
“It was a car accident, Boone. You weren’t even driving.”
“They shouldn’t have been on the road.” He swipes a tear off his cheek. “I was at a friend’s house up the canyon. We had too much to drink and got into a horrible fight. I wanted to leave, but was too drunk to drive so I called Rowdy. He didn’t answer so I left a voice message, begging him to come get me, then I called everyone else I could think of.” He rolls his eyes. “Which, as you can imagine, was a pretty short list."
Unless things changed dramatically after I left, there wasn’t a list at all. I’m surprised Boone was actually at someone else’s house. That means he had another friend besides just Rowdy. “Who was the friend you were visiting?”
“It doesn’t matter. What we had is over.”
Sounds like it might have been a girl.
“Anyway, my fucking heart was shattered so I ended up calling Dad and asking him to come get me.”
Definitely a girl.
“Dad had taken some cold medicine earlier that made him too drowsy to drive.”
“Was it dark?” Aunt Lori had horrible night vision and never drove after sundown unless it was an emergency.
Boone nods. “It was about two o’clock in the morning and raining. Dad couldn’t drive, but he came with her.”
Now I understand where the guilt is coming from. I take Boone’s hand and hold the back of it against my cheek, like I used to do when we were kids and someone had been mean to him. “You can stop if you want.”
Boone smiles through his tears. “It actually feels sort of…I don’t know? Freeing? To talk about it.”
“Okay.” My heart hammers my sore ribs but Boone’s pain is obviously just as agonizing so I ignore mine.
He stands up and paces in front of my bed. “Rowdy didn’t answer because he was out on a rescue call. He got my message and tried to call me back but my phone had died. He knew where I was and could tell I was upset so he decided to just come get me, not knowing that Mom and Dad had already picked me up.
“I was in the back seat with the window down, trying to keep from puking. Dad was in the front with Mom. We were coming down the canyon while Rowdy was driving up.”
Blood roars behind my ears, but it’s not loud enough to block out the words I don’t want to hear.
“Mom took a corner too fast. We skidded off the wet pavement and rolled down the embankment into South Boulder Creek.” Boone stops pacing. His eyes glaze over.
“We rolled over and over. It went on forever. When we finally stopped, we were upside down in the creek. It was running high with spring melt-off. The force of the water pushed the car upright. Mom was obviously dead but Dad kept patting her face and shaking her, begging her to wake up. Water rushed into the car. I managed to get my seatbelt off, but I couldn’t fight the current. I was trapped in the back seat.”
The corners of Boone’s mouth curve up in a heartbreakingly sad smile. “And then, out of nowhere, Rowdy stuck his head in the front passenger window and shoved a rope at Dad. But Dad refused to take it. He said, ‘get Boone out.’”
A broken sob escapes Boone’s throat. I reach for him, but he shakes his head and steps back, as if he doesn’t feel worthy of my comfort.
“Rowdy crawled halfway through my window, cutting himself on the broken glass. He slid a rope around me, under my arms and somehow managed to fight my drunken ass and the current to get me out of the car. He hauled me onto the bank then went back for Dad. But the car rolled over again and disappeared before he got there.”
Tears stream down my face as I picture the scene.
Boone sits back down and wipes the tears off my cheek with his thumb. He smiles at me through his own tears. “When they finally pulled the wreckage out of the river, Dad was still holding Mom. He died with her in his arms.”
Boone and I sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts and our own grief.
He takes a deep breath then slowly exhales. “I found out later that Rowdy broke all sorts of rules to rescue me. They even considered kicking him out of BMR because of it. It’s a miracle he didn’t get tangled up in the wreckage and drown. I’d never be able to forgive myself if he had. It’s hard enough knowing that Mom and Dad died because I was too drunk to drive myself home.”
“Is that how Anna blackmailed you?”
“What?” Boone frowns then rolls his eyes. “No. She found out that I’m gay.”
“You are?” I feel my eyes widening and blink in an effort to disguise my shock. “Since when?”
Boone chuckles. “My whole life.”
“But…you don’t act gay.”
He crosses his knees and plants a palm on his cheek. “Not all gays follow the stereotype.”
He uncrosses his legs and relaxes back into his normal slouchy posture. “I fought it for years, but it just got to be too hard.”
“Are you out?”
“I’m working on it.”
“How did Anna find out?”
“The only thing I can think of is that she overheard Rowdy and me discussing it. He’s the only straight person I’ve ever told. Except for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rowdy
I make it back to the house five minutes before Anna does. She must have skipped out of work early. I’ll have to be more careful in the future. I’m sitting in the living room, sipping on a much needed Coors, when I hear her tires crunching on the gravel out front.
She doesn’t even get all the way inside the house before she starts making demands. “Put the beer down and let’s go.”
I take another long pull. “Go where?”
She puts her fists on her hips. “To your room.”
I tip my head back and belch, loud and long. Maybe if I’m gross enough, she won’t be so eager to get in my pants. “I’m a little old to be s
ent to my room.”
“We need to talk.”
I need to stall. “How about we go out to eat first?”
“Really?” She clasps her hands under her chin and grins. “Like on a date?”
I stand up and grab my keys off the hook by the door. “Call it what you want but let’s go. I’m hungry.”
I take her to The Sante Fe Grill in Louisville and order their cheese and onion enchiladas with extra cheese and onions.
Anna scowls at me. “You’re lactose intolerant.”
“Life’s short. I want to live a little before I die.” And if I get the runs, there’s no way she’ll be able to get me hard. She hasn’t forced an erection yet, but friction is friction and I don’t trust my dick to obey my heart. It’s got a mind of it’s own. I’m still in charge of when and how I use it, but it’ll be easier to avoid fucking Anna if I just stay soft.
My stomach’s gurgling before the check comes.
When we get home, Anna tries to pull me upstairs to my room.
I jerk my hand out of hers. “I need to stay close to the bathroom.”
“I told you not to order that cheese burrito.”
“Whatever.”
Anna grabs her keys. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Not that I care, but I’d like an estimate of how long she’ll be gone so I’ll know if I have enough time to go check on Skylar.
Anna narrows her eyes at me. I swear that bitch can read my mind. “I’m going to Walgreens.”
“For tampons?” Please, please, please say ‘yes.’
“I’m going to pick up a bottle of Immodium.”
Shit. Well, there’s goes that plan.
As soon as the front door swings shut, Wade sits down beside me and opens his laptop. “Look what I found online.”
He pulls up a home security website and shows me an extensive array of secret agent type hidden cameras. There’re ink pens, wall hooks, power adapters, watches and even a smoke detector like the one Anna used on me. “Awesome.”
“I ordered one of each of the stationary cameras but I got pens and watches for you, me, Cherri, Derek, Boone and Skylar.” He grins like a kid on Christmas morning. He’s definitely getting off on this spy shit. “I’m having it sent by overnight express. Most of it should get here by tomorrow.”
I had no idea he was so devious. This is going to cost a fortune, but if one of us is able to catch Anna saying something incriminating, it’ll be worth it.
A pink flush spreads across Wade’s cheeks. “Do you think you can avoid having intercourse with Anna until we find a way to stop this insanity?”
“God, I hope so.” I’m tempted to tell Wade about the video Anna’s got on Youtube. I trust him to not go looking for it, but he might let something slip in front of Cherri, or god forbid, Derek, who definitely would try to find it. Just knowing that over a hundred strangers watched it before Anna disabled it makes me want to hit something. Or someone. I can only imagine what it would do to Skylar if she knew. I don’t like keeping secrets from her, but this one would only cause her grief and pain.
As long as I can keep it off the internet, there’s no reason for her to ever find out.
The anti-diarrhea medication kicks in about two hours after I take it. I fake a few more bathroom runs but if I keep this up, Anna will make me take another dose. I’ll be stopped up for a week. Maybe I can plead exhaustion.
She gets up from the armchair and marches over to the couch, where I’m sitting with Wade and Cherri, and reaches for me. “It’s time for bed.”
I ignore her outstretched hand. “It’s nine o’clock.”
Wade puts a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve been sick for the past two and a half hours. I strongly recommend you take it easy tonight.”
Anna glares at him. “And I strongly recommend you stop trying to practice medicine without a license.”
“He’s not the one pouring Imodium down my throat.” I stand up and head for the door.
Anna chews my ass out as she follows me outside. Even if I didn’t hate her, I don’t think I’d ever be able to handle the nagging.
She pauses beside her car. “Go on upstairs and get into bed. I’ll be right up.”
My feet drag as I trudge up the stairs. I take my shoes off and crawl onto the bed with a heavy heart. I don’t usually sleep in my clothes, but the more barriers between me and Anna’s wandering hands the better. I roll onto my stomach and pretend I’m asleep.
I can hear Anna wandering around my room. I want to see what the fuck she’s up to but if she catches me with my eyes open, it’ll ruin my ‘don’t bother me I’m asleep’ strategy. Besides, I don’t want to risk seeing her take her clothes off. But when I smell smoke, I don’t have a choice.
Fuck. She’s lighting candles. She’s also wearing a white, filmy nightgown that floats around her body as she moves. It looks like the bedtime version of a wedding gown.
The bed dips. She digs her hands into my shoulder muscles and starts massaging them. It only makes me more tense.
She straddles my ass and runs her hands up and down my back. “I know you’re not asleep.”
“I don’t feel well. Please get off me and let me rest.”
“I’m not stupid, Rowdy.” Her voice quivers. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What do you expect?”
“I expect you to act like you did this morning before I had to go to work.”
I groan and bury my head under my pillow.
She yanks it off. “I took half a day off work so I could prepare everything. The least you can do is look at me.”
I open my eyes and groan again. She’s got rose petals strewn all over the place, enough candles to give the local fire department nightmares and a fucking video camera on a tripod.
“I thought I told you no more video.”
“You said it was okay, just this once…because it’s my first time.”
“Are you really a virgin?”
She bites her lip and nods.
I still don’t believe her but an idea forms in the back of my mind. “Don’t you want your first time to be special?”
“It will be since it’ll be with you.”
“I don’t want to waste your virginity on one night of passion.” That sounds like a line from a cheap romance novel. “I want you to come to our wedding bed pure and untainted.”
“Wedding?” Anna’s eyes widen, sparkling in the candlelight.
But she looks like a demon to me. “Isn’t that what you want?”
She launches herself at me and pounces on me. “Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes. I’d be honored to be your wife.”
“I’ll only marry you if you’re a virgin.”
“Why?” The whiney voice is back.
“If you’re not, what’s the point? Might as well just shack up like a common whore.”
“But you’re not a virgin.”
“I’m a man.” I doubt a chauvinistic attitude will make her change her mind, but it’s worth a try. “The rules are different for men. How many grooms have you seen wearing white?”
She frowns, as if considering my argument. But then she nods. “I see what you mean.”
Un-fucking-believable.
“Okay. I’ll wait for our wedding night.”
“You better sleep in your own room until the wedding. I’d hate to fuck you accidentally and ruin everything.”
“You don’t have to be so crude.” She blows out the candles.
I close my eyes until I hear the door close then grab my phone and call Skylar. It goes straight to voice mail. Fuck. I forgot that Anna smashed Skylar’s phone. I call Boone.
He answers on the first ring. “How are you holding up?”
“I just bought us six to nine months to find a way out of Anna’s trap.”
“I’m going to put you on speaker so Skylar can hear you. How’d you get Anna to back off?”
“I asked her to marry me.”
~***~
“You what!” Skylar’s voice comes over the speaker, loud and clear.
“Calm down, babe. Getting upset is not good for your brain injury.”
“Did Anna hit you in the head, too? Why the hell would you ask her to marry you?”
“I have no intention of going through with it.” I can tell she’s more confused than angry. “I told her that my bride has to be a virgin to keep her out of my bed for the foreseeable future. As soon as we find a way to dismantle her blackmail scheme, I’m breaking it off.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Would you rather have me fucking her every night?”
“Of course not.” She’s quiet but I can hear her breathing over the speaker. “When’s the wedding?”
“There isn’t going to be a wedding.”
“Did you give her a ring?”
“This just went down a few minutes ago. I didn’t have time to plan it out much less buy a ring.”
“I’m sorry.” Skylar’s voice catches. “I know it’s stupid, but the idea of you getting down on one knee and—”
“It wasn’t like that.” Is she jealous? “I didn’t get on my knees. I didn’t give her a ring and I sure as hell didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know.” She sighs. “I just hate the way she’s manipulating everyone. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. I don’t want to keep you from resting, but would it be okay if I come over once I’m sure Anna’s asleep? I’ll leave Old Blue in the driveway and ride my bike so she won’t get suspicious if she looks out the window.”
“Would you?” The vulnerability in Skylar’s voice wrenches my heart.
“Get some sleep. I’ll head over as soon as Anna’s light goes out.” I turn my own light out in case she’s watching.
I have no idea what the fuck Anna’s up to, but she doesn’t turn her damn light off until two in the morning. I don’t want to wake Boone up so I climb the tree next to Skylar’s room and crawl in through her second story window.
She’s on her back, propped up with pillows. “I was afraid you fell asleep and weren’t going to come.”
“I got here as fast as I could. Anna just went to bed.” I pull up a chair and sit beside her.
