by Carla Thorne
“Navy jumpsuit?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s the electrician who may or may not be a real electrician.”
And it was a couple of Arrows who’d stopped him in the hall, but I wasn’t going there yet.
“And that proves my point,” he said. “My wrong place was your right place and it saved my life. Now, the only question is—and remember all the crazy stuff we’ve been through since we met—why is your right or wrong place always my right or wrong place?”
“Because we’re each other’s balance,” I whispered.
Lock. And. Key.
Balance… I remembered the word from our conversation in the garden with Sebastian. It seemed like a thousand years ago, but I recalled the moment he looked at Scout and Ivy and spoke of balance. Scout was Ivy’s, and she was his.
And Jacob was mine.
What did it mean?
I caught Jacob’s startled, but slightly amused gaze. “I’m sorry,” I sputtered. “That sounded too uh…forward, I guess? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything serious by that. We hardly know each other.”
He shrugged. “But I agree.”
“What?”
“I agree.”
“What exactly are you agreeing to?”
“It’s us. It’s you, Mary Angel. It’s a thing. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a thing.”
“A thing?”
“Yeah, I’m just gonna roll with it. No hurry. No pressure.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“Not a chance. It’s a thing.”
I truly didn’t know what to say.
“Really, Mary, it’s fine. We’re fine. Don’t overthink it.” He pulled me close again. “Let’s watch the rest of this stupid movie and I’ll leave before your parents wake up and realize I’m still here.”
He thought we were a thing? What kind of thing? We barely knew each other. We hadn’t kissed. We cuddled and talked and watched out for each other, but nothing more. And he thought we were a thing. I didn’t know where all he’d grown up or what the dysfunctional situation was with his parents, but he seemed as sure as one person could be about another. And it wasn’t in the same pushy, disturbing way Gavin had tried to overwhelm me. Jacob was calm and laid back and didn’t get all agitated ten times a day over things that didn’t matter. His whole personality was in sharp contrast to his size and his aggressive presence on the field. He acted on things when he needed to, and stayed out of it when he should. For months we’d weaved in and out of each other’s atmosphere, always aligned in some way. From simple study groups to complex situations like the fire, we were always in some way a team.
Jacob was simply…balance.
He was my balance.
His breath tickled my ear as he pressed his cheek against my hair. “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
“The usual. My mom and dad are going to serve food downtown in the morning, then we’ll eat later.”
“You don’t go serve?”
“I do, but this year my mom said I probably needed to stay away and rest my elbow. I said I’d be fine, but I’m usually a runner with those big metal pans and it’s probably not a good idea. Plus, if I’m home I can put the turkey in earlier.” I traced little circles on his arm. “You’re invited to come eat with us.”
“I was actually going to ask you if you’d like to come to my house. If the timing is right. Don’t want to interfere with your family plans.”
“I’d love to. We’ll work it out. If we plan it right, we’ll get to eat dessert twice.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get too excited. Mine don’t actually cook. Or serve. Or really talk to each other. It’s usually a stuffy catered thing with people they’ve invited from work. I don’t know them.”
I realized again how little I knew about his family. Deacon said he’d been to his house when they first met him and had gone by to give him a ride. He called it a mansion, but hadn’t been inside. Deacon often exaggerated, but did admit he and Scout made most of their pressure washing money in Jacob’s subdivision.
“Can I ask you something, Jacob?”
“Anything.”
“You don’t say much about your mom and dad, and when you do, it’s negative. I’m not trying to be nosy, but how did you end up here? Why did they move a talented guy like you in the middle of high school? Houston’s a big city, but you’re out here in the ‘burbs. You said when we met you it was a business move and your parents hate each other, but they’re still together, right?”
He scratched the side of his head and took a deep breath. He started to talk twice before he actually got something out. “You really want to hear this?”
“Of course.”
“It’s not a fun story, and I don’t share it.”
“You can trust me if that’s what you’re worried about. I won’t blab it to anyone.”
“I know. It’s more about the subject matter. I don’t want it to change anything between us.”
My heart fluttered as I sat back onto the pillow near my end of the couch. It sounded serious. Was there something he could say that would change my opinion of him? Had he done something so bad I wouldn’t look at him the same way?
It was very possible. Gavin had.
“See? You’re already pulling away.”
“No, Jacob, you just sound so serious.” I hugged the pillow. “I’m listening.”
“I have to tell you now. We had an agreement, remember? You always want the truth.”
“And you don’t want to hear a lie.”
“Right, so I’m up to my neck in it now, aren’t I?”
I shook my head. “Say it, Jacob. We’ll make it through a true story. If we can’t, we’ve got other problems.”
“All right. You know how everything always comes down to money?”
“Honestly? I don’t know what the answer to that is. It appears your family has a lot of money, so I’m gonna trust you know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes. Trust me, because everything comes down to money one way or another.”
“Got it.”
“So, my mom and her brother—”
“Your uncle.”
“Yes. My uncle. And their dad—”
“Your grandfather.”
“Yes, my grandfather. Can I finish this story?”
I squeezed my pillow. “Sorry. I’m trying to imagine all the players.”
“My grandfather started the business years ago. My mom and her brother helped him build it, and eventually they went public. It’s huge now. My dad technically works for them.”
I resisted the urge to raise my hand. “What’s the company?”
“There are several now, but my grandfather developed a kind of material that goes in everything from sports equipment to shoes for old people. It’s gotten stronger, lighter, cheaper to make, and whatever… They sell it to all kinds of manufacturers. It’s probably in your soccer cleats.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. Anyway, this business is a very big deal, and it’s still about family. The four of them hold the top positions and collect big paychecks. Everyone’s happy.”
“But…”
“But everyone isn’t happy. Because they’re keeping secrets.”
I waited. I held my breath. I didn’t move.
“When I was about four,” he continued. “My uncle started molesting me.”
I couldn’t hold in my wheezing gasp.
“Hold on,” he said. “I’m fine. Let me explain.”
I nodded.
“It was classic grooming behavior. I know that now.”
“Grooming behavior?”
“Yeah. It’s what they call the process of how children are drawn in by sexual offenders. If you look it up, you’ll see a list of common things molesters do. My uncle could have written a handbook. He bought me big gifts for no reason, tried to spend alone time with me like a buddy, often photographed me, made comments of a sexual nature I didn’t
understand, there were some inappropriate touches, and it goes on… But it never got physically severe because my nanny, the woman I spent the most time with, figured it out.”
“Thank God. And she told your parents?”
“Yes.”
“And what happened?”
“They fired my nanny.”
“Why? She watched out for you.”
“Yes, but she had knowledge the family didn’t want her to have, and she wanted to tell someone about it. That’s when everything started to crack.”
“How?”
“My mother didn’t want to believe her brother was a pedophile. But now I believe not only did she and my grandfather know, but I think they’d seen other things. She may have even been a victim in some way of her older brother’s behavior when they were young. And my dad… My dad just wanted to kill him.”
“How did you all get through it?”
“We didn’t. That’s the problem. We went on as if nothing happened because that’s what my grandfather commanded. That’s where the money comes in. Wealthy people don’t want their dirty secrets to get out, and they can pay to keep them quiet. What would it look like if the family child molester was exposed just when we went international? And acting like things didn’t happen did nothing but cause tension between everyone—especially when my uncle had children of his own.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah, but don’t worry. My grandfather has everyone on a tight leash. You wouldn’t believe how much money he spends spying on his children to make sure they don’t do anything he can’t cover up. Everything is a lie.”
“I’m sorry, Jacob.”
“I hate the holidays. I can remember being ten or so and having to sit at a long table with the whole family. My uncle bounced his kids in his lap and it made me sick. Still does. I wondered if he would do something to his own children. We all lived close to each other and had this big family image to uphold—for the sake of the company—so I kept an eye on my little cousins.”
“You were a kid. You couldn’t possibly watch everything, and it wasn’t your responsibility.”
“No, but I got between them every chance I could. We’d hide out together and play games.”
“You were their protector.”
Protector…
“I tried.”
“Where were the adults?”
“Somebody had to keep the business going, didn’t they? That’s the worst part. Those four hate each other—my mom, dad, grandfather, and uncle. In private, they’d stick knives in each other’s backs if they got the chance. But in public, nothing is wrong.”
“Where are your cousins?”
“Still in Dallas. They’re like in middle school, and I know they stay away from their father. We’re close and they tell me things, but I think one of them is already experimenting with drugs.”
“How did you end up here?”
“My grandfather’s getting older. My parents don’t deal with my uncle outside of work. They haven’t for years. My parents are only sticking together so they can kick my uncle out of everything when my grandfather dies. That’s their plan, anyway. It’ll get ugly and they’ll ruin him. My parents live separate lives otherwise. So, I’m here because they expanded their presence in Houston. My dad heads up the sports division of everything. He sells the materials to the companies who make your cleats.”
“Let me guess. He was a football player.”
“Yep. So, it doesn’t matter what school I’m in now. He has connections and can get me tryouts wherever he wants. And if I make it all the way to the pros, I’ll be expected to represent the company.”
“You feel trapped.”
“I am trapped.”
Chapter 31
Shanar
I appeared at the side entrance to the boy’s house. “Why so late, boy?”
He punched his code into the family’s security system.
“Answer me,” I demanded. “The football game was over hours ago.”
“Yes, and speaking of that, where were you? You promised some big plays for me. You didn’t deliver. We lost.”
“Oh, you didn’t lose because I didn’t deliver. You lost because you’re a wretched human with no talent. And you were distracted. And you haven’t held up your end of our bargain.”
He dropped his bag on the flagstone walkway and kneed open the door. “I do have talent,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “I was not distracted, and you haven’t done your part.”
I swirled into the doorway and stopped his progress. “Says the boy who I’ve rewarded with much success lately in every material way, and who is smothered with attention by girls who offer every form of affection.”
“I only want one girl.”
“And I want that girl too.”
He attempted to push through me. I allowed him to pass, though I could have easily swallowed his entire flesh-and-blood body. Of course, my power would have disintegrated every bone in his body. Nothing would have been left for his family to find. He would have simply…vanished.
“Let’s be serious for a moment, shall we? Mary is mine. You are to bring her to me. She got away from the Destroyer on my watch, and I cannot move any further up in my realm until the loop has been closed on my mistake. I do not intend to lose her again. You will lead her to me and I will defeat her and that piece of angel she carries around with her.” I wrapped my dark force around him and squeezed. “And then everything will be back to normal.”
“What piece of angel? What does that mean?”
“Your girl is a clever one, that’s all I can say. A clever and tough one. She really wanted to live. She summoned that being and didn’t stop until she’d saved her own life.”
He twisted away and pressed his back against the laundry room wall as I hovered closer and closer to his face.
“You stink,” he said. “How is it you smell so much like the back end of a skunk? I would think a supernatural being could do something about that.”
“Boy, you continue to amaze me. You certainly have a pair of brass ones on you to say the things you say to me. Do you not realize I could end you right now?”
He quieted.
“No smart-aleck answer to that? Do you want to die tonight? Tomorrow maybe? The problem is, you are the best one to lure Mary to me. If you do that, I will continue to hold back the curses your family put on you. I will keep you safe and even productive throughout your earthly life. You will not suffer or want for anything as long as I get what I want.”
“I don’t want Mary to die.”
“So, you want to die?”
“No. I want to live. With Mary.”
“That is hilarious.”
“Can’t you just defeat the angel part? That’s the thing that aggravates you the most, right? That you were assigned to take her life and she fought back with the help of her guardian angel? And won?”
“Humph. Guardian angel. You know that’s not a real thing, right? It’s just something people tell themselves to feel better when they’re scared.”
“Whatever. I want this to be over.”
“Our relationship will never be over. You have made that choice. However…,” I spun in my massive, smoky cloud and sent curling, almost artistic wafts of dark matter around the room. Houses, money, cars, boardrooms, bedrooms, exotic locales, and images of his own secret desires appeared and disappeared before his eyes. “… I will take care of you. After I have what I’ve asked you for, the rough times will be behind you, and you will have your whole life to live on my gifts, and someday, die a happy old man.”
“Is this some kind of joke? This is a parking lot carnival magic tric—”
I grabbed him by the throat before the last letter of his word left his tongue. “I am not a joke. I do not play games. You are an Agent of the Destroyer, and you will complete your task.”
Red streaks shot through his bulging eyes as I held on. “Lure Mary to me by whatever means necessary. If you do not, I can promise the
terror I will rain down on you, your family, your school, your community, and everything the sun and moon touches that you care about will come swiftly, but last a long, excruciating time. Do you understand?”
His body went limp in my grasp. He was trying to die. No such luck.
I dropped him.
“This is the last time you will see me while you’re still alive. Consider it my last warning.” I pressed on his throat. “Lure Mary to me. I will do the rest.”
Chapter 32
Mary
I awoke with a start and clawed at my neck as I gasped for air.
Shanar.
I prepared for a battle that didn’t come. Was it really only a nightmare?
I glanced at the clock and turned over to scratch Paisley behind her ear. Three-thirty in the morning.
Jacob and I had talked for hours, and I’d only been asleep a short time before the dream startled me awake.
Something wasn’t right.
Jacob’s secret washed over me again and filled me with anger and sorrow. I wanted to get my hands around his uncle’s neck and squeeze. I wanted to hunt down the secret-keepers and make them pay for allowing that beast to roam free and possibly hurt other children. I wanted to hug Jacob and never stop, but still…
I sat straight up.
When it came to fight, flight, or freeze, I seemed to have arrived in the come out swinging camp.
But I was a Warrior. Not a vigilante.
I texted Deacon. Are you up?
I am now.
I need to talk.
His sleepy voice whispered across the line. “What’s up?”
“This world is one messed-up place.”
“Duh.”
“I spent half the night with Jacob.”
“Also, duh, and news that could have waited till morning.”
“No, it’s not that. Jacob is on our side, Deac. He may not be a Warrior, but he’s something. Something special.”
“Awwww… So sweet. Not. I’m done now.”
