“Yes, ma’am.”
Duane Senior smiled and followed his wife out the door.
Kid’s learning, he thought, letting out a sly smile. No sense arguing with your mother. It’s never worked for me.
Duane Senior locked the exterior door behind them and followed Nora into the carport, where she was climbing into the passenger seat of his car.
Just then, his catch-22 conundrum involving Jim Miller resolved itself in his mind as he sat behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. He knew Emily was going to be pissed at him, but he had to go with his gut on this. He knew Jim Miller far better than she did. Granted, she had her reasons for not calling Jim, but so did Duane. He took out his phone and called the third name on the speed dial list.
“What are you doing?” Nora asked in a disagreeing tone.
“Calling Jim.”
“Why?”
“Reinforcements. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“You always say that. I think running security has you paranoid.”
“Maybe, but he needs to know, regardless.”
“Suit yourself,” she snapped, unzipping the medical kit and looking through its contents.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Emily and Derek made their way from the arena’s parking lot to an abandoned Chevron gas station a few blocks away. They found a wooden two-person bench near the roll-up service bay doors and sat next to each other. They had a clear view of the street.
“Duane should be here any minute,” Emily said.
“Why didn’t you call Miller? Why Duane?”
She choked up, struggling to find the proper words and get them out. “Jim—he—um—squealed to the cops about me.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yup. Saw it with my own two eyes.”
“What did he tell them?”
“I don’t know, exactly. I was too far away to hear. But he was sitting there with the folder he keeps about me. Showing Alison my photos. Basically, my life story. Everything.”
“Isn’t that what he sent you to get from the safe when you got attacked? To protect you?”
She nodded, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks.
“So why now? Why show Alison?”
“I don’t know, but he did. He broke my heart, Derek. Just tossed me away like I’m garbage,” she said, unable to hold back her emotions.
Derek put his hand on hers, interlocking his fingers with hers. “I’m sorry, babe.”
Her voice cracked, trying to push the words out through the emotional pain. “Why, Derek? Why did he do that? I thought he was my friend.”
“It sucks, I know. But eventually, everyone lets you down. Just a matter of time. Especially when they have an agenda. Don’t forget, he’s a reporter, Em. I’ll bet everything he’s done was to further his career. Even getting shot.”
“How could I have been so stupid? I know better than to trust people. Especially men I just met.”
“It’s not your fault, Em. It’s his. He’s the problem, not you.”
She stood up, spun around, and faced Derek.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m done crying,” she announced, sniffing and wiping her cheeks. “Not another tear. I’m not wasting another minute on him.”
“That’s my girl,” he said, holding his arms out.
She spun and sat next to him, snuggling her cheek into his shoulder. “How you feeling?”
Derek took in a long, deep breath. He didn’t wince. “Better.”
“Sounds like it.”
“If I can do that, then my ribs aren’t broken. I’ve had broken ribs before and trust me, breathing deep like that would fricken kill me.”
She sat up. “Hey! I just realized something.”
“What?”
“I’ve been totally emotional this whole time and I haven’t felt it. Not one tingle.”
“You mean—”
She nodded, then looked deep into his eyes. “Not even when I was running here and afraid for you. For some reason, my body doesn’t want to jump.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him. “It must be you.”
“Huh? Why now? You’ve been with me before when it happened, so how’s this any different? Maybe you’re just too tired.”
“I’ve jumped a bunch of times when I’m tired. Being exhausted makes the process even more miserable than it already is, but it never stops me. No, I’m gonna go with it’s not happening because of you. You’re keeping me here, like some kind of quantum anchor.”
“Quantum anchor? Where did you come up with that? That wimpy library guy, Sheldon?”
“No, silly. I’ve been researching a lot of stuff trying to figure out what’s happening to me.”
“Making any progress?”
“Not exactly. But I’m learning a lot about physics and the paranormal.”
He smiled and touched her cheek, rubbing it gently. “Damn, girl. You never quit, do you? I think I would have given up a long time ago.”
“Never,” she said in earnest, realizing The Derek Effect was strange and confounding—on so many levels.
His eyes narrowed as he turned to look toward the street and reported, “A car’s coming.”
Before Emily could follow his eyes, her mind connected with the driver, who must have been focused solely on her, sending a stream of images and feelings.
“Duane’s here,” she said, never taking her eyes off the beautiful boy cuddling with her.
“Since you didn’t look—”
“Yes, sweetie. I got one of my flashes.”
“There’s someone else in the car with him.”
“A woman that Duane trusts. Someone he thinks can help.”
She helped Derek to his feet as the link with Duane disconnected. His eyes must be on Derek now, she figured. Same for the woman in the car with him.
They moved to the sidewalk bordering the street and waited for Duane’s Chevy Impala to arrive. It did.
A short, middle-aged woman with light-brown skin opened the door and got out of the passenger seat. She moved toward them, wearing a pair of jeans and a loose, blue cotton blouse. Her short, reddish hair had been done up in a small, knotty, faux-dreadlocks style.
She looked at Emily with her inquisitive eyes, establishing a powerful psychic link that caught Emily off guard for a moment. Instantly, Emily knew there was nothing fake about the woman. She was filled with selfless concern and compassion, and carried with her a warm and genuine heart. She was a kind soul who ruled her life with logic and respect for everyone, freely giving of herself in the service of others. She held open the back door of the car as Emily and Derek approached.
Emily looked at Duane and connected with him, receiving more information about the woman he had brought with him—she was Duane’s wife, and he loved her deeply.
“You must be Emily,” she said with a smile. “My name is Nora. I’m Duane’s better half. And you, young man, must be the boyfriend. You get in back with me.”
Emily’s heart cheered when she heard someone—basically a total stranger—use the term boyfriend when referring to Derek. It validated her relationship with him and made everything feel even more real than it already was.
She smiled, appreciating the moment. Her life was anything but a dream, but flickers of happiness did manage to bleed through the swirling layers of anguish and find their way into her heart.
* * *
A few minutes later, Emily took her eyes off Nora as she examined Derek, and let them wander forward to observe Duane as he piloted the car. Her friend’s hand slid down the steering wheel to flip the left blinker on and change lanes, then he gunned the engine to pass a slow-moving Jeep with oversized tires that were humming against the pavement. Just like clockwork, he used the turn signal again before drifting back into the right lane, resuming the same speed as before.
Duane must have felt her staring at him because at that moment, he turned his head and gave her a friendly
wink, almost as if to say everything would be okay. His comforting gesture soothed her worry, taking the edge off the situation with Derek in the seat behind her.
Duane’s eyes looked into the rearview mirror just before he spoke to his wife in the back seat. “How bad is it, honey?”
“Too soon to tell,” she answered in a sharp tone.
Duane looked at Emily. “Don’t worry, Em. Derek’s in good hands. Nora’s the best Nurse Practitioner you’re ever gonna meet. Better than some of the MDs she works with, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know about that,” Nora added with a sarcastic tone fueling her words.
“I really need to get back to my group home,” Derek said. “It’s in Encanto Park, 27 Monte Vista Avenue. They’re uber strict about the rules and I can’t be late. I don’t have time for a visit to the emergency room.”
“Shush, boy,” Nora snapped. “I’ll decide whether we go to the ER or not. Now keep quiet so I can take a good look at you. And Duane, stop hitting bumps. I’m trying to work here.”
“Yes, dear,” Duane answered in an apologetic tone.
Emily suppressed a giggle.
Duane curled one side of his mouth and shrugged at Emily. “She’s the boss. Best you learn that sooner than later.”
“I can tell,” Emily said, peeking over the seat to watch her with Derek. She’d only met Nora a few minutes before, but she already liked her. She was sharp-tongued, funny, smart, and most of all—she was helping Derek.
Nora clicked a penlight on and focused it on Derek’s eyes, one after the other. She looked satisfied. Then she told him to track her finger back and forth across his field of vision. As she did so, she asked him a series of questions—what his name was, what had happened to him, who was president of the United States. He answered each of them correctly and without hesitation. After shining the light in his ears, she sat back.
“Okay, Derek. I don’t think you have a concussion. Best case though, you’re going to have a mean headache.”
“Yeah, no lie. Already there,” he answered, rubbing his temples.
“Don’t forget about his ribs,” Emily told her.
Nora’s voice filled with concern. “All right, let me see. Lift up your shirt.”
Derek did as she asked.
Emily gasped at what she saw. Not only were there fresh bruises from the recent beating, there were scars of all shapes and sizes across his chest and abs. She tried to flash on him to get more info, but couldn’t—he wasn’t focusing on her, making the link come up dry.
Nora frowned. “Oh, my. They really did a number on you. How many of them were there?”
“Three. Well, technically four, but one guy left.”
“Did you at least get a good shot in?”
“Couple,” he said with pride. “I never go down without a fight.”
Nora shined the light on three of his scars, tilting her head and pausing on each for a moment. “It’s obvious you’ve been through this before. Is there something I should know?”
“No, it’s ancient history,” he said, lifting his eyes to Emily. “All in the past, right, Em?”
“That’s the deal,” Emily answered, remembering their pact to bury all that came before. “Just live in the moment.”
“I can think of better ways,” Nora quipped, shining the light on the largest bruise. She touched it with two fingers.
Derek pulled back and sucked in his breath.
“Sorry,” Nora said, letting her hand fall away. “Tender?”
“Ah, yeah. You could say that. The one guy kicked me a few times. Now I know what a football feels like.”
Nora gave him a thin smile. “I need you to take a deep breath and hold it for me. Can you do that?”
He nodded and did as she asked, making a sucking sound with a wide open mouth.
Emily watched his chest expand as the air entered his lungs in one full and even burst, not what she expected. However, his face did look stressed. He could have been hiding his discomfort, she couldn’t be sure.
“Any pain?” Nora asked.
“Some.”
“Sharp or dull?”
“More sore than anything. It’s not that bad, really.”
“I’ll need to apply more pressure for a proper assessment. May I do that?”
“Yeah. Go ahead. I wasn’t ready before.”
She touched more of the bruises on his ribs, pressing and lingering on each. Derek didn’t react as badly as before, so maybe he wasn’t faking it.
A few minutes later, Nora turned her attention to his shiner and jaw. When she was done, she clicked the penlight off and put it in the orange medical kit.
“Well?” Derek asked her.
“My professional opinion? You got your ass kicked. Pretty bad. But I don’t suspect anything is broken. That being said, I can’t be sure without the proper x-rays and a complete workup. That means a trip to the ER and possibly an overnight stay.”
“No. I’m fine. Trust me. I’ve had the shit kicked out of me much worse than this. I just need to take it easy and get a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m afraid it’s going to take bit more than that, young man.”
“How long?” Emily asked.
“The black eye will fade and his head’s going to hurt for a few days. Now, the ribs—they’re going to be tender for at least a week, assuming they’re not broken. Much longer if they are. Regardless, he’ll need to make sure he takes long, slow breaths several times an hour, at least. It’ll help fight off potential infection. As for his jaw—well, he probably shouldn’t chew anything solid for several days. His teeth are no worse for wear, but if the jaw doesn’t start to feel better in a couple days, he’ll need follow-up care. Again, that means admitting him for treatment.”
“I’ll be fine. I guarantee it. It’s my call, right?”
“Yes, it’s up to you. All I can do is offer suggestions.”
“Then, that’s my decision. Just take me home. It’s not far from here.”
“Is that the plan?” Duane asked his wife.
Nora gave him a single head nod. “You heard him. That’s what he wants.”
“Roger that,” Duane said like a soldier, slowing the car down and turning around.
“D, do you need to make a call?” Nora asked her husband.
“No, honey. I figured as much. We’re good to go.”
Nora smirked, seemingly proud of her spouse.
“What are you guys talking about?” Emily asked.
Nora looked at Emily. “Someone needs to keep a close eye on Derek.”
“I will,” Emily said. “I’ll do it.”
“They’ll never let you stay,” Derek told her. “They have this bug up their ass about girls in the home.”
“I’ll have a chat with them,” Nora said with confidence.
“Oh, yeah. Won’t be a problem,” Duane added, grinning from the front seat.
“One more thing,” Nora told Derek. “I’ll write you a note to excuse you from school, but you’ll need to rest for at least a week. No classes or funny business until the pain subsides, got it?”
“Won’t be a problem.”
The leather seat squeaked and moaned when Emily leaned over it to hold Derek’s hand. She looked at Nora. “What about pain meds? You can write a prescription, right?”
Nora flared her eyebrows at Duane in the driver’s seat. “What do you think, D?”
Duane nodded in the mirror. “If he needs them, then he needs them.”
Derek shook his head with his upper lip tucked. “I’ll pass on the meds. They dull your mind. I prefer to stay sharp.”
Nora’s face softened and looked relieved. “Fair enough. But promise me that you’ll call 9-1-1 if the pain becomes intolerable, or if any additional symptoms develop. Agreed?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He will. I’ll make sure of it,” Emily said.
“Next right,” Derek told Duane. “Third house past the fire hydrant.”
&nbs
p; A minute later, Emily felt the car angle to the right and slow to a stop. She swung her head around to see what the front of the group home looked like, but what she saw made her gasp. She closed her eyes and opened them again, making sure she wasn’t seeing things. She wasn’t.
“What are they doing here?” Emily screamed at Duane, seeing Jim Miller and Detective Alison sitting on the front steps of the group home.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
“How could you?” Emily yelled in anger at Duane, realizing he’d betrayed her, too. Her fists took over, smashing his shoulder once for each word she was about to say. “I—trusted—you!”
Her mind flashed a reminder: Rule Number Seven: Don’t get involved. Nothing good ever comes of it.
She stopped her tirade and sat back in the seat, feeling her face flush. Then it hit her—a chemical rush of emotions that ignited the jump tingle in her spine, hard. It had been absent the entire time with Derek, and now it seemed to be making up for it. She was on fire with anger, making the jump process rise up and electrify her spine. She grabbed the door handle and yanked on it to get out of the car and run away, but it wouldn’t open. Duane must have locked the door from his control panel.
She turned and glared at Duane, hitting him a few more times. “You bastard! You promised!”
Duane looked at her, but didn’t stop her attack or attempt to block her swings. When her assault stopped, he spoke.
“Feel better?”
“Not really,” she said, biting her lip.
“Look, I know you’re mad at me for bringing Jim into this when you told me not to. But we need his help. You can trust him, Em. You really can.”
“No! I don’t believe you!” she yelled, wanting to stop the tears from gushing, but couldn’t.
“Trust me. He’s on your side.”
“Em, babe—” Derek said from the back seat. “Think about it. If Alison wanted to arrest us, we’d be surrounded by cops and he’d have his gun cocked and ready. Look around. That’s not what’s happening. There’s only one explanation: he’s here to help.”
Derek’s words had an immediate effect on the jump tingle. She felt the words, rather than heard them, giving her the power to surround the electrical storm building in her spine and extinguish it—The Derek Effect.
Glassford Girl: Boxed Set (Complete Series) (Time Jumper Series) Page 35
