Condemned (14 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Andie’s anger grew all the way to Brett’s house. When she
pounded on the door, she was beyond livid.

“Andie.” Brett was clearly surprised to see her.

“You promised,” she growled.

“Yes, but, um, why don’t you come in and sit down?”

“No. I’d rather you come out here so I can show you
something.”

“All right,” Brett said, stepping onto the porch.

“Down here.” Andie moved to the yard. “Tell me to my face
why you left this morning.”

“Andie.”

“Just say it!”

“I was a coward. I couldn’t face you.”

“Why?”

“Can’t we do this inside?”

“Why?”

“I thought I took advantage you,” he admitted, forcing
himself to meet her eyes.

“You thought you raped me,” she corrected. Andie held her
arms in front of her. “Try to capture my wrists like you did in the kitchen.”

Brett saw the realtor he had called to arrange for the sale
of this house getting out of his car at the curb. “Andie.”

“Do it. Now,” Andie demanded. “Go on, Brett. I’m waiting.”

Jesse and Flynn pulled up behind the car Andie was driving.
“This can’t be good,” Jesse stated as they got out.

“I don’t see why, but if that’s what you want,” Brett agreed
as he approached her. Before he even saw her move, Andie had him pinned, face
down on the ground, with his arm wrenched behind him.

“Care to revise your opinion?” Andie pressed harder. “Do you
seriously believe there was any way you would have touched me at all if I hadn’t
want you to?”

“Excuse me,” the realtor cleared his throat. “If this is a
bad time, I could come back later.”

“Don’t bother.” Andie turned to him without releasing the
pressure on Brett’s arm. “This house is not for sale.” She had noticed the sign
in his hand.

“But—” He took a step toward her.

Shane joined Jesse and Flynn where they were leaning against
the car. “Interesting,” he noted as he watched the scene in front of them. “You
taught her well. Looks like she may have dislocated his shoulder. Think she’ll
keep at it until she seriously hurts something?”

“I said this house is not for sale.” Andie sounded deadly.
“And unless you want to find yourself in an even more awkward position, I
suggest you take that damn sign back to that damn car, tear up the damn papers
in your damn hand, and forget all about this damn house.”

“Oh, um, all right,” He retreated rapidly.

“Andie,” Brett managed, his teeth gritted against the
tremendous pain he was in.

“I was so excited yesterday, when I thought I could tell you
what I overheard. I thought you’d be happy with me.” She kept pushing at his
shoulder. “I thought we were sharing something special. I thought you might
finally see how I felt about you. I thought you might actually feel a little of
the same, with what you made happen.” She fought back her tears. “I was a fool.
I should have let you marry Tish. If you’re that shallow and blind to what was
really going on, she’s the sort of woman you should be with.” She let go of his
arm and just stared at him for a minute.

“Slip in the back of her car, Flynn,” Jesse whispered, not
wanting her to drive when she was that upset but knowing he couldn’t stop her.
“When she stops at a stop sign, let her know you’re there. See if you can get
her to go to Jordan’s. Tell her Brett and I won’t bother her. I’ll call her
later.”

“Go ahead.” Shane understood what Jesse was hoping to do.
“If you wind up back in the city, go inside immediately and call me.” Flynn
nodded and did as he was told.

“Goodbye, Brett. Have a nice life. I’m sorry that last night
was so unpleasant for you.” Andie walked away from him without looking back.
When Jesse approached her at the car, hoping to distract her so she wouldn’t
see Flynn, she told him, “There’s nothing you can say that will restore my
trust. I’ll get my things sometime, if you’ll have Holly tell me when you’ll be
away. I’ll leave your keys and your car then.” When he held out his hand to
her, Andie shook her head and slid behind the wheel, still glaring.

“Care to tell me what this is all about?” Shane asked,
watching Brett struggle to his feet.

“Not mine to tell,” Jesse stated as he started toward Brett.
“I could use your help for a minute but then I’m going to have to ask you to go
home and wait for him to explain.”

“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Shane knew better
than to press Jesse for more.

“Nope. Flynn and I will take care of them today. The rest is
up to him. Guess she wiped out any remaining doubts.” Jesse motioned for Shane
to brace Brett’s back while he manipulated Brett’s arm. “Guess you also know
what we’ve been doing with all the time we spent together the past few weeks.”
With a quick jerk and a loud snap, Jesse popped his shoulder back into place.

“Bet that hurt.” The color drained from Brett’s face. “Think
I’ll try to stay on her good side. Jesse, call if you change your mind. Brett,
I’ll be looking forward to the whole story.” Shane made it clear that he
expected an explanation soon before he walked back toward his house at the
other end of the block.

* * * * *

Flynn waited until Andie stopped at an intersection a few
blocks away. He began to sing the nursery rhyme his sister had been singing
non-stop all morning. He sang softly at first, gradually increasing the level
of his voice, hoping not to frighten her.

“H-hello?” Andie asked through her sobs.

“It’s Flynn.” He moved from the floor and sat up.

“Why are you in my car?”

“Jesse told me to hide in here. I heard Dad tell Mom once
that it’s not a good idea to drive and cry at the same time. Jesse must think
that too.”

“You can get out now.”

“I don’t think I should.”

“Flynn.” Andie’s anger wasn’t completely gone and he was
bringing it back to the surface.

He slid to the far side of the seat so she couldn’t reach
him. “There’s a car behind us.”

Andie drove through the intersection and pulled to the curb
before she turned to face him again. “I’m fine now so you can go.”

“Um, I don’t think I should yet.”

“I don’t believe this,” she said mostly to herself. “Look
Flynn, you need to get out of this car. I mean it!”

“I can’t.” He was pressed against the door. “You look like
you’re gonna cry again so I gotta stay.”

“I’m fine, really. I don’t need you,” Andie was yelling and
crying all at once.

“Um, okay but I’m not getting out.”

“Damn it, Flynn!”

“You gonna yell at me now? Uncle Brett already did so I
guess you’re gonna too.”

“Brett yelled at you? What for? Why are you huddling over
there?”

“I saw what you did to him. Dad said you dislocated his
shoulder and it must have hurt a lot. I guess you couldn’t twist me around like
that in the car but I don’t want you to do something else to me.”

Andie looked horrified. “You’re afraid I’m going to hurt
you? I dislocated his shoulder?”

“Man, you looked really pissed. I gotta warn Charlie so she
doesn’t screw up when you give her piano lessons.” Flynn couldn’t contain his
grin.

Andie groaned. “I would never hurt either of you. I
shouldn’t have done that to him.”

“You must have had your reasons.”

Andie took a moment to consider how bizarre it was to be
sitting here, with a boy who refused to budge from her car, having this
conversation.

“It was so cool when you flipped him like that.” Flynn
giggled. “I bet Uncle Brett didn’t even see it coming. You think Jesse could
teach me to do that?”

“Probably but I think you should talk to your dad first. He
could teach you himself. Jesse only showed me how to do that in case I’m out
alone and run into trouble. I know better than to attack someone like I did.”

“That other guy was so scared. Did you see the way he ran
away? Joey’s gonna be so jealous that I got to see all that and he missed it.”

“Why don’t you hop out and go tell him all about it?” Andie
suggested as she cringed inwardly. She’d never be able to come back here.

“Nah, I’m good here.”

“I’m not going to sit here and argue with you. Get out.”
Flynn ignored her and looked out the window. After a prolonged silence, Andie
put the car in gear and said, “Fine. I’m going home. Someone will have to just
come get you later.”

“Well, okay,” Flynn paused. “You live in the city.” Andie
nodded and kept going. “I guess it’ll be all right as long as you don’t stop
anywhere. I can always duck down when we get close.”

Andie was too tired to try to figure out what he was talking
about. “What’s that supposed to mean? What’s wrong with the city?”

“I’m not really supposed to tell.”

“Tell what?”

“Uh, about how I used to live. Before Dad.”

“Flynn, I’m tired. Just say what you mean and don’t play
games with me.”

“Can we maybe go to Uncle Jordan’s? It’s kinda a long story
and—”

“No. I can’t go there.”

“Yeah, I forgot. Jesse says Uncle Brett didn’t tell him
nothing about the mess he’s in.”

“What?”

“Jesse got there right when Uncle Brett was done yelling at
me. He was really mad too but I don’t think he would have hit him, even if I
didn’t say something. He told Uncle Brett some stuff and said he should get
cleaned up and then he took me off so we could talk. He wanted me to know so I
would forget about the stuff Uncle Brett said to me.”

Andie pulled to the curb and stopped again. “I’m sorry,
Flynn.”

“You didn’t do nothing.” He shrugged.

“What did Jesse tell you?”

“That some crooks were scamming Uncle Brett to get his money
and wreck his life. He said you found a way to prove they were lying but Uncle
Brett screwed up and wouldn’t let you tell him about it. Jesse said he came
here to hide from you ’cause he was mixed up about something with you. Jesse
said he was taking him back to get it all fixed up. I know he left some stuff
out but he said I didn’t need to know the rest of it. It must have been pretty
bad for you to be that pissed.”

“I don’t believe he told you all that.”

“Hey, he knows I can keep my mouth shut. I do about the
stuff I did before.”

“But you were going to tell me.”

“Yeah. I figured it would be okay. I know about you so it
would make us even if I told you about me.”

“Sounds big.”

“I guess. I’m kinda hungry. There’s a good place to hang out
at the creek. We could get something at the diner and go out there to eat. I
got money so I’ll buy for you too.”

“You don’t have to buy me breakfast.”

“But I invited you. Uncle Jordan says when you invite a
pretty girl out, you gotta be a good guy and pay.”

Andie’s mood was instantly lightened. What a charmer this
kid was going to be in a few years. “I don’t think that counts with me.”

“Why not? You’re pretty. I asked you to eat with me. We’re
going to talk and stuff.”

“Fine, you win.” Andie almost laughed. “Thank you, by the
way. I know I must look like a red, puffy mess.”

“Yeah, but you don’t usually. Dad says you gotta remember
how girls look when they’re happy since it’s mostly our fault when they cry and
their faces get all messed up.”

“You, Flynn McKade, are going to be a very fine man if you
remember all this when you grow up.” She pulled into the diner lot. “I’m going
to splash my face. Why don’t you order for me? French toast and some juice.”
Andie noticed he hadn’t opened his door. “What now?”

“I can’t get out of the car. You might take off.”

“I promise I won’t do that Flynn. All I’m doing is
freshening up a little. I’ll meet you at the counter before they have our food
ready.” He still didn’t budge. “How about if you keep the keys? It’s the only
set I have. You can search my purse if you want to.”

Flynn took the keys she offered and opened the door. “No
thanks,” he said ignoring her purse.

They were settled on rocks next to the creek a short time
later, Flynn again in possession of the car keys. “Dad wasn’t really my Big
Brother like we say he was. I was part of a gang and Mom came to take some
pictures of us. I was supposed to follow her around and spy on her but we ended
up hanging out instead. She told me to talk to Dad when she was done with her
stuff. He was a cop then but she said he would be cool with me. I used to call
him and ask about her. He kept telling me he could get me out and that I should
let him know when I was ready. I started feeding him what we were doing, you
know, places we were gonna hit, drops we were gonna take over, that kind of
stuff. They figured out that he was always around when we got busted up so I
was supposed to kill him.”

“Oh Flynn,” Andie gasped.

“I didn’t shoot him!”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool. Mom thought I did it too. Anyway, we were in an
alley and I told him I couldn’t do it and he was gonna take me out but somebody
was in back of me and popped both of us. Dad called Jesse right away. In the
hospital I had to tell some guys everything I knew. They put out that I died so
nobody would come looking. Dad took me to the grandparents until Mom came home
from chasing after tornadoes. They got married right away and then went and got
Charlie. Me and Dad already got us the house before she got back but she likes
it so we’re staying.”

“And you can’t go back to the city in case someone sees you
and realizes that you’re not really dead.”

“Yeah but I don’t think they’d know it was me. I used to
keep my hair really black and kinda long. I had me a black leather biker coat
that I never took off. Man, did it get hot in that. It was all I had and I knew
it would be lifted if I left it somewhere so I kept it on.”

“I can’t imagine you like that.”

“Mom has some pictures if you want to see them sometime. Dad
and Jesse don’t think any of them would really know I’m who I was but they say
it’s better not to take chances.”