First Light (39 page)

‘We don’t need proof!’ The yell came from one of his friends, but I didn’t even glance up to see which one. They all began to chime in then anyway, their voices causing me to flinch backwards.

Jared turned and held up one hand to quieten them and then faced me again with what I can only describe as a smirk. ‘There’s nine of us here Ronnie. I’m not sure he’ll be so confident against those odds.’

I almost laughed. Jared really had no clue at all, but I felt as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice water all over me. I was frozen to my core. ‘Jared, why are you doing this?’

‘I’m taking charge. Something I should have done ages ago.’

‘That’s funny,’ Kalen’s voice sounded from behind me. He put his hand on my shoulder and moved me so my body was behind his. ‘I can’t imagine you taking charge of a school fete, Jared. Why don’t you show me what you mean and leave Ronnie alone – I’m quite sure I’ve warned you twice now.’

The crowd behind Jared became deathly silent, bar a few animated whispers. They were witnesses to what was about to take place and while I knew they didn’t have a hope in hell of removing Kalen from my house, the result would be Kalen’s undoing. Maybe that was Jared’s plan after all.

‘You really think you’re something special, don’t you, boy?’ Jared spat.

Kalen stepped forward. I couldn’t watch him go down because of my sister’s boyfriend. Panic twisted my stomach.

‘I think he’s pretty special,’ came a voice behind us. ‘What do you think, boys?’ A large hand on Kal’s shoulder stopped him in his tracks and in that second, everything changed. Denver, Ace and Nash had appeared behind us. I glanced over my shoulder towards the back door to see where they had come from. Their presence appeared to temper the group and I watched with pleasure as some of them inched backwards.

I had to think quickly, before the boys did something they would definitely get arrested for. There was only one thing left. Kal would never understand, but it was my chance to do the right thing and I reminded myself what was at stake. I was trying to save his life.

‘Stop it!’ I yelled, finally squeezing through the barricade and standing between Jared and my friends. ‘Jar. You win, okay? The boys will leave town. You’ll never see them again.’

I could feel Kal’s eyes on me, but I avoided his gaze and stood firm. ‘Now, all of you leave and let me say goodbye.’

Jared stared at me for a long moment, his eyes scrutinising me, but Kal pulled me further behind him. Jared dropped his gaze almost immediately, turning to his friends and nodding. They began to disperse.

‘I hope you’re not lying to me, Ronnie. We won’t let this drop,’ he said with a look back, before stepping down off my front porch.

‘Oh, I know you won’t, Jared,’ I called after him. ‘By the way, where’s Rachel? Does she know you’re doing this?’

He ignored me and I watched as the group left down my long front drive, laughing about a job well done. I pushed the boys inside and closed the door.

‘I always thought British people were more polite,’ said Denver.

‘I guess that means we have to go now, right K?’ Ace asked sadly.

Kal sent them into another room with a tip of his chin. The three of them went into my kitchen while Kal and I remained in the hallway.

‘You believe them,’ he said, his jaw clenched.

I wanted to tell him I knew he was good, that he was everything to me and I’d never take anyone else’s side over his. But if I did, he wouldn’t leave and even if The Agency didn’t find him, the police in Clanots Ocean would. One way or another, staying with me would destroy him and this was the only way to guarantee he would run again. I swallowed, preparing for my heart to break. I'd feared for so long that I would lose him, but I never imagined I'd be the one telling him to go.

‘I don’t know,’ I answered, hoping to lie with some conviction. ‘I don’t know what to believe any more.’

‘Don’t do this, Ronnie. Please don’t do this to me – not you.’

‘Kal, I just–’ I struggled. I couldn’t believe what I was saying. ‘I just–’

‘Forget it,’ he said desolately and in that second I saw exactly how much I had hurt him.

‘Boys, we’re gone.’

In desperation, I tried to grab his arm before he walked out the front door, but trying to grab the arm of an assassin is like trying to catch hold of the tail of a lizard, the door had closed behind him before I even realised I was empty handed.

43 – Countdown

Later that evening,
Rachel and Jared came back to the house and I closed myself in my bedroom. There was no way I was talking to them. I paced back and forth, trying to get a handle on my thoughts.

I picked up my phone and dialed Kalen’s new number. I knew it was for text messages only, but I was desperate. I needed to hear his voice.

It rang out.

I tried again, becoming more frantic with each failed attempt. Of one thing I was sure: I had made a horrible decision. I wasn't strong enough to do it this way. When he wouldn’t answer, I called the only person I could think of who would help me.

‘Alexandra.’ My voice wavered instantly.

‘Babe, what’s the matter?’

‘Al, I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important, but I need to get to Kalen’s quickly. I can’t take the car, because my sister’s here and I need to get out without her knowing.’

‘Ronnie, what the–’

‘I’ll explain when you get here, can you pick me up?’

‘Of course.’

‘Thanks, I’ll meet you on the back lane. Do you know Turner Drive?’

‘Yeah, I know it. Babe, I’m worried.’

‘Don’t be. I’m fine, but I’m going to lose him, Al. I need to get to the house now.’

‘See you in fifteen.’

We hung up and I set to work. I locked my bedroom door and turned the television up loud, hoping if Rachel decided to try and talk to me she’d think I was sulking and leave me alone. Throwing open my window, I swung my legs out onto the roof. The ground looked impossibly far away, but I told myself Kalen did it almost every day.

Slowly shimmying down the slate, I reached the edge and began to lower myself using the guttering as leverage. It crossed my mind that in all my life I’d never been compelled to sneak out. How ironic that now, at eighteen and my father not even here, I needed to do it.

I dangled, my legs flailing, before dropping the rest of the way and rolling onto the grass. A spiny hedge scraped at my arms. I bit back a curse and, after ducking into the shadows to make sure no one came out to investigate the noise, I sprinted off through my back garden.

Alexandra was waiting in her truck as I burst through the trees onto Turner Drive.

‘Thanks so much,’ I breathed as I opened the passenger door and leapt inside.

‘So the old Taylor mansion, right?’ she asked, sensing my urgency.

I nodded and we sped away.

‘Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?’

‘I’m surprised you haven’t heard,’ I said darkly.

‘Ron, stop with all the riddles.’

‘Have you seen the news about that Cowford gang who died in a fire?’

‘Yeah, what about it?’

‘Take the back road past the seafront, I don’t want anyone to see us.’ I pointed and she took a sharp left. ‘The guys who died were some of the men who jumped Kalen and me.’

‘Oh, right. Oh!’ Her expression fell.

‘He didn’t do it,’ I cut into her thoughts. ‘But Jared has taken great pleasure in winding up all his friends and probably half the town to think he did. Him and his mates were outside my house earlier today – and then some. They told the boys to leave.’

‘What the hell? Who do they think they are, frickin vigilantes?’

‘Tell me about it. I could kill Jared.’

‘Why does he care about those guys anyway after what they did to you?’

‘Good question,’ I seethed. ‘But to be honest it’s not even about that. Jared hates Kal and he wants him gone. This has given him the perfect excuse.’

Alexandra chewed her lip. ‘Ron, I’ll only ask you this once, I hate small towns with their small mindedness, and this one is about as bad as they get, but are you sure Kalen didn’t have anything to do with the fire?’

I looked at my friend. I wasn’t angry, just frustrated. No one knew him as I did. ‘I’m positive, Alexandra. I’m more sure than I’ve been of anything in my life.’

‘Okay,’ she nodded with a warm smile, ‘so who cares what judge and jury of Clanots Ocean says. They’ve got no proof, right? So Kalen doesn’t have to leave.’

‘It’s more complicated than that.’ I grimaced and willed her to drive faster. He was angry and hurt with me, I had a small window of opportunity to tell him how I really felt before he left my life for ever. ‘I told him to leave, too.’

Her jaw dropped. ‘But... you love him!’

‘Yeah, I do.’ With my words, came a sharp pain in the pit of my stomach. I gripped the door handle.

‘So why side with them? If you’re right and he hasn’t done anything wrong then they can go to hell!’

‘Alexandra, do you trust me?’

‘Course I do, babe. What are you thinking? You’re scaring me.’

‘If you trust me, try to understand – I want to tell you so much, but it’s better for you if I don’t.’

‘Right.’ She frowned, her eyes told me she was unconvinced.

‘Al, I guess – he’s a good person, he really is, but he’s done some bad things. That’s the best way I can explain it right now.’

We were nearing the house and she hadn’t answered me. ‘Do you think I should let him go?’ I asked.

She took her time over her answer as we pulled up on the street where the house loomed ahead, perched on the cliff-edge away from the rest of the town.

‘Ronnie, you haven’t told me anything so it’s hard to know, but my instinct is to tell you to follow your heart. I would.’

My heartbeat raced. I wasn’t sure why I needed to hear it from someone else, maybe just so I knew I hadn’t gone completely insane. ‘Thanks, Al. Listen, you better go.’

‘Please call me tomorrow, okay?’

‘Thanks.’ I leaned over and threw my arms around her neck before hopping out of the car.

‘Be careful, Ron,’ she called after me. ‘I’m sure Kalen would never intentionally hurt you, but this all sounds terribly wrong somehow. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.’

I nodded and ran towards the house. Her truck pulled away behind me. As I reached the gates I could see the boys were still there, but something wasn’t right. Denver, Nash and Ace were outside, crouched down below the kitchen window frame. I jogged towards them. Ace’s eyes widened when he saw me, he held up his index finger to his mouth – an order to be quiet. I ducked down next to him, instantly hearing the voices carrying from inside the house.

‘...Doing here?’
Kalen’s ice-cold tone was a dead giveaway.

‘She didn’t tell you?’

‘She, who?’

‘K, let’s not play games.’
The voice was impatient. I recognised it as Andrews immediately. Nausea swept over me, I had got everything so wrong.

‘What do you want?’

‘I want to help you. Veronica is only–’

‘DO NOT, say her name,’
Kalen growled.

‘K, I’m not here to hurt her. If I’d thought it would help I would have disposed of her on my last visit.’

‘I highly recommend you don’t say anything like that to me again.’

There was a long pause before Andrews continued. I was only able to catch parts of the conversation.
‘... can she have any sort of a life with you in it? You’re always on the run, K. Do you think that will ever change, that they’ll ever leave you alone? You’re not a man, you are a weapon – a deadly weapon.’