Gem Stone (18 page)

"Just something they said." Mark shrugged tiredly. "I'm wet and sore in places I don't even want to think about after that hike. But I'm just glad I'm not still wandering around out there. Water, food and a shower sound perfect right about now."

He looked at her backpack and Gem understood. She handed him her water bottle. He upended it and gulped it down until he'd drained it.

"Let's go home. We need to let the others know Mark's safe." John shepherded the group to his vehicle.

They climbed back into the truck, although all three of them wanted to sit in the box. But John wasn't having any of it on the return trip. He made the calls on the way.

The sheriff would meet them at the hospital.

***

"So even the big kid, Mark, has been found safe and sound?" Fixer slammed his fist on the cheap table. A screw popped from underneath.
Cheap hotel with cheaper furnishings.

"Talk about things blowing up." He glared at his hapless cousins. "Well, at least now they all should be returned to juvie – no thanks to you idiots. You weren't supposed to be seen. Did you think about that? Talk about making things ten times worse. Both kids outsmarted you. And the third one…you never even got your hands on him."

"It wasn't my fault. Fatso here, didn't check her ropes before she went into bathroom," the older one argued.

The glare Fixer blazed at the two idiots should have shut them up but instead the two idiots continued to bicker and play the blame game.

Damn. If they'd just snatched the kids, knocked them out, he could have had them picked up and carted to juvie. Creepers would have booked them into the medical clinic and kept them there while the investigation stalled out. Now his cousins could be identified. Sure the juvie kids were liars, but someone was bound to listen to their stories now. Things had gone from doable to stupid.

He walked to the window and glared out at the one-horse hick town. This was ridiculous. Even worse, his uncle at the waste disposal company had called, asking what the hell was going on. The company did many things well. They didn't do screw ups.

And he'd gotten another call from his aunt. She'd been vetting the check up calls from the sheriff's office. Apparently the sheriff was getting pissed. She'd fed him the line Fixer had given her earlier and she was sure the sheriff believed her .

He doubted it. But as long as it bought him more time to make this all go away.

And how the hell was he going to do that? And do it fast? Especially now that he had to ditch his cousins. And those two needed to disappear.

He was really starting to hate those kids.

***

Mark almost lost it when the cuts on his wrists and ankles were cleaned and salved. If it weren't for Reid laughingly telling him not to be a baby and saying even Gemma had withstood her treatment better, he'd have let the nurses know what he thought of their rough treatment, and run out of there. These people might be pissed off at the extra work the three kids had brought them, but it wasn't his fault, and they didn't need to take it out on him.

Besides, the emergency room was calm. Almost empty. They should be happy they had someone to look after. Weren't these people wanting patients to care for? Wasn't that what they
did
?

"How's the pain?" the nurse asked.

"What?" Half dazed from the stinging and the effort it took not to cry, he didn't understand the question the first time.

"Do you want a shot for the pain?"

Hi eyes widened. "No, I'm good," he said hurriedly.
Needles. God, no.
He was more than good. He'd not whimper again. He hopped off the bed and closed his eyes as shudders went through him. His swollen feet screamed at him.

"Sure?"

"Sure. No needles. I'm fine."

He peered suspiciously at the doctor who wasn't even bothering to hide her grin as she wrote something on a pad of paper. "Get these for the pain instead. I'll give you a pain pill right now to get you through."

The relief on his face had her laughing. She walked over to medicine cart then returned after a moment with a small pill in a plastic cup. She held it out alongside a glass of water.

"Thanks." He swallowed the pill. As she was holding out a prescription, he accepted the paper then hobbled out to the waiting room and the others.

Gem raced to his side and gave him a big hug. He was kinda getting used to those. Nice to have a girl like her care. She might not be all into the makeup stuff and prancing around in short shorts but she could dress up his arm anytime.

Then, he kinda felt the same about Misty.

Still, he couldn't resist closing his eyes and holding Gem tight. She smelled good. They'd had such a close call today… Surely he could hug her tight without anyone getting upset.

"All right, you two. Let's go." Reid said, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Gemma pulled back with a big grin at Reid. "Jealous? Want a hug too?"

With a bigger smirk, he pulled her into a squeeze before releasing her. "I'll take my hugs any way I can get them."

They approached John who was deep in conversation with the sheriff.

"Ready to go, Mark?" John held out his hand for the paper the doctor had given him. "I'll get that. The sheriff needs to speak with you, then we'll all head back to the house so you can eat and we can get Gem to bed."

"Yes, sir."

Mark wondered at the look Reid shot at him, but there was no time to ask. They were out and gone. Explanations could happen later.

"J
ohn, ask Doris to join us, please." The sheriff stood just inside the front door, his hat in his hands.

Gemma, heading for her room, glanced from one adult to the other.
Uh oh.
Here it came. Refusing to be shooed off to bed, she took a seat in the living room, squished between the two boys. She slumped back on the couch, wincing as her back hit the upholstery. She waited to hear the worst.

"Good evening, Sheriff. Isn't this grand?" Doris beamed at him as she entered the living room, wiping her hands on a tea towel. "Everyone back safe and sound."

He smiled. "That's kind of what I want to talk to you about."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I guess Mark can wait a little longer for his dinner." She sat down on the loveseat where John had sprawled.

Mark shot her a look of horror. Gem grinned, pulled a granola bar from her pocket and offered it to him.

He snatched it out of her hand, opened it and took a big bite.

Gem turned her attention back to the conversation going on around them.

"Now. I've spoken with the EPA criminal division about these men. Apparently there's some kind of misunderstanding. They wouldn't say much, but from what I gather, they've gone well beyond their authority. They are looking into it. But as far as I'm concerned this is now a criminal issue. However, the men are no longer here. They've been recalled to Portland where they will be picked up and dealt with, but…"

"But that ain't goinna happen." John started to shake his head like a slow moving bull. "You know that as well as I do. These men aren't going to have to answer for what they've done at all if they just get to go home. They'll get a hand slap and that'll be all."

"That is, unfortunately, a possibility." The sheriff slowly turned his hat by the brim. He looked at little disconcerted at that concept. Gem barely held back a snort.

"However I have forwarded this file to the Portland authorities." The sheriff straightened. "They will pick up the case from there. These men have crossed the line and that means we're going to have to involve more than just my department."

Doris, her squat body quivering with outrage, piped up, "That isn't fair. These kids don't deserve to be treated like this. And those men didn't have the right to do what they did."

"Not to mention we didn't
do
anything to deserve this." Reid's disgust hung heavy in the room. "I realize that being from juvie we don't rate high in the eyes of the law, but we didn't cause this, you know."

"Now, son, no one is thinking you did." The sheriff stared at the kids, sincerity in his eyes. Gemma didn't believe it for one bit.

"Really?" Gemma shook her head. "That's not how it looks to us."

John glared at the sheriff. "These are good kids. Never had a lick of trouble with them."

The sheriff held up his hand. "I didn't mean to imply that they brought this on themselves. What I'm really trying to say is that according to the phone call I placed earlier, these men are going home and will be held accountable there. So, there's no need to worry anymore. These kids are safe."

Mark snorted. "Did you say safe? Just because some bigwig in another city tells you that it's all over, that doesn't make it so. What universe do you come from? They went to a pack of trouble to catch each of us. Why? We still don't know."

The sheriff sighed. "I'm not clear on that myself. And that brings up what I'd really like to say. For your own safety, I like to see the four of you, including Misty, join the other one back in juvie for a spell." He held up his hand to forestall their outrage. "Just until we know for sure that these men have been taken off the streets."

"The other one? Who're you talking about?" Mark's icy voice cut through the heavy silence.

"Mr. Crompton picked up Stephen while everyone was out searching for you today. Said he'd come back tomorrow for the rest of us. Says it's not safe for us here," Gem explained, anger still firing through her at the thought. Gem's stomach acids rumbled. She closed her eyes. She hadn't seen Creepers' latest move coming. Yet, she should have.

"Gem?" Doris's kindly voice penetrated the silence. "Stephen isn't there permanently. He'll be returned as soon as the danger has passed." She waited a beat, then asked gently, "What do you think of the sheriff's suggestion?" She added as an afterthought, "And Mr. Crompton's plan?"

"I'm. Not. Going. Back."
Clear enough for her?
Gem kept her eyes closed and waited. If she went back, there's no way she'd get out again. That's how it worked. Besides, Creepers was just waiting for her to screw up, and if someone didn't know the truth of this strange series of events, this could be classed as a hell of a screw up. She hated the burning in her eyes. She'd be damned if they'd see her cry.

She didn't have to wait long for a response.

"I'm not either." Mark's clipped voice was second.

"No way." Reid was third.

John surprised her though. "If they don't want to go back, then I don't see as they should."

"John, but they can't truly understand what's going on here," the sheriff protested."It's just for a couple of days, a week at the most."

Gemma sat forward. "Did you actually say that? That we don't know what might happen? I'd think, out of all of us, we're the ones who
do
understand exactly what has happened to us and what could happen to us." She glared as the sheriff proved once again that law enforcement didn't use the brains God gave them. "Or maybe I'm mistaken and you were kidnapped along with us?"

Leaning back, she closed her eyes again, whispering, "Oh, what's the use?"

The boys slumped beside her.

Gemma whispered so only they could hear. "I'm not going back. I'll run away first." It was bravado but that's how she felt.

"I'm going with you."

"Hell, me too."

John shook his head again, obstinacy in his voice as he said, "No. This is their home. It would be a punishment to send them back. Even for their own safety. They didn't do anything wrong, so protecting them is your job." He added thoughtfully, "And mine."

Doris nodded. "That's right. This is their home. They belong here. I didn't want Stephen taken either. I already lodged a formal complaint about that."

The sheriff looked uncomfortable at John and Doris's resistance.

Gemma and Reid exchanged eyebrow raised looks. Talk about a surprise.

"Who knows if we'd be able to get them back when all this blows over? These ones aren't leaving. No," she added with her double chins quivering. "They stay here." She maneuvered herself upright, a suspicious sniffle escaping as she headed out of the room. "I need to finish up in the kitchen. Mark hasn't eaten yet."

Gemma smiled. Nothing made Doris happier than to feed someone. And she was so good at it. "Doris, is there any chance of a cup of tea?"

"Oh my goodness, yes. That's exactly what we need." And Doris bustled out happily.

John gave Gemma an approving smile. He knew what she'd done. His warm approval made her smile inside. They were two of the nicest people she'd ever met. They deserved better than this mess.