Safe and Sound (31 page)

 
Lola looked at Isabelle. “You know where Jared is?” She nodded. “Go get him.
Now.
Now
.”

 
Isabelle shot to her feet and ran, her feet thundering against the floor in her haste.

 
Lola went to Jack, carefully brushing his hair back.
Emotions welled up inside her, threatening to burst. She couldn’t stop crying; they silently trailed down her cheeks, dampening the bed.

 
A sob left her and Lola placed her hands over her face.
She couldn’t lose him, she didn’t want to think about
it
, but the dread was there, trying to take over
Lola
.
What if she lost him?

 
The barest of touches against her hand had her lowering them. She stared down at Jack, loving him and hurting for him. She gently took his outstretched hand into hers and kissed the broken skin.

 
She hoped his father rotted in hell.

 
“Love…you.”

 
Lola went still, shivers starting at her scalp and ending at her toes. She closed her eyes. “I love you,” she whispered back.

*
**

 
“How is he doing?”

 
Lola started, sloshing hot coffee on her hand. She ran to the sink and turned on the cold water, holding her pink flesh under it.

 
“Sorry,” Blair said, making a face.

 
She rubbed her face and leaned
her hips
against the counter, staring out the
kitchen
window at the gray cast sky.
Lola was so tired.

 
“Okay, considering. He looks worse now than he did four days ago.
Nothing broken, as far as we know.
”
Lola set her coffee mug down and looked at her aunt
, her self-control on the verge of shattering
.

 
Blair pressed her lips together and reached for Lola. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.
”

 
There it went.

 
Lola
sobbed
, hanging onto her aunt just to stay upright.
Blair hugged her tight, pressing a kiss to her temple.

 
She
moved away from her aunt’s comforting arms, wiping her eyes.
“This is so messed up.
Really.”

 
“
He needs to press charges. And he should have gone to the doctor,” Blair
said for about the fiftieth time
.

 
“
He refuses
to press charges
. He’s scared
if he does anything more to anger his dad
he’ll lose his sister.
And
Dr. Jones
looked him over at the apartment. It was the most Jack would agree to.
”

 
“
Sebastian’s mom
will report it.
It’s her job to.
”

 
“She would, if any of us had told her the truth.
He’s eighteen, an adult.
Jack said he fell and hit his face against a door. She didn’t believe it, of course, but no matter how times she
tried to get
him to tell her what really happened
,
that’s all he would say. He’s stubborn like that.”

 
Her aunt sighed. “
I’m sure
Dr. Jones
loved that. As far as Isabelle is concerned
, technically, he isn’t her guardian.
His father can say she has to stay with him. Jack could fight it
and probably win, but it wouldn’t be a fun process for any of them.”

 
“I know. We’ve talked about it.
A lot.
At least
they’re
out of that house now.
”
She walked to the window, watching the rain blanket the earth in water.
             

 
“He’
s
missed too much school to graduate. He’ll have to take summer classes to get his diploma. Or get a G.E.D. later.”

 
Blair poured herself a cup of coffee and blew on it.
“How is
this
Jared
guy
treating him?”

 
A half-hearted smiled curved her lips. “He’s wonderful, Blair. You should have seen the way he took care of Jack.
He’s bullish and set in his ways
, but so sweet too
. Jared’s perfect for Jack.

 
“
He’s more of a father to Jack than his real father.
He’s
rough around the edges, but
a nice guy.
I’m glad Jack has someone like him in his life.”

 
“Me too.
What are the plans for tonight? Think Jack and Isabelle would like to come over for dinner?”

 
Lola pursed her lips, not sure how to politely decline.

 
“I’ll order pizza,” Blair stated, laughing.

 
Lola smiled. “Sure. I’ll call Jack after school. Speaking of which, I need to go.”

 
“Take the car. I have stuff to do around here, so I won’t need it.”

 
“Thanks. See you later.”
She spontaneously kissed her aunt on the cheek, smiling when Blair laughed.

*
**

 
Sebastian and Rachel f
lagged Lola down in the hallway
at lunchtime. She’d planned on checking up on Jack
during her half hour break
. Lola shook the car keys in her hand, waiting impatiently for them to catch up.

 
It smelled like gym socks and swe
at in the almost empty corridor, posters on the walls boasting school spi
rit for the Morgan Creek Wolves in silver and black lettering.

 
Sebastian and Rachel
were a striking couple;
attractive
, well-dressed
.
They’d even color coordinated with black shirts and dark jeans. Probably that hadn’t been on purpose.

 
“Hey, guys. What’s up?” Lola
eyed
the glass doors that led to Jack.

 
Sebastian slung an arm around Lola’s shoulders and pulled her to him, his deodorant and cologne enveloping her. She preferred Jack’s. “Where are you going to in
such
a hurry?”

 
“I need to check on Jack,” Lola said, shifting her feet.
She was posed for flight, itching to be on her way.

 
“How’s he doing?” Sebastian asked.

 
“He’s healing.”
Physically.
Mentally Jack would forever carry the scars of his father’s
abuse
.

 
Rachel made a sympathetic sound.
“I can’t believe
he fell and hit his face.
Poor guy.”

 
“Yeah,” was all Lola would say, aware
Sebastian’s knowing
eyes were on her. She was sure his mother had filled him in on her suspicions.

 
“We should hang out
tonight;
get a pizza and a movie or something.
Get our minds off things.
Have some fun.
What do you say, Lola?
”
Rachel nudged her boyfriend. “Sebastian?”

 
“
I can’t. I
gotta
help my dad out at the shop, remember?”

 
“Oh. That’s right.
Another time?”

 
Lola app
reciated the effort, she
did, but all she really cared about at that moment was seeing Jack.
“Yeah.
Sure,” she blurted. “
We’ll talk
later.”
             

 
“You still owe me a sleepover!” Rachel called after her.

 
Lola smiled and waved, jogging toward the door.

*
**

 
Jared Summers’
was a wealthy man.
If not in money, then with land.
He owned
hundreds
of
sprawling acres of wooded and farmed land.
His house was old and brown, three stories, and sparsely furnished. It had a distinct smell to it, a scent Lola was sure most farmhouses acquired through the years
, especially ones owned by bachelors
. Like hay, or
freshly mowed
grass.

 
Early forties, tall and lean, he had light brown hair, tanned skin with lines that fanned out at the corners of his turquoise blue eyes and lips that rarely smiled.
Jared was handsome
in a hard
, unrefined
way; like Jack.

 
He was a quiet man
who grunted more than
he
spoke. Jared was also a decent
, fair
man.
Lola had nothing but respect
and gratitude
for him.
She also had big plans for him; he just didn’t know it.

 
If not for him, Jack would be an entirely different person. If not for Jared, Jack might have
turned into
a clone of his father.
Jared had quietly intervened during an impressionable age for Jack, offered him work and a place to go to escape his life at home
, and changed his life without even knowing it.

 
Jared
was a kind man, though he had a
brusque
manner
and would never admit such a thing.
It was in the th
ings
he did
, not what he said,
his true character showed through.
Lola had loved him the moment she’d met him and seen his tender handling of Jack.
Her aunt would love hi
m too, once Lola finally
talked Jared into agreeing to leave his farm long enough to have a meal at h
er aunt’s house.

 
A brown garage matc
hed the house in color
and
stood slightly away from the house, equally old and lacking in furniture and decorative pieces. But there was one thing it contained that was priceless to Lola.

 
Her breathing picked up as she parked the Cavalier.
Lola slammed the door and ran toward the garage, rain drizzling on her,
making
her hair and clothes
damp
.
She tugged the hood
of
her
burnt orange
sweatshirt over her head as she knocked on the door to the left of the garage doors.

 
The acrid smell of cow manure offended her nostrils and Lola
s
crunch
ed
he
r nose up.

 
When a second knock didn’t get a response, Lola pushed the door open.

 
“Hello? Jack?” she called, walking up the narrow staircase to the living quarters.

 
Maybe he was napping. It was a good day for it. Lola fought a yawn and
scanned
the room for inhabitants.

 
All of the rooms, and there weren’t many, had tan walls and brown carpet. Except for the
kitchen and bathroom; the latter
was pink and white
tiled.

 
A small living room
was to the left; a shabby red couch and a brown recliner its only furniture.
There was a TV stand and TV. Windows overlooked the barn and silo and other farm equipment Lola couldn’t put a name to.

 
The kitchen
had brown linoleum, an avocado stove, off-white refrigerator, and a wobbly table with two chairs.
The scent of coffee lingered in the apartment.

 
Two small bedrooms; Jack’s even smaller than his sister’s, proved to be empty as well.
Lola sat on his bed, fingering the frayed
green
blanket. Where
was
he?

 
She didn’t think he would be helping Jared already; he was too sore and
not healed enough
. But he was a stubborn man so anything was possible.
But Jared’s more stubborn.