and you can deal with the consequences of your actions yourself. Of course, should you choose that option, you might want to consider the fact that the community service arrangement was made by me, so you’re going to have to go back to the station and negotiate your own deal. Considering Judge Renner hasn’t been that impressed by your behavior lately, you’re looking at anything from a fine to actual jail time.” His father looked at his watch as if he had no worries in the world. “Well, it’s been nice to catch up, Alexander, but now I have a meeting to get to. I believe Remy is more than ready to drive you wherever you need to go.”
The man strode away, down the long hallway. Alex clenched and unclenched his fists in powerless anger.
Ah, fuck it. He had nothing to lose anymore, did he?
“I’ll do it,” he called to his father’s retreating back.
The man stopped. He stood still for a few moments.
“Good. I’ll let Renner know,” he threw over his shoulder before he continued on his merry way.
Alex dragged his hands through his hair and swore loudly, not caring about Jessica’s scandalized expression. This was going to be a long summer.
2
End of May, 2009
Oregon was almost painfully green and blue. There were trees, intercepted by lakes and then more trees. As if the green itself wasn’t enough, Alex had apparently arrived smack-dab in the middle of some sort of a flower explosion because everything was blooming. Cherries, apples, roses, wildflowers. Even weeds were sprouting blooms everywhere. It was stunning. If you liked that sort of a thing, that is.
Alex didn’t.
Nature had never been his thing. He was a city boy, through and through. He could be blindfolded and dropped in the crappiest neighborhood in New York, and he’d find his way out of it. Forests, on the other hand, were a whole other world. One that was unfamiliar and foreign and, even though Alex didn’t like to admit it to himself, a bit creepy. All trees looked the same. How the hell was anybody supposed to know where they were going if there were no adequate signs to point you to the right direction?
Fucking nature.
“It’s not that bad,” Remy said from the front of the car.
Alex glared at him. Of course Remy could appreciate his surroundings—he wasn’t exiled to this godforsaken place. Were there even people here, or was this community service at a wildlife center just an excuse his father had made up to conveniently drop Alex in the middle of nowhere and let a bunch of predators destroy the evidence?
“My grandmother lived in Oregon. I used to visit her all the time when I was a little boy. Almost drowned in Detroit Lake when I was eight.” Remy’s voice was fond as he reminisced.
“That’s not really a good way to advertise this place,” Alex said. “Oregon, we’ll drown you until you’re dead.” He thought about it for a moment. “Sounds about right.”
Remy threw him a glance in the rearview mirror. “I saw a bear once.”
“Oh good, it gets worse. Did it try to eat you? Maul you to death? Chase you off a cliff?”
“I was in a car.”
“I bet a bear can roll a car off a cliff.”
“Probably,” Remy conceded. “But it didn’t. It just stared at me and my nan through the windshield and then took off.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Alex knew he sounded pissed off, and he kind of felt bad. It wasn’t Remy’s fault Alex had been banished from New York. The man had gone beyond his duties, offering to accompany Alex to North Oregon Wildlife Center, even though it was hardly necessary, since Alex had been traveling on his own for years now.
Still, he guessed it was some sort of a condition the judge had set because, at first, Alex’s father had wanted to send Jeeves with Alex. Luckily, Remy had overheard and volunteered. Alex had no idea why he couldn’t have gone on his own, but he figured he might have been considered a flight risk. He wasn’t even going to pretend that the idea of taking off toward Mexico hadn’t crossed his mind once or twice.
Remy steered the car down a gravel road. Tiny rocks were crunching under the wheels of the rental. The sound was actually kind of soothing. Like that white-noise crap people put on to calm babies.
“I guess I haven’t thought about it in a while,” Remy said and shrugged one shoulder. “My nan died when