Ravenous - Helen Hardt Page 0,2
during recess over seeing someone he thought might be from his past, he’d clammed up even more. Talon was the best at getting through to him. Dale was still pretty distant with Jade, and I could tell it bothered her, but she was giving him the space he needed. She wasn’t going to pressure him, I knew. She just wanted to make sure he was okay with going back to school.
A few minutes later he returned to the kitchen, and I set a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him.
“Still going to school?” I asked.
He nodded and started on his breakfast. Once the boys were off, I went back in to see Jade.
“Dale okay?” I asked.
“He seems to be. Thank God for Talon. I’d be lost handling Dale alone.”
“You’d be fine, but Talon does seem to be able to reach him.”
“I’m feeling kind of obsolete around here.”
“You’re being silly, and you know it. Those boys adore you.”
“Well…Donny does.”
“So does Dale. He’s just quiet. Plus, he’s scared everything is going to collapse around him again. All he needs is time.”
“I know. It’s frustrating, though. I’ve assured him time and again that Talon and I aren’t going anywhere.”
“He’ll come around. What does Melanie say?”
“That he’s healing and you can’t put a time frame on these things.”
I smiled. “Sounds a lot like what I just said.”
“I know. Still, I’m worried, and Talon doesn’t say so, but he is too.”
“About the guy Dale saw at recess?”
She nodded.
“It could have been his imagination.”
“I know that. But even if it’s not someone he thinks he recognized, why is a guy in a hoodie hanging around a playground? It’s creepy.”
“Yeah, I know. The cops are on it. They’ll be watching.”
“Talon’s calling in Mills and Johnson too.”
“I figured he would.”
“He’ll do whatever he has to do to protect those boys,” Jade said, “and so will I. That’s why I think I need to go back to work.”
“They need you here,” I said.
“I know. But I’m pulling my hair out. I feel so useless. Gah! Let’s talk about something else. And not about Colin, either. What were you doing at the guesthouse last night?”
Bam!
A two-ton rock crashed down on my head. Or so it felt, anyway.
Last night at the guesthouse.
I hadn’t succeeded at forcing any of it from my mind, but at least I’d had something to do. Now? No way was I telling Jade any of this. I didn’t need to add to her distress.
Plus…I’d never confided in her about the cutting. It was the only secret I’d ever kept from my best friend. I was just too ashamed. Only Mel knew, and I needed to call her. This morning had been a little too close for comfort.
“Just wanted to use the hot tub,” I said, hating the acidic taste of the lie on my tongue.
“Marj, we have a perfectly good hot tub here.”
“I know, but I needed a little alone time.” Would she buy that?
“Oh. Yeah, I get it. It’s kind of a three-ring circus around here. Sorry about that.”
“I don’t mean it that way. I love being here, and I love you and my brothers and those adorable boys.”
“I know you didn’t mean it badly. I’m just saying I understand.”
I smiled—a forced smile, but a smile nonetheless. “If you ever need some alone time, just let me know.”
“Are you kidding? I spend most days alone in this damned bedroom. The time I have with Talon, the boys, and you makes my days.” She laughed. “Besides, no hot tub for me until I have this baby.”
I loved hearing Jade laugh, and I especially loved hearing her talk about having the baby. After her scare at the hospital, she’d been nervous about losing the child.
“Once you give birth, you and I will have a girls’ hot-tub date complete with bubbles—jacuzzi bubbles and Champagne.”
“It’s a date!”
I returned her smile as best I could. “I have something to take care of. Let me know if you need anything.”
I walked to my own bedroom, grabbed my phone, and pulled up my list of contacts.
Chapter Three
Bryce
I woke to my phone vibrating on the nightstand. Joe.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Come outside.”
I willed my brain to function. “Huh?”
“Come outside. Now.”
“Yeah, sure. Okay.” He didn’t want to talk on the phone. I got it. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and pulled on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and my slippers.
I walked out of the bedroom to find my mom feeding Henry in the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said. “You were out late