Deceptions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 2) (15 page)

“What the hell are you talking about?” Caleb was yelling so loudly, Barry held the phone away from his ear.

My eyes closed as I listened to Caleb’s explanation, loud enough for me to hear through the phone. He informed Barry that the men swarming his house had the initials D. E. A. on their backs. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Wow
. Detective Tanner wasn’t kidding when he told me it was above him‌—‌he’d called in the feds.

“Is it going on now?” Barry’s question cut through my thoughts as I held my breath awaiting Caleb’s answer.

“Yes, I’m looking out my window, watching it go down.”

My stomach churned and my ice cream lost its appeal.
This was too soon
. I hadn’t counted on any friends calling him. Of course, I had no clue Caleb lived near his house.
Just my luck
! Even though I knew it was coming, I still wasn’t prepared. Inhaling deeply, I opened my eyes, daring to peek at Barry.

He paled the longer he remained on the phone, and I wanted so badly to reach out and console him. Finally, he spoke. “I’m heading there now.”

We tossed our cones in a nearby trashcan and Barry rushed toward the car, with me scrambling to keep up with his pace.

He mumbled something about how irresponsible his mother was as the engine roared to life. “What on earth have you done now?” he asked rhetorically.

I sat beside him, speechless and consumed by guilt. In less than ten minutes, we would be at his house and he’d realize the secrets I had kept from him. He would hate me, and I couldn’t blame him. Lies and deceit were not a good foundation for a relationship. Intentional or not, it wouldn’t matter. Barry would definitely hate me.

With a sideways glance, I studied his profile. He had gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles had turned white. The smile I loved had disappeared from his face, along with the light that danced in his eyes. I hated knowing that I had played a major role in extinguishing that light.
Why did I have this ability to see crap
? Barry called it a gift, but it was a curse.

When we arrived at his house, vehicles blocked his driveway and uniformed men stood everywhere. There wasn’t any way we were getting close to the house. A few neighbors stood outside their doors, straining to get a better view. Some had their hand over their mouths, shaking their heads in disbelief. Tanner’s dark blue Interceptor was parked in the driveway, and a minuscule stream of hope swelled in my mind. At least Tanner was nearby.

Barry swerved to the side of the road and threw the car into park. Immediately springing from his seat, he slammed the door before running toward his house. I had to sprint to keep up. I had never felt so helpless in my entire life.

“Sir, you need to stop right there. Get back behind the perimeter,” an officer yelled.

“That’s my house. What’s going on? Where’s my mom?” Barry’s pitch rose with each question until he was practically screaming at the officer.

Barry kept advancing forward, and the armed officer stepped toward him, yelling with more force, “Stop, right there.”

Afraid they were going to physically hurt him, I started searching for Tanner. If he was here, maybe he could calm Barry down, at least enough to explain what was happening.

I scanned the area. Several officers emerged from the shed, hauling green plants. My breath sucked in as my suspicions about the shed were confirmed.

A grunt jarred me from my speculations. My head snapped toward the noise. An officer had wrestled Barry to the ground.

“No!” I yelled and ran over to help Barry. Another officer grabbed ahold of me, pinning me in place. “Please, let him go!” I screamed.

Pain shot down my arms as I wiggled back and forth, trying to get free. The officer’s hands clamped tighter around my arms, but I didn’t care. I needed to get to Barry. If they’d just answer his questions, he’d calm down.

“Ease up, he’s harmless. He lives here.” Tanner’s voice echoed. “And let her go, she works for me,” he added with an exasperated sigh.

In that moment, it was the sweetest voice that ever passed through my ears. Tanner glanced toward me and our eyes connected. The lines in his face softened, revealing his compassion for my situation. We had grown close these past few days of working together, and this had to be tearing him up inside.

After the officer released my arms, my gaze shifted toward Barry. I rushed over to him as he tried to stand up. His piercing glare stopped me in my tracks. How could I forget? Now that he had heard Tanner say that I worked for him, he had doubtless put two and two together.

He tore his eyes from me, then zeroed in on Tanner. “What the hell is going on?”

“Barry, I know you want answers, but I’m only allowed to say so much. It seems your mother has gotten herself into trouble. She’s being detained for now.” Tanner’s lips pressed together in a slight grimace as he struggled to find the right words. After a long pause, he continued, “Barry, listen. The charges against her are serious. Not only are there possession charges, but there’s over one hundred grams of marijuana growing in the back shed. That is a serious felony to manufacture that many grams, especially with intent to distribute in the state of Missouri.”

Every bit of Barry’s soul was sucked from his body as his cold, hard stare went vacant. His chin lowered and his arms fell limp by his side. With his shoulders hunched, he shook his head ever so slowly. My heart broke in half. I crossed my arms, pressing my fingers against my sides to keep from running to him. I wanted so badly to comfort him. Hold him. The hardest thing was not being able to do a damn thing.

“Barry, just go back to your grandma’s house and wait. I’ll call you when I can. Being here, seeing all this…‌it won’t help.”

Without a word, Barry walked toward his car.

I glanced at the detective, and he nodded, silently wishing me luck. With a slight grimace, I turned away and noticed Caleb standing across the street. His hand squeezed the back of his neck, and his eyes darted from Barry to me. I forced a small smile and then rushed to Barry’s car. I wasn’t sure if Barry would take off and leave me here or not. I was sure he wanted to be as far away from me as possible.

Silence prevailed on the way back to his grandmother’s home. Barry’s jaw worked back and forth as if he was contemplating what to say. He stared straight ahead with the most vacant expression. In all the turbulence we’d been through together, I’d never seen this type of emptiness. It was rather scary. Scarier than when he punched Micha.

~16~

Storms

Gray clouds were fast approaching from the west, choking out the sun. The farther Barry and I drove, the more the tree tops swayed from the increasingly strong gusts of wind. The irony was not lost on me‌—‌the storm wasn’t limited to the skies. No, it was brewing between the two of us. The ride back home was unnerving, and the silence twisted my stomach into knots. Occasionally, I stole a glance at Barry, but his refusal to look at me or speak to me weighed heavy on my chest. I wanted so badly to fix it, but how?

After parking in his grandma’s driveway, Barry sat there for a few minutes and stared straight ahead. He remained silent, and my bottom lip quivered as I contemplated what to say. I was at a loss for words. Unable to bear the tension any longer, I shook my head before grabbing ahold of the door handle.

“Answer me this. Were you involved in getting my mother arrested?” Barry asked sharply.

I sighed and sat back down in my seat, shutting the door. I turned toward the window. The skies had dulled to a stone gray as the sun became engulfed by the darkening clouds. The wind whipped, making the tree branches rattle and ensuring the storm I had predicted.

After a long pause, I choked out, “Yes.”

Barry’s breathing accelerated, but he remained still, avoiding my eyes.

“So your vision included my mom,” he stated.

Thunder clapped in the background as a single tear escaped my eye, running down my cheek. “Yes,” I replied, my voice shaky. I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact I was crying. I needed to be strong to get through this conversation.

He reached for his keys and turned off the motor. “When?” he asked. His head tilted, and our eyes locked. His beautiful, vibrant eyes that usually held a mischievous gleam were empty.

I cringed. My answer wasn’t going to help. As soon as he learned the timeframe, he’d know how long I’d been deceiving him. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was hurt him. He’d been the best thing for me, and I hated that I hadn’t held up my end of our friendship.

His left hand gripped the steering wheel tighter. “When?” he repeated.

“Um…‌after we found Nick, Tanner needed to take care of some paper work. We went to the station here in town. I stayed on the steps and waited for him while he went inside. The police chief followed him out, and he touched my shoulder before leaving. The vision showed Bart with your mother. It wasn’t until later that we figured out what was going on.”

He tensed at Bart’s name, but that was the only emotion he showed. After a long pause, he asked, “So…‌for the past two days we’ve spent together, you
knew
they were investigating my mother?”

“Barry you have to understand, I wasn’t able to say anything…‌” my voice trailed off.

“Humph. Yeah, right. We were together, Heather. Every. Single. Day. There was plenty of time for you to mention
something
.” His voice raised a couple of octaves and his nostrils flared.

There was another, louder thunderclap and I jumped. Small droplets of rain fell, splattering the windshield.

“Barry, I was warned. Detective Tanner more or less threatened me if I interfered with the investigation.”

“Heather, you deliberately went behind my back and kept information from me. Information about my own mother! Did you think I wouldn’t find out? The police used her, and you served her to them on a silver platter,” he yelled.

It was pointless to answer because he was too upset to listen.
How would I respond anyway?
He was justified in being upset. Even if I wasn’t allowed to divulge details of the investigation, I could have at least given him some warning.
Maybe
. I had expected him to be mad, but I still wished he could see things from my perspective. I couldn’t blame him, though: he had every right to hate me.

“Just leave,” Barry demanded.

The rain fell harder as another thunder cloud roared above our head.

“Barry, please…‌”

“Leave,” he repeated forcefully, and exited the car. I winced as Barry slammed his door so hard I worried it might break.

The rain soaked my hair, matting it to my face within seconds, but I didn’t care. Through my blurred vision, I watched him take a few steps toward his grandmother’s house as we were pelted by the rain.

Barry stopped and turned back around to face me. I swallowed hard, stunned by his hardened stare. He raised his hand and waved his index finger at me. “You know, I’ve had enough of this. Of you.” I flinched at those bitter words and watched him stalk away.

My legs trembled, threatening to collapse beneath me. The moment I feared had finally arrived‌—‌my abilities were too much for Barry to handle. The cold cut through me as Barry approached the front door. The harsh reality stung, and his hurtful words sliced through me like a knife. Tears, mixed with rain, streaked my face as I stood and watched the guy I loved walk away. Yes, I loved him.
Why was I so scared to admit it?
It didn’t matter if it was spoken out loud, affection didn’t hide under unspoken words.

“I do love you,” I rasped, unable to stop myself, the desperation was apparent in my voice, even to me. My breath hitched, as I stood there immobilized, seeking a reaction.

His body tensed and he paused as if contemplating my words, but his body language spoke volumes‌—‌I was too late. He took another step forward without uttering a single word, and I gasped. I stayed silent, rooted in place until he disappeared inside his grandma’s house. My eyes closed as cold raindrops prickled my skin. I turned slowly toward my house, and the harsh reality crashed over me. My chest heaved, and every ounce of oxygen became precious. I had lost more than my boyfriend…‌I lost my best friend.

~17~

Repercussions

The heavy door to my house slammed shut behind me, and I leaned my back against it, sliding down until I hit the floor. Water from my drenched clothing pooled around me as wailing erupted from my lungs. I buried my head in my hands and burst into tears. I just sat there and cried.

Mom came running into the breezeway. “Heather, what’s wrong?” she asked shrilly, eyes wide.

I hardly ever cried. Even back home in Clayton when everyone shunned me, I never let anyone see me cry. But this was a different kind of hurt I couldn’t hide.

“Oh, Mom, I’ve messed up,” I managed to get out between sobs.

Her gaze roamed over my body as if physically assessing me. After determining that I wasn’t physically hurt, her shoulders relaxed and she pulled me into an embrace. “What happened?”

Where do I even begin
? There was so much I couldn’t say. “Barry just broke up with me.” I managed to choke out.

Her head drew back slightly. “That boy is smitten with you,” she said. “I see it whenever he stares at you. What on earth happened?”

“He couldn’t handle my abilities anymore,” I said, leaving out some crucial details.

“Since when? He’s witnessed you go through some heavy visions; why the sudden change?”

“Oh, Mom, I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say. Remember Nicholas?”

“The boy you helped find?”

I nodded.

“I thought he was found and everything was all right.” She squeezed me tighter.

“He was, but there’s more to it than that. It starts back at the ceremony for Johnny.” I sniffed and stared down at my hands.

She leaned away from me and cleared her throat. “What happened at the ceremony?”

I turned to look at her. The tears had blurred my vision, but I could still see the concern in her eyes.