I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series) (25 page)

He stopped a few feet from me, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. His brown gaze bore into me, flinging silent accusations. “I see you and Dani have stepped it up a notch.”

“Yeah.” I glanced behind me then back to Elliot, pushing an easy smile over my lips.

“Were you with her yesterday?” His voice was cutting.

“I, uh, yeah, I’m really sorry about that.”

He shoved my shoulder. “You’re such an ass. Yeah, you sound really sorry.”

I grimaced. “Shit, man. I really am. I just— I forgot.” I ran my hand through my wet hair, guilt singeing my insides.

“Yeah, obviously.”

“And I left my phone at home too, so that’s why I didn’t get your calls. I was gonna call you when I got home, but—”

“Save it. I don’t give a shit. I’ve wasted enough of my time on you anyway. I turned up at your house and your mom said you’d gone to study so I went to find you at the library, but no show. You never go anywhere else to study so I figured you’d bailed on me.” He tipped his head. “For Miss Mystery too. Thanks for that.”

“Look, dude, I didn’t mean to. This weekend was crazy for me.”

“Why?” The anger fled, concern flashing across his features briefly.

“I, um. It just got busy.”

The anger returned in a flash. “You are so full of shit.”

“No, it’s just…” I raised my hand to try and calm him, but his nostrils were already flaring. “Elliot, don’t get pissed okay. I needed to spend some time with Dani, that’s all.”

“What are you not telling me?”

“There’s…I can’t, okay. I promised her.”

The dead silence that followed was like an ax blade slicing through our friendship. Elliot already had trust issues and I was killing him with this. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t break Dani’s confidence.

Elliot stepped towards me, pointing at his chest. “I have been your best friend for nearly a decade.” He held up his hand. “I’ve put up with all your shit and your crazy girlfriends, but never have you put one of them before me. I’m the closest thing you have to a brother and you’re not willing to trust me?”

“I do trust you. Of course I do. I just…I made a promise.”

“Screw you. You’re lying to me.” He shook his head, his jaw clenching tight. “And you know what kills me the most? You’re doing it for a freaking girl you’ve known less than three months. I’m really glad our friendship means that much to you. That’s awesome. Really great.” His sarcasm felt like razor blades.

“Don’t be like that, man. You just need to give me some time.”

“Whatever, go make out with your next conquest, but don’t expect me to clean up the pieces this time. You’re digging your own grave and I’m not pulling you out of this one. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He walked away, his checkered shirt flapping as he stormed out the door.

“Elliot. Come on, man!” I spread my hands wide and tried to call him back, but it was pointless. With a sigh, I turned towards the locker room.

Elliot was not the kind of friend you let down or lied to. He was loyal like a freaking dog, but he expected loyalty in return and I’d let him down big time.

I closed my eyes and blew out a sigh. This day was not going to be easy.

As I pulled on my shirt, I noticed my phone flashing.

Find out anything?

Uncle Alex was on a mission. I pursed my lips, wondering if I should reply or just ignore him. Maybe it was time to drop this. But how could I? If this all got exposed then Dani would be free and I could start telling Elliot everything again. I wanted to let him in. He was my best friend.

With a quick sniff, I texted back.

L.A. That’s all I’ve got so far. I’ll keep you posted.

*****

Dani was waiting for me outside the locker room. She looked gorgeous, making my grin a natural one. I hoped there was no lingering guilt on the edges.

“You okay?” She wrapped her arm around my waist and laid her damp hair on my shoulder.

“Yep.”

“Is Elliot okay?”

“Not so much.”

I opened the door for her. She put her hands in her pockets and walked through. “Is he mad with me?”

“No, me. I kind of forgot we were supposed to hang out yesterday.”

“Oh no.” Dani bit her bottom lip.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to him this weekend.”

“I feel bad, though. It was my fault.”

“Hey.” I pulled her hand from her pocket and threaded my fingers through hers. “It wasn’t your fault at all.” Pulling her to a stop, I made her look at me. “Yesterday was important. We both needed it.”

“I know.” Her smile was coy. “As terrifying as it was for me, it was also one of the best days of my life.”

“Me too.”

“I’m just sorry if it causes friction with you and your friends. I don’t want to do anything to ruin what you have.”

“You won’t. We’ve been friends for a long time and as hard as it is for me not to tell them stuff, they’ll just have to live with it.”

She looked nervous as she nodded.

“I told you I wouldn’t tell them…and I won’t.”

“Thank you,” she mouthed and I could see just how much it meant to her.

Guilt singed me again as I thought about my words to Uncle Alex last night, but I comforted myself with the fact she’d never find out…well, at least not until I could present her with all the facts and sell her the idea that the asshole who stole her life was going down for his crimes.

“Want to come over for dinner tonight?”

“Yes.” She grinned.

“Good, cause my mom won’t stop asking when you’re coming back again.”

“You’re a lucky guy, Zach. You have a great life.”

“I know it.” I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles. “And it just got better too.” I cupped the back of her head and gently kissed her, sucking her lower lip before pulling away. Her smile was euphoric and warmed me to my core.

She was worth this.

It would be hard keeping secrets from my family and friends, especially Elliot, but he’d come around.

I’d take him out this weekend, we’d have some guy time and things would be back to normal.

Everything would be okay.

Chapter 29

May 2014

Everything was not okay. Elliot didn’t come around and when I asked him if he wanted to hang out on the weekend he said he was busy. Liar. It had been a really crappy week and our friendship had never been in such a tenuous position.

To make matters worse, it wasn’t the only friendship suffering. Every time Dani and I popped out of our love bubble we were met with growing hostility. It’s not that we were trying to avoid my friends, we were still eating lunch with them and hanging out as usual, but they knew something was up and the fact I refused to budge whenever Dani was out of earshot irked them something chronic. It made me want to stay away from them and just bask in Dani’s sweet company, but I didn’t want to lose my friends and so I kept trying…and failing. By the end of the week, things were at a hot simmer.

Jaeda was pissed at me because I’d made Elliot mad. AJ was continually trying to lighten the mood by cracking jokes that even ended up annoying Liesl. They never fought but parted in a huff after lunch on Friday.

I ignored the bell and pressed my forehead into my palms as my friends all scattered.

“What is up with everyone?” Dani rubbed my back. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? Elliot hates me and is turning them all against me.”

With a sigh, I raised my head and glanced at her. “It’s not that. They just know something’s up and I won’t tell them. I think deep down Elliot’s worried that I’m getting myself into shit again. But a promise is a promise.” My tone was terser than I meant it to be.

Guilt scuttled over Dani’s face, but it was mingled with irritation. “You know, maybe us being together is a bad idea. I don’t want to come between you and your friends.” She started to rise from her seat, but I snatched her hand before she could.

“I’m not going through this just so I can lose you.”

“You shouldn’t be going through it at all. You’re a senior at this amazing school with awesome friends. You should be living it up…not putting up with my crap.”

“I don’t put up with you. I choose you.” I tried to tug her to sit down, but she wouldn’t budge. “They’re my friends; they’ll get over it.”

“I don’t know whether Elliot will.”

“Well, that’s his problem!” Since when did I turn into such a jerk?

‘This is why I shouldn’t stay.” She squeezed my hand. “I don’t want to cause a rift between you and your friends. You’re such a tight group. I’m messing everything up.”

“Well, maybe if you told them the truth, it’d bring us all back together.”

Her bright blue eyes grew dark and stormy. “Don’t ask me to do that.” She wriggled her hand free.

“Hey! You two! Get to class!” Principal Hurst called across the tables.

“Sorry, sir.” I waved as he briskly walked past the cafeteria to his office. He looked distracted and annoyed over something and didn’t look back to check we’d moved. So I stayed put. Dani and I needed to finish this.

I stood slowly, not wanting any sudden movements to make her back away from me. “Dani, I’m not asking you to spill everything. Maybe just tell them the part about your parents and that’s why you have to be secretive. Even that much would appease Elliot.”

“Even that much? Zach, I’ve never told anyone this much about myself before. I don’t think you understand how difficult this has been for me. But I know you needed it, so I’ve opened up. I’ve let you in.”

“You haven’t let me in on everything.”

Her lips puckered with a frown. “I’m trying, okay? But you have no idea what you’re asking me to do.”

“Well, tell me then.”

“I’ve already told you, it’s too dangerous.”

“What’s so dangerous about five or six trustworthy people knowing? They won’t tell a soul, Dani, I can say that with 100% conviction.”

“Wait. Five or six?” Her brows bunched together sharply, her eyes narrowing.

My mouth dropped open. Seriously! What the hell was wrong with me?

“Who else knows?” Dani fired blue daggers at me that bit into my conscience, piling on the guilt until my body actually hurt. “Zach, what have you done?”

“Nothing bad.” I met her eyes, trying to ease that scared look in her eye. “I just mentioned it to my uncle. He was the one that helped me ask around on Saturday.”

“You had help on Saturday?”

I shrugged, going for a casual. “He helped put some pieces together and work out some of your identities.”

“Your uncle.” She looked dubious.

“Yeah.”

“Who is he?”

I swallowed. “He’s Uncle Alex.”

She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose as if she was trying to summon some inner calm that was too far from reach. “And what does Uncle Alex do? Is he a cop?”

“No!” I shook my head. “He’s…” My lips flapped over the truth. Damn, she was going to hate this. “He’s a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.”

Her face drained of color, her blues eyes rounding with horror.

I winced.

Fear swept across her expression. “A reporter? You told a San Francisco reporter!”

“It was off the record. None of this will get printed. He has resources and connections, Dani. He can help us.”

Her hands were shaking as she grasped her head. “He’ll find him. He’ll find you,” she whispered.

“What?”

“You promised me you wouldn’t say a word to anyone! You promised, Zach. How could you be so selfish?”

“Selfish!” I pointed back to where my friends had all stalked away from me. “I’m losing my friends over you. I’m not breaking trust or gossiping about you around school. I’m just trying to help. My uncle is an amazing investigator and he’ll find out who did this to your parents. He can expose him and then this can be over for you!”

“I didn’t ask for you to do that for me! I’ve never requested justice.”

“Well you should have!”

“You don’t get it, Zach!” Her voice was quivering. She looked like a cornered animal, her eyes flittering around me, seeking an escape. “I want to live! That’s pretty much my only goal in life and you messing around with this is just screwing it up. You can’t stand the idea that justice hasn’t been served. You want to bring him down, but you have no clue what you are up against! He’s too powerful for you, Zach. I told you to drop it, because I care about you. I value your life.” Her voice broke and she pulled in a ragged breath.

Okay, was she saying that me digging into this would get me killed?

That’s ridiculous. I gripped the back of my neck, needing this argument to be over. We weren’t getting anywhere and the idea of watching her shake like that for another nanosecond killed me.

“I care about you too, Dani. A lot.” My eyes rested on her, making sure she understood that I meant every word I was saying. “You deserve to get back the life he stole from you. You have to stand up and bring this guy down. You can’t live like this for the rest of your life. I want to help set you free. Uncle Alex is the best ally we have.”