Night Fury: Second Act (8 page)

I smile as I watch Tomas read a hundred miles a minute. He flicks through the pages of
his biology textbook in record speed as he sits on the floor¸ gently rocking. The funny thing is that although it looks as though he’s not taking a thing in, I know he is.

Super smart
, I think as I shake my head lightly.

Xavier is packing the rest of their things. They didn’t come with much. I know it shouldn’t be taking this long. My
chest aches as I wonder whether Xavier is putting off leaving because he wants to stay. In my heart, I believe he wants to stay. That he wants to stay with me.

He’s the first friend I’ve made in years. He’s the first friend I’ve made outside of the church, outside of Mirage, period.

I walk across the room. Without a thought, I open up a juice box and bring it over to Tomas. He takes it without looking up and I smile sadly. We’ve already formed habits over the last week and a half. I’ll be sad to give them up.

Kneeling behind him, I wrap my arms loosely around his neck and he stops rocking. I gently pull him back into me and squeeze him tight
ly. “I’m going to miss you. Who’s going to feed me soggy cereal now?”

He puffs out a breath I can only assume is
an attempt at laughter and pats my hand with his wrist. I press my lips to his cheek and try to ignore the thickness in my throat and the tingling in the bridge of my nose.

I still have Ari.
I guess that’s something.

Sniffling, I tell him, “Don’t you let anyone tell you you’re different or that something’s wrong with you. You’re exceptional. You’re smart. And you’re funny. You’ll always have a friend in me, buddy. Always. If you ever need anything, you find a way to get to me.”
Standing, I pat his shoulder, “You come visit me when you can.”

My legs straighten and the hairs at the back of my neck stand. I turn and see Xavier in the doorway, holding a black duffle bag.
He looks different today. Smartly dressed in blue jeans, a black tee and sneakers. Cleanly shaven, his hair is styled as neatly as I’ve seen it. His eyes drift down to his brother then back up to me. With a jerk of his chin, he places the bag on the ground and opens his arms.

This is a bad idea.

It’s a little known fact that when a woman is emotional, a hug usually tips the scale from
I’m okay
to
dear God, will the pain ever stop
.

But I need to be in those arms.

My feet move with a mind of their own till I’m safely cocooned in Xavier’s hold. He wraps one arm around my waist and strokes my arm with the other while resting his chin on my head. There’s something profoundly gentle about this hard man.

He speaks so quietly, my ears strain to hear him. “I know you’re going to think this is bullshit
, but you helped me through this.” I bury my nose into his collarbone. I’m rewarded with a gentle squeeze. “You’re a pistol, Cat. I don’t know what I would’ve done without some little spoilt princess to argue with. Ouch!” He jumps away from me, chuckling, after I pinch the skin at his waist.

Grinning from ear to ear, he bites the tip of his tongue and I don’t even try to hide my returning smile. “Well, seems I have something of a magnetic effect towards assholes
, so this friendship was bound to happen.”

His amused gaze turns soft. “You’re pretty cool, you know, for a nun and all.”

I can’t help but tease. “Thought I was a pistol.”

His lip tilts at the corner. “
Yeah, we already went through this. You’re a pistol all right. But only for me.”

My face heats.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph
! When did our teasing become blatant flirting?

And why do I want to flirt back?

It’s probably been a long time since he’s been with a woman. You know, with prison and all. The last time he probably went on a date was with a guy names Bob in the last toilet stall.

My body shudders at the thought.

Standing close to him, I can’t help but reach out and touch the back of his hand. “You ever need an escape, you come see me.”

He looks up and away from me. “I can’t always come here when I’ve got a problem, Cat. I need to learn to deal with things. I mean,
fuck
, I’m an adult. I have to start acting like one.”

My fingers curl around his. I look him dead in the eye and repeat firmly, “If you ever need
anything
, come see us.” He rolls his eyes and I know he’s about to argue with me, so I fight dirty. “Please. For Tomas’s sake.”

His eyes narrow to slits. “When you fight, you fuckin’
fight
.” He shakes his head and mutters, “Pistol.”

Still holding onto him, I turn to watch the rocking back of a guy I’ve come to have strong feelings for. Although we can’t communicate well, we get by okay. I make him smile. He makes me laugh. He has all the affection in the world saved up for me. And I would give him all of mine if I felt I had it in me to give.

Xavier breaks my thoughts with, “He’s different with you.”

“I know.” My response is neither triumph nor gloating.
My response is humbled and humbling.

His fingers play with mine. “I spent days wondering why.
I mean, you weren’t doing anything I wasn’t. It took me a while to realise that even though we were essentially treating him the same, your delivery was a lot smoother than mine.” His eyes dart sheepishly to mine. “Tomas doesn’t respond well to anger.”

No. He doesn’t.

As we continue to stay in close proximity, touching, connecting, I chance a question I have no right to ask. “Why did you do it?”

His expression turns confused. “Do what?”

I speak softly, as if to soften the blow of my intrusive question, “Why did you do whatever is it you did to end up in prison when he needed you?”

His body stiffens.

I step closer to him, placing a gentle placating hand on his stomach. “I know I have no right to ask and I won’t judge you by your answer, I’m just trying to understand. Friends do that kind of thing.”

He looks at his brother.
His eyes lose focus on everything else in the room. Tomas is his centre. But his answer is gut-wrenching. He whispers in agonising softness, “I did it to get away from him.”

“There’s something inside of me. Something bad. I fight it every damn day, Cat.” His hand grips mine tightly, tight enough to hurt; although, he doesn’t realise he does it. “I was mourning.
We
were mourning. But he needed me. And not just here or there, but all the fuckin’ time. It was like I wasn’t allowed to be sad or mad because Tomas needed me. Everything was Tomas this and Tomas that. I was everything he needed me to be. And I hated him for it.” He turns to me, eyes void. “I resented him for being the way he is.” His eyes close and he shuts them tightly as he whispers, “That night before I left him alone in the house, I called him a fucking retard, Cat.”

Part of me wants to
punch him. The other part wants to hold him. “You didn’t mean it.”

He opens his eyes and stares into me. “I did. I meant it. I said it to hurt him but I meant it.”

Silence overtakes me. I’m not sure how I feel about this confession.

He nods slowly, averting his eyes. “I know. Fucked, right? He’s my brother. I’m meant to protect him from all those assholes out there
, and there I was calling him a name I wouldn’t call my worst enemy. And he knew. I saw the way he stopped rocking. I knew he knew what I’d said. He turned and walked away. And I taunted him. I told him I wished he’d never been born.”

I pull my fingers from his and lean away.

He looks up at me and we both feel it.

Something has changed.
Xavier is no longer the man needing a friend while he experiences a hard time in his life. He is no longer the trembling mess that arrived on our doorstep needing help.

I see something more.
My brows bunch. He was right. There is something dark inside of him. Something that wants to come out to play. I see that cold darkness in myself. Perhaps that’s why we have bonded so much in this short time. Maybe, for once, we need to be held. I crave affection as much as the next person, maybe more. I think Xavier does too. There is more to us than meets the eye.

I step away. “If you need anything…” I trail off and walk away.

If I don’t walk away now, I’ll beg them to stay.

***

I drag myself into the kitchen, still sore about Tomas and Xavier leaving us. As soon as I enter, I want to turn around and leave.

Alas. I’ve been spotted.

Michelle jumps to her feet from the small kitchen table. “Hey, Cat!”

She rushes over to me and wraps me up in a tight hug. After the day I’ve had, I take in her warmth. Without a second thought, I put an arm around her and squeeze. “Hi
, Michelle, how are you?”

She releases me with a huge smile and I turn to Clark, who sits at the table eating his lunch. The relationship between Clark and
me has been strained ever since the day he pulled up my garden. I mutter weakly, “Hey, Clark.”

I’m not sure whether he’s still angry at me about Marco or he’s embarrassed about his reaction, but he doesn’t respond, just jerks his chin in greeting. And it stings.

I didn’t do anything wrong!

Keep telling yourself that.

Michelle quickly moves behind the counter. “Sit your buns down, girl. I’ll make you some lunch.” She starts pulling out bread and sandwich meat and just as I begin to protest, she places her hands up and orders firmly, “I said sit!”

I blink. For a little thing, she can deliver an order.

Knowing arguing is futile, I move to the table and take a seat next to Clark. He swallows, and then leans over to me. “It’s okay. We’ll be out of your way as soon as I eat.”

I frown and answer just loud enough for him to hear. “Don’t leave on my account. I’ll go eat in my room.”

He looks down at the table. “I— I just don’t want you feeling uncomfortable is all. I know I fucked up.”

My face softens and I whisper, “We all have bad days and yes, your bad day was pretty epic, but I told you already, it’s done and dusted. We’re good.” He looks up at me, shame in his eyes. I place a hand on his knee and look him in the eye. “We’re good. I promise. There’s no reason we can’t all be friends.”

He nods once, as if reassuring himself. “Well, if you’re sure.”

I sit back as Michelle darts out from behind the counter and places a plate in front of me. I blink down at it and mutter, “Wow.” There’s a sandwich, potato chips and fresh fruit in a little bowl all on the same plate. “This looks great. Thank you, Michelle. I’m suddenly starved.”

She shrugs and blushes, “It’s all part of working in a café, I suppose. I’m used to it.”

I bite into my sandwich and moan. I could not have made this for myself. I garble, “Oh
, man. This is
good
.”

She winks before picking up her own sandwich. “It’s the dressing. My own recipe.”

I moan throughout my entire meal. This is quite possibly the best lunch I’ve had in… well… forever.

Michelle asks, “So the guests are gone?”

I nod and respond sullenly, “Yeah.”

Clark watches me closely. “You sad to see him go?”

Him. I don’t know which him he’s referring to so I shrug and reply, “I’m sad to see them go.” I place emphasis on
them
.

Clark looks over at Michelle then back to me. “Well, if you ever want to go visit them, Michelle works just a minute walk away from their house. When I go to see her next, you should tag along.”

The offer has me stunned, near speechless. “Really?” He smiles and I ask, “Is tomorrow too early to visit?”

Michelle laughs closely followed by Clark’s chuckle. “Nope. Tomorrow is totally doable.”

And just like that, my bad mood crumbles.

I
woke with a spring in my step. Knowing I was going to be seeing Xavier and Tomas was all I needed to get my groove back. I tried to call Frankie not long after I had breakfast but her phone went to voicemail. I left her a short message, but it was one I knew she’d smile listening to. “Did you know that it’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open? No, really. Try it. I dare you.”

I hung up knowing that stupid message would make her day. I only wished she would call me back.

Ari and I have a job scheduled in for later tonight. A job that requires two people. Meaning two targets. I make a note to get the file details after my lunchtime visit.

My garden calls my name. It has been sorely neglected over the past two weeks. I hate to admit this
, but as soon as it had been tainted by Clark’s hate attack, I’ve not felt the same about it. It used to be a beautiful, bountiful place where I could gather strength through solitude. Now all I see are dying plants and a weak attempt at life.

My haven has been desecrated.

But I work it anyway. If I put enough care into it, it’ll soon be the lush, green place I remember it to be. I know I need to tell Bob about my lunchtime visit but I’m worried. What if he tells me to keep my distance?

I’m not sure I’d obey.

My hand curls into a loose fist and knocks on the office door.

“Come in.”

I open the door a crack and poke my head in. “Got a minute?”

He waves me in. “Problem?”

Pursing my lips, I stroll on in, shaking my head. “Problem? No. No problem.”

His eyes narrow. “What do you want?”

“I was just going to tell you that I was going out with Clark for lunch today.”

Nonchalance. Level: Expert.

His eyes narrow to slits. “Where will you be dining?”

Uh oh. He’s onto me. “Well, Clark was going to have lunch with Michelle and I thought it would be nice to visit Tomas.”

“And Xavier.”

I nod. “Yes. And Xavier. Xavier will be there too.”

He sighs, “Cat…” But I’m ready for him.

I sigh right back, “
Bob
. It’s just a visit. An hour tops. They need a friend. You know they do.”

He internally debates with himself before giving in. “Okay. But if I see this interfering with your work, it’s over.”

Excitement rushes through me. “It won’t. I promise!”

As I all but skip out the door, Bob calls out, “Take your cell phone.”

I shout back, “I will!”

Then it’s off to visit my friends.

***

As we drive along, I fiddle with the radio. “This station is lame.”

Clark bunches his nose and replies a sullen, “You’re lame.”

I chuckle and find a station I like.

Clark groans. “Anything but
pop
. Seriously. I will listen to redneck country over pop.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s just for ten minutes, then you can do what you like.”

He mutters, “Yeah, yeah,” but doesn’t change the station.

As soon as we arrive into town, I sit up straighter in my seat. “Which house is it? How far away?”

Clark chuckles, “Old place, run down, blue gate. It’s up a little further. You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

I scoff, “No. I’ll be fine. And I got Bob’s okay. Not a fake okay either
.” I smile huge. “A real one!”

Clark grins, “Al
l right. I was just trying to be a friend.”

I look over at him. “That’s the problem, I think. You’re trying too hard. Just let it happen. It’ll come naturally if you let it.”

His face turns tortured. “I am so sorr—”

I cut him off with a swish of my hand. Wide
-eyed, I utter an exasperated, “Will you
stop
already? Sheesh. We both know if I wanted to stop you, I could have. I also could have broken your arm. And your leg. And your neck if I wanted to.”

He jaw steeled, he nods. After a moment silence, he mumbles, “Won’t ever happen again. Promise.”

I reach out and punch his shoulder playfully. “Better not. Or I’ll pop a figurative cap in yo’ ass.”

He snorts and we both laugh.

The car begins to slow. “We’re almost there. Blue gate.”

Three houses down,
I see it. A blue gate. A run down house. An overgrown yard. And I couldn’t have been happier to be here.

I open the car door. Clark calls out, “Be back in an hour.”

“Okay. See you then.”

The
gate creaks in protest as I try to open it. Rust has me working to push it in. I manage to get it open a wedge and follow the path to the house. As I reach the front door, my brows pull together.

The door is open.

“Hello? Xavier? Tomas? Anybody home?”

No one answers, so I make my way inside. My instincts tell me this isn’t foul play. I call out again, “Xavier, are you home? It’s Cat. The door was open. Tom?”

When I reach the living room, I stop in my tracks. I close my eyes tightly and exhale slowly.

I walk over to Xavier’s limp body and press my fingers to his neck.

A light pulse.

Without a second thought, I pull out my phone and mutter, “You stupid son of a bitch.” I dial Bob and he answers almost right away, “What’s wrong?”

I nudge Xavier with the tip of my toe. “Oh, nothing. Just that Xavier is possibly overdosing and I can’t find Tomas.”

I flinch and pull the phone away as Bob roars, “Fuck!”

“What do I do?”

Bob answers a curt, “Put the asshole on his side and monitor him till I get there. I’ll call an ambulance.”

I’m suddenly scared. “Bob…”

“If need be, I’ll petition for custody of Tomas.”

I close my eyes in relief. “Thank you.”

A pause. “You’re welcome, sweetie.” A sigh. “Make sure the dickhead doesn’t kill himself in the meantime. He owes me. And I’m going to collect.”

I’m almost scared to ask. But I don’t.

Instead, I do as I’m told, and wait for the ambulance.