17. A perfect circle
A perfect circle
Wade
Leaning my back against the cool wood doesn’t chill the fire rushing through my veins.
Why does she do this to me?
Maybe she’s just bored and fucking with me? That stack of pictures should keep her busy for a while.
Scooping up my phone from the nightstand, I send Ford a quick text to confirm they’re still coming over, then toss the cell onto my bed.
I need a damn ice bath.
With Ford looking too, he might be able to remember some of the people. I don’t think he was ever friends with Quincy, but their circles crossed.
My arms are riddled with goosebumps, and my dick has shrived to the size of a pea pod by the time I get out of the shower.
Better.
A clean tee and some sweatpants makes me just about presentable for company.
Well, I don’t give a shit about Ford, we’ve been through hell together. April and Elena deserve a little decorum.
Although the temptation to give Elena exactly what she’s been begging for is making the fabric of my pants tent.
Again.
I let them drop to the floor and pull on a second pair of snug boxer-briefs in the hope I can keep myself contained .
Might as well drop an ice cube down there too. It’d work better.
After cinching the drawstring on my sweats over two sets of underwear, I try not to waddle out to the living room.
Bastards pinch my nuts.
Elena glances up, brazenly looking me up and down, then rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. She pulls her long black hair over her shoulder, exposing the long line of her throat.
She knows exactly what she’s doing.
I hate it.
But don’t stop.
The knock saves me from sitting next to her and tempting fate. I’m not sure if I’d survive another brush of her touch.
“Ford. April.” I step out of their way to come in.
My house isn’t huge, but it’s big enough that I feel the need to raise my voice slightly when I turn to Elena, still at the kitchen table.
“Elena. This is one of my best friends Ford, and his wife April.” Sweeping my arm in her direction, I finish the introductions.
I’ve given Elena a head’s up, so she doesn’t appear surprised as she stands.
Ford twitches in front of April when Elena gets closer, casting me a hard stare and gritting his teeth when she reaches out her hand.
“Hi. Wade didn’t fill me in on the details, but he did tell me you were hurt by men that worked for the same people that have my sister.” Her fingers hang in the air.
April’s lips thin and her palm drifts to her belly before taking Elena’s offering. “They’re a pretty fucked up bunch, am I right?” Her slight smile seems to melt the stiffness in Elena’s spine.
Then I catch Ford’s piercing gray stare as he mouths “Wade?” at me.
I dismiss him with a wave.
Elena gives her a warm grin. “ So fucked up!” Then she glances to me. “I think I recognize one of the pictures.” She tilts her chin towards the table.
“Well, I need a beer. Ford?” I start towards the fridge without waiting.
“‘Kay,” he grunts, his gaze not moving from Elena.
She seems to be brushing off his foul attitude, and leads April to join her at the table. “I’d like one too, please. April? Want a beer?”
April glances at Ford and shakes her head. “I can’t drink.”
“Oh. Oh. ” Elena’s mouth forms a perfect circle.
Damn her.
“Congrats,” she pipes, then slides into her chair.
“Water, milk, or diet Coke?” I call, searching the shelves for more options that I know aren’t there.
“Water’s fine, thanks.” April slides into the spot I sat in at dinner. “These are all potentials? I didn’t ever see anyone else. But maybe the names will sound familiar?” Her fingers show a tremor when she reaches towards the photos strewn across the table.
“This one I remember.” Elena proudly holds up a mug shot.
Ford’s cheeks pale. “Can I see?”
His Adam’s apple bobs with a hard swallow as he searches me out. “Wade, it’s Chris,” he says hollowly.
Shit. I wondered.
“Who is he?” Elena’s big brown eyes glance between us.
Ford takes his beer and chugs down almost half before he wipes his mouth with his knuckles. “He was bad blood. But he’s dead now.” Ford locks me in a stare.
We both know how he died.
Not too differently than Quincy. Hell, they’re buried only a few yards apart.
“Hmm. That’s great.” Elena’s voice drops with a sigh.
“Wait.” April’s forehead furrows as she looks up at her husband. “Is it that Chris? From the bar?” Her mouth twists into a frown when he nods.
Elena’s nose wrinkles as she looks between their silent conversation. “I don’t get it. But if he’s gone, he won’t be able to help much.”
Knowing that Chris was in fact there does help though.
“Ford?” I lean against the counter, my elbow resting on the granite. “Do you have any old party pics from around twelve years ago?” I gesture with my chin at Elena. “It might be easier for her to pick out a face if she saw it as she was.”
His features twist. “Nope. I burned all that trash a few years ago. Wanted nothing to do with Chris or his friends after…” He trails off, then steps behind April to rest his palms on her shoulders. “That part of me is dead, too,” he whispers.
I watch Elena’s expressions morph from confusion to frustration.
Funny how I’m learning to read her.
April pats his hand, then forces a smile. “Elena, tell me about your sister. I always wanted siblings, but it never happened.”
Pain tinges the corners of Elena’s mouth, yet her gaze fills with warmth. “She’s a firecracker. Always pushing the limits. She never takes ‘no’ for an answer. Mom hated it.”
“I like her already,” April laughs.
I don’t need to hear the bonding. This whole conversation sparked an idea.
“Ford?” I gesture towards the porch.
His ever-present glower deepens as he shakes his head.
“We don’t need to close the door,” I say in a low enough tone that it won’t distract the girls.
All he does is grunt, but follows me.
Once we’re standing in the last of the day’s sun, he takes another swallow and growls something that sounds like a prompt to talk.
Man of many words.
“Do you think Val would have kept any old photos?” My own drink is just about empty.
His shoulders rise and fall.
I just blink and stare at him. I’ve known him practically my whole life. He’ll speak when he’s ready.
He turns enough so he can watch April through the door, then readjusts his dark cowboy hat. “Yea. I bet she does. That was pretty close to when they got married. But who knows? She was pretty fucking pissed at him over Sarah, too.”
A moment of silence drifts between us.
I’ll never forget that night.
“Well, it sounds like he kept similar company. Whoever is behind all this shit hired those two assholes who took April, hired those boys who kidnapped Lori and Sophia, and now are holding a little girl hostage to force Elena to do awful things.” Resting my palm on the porch post, I let my focus trail out over the dry summer grass towards sunset.
The peace out here is a camouflage for the anger raging inside of me.
With the sun giving my cheek a last kiss before dipping below the hills, I grit my teeth and turn back to Ford.
“We gotta find him and bury that son of a bitch,” I whisper.
I trust Ford. We’ve helped each other dig the graves for our secrets.
His nostrils flare, then gives me a stiff nod. “I agree. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”