Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
For the first time all summer, it wasn’t so uncomfortably hot.
I leaned against the porch rail underneath the shade of an old oak, thankful for the little breeze coming off the lake nearby.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I listened to the sounds of birds in the tree, the soft voices of family members talking inside the house, and the laughter of my cousins in the yard as they chased each other.
My hearing had gotten better but things were still a little muffled.
Every so often, I got the ringing, but it had lessened considerably.
Just like with my legs, I didn’t take my senses for granted anymore.
“Lennnaa! Lennnaa, watch this!” called one of my cousins in the yard below. I opened my eyes and smiled as they did cartwheels. The pain was going away. Maybe I could finally say I was starting to heal.
It was a calm day. A blue day as my mother put it.
From the laughter I heard inside, it was clear the tension that had held my family hostage for weeks was finally beginning to disappear.
Somedays I caught the fear in my parents’ eyes, like they were reliving the memories, but it would be gone before most even noticed.
They were good at hiding it, even from the rest of the family.
Only Art went quiet every so often. I’d notice him watching me, and my sister at the corner of my eye, afraid we might break at any moment.
Thankfully, he never had to worry. Therapy helped a lot.
It had been three weeks now since my sister and I had been saved, but the nightmare still chased us.
Whenever I caught my sister’s gaze, her smile would falter if only slightly.
She’d nod to me, her silent way of saying we’re okay, and I’d nod back in agreement.
Deep down, I knew the scars were there. It was good we were both stubborn and wouldn’t let them show.
Trish wouldn’t confess about any of the damage Trevor had done.
I could only guess. Knowing her as I do, she would move past it better than anyone.
She even started working at the club again.
My parents weren’t happy, but getting Trish to stop doing anything she set her mind to was like trying to keep water firmly in one hand.
Art knew this too. He still made an effort to stop by her work on his days off to check in on her.
We told the family very little of how we escaped.
They didn’t know who saved us, only that we were dropped off at a hospital.
I spent one day there while Trish spent three.
The police questioned us, Trish told them only what she knew, how she’d been taken and drugged, remembering little until she woke sometime later in a hospital bed.
It was easy for me to lie, to tell them I had been taken too but someone saved us, men in masks I couldn’t identify.
The police officers who questioned us didn’t dig far, calling it an act of gang violence.
I learned later some of them owed favors, either allied with Gemini or with the other gangs that had been there.
The Brotherhood of the Serpent was gone, the few that survived going into hiding.
Jasper was not with them. Leslie decided his fate after what happened, not wanting any sort of retaliation.
Trevor and most of his men were also dead.
We were safe and Trish was back, that’s what mattered.
My phone vibrated in the inner pocket of my dress, and I took it out, checking my messages.
My heart skipped a beat, a smile tugging on my face as I replied back.
Our phones had been blowing up for weeks, the news coverage was over, and the internet had moved on to other stories.
Friends still texted to see how my sister and I were doing, but many had moved on to other conversations.
This particular message, however, wasn’t from them.
I heard the porch door open and close behind me and quickly put my phone away. “Your dad never ceases to make me laugh,” Jamie said. “Seriously, that man never runs out of crazy stories.”
I looked around at him, smirking. “Yeah, I told him he needs to write a book.”
Jamie leaned on the rail next to me. “I have a feeling that’s going to be true after the last crazy event in his life.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
Jamie studied me. “You holding up okay?”
He asked me that at least once a day, but I didn’t mind. I took a moment to answer. “Yeah.”
He didn’t know about Gemini or the twins. They were still my little secret. The guilt at not telling him everything had lessened. Sometimes the urge came, but then I remembered who I needed to protect, even from Jamie.
I wasn’t the only one who had to keep secrets from him, no matter how hard it was.
“Glad I could stop by,” Jamie remarked. “I know I’ve been busy.”
“I appreciate it as always.”
Jamie put an arm around my shoulder. “You and Eve…it’s surreal what you two dealt with this past year.”
You have no idea. “Have you heard anything from her?”
Jamie shook his head. “Not for a while. But I think…I hope she’s alright.”
I looked toward the lake. “Me too…”
We stood for a while in silence, and I understood then how much had changed. I think Jamie understood it too. “You can always call me,” he said.
“I know. I will.”
His hand slipped from my shoulder. “Summer’s almost gone. I hope we’re finally done with all the heat.”
I smiled. “Same.”
The porch door opened again. “Lena, you want any peach pie?” Mom asked. “Your dad is already digging in.”
“I’m okay, Mom, thanks. I have to leave soon.”
She frowned. Her hard eyes, like my sister’s, scrutinizing. “Where do you need to be?”
“It’s Sunday, Mom. I have work tomorrow?"
She shook her head, black curls bobbing. “Alright. Make sure you say goodbye to everyone.”
“I will.”
She closed the door and Jamie turned to me, smiling. “Kind of surprised you’re not fazed by your work after everything…”
Shrugging, I said, “I’m used to it.”
“Let’s just hope the morbid stuff sticks to your office for now on.”
My phone vibrated again but I didn’t take it out. I could guess what it said. “I have to go.”
“It’s a little early.”
“I have some errands to run before I go home.”
“Alright. I’m going to head out in a bit too.”
I turned for the screen door, and Jamie caught my arm. “Hey. If you ever need anything…”
“I’ll call you.”
“I’m serious. Even if I’m at work, we have the guest room. Ben doesn’t mind.”
“Thank you, but I’m okay. I’m better than you think.”
He squeezed my arm before releasing me. “I’ll see you soon.”
I turned and hugged him. Pulling back, I waved goodbye to my cousins, then went inside.
I said goodbye to the rest of the family, promising Mom and Dad I would stop by again next week.
I also promised my brother that I would grab dinner at his work before the end of the season.
Trish pulled me into a hug last. Neither of us said a word, but I knew we’d see each other soon.
Outside, I strolled down to the end of the driveway. As I stopped to look around, I saw a black hellcat parked on the side of the street just a few doors down. It drove up and halted in front of me. I went around to the passenger’s side, getting inside.
“You were quick, I didn’t think you’d be here so soon,” I said as I shut the door.
Leslie stared at me, his gaze falling down my body and the green summer dress, a little smirk on his face. “Sooner than you think.”
I looked back at him curiously. “You were waiting?”
His hands were gripping the steering wheel. “I missed you.”
“I was only gone a few hours.”
He shrugged as he drove down the neighborhood street. “Too long,” he murmured.
He was still off even after all these weeks. Not nearly as bad as that night we escaped, thankfully, but not fully recovered.
Even in my shocked state, it didn’t take much for me to see he had snapped. Xavier had been the one to make the call and drive us to the hospital that night, knowing it was for the best, especially for Trish. But it took all the men in the vehicle plus my begging for Leslie to let me go.
“You got me,” I’d told him. “I’m right here. I’m safe. But I have to go and be with my sister and make sure she’s okay. You’d do the same…for Dom.”
Those were the only words to convince him.
He almost followed me in, but his friends stopped him, telling him it was too risky for him to be seen with me.
Thankfully, Xavier took us to the same hospital Leslie had gotten out of.
Andrea was there to monitor me and my sister.
For all the times she checked her phone, I knew she had to be in contact with Leslie, giving him constant updates.
He was scared that someone would come and grab me again.
That he would have to burn the city down to get me back.
By early morning when they had put us in a room, I could see out to one of the parking lots, and I swore I saw his hellcat parked there, not moving the whole time.
When I was finally able to come out of my shocked state for even a moment, I later learned Dom was in that same hospital a few floors down. Andrea was generous enough to take me to see him.
My heart sank to my stomach when I found him lying there unconscious, all wrapped up, an oxygen tank pumping air into his lungs.
I dropped into a seat next to him and thought I might cry, instead I took his hand and stared at him.
Andrea spoke, telling me his condition, but I hardly responded.
Now it made sense why Leslie had snapped so badly.