Hidden Truth (The Benson Brothers Book 2) Read online

  “If I do, you will be the last person to know,” I told him.

  He mocked being affronted, then grinned. “Well, if you need to hide out in the boys’ bathroom again. I recommend the one by the science lab. It’s got a fresh coat of paint.”

  All I could do was stare up at him as he gave me that sly grin of his.

  “Don’t forget,” he added. “You owe me one.” Then he turned away and merged with the crowd before I could come up with a good put down.

  Wasn’t that just his way? He didn’t even give a girl a chance to cut him down to size.

  Taking a deep breath, I tried to push down the anger bubbling inside of me and started for my class. I had bigger problems than Parker Benson I reminded myself. I couldn’t hide here forever. Somebody would discover me eventually.

  I needed a job, I realized. My money wasn’t going to last much longer and I was getting tired of eating ramen. I needed to finish school also. Eight more months and I would graduate. If I wanted to have any kind of future, I needed my high school diploma. But most of all, I needed to keep my secret about the boiler room until I had enough to get my own place.

  The thought sent a cold fear through me. It seemed like a mountain too high to climb.

  What about my dad? I wondered as a sense of guilt washed over me. I’d left him a note and disappeared two weeks ago. How was he doing? Should I check on him? Where had he gone when they kicked him out?

  And Mom? Screw her, I thought with a deep anger. She had bailed on us.

  These and a thousand other questions danced through my head as Mr. Gonzales discussed the French Revolution and its impacts on literature.

  I tried to focus, but I couldn’t get Parker Benson out of my head. His cocky grin kept reminding me that I owed him one.

  Of course, I spent the next two weeks wondering when Parker was going to ask a favor of me. Something I wouldn’t want to do. But he didn’t. Instead, he held on to my marker. That was his way, I came to understand. He had been teasing about owing him something.

  No, Parker was too much of a nice guy to ever collect on a debt. Instead, when we passed in the hall, he would nod slightly and smile gently. My insides would turn over for some reason, but I pushed aside the strange fear inside of me and tried to push him out of my mind.

  Looking for a job would help, I realized.

  I spent Saturday going from shop to business filling out applications. I lied about my address and put down fake references hoping they’d never call. As for my phone. All I could do was hope someone called with a job offer before the phone company cut me off.

  I hit every shop and kiosk in the mall, then started down one side of main street and was halfway up the other side when my girl sense kicked into high gear.

  Someone was watching me. A cold chill ran down my spine. Not a good someone. A terrifying sense of wrongness that every woman knows, filled me to the brim.

  Twisting slightly, I spotted them on the corner looking at me with beady eyes. Two guys, both of them dropped out of school a couple of years ago. Mike Swanson and Billy Timber. Creeps, both of them.

  A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the rumor about Mike and Mary Davis. She had refused to press charges. But everyone knew what happened.

  Turning, I started walking away but not before I saw both of them smile at each other and come after me.

  The sun was just going down and the street lights were coming on. That gray part of the evening. My heart raced as I turned the corner, then I scurried around the next bend into an alley. If I could lose them, I could come out the other side and they’d never know where I went.

  Of course, my life never works out like it is supposed to.

  A solid brick wall told me I’d led my pursuers into a blind alley as darkness descended. Sometimes I can be the most stupid person alive.

  Chapter Three

  Parker

  It was the flowing black dress that caught my eye. I would know that dress anywhere. Especially when it was worn by Jade McDonald and she was running into an alley.

  What the …?

  But it was the sight of Mike Swanson and some other guy going in after her that made me pull to the curb and jump out and rush through traffic after her.

  My heart pounded deep in my chest as I ran into the alley. There, at the far end was Jade with her back to a brick wall. Staring at her two pursuers with a fearful look. As if two monsters were tracking her down.

  Deep shadows cast the alley in darkness. Lined with trashcans and silent walls. I swallowed hard. This could go bad in so many directions.

  “Hey Jade,” I called as I rushed towards her. Maybe if these guys knew I was there they’d back off. Pretend it was all a misunderstanding. Her eyes flashed wide when I called. A hint of hope crossed her face then quickly clouded over when the two mutants turned on me.

  Mike snarled and shook his head. “Get out of here kid. This doesn’t concern you.”

  Nope, I realized. We weren’t going to get out of this easily. I could see it in their eyes. They wanted what they wanted and nothing was going to stop them.

  “What?” I said as I stepped up close to them and came to a halt. “You’re going to kill me so you can rape her.”

  Maybe by laying it all out there they could see the stupidity of their plan. But obviously, neither of these two were gifted students.

  “If we have to,” Mike said with a sick grin as he turned towards me.

  An anger erupted inside of me. These two wanted to hurt Jade. That could not be allowed to happen. My stomach fell as I realized just how bad it had gotten. Jade’s eyes were as big as a harvest moon. Filled with fear.

  I did the only thing I could. I punched the little guy before he could get involved. My fist connected with his chin and he fell like a load of laundry, crumpling at my feet.

  Mike’s eyebrows shot up. Suddenly things didn’t seem so easy. He scowled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. With a quick flick, the silver blade shot open. Jade gasped. My gut tightened up. Crap. How had I gotten myself into this?

  “Get lost,” he said as he made a fake thrust with the knife.

  I jumped back, sucking in my gut.

  He smiled wickedly at the fear in my eyes.

  “Come on then,” he said as he stepped towards me. All I could do was take a step back, pulling him closer and away from Jade. Then, before he could trust, I grabbed an empty trash can and threw it at him. The metallic clang echoed off the alley walls. I didn’t give him time to gather himself. Instead, I followed it closely. I grabbed his knife hand, holding it away from me. I knew if I let go, he’d gut me like a fish.

  We stared into each other’s eyes for a moment then he brought a left hand down, catching me just below my eye.

  The world spun but I kept ahold of that wrist. If I let go, I was dead.

  Shaking it off, I brought my knee up into his groin, all the while keeping that knife away from me.

  He let out a heavy woof then stepped back but I didn’t let him get away, I punched him in the face then grabbed him around the throat and pushed him up against the wall.

  A loud crack reverberated in the alley as he split some of the wood siding on the wall behind him. My world turned red as I became lost in one thought. This guy needed to die. Preferably today.

  The two of us stood there. My hand around the wrist holding the knife. His hand around my wrist holding his throat.

  Seeing that this standoff couldn’t go on forever. I suddenly let go of his throat and brought my fist back. Cocking it, I hit him full on in the nose. His head was next to the wooden wall and had nowhere to go. It took the full force of my blow.

  His nose erupted in a red shower of blood but I didn’t let up. I had to finish this now. Pulling back, I hit him in the solar plexus, pushing every ounce of air out of his lungs, then twice more in the face.

  His eyes went blank as he slowly slid down the wall, the knife dropping out of his hand.

  I kicked it down the
alley and stepped back as I sucked in air. I swear I’d forgotten to breathe the entire time.

  Turning I saw Jade looking at me strangely. As if she was seeing a wild animal for the first time.

  “Are you alright?” I asked between heavy breaths.

  She swallowed hard and nodded, unable to take her eyes off of me.

  The little guy on the ground began to moan as he started to come out of it.

  “Come on,” I said as I held out my hand. “Let’s get out on the street before we call the police. I want to be where other people can see us before these guys wake up.”

  “No police,” she said as she took my hand and let me lead her out of the alley.

  I shot her a quick look. What did she mean no police? Of course, they needed to be called. These two had to be locked up for a couple of lifetimes.

  “No,” she insisted as her eyes pleaded with me. “Nothing happened.”

  “It was going to,” I snapped at her.

  She turned white, swallowed hard then said, “But it didn’t. I don’t want the police involved.”

  I sighed heavily. It was her call. But she wasn’t hiding why from me this time.

  As I stared at her trying to figure out what to do, she slowly frowned and reached up to touch my face.

  “You’re hurt,” she said.

  I shrugged it off. The adrenaline rushing through me made me want to take on the world or kill something if necessary.

  “Come with me,” she said as she led me back across the street and into Sam’s diner. The waitress could only stare as Jade pulled me all the way through the restaurant and into the men’s bathroom at the other end.

  “Two coffees,” I called out over my shoulder before the door shut behind us, then turning to Jade, I cocked an eyebrow and said, “What is it about you and guys’ bathrooms?”

  She frowned up at me as if I was the village idiot then wetted a paper towel and gently touched the damp towel to the cut under my eye.

  She pulled back after a second and shook her head. “You didn’t even wince.”

  I frowned at her. “I knew it would be cold.”

  She shook her head again and finished wiping the cut then stepped back and examined it closely.

  “I don’t think you will need stitches. But it might leave a scar.”

  “It won’t be the first,” I said as I smiled down at her. Our eyes locked onto each other. Suddenly I was filled with a need to kiss her. As if every part of my soul demanded that I bring my lips to hers.

  No! I screamed internally. The girl was just attacked. The last thing she needed was me making a move on her.

  Instead, I pulled my gaze away and opened the door.

  Jade looked at me strangely, licked her lips, then dipped her head as she left the bathroom before me.

  The waitress pointed to two cups of steaming coffee sitting at a booth in the back.

  I smiled my thanks and then let Jade slide into the booth before I sat down across from her.

  Her hands shook as she wrapped them around the coffee cup. The adrenaline, I realized. She had been trapped. Of course, she had been terrified.

  She caught me staring at her shaking hands and smiled up at me.

  “I still think we should call the police,” I said to her as I poured cream into my coffee.

  She cringed and shook her head.

  “Why not?” I asked. I know I sounded a little bit like a jerk. But the thought of those two getting away with it bugged me at the deepest level.

  Jade sighed heavily and then shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”

  My heart curled in on itself. She didn’t trust me. I’d just risked my life for her and she didn’t think I was worth the truth.

  I frowned as I leaned back in my seat and studied her.

  The girl was afraid. Not of those men. The police. Why? She hadn’t done anything wrong. And even if she had. That didn’t mean she should let those jerks get away with what they had done.

  “Please, Parker.”

  I sighed internally. Was it a girl thing? Not wanting to let people know what had almost happened. Did she just want to forget about everything?

  No. it was something else. A deep mystery. That was Jade McDonald, I thought. A mystery wrapped in gauze.

  Chapter Four

  Jade

  “Okay, Jade,” Parker said. “If that’s the way you want it.”

  My stomach relaxed at his words. He was going to do it. Break every one of his standards. Only because I had asked him to.

  I flashed back to the alley. To the sight of those two monsters walking toward me. My heart began to race again and my hands started to tremble at the memory of that awful feeling of helplessness.

  Then Parker had appeared as if by magic. I swear, it was as if he stepped out of a movie. Tall, confident, ready to kick butt.

  I shivered again when I thought about the look in his eyes in the alley. He had changed. This was not the Parker I knew. It was as if a monster of his own had been released. I swear he wanted to kill those men. I don’t mean figuratively, I mean literally. He wanted to take their lives.

  Why? And what had stopped him?

  “Thank you,” I said as I stared down at my coffee cup.

  He shrugged as if all he’d done was open a door for me.

  “Why did you do that?” I asked him as a curiosity burned inside of me. “Stop them.”

  His brow furrowed in confusion then he shrugged again and shook his head. “We’re not talking about me. We are talking about you and why you don’t want to contact the police.”

  I sighed heavily. “Let me think about it. Telling you, I mean. Not calling the police. That is out.”

  He sighed, then got the waitress’s attention and ordered two pieces of pie without even asking me. See that was the confidence thing of his. Of course, in this case, he was right. Sweet banana pie sounded like the perfect thing.

  “So,” he began after the pie was delivered. “What are you doing downtown?”

  “Looking for a job.”

  He pursed his lips and thought for a moment “I don’t know of anything off the top of my head. But let me ask around. My mom works at the bank. Maybe she has heard of something.”

  “I didn’t ask for your help,” I snapped before I could stop myself.

  He laughed then looked at me strangely for a moment. “No, you didn’t. Your record is still clean on that matter. But hey, I would be helping the employer, not you. So, it’s allowed.”

  All I could do was shake my head. The boy was relentless. Like a golden retriever ready to help. Then I remembered the look in his eyes when he fought those guys. That had been a wolf’s look.

  My stomach turned over as I realized that there was a lot more to Parker Benson than I had ever thought possible. Buried beneath that good guy image was a beast under tight control.

  After he finished his last bite of pie, well before I was halfway through with mine, he leaned back, put his arms out over the seat cushions and raised an eyebrow. “So, have you decided what you can tell me?”

  I ignored him for a moment as I finished my pie. This was so dumb. I knew with every cell of my body that I could trust Parker. After all, the idiot had just risked his life for me. Of course, I could trust him.

  This was a mistake, my mind yelled at me as I wavered back and forth.

  He continued to look at me, his eyes silently demanding that I tell him my problems.

  For some unknown reason deep inside of me. I wanted to share. I actually wanted to tell someone. No, not someone, Parker Benson the truth. After what I had just gone through in that alley. The thought of being all alone scared me to my very center.

  “Drive me to school,” I said as I took my last bite of pie.

  He frowned as his brow narrowed. He studied me for a long moment then nodded. This was it, I thought to myself. Perhaps I had just taken the road to disaster.

  We drove in silence. Not awkward. It was as if Parker knew his questions would be ans
wered when we got to school and had chosen to be patient.

  He pulled into the student parking lot then raised an eyebrow. It was Saturday night, the place was deserted.

  I opened the door and started marching towards the school. Parker jumped out and followed quickly catching up. We crossed the quad without comment until I led him around the back of the gym.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  I continued to ignore him as I fought with the raging doubt bubbling inside of me. This was stupid, but I had gone too far now. And besides. It wasn’t the first stupid thing I had done in my life.

  “Here,” I said as I pulled the door open.

  He frowned, “That should be locked.”

  I smiled up at him and pointed to the tape across the strike plate. “No one ever uses this door. They come in from the locker rooms.” Reaching in, I turned on the lights then stepped back to let him go in first.

  He continued to frown as he stared at me like I’d lost my mind. I could read the thoughts running through his head. This was trespassing. This was breaking too many rules.

  At last, he sighed heavily then stepped inside. I followed and pointed that he should go around the huge boiler, to the side.

  Parker shrugged then headed where I wanted. When he reached the back section, he stopped and turned to me. His eyebrows up in question.

  “This is where I live,” I said hesitantly. Suddenly I was terrified of what Parker Benson would think about me living here in a boiler room. “For the last month or so.”

  “What?” he demanded with disbelief.

  All I could do was shrug all the while my insides were tumbling over themselves as I waited for his judgment.

  “It’s got everything,” I told him, suddenly filled with a need to justify my actions. It was important to me that Parker not think I was a crazy idiot. “Showers, washing machines,” I added quickly. “There is even an ice machine in the boys’ locker room.” I pointed to the small blue cooler in the corner.

  He continued to frown as he examined the space. My space. I held my breath as I watched him.

  “A month?” he said as he shook his head. “Why?”