Runaways, page 10
“Rae . . .” He doesn’t know what to say, and I don’t really know what to do. All I know is we need to get out of here.
I won’t stay here any longer. “Grab my bag by my bed, and let’s go.”
“You aren’t going anywhere, Raelynn.” Colin tries to grab my arm, but Law swings and swings hard, his fist connecting with Colin’s cheek, sending him back enough that we jump into action. I run for the window, and Law grabs my bag before following me outside.
We run all-out to his truck even though my body is screaming in pain from Colin’s attack. I don’t look back even when I hear Colin shouting from my room.
I’ll never be back.
* * *
Jesus Christ. I can’t get the image of that asshole on top of Rae out of my head. Why wasn’t I there earlier? It’s not like I had anything better to do. I should have been early.
Rae’s hand grasps my wrist tentatively, and I realize I’m gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles are white. “It’s okay.”
I turn onto my street but can’t look at her. “It’s not okay.” Her hand falls to her lap, and I park in the drive at my house. I turn to look at her, hating the sight of the bruise on her cheek. It’s the size of a fist. “I’m so sorry, Rae.”
She looks stunned as she looks into my eyes. “Why? You saved me.”
“He hit you. He . . .” Anger strangles me, and I can’t get any more words out.
“No. He didn’t do anything. You were there in time. I’m okay.”
I gently brush my hand over her cheek, but it still makes her wince in pain and pull away. “You’re never going back to that house.”
She doesn’t hesitate to nod in agreement as we climb out and go inside where, of course, Nash is in the living room talking to my mother, who not surprisingly looks out of it. He rushes up from the couch and over to us, his eyes on Rae. “What happened?”
I want to say so many things to him. I want to direct my anger at him, but it won’t help. “He fucking attacked her.”
Nash’s eyes roam over her, and it’s the first time I’m seeing her in the light. Her cheek is already swollen and bruised. Her dress is ripped. Her arms have bruises all over them. I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“Jesus, baby. Your friend fuck the wrong guy?” My fists clench at my sides to keep me from strangling my mother.
“She didn’t fuck anyone.” I turn to Nash. “We have to leave.”
His eyes darken. “And go where?”
I head toward my bedroom, holding Rae’s hand and pulling her with me. I’m not letting her go. “Anywhere but here.”
Nash follows us as I grab a bag out of my closet and start to pack some of my shit. “No. Fuck that. You’re seventeen. You aren’t going anywhere.”
“I’m not staying here, and neither is she.” I stop packing for a minute, seeing Rae is in a daze. I pull my hoodie off and hand it to her. She looks at me for a moment, still barely there, before pulling it on over her head. I gently place my hands on her shoulders and urge her to sit on the edge of my bed, which she does.
I look back over at Nash, who’s clearly pissed. But I’m through listening to him.
“We’re leaving.”
“You have the rest of your junior year and your senior year left. Then you can go to college.”
“She’s not staying here for another year and a half. I should have gotten her out a long time ago.”
She looks pained but doesn’t say anything. Nash looks sympathetic but pissed, as usual. “Law, you can’t do this. You have a future.”
“Not anymore.” I look at my swollen knuckles, wishing I’d have kept going and pummeled the shit out of that fucker. “I can’t stay. They’re going to report Rae missing soon, if they haven’t already. They’re going to pin it on me.”
“Goddammit, Lawson.”
Rae’s voice is quiet as she speaks up for the first time. “I’m sorry, Nash. I’ll tell them he didn’t do anything, but Colin knows everyone here. They’ll bury him.”
I turn back to Nash, not concerned about me, but I know he is. “We’re leaving. I can’t protect her from prison.”
Nash runs his fingers through his hair, pacing around my room like a lunatic. I finish packing before swinging the bag over my shoulder and grabbing Rae’s hand to lead her out.
“Wait.”
I turn to him just as we reach the threshold of my room. “What?”
“I have somewhere I can take you guys tonight to lay low. You at least need time to plan.”
I turn to Rae, who gives a subtle nod, and we agree. After grabbing her bag, he drives us, leaving my truck behind. When we reach the outside of town and start driving on country roads, I start to wonder where the hell we’re going. Soon, we’re at the lake I haven’t been to since we were kids, where Nash and I would go swimming with friends.
“What are we doing out here?”
“I told you I had somewhere you can go.”
“At the lake?”
He pulls into the driveway of a bigass, extremely nice lake house and parks his truck. “Yeah.”
We climb out, and I carry both our bags to the front porch. Nash leaves us for a moment before coming back with a key and unlocking the house. I stare at him wide-eyed, but because this is Nash, there’s no explanation as he lets us into the huge home.
I look around as he turns the lights on. “Are we committing a felony right now?”
He eyes me, one eyebrow lifted. “As if that’s a problem.”
I grin, and he shakes his head. “No. You guys can stay here tonight. It’s okay. I’ll come back tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
Yeah, right.
I walk with him to the door as Rae takes a seat in the large living room, still in a daze. His eyes slide over to her cautiously and then back to me. “You sure you don’t want to take her to the hospital? Her cheek looks pretty gnarly.”
“She won’t go.” I already know she won’t.
He nods, probably knowing that too. “I doubt there’s anything in the fridge, but they usually have a stocked pantry.”
“Who is they?”
He gives a quick shake of his head. “Not happening.”
Nash and his secrets. “Thank you.”
He gives me a clipped nod, patting my shoulder before leaving. I walk over and sit next to Rae. I don’t know what to say to her. I hate what happened to her, and the guilt of letting it happen is eating me alive.
When she places her head on my shoulder, I opt for not saying anything.
We’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.
* * *
I’m numb. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but after the adrenaline faded, it’s like I can barely move. I can’t speak. My body hurts everywhere. I stare at my body in the mirror of the bathroom after my shower.
I took one last night too, but it was quick. Today, I scrubbed everywhere. I look at the bruises on my body. My face is a train wreck, but I don’t cry. I don’t feel anything.
I quickly dress in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, pulling Lawson’s hoodie over my head and leaving my hair wet and down before finding him in the kitchen. He’s in his boxers, looking through the pantry. When he sees me come in, he walks to the coffee pot, quietly pouring some into a mug. He moves to me, kissing me on the forehead and handing the mug to me. “The coffee’s good.”
I smile and take it from him but don’t drink any yet. “Have you heard from Nash?”
He shakes his head and pulls a box of Pop Tarts from the pantry. “No.”
He uses the toaster to make us both breakfast, and we sit in silence, drinking our coffee while I pick at the pastry.
He’s not looking me in the eyes but past me, out the window. “Do you want to talk about it?”
No. Never.
But this is Lawson, and I know he’s drowning in the depths of last night’s hell, the same way I am. “He didn’t rape me.”
I know he wants to know. His eyes finally meet mine. I don’t see relief in them. “But he tried.”
I try not to think about Colin’s body on mine and the way he held me down. This time, I look away. “Yes.”
“You fought hard.”
I turn back to him. “Would you expect anything less?”
“Anything you did wouldn’t be less. No one deserves that shit. No one deserves to be held down and hurt.”
I wipe at my tears, wincing when my hand brushes over the bruise on my cheek. “I hate him, Lawson. It’s like he thought I wanted it.”
“He’s a sick fuck.” He takes a drink of his coffee. “I should have killed him.”
“No. You shouldn’t have.” My voice is firm because he’s not a killer. I don’t want him to be a killer. I don’t want his life to be a mess because of me.
We continue our day in silence, not saying anything to each other. He checks his phone constantly for an update from Nash.
When the sun just starts to set, that’s when Nash shows up. He comes inside the house, locking the door behind him, and we all sit in the living room. “So?” Lawson interrogates.
“Nothing.”
Lawson looks as confused as I feel. “What do you mean nothing?”
Nash stays focused on his brother. “I mean nothing. There’s no talk about it anywhere in town. It wasn’t on the news. There’s nothing about it, Law. Nothing at all.”
I turn to Nash. “How is that possible?”
It’s Lawson who answers, though, his face expressionless. “He wants to handle this on his own.”
Nash gives a quick nod, scratching the scruff on his face. “That’s what I think too. Otherwise, there would have been something. It would be all over town and the news.”
That’s not possible. I know it wasn’t an empty threat. Colin really is friends with so many cops. So many powerful people. “So, he didn’t tell his cop friends?” I ask, completely confused because I thought there would definitely be a full-on hunt for Lawson and me in progress by now.
Nash’s eyes meet mine, and I see the unease there. “I think he’s keeping that in his back pocket. But for now, he wants to find you himself.”
I wonder what he told my mother. What she knows. He has to have a black eye from Lawson’s fist. But it wouldn’t surprise me at all if she believed whatever he told her. In fact, I’m positive she has.
“So, what does that mean?” I ask, numbness taking over.
“It means you aren’t going back,” Lawson says firmly, but he’s looking at Nash.
The veins in Nash’s neck grow taut with tension. I turn to Lawson. “But you could.”
Lawson’s furious eyes pin me in the next second. “No.”
I have to try. If there’s a way for him to bounce back after this, I want him to. “You could though. If the cops aren’t looking for you, Lawson. You could go back to your life.”
“I’m not going back there without you, and there’s no way you’re going back. There is no life here for me. You think Colin isn’t going to go through with his threats? If I’m there and you’re not, he’ll get his friends to take me down.”
I don’t really think he would. I think he would threaten him and try to find me. But with me gone, I don’t think he would care about Lawson. He was a means to an end for Colin. “You should at least try.”
“No.” I open my mouth to argue with him, but he repeats it louder this time. “No.”
Nash takes a deep breath. “So what’s the plan?”
“We run. Because he’ll eventually kill her if she goes back, not to mention other shit.”
Nash meets my eyes, and I look away. He should hate me. I’ve ruined Lawson’s life. But instead, he says, “Okay. I’ll take you guys to the bus station in the morning. But you can’t call me. You have to completely disappear. They’ll be watching me closely with both of you gone.”
I want to argue. I want to say that they need to go back to their home and let me go, but that won’t happen if Lawson has a say. So instead, I stay quiet. Lawson, however, agrees to it.
Nash stays the night with the plan to leave early in the morning, but I wait until Lawson is fast asleep and the darkness has taken over the room before I kiss his temple and sweep my hand through his thick hair. I take a moment to breathe him in and memorize his beautiful face.
“I love you,” I whisper into his ear, but he doesn’t move, finally sleeping soundly.
I grab my bag and make my way down the hall to where Nash is staying. I push the door open slowly, hoping I don’t see anything he wouldn’t want me too. But I can see he’s in bed. He sits straight up when I walk into the room. “What are you doing in here?”
His voice is low, but I don’t think it’s gravelly from sleep. I’m pretty sure he was wide awake. “I need you to take me to the bus station now.”
He moves to the edge of the bed, throwing his legs over the mattress. “What are you talking about?”
“You know.” I try to fight my tears. I need to convince him quickly before Lawson hears me. “We both know this is the right way.”
“No.” He shakes his head, getting out of bed, and I look away so he can tug on a pair of jeans over what I think were briefs, but it’s dark in the room. “He’ll kill me.”
“He’ll forgive you.”
“No.” He pulls a shirt on and moves to stand in front of me. “He won’t. He’s stubborn.”
I lift my chin. “So am I.”
“Yeah, I know. But he loves you.”
The ache in my chest grows. “Look, Nash,” I plead with him. “I’ve made up my mind. And I know . . .” I take a deep breath. “I know you don’t hate me or even dislike me. You just want your brother to be okay. We have that in common.”
“I don’t think he’ll be okay without you.”
I fight back my tears, not wanting Nash to see me cry. He already thinks I’m weak. “He’ll get over it. He won’t be okay with me. Colin will destroy him. If he goes back now without me, maybe Colin will leave him alone.”
“You really think Da Silva won’t try to get information from him?”
I know he will at first, but I try not to think about that. “I think Lawson has you, and he’s tough. When Colin realizes he doesn’t know anything, he’ll move on.”
“To hunt you down.”
I swallow the disgusting taste of bile rising in my throat, pushing it away. “This isn’t about me.”
He looks toward the clock on the nightstand. “I don’t hate you. I don’t want you hurt.”
That brings a slight smile to my lips. “Just do this. Please. The nearest bus station is an hour away. You can be back before he wakes up.”
His troubled eyes meet mine. “And then, he’ll hate me forever.”
“You’ve always only done what was best for him. He knows that deep down. He’ll forgive you. He has to.”
He scoffs, takes a deep breath but then nods. “What about you?”
“I’ll be okay. I have a couple of thousand dollars in cash. I’ll be okay.”
“You know that’s nothing, right? Out there.”
I shrug, trying to play it so much cooler than I feel. “I’ll get a job.”
He doesn’t believe me. I know he doesn’t. But in the end, he gives in and drives me to the bus station. He waits until I purchase a ticket to Oklahoma City, which is a four-hour trip that doesn’t board for a few hours.
“You want me to stay with you?”
I shake my head. “No. Go back to him.”
“Rae . . .” He looks tired and full of frustration—more pain I’ve caused. “I don’t think I should do this. You’re a kid too.”
“I’m not. I haven’t been a kid for a long time.”
I haven’t felt like one anyway.
“You’ve been through so much.”
“Just take care of him.”
He surprises me and pulls me into a quick hug. “Take care of yourself. Please.”
“I will.” I wipe at my tears when he releases me and lift the hood over my head, hoping it hides my broken face.
He leaves, and I sit on the bench in the small bus station.
Knowing, without a doubt, that the only one to ever truly love me is close to soon hating me.
* * *
I sit up straight in bed, covered in sweat and gasping. I have no idea what I was dreaming about, but it was enough to make my heart pound way too fast. I turn to look next to me, and that’s when I truly know panic.
Rae isn’t there.
“Rae?” I jump out of bed and look around the empty room. Then I look in the bathroom, but she’s not there. “No.”
I walk into the hallway.
“Rae? Nash?”
No answer.
I head back into our room and finally notice her bag is gone. This can’t be happening. I stalk into the room where Nash was staying and find it empty too. My heart races as I make my way into the living room, but then I see headlights outside. I look out the window to see Nash walking to the front door.
He barely gets inside before I grab his collar and thrust him against the wall. “Where is she?”
He has a few inches on me, and his body is more muscular. But in that moment, I don’t care. I’m the Hulk, and he’s nothing because Rae isn’t here. She’s not with him.
“Tell me.”
He doesn’t move, but I see the tension in his jaw. He isn’t used to being manhandled, and most people wouldn’t dare. “Calm down.”
“Tell me where the hell she is. Now.”
“You gonna hit me?” He doesn’t move, but we both know he could push me away if he wanted to.
“Maybe. Tell me where Rae is.”
He huffs loudly, leaning his hand against the wall, looking defeated. “She asked me to take her to the bus station.”
“And you did?”
He gives a quick sad nod. “It’s for the best.”
“The fuck it is.” I release him. “Take me to her. Now, Nash.”
“Calm your ass down and listen to me. This is what she wanted. She doesn’t want you to go with her.”
“Bullshit.” I know she thinks she ruined my life, but it’s the furthest thing from the truth. How the hell could she do this to me? “Take me to her.”
