Logan.”
“I miss Cojack.”
She didn’t miss Cojack, but she missed Aeron. Terribly. She missed his smile. She missed his laugh. She missed everything about him. She missed the happy, alive, normal girl she became when she was with Aeron. “I know, buddy. You haven’t seen him at all this week, have you?”
“Not since Wednesday when…when I saw you and Aeron wrestling in your room.”
Her face heated. Wrestling? She supposed it might have looked that way to her little brother. “He told me he would be moving, but I didn’t know he would disappear this soon.”
“ You’re sad, Jenny. You miss him a lot, don’t you?”
Her brother was too freaking intuitive. “ He was beginning to be my friend.”
“Yeah. It looked like he was a good friend.” Logan kicked an old, grimy plastic cup lying crushed on the sidewalk. “Why did he go away?”
“Probably for work. He told me he has to travel a lot for his job.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
“He told me he would be moving away. So I guess it’s better that we don’t get too close.”
She looked up.
There was Aeron’s house. Somehow they’d ended up walking to it anyway. She stared at it as they scuffled by it. The curtains were drawn. No lights. No car in the driveway. It looked empty, abandoned. “It looks like nobody’s home.”
“ It always looks like that, Jenny.”
There she was.
So close.
Right outside.
The sunlight was glinting in her hair, flashing gold. It caressed her features, illuminating her porcelain skin. It shone in her eyes.
Since that day at her house, he’d seen that face every night in his dreams. She spoke to him. She begged him to come back. She wept as he stood there frozen and mute, watching but unable to console her.
He’d never realized before that hell could be here, on earth. He was trapped in it. Lost in it. How could he guide Logan’s soul to the other side when he couldn’t even claw his way out of this hellish darkness? How?
He longed to hear her voice, to stroke her smooth skin, to smell the scent of her hair. But he didn’t dare. As it was, he could see the sadness in her eyes. And when he took her precious little brother from her, the anguish she would suffer. How could he add to that by disappearing too?
For now he had to remain silent. And he had to hope that Logan would trust him well enough by now that he would follow him.
This case just might destroy him.
He dropped on his k nees and closed his eyes. Only one thing, One Person, could help him now.
He prayed.
* * * * *
There was a car parked in front of their house when they returned. Jenn recognized it right away.
What was he doing here?
As she and Logan trudged up the front steps, Bobby climbed out and strolled toward them, and she turned to Logan. “Go inside, Logan. I’ll be right in.”
“Okay, Jenny.” His boots scuffled over the front porch as he headed to the front door.
Jenn waited until Logan was inside and the door was shut before turning to Bobby. “I’m surprised to see you.”
“Yeah, I had to come back and talk to you.”
“About what?”
He sighed, glanced around the small porch then leaned back against the railing. “I had some time to think after that conversation we had. I was a total ass. We’ve been friends for a long time. I let you down once. I can’t do it again. Do you still need someone to stay with you for a while?”
Had her prayers been answered? She was almost afraid to believe it. “Yes, I do. It’ll be for a short time. I’ll be eighteen soon. Then it’s just a matter of filing the paperwork.”
Bobby nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Her lungs fully inflated for the first time in weeks. “You will? What made you change your mind?”
“I don’t know. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, about you. And Logan. And what I did when your parents died. I want to help.”
Could it be that Bobby had done some growing up in the time that they’d been apart? God, she hoped so.
“I miss Cojack.”
She didn’t miss Cojack, but she missed Aeron. Terribly. She missed his smile. She missed his laugh. She missed everything about him. She missed the happy, alive, normal girl she became when she was with Aeron. “I know, buddy. You haven’t seen him at all this week, have you?”
“Not since Wednesday when…when I saw you and Aeron wrestling in your room.”
Her face heated. Wrestling? She supposed it might have looked that way to her little brother. “He told me he would be moving, but I didn’t know he would disappear this soon.”
“ You’re sad, Jenny. You miss him a lot, don’t you?”
Her brother was too freaking intuitive. “ He was beginning to be my friend.”
“Yeah. It looked like he was a good friend.” Logan kicked an old, grimy plastic cup lying crushed on the sidewalk. “Why did he go away?”
“Probably for work. He told me he has to travel a lot for his job.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
“He told me he would be moving away. So I guess it’s better that we don’t get too close.”
She looked up.
There was Aeron’s house. Somehow they’d ended up walking to it anyway. She stared at it as they scuffled by it. The curtains were drawn. No lights. No car in the driveway. It looked empty, abandoned. “It looks like nobody’s home.”
“ It always looks like that, Jenny.”
There she was.
So close.
Right outside.
The sunlight was glinting in her hair, flashing gold. It caressed her features, illuminating her porcelain skin. It shone in her eyes.
Since that day at her house, he’d seen that face every night in his dreams. She spoke to him. She begged him to come back. She wept as he stood there frozen and mute, watching but unable to console her.
He’d never realized before that hell could be here, on earth. He was trapped in it. Lost in it. How could he guide Logan’s soul to the other side when he couldn’t even claw his way out of this hellish darkness? How?
He longed to hear her voice, to stroke her smooth skin, to smell the scent of her hair. But he didn’t dare. As it was, he could see the sadness in her eyes. And when he took her precious little brother from her, the anguish she would suffer. How could he add to that by disappearing too?
For now he had to remain silent. And he had to hope that Logan would trust him well enough by now that he would follow him.
This case just might destroy him.
He dropped on his k nees and closed his eyes. Only one thing, One Person, could help him now.
He prayed.
* * * * *
There was a car parked in front of their house when they returned. Jenn recognized it right away.
What was he doing here?
As she and Logan trudged up the front steps, Bobby climbed out and strolled toward them, and she turned to Logan. “Go inside, Logan. I’ll be right in.”
“Okay, Jenny.” His boots scuffled over the front porch as he headed to the front door.
Jenn waited until Logan was inside and the door was shut before turning to Bobby. “I’m surprised to see you.”
“Yeah, I had to come back and talk to you.”
“About what?”
He sighed, glanced around the small porch then leaned back against the railing. “I had some time to think after that conversation we had. I was a total ass. We’ve been friends for a long time. I let you down once. I can’t do it again. Do you still need someone to stay with you for a while?”
Had her prayers been answered? She was almost afraid to believe it. “Yes, I do. It’ll be for a short time. I’ll be eighteen soon. Then it’s just a matter of filing the paperwork.”
Bobby nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Her lungs fully inflated for the first time in weeks. “You will? What made you change your mind?”
“I don’t know. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, about you. And Logan. And what I did when your parents died. I want to help.”
Could it be that Bobby had done some growing up in the time that they’d been apart? God, she hoped so.
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