exaggerated laughter put a reluctant smile to her lips. Lord, she missed him, his humor. Things had gotten way too serious, too turbulent.
“I won’t do anything stupid. At least, aside from applying for a job.”
“So, you don’t consider jumping his bones in a public parking lot stupid?”
Oh...hell! Her brain went numb. So, it was true. And not only had Melanie witnessed it, she tattled. Derek sounded hurt. A pained groan escaped before she could stop it.
“No, I don’t believe it,” Derek said, fishing for something sane. “Not you. You wouldn’t do that to me. It must have been him, he knew Melanie was watching and he took advantage of your drunken state. Am I right?”
A long, painful silence. “I...I think it was all me. I’m not sure, I don’t remember anything.”
“I didn’t hear you, what? What was that?”
“I said, I don’t know! I was drugged, Derek! Roofied! If I did... happen ...to come on to Austin, it was because of that. Not because I wanted to.” The last came out weak and pathetic.
Very slowly with a calculating chill. “I. Will. Kill . Him.”
Danny pinched the bridge of her nose. Headache was back. “Austin didn’t drug me, it was that jackass Melanie set me up with. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Melanie didn’t mention anything about drugs, or about setting you up with anyone.”
What! Her voice lowered to a slow simmer. “Then I guess she didn’t tell you that if it wasn’t for Austin, I would have been violated by that pig.” His unwillingness to answer proved as much, as well as emphasized his personal struggle with the facts she’d just given him. “Look...let’s just forget about it.”
“About you being drugged? No way. But I don’t think Melanie knew anything about it. If she did she would have told me.”
“Yeah,” Danny answered with a sigh. Melanie wouldn’t have tolerated it. “Probably. Just do me a favor and make sure she’s aware so she doesn’t get herself in trouble.”
He would personally deal with Melanie later. “And you.&nb And yre fine now?”
“Right as rain. I’m in full control again, I promise. No more stupid mistakes.”
“You won’t be in control until you’re back home. You know that, right?”
Acids were working upward to mess with her throat. “I signed a contract and I’m not leaving until I’ve honored it. That’s the bottom line.”
A tense moment of silence followed. “You’ll call me every day to check in? Especially when you’ve had enough of this shit and want me to bring you home?”
“I’ll call every day. But I won’t need you to bring me home, you just stay the hell away.”
Danny had been hesitant to ask him about what Austin said. If Derek answered Rena’s phone the night she was pushed into the river, that would mean he really may have been the person she was with. The eyewitness on the bridge had heard her panicked cries, saw the two dark figures struggling by the river’s edge...and fall in. And if Derek was in close enough proximity to Rena’s phone in that time frame… Well, Danny knew her brother. She knew there was an explanation, but the fact he had kept such an important detail from her was disturbing.
Danny put the oatmeal packet in her mouth, tilted her phone up and looked down at the name. It was Melanie again. She’d been extremely pissed off that Melanie’s adventurous nature had sucked her into a bad situation. She still didn’t feel like talking to the overzealous pain-in-the-ass, but Derek had brought to light something she should have already known. So, this time she put her stash down on one of the long tables and answered.
“Yeah.”
“Hey! How are you?”
“Not so good since last night.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re joking, right?”
A pregnant pause. “Okay, just so you know, Brett and Randy did NOT drug you. And, frankly, I’m
“I won’t do anything stupid. At least, aside from applying for a job.”
“So, you don’t consider jumping his bones in a public parking lot stupid?”
Oh...hell! Her brain went numb. So, it was true. And not only had Melanie witnessed it, she tattled. Derek sounded hurt. A pained groan escaped before she could stop it.
“No, I don’t believe it,” Derek said, fishing for something sane. “Not you. You wouldn’t do that to me. It must have been him, he knew Melanie was watching and he took advantage of your drunken state. Am I right?”
A long, painful silence. “I...I think it was all me. I’m not sure, I don’t remember anything.”
“I didn’t hear you, what? What was that?”
“I said, I don’t know! I was drugged, Derek! Roofied! If I did... happen ...to come on to Austin, it was because of that. Not because I wanted to.” The last came out weak and pathetic.
Very slowly with a calculating chill. “I. Will. Kill . Him.”
Danny pinched the bridge of her nose. Headache was back. “Austin didn’t drug me, it was that jackass Melanie set me up with. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Melanie didn’t mention anything about drugs, or about setting you up with anyone.”
What! Her voice lowered to a slow simmer. “Then I guess she didn’t tell you that if it wasn’t for Austin, I would have been violated by that pig.” His unwillingness to answer proved as much, as well as emphasized his personal struggle with the facts she’d just given him. “Look...let’s just forget about it.”
“About you being drugged? No way. But I don’t think Melanie knew anything about it. If she did she would have told me.”
“Yeah,” Danny answered with a sigh. Melanie wouldn’t have tolerated it. “Probably. Just do me a favor and make sure she’s aware so she doesn’t get herself in trouble.”
He would personally deal with Melanie later. “And you.&nb And yre fine now?”
“Right as rain. I’m in full control again, I promise. No more stupid mistakes.”
“You won’t be in control until you’re back home. You know that, right?”
Acids were working upward to mess with her throat. “I signed a contract and I’m not leaving until I’ve honored it. That’s the bottom line.”
A tense moment of silence followed. “You’ll call me every day to check in? Especially when you’ve had enough of this shit and want me to bring you home?”
“I’ll call every day. But I won’t need you to bring me home, you just stay the hell away.”
Danny had been hesitant to ask him about what Austin said. If Derek answered Rena’s phone the night she was pushed into the river, that would mean he really may have been the person she was with. The eyewitness on the bridge had heard her panicked cries, saw the two dark figures struggling by the river’s edge...and fall in. And if Derek was in close enough proximity to Rena’s phone in that time frame… Well, Danny knew her brother. She knew there was an explanation, but the fact he had kept such an important detail from her was disturbing.
Danny put the oatmeal packet in her mouth, tilted her phone up and looked down at the name. It was Melanie again. She’d been extremely pissed off that Melanie’s adventurous nature had sucked her into a bad situation. She still didn’t feel like talking to the overzealous pain-in-the-ass, but Derek had brought to light something she should have already known. So, this time she put her stash down on one of the long tables and answered.
“Yeah.”
“Hey! How are you?”
“Not so good since last night.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re joking, right?”
A pregnant pause. “Okay, just so you know, Brett and Randy did NOT drug you. And, frankly, I’m
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