“What about Molly?”
“She made her choice.”
“What about Mark?”
“He’ll have to make his. I wish he wasn’t going, but I understand why. I’d be going if it were you.”
Hunter ruffled his brother’s hair. “Aw, you’re so sweet.”
Jimmy winced. “Careful, that’s where your girlfriend whacked me.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. At least she didn’t burn your house down. I still can’t figure out why she’d hit you like that though.”
Hunter tracked Jimmy’s gaze again to Ginger curled up on the sofa. Hunter liked Ginger. She was sweet, good natured, and attractive in different ways than Molly. Molly talked bad about Ginger, but she talked bad about everyone so that was nothing new. He guessed Molly’s main problem with Ginger was jealousy. Ginger was far and away more talented at sewing than Molly, but he’d known better than to track down that conversation with his former girlfriend. That would have been suicidal.
“So why did she hit you?”
Jimmy looked at Hunter, and then at the ceiling. “The night you found Catherine, I went out to make sure Molly was all right after the little blowout she had with Vanessa.”
“Yeah, I heard something about Ginger making baby clothes. Typical Molly crap right.”
“Yeah, well. When I found her… Look, let’s just forget about it.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s typical Molly crap.”
Hunter sat back. That was about as close to profanity as his brother ever walked. “What happened? Did she throw herself at you or something?”
Jimmy continued staring at the ceiling.
“You got to be kidding me.” Hunter laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You aren’t exactly her type.”
“And you are? Who did she run to after I told her I liked someone else?”
That thought swam around Hunter’s mind until it surfaced like a hungry shark ready to take a massive bite of gray matter.
Jimmy played lifeguard and kept him afloat. “Like you said, it’s typical Molly crap.”
“So you’re saying the only reason she—”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.”
“No, no, that’s all right. Really it’s okay. It’s kind of cool.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow.
Hunter smiled. “I was used. That’s awesome. I don’t feel nearly as bad for dumping her the way I did. Now I realize she had it coming. I mean really, hitting on me because my big brother shot her down. How twisted is that?”
Someone across the room coughed. “Uh, guys, we’re ready,” Scout said from the door.
Mark stood beside him, looking like an axe murderer wishing for a chainsaw. He crossed the room, snatched Hunter from his seat and pinned him to the wall.
Hunter gasped as the air was forced from his lungs. He couldn’t breathe from Mark shoving him against his chest and his back hurt from where it slammed into the wall.
Mark’s heated face loomed an inch away. “Why don’t you tell me just how twisted my sister is, Hunter? I really want to know since you’re the one who’s been sleeping with her for the past three months! Did she put out enough for you? Did you like turning my sister into a slut?”
“It wasn’t like that at all! Get your hands off me!”
“Then tell me what it was like! You were the last one to talk with her before she torched your house and knocked Jimmy across the head!”
Hunter slapped Mark’s hands away and shoved him back; his anger rippling through him like a turbulent red tide. “I’m not telling you shit!”
Hunter dodged Mark’s fist that sailed over him and punched a hole through the drywall. Scout arrived with Samuel and they wrapped Mark up and hauled him back struggling and reaching to get another shot at Hunter before finally giving up and going limp. He slumped on the sofa, hid his eyes with a trembling hand and cried. His body shook. His legs kicked in a spastic fit.
Jimmy managed to sit up and was hacking blood onto his chin. Ginger and Luis rushed over and coaxed him into lying back and settling down; tending to him before he made his injuries worse.
Hunter straightened his sweater into place and brushed his fingers through his hair. He stared at the floor, ashamed of playing a part in Mark’s pain. Mark resembled his sister so much it was eerie in a way that made Hunter even more sympathetic. A part of him ached for Molly despite his thoughts on her personality. He never considered how their relationship affected Mark. Obviously, Mark had never approved.
Everyone waited, allowing Mark enough time to work through more of his grief. After a while, Jimmy broke the silence.
“You better get going. Take care of each other before anything else.”
Hunter snatched his leather jacket off the chair and crossed the room. Scout handed him his ski mask, gloves, scarf, and goggles. A gust of cold air slapped him in the face as he pushed through the doorway. Two SUVs waited at the curb with eight different boys packed inside, everyone wearing grave expressions. Hunter and Scout would ride their motorbikes so they could track and follow the trail of Catherine’s kidnappers.
Scout walked up behind Hunter as they both slipped on their winter gear. “Those clouds aren’t going to hold for long, and when they dump, we’ll lose everything.”
Hunter pulled down his goggles and swung his leg twice before sliding onto his new motorbike. Mark passed him without comment.
TWENTY-SIX
Another jolt of pain laced through Jimmy’s body and tugged. He now lay on a firm hospital bed in the clinic with his shirt off; his chest covered instead with ugly purple bruises. Relaxing was tough, even with everyone gone except Ginger. Luis snoozed with his head on his desk, his gentle snores crossing the space between doctor and patient. Jimmy knew he’d gotten everyone up early, but the pain refused his own attempts at sleep.
“I have to sit up,” he told Ginger.
Ginger worked the mechanical gears that raised the head of the bed. Jimmy’s face tightened from the movement, but his ribs didn’t hurt as much once he was up right.
He held Ginger’s hand and offered it a reassuring squeeze to let her know everything was okay. He guessed she still agonized over not escaping and bringing back help in time, but he was just thankful Patrick hadn’t gone caveman on her.
Light filtered in between the blinds, cold and gray, chasing away the darkness. Jimmy wished the light could do the same for his spirits. His ribs were killing him. Luis suspected a couple of them were broken, but he couldn’t confirm it without X-rays. He said they’d heal with time and gave Jimmy meds for the pain. The medicine did squat from what Jimmy could tell.
“Does your head hurt?” Ginger asked.
“Not too bad.”
“I can’t believe she did this. I never thought Molly would hurt someone. This just doesn’t add up.”
“Molly’s been angry for quite a while. I wish she hadn’t chosen last night to pop, but what can you do.”
“She used to have a crush on you.”
“Yeah, I know. I told her I liked someone else.”
“You did. Who was that?”
