Altercation (8 page)

H
appy birthday, dear Megan! Happy birthday to you!”

Megan smiled around the table at her family. She felt a twinge of disappointment that she couldn’t have a real party with friends, but they were driving to Idaho the next day and needed to get to bed early. Besides, her mom promised her a big birthday bash to celebrate her eighteenth birthday when they got back.

Her father’s phone rang, and he slipped out of the room while Megan unwrapped presents. She inclined her head, one ear tuned to his conversation. Lately most of his phone calls revolved around the newly rescued girls, and everything regarding the kidnapping interested her.

She opened a present, revealing a book entitled
Driving for Dummies.
“Spence, I think you gave me the book you bought for yourself.”

“Just a hint, sis,” Spencer said, smirking.

From the other room, Megan caught the words “background checks” and “motivation.”

“Are you ever going to open my present?” Whitney asked, rocking back and forth. At eight years old, she wasn’t the model of patience.

“Oh, of course.” Megan tore into the paper. “A puzzle book! Whitney, you are so thoughtful.”

She beamed. “I picked it out myself.”

“Moving them from Cincinnati?” Her father’s words, murmured into the telephone, barely carried into the next room. Megan held her breath, hoping to hear more.

Her mother noticed. “Megan,” she said, a warning note in her voice. “Don’t listen in.”

Megan smiled brightly. “Who wants cake and ice-cream?”

Her father came back in as Megan served up the cake. “Are the girls all right?” she asked.

“Not sure. The agent guarding them feels like they need tighter security.”

“Why? Did they receive a threat? Did something happen?”

“That’s all I can tell you,” he said, giving her a stern look that mirrored her mother’s.

Megan helped clean up the dishes after her “party.” She watched her father pick up Whitney from the couch where she slept and take her to her room. Megan sighed.

“Are you all right, dear?” Her mom picked a pepperoni off a slice of pizza and popped it into her mouth. “You’ve been kind of quiet tonight.”

Megan pasted a smile on her face, not wanting to seem ungrateful. “I’m great. Yeah.” Candice hadn’t even called. Megan tried to feel angry about it, but she hadn’t called Candice either. Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t spoken much in school lately. Did she still have a best friend?

Her mom misinterpreted her silence. “I know it wasn’t much to celebrate your eighteenth birthday, and I’m sorry. It’s just with everything that’s going on tomorrow, needing to leave for Idaho, your father felt it best if we kept it brief.”

Actually, Megan had issues with that too—after all, Idaho was only five hours away—but that wasn’t what was bugging her. She wiped chips and dip into the trashcan and blurted, “Candice and I aren’t talking.”

Mrs. Reynolds turned from the sink and gave Megan a sympathetic look. “Oh, honey. What happened?”

Just like that, Megan saw her opportunity to get information about the girls. She hadn’t planned it, and she felt a bit guilty for taking advantage of it, but that didn’t stop her from plunging ahead. “I’ve just been so preoccupied since we got back from New York. I haven’t been a good friend, I guess. Candice noticed.”

The creases between her mother’s eyebrows smoothed into understanding. “You did get pretty involved with the girls.”

Megan sighed again and shredded a napkin onto a plate. “I think about them all the time. I worry about them. I keep thinking, what if it had been me?”

“Maybe it’s not a good idea for you to see their families tomorrow. It might make things worse.”

Megan shook her head quickly. “No, no.” That definitely wasn’t the direction she wanted to go. “No, I think it will help me. It helps to know they have a safe place to go home to. But I also feel so . . . invested in them. I won’t be able to relax until they’re home.” All this was true, which helped Megan not feel so bad about using her feelings to get more information. “Do you know what’s going on? Are they almost safe again?”

Her mom leaned against the sink and folded her arms across her chest. “Your dad doesn’t tell me much, Megan. They are safe now, in FBI custody. As soon as they are cleared to go home, I’m sure we’ll find out.”

Megan nodded, not bothering to hide her disappointment. “Yeah. Sure.”

Her mom turned around and started the water again. “I’ll finish clearing the table. Happy birthday, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Megan put down the napkin shreds and went down the hall. She knew as much as her mom, then, maybe even more. The girls were in Cincinnati, for now. The FBI thought they might be in danger, and they might be moved. Megan wished she knew more. Maybe her dad would give something else away while talking to the parents.

Provided, of course, that she didn’t get left behind. Megan pulled open a duffle bag and started packing.

J
aci wished for something to take her frustrations out on besides a punching bag.

Agent Magrew had hung the bag the day before during the self-defense class, but it was clear after a few weak-hearted jabs that the girls weren’t fighters. Jaci laughed at the time, but now that she wanted to punch the living daylights out of something, all she could manage were a few harmless thrusts.

Everything was falling apart. She couldn’t get Detective Hamilton’s words out of her mind. He had been so kind, but it sounded like he thought her father was involved in illegal activities. She admitted it seemed logical. Why else would he disappear, right when his family needed him the most?

And now having to leave the safe house because of Sara’s letter . . . what if The Hand had managed to track them? Her heart beat erratically and Jaci aimed a punch at the bag.

Two arms came over her head and gripped her forearms to her chest, fingers knotting in front of her. Jaci stiffened, her mind freezing up.

“Relax, Jaci.” Ricky’s voice spoke in her ear, tickling the hairs on her neck. “Just remember the moves. Break my hold.”

Adrenaline pumping through her, she forced her mind to clear. She kicked backward, connecting with Ricky’s shin. He yelped and bent slightly. Jaci slammed her elbow back into his ribs and his hands came apart.
I did it!
she thought, elated.

“Now run,” he gasped out. “You’re supposed to run.”

She turned around to see him doubled over, one hand on his shin and the other around his ribcage. Her excitement ebbed, and she felt the blood rush to her face. “I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”

He waved her off. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, Jace.” He straightened up. “Let’s try another one.” He grabbed her in a headlock, holding her by his side.

Jaci laughed. “You’re not holding me tight enough, Ricky. Do it like you mean it.”

His grip tightened and Jaci reacted. She spun her head into his chest, protecting her throat. One hand pulled his outer arm up while the other hand reached up, gripped his face, and thrust his head away.

“Great,” Ricky said, backing away. “I’m glad you skipped the middle step.”

Striking the groin. Jaci nodded, flushed with victory. “You chose the hold.”

“Yeah, I forgot about that part. Want to try another?”

She shook her head. “No. But thanks, Ricky.” She felt better. Being forced to focus on something else calmed her. She wasn’t helpless anymore. “It came more naturally that second time. It felt right.”

He touched the top of her hand, and her stomach knotted up. “That’s how it should be.”

Jaci pulled away. “I’m done here. I better shower.” She fled the dojo before Ricky could confuse her more.

The girls were preparing for bed when someone knocked on the door.

Jaci didn’t look up from where she sat on the bed. She had a magazine open in her lap, but the pages blurred in front of her.

“Come in,” Amanda called.

Agent Banks poked his head in and beckoned to Sara.

She followed him out of the room, the door closing with a solid thud behind her.

“What do you suppose that’s about?” Amanda asked.

Jaci lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. Could be anything. The pregnancy. Her family. Neal and Ricky.”

Amanda peered at her. “Are you okay, Jaci? You’ve seemed sort of out of it since we met with the detective. What did he say to you when you were alone?”

“Yes. I’m fine.” She evaded the rest of Amanda’s question.

Amanda slipped on her night shirt. “You gonna turn out the light?”

“Sure.”

“Good night.” Amanda pulled the sheets back on her bed and climbed inside.

Jaci read the same paragraph four times before giving up. She sighed, put the magazine down, and reached for the light switch between the two beds. Before she could hit it, though, the door rattled, and Sara rushed into the room. Her face was red, her eyes swollen with an unleashed torrent of tears.

Jaci pushed herself into a standing position. “Sara. What’s wrong?”

“Ricky and Neal,” she sobbed, running over to Jaci and throwing her arms around her neck. Her slender frame trembled.

Jaci pulled back, brushing Sara’s hair out of her face. Her heart pounded anxiously. “What’s happened?” Had someone managed to sneak into the house and hurt them?

“The FBI contacted the state of New York and asked them to take custody of them,” Sara gasped out between her tears. “They want to separate us.”

“Separate you and the boys?”

“No.
Us.
”

It took a full two seconds for Jaci to understand what Sara meant. “
All
of us?”

“All of us.” Sara’s voice dropped to a whisper. “For our own safety. They won’t even let
me
stay with Neal and Ricky.”

Jaci glanced at Amanda, who was up on her elbows, eyes wide. “What do we do?”

“You have to do something, Jaci! Talk to them!”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Amanda nodded. “They’ll listen to you.”

Jaci furrowed her brow. What on earth made her friends think she could do anything? She forced herself to think clearly. “It’s okay, Sara. I’ll go talk to the agent.”

Jaci tiptoed down the hall, hoping Agent Banks was in his downstairs office. She dreaded the thought of having to go upstairs looking for him in her purple pajamas.

Turning the corner, she saw that the office door was open. She knocked on the door frame.

Banks looked up from his computer. “Yes, Jaci.”

The tone of his voice wasn’t inviting. She steeled herself. He must know why she was here. “I just wanted to find out what’s going on. Sara said you’ll be separating us?”

“Yes. We were planning on telling all of you tomorrow, but since she will be away from her brothers, we wanted to break it to her first. She wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

He’d really expected Sara to keep it quiet? “I’m not trying to be obstinate, but we have to be together.”

“First of all,” Banks said, “you need to realize that the decisions we make are not up for debate. Second of all, being together makes you an easy target. If we separate you, The Hand will have to spread out his resources. Unless we find him soon, we will be placing all of your families in the Witness Protection Program and not only will you be separated, but you’ll have new names and new lives. This is not a game, Jaci. We can’t accommodate the whims and wishes of teenage girls when there are lives at stake.”

Jaci nodded quickly, biting on her lower lip. All her righteous indignation vanished in the face of his chastisement. “No, of course not, Sir. I understand.”

The skin around his eyes softened. “I know the boys are unhappy about going back to New York. Their location will be kept secret.”

There had to be something more that could be done. Jaci tried one last scenario. “What if Sara’s family decided to extend custody right now?”

“Until The Hand is found and all of you are able to return home, her parents aren’t going to get custody. They don’t even have custody of Sara. We do.”

That was it, then. There really was nothing more. “I’ll tell Sara. When do the boys leave?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Her heart fluttered. “Will we be able to see them?

“You’ll be able to say goodbye, if that’s what you mean. But after they leave tomorrow, no. Any phone calls or letters made from here could be traced back. Understood?”

Jaci bridled slightly at his tone. She wasn’t a child. “Understood.”

“One more thing.” Banks’s voice hardened. “I want the boys to think you are all still in Cincinnati. They know they are leaving, but I don’t want them to know you girls will be leaving also. Can you make them believe that?”

Jaci paused, hand on the door frame. It seemed like this whole plan was riddled with secrets, and she hated keeping things from people. “Why?”

“Because the less information people have about you, Jaci, the safer you’ll be. And you want to be safe, don’t you?”

“Yes.” She turned on her heel and stalked from the room.

She went past her own bedroom, past the guest bathroom, and knocked on the boys’ bedroom door. Her heart pounded and she clenched her fingers together.

“Jaci.” Neal answered the door, toothbrush in mouth, his hazel eyes widening in surprise.

“Hi.” She was glad to see both boys wore cotton shirts and pants to bed. She’d been half afraid to catch them in their boxers or something.

Ricky joined Neal in the doorway. “Come in, Jace.”

She gave a nod and pushed her way in, wiping sweaty palms on her blue sweatpants. The room was identical to the girls’, except everything the boys owned was spread out on the floor. She suppressed a smile. She’d forgotten the awful state their house had been in when the teenagers had met.

Neal went to the sink, and Ricky crossed his arms over his chest. “So I guess you heard, huh?”

Jaci nodded, dropping her eyes. “Yeah.” What was she doing in here?

“Sucks.”

“Yeah.”

Neal put his toothbrush down. “I’m going up for a bag of chips.”

“Grab me one,” Ricky said as Neal closed the door. “What’s up?” Ricky seated himself on the edge of the bed closest to the door.

Jaci settled down next to him. “Is this your bed?”

“No. Neal’s. Figured if we got attacked, he’d go first.”

Jaci laughed. She leaned against the wall, turning to face him. “Why?”

He frowned at her. “Why what?”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

He shrugged. “I like you.”

Such a straightforward answer. Yet Jaci knew she could construe it to mean many different things. And she knew what she wanted it to mean. “Why do you always hang out with Amanda?”

“She follows me around.”

“When was the last time you kissed her?”

He hesitated. “It’s been awhile.”

“When?” Jaci pressed, surprised at her own boldness.

“Not since New York.”

“Do you like her?”

“As a friend.”

And how did he like Jaci? “You make it a habit to kiss your friends?”

He leaned toward her on the bed. “She kissed me.”

“Didn’t look like you minded.”

“Yeah, but—wait.” He cocked his head and squinted his eyes. “You’ve seen us kiss?”

She looked down and plucked at the bedspread, losing her nerve. “Yeah. Once.”

“When?”

She shrugged, picturing in her mind the way his arms had wrapped around Amanda’s body. “In New York.”

“Jaci.” He tossed his head back and stared at the bunk above him. “Listen.” He focused on her again. “I’m a guy, Jace. If a girl kisses me, I’m going to kiss her back.”

“How many times?”

He made a noise in the back of his throat. “I don’t know.”

“Is that all you’ve done?” Suddenly it really mattered to her.

He hesitated just a moment too long, and she turned away, face flushing.

“Hey, no, it’s not what you think.” He grabbed her hand, turning her back to him. “She offered, that’s all. But—I didn’t.”

“Why not?” Jaci whispered, still recovering from the shock.

“Didn’t want to.”

“What changed? I thought you liked her.”

He shrugged.

“Has Amanda noticed?”

Another shrug.

Jaci closed her eyes, more relieved than she wanted to admit. She took a deep breath and looked at him. “Ricky, I—” His eyes were steady on her, unnerving her. “Never mind.” She pushed away from the wall, irritated with herself. “I’ll just go now.”

He seized her wrist. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing.”

He let her arm go and leaned back on his elbow. “Okay . . .”

“What does
that
mean?”

He sighed. “You’re such a little girl sometimes, Jaci.”

The door opened behind them and Neal came in. He glanced at them and shut himself into the bathroom.

Jaci turned back to Ricky, but he’d moved to the door. He opened it. “It’s getting late, Jaci. You better go. Unless you came here to say something.”

She stepped up to the door and walked out of the room. Before Ricky could close it, she whirled around and stuck her hand in the jamb. “I did. I wanted to tell you—be careful.” Withdrawing her hand, she fled down the hall.