Taken (22 page)

She grabbed Kassie’s hand and said, “Come on,” then yanked her into the girls’ bathroom — but not before they’d all spotted Eric sauntering around the corner with his arm around Kassie’s best friend, Rebecca.

Josh stepped in front of Eric, blocking his path, and said, “You’ve got some nerve.”

Eric stiff-armed Josh, but two months of hauling water and chopping wood had strengthened his upper body. There was also the added element of magical determination. Eric’s eyes widened when Josh pushed back without touching him.

“How can you do this to Kassie?”

Eric’s arm slithered off Rebecca's shoulder as he backed into the lockers and sidestepped around Josh. “Look man, you have no idea what I’ve been dealing with. I can’t handle the pressure.”
 

“Oh yeah?” Josh hit a locker with the flat of his hand, blocking Eric’s not-subtle-attempt to escape and making everyone around them jump. “Maybe you should have thought about that
before
you got her pregnant.”

Rebecca gasped as her hand flew to her mouth then slid to the base of her throat. “Kassie’s pregnant?”

Oh crap
. Josh dropped his arm and stepped away from Eric.
 

Eric obviously mistook Josh’s remorse for surrender. He puffed out his chest and shoved Josh’s shoulder backing him into the middle of the crowded hall. “Way to go moron. Might as well just announce it over the PA system.”

Rebecca glared at Eric and said, “How could you?”

He shifted his gaze from one curious face to the next and held his hands up in a classic “I surrender” pose. “She said she was on the pill.”

 
Rebecca smacked Eric’s shoulder, a right jab that made him cringe. “And you said breaking up was her idea. Liar!”

Eric rubbed his shoulder and said, “For all I know it’s not even my kid!”

If Josh got caught fighting on school property, no amount of magic was going to keep him from getting expelled.
Oh yeah … magic
.
He folded his arms across his chest and stepped back so there could be no confusion about him not touching Eric. He gathered a fist-sized ball of energy out of his power-well … and blasted him.
 

Eric slammed against the lockers then slumped to the floor. He stared at Josh for a second then scrambled to his feet and said, “He attacked me! You all saw it, right?” He looked pathetic as he begged someone to agree with him, but the kids that weren’t openly laughing at him were shaking their heads. He grabbed Rebecca's shoulders and got right in her face. His eyes darted back and forth as he gave her a little shake. “You were standing right there. You had to have seen it! He used a taser on me!”

Rebecca twisted out of his grasp and said, “All I saw was a world-class jerk fall over his own feet. You disgust me.”

Channie had no idea what she was going to do with Kassie once she got her into the bathroom, but she knew she had to get her away from the gossip mongers circling like vultures over roadkill. Rebecca ran up to them, apologies flowing from her mouth like water out of a hose, but Kassie shut her down with a glare and said, “Not now.”

As soon as the door swung shut, Kassie threw her arms around Channie and sobbed, soaking her shoulder. Oh well. It wouldn’t be the first time someone snotted up Channie’s clothes. CoCo never cried, but Zeal and Savvy sure did. Channie patted Kassie’s back and let her cry.
 

How ironic. This was the same bathroom Channie had escaped into on the first day of school. She stared at the stall she’d hidden in while Kassie had made fun of her name and her accent. But truth be told, Channie wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t have done the same if the situation were reversed. Chastity Belks. Jeeze!

Kassie finally lifted her head and turned towards the sinks. She leaned into the countertop with locked elbows and
 
spoke in single syllable bursts between sobs. “He said … if
 
I … did’t get rid of it … we couldn’t be together any more.”

Channie wanted to say,
You can do a whole lot better than that jackass,
but she bit her tongue and handed Kassie a wet paper towel instead.

Kassie blotted her eyes and said, “You and Josh … are so lucky.”

Channie turned around and hopped her butt onto the counter between the sinks. “Josh’s momma said I’m not welcome under her roof.
 
Ezra hates me. We have to sneak out in the middle of the night to see each other. And My daddy would
kill
Josh if he had any idea what we’ve been up to.”

Kassie tilted her head to the side and did that half-cry-half-laugh that only certain girls can do. “I guess we’ve all got our problems, huh?”

“You can say that again.”

~***~

Channie hung out in the bathroom with Kassie until lunch then escorted her to Josh’s car. He was already there, leaning against the passenger side door, talking to Hunter.

Kassie grabbed Channie’s arm and said, “Who’s the hottie?”

“Hunter?” Channie was so in love with Josh, she’d stopped seeing any other boy. She’d forgotten what sort of effect Hunter used to have on her.

“Oh, I love that name.”

“O … kaaay.” Channie stopped at the edge of the parking lot and stepped in front of Kassie. “I thought you were in love with Eric?”

“I was.” Kassie leaned sideways and peered over Channie’s shoulder. She bit the side of her lower lip then said, “But he’s been such a total douche for the past two months. I just wish I’d broken up with him first.”

Channie would never get used to the crude language city kids used so casually. She didn’t know what a
doosh
was — she’d ask Josh later — but she had no doubt it was a nasty insult. “So, you and Eric aren’t exactly what you’d call soul mates, huh?”

“Not even close. So how does Josh know Hunter?”

Channie rolled her eyes and hooked her arm through Kassie’s as they started walking towards Josh’s car again. “I grew up with Hunter. My Daddy wants me to marry him.”

Kassie’s feet scattered gravel and stirred up a cloud of dust as she put on the brakes. “I thought you said that you and Josh were married?”

“We are. But nobody knows. We have to keep it a secret. You have to promise you won’t tell anyone!”

“Sure … if you can hook me up with Hunter.”

“But, you’re—”

“Pregnant? I’m not really showing all that much. And some guys think it’s sexy.”

Channie blinked and bit her tongue then lowered her voice and said, “Don’t be offended, but Hunter ain’t gonna see it that way.”

Kassie arched her back, making her pregnancy enhanced breasts even more prominent and said, “We’ll see about that.”

Hunter’s eyes lit up as he ran his gaze up and down Kassie’s body. He licked his lips and leaned forward as he reached for her hand. “Hey, gorgeous, I’m Hunter Brown. You must be Josh’s cousin, Kassie.”

Kassie giggled when Hunter kissed her hand and looked down the front of her shirt.

Oh good lord.
Channie rolled her eyes then arched her brows as she nodded at Hunter. “What’s he doing here?”

Josh said, “Diego dropped him off so he could apply for a job as a custodian here at Monarch.”

Hunter grinned. “It didn’t take much to
persuade
 
‘em to hire me right on the spot.” He winked at Channie. “If you know what I mean. I start work tomorrow.”

Kassie wrinkled her nose as her lust levels took a sudden nose dive. “You’re a janitor?”

Back home, any man with a job that paid cash money was considered a real catch. Hunter didn’t have much of an education, but he wasn’t stupid. Especially when it came to women. “It’s just to tide me over until I can find a career more suited to a man of my talents.”

“Oh, okay.” Kassie’s lustful energy climbed again, but not quite as high as it had been.

Channie wasn’t the least bit romantically interested in Hunter but his fascination with Kassie annoyed her.
 
Well, he’d cool off fast enough once he learned Kassie was pregnant.

As if he’d read her mind, Hunter’s gaze dropped to Kassie’s belly. “I heard about your unfortunate circumstances.”

Kassie narrowed her eyes and glared at Josh.

Hunter said, “Do you mind?” and placed his open palm right over her womb.

What the hell?
 

Kassie giggled again but at least she had the decency to blush as she put her hand on top of Hunter’s and pressed it against her stomach. “It’ll be several weeks before anyone else can feel any movement.”

Channie’s eyes bugged out as her mouth fell open. Josh shot her a warning glance and shook his head, little movements too subtle for anyone else to notice. He didn’t care that his cousin was acting like a common whore?
 

Channie slammed her mouth shut and pressed her lips together until they tingled from lack of circulation.
 

Hunter said, “How far along are you?”

“About three and half months.”

Hunter slid his hand to the side of Kassie’s waist as he leaned over and opened the driver’s side passenger door. “I’d normally hold the door for ya, but since the other one’s busted I think I better slide on in first so’s you don’t have to crawl all the way to the other side.”

Kassie giggled yet again and said, “I just love your accent,” as she scooted to the middle of the seat and snuggled up against Hunter.

Hunter’s accent was twice as thick as Channie’s and Kassie had called her an inbred hillbilly because of it.

He really poured on the charm after that. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “I told Josh I’d shoot the scoundrel if he didn’t marry you, but he said that ain’t how y’all handle these situations.”
 

Channie watched in the rearview mirror as Kassie twisted sideways, squeezing her boobs together, and put a hand on Hunter’s chest. “You’d do that? For me?”

“Just say the word.”

Josh cut off the engine and turned around. “He’s serious Kassie, so unless you want Eric dead and Hunter in jail for murder, tell him no.”

She sighed and cupped Hunter’s cheek with her palm. “That’s got to be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever offered to do for me. But Josh is right. You’d definitely go jail.”

“They’d have to catch me first. And even if they did, there ain’t no way anyone around here could keep me locked up.”

Channie turned all the way around and knelt on the seat. “Hunter. Listen to me. She does
not
want you to kill the father of her baby.”

Kassie said, “Eric can’t pay child support if he’s dead. But I wouldn’t mind if you beat the shit out of him.”

Hunter twitched as if Kassie had pinched him then pressed his index finger against her lips. “It’s downright disturbing to hear such dirty words come out of such a pretty mouth.”

Kassie ducked her head then peeked at Hunter from beneath her lashes. “Sorry.”

Channie turned back around and plopped her butt in the seat. She jerked the seatbelt across her body then jammed it into the buckle and said, “Can we please go get something to eat before I lose my appetite?”
 

~***~

START HERE

~***~

Channie knew that Hunter didn’t have any money, so she wasn’t surprised to see his face redden in the rearview mirror when Josh stopped beside the drive-through menu at McDonald’s. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and upper lip when Kassie placed her order.

She stood up and stuck her head and shoulders between the front seats then leaned over Josh to shout into the speaker, no doubt giving Hunter an excellent view of her curvaceous rear end. “I’ll have the double bacon cheese burger, large fries and a large diet Sprite. No, wait … super size the fries and drink and add a fried cherry pie.”

Hunter said, “Nothing for me. I ain’t very hungry.” His stomach growled loud enough for Channie to hear it in the front seat.

Josh said, “Lunch is on me today. You can pay next time.”

Hunter scratched the back of his head then said, “All right. I guess I’ll have what Kassie’s having then.”

When it was time to go back to school, Josh parked on the far side of Heritage Park to let Hunter out. He kissed the back of Kassie’s hand and said, “I hope I can see you again sometime real soon, Miss Kassie.”

Kassie said, “Hang on a sec,” then dug an ink pen out of her purse, grabbed Hunter’s hand and wrote her phone number on his palm. “Call me.”

Hunter grinned and said, “I’ll never wash my hands again.”

Channie made gagging sounds, but Kassie just giggled … again … and refused to put her seatbelt on until Hunter disappeared from view.

Kassie put a hand over her heart and sighed. “OMG, he is such a perfect gentleman.”

Channie couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Ha! Hunter’s no gentleman. Believe me. He just wants to get in your pants.”

“It’s not like he’s going to get me pregnant. Besides, how would you know what Hunter wants?”

Channie glanced sideways at Josh. His eyebrows were low and drawn together. The corners of his mouth curved into a slight frown.
 

Uh-oh.
 

Josh twisted to the right and looked over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking lot. “I’d like to know the answer to that question myself.”

~***~

When they got back to school, Kassie said, “Thanks for lunch,” and hopped out of the car.

Channie reached for the door handle but Josh grabbed her other hand and said, “Not so fast.”

Crap.

“What’s going on between you and Hunter?”

“Nothing. You know we’re just friends.”

“Then why the hell are you so jealous?”

“I’m not …” Josh could read her energy field so there was no point denying it. She
was
jealous. But why? “I don’t know.”

Josh sighed and squeezed her hand. “I think you’ve grown so accustomed to Hunter’s undivided attention you can’t stand the thought of losing his affection, even though you don’t need it.”

Channie tugged her hand towards her lap, but Josh refused to let go. She said, “Do you really think I’m that selfish?”