04 - Born to be Wilde.txt (35 page)

Joel didn't bother to disguise his own pain over the situation. "Hitting rock bottom."

A harsh, humorless laugh escaped her, and she cringed as she heard Zach's vehicle skid on the gravel drive as he left. "I thought he already had."

"Not quite." Joel pulled her into his arms, and she went willingly, needing his comfort and strength to get her through this agonizing experience. "I just hope he comes to his senses before it's too late."

So did Lora, because she knew that despite her brother's obstinance, she'd never be able to live with herself if anything bad happened to Zach.

AFTER Zach's abrupt departure, sleep was impossible. Lora tossed and turned in her bed and listened to the rain outside until six in the morning. She could hear Joel moving around in the living room, and she decided that there was nothing left for them to do at the cabin. It was time to get up and get dressed, pack their small bags, and head back to the city.

Within an hour, they were ready to go.

While Joel did one last check of the cabin and made sure that the fire in the hearth was completely extinguished, Lora stepped outside and came to an immediate stop when she saw a large figure huddled on the front porch. Instantly, she recognized the straggly, damp brown hair and dirty and stained coat covering the slumped form as Zach's.

"Oh, no," she breathed, her mind already thinking the absolute worst. She fell to her knees beside her brother and shook him, hard, and experienced a flood of relief when he lifted his head and opened his bloodshot eyes. "Zach, are you okay?"

"Yeah… just dandy." He tried to smile, but his expression was heartbreakingly bleak and desolate. He shifted on the cold wooden planks, and an empty pint of vodka rolled out from beneath his coat. He glanced from the bottle to Lora and murmured, "There's absolutely nothing left."

It was a bizarre statement, and she couldn't help but think that he was referring to more than just the empty bottle of booze that he'd undoubtedly consumed. She wondered if this is what Joel had meant when he'd said that Zach had to hit rock bottom, because her brother certainly appeared lost and bereft and she couldn't imagine him falling any further into his own personal hell.

Joel came out of the cabin and the screen door slammed shut behind him, the sound making Lora jump.

She glanced behind her, unsure what to do. "He came back," she said, praying that was a positive sign and a step toward Zach aiding in his own recovery.

Joel crouched down beside her so he could be on eye level with her brother. "What's going on, buddy?"

Zach met his gaze without the cocky, brash attitude he'd displayed toward Joel only hours before. "Is your offer still on the table?"

"That all depends on what changed your mind," Joel replied mildly.

Zach dragged both his hands down his face and released a rough exhale of breath, and it was clear to Lora that this wasn't easy for her brother. "I got as far as the main road when my car ran out of gas and I realized I didn't even have enough money to fill even a quarter of the tank." He shook his head pathetically. "So, I walked back here in the rain while drinking my last bottle of booze, and now I have nothing left. No money. No place to live. No job. And pretty soon, no life."

Emotion clogged Lora's throat, and she swallowed back the pressure so she could reassure her brother of the one thing that mattered the most. "You have us, Zach."

He looked at her, the pain and hopelessness in his gaze more honest and real than anything he'd shown them so far. "I can't do this anymore, Lora," he said in a choked voice. "I'm just so damn tired of running and looking over my shoulder and not knowing if every day is going to be my last. I want out, and I want my life back," he whispered.

"Well, we can definitely help you with that," Joel said, and straightened to his full height once again. "It's not going to be a quick, easy process, but I do need a verbal commitment from you that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get the help you need for your addictions, and your life is yours again."

Zach nodded in understanding. "I'll do it." He pushed to his feet and stood.

"Good," Joel said, pleased with Zach's acquiescence. "Let's get you back inside the cabin. There's enough food here for at least another week, and I'm going to call and see which one of the guys can stay out here with you until we settle your debt and make sure your life, and Lora's, are no longer in danger."

At the mention of her name, Zach glanced at her. "I know I royally screwed things up, and I'm sorry, Lora," he said gruffly, putting aside his own pride to extend the apology she deserved. "I swear, I'll make this up to you."

She offered him a tremulous smile. "As of right now, you are." As grateful as Lora was for Zach's turnaround, she knew her brother had a long road ahead of him, most of which would be an uphill struggle before things smoothed out for him.

Zach turned back to Joel. "Thank you." He extended his hand to the other man. "Semper fi, Wilde Man."

The beginnings of a smile curved the corner of Joel's mouth. "Semper fi, Marshall," he replied, then shook the hand Zach offered, in friendship, camaraderie, and the kind of brotherhood that could have only been formed by their time in the military together.

Semper fi. Always faithful.

Lora could see and feel the integrity between the two men, and it made her believe that everything, in time, might just be okay for her brother.

Chapter Seventeen

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DANIEL parked his Volvo in front of The Electric Blue and cut the engine. Other than Sydney's car, the lot was completely empty, which was strange to see since he'd only been there in the evenings, when the area was crammed with vehicles and there was usually a long line of customers waiting outside in hopes of getting into the bar for a guaranteed good time. Having his own intimate connections with the bar owner, he was always lucky enough to bypass that queue of people no matter when he arrived.

But his visit this afternoon had more to do with business than the kind of pleasure The Electric Blue had to offer. After watching Cassie over the past two weeks, throughout normal class time and again during after school tutoring, he'd finally figured out what was going on with the teen and the reason she was exhibiting inconsistent grades in her homework and math tests.

As soon as his students left his classroom after tutoring that afternoon, he'd called Sydney and told her that they needed to talk. Since she was trying to finish up payroll and inventory before her crew showed up in a few hours, he'd offered to stop by The Electric Blue on his way home.

He exited his car, hit the lock and alarm switch, and headed toward the establishment's front doors. Judging by Sydney's reaction over the phone, he knew she was anxious to discover why her daughter was having a difficult time in his class when Cassie had never had an issue with math before. Daniel had found the whole cause behind Cassie's apparent struggle in math amusing and typical of a teenager, but he'd learned enough about Sydney, and how overly protective she was of her daughter, to know that she was not going to take the news of Cassie's deception well at all.

He knocked hard on the establishment's main door, and less than a minute later Sydney was there, letting him inside, looking gorgeous and sexy, as always. Soft auburn curls spilled over her shoulders in a sultry disarray, and she was wearing a long-sleeved, low-cut cotton top that hugged her voluptuous curves, as did her skinny jeans. After a quick hello, she led him back to her office, where they could sit down and talk. She sat down behind her desk, and he took one of the chairs in front of her.

"So, what's up with Cass?" she asked, getting right to the point.

As Sydney stared at him impatiently, Daniel had the distinct and unsettling feeling that today's conversation was going to be a turning point for them, and not in a good way. That all the emotional headway he'd made with her over the past few weeks, all the dates and getting-to-know-you conversations they'd had, and the hot foreplay that he never let turn into the actual sex she wanted from him, was going to go up in smoke right before his very eyes.

He could tell by her rigid posture and the guarded look in her gaze that she'd already erected those frustrating barriers between them. The ones that told him she was falling back into that self-preservation mode of hers that shut down her emotions and kept him at a distance. It was such a natural, ingrained response from her that he was pretty sure she didn't even realize she'd done it. But he read those signals loud and clear, and it didn't bode well for him at all.

"Earth to Daniel," she said, waving a hand in front of him to get his attention. "Are you still with me?"

"Sorry." He shook his head to wipe those other thoughts from his mind, and redirected his focus on the reason he was there. "You know I've been working with Cass over the past few weeks, and watching her during tutoring, and I'm pretty sure I've discovered what's up with her inconsistent homework and test scores."

She folded her hands on top of her desk, her fingers clasped tight. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, that depends on your definition of 'okay,' " he said lightly. Knowing they were about to tread upon a very serious topic, he choose his words, and explanation, carefully. "The good news is, Cassie is completely capable of doing the math homework I give out, and her test scores have improved."

"Thank God," she said, breathing a sigh of relief that also released the beginnings of a smile. "I've been trying to stay on top of her at home on a nightly basis, and I'm sure the after school tutoring is helping, too."

"Tutoring does have something to do with her improvement, but not in the way you think. The thing is, Cassie never needed the help in the first place."

Sydney's smile immediately faded, and confusion creased her auburn brows. "I'm not quite sure I'm following you on this."

Standing, he came around to where she was sitting, and propped himself on an edge of the desk that wasn't piled with paperwork. "Remember when I told you that I encourage students to pair up during after school tutoring sessions to help one another while I'm working one on one with someone?"

She leaned back in her chair and nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I noticed that when I made the suggestion that the students choose a partner, Cassie was quick to pick hers." There was no easy way to tell Sydney what he knew, no way to sugarcoat the truth that would send this protective mother over the edge. So, he attempted to keep his tone and demeanor casual, in hopes that it would keep Sydney calm, too. "She chose a boy named Ryan, who I noticed also tends to flirt with her during regular class time."

Sydney's complexion paled, and her eyes grew wide with something akin to fear. "Oh, God, are you saying that Cassie deliberately dropped her test scores and grades to get into after-school tutoring in hopes of being with this boy?"

He slid his hands into the front pockets of his khaki trousers. "That's definitely how it looks, though I didn't want to call Cassie on her behavior until after I talked to you."

"Well you can be damn sure I'll set her straight as soon as I get home!" she said adamantly, then ran a shaking hand through her hair. "What the hell is she thinking, playing dumb and risking her grades for some boy?"

Daniel could tell that Sydney was on the verge of hysterics, and decided to share with her the positive aspects of the situation. "What's funny is that Cassie did most of the helping when she was paired up with Ryan, because she knew the problems, and as a result they both ended up with an A on a test I gave the class." He grinned.

"Hell, if she can tutor the boy and get his grades to improve, too, what's wrong with that?"

Her gaze narrowed at him. "What's wrong is that she has no business getting involved with this boy!"

"He's a nice, decent kid, Sydney," he said, trying to soften the situation and reassure her that Cassie hadn't gone after some hoodlum. "He's even a little shy. I've met his parents, and they're good people, too. The kind that care about their son and his education. Just like you do with Cassie."

"I don't give a shit if he's the Prince of England!" She abruptly stood up, her tone angry, "Jesus, was he the reason why she wanted to go to that Halloween party so badly?"

"I'm sure he was there," he said automatically, then wished he'd kept his mouth shut when Sydney grew even more furious.

She paced to the other side of the office, and he felt the distance she put between them like a cold chill. "God, now she's lying to me and sneaking around, too. What's next?" Her voice broke with anguish.

He sighed, trying to keep his own frustration in check. "I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems."

She spun back around and glared at him. "You did not just say that."

He truly didn't understand her extreme reaction to the situation, "It's normal teenage behavior, and I see it all the time at school. She's a fifteen-year-old girl who has a crush on a boy and wants to get his attention. In her mind, playing down her math skills so she could get into after school tutoring was her subtle way of doing it." He moved off the desk and stood, facing her. "Trust me, kids do stupid things sometimes, and while I agree that Cassie never should have jeopardized her grades, I've seen kids do much, much worse." Cassie's actions were mild in comparison to the kind of the peer pressure some girls caved into in order to impress boys.