Determination

Readers Love Jamie Mayfield’s

Waiting for Forever Series

Choices

“I think kids should read these books if they are gay or if they are not.

For gay kids, they can learn there is always someone that loves them no matter what. For the kids who aren’t gay, well, maybe they could see how bad they hurt people with their words. Even in 5th grade I heard people say “fag” and “homo.” We aren’t allowed to use words like that in my house and now I understand why. Words can hurt as much as hands or fists. So we should be careful how we use them.”

—Savannah, 12, The Novel Approach

Destiny

“I cannot wait for the final installment to this trilogy and I highly recommend these books. Again, they are intense and graphic, but you can feel the love there as well. Mayfield shows both sides of the coin that is being gay and either accepted or denied by the people you love and trust.”

—MM Good Book Reviews

Copyright

Published by

Harmony Ink Press

5032 Capital Circle SW

Ste 2, PMB# 279

Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

USA

[email protected]

http://harmonyinkpress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Determination

Copyright © 2013 by Jamie Mayfield

Photograph Copyright: Lori Blantin

Cover Art by AngstyG, www.angstyg.com

Cover content is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Ste 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA.

[email protected]

ISBN: 978-1-62798-009-8

Library ISBN: 978-1-62798-011-1

Digital ISBN: 978-1-62798-010-4

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

August 2013

Adapted from the award-winning Little Boy Lost series by J.P. Barnaby Library Edition

November 2013

This book is for all of the boys who are looking for their own Brian or Jamie. Be patient because love comes in all forms—we are all proof of that. Until then, remember that you are loved—every single day.

Determination

1

One

ALEX and Brian half carried me down the sidewalk as I tried to keep up with them and failed miserably. A crappy, scuffed-up van sat idling in the driveway. As we got closer, an older guy got out and threw open the side door. It rolled back, making a loud bang as it locked into place.

The noise sounded funny, like the ringing of a huge bell, and I started to laugh. My chest hurt, making it hard to laugh and breathe at the same time, so I slowed down. Alex raced ahead of me and jumped into the van, holding his arms out as he turned and knelt on the floor.

“Give him to me—you have to go!” Alex cried and attempted to pull me into the van, but I clung to Brian. I wanted him to go too. I didn’t want him to leave me alone again.

“Jamie, honey, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Go with Alex. I love you,” Brian said as he tried to break my hold. He kissed me on the forehead, letting his lips linger. I knew how he felt—I didn’t want to let go either.

“Brian, he can’t figure out where we went. We have to go!” Alex jerked me backward, and the pain in my back screamed as I landed on the floor of the van in his arms. I yelled for Brian, but he was already sprinting back toward the house. The old guy told him to go around to the back of the house as he slammed the door shut, cutting off my view of Brian. I didn’t understand why Brian couldn’t come with us. It made me mad that they hurt me and took him away. I didn’t want to go without him.

“I want Brian,” I whimpered as Alex scooted back against the opposite wall and pulled me against his thin chest. Scared about what 2

Jamie Mayfield

would happen next, I curled up into him and closed my eyes. The van started to move, and I wanted to scream that I didn’t understand, but it was Alex. Alex wouldn’t hurt me. He wrapped a blanket around the front of my shoulders and then held me tightly against his chest. I could tell he was trying to keep the movement of the vehicle from jostling and jarring me, but I bounced on the floor with each bump and pothole anyway. The drugs dulled the pain in my stomach and back, but I could still feel it.

“It will be okay,” he whispered as he held my face against his chest and rubbed the back of my head with his thumb. Gently, he stroked my short hair, and it felt good even though I’d started to lose my buzz. I didn’t understand how that could happen when I’d taken so much. Maybe I was dying. I didn’t want to die. If it had to happen, I could deal with that, but I wanted to see Brian first. I had to tell him that I loved him and to be happy. I just wanted him to be happy.

“Want Brian…. Don’t want to die alone,” I murmured against Alex’s shirt and felt him tighten his arms around me. Kissing the top of my head, he began to rock back and forth almost imperceptibly.

“I won’t let you die, Jamie,” he said into my hair as the engine gunned and the van sped up. For the first time since the ride began, I wondered where we were going. Then I wondered if Brian would come, too, and why Alex was holding me instead of him. Thinking about Brian made my heart hurt, but I couldn’t understand why.

“I took so much…. He made me take so much…. My chest hurts.”

“Leo, maybe we should take him to a hospital,” Alex said over my head to the driver. “He said that his chest hurts.”

“Is he having trouble breathing?” The man’s voice sounded tense, and I looked up to see his eyes flickering to me in the rearview mirror.

They were warm and brown like my Brian’s eyes. God, I wished Brian were there with me. I missed him so much. Alex put his hand on my chest, and I snuggled closer to him as the van turned. I felt safe sitting there against him. It was a feeling I didn’t quite remember.

“No, I don’t think so. His breathing is even, but it’s a little faster than mine.”

Determination

3

“Okay, just hold on to him until we get to the boardinghouse. If he starts to feel sick, I put a bucket back there with you. If he starts having trouble breathing, don’t keep it a secret. We’re almost there.”

I zoned out then, the fog taking over my brain. As I shook and swayed from the ride, I wondered if the man was talking about me. I didn’t think I’d get sick, but did he really think I’d stop breathing? My stomach prickled even as my head swam. Then the man was talking again, and I felt even more confused.

“Pete, we’re almost there. Unlock the back door; I don’t want anyone to see us bring him in. I don’t know if he’ll be able to walk, so we may need your help to get him upstairs…. Yeah, it’s bad…. No, Brian and Mike will follow in a little while when it’s safe…. Yeah, I have them both with me…. Thanks, Pete.” He flipped the phone closed against his leg and put it back into his pocket. Alex shifted underneath me, moving because my elbow was jammed into his ribs.

“Thank you for helping him, Leo,” Alex said, and I felt him stroke my cheek as he held me against him. Leo took a deep breath and let it out slowly but didn’t turn from the road as he spoke.

“Brian and Mike are my boys. I’d do anything in my power to help them,” Leo told him in a low, gruff voice. “But taking him was the easy part. Patching him up, helping him beat his addiction, keeping O’Dell from finding him—those are going to be the real challenges.”

At the name O’Dell, my whole body tensed, but I felt so confused, and I didn’t know why. My breaths came faster, heavier, and my heart, which already felt like it would leap from my chest, sped.

“Jamie, honey, it’s okay. We won’t let anything happen to you.

Please, calm down,” Alex whispered and rubbed a hand up and down my back, lightly, as if he was afraid of hurting me. His voice soothed me, but I still couldn’t remember why I felt so scared. I was so tired of feeling scared all the time.

“We’re here,” Leo announced, and we pulled around a rather small and shabby-looking building. The light coming into the van dimmed as we stopped. Leo opened his door and looked around when he got out, then closed it behind him quickly. When the larger van door opened, he stood there with two guys I didn’t recognize. Cool air rushed in from outside, and I suddenly realized I was sweating.

4

Jamie Mayfield

Between the heat and being in Alex’s arms under a blanket, I felt like the temperature had jumped a hundred degrees in the van. My vision swam, and I shook my head, trying to clear it.

“Come on, hon,” Alex said and pushed me toward the door. My legs slid over the edge of the doorway, and I felt my feet land on the ground. My head spun wildly, and I had just enough time to spread my knees before I threw up between my feet. The smell made my stomach lurch like I might be sick again as Alex rubbed my back.

“Better there than on the stairs,” Leo said with a sigh. “Okay, get him up. He’ll feel better inside where it’s cooler.” Alex pushed me forward while the two strange men each grabbed one of my arms and hoisted me up. They wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders, and for a few minutes, I was weightless. It took a minute, but I finally got my feet under me when we reached the stairs. Each stair we climbed felt exactly the same. I put one foot up, and the two men lifted me until I stood solidly on the step. I put my foot on the next stair, and they helped me onto it. By the time we reached the first landing, cold sweat drenched my face, and I felt like I might throw up again.

“Please, just leave me here. I can’t…,” I started, but they were already lifting me onto the first stair of the second flight. The stairwell shifted, though it could have just been me, and I lost my footing. Alex grabbed my hips and helped to steady me.