Harkham's Choice (Harkham's Series Book 2) (13 page)

Tomorrow was Saturday. She’d have the weekend to scramble and figure out what the hell to do and where she’d stay.

Why hadn’t she gotten a job? She had all that time, kept saying she’d do it, but then she’d spend all her spare time with Adam, instead. She’d also blown through most of her savings from the money she’d earned over the last two summers.

Her stomach snarled.

“Shut up,” she muttered and another tear leaked out.

* * *

Adam’s back felt spineless—literally. He drooped, because after his dad showed up at the restaurant and took care of everything, Adam was up all night. And the next night . . . And the
next
. . . There was no way he could sleep when he had no idea where she was. His pillow smelled like her, and all her stuff was here in the house.

Where could she be?

Was she planning to be homeless again?

Did she hate him that much that she’d rather eat food out of garbage cans?

How had he messed this up so badly?

Jesus—he knew he shouldn’t have come all over her face and neck like that, but she told him to. Was she testing him to see how depraved he’d get? He didn’t mean to disrespect her like that, but he was so turned on, it was impossible to stop himself from orgasming.

Oh no! Moldy fast-food. She hated both of those things! She’d have to eat them if she was living in alleyways.

He would never allow that. He’d bring her food on the streets everyday whether she wanted him to or not. She had to eat decent things without bad germs and yucky, unnecessary sugar and calories she hated.

Adam packed his breakfast up for her. He would
not
eat until she did, and she had to show up at school today. She 
had
to.

He went out to the Mercedes, and his fists clenched. There would be no Mari to hold his hand in the car this morning. Maybe not at school either.

The rest of his family busted out of the front door after him.

“Adam . . . Remember what I told you. Keep your distance from her. She needs space,” his dad said. “And I want you kept safe. If you have an episode at school, that’s it—it’s your last chance. They could kick you out, or worse . . .”

“I know—mental institution,” Adam said. His shoulders sagged. He unlocked the car door and opened it up.

“I’ll drive,” Zach said and snagged the keys.

Sam gave a weak smile in Adam’s direction and got in the backseat.

His dad hugged him, and Adam got in the front passenger’s seat. Without thinking, he grabbed Zach’s hand and held it on the drive over.

What if Mari refused to talk to him today? What would he do?

“She’s fine,” Zach said. “She’s a survivor—you know this.” His words made the knot tighten in Adam’s hungry stomach.

He kept quiet.

“Just stay away from her. That’s all you have to do. Keep quiet in her classes, and I’ll come get you between each period,” Sam said.

“Mmm,” Adam grunted. He squeezed Zach’s hand, and his brother squeezed back.

The rest of the drive was quiet and uncomfortable.

They parked, and once out of the car, Adam took Zach’s hand once more.

Sam tried to grab the other, but Adam looked at her with fire in his eyes and said, “No. The only woman’s hand I’ll ever hold again is Mari’s! So don’t even think about it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sam said, standing as tall as she could. “Zach doesn’t have any classes with you, but I do. You’ll need me.”

“I won’t. I need Mari and no one else. Only Zach right now to get me inside school, then I’ll be fine.” Adam’s shoulders pulled back, and his jaw stiffened. He would always be taller than her, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even in heels, she was still a shrimpy sister. “I’m gonna be strong today. No numbers, no yelling, no episodes. I only want to see that she’s all right.”

“She’s fine,” Zach said again.

“How do you know?” Sam asked, her right brow lifted.

“I
know
her. She’s tougher than anybody I’ve ever met.” Zach walked slowly inside.

Adam fidgeted, his muscles all tight and shaking with anticipation over seeing her.

There was no way to know if she was here or not, since she didn’t have a car.

“Okay, first period,” Sam said, pointing the direction they needed to go.

“No. I’m not going to Music Appreciation class. She has French. Take me there,” he told Zach.

“Dad said—” Sam began but stopped when Adam let go of Zach’s hand and got right in her face.

“Get to class. This is none of your business!” Adam growled.

“It
is
my business. All of it! You’re my brother, and I protect you more than anyone else you know,” she said, her eyes torn.

“Not anymore. Leave me alone. Be my sister and nothing else.” Adam grabbed Zach’s hand and started walking.

Zach looked over his shoulder at her and said, “We’ll see you after school. I’ll help him today.”

Adam’s numbers were almost blinding him, but he could hear fine. He stopped in front of her first classroom and peered inside. She wasn’t there.

“I’m waiting right here. You can go now,” Adam said.

“You sure you don’t want me to wait with you? I can move a ways off so you’ll have privacy, but then I can walk you to your class after you see her,” Zach offered.

“No. I’ll call you if I need you.” Adam shooed him off.

Zach gave him a hug and left.

Adam hummed to get rid of the numbers. They left with a bit of a fight, but he did it.

When she arrived, he’d be ready and in control of his mind.

The bell rang, and a few stragglers ran into the classroom.

Still no Mari.

He banged the back of his head into the hallway wall. If a teacher saw him loitering out here, they’d make him get to his own class.

Just as his blood surged through him in a cold rush of acceptance that she wasn’t coming, the hallway door opened, and there she was—head tucked down and looking freezing cold in her thin jacket.

“Mari,” he breathed, and all that icy, sludgy blood inside him went to his feet, holding him in place.

Her head tipped up. She grimaced and tried to walk past him, but his arm shot out and he gripped her wrist.

“Come here,” he said, and pulled her into a soul-shattering hug.

She grunted, then he heard the unrestrained sobs as she collapsed into his chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He loosened his hold and wrapped as much of his jacket around her as he could.

“For what? Being so damn perfect? For being too good for me?” She sniffed.

“Come with me to my car. We’ll talk and get you warmed up.” He patted her back. “You need someone to care for you right now, and I’m going to do it.”

She nodded a tiny bit into his chest, but it was enough to give him the answer he wanted.

He held her tucked against him like that, and they walked quickly out of the building and back to the parking lot.

His body shivered too, but it was from his blood heating and pounding into his heart.

She was 
here
, with 
him
, and he was 
holding
 her. She didn’t hate him.

“Heaven,” he murmured.

He got the car door opened and helped her inside, then set his backpack down behind his seat. Once he was in the driver’s seat, he started the car up for heat, but then he had a better idea.

He drove until they were far away from school.

“Where’re we going?” she finally asked, wiping tears off her drenched cheeks.

“We’re gonna go where we belong,” he said. “And I brought you some breakfast, just in case you haven’t eaten this morning or this whole weekend like me. It’s in my backpack.”

With the one hand he wished was holding hers, he gripped his backpack in the foot-well behind his seat. He unzipped it and pulled out the plastic shopping bag filled with enough breakfast to feed half the basketball team. He liked those guys, but they ate entirely too much. Mari always told him that. They were pigs for no other reason than they didn’t think about the fact that someday their metabolisms would slow down.

How lucky was he that she helped him to know great things like that so he could watch out and have a better future?

His hand held tight, and he landed it in her lap.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” she said, setting it down by her feet.

“Mari . . .” he said in a parental tone. “
Eat
. It’s not a request.”

She picked up the bag, put it back on her lap and started pulling things out. The first thing she did was gulp down the water bottle. It was apparent she was slightly dehydrated.

“I love you, and I missed you. I was worried all night, each night you were gone. It was a nightmare being without you in that bed. Do you still like me at all?” he asked, blinking and glancing over at her as his eyes welled up.

“You can’t ask me that—not now,” she said. She gnawed on the piece of toast he’d brought her.

“Yes, I can. We’re getting married,” he answered.

“Was my abusing you Friday and slaughtering what’s left of your ego too subtle a cue for you? We’re not together anymore—we’re not
anything
—not even friends,” she said. The bag was shoved off her lap. “Let me out.”

“No! We’re not through. Nothing’s changed for me. I still love you—you’re everything to me.” His tears freely striped his cheeks.

“How can you? You’re not obligated to do anything for me. We need to be apart.” She gripped the handle on the door.

He pulled up in front of his house. It was empty now. His dad had considered working from home today, but he said he had to go in to the office—too much going on with it being right before Christmas.

Adam turned the car off, grabbed her hand and said, “We’re gonna talk. You’ll be warm, you’ll be fed, and you’re gonna tell me everything that’s in your heart. You owe me that much.”

She nodded with her head down. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Don’t you dare thank me for anything ever again.” Her throat sounded filled with rocks. He needed to get her more water.

He got out and ran around to her side, but she was out of the car on her own before he could stop her.

His hand gripped hers, and he shut her door with his foot.

He walked at a brisk pace until they were inside. His grip on her only relaxed after he grabbed her something else to eat and drink and then had her up in his room.

“Sit down. You eat, and I’ll talk. Then we take turns. I’ll eat, and you’ll talk,” he said.

She sat down and peeled the orange he’d brought her.

He smiled at her as she chewed. The food would make her feel better, and so would he.

“I already told you I love you—and I do. I want to tell you what happened to me Friday, and why I blew up.”

She shook her head. “No nee—”

“Quiet. I’m talking—you’ll listen,” he said, giving her the meanie eye.

She swallowed down her bite and was silent as she put another orange slice in her mouth.

“What bothers me most is you still feel like you’re a monster. You’re not, Mari.”

She scrunched her eyes closed. Her face contorted as she gripped her stomach and balled herself up.

“It hurt to hear those things you said to me, not because I didn’t like you because of them, but because those choices hurt
you
. And I don’t like it when you’re in pain. Forget about those things. When you touch me in sexual ways, I don’t want you to think it’s dirty, or that it’s like what you did with other boys. None of them matter to me anymore. You were a kid. Don’t answer me with words—shake or nod—do you think I’m a bad person because when I was twelve I shoved my mom into a shattered piano I’d destroyed?”

She shook her head no.

“Do you think I’m bad because I try to have sex with you all the time?” His voice was thick with emotions.

Same reaction from her.

“Do you think I’m bad because I’ve continued to physically hurt people and smash stuff when I have an episode?”

“No, Adam, I d—”

“Shut. Up,” he hissed. His jaw clamped shut. “I’m not done. It’s my turn still.”

She inhaled and kept quiet.

“When I beat up Rory and almost choked him to death, were you thinking I was damned to hell?” he continued.

She swallowed her food and shook her head again.

“Okay, then.” He stood tall with his legs spread shoulder-width and nodded. “You know why I freaked out. I was taking all your hurt, and I hurled it out of me. I’m fine now. I didn’t get in trouble. My dad paid for their inconvenience and the few glasses I broke, but there was no real damage. My family and I are banned from that restaurant, but they didn’t even file a police report. So, I don’t want you to worry about that damage from three days ago to me or anybody else. Now, your turn. Tell me where you went, what you did, and mostly how you feel about me.”