Omorphi (40 page)

T
HEY
sat on the end of the ambulance, and their hearing slowly returned. Christy’s returned first, presumably because Michael had shielded him from the second blast to the eardrums when the car top crashed on the Mercedes. Nero Santini stood ten feet away, speaking with Detective Davis and the four security personnel. Anna Santini had her arm around Jake and couldn’t stop petting his hair.

“Mrs. Santini?”

“Yes, Michael?”

“Do Mom and Dad know?”

She nodded. “Nero spoke with your father, and I spoke with your mother. They’ll be home when you get there.”

“I don’t think they should go home. I think the police should check the house out first.”

Understanding filled her eyes. “Let me speak with my Nero. Will you be all right for a moment, Jacob?”

“I’m fine, Mama, don’t worry. Go talk to Papa.”

Michael waited until she was out of earshot. “This is out of control, Jake. Maybe we should lay low for a few days.”

Jake shook his head. “There is a part of me that agrees with you and another part of me that thinks we’re safer at school. Your dad said it this morning and I, for one, wouldn’t want to be caught home alone by a crazy person. Any kind of crazy person, young or old, if you take my meaning.”

“Have you ever known Jason to mess with anything like this? It doesn’t work for me.”

Jake turned to him, taking in his full form. “No. He isn’t smart enough.”

“Someone gave him the bomb.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed on Michael. “You’re thinking he hooked up with someone else?”

“I’m thinking someone approached him with false promises.”

The creases around Jake’s eyes deepened. “I’ll run it by Dad.”

“If that’s the case, the police should be told.”

“Dad won’t go for that. He keeps speculation on the down low.”

“Lives are at stake here, Jake. Christy and me aside, you have someone else to think about now. Someone who could easily be targeted,” Michael said softly.

Jake’s intense gaze turned to a glare.

“Anything’s possible, bro. Rather be safe than sorry. Just saying….”

That decided it for Jake. He stood and walked over to where his parents spoke with Detective Davis. Michael watched as Jake’s hands came to life as he spoke with his dad.

Christy’s phone chirped with a text message. He read it and showed it to Michael.

“Let Sophia know we’re okay, and Jake will call her as soon as he can. Tell her we’re still with the police and to stop watching the news. I’m sure they’re blowing it out of proportion.”

Christy received a text message back instantly and showed it to Michael.

Agapimenos mou
,
please be CERTAIN it is only this Jason who is the problem. There are always enemies.

Michael put an arm around him and kissed the side of his head. “What does she mean by ‘there are always enemies’?”

Christy cleared his throat and whispered, “She worries some people who used me will come for me.”

Michael didn’t have the heart to tell Christy the truth—that Yosef was near. It would only scare the shit out of him, so he played along. “All the way over here? From Greece?”

Christy nodded.

“How likely is that to happen?”

Christy looked down at his hands.

“Christy? They wouldn’t come here, would they?”

Christy nodded. “One, two, perhaps three of them.”

“Are you afraid they’ll come here?”

“Yes,” Christy admitted.

Michael pulled him close. “Do you think we should tell the detective?”

Christy shook his head vehemently.

“I think Jake’s dad should see that text message.”

Christy nodded.

“Do you want me to go over there with you?”

Christy shook his head and whispered, “I can do it.”

“Go for it, babe. I’m right here if you need me.” He watched as Christy tapped Jake on the shoulder and showed him the message. Christy then turned the phone so Nero could read it. Nero breathed, long and considering. Detective Davis asked to see it and Christy clamped the phone to his chest.

“It’s from Christy’s cousin, my girlfriend. She’s freaking out because she saw the news. Go sit with Michael, Christy,” Jake ordered.

Christy returned to his seat next to Michael and held the phone between his hands, then clamped his hands between his knees to keep them from trembling.

“Would you think I was a freak if I told you that I want to be with you all the time so I can make sure nothing happens to you?”

Christy looked up at him with soulful eyes and another smile that didn’t reach them. “Thank you, Michael.”

“I’m sorry about all this. I couldn’t… I had no idea Jason was such a freak.”

“Jacob and his father are also surprised.”

Nero approached with Jake and Anna, the detective following like a purposeless puppet.

“Your home is fine, Michael, and your parents are there. Christy, you may return home when you wish. Rob has left it up to you. He only asks that you let him know where you will be. I have arranged for security for all of you. You will have someone with you at all times until this matter is resolved. I have also arranged for an SUV for you until you replace your car, Michael. I suggest that you delay doing so until matters are resolved. They weren’t able to recover anything from it. I hope there was nothing valuable in it.”

Michael shook his head. “Music. That’s all.”

“
Va bene
. I have offered our home to you and your parents. You are welcome always. Our security is very good.”

“Thanks, Mr. Santini. I’ll talk to Mom and Dad about it. Is Christy safe?”

Nero nodded. “Our firm has provided additional security for Wellington Ranch.”

“Thank you.”

He patted Michael’s cheek gruffly. “You okay, Michael?”

Michael glanced at Detective Davis. “This is getting old, and I don’t want anything to happen to us.”

Nero petted Michael’s curls, then Christy’s wild ringlets. “We’ll see that it doesn’t. Jacob, call Sophia. I’ll leave your mother’s Mercedes for you.”

Anna handed her keys to Jake. “Only the car keys, Mama.” Jake separated them from the ring and handed the rest back to her.

“Are you okay to drive?”

“I’m all right, Mama.”

“Okay, Jacob, we go now.” She kissed both of his cheeks.

They stood, and Christy’s legs gave way, his phone falling to the ground. It had been too much for him. It had been just too friggin’ much for all of them. Michael caught Christy before he hit the ground and lifted him into his arms. The EMTs checked him and ran smelling salts beneath his nose, and he woke with a start. “It’s okay, you’re okay,” Michael reassured quickly. “You just passed out.”

He flung his arms around Michael’s neck and held him tight. “Want to go home,” he croaked into Michael’s ear.

“Yeah, babe. We’ll take you home. Right now.”

No one noticed that the EMT who hung back, lingering behind the ambulance, bore a striking resemblance to the wild-eyed man who had watched the assault on Christy at school.

“H
EY
,
Mom, I’m on the way back to Wellington with Christy. I’ll be home after that…. Everybody’s fine…. Yeah, scary, but we’re okay…. We’re in Jake’s mom’s car….” Michael glanced at Jake. “No, come on, don’t say that. We’ll be safe at home. We have security…. No, Mom, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. We’re fine.” Michael glanced at Jake again. “Yeah. I’ll see you soon. I love you too. Tell Dad I love him too.” Michael terminated the call and looked down at Christy, who lay in his lap and looked up at him with sad eyes. Michael bent and kissed his nose. “She’ll be okay.”

Jake shook his head as he drove. “Jason has to be stopped, man.”

“Don’t get any wild ideas, bro. You have people to take care of.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jake said with a disgusted sigh.

“How’d you leave it with Sophia?”

“She’s okay. She’s very happy Christy’s all right.” Jake reached over and ruffled Christy’s hair as he drove. Christy flinched at his touch but didn’t pull away.

“Thank you, Jake,” Christy croaked.

“No problem, little buddy. We’ll get this handled, and it’ll be nothing more than a bad dream. You just focus on taking care of yourself. Have you given any more thought to that self-defense class?”

Christy craned his neck over Michael’s arm and looked at Jake upside down. The dim light of the dashboard cast a ghostly pall over Christy’s pale complexion. The deep circles under his eyes and the dark bruise on his chin made him look almost… dead. Michael shuddered at the thought.

Jake glanced over and laughed when he saw Christy looking at him upside down. He pulled into the parking lot at Wellington to find Rob waiting on the porch with Patrick. Two security cars pulled in behind them and flanked the car in a V. No one could get to the back of the car, and the sides were largely defended. The security personnel jumped out, checked the area, and then opened Jake’s and Michael’s doors. One of the guys was kind enough to help Michael out with Christy still in his arms.

“Is he okay?” Rob asked, clearly worried.

“He’s fine. He just likes to look at people upside down,” Jake teased.

Michael turned so Christy could look at Rob with his head hanging upside down over his arm. Christy smiled and issued a small wave by curling the fingers of one hand.

“The EMT gave him something to keep him calm. He’s stoned,” Michael explained.

“Glad to see that you’re okay.”

Michael slowly turned Christy upright and set him on his feet. He teetered, and Michael made sure he was steady before allowing him to stand on his own. “You good?”

“Upside down better,” he croaked.

“The EMTs said we might have some inner ear trouble because of the blast and suggested that we not shower without supervision for the next twenty-four hours,” Michael explained.

“Mmm.” Rob seemed to agree.

“Can you walk?” Christy nodded right before his knees buckled, and Michael caught him in his arms again. “Are you dizzy?”

Christy shook his head no, then nodded a contradictory yes. “Tired.”

Michael lifted Christy into his arms again. “How about I carry you to bed?”

“Upside down good,” he rasped.

Rob gave Christy’s head an uncharacteristic pet. “We’ll have a look at your ears in the morning.”

C
HRISTY
was asleep before Michael had him undressed and under the duvet.

“How’s he really doing, Michael?”

“I have to say, Rob, he did fine. He passed out once, and the EMTs revived him with smelling salts, but other than that, he didn’t freeze up, he followed directions, and he was able to read and respond to text messages from Sophia.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here this evening.”

“No worries.”

“I understand that you received a death threat.”

“Yeah. Seriously bad news.”

“Did you tell Christy?”

“No way. Especially because I know it wasn’t Jason.”

“Thank you for telling security immediately.”

“Sure. Though I don’t know what good it did.”

“But for your suspicions, we wouldn’t have checked the surveillance system and found the breach.”

Michael studied Rob for a long moment. “Are we ever going to have any privacy?”

Rob eyed him evenly. “For now, Christy must live with very heavy security. I’m sorry.”

Michael nodded. “Guess it comes with the package. You guys need to keep the doors locked and find a way for Christy to get from here to the main ranch house without being exposed.”

Rob nodded. “Already underway.”

“I need to get home. My mom’s a wreck. Do you think Christy will be okay tonight?”

“I’ll be right here on the couch if he isn’t.”

“Thanks, Rob. Oh, hey, Christy and I talked about a few things this afternoon. He’s having a hard time understanding the literature you gave us, and it’s because he lacks foundation. I went through a few things with him today, like why you eat three meals a day, why you need eight hours sleep a night, those kinds of things. The simplest of things don’t make sense to him. It’s more than just trouble understanding American culture. It’s as if the way he thinks is kind of stunted. He also asked if I could help with the sessions and meetings. I assumed he meant with you. I told him I would, but maybe you should let him sit in on the counseling for the younger kids. Sort of work through the boundaries he should have learned.”

“How much did he tell you?”

“He told me the abuse started when his mom died, and his dad didn’t do shit about it. He explained his scars and told me his parents are dead. That’s as far as we got. Have you seen his scars?”

“I’ve only seen the medical reports.”

“You might talk to my dad about having some of them removed. Especially the ones on his inner thigh.”

“Why only those?”

“Not only those. The reports don’t say anything about the ones on his thigh?”

“Other than they’re burn scars, no.”

“They’re brands. They’re the initials of everyone who abused him in the Greek alphabet, the biggest one being beta for some guy named Vasilis. I guess he had a starring role. Do you have a pen?”

Rob withdrew one from a pocket and handed it to him.

Michael took Christy’s limp hand in his and wrote on his palm.
For list: 1. Fighter, 2. Out, 3. Self-Defense, 4. Curious, 5. Brave #2, 6. Considerate (Sophia).

“What are you doing?”

“Christy kept asking me if I thought he was defective. I told him he wasn’t, but he didn’t believe me, so we started a list of all the things that he is. It’s up in the loft on one of the easels. These words represent what he was today.”

Rob read Christy’s palm. “Impressive. How did you get him to visit the R.A.D. class?”

“I told him all we had to do was look. No obligation.”

“I had dinner with Roderick tonight. I was surprised to learn that Christy shared his fear of blood with you.”

“It isn’t fear of blood, but of having to clean it up. Those bastards made him lick it up as punishment for bleeding.”