After a few blocks, he slowed to look back to make sure Toby wasn't trailing him. All clear. Good. He briefly considered calling Jack to come pick him up, but he didn't want to endure the grilling that was sure to follow. There were too many questions he didn't want to answer. No, he'd keep walking and hope for the best. There were enough people out on the street at this time of day to make it unlikely that even an idiot like Lawrence would have second thoughts about going on the attack.
Just in case, Ricky kept his cellphone clasped in his good hand and sped up his pace enough to put more distance between him and Toby but without drawing attention to himself. The sooner he got back to the house, the better. Once there, he'd lie low for another few days before venturing out again. It would only be another few weeks until he got his cast off. Then maybe he'd consider leaving town, maybe head south to Portland.
The idea had him cursing Lawrence's name even more. Ricky's mother had hooked up with losers over the years since his dad died, but Lawrence was the worst. From the time she'd first brought him home, he and Ricky had been at each other's throats. A few months later, she'd been only too glad to leave their home in California behind when Lawrence took a transfer to the Seattle area, even though Ricky hadn't wanted to move so far from his school and friends. It hadn't come as much of a surprise that his mom chose to side with her boyfriend-now her husband-instead of her son. Lawrence might be an asshole, but he held down a steady job and kept a roof over her head. That was more than Ricky could do.
For her sake, he'd taken to the streets, hoping they'd both live more peaceful lives. His only mistake had been going back to check on her. Lawrence had found out and came hunting for him. He'd used his fists and steel-toed work boots to make sure Ricky knew he was no longer welcome in their house. Yeah, like he hadn't already figured that out for himself. His mother had made that clear when she'd told him that she and Lawrence wanted to start their own family, clearly one that didn't include him. God help their kid.
Ricky had been so lost in his memories that he didn't realize how far he'd come. If he hadn't looked up, he would have walked right past Jack's street. Being that oblivious wasn't only stupid, it was dangerous. What if Toby had somehow pointed Lawrence in Ricky's direction? After a quick check for anything suspicious, he made a beeline right for the house. At the last minute, he detoured toward the annex out back.
Jack might still be sleeping, but he'd want to know Ricky was back. The fact that he'd feel safer near the ex – Special Forces soldier had nothing to do with why he was checking in. Nope, not at all.
He knocked and waited to see if Jack would answer. When he didn't, Ricky opened the door and slipped inside.
-
Jack sat on the edge of his bed and tried to decide if he was ready to get up. He wasn't sure what had disturbed his sleep, but he was awake now. Even if he felt like death warmed over, years of experience had taught him that he got over jet lag faster if he immediately switched to living on the schedule of whatever time zone he currently found himself. That meant he'd be better off getting up now and going back to bed on his regular schedule.
He trudged into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. It helped some. On his way back to his bedroom, a noise coming from downstairs penetrated the fog clogging up his brain. What the hell was that?
Padding down the steps barefooted, he paused halfway down to listen again. Silence this time, but he'd learned the patience of a hunter over his years in the army. If someone was down there, sooner or later he'd reveal his presence. Actually, Jack had a good idea who it was, but he wanted to see if Ricky would own up to snooping around in the annex.
Sure enough, the kid appeared at the bottom of the steps. "Jack? Are you up?"
"I am now."
Jack headed on down to join Ricky in the small living area. The kid flopped down on the oversized couch and stared in silence at the blank screen on the television. He didn't look happy. Dinner wouldn't be for another hour or so. If Jack was hungry, chances were Ricky would be as well. He got out a bag of chips and poured some salsa into a bowl. Then he grabbed himself a beer and a soft drink for the kid. That was as much effort as he was going to put into playing host.
He dropped the bag of chips in Ricky's lap and set the salsa on the coffee table where they both could reach it. Parking his own butt on the other end of the couch, Jack picked up the remote and turned on the flat-screen TV. He flipped through the channels until he found a ball game to watch. "So, what's up, kid?"
The teenager was twitchy as hell, so something was going on. It also wasn't like him to waltz on into the annex without Jack inviting him in.
Ricky shrugged. "Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I was back."
Evidently that was all he wanted to say on the subject, because he immediately grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them in his mouth as he kept his eyes trained on the ball game. Jack appreciated that the kid had made the effort to check in, but he would bet his bottom dollar something had happened while Ricky was gone that had left him spooked.
He let a couple of minutes pass in silence before speaking again. "So, did you and your friends do anything fun while you were out?"
Ricky's answer was little more than a grunt and a head shake. Dancing around the subject wasn't getting him anywhere, so Jack muted the television and faced Ricky directly.
"Okay, tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing something happened while you were out, something that has you spooked. Tell me everything is okay, and I'll back off."
"You're not my babysitter."
Again, not a helpful answer and not a denial. "No, I'm not, but I am responsible for you right now."
He kept his tone neutral, hoping to keep the conversation from becoming confrontational. At the same time, he shifted his position to face the television but where he could still steal an occasional look in Ricky's direction. There was a lot of tension in the kid, but Jack couldn't force him to share what was bothering him. Either Ricky would trust him enough to talk or he wouldn't. All Jack could do was be there when the kid finally decided to spill his secrets.
Another inning passed by in the game before Ricky spoke again. "It's no big deal. I ran into a guy I know while I was out. He shared some bad news. That's all."
Jack couldn't prove it, but he was willing to bet that bad news had more to do with Ricky than the kid who shared it. Maybe something to do with the guy who had put Ricky in the hospital. He realized Ricky was staring wide-eyed at Jack's hands, which he'd unconsciously clenched into tight fists. After flexing them a couple of times to work off some tension, Jack reached for his beer and took a long drink.
"I'm sorry your friend is having a tough time of it. If there's anything I can do, let me know." Especially if it was Ricky himself who really needed help.
"Thanks, but there's nothing anyone can do." Ricky reached for the chips and salsa again. "Any idea what your mom is making for dinner?"
"I'm betting meatloaf. It's one of my favorites, so she usually fixes it whenever I've been away, even if it's only been a few days."
"Cool. I love her meatloaf."
For now, Jack let him change the subject without protest. But the next time the kid went out, he might have to follow him and do a little recon. One way or another he had to figure out exactly who had put that glimmer of fear back into Ricky's eyes. And if the bastard laid one hand on the kid, there was going to be one hell of a reckoning.
Chapter 9
Where had the time gone? Granted, Caitlyn had worked until after lunch on Saturday, but the rest of the weekend had passed by in a blur of laundry, grocery shopping, and other chores. All of it had needed to be done, but even she had to admit she'd buried herself in busywork to keep from thinking about Jack McShane with his smoking-hot green eyes.
It hadn't worked. Despite her best efforts she still found herself touching the corner of her mouth and smiling. Even from across the dining room table, she'd felt the impact of Jack's gaze as he watched her savor that brownie. If the memory was still this strong nearly two days later, she had to wonder what she would have felt if he'd actually kissed her. And did she really want to find out? She very much feared the answer was yes.
At least he'd admitted that they needed to focus on Ricky while she was working with him. But the look he'd given her after he'd marked the day school started on the calendar had made it all too clear that he was putting his campaign on hold, not canceling it altogether. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.