Cut Too Deep(44)
She stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Ryker.”
He grinned. “I’d say anytime, but I’m hoping having to clear up dead birds isn’t something that’s going to become an everyday thing with us.”
She shot him a look. “Don’t even joke about it.”
“Sorry.”
Jenna went back into the house and set about finishing making the tea Ryker had started. She didn’t particularly want the beverage anymore, but she wanted to keep herself busy. Her hands shook as she poured water from the kettle into a teapot, spilling hot water on the countertop.
She took the tea into the living room and curled up on the couch, waiting for Ryker to be done. Within ten minutes, he joined her.
“You washed your hands, didn’t you?” she asked, anxiety creeping up on her. The thought of him touching all that blood and bird shit, not to mention all the little dead bodies, sent her heart rate spiking.
“Yeah, several times.” He wiggled his large fingers in front of her face. “No germs, I promise.”
She made herself accept what he had said, pushing the idea of bacteria swarming all over his skin out of her head. “I made you tea,” she said, nodding to the coffee table where she’d set his cup. “It might be cold now, though.”
He settled in beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him. She slid an arm around his waist and snuggled into his chest, content just to be held by him for the moment.
Being held in Ryker’s arms was the best protection she could think of.
The front door opened, and they both sat up straight and exchanged a glance.
“Hey, Mikey,” Ryker called out. “Can you get in here for a minute?”
The boy’s face appeared around the door. “What’s up?”
“Come into the room, please. Is there anything you need to tell us?”
Mikey slid his body fully into the room to stand in front of them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, bro.”
“No? There’s nothing you might want to say to Jenna?”
His eyes cast down and he scuffed a foot against the floorboards. “I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Are you sure you haven’t done anything that might upset Jenna in some way?”
Mikey lifted his face and glared at Ryker. “No, I haven’t! What’s she doing here all the time, anyway? Have you moved her in or something without even talking to me? You’re not my father, and she’s not my mother!”
“No one is trying to be your parent, Mikey. We just want some answers.”
“We!” he exclaimed. “See, you’re all ‘we’ this, ‘we’ that. She’s just some fat chick you’ve screwed, and all of a sudden I’m supposed to care what she thinks!”
“Hey! Watch your mouth.”
Jenna put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Ryker. Mikey is right.”
“No, Jenna, it’s not all right. You mean a lot to me, and I won’t have you being disrespected in the house I work to pay for.”
Mikey scoffed. “Well, that’s bullshit. Dad paid for this house, not you.”
“Yeah, and who pays the bills now and puts food on the table and clothes on your back?”
“I can move out, you know. Social services will find me somewhere else to live until I’m eighteen.”
Ryker’s eyebrows lifted. “I’d love to see how total strangers react when you disrespect them like you do me.”
Jenna got to her feet. “Look, I’ll go. I don’t want to come between two brothers.”
“No you won’t,” he said, pulling her back down to sit beside him. Ryker took a breath and put both hands out toward Mikey. “Let’s just calm down. Something happened that I need to ask you about. I’m not accusing you, I just need to know.”
Mikey narrowed his eyes. “Fine. What is it?”
“Did you or anyone else mess with Jenna’s sheets?”
He shook his head in genuine confusion. “Her sheets? No. Why, what happened?”
“Someone killed a dozen sparrows and crushed their remains all over her sheets. It was brutal.”
“Jesus. You think I’d pull that kind of shit?”
“I’m running out of other things to think.”
“I didn’t touch her sheets, man. I swear it. I left here just after you guys did, and I just got back.”
Ryker let out a deep exhale. “Okay, thanks, Mikey. Sorry I blamed you.”
The boy gave an awkward shrug. “Yeah, whatever. I’m going to my room.”
They waited until his bedroom door slammed shut and then turned to each other. Jenna’s stomach was in knots. She hated that she’d been the centre of their argument.