Never Doubt Me: Judge Me Not #2(71)

Jared shuffles uncomfortably, and then, in a low voice, he says, “We didn’t buy drugs that day. When I told you that, it was the truth. But what I didn’t tell you is that Will did buy…something…from Kyle.”

My heart races in my chest, and my mouth dries up like the Nevada desert Will is closing in on with every passing minute.

“What did my brother buy from that motherf*cker?” I grind out.

Jared’s eyes, filled with sorrow and pity, meet mine as he says, “Will bought a gun.”

Kay gasps from beside me, and I say nothing. But my mind reels and reels.

Shit, shit, shit. This can’t be f*cking happening.

There are only two reasons why my brother would buy a gun: to shoot himself or to shoot someone else. Despite his problems, and the fact that he left a sketch that symbolizes his hope here in Harmony Creek, I know for a fact my brother isn’t suicidal.

But there is a person I know for certain he’d like to see dead, the same man who has been tormenting his girlfriend.

“Paul,” I say out loud.

“Cassie’s stepdad,” Kay whispers at the same time.

We both know my brother will do anything to protect Cassie.

And, suddenly, it all makes sense.

This is why Will was so calm and well behaved for the past few days. He sure as f*ck had no desire to alert me that something was up. And this is what he meant when he said everything was “under control.” He knew then that he’d purchased an illegal firearm; he knew he planned to take it with him to Vegas. This is also why Will had his plane ticket refunded. He wouldn’t be allowed to board a plane with a f*cking firearm in tow. But the bus was different. When he was boarding the bus, no one checked a thing. He must have known that’d be the case.

“Fuck,” I hiss.

I am so incredibly pissed that I can’t stand here and do nothing. And I know what I must do. I walk away briskly, on a mission, leaving Kay and Jared in the wake of my fury—fury directed at the one person who could have prevented all of this from happening, Kyle f*cking Tanner.

Ten minutes later, I am pounding on motherf*cking Tanner’s battered screen door. I am milliseconds from kicking in the f*cking door, but then Kyle bellows from inside the house, “Hold on a goddamn minute, okay?”

I chuckle humorlessly. “Yeah, okay.”

When Kyle opens the door, his hooded, drug-dilated eyes take me in. “Dude, what the f*ck?”

Without preamble, I grab him by the front of his shirt and pull him up close to my face. “I’ve got a ‘what the f*ck’ for you. What the f*ck were you thinking selling my brother a f*cking gun?”

Kyle blinks slowly. He’s so f*cked up that he doesn’t even realize I could break his ass in two with one solid hit. And I’m about to.

“Man, he said he wanted it for protection, okay? Said he was going back to Vegas, and that it’s a dangerous place.”

“Yeah,” I say, shoving him away from me, “it’s dangerous, all right. Thanks to you.”

I consider laying him out, and I almost do. He’d be so easy to break right now. But something inside me urges me to just walk away.

Maybe I am changing.

Whatever the case, I turn away, leaving my former dealer trembling and shaking.

Kyle expected the worst. But it’s not worth the effort. Not when I need to direct all of my energy to what really matters now—saving Will.





Chapter Eighteen


Kay


Chase takes off from the vestibule, leaving me to stare blankly at Jared. He shrugs, and out in the church parking lot, the sound of a truck roaring to life fills the muggy air. Not five seconds later, tires squeal out of the church parking lot.

“That was Chase,” I whisper. “He’s gone.”

It’s already stifling in the vestibule, but the air feels like it has shot up another ten degrees, like the temperature reflects Chase’s anger.

“I should have said something sooner,” Jared laments.

“Yeah,” I agree, “you should have.”

But there’s no time for regret or blame. Will has done something stupid. He bought a gun and now he’s in danger.

“Did Will happen to mention why he wanted a gun?” I ask Jared.

He shakes his head. “Not really. I mean, he was going on and on about Cassie’s sicko stepdad, but I don’t think…” He trails off.

Just then, Jared’s sister, Cheri, honks from out in the parking lot.

“Uh, I should get going,” Jared says.

“Yeah, sure.”

Will’s friend leaves, and I am left wondering where Chase has sped off to in his abrupt departure. But, really, who am I kidding? I know exactly where he went—to Kyle Tanner’s house. In fact, Chase is probably kicking drug dealer ass right now. Though I understand, it still pains me to accept that Chase was right. He once said that for every step he takes away from his old life, away his former ways of handling things, fate seems to drive him right back to where he once was.

Isn’t that the truth?

I sigh and head back to the rectory, resigning myself to the notion that, for as much as things change, and they do, some things will forever remain the same.

But I can live with that.

A long time ago, when Chase and I first embarked on this journey of our relationship, I told him that I was in this for the long run. He said he was trouble, and I asked him to be my trouble. I still feel the same way.