Page 13 of The Crimson Wolf
He lets go of me. “Jack, what a delight.”
They know each other. I’m not sure if this makes things better or worse, but now I have a name for the stranger. Cameron.
9
Rehash the Past
“So, how do you know Cameron?” I ask, resting my head against the window of Jack’s truck. I should give him the silent treatment after our argument at the diner. I’m still pissed at him, but the journalist inside of me needs answers. Plus, he did rescue me at Granny’s request.
Jack and Cameron didn’t speak a word to each other. Cameron just grunted his acknowledgment at Jack and returned to his cottage, leaving Jack and me alone by his truck. I got in without another word, and now here we are—just the two of us.
Jack sighs. “It’s a long story. I’m more concerned about what happened when you went out to that clearing. Are you sure you’re okay?” He scans me. His eyes move frantically as he looks away from the road momentarily.
The rain has started up again, and it’s night, making the road before us a hazy black. I wish Jack would continue paying more attention to getting me back to Granny’s house in one piece and be less concerned if I have a scraped knee.
I give an aggravated sigh. “Fine, if you refuse to tell me anything, then I’ll just ask Cameron.”
“No, Red. You can’t do that. Cameron is dangerous.” His voice has an edge as he grips the steering wheel tighter.
I believe Jack. I figured Cameron was dangerous based on his dominating presence and the fact that he has chains in his house. Just moments ago, I was sure Cameron would chop me up into little bits and eat me for dinner, but from our last moment together and how Jack responds to him, it’s clear he’s just the person I need to help me solve this case. Sure, he could still dismember me, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take if I can discover what’s going on in these woods.
Hmm, maybe I am a workaholic.
I sigh. “You mean dangerous, like finding out more about the attacks is dangerous? If that’s the case, then sign me up for danger. Cameron just became my new bff.”
I scream when Jack jerks the truck off the road and parks in the grass on the side of the road. He turns to me, his eyes an angry blaze. He’s so close to me that his giant truck doesn’t seem big enough.
“What are you doing?” I yell. Maybe Jack wasn’t the right person to come and save me. He’s obviously a crazy person.
Jack unbuckles his seatbelt and looms over me, his arms supporting his body weight on the middle console. “Don’t you understand I care about you? This isn’t just you trying to do a simple job; you aren’t just some random girl.” He slams his fist against the dashboard. “Fuck, Red. Are we just not going to talk about what happened at graduation? Are we just going to pretend that you weren’t the closest thing to me, and then it all disappeared in a moment?”
My head whirls. I knew Jack was just using his proximity to the case to rehash the past. “Why are you doing this to me? Are you trying to hurt me again? I’m here to solve a case, one that I know you know more about. It’s painful to be near you. It’s painful to think about our last moments together, and it’s painful that you seem so interested in me now that I’m not overweight.”
We’re way off track right now. We should be arguing about why he’s refusing to tell me anything more about the attacks and why he seems so set on making me distance myself from anyone connected. But obviously, we will getnowhere if we don’t bring up the past. Jack has been holding the case over my head like a carrot, and our last time together is the reason for everything.
Jack’s face pinches in disgust. “What are you talking about? Did you hit your head? Our last conversation was when I confessed my love for you, and you rejected me. I have always loved you, and you turned me down and left. I’m the one who should be hurt. Except my feelings never went away. I could never stay mad at you, and I’ll do anything to protect you.”
He’s not lying. He did confess his “love” for me that graduation night, right before the earthquake that set the town in a tizzy, but that was the problem.
The rain pelts against the metal roof, adding to the dramatics and making me raise my voice. “You never loved me. You only told me that because I was leaving and you were staying here. You wanted to fuck with my head. I have loved you ever since we were little kids, and you never thought of me as anything more than your chubby friend. I never went to prom, I never had a first date, I never had anything romantic because I couldn’t get over you. I don’t care if you thought you might have feelings for me at the moment or not, but you said those things to try to make me stay in this miserable town with you. Not because you actually cared about me.”
He slinks back as if I threw a brick at him. “How could you say that? Why would I do something so evil? I was your best friend.” His emotions are bubbling over, and the ligaments strain from his neck.
I turn my head away from him, staring out into the rain. “You didn’t think I saw you at that party before graduation night, but I did. I overheard you talking to the guys on the football team. They were making fun of me, and you didn’t say anything. You just nursed your beer and laughed. How could someone who suddenly loves me the next day think of me as a chubby, silly friend just the night before? You did it to hurt me, to fuck with my head. I’ve had years to think about it, and I know that’s the reason why.”
Jack gives a forced laugh and faces the road before him. “That’s why you left the party without telling me,” he says, mostly to himself.
I don’t reply, and a silence passes over us. Maybe this will be the end of it. He can’t hide behind his romanticized teenage story he’s made up for himself. People are truly who they are when they think no one is looking, and I know who he really is. Maybe now he’ll do the right thing, tell me what he knows about the case, and be out of my life for good.
Jack leans back over me. “You know I punched Todd Silvers that night.”
“What?” His response catches me off guard. This is the last thing I expected him to say.
He leans in closer, his lips inches away from mine and his eyes dark and focused. “I punched Todd for making fun of you. He was the one who started it, so I broke his nose. You must have run away right before it happened.”
“Oh,” I say, my voice shaking. My breath hitches, and the air around me thickens. My brain tries to play catch up. Does this change anything? My body has an immediate reaction, though, not giving a fuck about what my brain thinks.
“I would never let someone talk about you that way.” He grabs the back of my neck, and surprisingly, I don’t push him away. “I’ve always loved you, ever since we were kids. I just wanted you to know my true feelings before you left.”
