Chapter 40: Worth Dying For

Though my subconscious lectured me, I felt the ache in my heart subside and the tension in my muscles relax as his mouth found mine and our kiss deepened.

I felt myself shudder as his right hand moved up my sweatshirt. He grunted with approval when his fingers found my breast and he discovered I was braless.

He placed his free hand on the small of my back and began to guide me into a more submissive position.

Though I wanted nothing more than to lie back and surrender to him, the nagging in the back of my mind wouldn’t leave me in peace, and suddenly I was flooded with guilty thoughts.

What would Haylee think if she knew I was getting laid while she was in an ambulance fighting for her life?

“Justin,” I gasped as I came to my senses. “Justin, we have to stop.”

“Why?” he whispered, reluctantly releasing my nipple as I tugged at his arm.

“I’m sorry.” I sat back and regained my composure. “I can’t do this right now. Not while Haylee is still missing, and not to mention Toby. Did you hear what happened to him?”

“Yes, I heard about what happened to Toby,” Justin grumbled. “It’s all anyone has been talking about all day.”

Shocked by his attitude, I asked, “Don’t you even care?”

“Yes, I care!” Justin exploded. “I care about Toby, though he can be a little weasel, and even after Haylee accused me of switching your birth control, I still volunteered to search for her, didn’t I? All I have been doing is caring.”

“I didn’t mean to insinuate that you didn’t care,” I said, my tone softening. “I know you’re exhausted and want to blow off some steam. I feel the same, but this isn’t the right time.”

He swept his hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to blow up like that,” he apologized. “It has just been a rough couple of days, and since you’ve been avoiding me, I’ve had to go it alone.”

“Did your dad leave town again?” I inquired, feeling sympathetic. I couldn’t have imagined surviving the past two days without my mother’s support.

“Yeah, he took off yesterday morning. He didn’t even bother to say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry. That really stinks.”

“I’m used to it,” Justin said, shaking his head as if to clear it. “Hey, do you mind if I pop into the kitchen and get myself a drink?”

Though our little interaction had been brief, I felt damp in my lower regions, so I seized the opportunity to use the bathroom.

“Yeah, help yourself. I need to use the restroom.”

As Justin made his way into the kitchen, I nipped into the bathroom, taking my phone with me just in case my mother tried to call.

The phone rang just as I had finished washing my hands. When I saw that the call was coming from the county hospital, I nearly yelped with delight, believing that my prayers had been answered.

“Mom?” I inquired as soon as I answered.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” a raspy but familiar voice responded.

“Toby?!” I cried. “Oh my god, Toby, I imagined the worst.”

“I’m still alive and kicking,” he said. “But we can talk about that later. I called because I have something to tell you.”

“You don’t sound good,” I lectured. “Perhaps you should rest for now. I can visit tomorrow, and we can talk then.”

“Shut up, Dharma, and listen,” Toby snapped, sounding regretful as he added, “I’m sorry, but this is important.”

Stunned, I replied, “I’m listening…”

“Stay away from Justin,” he warned me. “That guy is dangerous.”

“What are you talking about?” I queried.

“Justin hit me.”

I frowned. “Toby, you may have suffered some head trauma, perhaps you are confused.”

“I’m not confused, Dharma. Justin chased me down in his car and hit me.”

“This can’t… I don’t…,” I said, shaking my head.

“Please, just stay away from him,” Toby pleaded. When I didn’t immediately respond, he said, “Is he with you now, Dharma?”

I nodded, feeling stunned as I uttered, “Yes.”

“Hang tight,” Toby blurted, “and whatever you do, don’t tip him off.”

Shaking my head to clear it, I asked, “Toby, are you sure?”

When he failed to respond, I checked my phone screen and realized that the call had abruptly ended.

My first instinct was to call the police, but then I hesitated when I recalled seeing Detective Dunn at Justin’s house.

At the time I had suspected that she had a crush on Andrew Jones, but what if it was more than that? What if I contacted her and she swept it under the rug to protect the family? Worse yet, what if she told Mr. Jones?

From what I had gathered, he didn’t take it too well to being slighted.

I wanted to consider that Toby was wrong. He hadn’t sounded well. Perhaps he had a brain bleed and was delusional.

I had almost convinced myself that Toby had been mistaken when I recalled something Justin had mentioned only moments ago.

~“…even after Haylee accused me of switching your birth control, I still volunteered to search for her, didn’t I?”~

Haylee hadn’t conjured up that theory until we were in my mother’s Rav, far away from prying ears.

Then I recalled what Toby had said the night before.

~“I loitered for a few minutes, but then Justin’s car passed, so I assumed you had changed your mind and she’d caught a ride with you guys.”~

I had dismissed this at the time, but what if Justin had spotted Haylee and offered her a ride?

I thought about Dan and the darkness that had spread to Karen. I thought about Melinda and Jacob. I thought about Rosie and her baby…and I realized I had forgotten to ask the final question.

Where was the darkness now?

I was shaken, but before I could decide what action to take, Justin began pounding on the door. “Babe, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I responded, doing my best to disguise the quiver in my voice. “I’m just finishing up.”

I glanced back at the tiny bathroom window, wondering if I could squeeze through it, but doubted I could manage without making noise.

My mind raced. I thought about making a run for the deck doors, but there were too many obstacles and Justin would catch me before I made it to the gate. The front door was out of the question as well, due to the distance.

After exhausting my options to make a run for it, I decided to play it cool and attempt to convince him to leave.

I dialed my mother’s number again, and though I received the same out-of-service message, I did my best to relax as I opened the door and told the robotic voice, “I’ll have dinner warmed up for you when you get home. I love you too.”

“Did you finally get a hold of your mom?” Justin inquired from his place on the couch.

“Yeah,” I said, flattening my phone against my palm. “You were right. She was in an area with bad service. Her team is hanging it up for the night, so she should be home soon.”

“I’ll keep you company until she gets here,” Justin offered.

“Um…” I did my best to conjure up an excuse that would get him out the door, but my mind drew a blank. My chest began to tighten, and I could feel my heart rate increase, signaling an oncoming attack.

But before my anxiety had a chance to peak, the lights in the house began blinking wildly.

The disruption shocked me out of attack mode, and as my mind cleared, I had an inspiring idea.

“Damn electricity,” I cursed, doing my best to sound annoyed as I started to march out of the room.

“Where are you going?” Justin demanded as he stood.

“To the basement to flip the breaker,” I explained, gesturing to the lights. “I need to flip the main switch to get the lights to quit flickering.”

“I’m not going to let you stumble around in a dark basement,” Justin insisted. “I’ll go do it.”

I pretended to object. “But you’re a guest, and the breaker box is—”

“I know where the breaker box is,” he intervened. “I helped the electricians rewire the upstairs, remember?”

“If you insist…,” I said, moving aside so he could pass.

I watched him until he opened the basement door and disappeared from view. Once I was out of his line of vision, I dashed into the dining room and exited through the French doors.

I took the deck stairs two at a time, nearly stumbling as my feet touched the grass. Once I regained my balance, I sprinted across the yard.

I reached the gate, threw open the door, and began to dash down the driveway. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next, but I assumed I would figure it out once I was somewhere safe.

As I approached the street, an arm wrapped around me, and I was lifted off my feet. A hand covered my mouth, muffling my scream as I struggled.

Justin hissed in my ear, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a horrible liar?”