More Than a Touch (Snowberry Creek #2) (16 page)

“Give me the pawn slip and the number for the towing company.”

“I’ll need to go inside to get the information.”

Leif stepped back far enough to let him pass. As soon as Roche lunged through the door to his apartment, he tried to slam it shut in Leif’s face. How predictable. Leif had expected him to try to pull some kind of stunt, and so he shoved his size twelve boot in the way.

“Really, Roche, don’t be stupid about this.”

Still grumbling, the man rooted through several piles of paper before coming up with the receipt for both the truck and Austin’s other things.

“And I’ll need your number, too.”

While he waited, Leif tucked the receipts in his pocket. He tore the scrap of paper from Roche in half and scribbled the address of Spence’s house on it before handing it back.

“Mail the refund on Austin’s deposit to him at that address. If it doesn’t arrive by Monday, I’ll be back to collect it in person.”

He put enough growl in his voice to make sure the man took him seriously. Then he walked away.

•   •   •

Twenty minutes later, he and Austin were back in the truck after stopping at the pawnshop to retrieve the kid’s guitar and CDs. They’d gotten there too late to get the iPod back, but the guitar was the important thing. Even so, the kid was looking pretty defeated.

“You know I can’t pay you back for buying my stuff for me.”

After a quick stop to pick up some trash bags at the corner store, Leif turned into the parking lot behind Austin’s former apartment. “I don’t recall asking for any money.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t take charity.”

Considering Austin’s upbringing, it was no surprise that he didn’t know how to deal with someone doing him a favor without expecting anything in return. “Don’t sweat it. We’ll add it to your tab.”

“Fine.”

Austin looked only marginally happier about the situation. Leif parked the truck by the Dumpster, not caring if he was blocking the parking lot. If anybody wanted to get by, they could fucking well wait.

“Toss whatever you want to keep in the back end. I’ve got a call to make.”

While Austin sorted through the sodden mess of his life, Leif made two quick calls. The first was to the towing company to make arrangements to bail out Austin’s truck first thing in the morning. The second was to Gage to fill him in on what had happened.

Just as Leif expected, the officer didn’t take it well when he heard how that mangy landlord had ripped Austin off. Old Man Roche didn’t know it, but his life was about take a turn for the worse, especially if he didn’t come through with a check for Austin’s deposit. Then there was the money he’d gotten from pawning the kid’s belongings.

Austin was back. “I guess I can crash with my dad for now. He lives in the next town over.”

He made the announcement with all of the enthusiasm of someone who had just learned he needed two root canals and the dentist was fresh out of novocaine. Leif didn’t blame him. He knew from what both Callie and Spence had told him that Vince Locke was an abusive, vicious drunk. The thought of sending Austin back to live with a man like that made Leif sick.

He couldn’t believe what he was about to do, but he pulled out of the parking lot and headed directly back to Spence’s house.

Austin sat up straighter and looked around. “Hey, my dad’s place is the other way.”

If Austin didn’t know how to handle Leif buying back his gear, he sure wasn’t going to like being told where he would be staying tonight. Leif kept on driving and lied through his teeth.

“Somebody is supposed to be keeping an eye on you. I can’t do that if you’re staying with your father.”

“So where are you taking me?”

Austin looked a bit green when he realized they were nearing the turnoff to the jail. “Chief Logan didn’t say anything about me having to sleep at the jail nights.”

Leif gunned the truck to get past the building a little faster. “We’re going to Spence’s house. You’ll be bunking upstairs in one of the spare rooms. Since your job will be helping Nick and me remodel the place, that will make it more convenient for all concerned.”

The kid’s temper was fueling up for a major explosion. “I already said I don’t want your damn charity. I can find someplace else to stay.”

Crossing his fingers that Callie would back his lie, Leif faked a look of total disgust. “Shove the charity crap, kid. Part of the deal Callie offered you included free rent. And before you say another word, it’s the same deal she offered me and Nick.”

Austin stared at him for a long time before finally relaxing enough so that Leif knew the battle was over for now. He pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the steps.

“Haul your stuff inside and take it straight to the utility room. God knows what kind of cooties your clothes picked up in that Dumpster. While you get started on your laundry, I’ll make us something to eat. Afterward, you can finish settling in. You probably know where everything is around here.”

Austin dropped one of the trash bags full of his crap on the porch. The bag sloshed as it landed. Austin didn’t seem to notice; he was too busy glaring at Leif.

“Why? Because you know I got caught snooping around the house?”

Leif gave him the hairy eyeball. “No, although you did exactly that. I was referring to the fact that you used to live here when your old man was Spence’s guardian.”

He shoved the key in the lock. “Now do me a favor and hold off on the attitude for a while. I’m long overdue for a nap, and I’m in no mood for any more crap out of you or anyone else, for that matter. Any other questions?”

Austin started back down the steps for another load. “Any preference which room I take?”

“The big room on the second floor is Nick’s. I’m still bunking in the den because it’s easier on my leg if I avoid the stairs as much as possible. Otherwise, take your pick.”

“Okay.” Austin stopped halfway down the steps to look back at Leif. “One more thing you should know. I wasn’t lying in court this morning.”

Leif frowned. “About what?”

Austin’s chin came up as he spoke, and his eyes remained firmly locked on Leif’s. “When I said I didn’t punch you that night. I heard you hit the floor after I broke in. I was going to call an ambulance when I heard your buddy Nick coming back.”

Leif weighed the kid’s words and decided they rang true. Austin had admitted to everything else he’d done, so there was no real good reason for him to lie about this.

Leif stared out toward the trees. “My leg was hurting pretty bad back then. I was also on some heavy-duty pain pills, so I don’t remember much of that night. Having said that, I’m choosing to believe you, Austin. Now, let’s get inside. Mooch has been locked in most of the day, and I need to let him out for a run.”

As Austin rejoined him on the porch, they could both hear Mooch pitching a fit through the door. Austin grimaced. “I suspect that dog hates me.”

Leif laughed as he finished unlocking the door. “Don’t sweat it. Mooch isn’t the type to hold a grudge.”

The dog bolted right past them, for the moment too intent on chasing off a couple of birds to pay any attention to the two men. “But just in case, before you go back out for another load, I’ll show you where we keep his favorite treats. Slip him a couple of those, and he’ll be your best friend forever.”

Leaving Austin and Mooch to make peace with each other, Leif threw together a pile of sandwiches, opened a bag of chips, and called it good. If his new roommate expected gourmet meals, he’d have to cook them himself.

Leif knew that after they ate and Austin went upstairs, he should give Callie a call and tell her what had happened and make sure she felt okay with it. Luckily, she’d had to drive up to Seattle for the afternoon and wouldn’t be back until late. He hoped she’d be happier about the situation than he was. All in all, he’d made the only decision he could live with by dragging Austin back to the house with him. He was pretty sure Callie would understand. Nick, on the other hand, was bound to be pissed about it.

But then Nick wasn’t the one here dealing with the situation, was he? Gritting his teeth against the pain in his much-abused leg, Leif eased down onto one of the kitchen chairs and let out a long sigh of relief. That nap was sounding better and better by the minute.

Maybe he’d even take a couple of pain pills. All things considered, he deserved a little oblivion right now. On second thought, until he got a better feel for how far he could trust Austin, he’d make do with ibuprofen. He reached for a sandwich and bellowed out an invitation to his new roommate.

“Hey, kid! Come eat or I’ll feed your half to Mooch.”

C
hapter 16

Z
oe deliberately wandered by the PT room, pausing long enough to peek through the window in the door. Leif was over on the far side, working on a set of exercises designed to improve balance. Judging from the grim set to his face and the sweat stains on his shirt, it was pretty tough going for him right now.

Before she could head back to her office, Leif froze and slowly pivoted to stare right at her. He’d had his back to her, but somehow he’d sensed her presence. What had given her away? Not that it mattered. She managed a small smile and a wave. Leif barely nodded in response before turning away.

Nothing like being caught again, but she couldn’t help being curious about his progress. After they had parted company Tuesday night, she’d made a deliberate choice to avoid checking on him during his Wednesday-morning appointment. Nearly two more days had passed, and she needed to know he was all right.

It had been difficult to stay away even that long, which made it all the more important that she not linger now. Just as she took a step back from the window, she heard a shout, followed by a loud thump. Spinning back toward the window, she watched in horror as Leif windmilled his arms, fighting to regain his balance, only to stumble backward into Mitch Calder. The two men went down hard in a tangle of legs and curse words.

Isaac gave first Mitch and then Leif a hand up off the floor. The football player laughed and went right back to his plyometrics. From the ease with which he handled jumping up and down the steps, he was no worse for the experience.

Leif’s elbow was dripping blood, but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, clearly frustrated and embarrassed, he picked up a small free weight and moved as if to throw it against the wall. Isaac caught his arm before he could let it fly, but clearly it was taking all of his strength to stop him. Whatever Isaac said to him had Leif shaking his head, but she couldn’t hear what it was through the thick glass.

The blood continued to run down Leif’s arm to land on the floor. Drip, drip, drip. God, would it ever stop?

Zoe had started for the door, intending to join the effort to talk Leif down off the ledge. But that wasn’t going to happen, not when her eyes saw nothing but swirls of black peppered with small bits of light.

“Oh, hell, not now!”

Grabbing the edge of the windowsill for support, Zoe fought to keep her balance. She struggled to remain vertical while she felt as if she were being buffeted by gale-strength winds.

It had been so long since she’d had a full-blown flashback that dumped her right back into the hell that had been her time in Iraq. All she could hear was the swishing rush of blood pounding in her ears as snapshots of the horror filled her head. Mangled bodies carried in on an endless line of stretchers. More wounded men and women dragged in by their friends. Bloody boot tracks across the floor. Too many injured. Too much pain. Too many lost.

She fought through the maelstrom, forcing the simple words of her mantra out through clenched teeth. “Breathe in. Breathe out.”

The saying had become her strongest defense against getting lost in the past. Controlling her breathing was a solid step toward controlling her thoughts and fears. Gradually, her vision cleared and her pulse slowed. Prying one hand free from the sill, she straightened up and stood taller. When the world remained steady around her, she let go completely.

Next stop would be the sanctuary of her office, but not until she made sure Leif was all right. Sure enough, he was back at his workout, sporting a new bandage on his arm and acting as if nothing had happened. He was even laughing at something Mitch said. Good.

Feeling steadier, she walked away from the window. Thank God no one had noticed her momentary lapse. She stopped in the restroom to splash some cold water on her face. Patting her skin dry with a paper towel, she studied her image in the mirror.

God, she looked haggard. She could only pray that the lapse was a onetime thing brought on by her concern for a patient. After all, she’d gone months this time without it happening, at least not this severely. There was no reason to think the memories wouldn’t fade back into the shadows of her mind.

She hoped so. The last thing she needed was to live and breathe that pain and fear again. Back then, the smell of blood had hung so heavily in the air that the scent of it still haunted her all these years later. The past came whirling back, as her fingers burned from the phantom touch of a wounded marine’s hand clasped in hers. His dying whispers . . .

A knock at the door jerked her out of the downward spiral. “Zoe, are you in there? Your next appointment canceled, so Dr. Tenberg asked if you could squeeze in a couple of kids with ear infections from the walk-in clinic.”

Grateful for something to distract her, she called out, “On my way, Brandi. Tell the doctor I’ll be glad to take them.”

She wadded up the paper towel with shaky hands and tossed it in the trash on her way out. With luck, there’d be a steady stream of patients to keep her mind occupied for the rest of the day. Staying too busy to think about anything else beyond the next appointment and then the one after that was the best way she knew of shoving the past back where it belonged.

•   •   •

“You up for beer and pool tonight?”

Leif tossed his pack in the cab of his truck and considered Mitch’s offer. The last time the two of them had indulged in a few beers and pool all hell had broken loose. Good times. Maybe it would improve his current bad mood.

He stared at the football player. “Yeah, as long as we take a solemn vow that the evening won’t end up with another visit from the local police. I can’t handle that kind of grief right now.”

Mitch raised his hand and solemnly said, “I so swear. No fights. No cops.”

Leif gave him a hard look. “No cheating?”

That brought a grin to Mitch’s face. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I do try not to lie to my friends.”

Leif allowed himself to smile a little. “Fair enough. Why don’t I meet you at the bar around seven?”

“Sounds good.”

Then Leif remembered he had Austin to deal with. “I might have to bring another guy with me. Hope that’s okay.”

“The more the merrier. See you then.”

•   •   •

On the way back to Spence’s house, Leif finally gave in to the irritation that he’d been struggling with ever since he’d hit the floor of the therapy room, all while Zoe watched. His ankle had locked up. A skinned elbow. Not all that much pain. No big deal. He’d clearly overreacted, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. The real blow was to his dignity. He could only be relieved that neither he nor Mitch had been hurt. Isaac had helped each of them up off the floor and calmly dealt with Leif’s little temper tantrum.

It was bad enough to be fussed over and to have taken Mitch down with him. The worst part was knowing Zoe had seen him at his weakest again. Feeling that way was stupid, but that didn’t make it any less true.

He’d maintained a feigned disinterest until he’d moved on to the cool-down portion of his therapy. As he waited for the ice to dull the throbbing pain in his leg, he’d replayed the whole scene like a movie in his head. It had all happened so fast that some of the images remained blurry.

Even so, he was convinced there had been something odd about Zoe’s reaction. When he’d been sitting on the table while Isaac gave him a quick going-over, Leif had looked to see if Zoe was still watching from the other side of the window.

She’d been there, all right. But even though she was looking in his general direction, he was convinced she wasn’t actually seeing him at all. When he’d tried to make eye contact with her, she’d stared into the distance, her eyes wide and unblinking. Whatever she’d been focusing on had left her pale and maybe even a little scared.

What was up with that?

Maybe he was imagining things, but he didn’t think so. Right now there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Maybe he’d check in on her later. Sure, they’d promised to keep some distance between them except on his scheduled appointments, but she’d already broken that agreement.

Granted, it was a pretty weak excuse to do something he wanted to do anyway. Yeah, maybe later he’d go for a long walk that just happened to take him right by her place. If he was careful, his leg was strong enough now to handle the steps to her second-floor apartment. He would climb them, knock on the door, and tell her . . . What?

That he’d made it four days without speaking to her but that was his limit. Or how about that he thought maybe she’d been scared earlier and he wanted to make sure she was all right?

He could only imagine her reaction to either of those scenarios. She’d probably kick his ass right back down the steps to the parking lot. That image should have worried him, but instead it only made him grin. If he gave in to the temptation, it would be interesting to see how it all played out.

When he pulled up in front of Spence’s house, Austin was out in the yard playing catch with Mooch. He climbed out of the truck as the kid tossed the ball one more time. All signs of good humor disappeared from his face as he turned to face Leif. Yeah, he got that Austin resented every minute he was forced to spend in Leif’s company. It probably didn’t help that with his truck still impounded he was trapped at the house.

Too fucking bad. He’d brought all this on himself.

“Sorry I’m later than expected. My therapy ran long.”

Leif started up the steps to the porch as Austin and Mooch trailed after him. “Let’s grab a quick sandwich, and then we can go bail out your truck.”

“Okay.”

Inside, Austin pitched in and helped. Maybe he figured that hurrying the process along would get his wheels back all that much faster. Fair enough.

Just as they were sitting down, Leif’s leg locked up again and caused him to list heavily to the side. Austin lunged toward him, catching him before it gave out completely. Damn, could this day get any fucking worse?

He jerked his arm free from Austin’s hands and lowered himself into the closest chair. With his voice little better than a growl, he snapped, “Back off. I’m okay.”

Austin held up his hands and stepped away, looking disgusted. “Fine. Next time I’ll let you fall on your ass.”

“Oh, hell.” Leif sighed and said, “Sorry, kid. I don’t mean to be a complete jerk. It’s been one of those days.”

Austin didn’t respond, but at least he didn’t go storming off. The two of them shoveled their mouths full of food, probably because that meant they didn’t have to talk. As a result, they made quick work of their meal.

“Like I said, we can go get your truck out of hock now if you want.”

“I want.”

Austin cleared the table, dumping the dishes in the sink. “About the money I owe you. I plan to pay you back as soon as I can.”

Right now Leif wasn’t worried about a couple of hundred bucks, but it was clearly important to Austin. Maybe that was a good sign that the kid was taking his situation seriously.

“Not a problem. We can set up a spreadsheet on my laptop for the restitution you owe and tack on the rest.”

The kid looked up from putting a plate into the dishwasher.

“Here’s the thing.” The younger man flushed red and shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t know a lot about computers, much less how to create a spreadsheet.”

Seriously? In this day and age? What the hell kind of school had the kid gone to that hadn’t at least taught him the basics?

He hadn’t realized he’d said that last part out loud until he saw the expression on Austin’s face. “We moved around so much that I missed a lot of class. I got sick of playing catch-up all the time, so I dropped out the day I turned sixteen.”

Austin shoved his hands in his pants pockets and stared at the floor. “I’ve done okay without a diploma.”

Yeah, if you considered a dead-end job flipping burgers doing okay. The kid sounded defensive, but who could blame him? Leif mentally added that to the list of reasons Vince Locke deserved to have his ass kicked.

“When we’ve got time, we’ll sit down and set up the spreadsheet together, and I’ll show you how to update the data as you go along.”

The knot in his thigh muscle finally gave it up and relaxed. Leif allowed himself to enjoy a few seconds without pain before trying to stand up again. He tossed Austin the keys to his truck. “Let’s get going. You drive. We can start on the program after we get back.”

Austin snagged the keys out of the air. “Fine.”

Despite the one-word answer, Austin looked pleased by the offer. Maybe it was a good time to bring up Leif’s plans for tonight.

“By the way, I’m supposed to meet Mitch Calder to play a few games of pool tonight after dinner. If you want to tag along, you’d be welcome. You don’t have to decide now. Just let me know.”

Austin’s eyes flared wide in surprise. “Mitch Calder, as in the big-time professional quarterback who grew up here in Snowberry Creek? You’re really friends with a guy like him?”

Sometimes Leif had a hard time believing that himself. “Yeah, we share the same physical therapist.”

“Cool. Yeah, I’ll go.”

“Fair enough.” Leif led the way to the front door. “Come on, Mooch. You can ride along this time.”