Salvation and Secrets (21 page)

Her eyes flashed with resolve. “You’re right, sorry. I’m freaking out over nothing. Let’s head inside.” She ripped away from me, but I caught her wrist and tugged her back to me.

“Not before I do this.” Cupping her cheeks with my hands, I smiled at the shocked expression on her face. My lips slanted over hers and I tried to tell her everything there wasn’t time to say in that one kiss.

We would get through this.

Everything would be okay.

It has to be.

~

Dumping my books in my locker, I slammed it shut. Classes were just about bearable. The whispers didn't bother me, but I knew they would bother Ana. She had lived this once before, and I was eager to see her and know she was okay.

“Pierce, a word.” Coach’s voice boomed from behind me and I cursed under my breath. I had managed to avoid him all week, but it looked like my time in hiding was up.

I turned and nodded at him.

“My office,” he barked.

It wasn’t a question, and instead of causing a scene in the hallway, I followed him the short distance out to Kingman Gym and into his small office tucked at the back of the locker room.

“Sit,” he commanded when I closed the door behind us.

“What’s up, Coach?”

Coach scrubbed a hand over my jaw and he hesitated. Whatever was coming wasn’t good and I leaned forward onto my knees, waiting. “Care to tell me where the hell you’ve been the last two weeks? Practice resumed and I find myself without my star linebacker and when I ask where he is, everyone just looks at the ground like someone has them by the balls.” His eyes cut right through me and I leaned back.

“Got stuff going on.”

“Stuff? That’s all I get?” He studied me, clutching his jaw. “It got anything to do with that clusterfuck at the game before the holidays? Word is it has to do with your boy.”

“My boy?” I cocked an eyebrow, not appreciating his accusatory tone.

“Don’t play games, Pierce. I will not have that jackass ruin the reputation of this team. And I will not let him drag this school into some kind of gangbanger war.”

I stifled my laughter and said, “Maybe you should be talking to
my boy
then, instead of hauling me in here?” The bitterness in my voice was obvious.

I was pushing it, I knew that, but Coach didn’t know shit. And I was done cleaning up after Braiden.

“You two have a lover’s quarrel or something? Do I need to book you in to see Mrs. Rems for a little guidance?”

I clenched my fist, trying to rein in my anger. Coach was pushing my buttons right back. “Something like that. Can I go now?”

He nodded and then said sharply. “I expect you on that goddamn field after classes. No excuses. Or I’ll be hauling both your asses in here tomorrow and I will get to the bottom of this.” With his threat issued, he dismissed me, and I stalked out of his office.

I exited the gym and almost walked straight into Ana. “Shit, what are you doing here?”

She pouted, her bottom lip begging to be kissed. “Nice to see you, too.”

“Fuck, sorry. You caught me off guard is all. Come here.” I pulled her into my arms and brushed my lips over hers, backing her up against the wall.

Panting for breath, she broke away from me, holding me in her concerned gaze. “What happened? I came to meet you like we agreed and saw you following Coach out here?”

I tapped her on the ass and said, “My little detective.” Slinging my arm around her shoulder, I started to lead us back to McGinley. “Coach wanted to know why I haven’t been at practice.”

“And what did you say?” Ana nestled further into me.

“Nothing. But he knows something is up. Said when he asked the team, everyone pulled the silent treatment. Braiden has them in his pocket. Well, most of them.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to go practice later. If I do—”

Ana froze and shrieked, “You can’t. Braiden will be there. What if he does something?”

“Hey, listen to me. He’s not going to try anything in front of the rest of the team or Coach for that matter. Coach was asking all kinds of questions. He’s looking for a reason to bench Braiden. I can’t be that reason. I have to go.” Brushing the stray hairs from her face, I looked into Ana’s eyes trying to make her understand, but she didn’t move.

“Ana, we knew we couldn’t stay in your dorm forever.”

Finally, she stepped closer to me, sucking in a breath. “I know, I know. I just- I don’t know how to act here. Braiden is, well, he’s freaking scary, and I saw you get hurt before, Jackson. He hurt you.”

Wrapping her into my arms, I held her tight, whispering in her ear, “I got this. Dennis has my back and Braiden won’t act yet. He’s waiting. It gives me time to figure shit out. I promise.”

I only hoped I was right.

~

“We need the win next Saturday.” Coach glanced around the huddle, eyeing each of us, hammering home his message: losing was not an option. “No pansy-assed passes, no dragging your behinds, and absolutely no deviating from the playbook, Donohue.”

Braiden grunted something under his breath earning him a couple of snickers.

“Got something you want to get off your chest, Donohue?” Coach pinned him to the spot with his tone.

“No, sir. Just ready to get back out there.”

“Good. Hands in, Fallen on three.”

We formed a circle around Coach and piled our clammy hands on top of each other, following Coach’s lead. As we all roared
Fallen
, my eyes locked with Braiden’s and a smirk covered his face. I should have looked away, should have conceded, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t in me anymore, so I held his glare and narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Let’s go, Braid.” Kyler broke our stare off, and Braiden joined the guys as they headed into the locker room.

I hung back, helping a couple of the other guys collect up the kit. It had been an intense two hours. Every time I intercepted the ball or ran one of our offense into the ground, I felt his eyes on me. His icy stare biting at the back of my head. But he didn’t utter one word to me.

By the time I got in the locker room, most of the guys had cleared out, Braiden included. I kicked off my cleats and set about peeling off the damp jersey. Unhooking the shoulder pads, I stripped off the rest of the uniform and padded into the shower. As the scalding water washed down my body, removing all of the sweat and grime, my mind went to Ana. She was with Elena at Tyson’s house. I knew she would worry too much being in the dorm alone, so Elena came back to walk her to the house. I was meeting them there after I got cleaned up.

The door to the locker room slammed and I hit the shower button. I was definitely the last person to clean up, so someone had returned. Grabbing the towel and securing it around my waist, I moved quietly to the stalls to remain hidden.

“Coach was riding him pretty hard,” a voice said too far away to make out who it belonged to.

“Yeah, he has a stick up his ass, but not as bad as Donohue. The guy is out for blood. Word has it he’s planning a little trip back up to Reibeckitt after the game,” a second voice replied.

“We in?”

“No, it’s closed ranks only. Which sucks, ‘cuz that shit was a buzz.”

“I don’t know; it got a little crazy. I’m just here to play ball. Sure, I’d heard the rumors, but I didn’t think it would be like this.”

“Pussy.” A locker slammed shut and the laughter faded until I heard the door swing open and closed.

My heart pounded in my ears as I ducked out of the stall and collected my clothes from my bench and got dressed. For as much as I was done with Braiden, I couldn’t help the tiny part of me that wanted to tell him going back to Reibeckitt wasn’t a good idea. He’d been my life since I was a boy. That kind of bond didn’t just die, and besides, there was a reason Marcus wanted him to stay away.

My cell vibrated and I jumped.
Get a grip, Pierce. It’s your cell, pussy.

“Hello?” I asked, not even registering the name flashing on the screen, too fixated on the conversation I’d overheard only seconds earlier.

“Jackson, it’s Marcus.”

My heart stalled, and then catapulted into my throat.

“Jackson? Are you there, son?”

Son?

My brain caught up with my ears, and it all clicked into place. He really didn’t know what had gone down in his absence.

“Hmm, yeah. Yeah, I’m here.”

“Is everything okay? You sound strange?”

I shut my locker in an attempt to break my panic. “Fine. Everything’s good, just finished practice.”

“Ahh, okay. Hope Garrick didn’t work you too hard? Anyway, the reason for my call. Sorry I haven’t been in touch sooner, there were things I had to take care of…” he hesitated.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes. It’s almost resolved. I should be home next week.”

Fuck.

I gulped, just managing to choke out, “Okay.”

“Listen, Jackson. When I get back, there are some things I need to discuss with you.”

He knows.
That was my immediate thought. But then I corrected myself. He was being too normal. If he knew, I doubted he would be able to hide his feelings on the matter. Which meant there was another reason he wanted to talk.

“I’ll see you in a week, two tops. Try to keep that son of mine out of trouble. Bye, Jackson.”

Something was in his voice, a hint of sadness or regret that I couldn’t place. Uncle Marcus wasn’t an overly emotional person. He was cold and calculated and a ruthless businessman. But the way he ended the call—I could’ve swore I heard him choke up a little. I hit end call and slammed my fist against the row of lockers. This was the last thing I needed on top of everything else. Because I had no fucking clue what was going to happen when he found out I’d betrayed his family.

My family.

Chapter 23

~ANA~

“Bye, Sarah,” I called out into the empty library.

After Jackson returned to training and playing with the team, I realized he was right. We couldn’t stay locked away forever. I’d done that before and it wasn’t a place I wanted to ever end back up in. So, I had resumed my nightly trips to the library while Jackson practiced. Now that I had confirmation from Otis, I wasn’t digging into the Donohue’s past so much, but I enjoyed the quiet surroundings. Something about being among the dusty stacks comforted me.

“See you in a couple of days, Ana,” Sarah replied, not looking up from her indexing.

My phone buzzed and I smiled, anticipating Jackson’s usual call to tell me that he was outside waiting. Only when I pulled my cell phone out of my bag, it was a text.

Got held up, sorry. Go straight to the dorm and I’ll be there asap. J x

Scanning the empty path, I hitched my bag up and set off in the direction of McGinley. My feet moved quickly in hopes of shortening the six or seven minute walk back to the dorm. A sound caught my attention, and I slowed, my memory alerting me to something. A low whistle came from over by the cluster of bushes lining one of the building’s walls, and I narrowed my eyes trying to identify the source, but all I could see was darkness upon darkness.

I sped up, my rapid pulse spurring me to break into a slow jog. McGinley came into view as I rounded the corner, but the whistling followed me. It wasn’t loud, more a faint chirp carried on the wind. Straining to hear footsteps or any other sound that might confirm someone was following me was difficult as my heartbeat pounded in my ears.

Rushing up the steps to the door, I fumbled in my bag for the keycard. My fingers found it, clutching onto it like it was my savior, and I jammed it into the magnetic strip. Relief slammed into me as I pushed open the door and stumbled into the safety of the building, risking a quick glance back into the darkness to see if I could see anyone. There was no one.

A couple of girls peered around the common room door. "Everything okay?"

I nodded, forcing a half-smile before padding upstairs to my room.

Once inside, I kicked the door shut and dropped my bag to the floor before turning on the table lamp. I had definitely heard the whistling. Just like before. Once was surely a coincidence, but twice? Twice was something else entirely.

Rolling the desk chair to the window, I scanned the surrounds again, and my heart lodged in my throat when my eyes landed on a figure nestled among the tall trees lining the wall opposite the dorm building. It was too dark to recognize any distinguishing features, but he was definitely male. Something about their build and stance. It was all guy.

My fingers hovered over the keypad itching to call Jackson, but he was already in full protector mode, and I didn't know for sure that anyone was following me.

Yeah right
, my mind protested.

I kept my eyes locked on the figure, who seemed to be fixated on something, but all I could see was his outline and a dark shadow. Nothing to suggest where he was looking. The longer I stared, the more defined his silhouette became, and although I still couldn’t distinguish his face, something about him seemed familiar.

A ringing sound startled me, and I realized it was my cell buzzing in my hand.

“Hello?”

“It’s me, is everything okay? I’m just about to leave.” Jackson’s voice was stern and I rolled my eyes, half annoyed that he could read me so easily.

“Everything’s fine. Just got back.”

“Ana…”

He waited, giving me a chance to say more, but instead, I replied, “Can’t wait to see you. How long will you be?” My voice returned to its normal tone, and I almost heard him relax on the other end of the line.

“I just finished up. See you in ten?”

“I’ll be ready.”

I hung up and looked straight back to the spot where the figure had been standing.

But he was gone.

~

“I’m not sure I can do this.” I flopped down onto Elena's bed and watched her add more gloss to her already shiny mouth. She smacked her lips together and spun around on her heels to face me. “Yes. You. Can. We’ll be right there with you. Besides, chica, Jackson wants you there.”

“Jackson? You’re calling him Jackson now?” I arched my brow and laughed.

“You’re my family, he’s yours, ergo he’s family.” Elena extended her hand to me and pulled me to my feet.

“What if something happens? Remember what happened the last time we were there?”

“Ana.” Her sparkling eyes locked on mine, and she half-smiled. “I know it’s scary, we’re all a little scared, but there’s no way Principal Kellar would agree to the game if they thought there was a security risk. Jackson wants you there, so you need to be there. For him.”

She was right. I needed to do this. Jackson had put himself out there for me; betrayed his family…for me. The least I could do was support him at the game. The game Coach Parker was pretty much insisting he play in.

"Fine. You're right; I know you're right. It's just, argh, I don't know. We've managed to avoid them so far, but they'll be there tonight."

Elena squeezed my hand. "So show them they didn't destroy you. You got this. I know you do."

We left the dorm and walked in the direction of the guys’ house. My eyes scanned the cluster of bushes looking for any sign of the guy I'd seen yesterday. But there was no one. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind, wondering if my mind had dreamed up the whole thing. The campus was alive with excitement and the air crackled with anticipation. And as I walked among the sea of green, black, and white, it seemed like the drama of the last game was a distant memory.

The guys met us at the end of their path and we filed into the crowd headed for Lowe Stadium.

"Marielle didn't come then, huh?"

Paul shrugged. "No, she said she can still hear the shots firing."

We all looked at each other and burst into fits of laughter.

"Hey, come on, you know how she is!" Paul protested, earning him a shoulder check from Tyson.

"Dude, you know your chick is crazy, right?"

"Okay, so she's a little out there, but I really like her. Like
like
her."

"How much liking are we talking?" Nate asked.

"I don't know. A lot." Paul's cheeks reddened, and I stepped up to his defense.

"Leave him alone. I think it's sweet, and Marielle is great, Paul. Right, guys?" I looked back for some support from our friends, but they all just carried on laughing. Stepping closer to Paul, I nudged his side. "I like her. She's..." I hesitated trying to find the right word. "...chipper."

"Chipper? Is that just a sugar coated way of saying that she's annoying?"

"She’s nice,” I countered.

“It doesn’t matter what you all think, anyway. We mesh and that’s enough for me,” he said, just out of earshot of the others who had walked a little ahead of us.

“And it should be. She like
likes
you too, you know. I can see it in her eyes when she watches you.”

Paul’s eyes scrunched. “Watches me?”

I laughed, shaking my head at his cluelessness. “Come on, Cormack. We have a game to get to.”

Ten minutes later, we were crammed into a row surrounded by most of CFA’s student population. The air was electric; a mix of excitement and apprehension, but my eyes were fixated on only one thing. The tunnel remained empty as I waited for the team to enter the field. I was only interested in seeing Jackson, and my body hummed with nervous energy as I anticipated the opening beats of Thirty Seconds to Mars. So absorbed in waiting, I almost jumped out of my skin when the PA system crackled to life and the crowd roared, welcoming their team onto the field. Jackson was no longer walking side by side with Braiden. Instead, he lingered behind with the rest of the team while someone wearing the number five jersey walked in his place.

The sight should have comforted me—Jackson was really out, just like he had told me. But something about it bugged me. Everything was too simple. The Braiden who tied me to a chair and forced me to watch him taunt a beaten and bloody Jackson wouldn’t have been able to wear the same uniform as a guy who betrayed him, let alone play on the same team. Jackson reassured me it was because Braiden was too obsessed with revenge against Cole Calder, that once that was taken care of, he would redirect his attention back to us, but it just didn’t make sense. I’d seen Braiden fly off the handle and beat guys to a pulp for lesser things. Something didn’t add up.

“Chica, everything okay?” Elena squeezed my hand and I turned my head, forcing a smile.

The coach called The Fallen in for their pep talk. Braiden stood close to him, barking out orders and commanding head nods from the other players, but Jackson stood in the outer circle barely moving. He was tense—even from my spot up in the stands I could see that.

Excited rumbles dulled into low murmurs as the crowd settled in to watch the kickoff. Braiden stalked toward the referee and opposing team’s captain for the coin toss.

“Yes.” Paul punched the air. When we all looked along the row at him, he shrugged.

My eyes wandered back to the field. The Fallen offense was moving into their starting positions while the cheer squad cheered them on from the sidelines. Briony was front and center, dressed in the figure hugging mini dress, bouncing on her toes, waving the green and white pompoms in the air. How anyone made them look sexy was beyond me, but she did. They all did, with their short skirts and low cut tops. A couple of the players couldn’t stop glancing over at them from their positions. And the surge of envy rushing through me caught me off guard. Jackson didn’t want Briony. He chose me.
Me.
He loved me; I knew that with all of my heart. But watching them so carefree and uninhibited made me ache for a life I had almost forgotten. The life I had before the accident. There was a time I’d wanted to find that girl again, the girl who didn’t hide behind black skinny jeans and oversized sweaters. In all of the crazy of the last eighteen months, she seemed to move further and further out of my reach.

But looking over at the bench, the realization hit me as I rubbed at the scar on my wrist. I didn’t need to find the girl I was before because, although the girl before didn’t have any scars marring her body or mind, she also didn’t have Jackson.

~

“Nice game, man.” Paul approached us, helping himself to another beer.

“Thanks.” Jackson looked normal, but I heard the strain in his voice and felt his grip on me tighten just a fraction.

The game went by without any drama, but Jackson’s heart wasn’t in it. Apparently, by the look of adoration on Paul’s face, I was the only person who noticed.

Paul continued, “Looks like the championship will stay at CFA this year.”

“Hey, is Mari coming? Shouldn’t you be going to meet her?” My eyes pleaded with Paul to drop the football talk, and his eyes questioned me back before he grumbled something about needing to go and he left us at our spot in the kitchen.

“Thank God, I am sick of talking about the game.” Jackson’s warm breath lingered on my ear causing my eyes to flutter shut and I sank back into him.

“Quit.” The single word left my mouth before I could stop it.

Jackson spun me in his arms and pressed his head against mine, forcing me to look right into his emerald eyes. “You know I can’t. Not yet.”

“I know. I just don’t like seeing you like this.”

He moved up to brush his lips over my forehead. “No rocking the boat any more than I have already. Let’s get through this semester. Okay?”

“Man of the hour, awesome win.” Jamie burst into the kitchen, his face lighting up when he spotted Jackson.

Jackson sighed under his breath, but released me and pulled on his mask. “Jay, how’s it going?”

“Good, man. Good. Some game tonight, huh. Championship is in the bag now, for sure.”

“Still got a couple of games to go, but it’s looking like it’s ours.”

I wanted to smack Jamie upside the head. Paul, too. Sure, they didn’t know all the facts, but they knew enough to know something had happened between Jackson and Braiden. Enough to drive us to spend nearly every waking second together. But it was like football overruled all male commonsense.