Her room at her mom’s was bigger than the one at her dads, and she had a sitting area with a leather loveseat and a big screen television. Her desktop computer was also bigger than most, and her white Vincanta bedroom suit was trimmed in shiny gold. She did have framed pictures on the walls there, but, not of teen hotties or movie posters, but framed portraits of Ireland and Switzerland. The walls were a deep burgundy, and the bedding and curtains were a green and gold pattern. Her bathroom there was also a lot bigger, and un-like her bathroom at her dad’s with only a shower, she had a jet stream tub, and she couldn’t wait to get back in it.
“Damn Fletcher, she looks like she’s been to hell and back,” Peyton told Fletcher after she had left them.
“Yeah, but I think I know what is up with her now,” he admitted.
“What? Please fill me in,” she asked, curious at what could make her this way.
“I think it’s Maria, she slept in her room the night before last, and I took her to her gravesite yesterday where she spent almost an hour. Yesterday was four years now that she passed.”
“I don’t think so, I mean why now on the fourth year? She didn’t act this way last year, did she?” she asked, doubting herself, and wondered if she was even home then.
“I’m not sure that I was home then,” he answered the same question that she had been asking herself.
Alley was sitting on the loveseat with her e-reader, thumbing thru something to read when her mother joined her on the sofa.
“I’m so glad you’re home.” She tried to put her arm around her but Alley pulled away.
“Tell me what’s bothering you Alley,” her mom pleaded, and Alley looked at her like she was going to open up, and she almost, did but the logical part of her brain stepped in and she didn’t. She tightened her lips and twisted her mouth to the side instead.
“Nothing really mom, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine Alley, you look like hell. When was the last time you ate?”
Alley had to think about it, and she didn’t think she had eaten at all the day before, but then remembered the granola bar that she had before she went to see Maria.
“I will go make us something delicious, will you come down?” she asked, and Alley nodded her head.
She filled the tub full of hot soapy water, and it did feel sensational and relieved a lot of tension. She sat in the water until her mother came in to tell her lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes.
Her mother made a delicious orange glazed salmon, and it brought tears to her eyes once again because unlike Gloria’s Salmon, hers tasted just like Trevas’s had, and she had to pick up her glass of wine and chug it to keep her mind off of it.
“Were you thirsty?” her mother asked, watching as she downed the whole glass.
Alley continued to be in her slump for the next few days and nights. Her mother would find her crying and would beg her to tell her what was wrong but of course she never would. Finally, on Saturday morning things started to fall into place for Peyton. Alley had undressed and gotten into the tub when her mother came into tell her to come down for breakfast.
She entered the empty room and picked up the black necklace lying on the bed next to the MP3 player. She tried to open the locket and the magnets pulled apart in her hands, just as Alley entered with a towel wrapped around her.
“What are you doing?” she yelled. “Don’t touch my stuff,” she demanded, fuming and grabbed the necklace from her mother’s hand. She was so mad at her for invading her space, but instantly felt a surge of fear for Trevas.
“Who is that Alley?” she wanted to know.
“None of your fucking business,” she shot back and pulled the leather around her neck. “Get out, I want to get dressed.”
“Alley is that the bodyguard that your dad hired for you?” she asked, and Alleys fears were now real.
“No. leaves me alone.”
“I ‘m going to find out, so you may as well tell me. Did something happen between you and this supposedly bodyguard?”
“His name is Trevas, and no, nothing happened,” she demanded, and wished she hadn’t just said his name like she was defending him. “Leave me alone,” she commanded again, wanting her out of there and away from the conversation that she couldn’t have with her.
“Come down and eat,” her mother said, and Alley told her she was fine, and she left her.
Peyton went into her office and called Fletcher.
“Hey beautiful,” he answered as he sometimes did.
“Fletcher, I think I know what is wrong with Alley,” she stated.
“What?” he wanted to know, losing his playfulness.
“I just found a locket with hers and this bodyguard that you hired picture. One is of him on a motorcycle, and the other side is the two of them. She was standing in front of him, and he had his arms around her very intimately.”
“I will be there in ten minutes,” he stated and hung up.
Chapter 8
Alley was sitting on her bed, and her mother could tell that she had been crying again.
“Alley you need to come downstairs for a minute,” her mom requested.
“Why?” she wanted to know, and the fear took over again, and her knees began to shake.
“Because your dad is here and he wants to talk to you.”
“You called dad?” she screamed.
“Alley, come down, right now,” she demanded and walked out.
Alley tried to compose herself, trying to come up with a story about the pictures. How could she explain the closeness without it looking like what it really was?
She walked down, and her dad was at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn’t read his look and couldn’t tell if he was mad or not.
“Alley there is someone here that wants to talk to you,” he said softly. “It’s okay, honey, don’t be afraid,” he added, and Alley wanted to know what the heck was going on.
She turned toward the living room, and the police officer stood from the black leather sofa and her heart sunk to the floor.
“You called the cops?” she screamed at her mother.
“No Alley, I did,” her dad told her. “He just wants to ask you some questions.”
“About what?”
“Hi Alley, I’m, Lieutenant Marx. Can we talk briefly?
“No, I have nothing to say to you. What do you want?” she screamed, and looked to her dad with his arm supportively around her mother.
The police officer took her hand and guided her to the sofa, and he slid the ottoman closer to her.
“Alley did Trevas Evans touch you in any way?” he asked, getting right to the point.
“No, never,” she lied. “This is stupid. I have nothing to say to you.”
“Alley, you are not in any trouble. I’m here to help you.”
“I don’t need your help. Trevas never did anything, leave him alone,” she demanded.
“Did you and Trevas have a relationship, Alley?” he continued with the probing questions.
Alley was so close to telling the officer where to go, but stopped herself with her acquired mouth trick. “I’m not answering anymore of your stupid questions,” I can’t believe you called the cops,” she screamed at her dad.
“If I’m not under arrest, I’m done here,” she insisted, standing and looking down at the cop.
She stormed off back upstairs, glaring at her dad as she passed him.
“I’m sorry Mr. Fletcher. There is really nothing I can do without a complaint from the victim and Alley says that she’s not a victim. I can’t even question the suspect at this point,” The police officer explained. “If you can get anything out of her, feel free to give me a call,” he told him, handing him a business card.
Alley stormed back downstairs five minutes later. “You blocked his number?” She screamed at her dad.
“Yes Alley. I did, and I don’t want you anywhere near that man. Do you understand me?”
“Did you call him?”
> “Yes, I called him, and he knew that the police were coming here to talk to you.”
Alley couldn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. How could this be happening? She didn’t think things could get any worse. She had to figure out how to talk to him. She had to tell him that she didn’t tell, that she never said a word, but how? She couldn’t do anything without a babysitter.
“I fucking hate you,” she screamed at her dad in the most hateful voice that she could muster.
Peyton came to her, crying on her bed once her dad had left. She lay beside of her and tried to put her arm around her, and she sat up.
“Why did you do that? Why did you call dad?”
“Alley if a grown man touched you in any way, we want to know about it.”
“He didn’t fucking touch me.” She almost screamed that he loved her, but she didn’t because she wasn’t sure that he did. Why would he leave her to deal with all of this on her own?
“Alley stop yelling,” her mom demanded in a soft tone. “Tell me what it was then if he didn’t hurt you, why are you so upset and moping around like some suicidal nut case?”
Suicide, that’s it, she thought, testing the word out in her mind. That would make it all go away, and she dismissed it as soon as she thought it. She knew that Trevas would never forgive himself if she ever did something like that.
“I’m not talking to you about Trevas. I want to talk to him.”
“We don’t want you talking to him Alley. He is a grown man and we think he took advantage of you.”
Alley gave up, she wasn’t going to yell anymore, she wasn’t going to cuss anymore, and she was just giving up. She was done talking. She walked out of the room and down to the pool.
She sat on the side and put her feet in. If she could just talk to him, she thought. She wanted so bad to know what her dad said to him and wondered if the cops had come to question him too. She hoped that he would know that she would never say anything, and hoped that he didn’t either. Why did she have to be so different? she pondered, why couldn’t she be like all of the other rich kids, and be happy with new cars, the parties, the clothes, better yet why couldn’t she have been born into a normal family like Trevas?
Trevas tried her phone too, right after Fletcher had called him and told him that he was going to rot in prison, and if he ever touched his daughter again he would personally kill him, but Fletcher blocked his number from her before calling him. Trevas wondered too, what she had told Fletcher. He couldn’t believe that she would do that. Was she that mad at him, that she would take the chance on him going to prison?
The following Saturday, Trevas was sitting in his new favorite chair when his door buzzer went off, and he let Chase in.
“Is this shit true Trevas?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, and walked away from the door to let Chase in.
“I heard the cops were at Peyton Paxton’s house talking to Alley about you,” he explained.
“Who told you that?” he asked, and was scared for his life now.
“Jake escorted Jane Shiloh today, her and Peyton Paxton are really good friends, and overheard the phone conversation of her talking to Peyton Paxton.”
“I couldn’t tell you, I don’t know.”
“Where you fucking her Trevas?”
“She isn’t that type of girl, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk about her like that,” he replied with an even tone and frowned eyebrows.
“Oh my God,” he exclaimed. “You are in freaking love with her.”
“What the hell do you want Chase?” he finally asked.
“Come out with us tonight. Get the hell out of this house. You have been cooped up here for three weeks.”
“No. I don’t want to go out.”
“Come on Trevas. Meet us at the Breeze around nine. You need to get out and forget about this girl before you end up going to prison over her. Just think about it okay?”
“Yeah sure,” he replied, knowing that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Trevas really wasn’t going anywhere, not until he ignored the call from Selena and then listened to the voice mail.
“Hey sexy, I’m in the neighborhood. Chase said you were back in town. I hope you are just in the shower or something. I’m going to stop by in about twenty five minutes. See you in a little bit.”
Trevas looked at the clock, took a shower and shaved the fastest that he had ever done in his life. He grabbed his keys and drove around for a while before deciding to stop in at the Breeze for one drink. Just long enough for Selena to give up and leave him alone.
He found Chase and Sarah’s table, and ordered a drink and really didn’t want to be there. He was only having one drink and was leaving. He was leaving faster than that if Chase had anything to do with it.
“Come on man, let’s get out of here and go to Route 57,” he coaxed Trevas.
“I just got a drink, what’s your hurry?”
“I’m just ready to go. They have EPCOR, playing over there tonight.”
Trevas downed his drink. “You guys go ahead. I think I’m going to call it a night.” He got up to follow them out, and knew then why Chase wanted to get him out of there. He just happened to glance toward the bar, and saw Alley with some buff guy, covered in tattoos and probably not too much older than she was.
“Just keep waking Trevas,” Chase warned when he stopped.
Trevas watched as the guy kissed on her neck, and they were laughing. He watched Alley shake her head yes and follow him out toward the back.
“Come on Trevas, she’s not your problem. You can’t go anywhere near her, and you know it.”
Trevas pushed his way around Chase, and headed for his car, hoping that he didn’t make it out of the parking lot before he spotted them, and Chase just shook his head.
Trevas burned rubber, squealing the tires as he raced around the side of the building, and spotted the guy, only because he had stopped just before pulling out to throw some sort of flyer off of his windshield.
He didn’t make it in time to pull in front of him and stop him, but did follow him.
He took his cellphone from his pocket and called her dad. He wasn’t about to go to jail for saving her from some pervert.
“What the hell do you want?” Fletcher answered, knowing the number now.
“Do you know where you daughter is Mr. Fletcher?” he asked, just as angry.
“Yeah I do, she is at her moms and you stay the fuck away from her.”
“Guess again, I just watched her leave with some idiot at the Breeze.”
“Are you serious?” he asked alarmed now. “Why did you let her leave with him?”
“He was taking her out the back when I saw them. Don’t worry, they’re right in front of me. He’s not getting out of my sight.”
“Tell me where you are. I’m on my way.”
“They are heading north on Willard.”
“Her mother is beeping I will call you back,” Fletcher said and was gone, knowing that Peyton was calling to tell him she wasn’t there.
Trevas followed them to a shady side of town. He could see the guy reach over and kiss her every now and then, and if she wouldn’t have been in the car, he would have run him out of the road. His phone rang just as they were pulling into the parking lot, of a not so nice hotel, the kind that you could rent by the hour.
“They just pulled into the Duce hotel on Palmer,” he told Fletcher. “I will call you back.”
“What the hell is she doing there?”
“What do you think she is doing here Fletcher? I will call you back. I’m going to go kill the son of a bitch.”
“Don’t do anything stupid Trevas, I have to pick up her mom, and we will meet you there.”
Trevas parked right beside of the shiny red sports car, and neither of them paid any attention because the guy was all over her.
Trevas jumped out, and opened his door and threw him to the ground by his jacket. Alley was out of the c
ar, and in his face in about three seconds. Their eyes locked momentarily and then she started screaming at him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she screamed, and before he could say anything the guy was on his feet swinging.
Trevas punched him in the gut, bringing him to his knees, and then turned back to Alley.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked her the same question.
“What the hell do you think I’m doing here?” she screamed, and the guy was back up and coming at him.
Trevas punched him in the face this time, and when he went down he got on top of him and punched him five times, and Alley was screaming at him to stop.
Trevas pulled the bloody faced guy to his feet, and he was dazed. “Get in your car and get the fuck out of here before I Kill you.”
The guy wasn’t coming back swinging anymore. He stumbled to his car and backed out slowly and finally made his way out of the parking lot.
“You are un-fucking- believable Trevas. What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?”
“I followed you from the Breeze. You promised me you wouldn’t go back in there.”
“You quit, I don’t keep promises to cowards.”
Trevas got quiet and just looked at her. She was wearing jeans, his t-shirt and sneakers.
“What?” she yelled.
“Did you tell your dad about us Alley?”
Alley settled down too.
“No, my mom found the locket with our picture in it, you know the one that you told me not to do that. They don’t know anything. My dad called the cops, and I told them nothing happened. Don’t worry about it. I would never do that to you.”
Trevas couldn’t talk. He was so happy to see her, and he didn’t want to be mad at her. He didn’t care about the pictures, the cops, her parents he just cared about her, and he missed her like crazy.