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“Does that mean you’re going, then?”
“It means I’m thinking about it.” She set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. “Coffee?”
“Please.” I took a bite of my breakfast. I’d miss this. My mother was a great cook.
I’d known she wouldn’t go for the nanny idea, and truth be told, I wasn’t really in favor of it either. I needed both of them, not just her, out of harm’s way until Joe and I figured this whole thing out.
Best thing to do was let her mull this over without trying to convince her. The more I fought for the idea, the more she’d resist.
I’d already showered at the gym, so I figured a soak in the hot tub on the deck might be a good idea for my muscles. A preemptive
strike against the pain that was sure to surface tomorrow could only be a good thing. I quickly dressed in my trunks, went out back, and lifted the cover off the tub.
It was a crisp morning, and steam rose from the hot water. I stepped in, letting it cocoon me slowly.
True relaxation was out of the question, but I could at least fake it. The soak would help me physically if not mentally. I closed my eyes and sank down, letting the steamy water cover my shoulders.
I inhaled. Exhaled. Again. Again. Again.
Still, my thoughts haunted me, and time flew backward.
“Justin?” I asked after Taylor Johns questioned me at lunch.
“Yeah, the little freak. What happened to him?”
Justin? Why didn’t I remember? Then I did. Sort of. Our teacher had mentioned him. “Ms. Tucker said his family moved away suddenly.”
Taylor Johns—for some reason, we always called him by both his first and last names—scoffed. “Good thing. We were going to run him out of here anyway. You and Steel wouldn’t have been able to stop us.”
What? Fragments of images peppered my mind. Right. Justin. I wasn’t supposed to mention him. I wasn’t sure why, but my father had said it was important. “I told you we’d crush your skulls if you bothered him again. He’s gone now, and if you ever mention him again, you’ll get that skull crushing, Taylor Johns.”
Joe appeared at my side. “He’s right. Don’t mention Justin again.”
We were both bigger than Taylor Johns. He shuddered slightly, trying to act cool.
“I got no beef with either of you. But Justin Valente better never show his face here again.”
I jerked upward, the warm water splashing out of the tub. Valente. Justin’s last name was Valente. I’d been thinking it was Spanish.
This was good. Italian surnames were less common than Spanish in Colorado. It was a long shot, but a lot better than if his name had been Smith.
Where had that memory come from?
As far as I could recall, Taylor Johns and his band of miscreants had never mentioned Justin to Joe or me again. Or to anyone else, for that matter.
Think, Bryce, think.
I closed my eyes again, hoping for more illumination. More memories. More recall.
Come on, I urged silently.
No use. I opened my eyes. I couldn’t make it happen. But there was information buried in my subconscious. I was sure of it.
Joe had confided in me that Melanie’s guided hypnosis had helped Talon a lot when he was dealing with his issues. I could ask for her help.
Except that would require telling her why I needed it, and she’d be there for the sessions, witness to whatever came out. Then she’d know Joe wasn’t telling her something.
Nope. I couldn’t come between my best friend and his wife. I wouldn’t. I might not be able to have a relationship right now, but Joe deserved his happiness.
