This meant she’d begun to initiate him to some lessons without letting on she was such as asking him how many tater tots he had then after he ate two, asking him how many he ate and how many he had left. She also sorted some art stuff for him, giving him paints, colored pencils and paper and setting him up with them at the kitchen table when she cooked. She would begin a full-fledged home schooling program once she, Dad and the psychologist felt he was ready to be assessed by a teacher so they knew where to start.

The only surprising and alarming thing with Malachi was that Mom and Dad shared that it seemed he’d never seen a television set. As he had company and that company was reading to him at the hospital, we hadn’t had the occasion to turn on the set in his room when he was there.

When Dad turned their set on, they said Malachi freaked.

The same, they reported, with phones and radios.

This knowledge made Chace’s jaw get tight in a way I knew he wouldn’t explain. I also knew he was doing his thing with his brethren, including his brothers in arms and Deck, all trying to find out why Malachi was as Malachi was and what happened to him. I’d learned the night we found Malachi that Chace didn’t intend to share this with me and I also understood he didn’t because he was protecting me. So much was going on with Malachi, with life, with us, I decided to let him have this play.

For a while.

Soon, he’d learn I wasn’t a fragile doe he had to protect. Or at least I hoped it was soon.

In other words, Malachi was good. He was in a bed every night with a full belly, as many books as he could get his hands on, a video game he played constantly and no more fear of TVs, phones or radios. He had people he trusted. His smiles came often and we’d all even heard him laugh. The doctor reported his hands and leg were going to be fine with no loss of mobility and I had to believe with the way he adjusted to his new circumstances, everything would with him eventually.

He also had tons of clothes and shoes and Mom and Dad, Chace and me had a big envelope full of checks and cash.

This was because I told Sunny and Shambles about Malachi, not to mention the cops who went to that shed, they all started talking and word about Malachi flew through the town of Carnal.

There was a reason I loved my town and that reason became apparent when word got out about our boy.

Everyone I knew, Lexie and Ty, Lauren and Tate, Bubba and Krystal, Twyla, Sunny and Shambles, Wood and Maggie and a bunch of people I didn’t know came to the library or the Station and brought Chace or me clothes, shoes, belts, hats, socks, underwear, pajamas, coats, baseball mitts, Nintendo game cartridges, books, you name it… and money. Money for his hospital bills, money to help Mom and Dad and not a little bit of it. Within a few days, we had over five thousand dollars. That day, Mrs. Bagley gave me a check that took us well over ten.

Carnal took care of its own and wherever Malachi hailed from, he was claimed as one of theirs. They heard about him and they did what they could. Some gestures were small. Others, grand.

All beautiful.

I was thinking this as I walked up the stairs to my apartment, knowing Chace was there. Tonight was the first night since Malachi was released from the hospital that we weren’t eventually heading to Mom and Dad’s to check in. This was Chace’s decree. Our night. Alone time. Just a night, just Chace and me.

The Sunday after Jarot’s party, we’d taken the next step in our relationship. He’d given me the key to his house and a garage door opener. I’d given him the key to mine. We spent time at work, at Mom and Dad’s with Malachi, doing our everyday things like Chace going to Chantelle to swim, me going to the gym, so the day could end in either one of our beds. But the day always ended with us together in whichever one it turned out to be.

Although Chace had not yet shared his dark secrets, I knew even more now with how he was with Malachi, my nephews, the easiness he had with my parents, the way he was with me, that whatever they were wouldn’t faze me.

I was in love. Not with an idea. Not with a dream. With a good man who had demons but treated my parents with respect, young boys he barely knew with kindness and generosity and me like I was the most precious thing on earth.

Knowing he was at my house making twice baked potatoes to go with steaks he’d broil, I didn’t bother with the key. I turned the knob and walked into my apartment, grinning to myself, looking forward to a just us evening and not having that first fraking clue I was walking into a very different Chace.

I closed the door, saw him standing by my computer, hands to his hips, looking hot.

I started to smile but the smile died and confusion reigned when he spoke.

“I’ve got a girlfriend?”

My head dipped to the side. “What?”

“I’ve got a girlfriend,” he stated and something about the way he stated it, something in his tone, the look on his face, the line of his body, made me brace.

“Uh…” I hesitated when he said no more, “I think so. Her being me.”

He jerked his head to my computer and what he said next made me realize when I braced, I didn’t brace enough.

“Your friends Benji and Serenity think somethin’ else.”

Oh no.

Oh frak!

I totally forgot. Things had been so busy, I’d been spending so much time with Chace, at Mom and Dad’s, it had been weeks since I had a full on conversation with either of them.

I had sent a few emails, just cursory updates and reminding them I hoped they’d backed down from their sleuthing.

But I hadn’t shared about Chace partly because I didn’t have time for big explanations. But also partly because I wanted to keep him to myself and I wanted to make sure it would last, that it was real before I told them. I did this because I’d have to admit I’d lied to them about Chace having a girlfriend. I also did this because when they heard, they’d be angry I lied to them but over the moon that Chace was with me. And I didn’t want them to get excited about something that wasn’t all I’d dreamed it would be, dreams I’d shared with them for years.

There it was yet again. Lying always, always got you into trouble.

“H… how –?” I started and Chace cut me off.

“Got on to check the game time, barely got that fucker booted up when screens popped up. They’re pissed, baby. Seriously. You haven’t been available to them but you haven’t been forthcoming why. And they got things to share,” he leaned toward me and the way he did made me lean slightly back even though he was ten feet away, “about The Elite.”

Uh-oh.

“Chace –” I whispered but said no more because he lost it.

I knew he lost it because he roared… yes… actually… roared, “Have you lost your fucking mind?”

My heart started thumping in my chest.

“Chace –”

“Take your goddamned coat off and get away from the door,” he growled and my head jerked.

“Wh… what?”

“Take,” he took a step toward me and I stepped back, “your,” he took another step and so did I, “goddamned,” another step for him and me, “coat off.”

“Why?” I whispered and kept retreating as he made it to the door and stopped.

I then watched in fascinated horror as he flipped the deadbolt and set the chain then turned to me.

“Do it, Faye.”

“You’re kind of scaring me,” I said softly.

“Yeah?” he asked, tipping his head sharply to the side. “Good,” he bit off to finish.

“It’s not good,” I whispered.

“Oh yeah, it is, honey,” he whispered back. “You should be scared of me right now. You should be scared of me because I am extremely pissed off. And I’m extremely pissed off because you and your band of misfits have been doin’ something so fuckin’ stupid I can’t even explain to you how stupid it is. And the reason it’s stupid is because it’s dangerous.”

“Chace, it –”

He interrupted me to rap out, “It what?”

“We –” I tried again but he cut me off again before I could say two words.

“You what?”

“Please let me speak.”

He didn’t.

He leaned forward and thundered, “Misty got dead because of those assholes.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“So, she got dead, you and your two buddies thought it was smart to play with that kinda fire? Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Faye, how could you be so goddamned stupid?”

“I told them to back off,” I said softly.

“Well, they didn’t,” he fired back. “They got names, Faye, they got a lot, and all of it they should not have. They should not know. I do not know those two but I know you.” He lifted a hand and jabbed a finger at me. “And I like you. I didn’t fuckin’ like my wife but I still didn’t want her on her knees, terrified, a cock forced in her mouth, her face raped before she got holes blown into her. So if that shit happens to you,” he jabbed his finger at me again, taking a step toward me before rocking to a wooden halt, “I… will… lose… my… goddamned mind!”

But I was frozen, head to toe so it took a lot of effort to force out my, “What?”

“Yeah,” he ground out. “Semen on her face, darlin’, in her stomach. No one knows but a bunch of cops, most of them dirty, and me, the same and her fuckin’ husband. Last thing Misty did on this earth was give a blowjob and not one she wanted to give. Before he fuckin’ took her life, he fucked her goddamned face.”

My entire body started shivering as I stared at him and tried to process this horror.