Light Unshaken (Unveiled #2) Read online

  It wasn’t that long of a walk back to my apartment. Still, I’d checked my phone for a reply five times before reaching my door. Where was he?

  I toed off my shoes by the heels and hung up my keys. Jaycee sprinted down the hall, muttering to herself the way she did when she was on a mission. I followed her into our room. A sweater sailed from the closet and landed on the corner of her mattress beside an overflowing suitcase.

  “Jae? What’s going on?”

  She peeked out from behind the closet door. “Oh, sorry, Em. I’m not ignoring you, promise. I’m just trying to make sure I don’t forget anything.” She pushed her hair off her face and left her hand on her forehead. “If I get stuck in rush hour traffic, I’m gonna kill Professor Greaves for keeping us late today.”

  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with professor problems.

  “I thought you weren’t going home until Friday?”

  She rolled up a pair of jeans and stuffed them inside the perimeter of her bag. “My dad called. Said Mom’s been sick for the last week. I thought I better go home a few days early to help get everything ready for Saturday.”

  She held a black cocktail dress in front of her to examine it with her fashion meter, no doubt. “Sweet Sixteen parties are kind of a big deal at my house. I know it’s killing my mom not to be at her best.”

  “Well, don’t stress. You’re the queen of planning parties. Everything will turn out perfectly. Mandy’s gonna love it.”

  She stopped midstream in one of her trips between her dresser and suitcase with a pair of sparkly heels dangling from her fingers. Her restless expression yielded to a smile. “Thanks.”

  I flopped onto my bed while she assembled sets of earrings and necklaces to go with each of her outfits. “Is Trevor going with you?”

  “He’s coming down after class on Friday. So, he’ll make the party, at least.” She jumped on top of her suitcase to force it to close all the way. “You sure you’ll be okay while I’m gone?”

  “What will I do without my mom-away-from-home?”

  She tossed her pillow at me.

  “I’ll be fine, Jae. I have three classes plus my internship. Think I should be able to keep myself busy.”

  A ding lit up my cell with Riley’s delayed text.

  Booked all day. Will call at nine.

  I folded the pillow under my arms. Sometimes staying busy didn’t help.

  Hands hovering over her bags, Jaycee gave her packing job one last assessment. “You should invite Becky and Ashlea over one night if you get bored.”

  We looked at each other for a split second before busting out laughing.

  “Okay, maybe not Ashlea,” she said. “But, seriously, call me or Trev if you need anything. We won’t be that far away.”

  “Stop worrying. Have a great time with your family. Give your parents hugs for me, and tell that baby sister of yours to stop growing up so fast.”

  “Right?” She slid her arm through her toiletry bag straps and sat beside me. “We’re getting old, Em. It’s sad but true.”

  My forehead wrinkled in a mirror reflection of hers. “You better drive in the slow lane, then. You know how impatient people can get behind elderly drivers.”

  She shoved me off the edge of the bed.

  I lugged her oversized suitcase down the stairwell, each drop onto the next stair louder than the last. The thing weighed a ton. “You sure you’re coming back?”

  “If I weren’t, you’d be carrying a lot more than one suitcase right now.”

  We reached the curb the same time as Trevor.

  “Hey, Em, you gonna be okay with your partner in crime missing?” He toyed with the top corner of Jaycee’s jeans. “There’s no permanent damage, right? I mean, it had to be painful separating two people attached at the hip.”

  Our synchronized eye rolling perpetuated his amusement.

  “You know, Trev, I had the strangest notion the other day that maybe by senior year that joke would get old.”

  His mischievous grin ruled out that possibility. “You could use a little humor in your life.”

  I replicated his grin. “That is why I keep you around.”

  Ignoring my sarcasm, he whisked Jaycee into his arms. “I’m good for a few things.”

  Oh, brother. Jaycee giggled, and I took my cue.

  I could only handle seeing so much affection before I had to excuse myself from the premises.

  “Have a great time, Jae. Drive safely.” I waved goodbye and headed back up the walkway to our apartment.

  “Oh, Em,” she called. “I left you something in the bathroom. A little precautionary measure. You know, to keep you focused.”

  No telling what that meant. Did I want to know?

  Curiosity got the best of me. With only a few minutes before I had to leave, I stopped in the bathroom. A train of colored sticky notes lined the right-hand edge of the mirror, one underneath the other. YOUR DAILY PEP TALK, the first one read in all caps, followed by smaller print underneath it.

  Read out loud:

  I am courageous.

  I am not alone.

  I am loved.

  I will make it through.

  Leave it to Jaycee to make me laugh while getting teary-eyed at the same time. Precautionary measures? I shook my head but couldn’t blame her for being on guard after my brief exile into depression last year.

  Following her instructions, I repeated each declaration out loud on my drive in to work. As ridiculous as I probably looked and sounded, professing the words made them a little easier to believe. At least, until the black Acura parked outside the center stoked a reminder of another fire waiting for me. I’d invited A. J. into the only thing besides Riley that held my heart.

  chapter nine

  Eclipsed

  I glanced up from my desk toward the sunset sneaking through the office’s front window. The same cluster of guys A. J. and I’d seen weeks ago guarded the street corner across from the center like a pack of dogs defending their territory. The tallest one stared right at me. His expression tore through the window and held my lungs in a vice grip against my chair.

  “Emma.”

  My knees clanked into the bottom of my drawer. Biting back the pain, I turned right as Trey unhooked his jacket from the coat stand in the entryway.

  “I’m really sorry I have to dip out early. More paperwork to sign.” He kept his tone light, but the burden of his divorce wore through.

  My heart ached for him. I tucked the voicemail messages I’d written down earlier under my keyboard. He didn’t need to deal with bill collectors right now.

  “As much as my attorney’s charging by the hour, you’d think he could get it all done in one shot.” He pressed down his coat collar. “You know the difference between a lawyer and a mosquito?”

  I cocked my chin. “Same thing as the last five times you told this joke?”

  He laughed his husky laugh. “Still true. I’m tellin’ ya, they’ll suck the life out of you.” He jostled his keys from his pocket. “You sure you’re good with closing up?”

  “Yep.” I stole another glance behind me toward the window. No sign of the earlier loiterers. Nothing but a few pieces of loose trash blowing down the vacant street.

  I ruffled through a pile of outstanding bills on my desk. “I just have this last stack of invoices to key, and then I’ll be heading out myself.”

  A. J. stood on the outskirts of the room near the back door with his focus glued to his Nikes.

  Trey looked from him to me and cleared his throat. I hadn’t expected A. J. to stay this long. I wasn’t about to ask him to stay after everyone else left.

  Trey must’ve sensed my hesitation and apparently had no qualms speaking up for me. “A. J., you mind sticking around until Emma locks up?”

  He raised his head, a toy soldier coming to life from a wooden pose. “I’m happy to stay and walk you to your car, Emma.”

  I saw his lips move. Knew it was A. J.’s voice, but it sounded wrong. Too
formal. Too obligatory. For his sake, I wanted to pretend I’d be fine on my own. Even more, I wished Riley were here instead.

  A. J. blinked away from the death stare Trey had honed in on him. “I should probably stick around anyway. Clean up the court a little. Prep for next week.”

  “All right, then.” Trey tucked on his leather Newsboy cap. “Time for me to hit the road before my lawyer finds another way to prey on my wallet.” Feigning a look of horror, he hummed the Jaws theme on his way out.

  Always a joker.

  Still smiling, I rested my arms over the papers and faced A. J. “Thanks for staying. And for coming today. Taking time out to ball with the kids meant a lot to them.”

  They already adored him. I saw it as soon as I got in—a huddle of boys soaking up his pointers as if he’d been handing out twenty-dollar bills. One glimpse of their connection was enough to confirm he belonged here. My heart swelled with hope. For them. For the center.

  “It was fun.” Though honest, A. J.’s short-lived smile couldn’t overthrow the detached look in his eyes. He shuffled in place, hands in his pockets, visible tension plaguing him now that we were together. Alone. Again.

  He stopped over the threshold leading to the basketball court. “I’ll be out back. Holler when you’re ready to go.”

  Even if we couldn’t be as close as we were before, I’d hoped working together might at least bring the camaraderie back. Lessen the heated tension.

  The door shut behind him with the obvious answer.

  Stillness settled across all four corners of the office. It seemed darker than it had a minute ago. I clicked on my desk lamp and restricted my vision to the 3x2 foot space on my desk. Focus on why you’re here.

  A steady stream of data entry kept me busy, despite the lull of my computer’s fan drawing my eyelids shut. Sometime between finishing one stack of bills and preparing another one for tomorrow, the night had absorbed the last slivers of daylight. I stretched my neck from side to side. It had to be close to when Riley said he’d call. I checked the clock. Five after nine? Shoot. Don’t tell me I missed him.

  I clicked on my cell. The screen stayed black. I clicked it again. Nothing. Are you kidding me? I scoured through my desk drawers for a charger. Of course not. Just perfect.

  Purse in hand, I rose from my desk and glanced out the window toward the darkened street. Still empty.

  I stopped to peek out the back door. No sight of A. J. either. “I’m running to my car for a sec,” I called anyway.

  A muffled, “okay,” trailed back, probably from inside the utility closet.

  I made sure the front light was on before stepping foot outside. The bulb’s static charge echoed the buzz of insect wings fluttering around it. A quick glimpse down the bricks on either side of the doorway confirmed all was clear.

  I gained ground on the end of the walkway. A coarse rustling followed a shadow flickering in the streetlight. Clinching my purse strap with both hands, I forced in a breath and crept around the building into a gust of wind.

  Something flew straight at me. My heart leaped far enough up my throat to block my scream from escaping. Arms flailing, I fended off the object until it fell to the ground, defeated.

  I shoved my mangled hair away from my face and let out a deflated huff. A foil hamburger wrapper. Wow. Some menacing enemy. Another burst of wind swept it past my feet down the street. Good thing I hadn’t run to get A. J. He’d be laughing it up right now.

  Shaking it off, I unlocked Riley’s car, climbed over the driver’s seat, and grabbed the charger from the glove box. I slipped it into my purse while hustling back. If I didn’t get to talk to Riley until tomorrow because of this, I’d—

  The pavement gripped my shoes halfway across the street. Two faces emerged from the shadows, their expressions perversely intoxicated at the thrill of catching me off guard. An instant and paralyzing fear stalked up my body.

  I stayed frozen, unable to utter a cry for help. No breath. No sound. Just the heat of panic throbbing through my veins.

  The tallest guy advanced straight for me with a smile taunting me to try to outrun him. A stocky one flanked his left side at a lag.

  Riley’s keys dug into my palm, his absence cutting deeper.

  I stumbled backward with nowhere to run, no way to steady my heart rate. My pulse out-thundered the crude banter rebounding from guy to guy closing in on me. I yelled for A. J., even if he couldn’t hear me.

  My heels scraped into the brick wall. I couldn’t wait for him. My mind raced. The fog rising off the pavement clouded any memory of the self-defense class I took two years ago.

  The guy closest to me made the first move.

  Adrenaline surged. My reflexes kicked in. I stomped the assailant’s foot, bent his arm backward, and maneuvered out of his hold. I kneed the second one in the groin and sprang for Riley’s car. Someone yanked my arms and pushed me into the wall.

  My hope of escaping crashed onto the concrete with the contents of my purse.

  The tall one straightened, still wheezing from my knee’s impact. He stormed up to me. Hot, cigarette-tainted breath poured into my face and onto the ring of sweat soaking the top of my shirt.

  “A. J,” I screamed again.

  A hand covered my mouth and shoved the back of my head harder into the bricks.

  “T, let’s bail,” a third kid called from a significant distance behind the other two.

  The apparent leader jetted around with a clenched fist in the air. “Go up to Twenty-Third Street, and make sure we don’t get no unexpected guests.” His voice held authority. The kind I doubted anyone in his crew would test.

  Staring at me, the kid didn’t move at first. The look on his face blended into the darkness stretching behind him. My eyes screamed for him to intervene.

  “Dee!” the leader shouted this time.

  The kid flinched. Without a word, he jogged backward, turned, and ran in the opposite direction. Away from the center and away from his chance to help me.

  The leader grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. The intent in his gaze seeped through my clothes and crawled over my skin. One flex of power, and he could rob Riley and me of everything we’d been saving for each other.

  Tears burned.

  His dark eyes smoldered above a sinister smirk. Glancing at his friend, he ran his finger under my necklace. “Looks like senorita gots more than one pearl to give us.”

  I spit in his face with all the vehemence I had in me. Seething, he wiped his cheek with his sleeve. I tried to break free, but he blocked my arms. The corner of his ring cut into my chin and ignited another scream for help. He pounded my shoulders, crashing my whole body into the wall. I reached for the back of my head. The scene swirled. Coarse bricks scraped through my shirt as I slid down the building. Balance lost.

  Consciousness drifted. A third figure emerged. Had that kid come back? Muffled voices trailed the hazy shapes scuffling around me. A wounded yelp followed a sharp snap. Someone dropped to the ground. Noises raged. Movements blurred. A second person fell a foot away.

  In the darkness, it turned quiet. Too quiet.

  Just as someone knelt in front of me, everything went black.

  chapter TeN

  Broken

  My body, limp and weighted, hung above someone’s footsteps. My lashes fluttered open. Tops of buildings swayed from side to side next to the clouds. A wave of nausea pulled my eyes shut. I tightened my clasp around my carrier’s shirt, no strength to resist.

  He lowered me into a car and leaned over to fasten my seatbelt.

  I pulled him close enough for his face to come into focus. “A. J.” Relief swelled. My hand slid from his cheek down his cotton shirt.

  His chest rose and fell above a pounding heart. He lifted my hands from his body and set them in my lap. “You’re safe now. Try to be still. I’m getting you out of here.” Though his words soothed, his voice pulsed with adrenaline.

  The driver’s door opened and closed. He shifted the
car into gear and gunned it down the abandoned street. An interstate sign passed above us as he pulled out his cell.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “911—”

  “No.” I tugged his arm and swatted his cell to the floorboard.

  He glared. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t. Please.” My body shook with my voice. “We can’t.” My eyelids fell again, shutting out the blurred images of trees passing along the edge of the highway.

  The car swerved into the right lane. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  I shook my head. “No. Just . . . just take me home.” I set a hand on his arm. “Please.”

  He let out a hoarse exhale. His blinker snapped on, throttle picking up. He reached for his cell again.

  “A. J.—”

  “I’m just calling Trey. Somebody needs to go lock up the center.” He must’ve read the look of concern on my face. “Don’t worry. Those guys are long gone by now.”

  Please be right. I settled back into my seat. My eyes stayed shut until the car stopped moving. In front of my apartment, he unbuckled my seatbelt and helped me out of the car.

  I pushed off the doorframe and stumbled to my feet. “I can make it to the door.”

  He caught my elbow as I slanted to one side. “Don’t be so stubborn. If you won’t let me take you to a doctor, at least let me carry you inside.”

  The distance from the curb to the door stretched farther than it should have. I nodded.

  He lifted me in both arms into a source of safety I craved more than I realized. Warm, comforting, his muscles contracted under my back and legs each time he mounted another stair.

  In my room, he drew back my covers and laid me on the mattress. Everything about him exuded strength. No wonder he didn’t have any problem taking down those two guys.

  Had he been hurt at all? Before he could straighten, I grabbed his hand. He winced softly. “A. J., your knuckles.”