“If it helps,” Mel says, keeping her voice low, “think of it like a club. One that, uh, Jill is not a part of.”
It does help, I think, remembering Nolene feeding the pigs earlier.
I look over at Kane. Despite the fact that his shoulders are still shaking with suppressed laughter, his eyes remain on mine, waiting to see how I’ll react. The fading flash of blue on his teeth catches my attention. Mel’s words echo in my head.
With effort, I summon up a smile, a part of me acknowledging I do feel strangely privileged to be included in the camaraderie of their unusualclub.
When Kane responds with a slow smile and an approving tilt of his head, the warmth that floods me is troubling.
Ross strolls over, fighting a grin. “You’re not alone in falling for that one, Amy.” He wraps an affectionate arm around Mel’s waist. “Mel was also one of Nugget’s victims.”
Mel bumps him with her hip. “If I remember rightly, I was as mad as Amy is right now.”
“You got over it quickly enough.”
I flick a glance at Ross. “I look forward to paying you back one day.”
“Actually, Amy’s already made a start on paying you back,” Kane says, stroking a dusty Nugget.
Ross’s eyes narrow. “What are you talking about?”
Kane looks ready to run. “You know the problem you’ve been having with the oil under the Jeep?”
Ross lunges for him. “You’ve got to be kidding!”
Kane moves quickly so an oblivious Nugget stands between them. “Keep in mind it was Amy’s idea.”
I prop my hands on my hips at the unapologetic cheek of the man. “Who poured oil under the car every morning?”
“I can’t believe I fell for that old trick!” Ross says in disgust as he and Kane circle Nugget. “Three mornings I’ve wasted tinkering under that car. I was ready to take it in today.”
“Kane, really, what a cruel joke,” Mel says, looking ready to trip him up if he dared run past her.
Kane stares at her in disbelief. “And blue teeth is kind?”
“But that wasn’t Z’s idea.”
“He helped you, I’m sure.”
“Yes, he did,” Mel admits happily.
The momentary diversion of Kane’s attention, however, is enough for Ross to dive at him and catch him in a headlock. Ross winks at Mel and she smiles in triumph.
Watching Kane and Ross wrestle like school boys, my chest tightens on a sudden surge of emotion. If at the end of all this I turn Kane in to the police, what will happen to Ross and Mel? Will they face charges of accessories to kidnapping? I don’t want that. If I’m honest with myself, I don’t even want Kane behind bars. Just picturing him in a prison cell locked up for years and years causes dismay to rise up inside me.
Abruptly, an image of Nolene taking pictures of me while I was paralyzed flashes through my head. I won’t be upset if she spends a couple of months in jail to teach her a lesson.
Then I remember it was Kane who injected me. From there, a list of all the other wrongs he did to me tumbles through my head. Confusion overwhelms me.
I’m pulled from the spiraling descent of my thoughts when Nugget nudges me expectantly with his nose.
“Forget it,” I tell him. I glance up to find Kane regarding me with a watchful expression, as if he picked up on my change of mood. Snorting, Nugget pushes me again and I push him back. “Cut it out.”
Smiling, Mel strokes the horse’s neck. “Don’t worry, old boy. My turn now.”
As Kane and Ross drift away and I rest in the shade to watch Mel brush Nugget, I remind myself these people aren’t monsters. They’re ordinary people who crossed a lot of legal lines fighting for what they think is right. And I’m caught in the middle.
#
