The Way You Say My Name (32 page)

Dillon laid the handle on the ground, right in front of Jamie. "Look at the handle, Jamie. It's solid steel. They all are. And judging by the way this one is too small to catch on the threads at the base, I'm guessing the handle that goes with this jack is even more solid, thicker. Just the right size to club a man over the head with--"
"And then leave him lying in the middle of the road for some drunk to run down." Jamie finished Dillon's sentence with a horrifying realization. "You think the guy who really killed Ben bashed in his head with his own jack handle and then dragged his body into the middle of the road?"
"Yep. I also think that the killer slashed Ben's tire to make it look like he was fixing a flat and had a real reason to be out of the car that night. But he couldn't leave a bloody jack handle behind, so I think the killer probably switched Ben's jack handle with his own thinking no one would ever check it. And it worked, because no one did. Not until now, anyway."
Jamie closed his eyes, his brain doing it's best to keep up. When he was together enough to open them again, he looked at Dillon and said, "But how did he do it without being seen? And if Ben didn't really have a flat that night, what was he doing out of his car? And how did the killer get the jack handle out of the trunk to hit him with in the first place?"
Dillon leaned back against the car. "The first part is easy enough to answer. Tully Road is isolated enough that no one would be out there at that time of night except the occasional drunk on his way back from the beer joints. If I had to guess I'd say that's why Ben and the guy who killed him were meeting out there in the first place." Dillon rubbed his grimy hand over his face, leaving more than one smudge. "As for the rest of it, who knows? Just more pieces to add to this dam jigsaw puzzle Ben created."
Jamie wanted to argue that getting killed wasn't exactly Ben's fault, but he knew it would be a hard sell, even to himself. Blackmail and extortion weren't exactly conducive to long life and good health. One thing he couldn't argue against any longer, though, was going to see Brandon. Jamie couldn't keep fighting the truth. He and Dillon were over their heads, and they needed backup. Looking to Dillon, he said, "Can we wait about changing the tire?"
"Yeah, we can, but we don't have to. I have a jack in the trunk of the Lumina."
"It's not that. It's just that, well . . . " Jamie cleared his throat. "We need to go see Ash before we do anything else."
It was Dillon's turn to look confused. "Ash? Why?"
"Because I want to clear it with him before we go to see Brandon." Jamie looked Dillon dead in the eye. "You were right, Dillon. It's time we tell Brandon the truth. All of it."
Dillon grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him, hard. When they broke apart, he summed up his feelings in four simple words. "It's about damned time."
* * *
Thank God, Ash was home. Jamie was so nervous, Dillon was afraid he was going to have to strap Jamie to the seat of the Lumina with duct tape just to get him to sit still long enough to fasten his seat belt. When Ash answered the door on the first ring, Dillon sagged against the doorframe with relief.
Ash looked worlds better than he had the last time they'd seen him. The bandages were gone, revealing a rope-shaped scar encircling the entire circumference of his neck, but other than that, no one looking at him would ever be able to tell he'd had such a near-miss. The thing that put Dillon the most at ease, though, was the warm smile Ash gave the minute he saw them.
"It's about time you assholes came to see me. I was beginning to think I was gonna have to barge into your little love-nest just so you'd know I was still alive." Even Dillon had to admit that Ash's damaged vocal cords gave his voice a low, sexy pitch.
Dillon laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river, why don't you?" He grew more serious. "You look good, man. Real good."
Ash ushered them inside. "I feel good. And Dr. Carson is so happy with my progress, he's decreased my therapy sessions to once a week. With any luck, I'll be discharged from care completely by the time school starts in the fall."
Jamie clapped Ash on the back. "That's great, Ash." Jamie hesitated. "That makes what we came to ask you even harder."
Ash led them into the den and motioned them towards the couch, taking one of the chairs for himself. Once they were all seated, he said, "If this is about you telling the sheriff what happened with me and Ben, I'm all for it."
Jamie seemed too stunned to speak, so Dillon took over. "You know about that?"

"Sure. Megan told me you were thinking about it, and might want me to back up the story with your brother. I'll tell you the same thing I told her. I think you should tell him what's going on. Especially until you find out where that other money came from."

Dillon looked to Jamie, a question in his eyes. When Jamie nodded, Dillon said, "Actually, we're pretty sure Ben was blackmailing the guy who pimped him out. The less you know about that the better, but let's just say we found photos a whole lot like the ones Ben made of you."
Ash shuddered, but he seemed to be holding it all together. "Damn. I had no idea Ben was capable of all that. I really thought maybe what he did to me was a one time thing."
Jamie cleared his throat. "There's more." He went on to tell Ash about the slashed tire and the mismatched jack handle.
Ash shook his head in amazement. "So what, you think the pimp killed Ben because Ben was blackmailing him, then made it look like an accident? It makes sense, I guess. All the more reason for you to turn the guy over to Sheriff Nash."
Dillon propped his right leg over his left knee. "That's the kicker. The guy who whored out Ben is dead. Somebody wasted him on his own front porch."
Ash whistled. "You gotta go to the sheriff, Jamie. I'll back you up any way I can." He lowered his eyes. "I still have those pictures Ben took of me and him, if you need them."
"God, Ash, why would you keep something like that?" Jamie made a rude noise. "I'd have burned the fuckers."
Ash shrugged. "I'm not sure why I kept them, to tell you the truth. Maybe I just wanted a reminder of my own stupidity." Jamie started to speak but Ash held up his hand to stop him. "It's okay, Jamie. I won't say I'm over it, but I'm dealing with it. And look at it this way. If you show Brandon those pictures and that letter from Ben, it goes a long way towards backing up your story."
By the time the visit was over and the two of them were ready to leave, Jamie seemed more convinced than ever that telling Brandon the truth was the right thing to do. Dillon was actually starting to think that all their problems would soon be behind them. He should have known better.
* * *
They drove to Brandon's house first. It was pushing eight o'clock by the time they got there, and Dillon was almost sure Bran would be there. Nate answered the door, with Sasha, Brandon's Great Dane, hot on his heels. Sasha studied the boys for a second with something akin to doggie-disinterest before sauntering back into the house. Dillon laughed. "Some watchdog she is."
Nate snorted. "Oh yeah. She's a watchdog all right. She'd sit back on her fuzzy rump and watch the thieves make off with all our stuff." Nate opened the door wider. "You guys want to come in?"
Jamie shook his head. "Actually, we were hoping to talk to Brandon."
"I wish you could, guys, but he's gone to Chicago to talk to a witness about a case he's working on. I'm not expecting him back until late tonight. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Dillon took Jamie's hand. "Not this time, Nate, but we appreciate the offer."
Nate slapped him on the shoulder. "Anytime, buddy. And whatever it is, I hope it works out for you. For both of you."
It was a too much of an understatement to say it out loud, but silently, Dillon did, too.
* * *
By the time they got back to their apartment, Jamie was totally drained. He could have sworn he fell asleep twice on his feet just walking towards the stairs. He followed Dillon inside the apartment and was just about to head towards the shower when someone knocked on the door. Since Dillon was halfway to the bedroom already, Jamie yelled, "I'll get it."
The minute he opened the door, all thoughts of being tired and taking a shower fled. Megan stood on the deck, her eyes red, dried tear tracks on her cheeks. Jamie pulled her inside and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you all right?" Megan mumbled into his chest. "Yes. No. I don't know." She drew back and took in a deep, shuddering breath as a fresh batch of tears filled her eyes. "I'm not sure how to feel. Heath's mad at me, and I don't know why."
Dillon came back in, took one look at Megan's face and said, "Dammit, what did Heath do to you?"
"How do you know it was Heath?" Megan swabbed at her eyes with her shirtsleeve. "How do you know it wasn't me who screwed up?"
Dillon pulled her over to the couch. "Because I know my brother." He and Jamie sat down on either side of her, offering what comfort they could. "What happened, Megan?"
"You know that night we got picked up in Chicago?" When they both nodded, Megan said, "Stupid question. Of course you do. Well, Heath was so mad at me that night, he spent the entire drive back from Chicago blessing me out for what happened. I guess he was on such a role, he couldn't see how upset I was getting. By the time we got back to Reed, I was a complete basket case. Heath felt bad about it, and he took me to his apartment to get me calmed down before driving home. Guess he didn't want my mom and dad to see me so upset." She took a deep breath. "He was so great about it, so apologetic. We started kissing. One thing led to another, and . . ."
Dillon groaned. "Megan, please tell me you didn't sleep with him."
That brought on a fresh round of tears. "I did. And that wasn't the only time we've been together. He's always been so sweet afterwards. But not tonight. Tonight was different."
Dillon drew her against his side. "And how was tonight different, honey?"
Megan hiccupped. "Tonight I told him I loved him."
Jamie reached out and squeezed her hand. "And what did he say when you told him that?"
Megan increased the pressure on Jamie's hand. "He flipped out on me. Total pancake. We were at his apartment, and he just freaked. He jumped up and started getting dressed, going on and on about not expecting too much and about me pressuring him." Megan laughed, the sound harsh and bitter coming from her lips. "Jeez, you tell a guy you love him and he practically dives out the window to get away from you." Megan wiped her eyes on her sleeve again, and Dillon went to fetch some tissue. As soon as he came back, and Megan blew her nose and wiped her eyes proper, she said, "He all but threw me out of the apartment, told me it was time for me to go home. I drove straight here. God, what did I do wrong?"
Dillon cursed under his breath. "You didn't do a damn thing wrong, Megan. This is Heath's problem, not yours." Dillon stood up, and Jamie knew what he had in mind.
Megan must have guessed it, too, because she said, "Where are you going?"
"Where do you think I'm going?" Dillon picked up his keys. "I'm going to beat some sense into my dumbass brother. No way in hell am I gonna let him treat you this way."
Megan did her own version of a freak out. "No, you can't! Please, Dillon, it would only make things worse. You know how Heath is. He'd be so mad at me if he knew I told you what was going on between us. Please don't do it."
Dillon looked at Jamie with such helpless bewilderment, Jamie felt sorry for him. But on this one, Megan was right. "You can't do it, Dillon. You've been where Heath is. Think about it. Could anyone two years ago have forced you to confront your feelings about me?"
Dillon fell back onto the couch. "Take the wind out of a guy's sails, why don't you?" He looked at a still sobbing Megan. "So, what are we gonna do about this?"
"Nothing. I'm the one who screwed up, not you." Megan curled her lip. "I'm always the one talking about cows and free milk. I knew better than to give my virginity to a guy who barely even seems to like me most of the time."
Jamie pulled her in and hugged her tight. "Well, we like you. And we won't even ask you to sleep with us."
Megan managed a shaky laugh as Dillon wrapped his arms around her from the other side. "Who says we won't? This girl is downright cuddly. I've always wanted a human teddy bear. She could sleep right in the middle of that big ole bed of ours, and we could share her."
Megan laughed again, and Jamie could feel her relax a little bit. As much as he liked Heath, he was mad as hell at him for doing this to her. And judging from the look on Dillon's face, he was even angrier than Jamie was.
It took Megan another half hour to calm down completely. She was wrung out, and Jamie wasn't surprised when she said, "Thanks for listening, guys. I think I'm gonna go home now and drown my sorrows in a hot bubble bath."
"You sure you're up to the drive?"
Megan stood up, the two of them going up with her. "I'm fine, Dillon, just ready to go home." She kissed them both on the cheek. "I'll see you Monday at school, if not sooner." And before either one of them could lodge a protest, she was gone.
The minute the door closed, Dillon grabbed Jamie in a hug so tight Jamie thought sure he heard his ribs groan in protest. Dillon's voice was harsh, strained. "God, Jamie, I am so sorry."
"For what?" Jamie pulled back as best he could within the confines of Dillon's bear hug.
Dillon's face was tortured. "For putting you through the same thing my brother is putting Megan through. If I hurt you half as bad as Heath has hurt Megan, you must have been in agony."
Jamie leaned up on his tiptoes and kissed Dillon's chin. "You've more than made up for it. And with any luck, Heath and Megan will work things out, too."
Dillon sighed and rocked Jamie back and forth in his arms. "I hope you're right, but, knowing my brother, he'll make Megan's life hell before he admits to her--and himself--how he really feels. I--"
A solid knock on the door cut Dillon off in mid-sentence. Jamie pulled away from him with a wry smile. "Hold that thought. Megan must have forgotten something."
Jamie crossed the room to the door, flinging it open with, "Hey what did you for--" The words died on his lips. Instead of seeing the blue eyes and red hair he'd expected, Jamie laid eyes on the face that had haunted his dreams since that ill-fated day in February. The dark brown eyes, the black hair, the face of the best friend he'd ever known. Ben Lewis was standing on Jamie and Dillon's doorstep.