Page 20 of Bad to the Bone

By the time I pull into her driveway I am frantic. I don’t know what I was thinking. Anything could have happened. I know Kim very well. She seems tough, but underneath it all she is the softest person I have ever met.

I already made up my mind to kick the door in if she didn’t open it voluntarily. Consequences be damned. It’s so clear to me that I am out of control. Being here now is not smart, but I can’t sit at home not knowing how she’s doing.

Her face is swollen and red when she opens the door. It’s obvious that she’s been crying. She reaches for me and I hold her, checking my desire to turn right around and rip Tom’s throat open for distressing her. She rests her head on my chest and clings to my shirt and I swallow the desire to roar with rage. Somebody hurt her. Kim. My Kim.

“Are you okay?” I don’t press for an answer as I smooth her hair down and rest my chin on her head.

The minutes pass and we haven’t moved at all.

“Did he send somebody down here to give you a hard time?”

She looks up at me with confused eyes.

“My dad, Tom, did he send somebody here to threaten you?”

She shakes her head and steps away from my arms. Without thinking I catch her and drag her back into the protective circle of my arms.

“Is it true that you and Shannon are siblings?”

So that’s it.

“Possibly. We won’t know for certain without the results of a DNA test. But, it’s pretty likely.”

Kim smacks her forehead as all of the pieces begin to fall into place for her.

“Jesus, how did I miss it? And how did you two figure it out? And how long have you guys known? And why are you keeping secrets from me? You think I don’t deserve to be informed about what’s going on in my own family?” The weepy woman I held a minute ago disappears, replaced by the same wild cat that backed my parents into a corner a few hours ago. I can’t help but to smile at her sudden transformation.

“Okay, that’s a lot of questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?”

“Don’t laugh. I’m serious.” She scowls, and it’s so cute I can’t help but to steal a kiss.

“Zayne!” she pummels me with her fists, chasing me around the living room like a chicken with its rear on fire, until even she has to laugh. I stop just long enough for her to “catch me” and wrap her in my arms again.

“Hey, how about we get out of here. I promise I will answer all of your questions, but I think what we need is a getaway.”

“What about Shannon?”

“She can come too. I think we all need to decompress,” I offer.

She chews her lips for a moment, looking pensively at the corridor.

“I’ll ask her.”

“No,” she puts her arm out to stop me. “I’ll go. I should do it.”

“Okay, I’ll pack,” I say, moving past her and down the hall.

She knocks softly on Shannon’s bedroom door several times before she gets an answer. I make myself scarce and close the door to our bedroom while they talk. Through the door I can hear a few muffled outbursts, but nothing clear, and nothing that makes me think that things are going badly. As I stuff clothes in a bag I send Dylan a text message.

Everything okay here. Are you okay? Do you need to talk?

Several minutes pass before I get a reply.

Glad to hear it.

The brevity of his message makes me pause, trying to decide if I should call or not. It’s just as likely that he’s drunk as hell or is currently servicing some co-ed and is indisposed. When I called him earlier something seemed off about him. He wasn’t the Dylan that I knew.

I have some free time soon. Coming to see you. Let me know when you’re free.

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