Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter 13: You've Been Expecting Me

We followed an array of unmarked forest trails for an hour before the sirens died. My house came into view minutes later. The rain stopped, but that didn't stop the cold from sinking in. I shivered just as much as my teeth clattered.

"I know it's wet," Noah said as he draped his jacket over my shoulders, "but the weight should keep you warm."

Usually, I would've argued, but I was freezing, and he was right. The warmth fell over my shoulders like a thick blanket. I tightened my grip on it. Any comfort at all helped tremendously. My legs were covered in dirt, torn up by thorns, and grime covered my gritty skin. Without looking, I knew my bare feet were bleeding. So were my arms and legs. But concentrating on that wouldn't help us. I just wanted to get inside my house and know we were safe. Noah thought the same. He hadn't stopped talking about it, and I encouraged him.

When we hit the driveway, we both sped up, treading to the house with our eyes locked on the safe haven. Lightning flashed, highlighting two beady red eyes staring at us. It went dark as thunder clapped, then Argos barked as he ran toward us. I sighed, grateful the creature had just been my dog, waiting. When my hand landed on his wet fur, he paused at my feet. 

"Hey, boy," I cooed.

Noah stayed behind me, but Argos didn't question his presence this time. In fact, he wagged his tail and darted up to him. Noah's hand wavered as he pet the dog.

"What's he doing outside?" he asked.

I looked over to see the entrance to my house, and all my hope drained out of me. "The front door is open," I whispered.

Noah didn't hesitate. He ran toward it.

I bolted behind him, Argos at my heels. "Wait," I tried, but I was too late.

I rounded the corner and came face-to-face with Broden. His reddened scowl was all I saw before he shot forward and pinned Noah against the doorframe. Argos' neck fur rose with his growl, but Broden continued to dig his splint into Noah's Adam's apple. He wheezed, the blood trailing down his face heavier now that he was out of the rain.

"Broden," I exclaimed, pulling him as if I could separate the two, but Broden was stronger than my exhausted arms could manage. Argos' growls turned into threatening barks.

Broden leaned into Noah, but he snapped at me, "You were supposed to stay home."

"If you were honest with me, I would have." I yanked his shirt as Noah wheezed again. "And if it weren't for Noah, I'd be in jail right now. So let him go."

Broden refused. "If it weren't for Noah, the police wouldn't have been there."

"If it weren't for both of you, the police wouldn't have been there," I corrected.

My words silenced Broden. His arm dropped from Noah's throat. He stepped back, and Noah rubbed his collar bone as he coughed air back into his lungs. How the two guys were supposedly best friends was beyond me.

"Just a reminder," Noah rasped, "we agreed on that plan."

Broden's expression faltered, and I saw Broden's growing anger as if I had taken tomo. I leapt between them, preventing Broden from pinning Noah again. "Stop it," I said, laying my hands on Broden's chest. "He's already bleeding."

Broden's eyes darted to the injury on Noah's hairline. He didn't calm down, but he didn't try to attack him either. "How'd that happen?"

Noah shrugged. "Saving my life," I said, and told him the story, though I purposely forgot to mention that Noah had been the one to push me into the river in the first place.

"At least you're good for something," Broden spat.

Noah's face darkened like Broden's words meant something I couldn't understand. His words had hit Noah somewhere personal, and now Noah's lips curled into a snarl. "At least I'm good at saving your girlfriend, you mean?"

I moved away from Noah as if I invited Broden to hit him. "I am not his girlfriend," I said, but they ignored my comment.

The two locked glares on one another, but neither moved. Broden knew how to fight with his fists, but Noah knew how to fight with his words. The pair was indestructible together, but I didn't want to know who would win if they fought one another.

This was bad.

"Children," the roar of a voice broke them apart.

Noah backed against the doorway while Broden turned around to search the shadows. Even though Broden had been here, he clearly didn't know there was a man in the house all along. No one had, yet here we were, watching the hulk of a man walk onto the porch to join us. The glasses in his front pocket reflected lightning into his face.

"Dad?" I managed as Argos wagged his tail. "What are you doing here?"

"Last time I checked, this was my house." He used a parental tone I hadn't heard before now. As he took one step forward, he crossed his arms and looked us over. A blade blinked from a sheath on his belt. "I don't appreciate fighting in my home. We have two others sleeping." Lyn and Falo.  But he didn't seem to care about how we looked, torn and bloody. He looked like he had been expecting it.

Noah stiffened. "Dwayne Gray?"

My father's caterpillar eyebrows pushed together; the wrinkles on his forehead became prominent. "Who are you?"

"My name is Noah Tomery," he said, revealing a last name I had never heard before. "I believe you've been expecting me."