Page 44 of 2nd Strike
JJ probably worries the same, but he shrugs it off. “She's known there was someone for a while. She was bound to find out it was you by this weekend."
“She’s going to rake you over the coals.”
He puts both hands on the conference table and pushes to his feet. "She already has.”
He says it as if he's thinkingbring it on.
I stand, looking him directly in the eye. ”I’m not worth it. You should cut your losses and run."
He comes around, so he’s right in front of me. “You're not getting rid of me that easy."
He kisses me, deeply and passionately, nearly bending me over the table. I'm not sure where it would’ve led, but my phone interrupts us. It's my ringtone for Meg, and I press my hands against his chest, pushing him away so I can answer.
“Meg?" I try to slow my heart rate, not sure if it's because of JJ, or I'm expecting yet another shoe to drop. “What's up? Is everything okay?"
"Ethan and I are meeting Jon at the skatepark. Don't try to talk me out of it.”
“That's a terrible idea."
"I never said it was a good one, but I'm taking backup, so sit tight, and I'll let you know how it goes as soon as we're done.”
I feel like I’m going to explode. “This could be a trap, a media stunt. Jon Baker is a legitimate student at Carver High School, but I haven't found out much about him or his mom yet. We need to wait until we have more information.”
"Too late. Ethan and I are already heading there. Don't worry, Justice Greystone and his friend, Tony Gerard, are with us. We've got it covered."
I'm totally blown away. My little sister has just outmaneuvered me and called in the big guns. She hangs up before I can say anything else and I stare at my cell, dumbfounded.
"What is it?" JJ asks.
Meg seems to be acting more like me than her. Guess that's what happens when I go down in flames—she has to step up. "I think I've created a monster."
20
Meg
Ithink I’ve lost my mind.
That’s the only thing on my mind as I walk out of the drugstore, DNA test in hand. My sister’s voice rings in my head as I anticipate the brutal lecture she’ll give me.
I’ll probably melt from her wrath.
And I’d deserve it.
Giving Jon, a fifteen-year-old, a DNA test without parental consent is horrible. I know better. My conscience screams it.
And, yet, here I am.
Meg, Warrior Princess.
Or Idiot Princess.
If Jon is the real Ethan Havers and this case goes to trial, the test—the ultimate piece of evidence—will get thrown out and a kidnapper might go free.
No doubt.
Maybe, if he’s still employed, JJ will do his magic and somehow win a motion to keep it, but there’s no counting on that.
As I walk toward my van, I glance at Ethan in the passenger’s seat, the late afternoon sun shining on his dark hair and a stab to my midsection rocks me. He looks like every other adolescent kid who should be out trying to lose his virginity. Instead he’s sifting through the rubble of his broken world.
