Page 59 of The Boy With The Sharp Teeth
"Ifound your camera this morning," he said without looking at her.
Fora moment, she just stared at the broken camera before hesitantly taking it fromhis hands. Looking up sharply, she looked to the Sheriff and then to Zach."Where's Todd? Did you find him?"
"Ibrought him to the hospital last night,” Zach answered her, and she could see aflash of anger pass quickly over his eyes before he averted them. “I found himon the northwest side of the woods."
"Yeah,and the boy is catatonic and covered in someone else's blood,” Sheriff Samonssnapped. Pointing an accusing finger at her and Zach, his scowl deepened. “Now,I know you two are lying and-"
"Thatis enough, Sheriff!" Having heard enough, Adam stepped closer, his heavyboots thudding with each step.
Sanafelt herself shiver at the sound. Last night something heavy had thudded justlike that next to her, its breath so close she could feel it rustling the hairon the back of her neck.
"Youhave gotten your answers and proof my nephew was with them last night,"Adam gestured to the camera in her hand. "I'm sick and tired of your vendettaagainst my family, and I won't let you drag Sana into this either. We're donehere." Laying his hand on Zach's shoulder, Adam gave her a soft lookbefore speaking into his unmoving nephew's ear. "Come," he ordered.
Reluctantly,Zach stepped backward, never taking his eyes from hers as he backed down thestairs onto the graveled path. Sana could see everything unsaid in his goldeneyes, anger, betrayal, and something cautious that almost felt like worryshining in their gilded depths. Feeling her father's hand on her shoulder, sheallowed him to turn her back and away from the door, breaking her gaze with theboy who betrayed and saved her all in one day.
~*~
Sanalet out a painful sigh as she stared at the water below. That had been the lastsummer she had seen Zach, the last day she had seen him, actually. The nextmorning her parents had packed up the car and hustled her and her brother intoit, driving back to Seattle a full two weeks earlier than planned. After that,summers at her grandparents' house dwindled down to just quick visits once sheentered college, and Kamal started various basketball summer camps. It was asif that awful day had been some sort of turning point or mile marker on theinvisible timeline of her life.
Unfoldingher stiff legs from beneath her, Sana looked around the quiet forest. Over theyears, she learned to push away those frightening memories of that night forher own sake. Trying to recall details of that night only seemed to invite herimagination to play havoc with her. Images of wild bears had somehow evolvedinto visions of giant bipedal beasts with wolfish features. Recurring dreams ofits long black claws scoring her skin and its sharp teeth mauling her flesh hadforced her to bury that day deep inside of her.
Butnow, the memories were unearthed, and Sana could feel the guilt and the dread return.During a phone call, not long after her parents had scuttled them away thatsummer, Sana's grandfather had assured her Todd was released from the hospitaland was doing fine. Having suffered a bit of memory loss from that night, hehad supposedly asked about her to her grandmother once when she was in town.Even now, she felt the weight of guilt when she remembered the sunny blonde'sgentle smile and herself not turning back to find him herself that night. HadTodd tripped and fell like she did? Her doctor back in Seattle had said she waslucky to only have suffered a minor concussion from her fall. She wondered ifTodd suffered the same, if not worse.
Somethingcrunched behind, and Sana whirled around in her seat and let out a breath atthe sight of Zach standing there. With his feet braced apart, his chest roseand fell in heavy breaths as if he had just run through the woods. Sana's skinprickled into gooseflesh as she watched his nostrils flare and his chest expandas he dragged in a deep breath.
"Howdid you find me?" she spoke, hoping to dispel the mounting silence betweenthem.
Steppingforward, Zach reached for the rock as he lifted one boot to its craggy surface.Easily, as if walking up stairs, he lifted himself onto the flat rock and kneltby her. "I can always find you, Sana. The real question here is, why areyou out here and not at home?"
Shecould hear the spike of anger in his tone. "I…I just needed some time…tothink."
"Outhere in the woods," he gestured to the quiet forest around them."Right after you got accosted by that fucking fat prick Samons?!" hebit out.
"Ijust wanted some time to think, and besides, I'm fine. Why are you yelling atme?" she demanded.
"Becausewhen I get to your house and saw that it was empty, it scared the fuck out ofme," he said, blowing out an exhausted breath as he sat down fully on thestone next to her. Reaching out, Zach took her hand in his and covered it withhis other. Bringing it up to his mouth, he kissed the tips of her fingers stickingout and gave her a desperate look. "Do you even know what my first thoughtwas?"
Sana'sheart clenched at the pain in his voice. Leaning into him until their handswere pressed against both of their chests, she kissed the underside of his tautjaw. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just knew you would comehome angry and wanting answers and…I just needed a moment."
Zachpulled back enough to give her a searching look, his dark brows furrowing ather words. "A moment from me?"
"Frankly,yes,” she admitted. “You can be very intense, and I didn't need you and…"she wanted to say memories of that night competing in her head for attention.
"Andwhat?" he pressed.
Thelight pressure on her chin made her want to sigh as he tilted her chin up. Hisbrilliant eyes gleamed with worry.
Swallowing,Sana dropped her gaze to their joined hands and sucked in a painful breath."Samons asked me about that night. He told me that they never found thosetwo boys’ bodies. He made it seem you had something to do with it—that we bothdid."
Silencewas her only response. Looking up, Sana frowned at the mixture of emotions inZach's face. Anger was what she expected, but there was something almost likehesitancy written on his face. Seconds dragged by between them like eternalminutes, and she realized he wasn't going to say anything. Desperate now, Sanaleaned forward and tightened her hands over his.
"Thatnight when you found me, Todd and I had run away from two guys that had beencamping in the woods,” she explained. “I think they had meant to hurt me,” hervoice broke at the painful influx of memories, but she continued on, “and maybehurt Todd to get to me. They…"
"Shh,"he hushed her as he stood up to his feet, pulling her up along with him.Brushing some of her hair from her face, he tucked it gently behind her ear ashis other hand pressed her hips nearly flush with him. "Come on, let's gohome, and we'll talk about it there."
Standingthis close, Sana only needed to inhale to fill her lungs with the fresh scentof him. Nodding, she let him guide her back through the forest and back to herhouse. Hugging her body close to his, Zach waved at Kevin, who stood outside ofhis car on his phone. At the sight of them, Kevin's taut face fell into a lookof relief before waving back with a nod and getting into his car.
Guiltneedled at her heart as she turned to look at Kevin's retreating car down thedrive. “I didn’t mean to make anyone worry.”
