Three, Two, One (321)

“Ray’s?” JD asks. “Why?”

“He left me a message earlier. Probably about the party on Friday.”

“What party?” I ask.

“Halloween, baby,” JD says with a smile. “You gotta go out for that one. Ray has a huge thing. We’ve got our girl scheduled early that night, so you can either come with us, or we’ll swing by and pick you up afterward.” He turns his attention back to Ark. “Hey, I’ll go grab food and talk to Ray. I’m sure it’s about the girls we’ve got lined up this week.” He lifts my head up off his chest and slips out from underneath me, jogging down the hallway to his room.

I stare at the empty hallway for a second, thinking about Halloween, when Ark speaks, surprising me. “You want to explain?”

“No, not really,” I say with a smile. “You?”

“I’m not the one refusing to leave the apartment.”

“I’m not the one encouraging intimacy and then slapping my ass and saying thanks, like I’m some whore you pay to pleasure you.”

“We did pay you.” He takes a seat in the chair just to the left of the couch and props his foot up on his knee, like he’s getting comfortable.

JD appears wearing what I’m starting to think of as his uniform. T-shirt. Jeans, always well-worn and faded. Boots. And a flannel. He stops at the door and slips his black leather jacket on over the flannel and then turns back to us. “Be good, boys and girls. Back in like an hour.”

The door opens. Closes. And then Ark and I are alone again.

“My turn. What was your college major?”

I shake my head. “It’s not your turn and I’m done with the questions.”

“Why?” He stands up and takes a step towards me.

I panic and stand up too, back away from him. “Don’t.”

He takes another step and I’m about to bolt back into JD’s room, but he grips my upper arm firmly and yanks me towards him. I push him off but he squeezes my nipple under the t-shirt and I freeze.

“Why do you like it to hurt?”

“I don’t.”

He shakes his head at me, all but tsks his tongue in disagreement. “Are you ashamed of it?”

“You seem to be.”

“I get the draw. I get the pleasure it can evoke. But what I don’t get is why you ran away from it if you like so much.” He stops, looking down at me with a very serious expression. “Did you run?” I slump back down on the couch and he lets go of my arm. “Did you?”

“I did.”

“Why, then? If that’s what you like? If that gets you off, then why run? It was too much? It was forced? It was rape? Or you agreed and got in over your head? Which of those is true?”

I fold my hands in my lap and it takes every ounce of control not to physically wring them together. “All of that.”

“Did you agree to the branding?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know who these people are?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to protect them?”

I look up at him, perplexed. “From who?”

“From us.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“It’s up to JD.”

“I thought he was unstable? I thought he was unpredictable and violent? Isn’t that what you want me to believe?”

“He is all those things, Blue. You need to accept that as truth. But he’s not gonna let this go. He’ll keep disappearing like this until he finds what he’s looking for.”

“He went out for food.”

Ark shakes his head. “No. He’s out now because he’s compulsive. He needs to look for her. And she’s dead, Blue. We found her grave about two years ago. So what’s he looking for?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Why are you asking me all this? Why do you care? What if my situation isn’t what you think? What if I’m not involved in what you’re looking for?”

“You are.” Ark says it like it’s a fact and not a guess. “What’s he looking for?”

“Isn’t that your department? You’re the JD expert.”

“He’s looking for the people responsible for the death of that girl he knew. And he knows you came from them. Do you really think he’s just playing house with you for the fun of it? He’s using you to get information. And right now, you can bet your life he’s not getting us food. Or on his way to talk to Ray. We might as well just start making our own dinner right now, because he’s checked out for the night.”

“Then why do you let him leave?”

“I’m not his fucking mother. I’m his roommate. I’m his business partner. I’m his best friend. But I can’t tell him what to do.”

“What do you want from me, Ark? Because I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t know why we found you there the other morning, but none of this is good. For any of us.”

“So pay me what you owe me and I’ll leave.”

Ark laughs. “You think JD’s gonna let you get away? You’re the only clue he’s found in four years of searching. You’re here. You’re part of it now. And maybe you don’t know what I’m talking about. But I’m guessing you do. So I’m telling you this as a favor.”

“Is that right?” I snarl. “You’re gonna do me a favor? Does that come before or after you break down my defenses and take advantage of me?”