If I Can't Have You || (N.M.)

Chapter 11

"You don't have to work today. I can call in for you."

I was driving Nate to the shop, as he insisted that I did. He said he needed a distraction, but I what wanted was to see him rest up. He looked terrible and I knew he felt it too. Put together, it was just too hard to look at. Still, he pushed for me to take him to work.

"I'll be fine, I just need to clear my mind."

I wasn't so sure.

We drove along the highway and I just kept thinking about how much power Calvin had over us. He wasn't just watching, he was playing us like pawns in a very dangerous game. Nate held a gun to an innocent man's head all because Cal had gotten into his mind and there was no way to stop him.

When we got back on the main road, a fire truck raced past us in a red blur, then an ambulance followed close behind. Neither of us thought anything of it until we saw where the two vehicles were headed. Not far off, a small building was up in flames, thick black smoke billowing up toward the sky.

"Nate is that the-"

"The shop!"

I started to speed then came to anabrupt stop once we got in front of the burning building. Nate took no time at all to get out, racing to stand beside the rest of the guys.

"What the hell happened?!" I heard him yell.

No one could answer him.

I felt powerless watching him freakout. After what had just happened back at the motel, this was the last thing he needed.

"Want to go make sure daddy is okay?" I turned to ask Miracle who was sitting in the backseat. I knew that if anyone could calm him down it was her, but she wasn't going to have it.

"Nu uh," she said, shaking her head side to side. She was still afraid.

At a time like this, it was my turn to be the strong one even though things were getting to me too. I felt as though a majority of this was all my fault. Nate decided to stay in my life, and now it seemed as though things were slowly but surly going downhill for him. What if he realized that and left again?

So consumed by my pity party, I was startled when I heard someone rapping at the glass window. I was even more startled when I saw that it wasn't Nate.

"Joe?" I recognized him from lunch yesterday. Only this time he didn't look so happy.

I looked over at Nate who was talkingto a firefighter, not paying any attention to us. Then hesitantly, I cracked the window. Just enough to make it possible for conversation.

"Can I help-"

I was interrupted before I could get the words out.

"Who did this?"

His question puzzled me so I creased my eyebrows, "Who did what?"

He rolled his eyes like I should have known what he was talking about, "The fire smart ass. Who did it?"

I scowled at him for cursing in frontof Mir, but I was still more concerned with why the hell he thought I knew something about the fire.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Because of this," he slid a piece of paper through the crack in the window, "It was on the ground and it has your name on it toots."

I unfolded the paper to read what it said and recognized the penmanship almost immediately. I tried hard to keep my hands steady, but Joe could see right through me. I went over the note almost ten times, not believing my eyes.