Always One More.... [Finished]

Day 16 - Part 2

He checked his watch for the seventh time. Or maybe the eighth?

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. She said she'd be here." Louis looked around. "Besides, where's Terry? I thought she was in town for the day, visiting. She's the one helping get the tuxedos, right?"

Aeron laughed. "Yep. She helped with yours, now my turn."

"And Karyl and I got dragged into this how?"

"Because I'm not going shopping with my fiance alone. Not a good idea with changing rooms in the vicinity."

Louis screwed up his face.

A comment was on the tip of Aeron's tongue when he spotted the light gray sedan heading for them. "Ah, there she is. My beauty. And hopefully she found Karyl at the library."

"What makes you think she's there?"

"Where else would she be? She's not with you, and you're the only other place she'd be found."

Louis gave into that as the sedan came to a stop. Aeron pulled open the passenger door and looked across the seats to his beautiful Terry.

Warm brown eyes and short brown hair. A distended belly holding a nine-month-old baby, and mocha skin that reminded him of chocolate, making his mouth water.

Only difference between her and the stuff that fed his sweet tooth? She tasted better.

As his mind registered the look on her face, fury tightened his insides. Her brown eyes were puffy and red, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hands were shaking on the wheel, and she looked on the verge of sobbing.

"Terry? Baby, what happened?"

She shook her head and pointed to the seats.

He looked at Louis. "Get in." He slid into the passenger seat and quickly shut the door, throwing his seatbelt on.

Behind him, Louis quietly slipped into the back, sensing the dangerous mood Aeron was now in.

"What happened, Terry? Sweetheart, talk to me." He brushed the fingers of his left hand down her cheek as she drove. The movement helped to calm her when she was upset, though he didn't know why.

Likely just the comfort of knowing he was near.

"I can't...." Terry slammed the brakes as she broke into sobs. Heavy sobs that racked her whole body.

Terrified of what might have happened, Aeron put the car in park and wrapped his arms around his woman. "It's okay, baby. I'm right here, and I'll make it all right. Just tell me what happened." If anyone on campus had touched his girl....

"It's Karyl. I'm sure it's her." The words came between the sobs. "Some girls took her into a back room. I don't know what they said, but they were back there for a while. When they opened the door again, the beautiful dress they'd taken in was shredded and the blond was on the ground crying."

Aeron blinked as his mind put together the pieces to the story. Only one thing didn't fit. "A dress?"

Terry nodded.

Louis cursed in the backseat. "Her surprise. It had to be. That was her surprise: a dress to the homecoming dance."

Aeron curled his hands into fists as he looked back at Louis and saw the understanding in his eyes. Only one person, of the thousands on campus, would have been cruel enough to do something like this.

Brooklyn Mandox.

Readjusting himself in his seat, Aeron grabbed Terry's hand and waited until she'd calmed. "Take us to the library, and lead us to Karyl."