Finder

Chapter 10

I extended my finger out to JJ and took a deep breath.

"It was Rafe."

JJ hooked onto my finger and shook it. "Secret's safe with me."

Taking my hand back I cover my other hand. It still was throbbing from the left hook across his face. Dumbass shouldn't of gone after my friend.

"Why did he punch your friend?"

"Rafe saw Dorian getting too close to me."

"Getting too close to you? What the hell does that mean? Why would Rafe care?"

I shifted in my seat. "So I wasn't just Sarah's friend. I was also Rafe's friend, by friend I mean we'd have mindless sex throughout the year. This is my first time seeing him since Christmas when I broke things off."

"That's....I don't know. Rafe's a bad dude by the way."

"Don't remind me. He did coke off my step-dad's antique Revolutionary war sword. That was the last straw."

"Rafe isn't just a drug head, he killed the Sheriff."

JJ was looking me in the eyes, his voice was unwavering, no signs of lying.

"What?!"

"John B was trying to save Sarah from Ward. Sheriff Peterkin came flying into the situation trying to right the situation and arrest Ward. Then Rafe came out of no where and fired off a round into Peterkin's back. The Cameron's with the exception of Sarah blamed John B."

I tried to hold back my tears. To think that my mom would even trust me over at their house scared me. Anything could've happened to me almost gave me a panic attack. Just thinking about what he and his dad probably did to Sarah and John. Ruining the lives of two teenagers and most likely scarring them forever.

"Give me the joint." Was the only thing I could say.

Anything else would release the waterworks from my eyes.

JJ sat across from me not even taking the joint I tried to pass. He let me do my thing until the joint was finished. "Feel better?"

"No."

"Do you want to go get your hand looked at?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go get your car keys and tell Aaron we're gonna go to the hospital."

I nodded and let JJ help me down from the boat.

Staggering my way up to the cars I flung open Dorian's car to get my chicken dinner. I made damn sure I packed up my dinner.

I climbed into my Jeep and dug into the take out boxes.

Twenty minutes later we met granddad outside of the emergency room doors.

"Dorian's got a broken nose and two black eyes." He let me know. "I'll take him back home in a couple hours. JJ stay with Chelsea."

I had my hand x-rayed within an hour of being at the hospital. JJ sat quietly at the side of my gurney as the doctor told me I had a 'boxer break'. Meaning I shattered my pink and ring finger right after the knuckle.

"Well young lady no more punching boys. Probably broke some kid's nose. I've gotta put a cast on your arm. Four weeks with this cast, then you'll need to get it looked at and then rewrapped. What color would you like?"

"Light purple please!" The weed was really getting me.

That was a little too excited.

"You better have broken Rafe's dumb ass face. Those boxer breaks are no joke."

I nodded. "Can you get me something to drink? I've got cotton mouth."

"Yeah." JJ got up and left the room just as the doctor came back with the fiberglass rolls.

"Ready?"

I blacked out from the pain of the doctor just moving my fingers. When I awoke from my dark slumber Dorian's discolored face as well as JJ's appeared at the foot of my bed.

"Sleeping beauty! Good evening!" Dorian yelled at me.

"You good?" JJ asked.

I looked down at my hand, it was wrapped in not just purple fiberglass and signed by Dorian, JJ and the doctor.

"Can we go?"

"Yeah let's go." 

Back in my Jeep, I didn't even bother getting in the driver's seat or the front. But I did grab my mashed potatoes and gabbled them down.

"Can we get tacos?" I asked.

"Taco Bell sound good to y'all?"

"Hell yeah."

We went through the drive thru, got home and woke up the next morning. Everyone was sprawled out in the living room. Granddad was cooking in the kitchen, we were the only ones awake.

"Dorian's daddy wants y'all to talk to Sheriff Shoupe today."

"Alright. Whatcha cooking?"

"Eggs, bacon and toast. Can you get your bloody clothes and the towels so I can throw them in the wash?" I nodded.

I ran upstairs to get my clothes and when I got downstairs the Sheriff was sitting at the table and all the boys were going out on the back deck.

"Ms. Redfield." He nodded his hat at me.

"Sheriff, I'll be with you in just a few minutes."

Making sure I didn't reek of weed I popped the clothes in the basket and ran back to the kitchen.

"Your granddad told me that your friend was assaulted last night at Blue's."

"Yes sir."

"Were you the one that assaulted your friend?"

"No sir. I was the one that stopped him from being hurt anymore."

"Could you tell me who assaulted your friend?"

"Rafe Cameron."

"Does Rafe and ..... Dorian O'Larry know each other?"

"No sir. Dorian has never been to the island that I know of."

"Do you have any idea why Rafe Cameron would assault Mr. O'Larry?"

"It was over me. A stupid masculinity contest that ended with more broken bones than needed."

"I'll need to talk to Mr. O'Larry. Could you send him in?"

I got up from the seat and felt my stomach drop out of my ass. I slid open the door, "Dorian, the Sheriff wants to talk to you." All the boys turned to look at me.

Dorian stood up went in and shut the door.

"What'd Shoupe want?"

"To talk about my bloody friend in there."

Aaron was the only one that kept starring at me. "Dorian isn't worth anything. You need to stop being friends with him."

I cleared my throat before sitting down to help Hawk butter his toast. "I'll talk to him later."

Granddad handed me this weeks newspapers. I flipped through everything before I noticed a trend. Alined up each newspaper. A cluster of random words signed VV appeared on all five papers.

'Troy Pride Jr., Polestar, 77.39, West, 242.'

I snapped a photo just to be sure I wasn't gonna draw attention to the five all open at the same time.

JJ caught me as I smiled.

He gave me a thumbs up and I snagged some bacon before the boys took the rest of it.