Free Never Ending by Kailin Gow Page B

cause. “Women,” he'd say. “You can never tell
them anything without telling them twice.”
              Hysterical,
unstable, untrustworthy, unreliable, hormonal. All words, I knew, that
Kyle's dad had used to describe the wife he beat day in and day out. Until the
day he shot her.
              But even that
wasn't enough to keep him behind bars for life. I grimaced as I imagined what
the parole hearing would have been like. “It was an accident, your Honor,
honest! She was coming straight at me – she was hysterical – she couldn't
control herself, your Honor, never could! She got it into her head that I was
cheating on her – a good, old fashioned family man like me! And she came at me
with the gun....”
              How easy it must
have been for him, I thought, my stomach sinking with a sickening thud, to lie
to the whole world, to convince everyone that it had been an accident.
              The only person
who could testify otherwise was Kyle, and who would believe a traumatized
little boy?
              But now Kyle's
father was out – and he knew where his son was. And if I knew anything about
abusers, I knew that they didn't like it when their personal property escaped
from under their control. The postcard was a sign – a coded message. It meant I
know where you live. It meant you'll never be safe – not as long as I'm
around. It meant I'm coming for you.
              It was
dawn before I went over to Kyle and wrapped my arms around him, the way I used
to do when he was a child having nightmares. It was how I used to calm him down
when the attacks started. I'd rock back and forth with him, holding him tight,
until the shaking stopped. Until his nightmares stopped – long after he woke.
              “Nobody's going
to let him find you,” I whispered. “Don't worry, Kyle. We're here to keep you
safe.”
              “But don't you
see?” Kyle had gone white when at last he spoke. “He will find me. I'm
not safe, Neve. I'm going out there every day, putting myself out there, in
public. We'll be photographed for magazines, newspapers, press releases, you
name it. I'm out there with a big target on my back.” He shivered, growing
whiter still. “He'll come after me, again; I know it. He'll come after me
again, just like the last time, just like he tried to after he....” He couldn't
get the words out. Instead, they devolved into racking, shaking sobs. My heart
ached for him. I wanted to be able to wash away all the pain, all the hurt.
Knowing that I couldn't do anything was a new kind of torture.
              I looked over at
Danny and caught his eye. I didn't have to say anything. He got up silently
and, tapping Luc on the shoulder, gave him a quick and almost imperceptible
nod. The two of them got up and went into the other room of the suite, leaving
me and Kyle alone. Band matters could wait. This was more important.
              The awkwardness
between me and Kyle didn't matter now. All that mattered was that I knew how to
comfort him. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him so tight I was afraid
I'd break him, trying desperately to make things better the only way I know
how. “There, there,” I whispered to him. I stroked his hair and his back with
my fingertips, my voice a low whisper. “He won't find you. I'm sure of it.
We'll help you. We'll find a way. We'll keep you hidden. You're part of this
band, Kyle, and this band is a family. We're your family now. You and I...we
talked about having a band together before we even knew what a real band was.”
              Kyle's smile was
hollow and pale. “Yeah,” he said. “I remember. My seventh birthday party. Your
family gave me the first real party I'd ever had – nicer than any day I'd
ever had. And your mom got me that little kid's bass....”
              Kyle's seventh
birthday party. At least five years before we met Steve, Luc, or Geoff. Kyle
had