Free Arianna's Tale: The Beginning by D. J. Humphries Page B

shock at the BMW and Austin lost the last
thread of control he had on his anger.
    “Stay in the car,” he blurted while he
slammed the car into park and jumped out, headed for the house.
“What the hell is she doing here?!” Austin yelled, he hadn’t even
made it inside, Dad had met him at the front door and Austin was
gesturing towards Mom’s car.
    “I couldn’t leave her alone in her house
without protection when she had been indirectly threatened,” Dad
reasoned, his voice and posture weary as he glanced at me in
Austin’s car. “I’m putting her on a plane to her mother’s first
thing in the morning… I can’t trust her to keep her mouth shut if I
take her to town, Austin….”
    “You can’t honestly expect Anna to stay here
with a mother who believed her boyfriend over her daughter ; and on top of that, told him! She’s the reason
that sleazebag isn’t behind bars right now!” Austin hollered while
Jason slipped out the front door, past Dad, and headed towards me
in the car.
    “I don’t know what to tell you, Austin…
Bring Anna in through the garage… your mother will be staying in
the living room,” Dad bargained as best as he could, “She won’t be
going upstairs, so you kids can just stay upstairs… I’d let you
stay in a hotel if it wasn’t such a bad idea.”
    “Hey… how did the hospital and everything
go?” Jason quietly asked, crouching on the ground beside my seat
with the open door rested against his back, “Are you okay?”
    “I’m all right, Jay…” I whispered and his
hand shot up to take hold of mine. “Seriously,” I assured with a
faint laugh, looking down into his worried blue-green eyes, “We
were invited to a bonfire with a bunch of people from the high
school tomorrow night.” I paused when his eyes lit up, “You, me,
and Austin… but Austin’s completely against it.”
    “That’s because Austin doesn’t like sharing
you… he didn’t even want to let you go to prom with his group of
friends…” Jason murmured before sighing, “A bonfire… seriously? I
want to go!”
    As if he could hear us, Austin’s gaze darted
back to his car, he was still quite furious.
    “We’ll come back home later tonight… I’ll go
show them around the town, treat them to dinner… keep them out of the house for the most part,” Austin conceded, his
gaze intent on Dad again, “More importantly… what do you know about
Jack Clayborne and any of his friends?”
    Dad’s eyes widened briefly, startled and he
laughed. “Jack’s a good kid; he stays out of trouble. He even kept
Patrick out of trouble sometimes when he got older… He hangs out
with a good group of kids. The only reason any of them register on
my radar is from volunteer work and awards,” Dad explained with a
shrug, but he caught the look in Austin’s eyes, “That wasn’t what
you wanted to hear…. Why did you ask, Austin?”
    “So going to a lake bonfire with him and his
friends… you think it would be okay?” Austin evasively continued
and Dad nodded.
    “Oh, absolutely! You mean the one tomorrow
night, right? They’ve already gotten all the permits and arranged
to have an officer nearby,” Dad proudly announced, but sighed and
glanced over at me, “Austin… you’re going to have to let her go
eventually… chances of her seeing past your being her brother,
adopted or not, are slim.”
    “A) No,” Austin coldly stated, “B) not ever
in a million years will I let her get involved with the
Claybornes.”
    “Jack lives by himself, Austin… he got a job
when he was fourteen, saved all of his money, petitioned the
courts, and moved out when he was sixteen,” Dad commented
thoughtfully, “He’s not like the other Claybornes… he’s actually
the complete opposite… he’d be an ideal candidate to trust with
Arianna… I certainly approve.”
    Austin stared silently at Dad for a long
moment before turning and heading back to the car. “Get in, Jason…
I’ll show you two around