Betrayed (17 page)

Maybe she's still afraid of me
, Rae thought, remembering getting that horrible scrap of information from one of
Lea's fingerprints at the beginning of the year.
If she is, she'll have to deal.
Rae stepped up to the table, put down
her tray, and sat next to Marcus. She didn't have to worry about deciding whether or not to kiss him, since he
immediately went for her lips, giving her a quick light kiss.

"Come on, you've got to give her some tongue," a guy called. Rae felt Marcus smile against her mouth, then he
released her. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Anthony Fascinelli. He was standing next to a
grinning Chris McHugh, who'd definitely been the one coaching Marcus.

Rae kept her attention on Chris. She didn't think she could look at Anthony right now and keep up her here-I-am-sane-and-happy facade. "Chris, I'm going to have to give some serious thought to finding you a girlfriend," Rae told
him.

Chris, his head looking like a big tomato, sat down next to Lea. Which left one seat open. The seat across from
Rae. Anthony took it. Rae grabbed the pepper shaker, her fingers protected by wax, and shook some pepper onto
her sandwich.

Got to remember to take the wax off right after school
, Rae thought. Her plan didn't require using her fingerprint
skills. But the plan, it might not go exactly the way she expected. She wanted to have any advantage she could get.

"It's good to see you guys back together," Jackie said to Rae and Marcus. Marcus wrapped his arm around Rae's
waist and gave her a little squeeze. Rae slid a little closer to him, closer to his warmth. She wanted to soak up as
much of it as she could before it was time to finally face down Steve Mercer. Rae'seyes went for the clock. Hours
and hours to go, she thought. But hours and hours were nothing, really. By the end of the day her whole life would
be different.

"Yeah, Marcus and Rae, together forever. How great is that?" Lea added. But it sounded like some of her vocal
cords were made of cold metal instead of warm flesh.
She's not happy
, Rae realized.
She's not happy at all.

Rae glanced over at Lea, and it was almost like looking at a stranger.
God, when you're a little girl, you really think

the bestfriend thing means something. It's so important. Who's your best friend? Are you your best friend's best

friend? And where does that leave your other friend because you can't have two best friends?

But the whole bestfriend thing is crap. Lea couldn't take it when I snapped. Yana wouldn't even believe that I didn't

send the letter. She didn't trust me even that much. And she didn't stop there. She decided to go after Anthony to

make a point.

Rae's eyes moved to Anthony. She couldn't stop them.
Did you know why Yana was so hot to get together with

you?
she silently asked.
Were you in it with her? Or was it much less complicated? Maybe if there's a chance to

make out with a girl you think is cute, you go for it. Doesn't mean anything. Is that it, Anthony?

Anthony met her gaze without looking away. She could see powerful emotion in the depths of his dark brown
eyes. But what? Regret? Anger? What?
I don't know
, Rae realized.
I don't know him at all anymore.

Rae snuggled even closer to Marcus. She knew what he was thinking. She knew what he wanted. He wanted to be
with her as much as possible. Rae gave him a little kiss on the cheek, and he smiled.

"What are you doing tonight?" Marcus asked. "You want to get together, go for a ride or something?"

"Definitely," Rae answered. If her plan was successful, that's exactly what she'd want to do afterward. If her plan
failed, then it didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

Anthony's feet felt like two big blocks of stone as he headed to the locker room. Usually football practice was the
best part of the day. But at practice he'd have to see Marcus. And he knew if he looked at Marcus, it would trigger
the memories in his brain. Marcus pulling Rae up against his side. Rae kissing Marcus on the cheek. Marcus kissing
Rae on the mouth.

Crap, just thinking about seeing Marcus had gotten the memories playing. It was like gettingpunched in the gut
over and over with his hands tied behind his back.

You wanted this to happen
, Anthony reminded himself. And it was still what he wanted. He just didn't want to see it.

Maybe he could poke his eyes out with a pencil or something.

"Wait up, Fascinelli," a voice called from behind him.

Anthony recognized the voice instantly. Friggin' Marcus Salkow.

Marcus trotted up and grabbed Anthony in a playful headlock. "Did you see it? Did you?" Anthony shoved Marcus
away harder than he had to. Marcus didn't seem to notice. "Did you?" he repeated.

"See what?" Anthony asked, his head filled with images of Rae and Marcus. And somehow they were getting
worse. He was seeing things he hadn't really seen.

"See me and Rae," Marcus answered. "She finally took me back."

Anthony rubbed the side of his head with his knuckles until it hurt so badly, the images disappeared. "Yeah, that's
great. Way to go," he managed to say.

"It's thanks to you, you know that," Marcus told him. "You're the one who got me to stick it out, keep going back."

"I have to get something from my locker. See you in there," Anthony blurted when they reached the gym. He turned
around and started to walk away fast.

"Okay, but just know that I know I owe you," Marcus called after him.

Anthony didn't look back. He strode into the first guys' bathroom he saw and slammed himself into a stall.
You are

being such a freakin' girl,
he thought.
Hiding out in the bathroom.

But he'd had to get away from Marcus. And he didn't want anybody looking at him. Because what if it showed on
his face? What if it showed how Anthony refused to finish the thought. He slammed his fist into the side of the stall.

Again, again. The flimsy wall was shaking. He knew that if it came down, he'd be in deep crap. But he didn't stop. It
didn't hurt enough yet. It had to hurt more than it hurt to think about Rae and Marcus. Then he could stop.

Rae climbed out of the bus and crossed the street to the bank. At least the first stage of her plan was an easy one.

She lingered on the front steps for a moment, pretending to look for something in her backpack but taking in the
area with her peripheral vision.
You're watching me, Steve, aren't you?
shethought.
It's you in that blue Dodge

parked across the street. I know it is. You've used that car to spy on me before.

Okay, enough stalling. She wanted him to be able to keep track of her. But she didn't want him to know that. She
hurried into the bank and over to one of the cluster of desks across from the long teller counter. "Hi," she said to
the gray-haired man sitting there. "I was wondering if I could look at the safety deposit boxes. I'm thinking of getting
one, and I just want to see what the system is."

"Want a safe place to keep the letters from your boyfriend?" the man teased, but not in a slimy way.

"Something like that," Rae answered.
I wish
, she thought.
I wish my life was what this guy imagines it is.

"Come on. I'll give you the tencent tour," the man said as he stood up. "I'm Jimmy Baylis, by the way."

"Rae Voight." Rae followed Mr. Baylis to the back of the bank. He unlocked a door and ushered her into a room
with what looked like dozens of metal drawers.

"Have a seat," Mr. Baylis told her. She sat down at the closest of the three long tables and clasped her hands in her
lap. She didn't want anybody else's thoughts in her mind right now.

"Okay, here's what the boxes look like. Kind of like your own dresser drawer. Except smaller. And not in your
dresser," Mr. Baylis said. He unlocked one of the boxes, slid it free, and set it down in front of Rae. "Plus much more
secure."

"Looks good," Rae answered. "And there's, what, a monthly rental fee?" She didn't really care about the answer.

But for the plan she needed to stay in here at least a few minutes. Enough time so that Steve Mercer would believe
she'd taken something out of one of the boxes.

"Yearly," Mr. Baylis answered. "Except if you have a lot of money in an account." He winked at her. "Then it's free."

"And, um, there are other sizes?" Rae asked. Partly because she needed to be in here for the plan. But also, she
had to admit, because she was afraid to go back out and do the rest of what she had to do.

"Other sizes, yes," Mr. Baylis told her. "Even a private booth you can go in when you open your box, if you don't
want anybody to see what you've got stashed."

"Okay, well, that's it, I guess. Thanks," Rae answered, her voice coming out squeaky.

"My pleasure," Mr. Baylis said as he escorted her out. Rae's knees trembled as she returned to the lobbyof the
bank. It didn't seem like knees should be able to tremble. They were so hard, mostly bone, right? But hers were
going like mad.

"On to phase two," Rae whispered. She pulled a large, lumpy manila envelope out of her backpack, then stepped
back out into the sunlight. I wore pink just so you'd have an easy time seeing me, you bastard, Rae thought. In a
leisurely way she walked back to the bus stop and was relieved to see the blue Dodge still parked across the street.

Plan's on track so far
, she thought as she positioned herself next to the pole where the metal sign showing the
bus routes was posted. She took an envelope out of her purse, slid out the birthday card inside, and opened it. She
just wanted to make sure it said everything it needed to say.

Dear Steve,

I can call you Steve, can't I? Since you know me so well. Well, Steve, Saturday was my birthday. And I got a present
from my dead mother. She thought maybe I'd get some powers kicking in around puberty, and she knew if I did, I'd
be in danger. So she gave me a weapon-information to use against you. Something the police would love to see.

Tissue samples can be kept for along time, you know. And fingerprints? They last for years and years.

I'm willing to give you the evidence-if you agree to tell me everything about the group and what exactly has given
me the powers I have. Oh, and one other thing. You have to leave town forever. I'll be waiting at our motel.

Kisses, Rae

That about says it all
, Rae thought. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a few people stand up from the bus stop
bench. She checked the street. Yep, her bus was coming. Quickly Rae replaced the card in the envelope, then
sealed it. She used a thick black Magic Marker to write the name Steve Mercer in block letters on the front. When the
bus pulled up to the stop, Rae fished out the roll of tape in her purse and taped the envelope to the metal pole,
making sure that the name was facing the direction of the Dodge.

The bus doors started to wheeze closed. "Wait, I'm coming," Rae cried. The doors reopened, and Rae climbed on.

He's got to see the envelope, she thought. It's practically taped to his windshield. He'll take the bait. I know it.

*

Rae double-checked the duct tape holding the little tape recorder to the underside of the nightstand in room 212 of
the Motel 6, her home away from home. Then she pushed the record button, getting a fragment of one of her own
frightened thoughts. Like she didn't have enough of them slamming around in her head already.
An hour of tape
,
she thought.
It'll be plenty. This whole thing is going to be settled one way or the other in less than an hour.

Okay, camera, camera. Rae's video camera wasn't huge or anything. But it definitely wasn't a tiny, super-high-tech
one. She scanned the room. Not many good places to hide it.
Hurry. Got to hurry. He could be here any second.
The
thought got Rae moving. She rushed over to the window and strapped the video camera to the side of the window
frame, getting thoughts that felt like echoes since she was still having them.
what if
Dad will never/Mercer's
killed/don't know/God/

It looks so obvious
, Rae thought. But it was too late to find a better spot. She arranged the curtain around the
camera in what she prayed looked like a natural drape, then taped the curtain in place. "Shut up," she muttered as
her old thoughts flickered through her mind. She backed away from the window and sat down on the very edge of
the bed.

Maybe he'll be distracted,
she thought.
And even if he finds the camera, there's still the
..

A quiet knock jerked her out of her thoughts. He was here. She stood up and walked to the door, her knees
trembling so hard, they were sending shudders all the way down her legs. Rae checked the peephole. She wasn't
completely surprised by who she saw, but she still felt her heart pound just a little harder. It was the guy who'd
posed as the meter reader in her backyard. She'd been standing that close to the man who killed her mother, in her
own yard, and she hadn't had a clue. Now he was wearing a suit and tie, and he looked about as scary as Mr. Baylis
from the bank. And just about as calm. As if this was no big deal at all.