Megan and I had been standing in the corner of the living room, rolling our eyes at him. Aaron and Kyle were helping him stuff the bottles of booze between packets and boxes of food so they wouldn't get broken.
Most of the conversation was lost to me, but I vaguely remembered it being about packing and getting "rat arsed" all weekend. Besides everyone sticking their finger up at Josh behind his back, no one acted any differently.
I pictured the guys carrying the heavy suitcase out to Kyle's car, us girls following them, then squirming with unease as Josh made a joke about there being enough alcohol to kill us.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for my phone to watch the video Kyle had taken that day. He'd recently sent it to me after I asked. I pressed play with trembling fingers. Kyle had captured a few eye rolls toward Josh, stupid faces we'd pulled at him, and a lot of the cabin itself.
Josh told us to help get everything inside, and Kyle turned the phone to catch us walking outside. My ears started to ring as I heard something familiar. Those clunky footsteps. I was immediately thrown back to earlier in the day when I was attacked. My heart pounded. In front of me, my phone started ringing.
"Hello," I said numbly into the phone without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello." I recognized my friend's voice immediately. It was the next four words that made my blood run cold, "Mackenzie, it was me."
I know.
Chapter Twenty-Four
My instructions were to come alone if I wanted the truth, and more than anything, I wanted the truth for Courtney and Josh. I put the phone down with trembling hands and sobbed as the realization hit me. My friend was a murderer. Creeping out of my room, I made my way downstairs and out of the house. Walking wouldn't take long. I contemplated calling Blake, but I couldn't risk anyone else getting hurt. My legs carried me forward on autopilot, and I was convinced I was living someone else's life. The house came into view, and I sucked in a deep breath.
The front door was unlocked, so I walked straight in. The eyes that stared at me were the same baby-blue ones that I loved so much, but they'd aged. They'd lost their innocence.
"Aaron," I said, not sure how to go on. I must've missed the chapter in the friend handbook on how to deal with a murderer. He didn't move from his spot on the sofa. "Why?" I whispered, taking a few uneasy steps forward.
"They're all on their way," he said in a monotone that didn't sound at all like him.
The closer I got, the stronger I smelled the harsh scent of brandy on his breath. "How much have you had to drink?"
"Not nearly enough."
"You told Kyle and Megan to come over as well?"
Why the bloody hell was I so calm?
"And I asked Blake. I only want to explain this once."
He was going to have to explain it a few more times for Wright. Unless Aaron was saying he didn't intend on handing himself in. All this time, he had allowed us to be interrogated and sat back to cover his own arse. I could never do that to someone I cared about.
"Why did you call Blake too? You don't need to explain this to him." I could tell him. The thought of Blake being around this made me sick. Aaron hated him, and Blake was bound to be angry.
His mouth thinned into a straight line. "I'll explain when they're here."
"Aaron," I whispered.
"Don't look at me like that, Mackenzie."
He'd killed my best friend and he honestly expected me to see him the same way? He was nuts. "How should I look at you then?"
"I don't know. Just not like you hate me."
I almost laughed. That was brilliant in a completely humorless way.
"Mackenzie?" Blake shouted and burst through the door like he was starring in Mission Impossible. "You OK?" he asked, scanning my whole body to make sure.
"I'm fine." I was anything but fine, but I felt stronger now that he was here.
Blake's posture turned to stone as he turned his attention to Aaron. He may not have been close to Josh, but he loved him as his brother, and Blake looked like he wanted to rip Aaron's head off.
I positioned myself between them in the small living room and pleaded with Blake to stand down. He didn't move or say a word, but his steely gaze never left Aaron.
Megan and Kyle arrived together minutes later. They both stopped just inside the door, and both looked as pale as a ghost. Kyle shook his head. "What's going on, man? Tell me this is just a sick joke."
Aaron stood up and properly acknowledged our presence for the first time since Blake had made his grand entrance. I took a step back. The expression on his face made my stomach flip over in the worst way.
"It's not a joke, Kyle," Aaron replied.
Megan let out a sob and pressed her hand to her mouth. "Why?" she muttered against her palm.
"Because they didn't care about what happened to Tilly and Gigi."
"What?" I huffed. "They were devastated by what happened." Courtney cried solidly for weeks, she hadn't driven since, and she often told me about the crushing guilt she felt. Josh felt it too at first, and even though he said some stupid, horrible things, I knew that he felt guilty.
"Were they?" he sneered, lifting his pale eyebrow. "They both moved past it so quickly it was like they never even existed to them."
"Aaron, where is this coming from?" Kyle asked, stunned. "You know that's not true, man. What happened to you?"
I tried to remember if there was something I'd missed. An anniversary of one of the times he got together with Tilly. Something, anything, that would explain what had tipped Aaron over the edge.
"Nothing's happened to me, Kyle. You can't see it. None of you can. You couldn't see what they were like. They didn't care about Tilly or Gigi or anyone else. All they cared about was that they weren't the ones in the ground." His voice was low and monotone, kind of like he'd rehearsed this speech over and over until it was perfect in his mind.
I sighed in disbelief. "That's not true." Courtney loved Tilly and Gigi as much as Megan and I did. We were all more like sisters than friends. Whatever Aaron said, I knew Courtney would never have put her own life above theirs.
"Now, here's what we're going to do," he said, pulling a knife from his pocket. "I'm going to stab Blake." I almost stumbled back in shock. Aaron must be on drugs.
Aaron looked and sounded so calm, as if he'd just said "I'm going to grab Blake a beer" rather than telling us he wanted to stab him. "And us four..."--he pointed to himself and then between me, Kyle, and Megan--"we are going to call Wright and tell him that Blake tried to kill us too, but we managed to get the upper hand. It will be self-defense."
I felt sick. There was no way Kyle and Megan would go for that. They couldn't.
"Aaron, no," I whispered.
"Cut the shit, Mackenzie," he bellowed, spit flying out of his mouth. "I've had enough of this Team Blake rubbish from you. We are your friends, and like you've said a thousand times before, we have to stick together."
"Aaron, man," Kyle said, his face still portraying his shock, "we can't do that. I understand how you feel. I do. I lost the girl I love too, and I'm still sad and angry as hell, but this isn't the way to make it better."
Aaron straightened his back, holding the knife higher. "Shut up! You don't know anything, Kyle. We just have to do this one last thing, and then we can put it all behind us. Everything will be OK. I promise."
He's lost it.
He'd become unpredictable and that was the scariest thing. My blond-hair, blue-eyed, loving friend was a coldhearted killer, and whatever he said, there was no way I was letting him hurt Blake or anyone else.
"Aaron," Megan whispered, stepping forward and holding up her hands. "It's all right. Everything is going to be fine, but I need you to put the knife away. We can talk this through and work something out. Between us five, we can find a way to make this better. Right, guys?" she said, looking at us with wide eyes, begging us to agree.
"Of course," I said.
My mind was focused on protecting Blake. I just needed
to get the knife away from Aaron, and then I could breathe easy and help the situation.
Blake nodded once, and Kyle replied, "Yeah. Anything."
Aaron laughed, tilting his head back. "Do you think I'm stupid? The second he's out of here, he'll go to Wright," he spat, glaring at Blake.
"No, he won't. Will you, Blake?" I said, willing him to agree and make it convincing. I could tell by Blake's whole demeanor that there was no way he was ever going to help Aaron, but he nodded along with our plan. "See? This is all going to be all right. We'll all cover, and eventually the case will go cold."
"Mackenzie's right, Aaron," Megan urged. "If we all keep quiet, eventually this will blow over. The cops have absolutely nothing on you."
"No!" he shouted, jabbing the knife at the air. "The only way this ends is if we do it now."
"Calm down!" Blake yelled. "You're not stabbing anyone else, you sick bastard. Now put the knife down."
"What're you doing?" I glared at Blake. Was he trying to wind him up further? We needed to tread carefully. "He didn't mean that, Aaron."
Aaron growled. "Oh, will you stop defending him? I'll stab you too if you keep it up." His eyes rounded in shock at his own words. "Mackenzie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."
"What is going on?" I shook my head. This didn't make any sense. Aaron was protective. The only time he'd ever been in a fight was to defend someone.
Something was really off here and not just the fact that Aaron standing in front of me wielding a knife, admitting to murder, and throwing around threats. Something in my gut told me there was a big part of the story missing.
"You so much as touch her, and I'll kill you myself," Blake replied far too calmly. His voice chilled my blood. There was a dangerous side to Blake, and it scared me because I worried that he'd get himself hurt.
Aaron stepped forward, and Blake held his ground. "You need to back off now." There was a double meaning to that. Back off away from him and from me. "I'm warning you, Harper."
I threw my hands up. "Stop it! Both of you just stop."
What happened next happened so slowly it almost felt like a dream. Blake spat something out about Aaron's head being wired wrong. Aaron lunged forward the way he had many times before, when he'd gotten himself into a scrap at school. Blake punched Aaron in the face, splitting his lip. I thought that would be it, but a red-faced Aaron threw himself forward again.
I was rooted in place. My heart thudded. They crashed into me and sent me stumbling sideways. I just about managed to correct my footing before I fell.
The knife. Grab the knife, Mackenzie. But before I could move, Megan's high-pitched scream stunned me. Kyle shouted expletives, making me flinch. It took me a second to register that Aaron had used the knife. He held it up and the end was coated in a red film. Aaron dropped the knife and backed away, wide-eyed.
Regret.
Who had he stabbed? Was it me? I couldn't feel anything. Not a thing. Blake looked down, his hand shooting to his side, and I felt light, as if my lungs had been vacuum-packed. Dark spots danced in front of my face and I was sure I was going to collapse.
It was Blake.
"No, no, no, no," I whispered. Every word scratched my throat. I pressed my shaking hand against his hand on the wound. "It's OK. It's OK," I repeated, trying to convince us both. I could just about handle losing Aaron as a friend, but not Blake.
My hand soon heated as his blood seeped through his fingers onto mine. He stared at me, but he didn't look as terrified as I was. I can't lose you. In the background, I could hear Kyle shouting and a scuffle, but I couldn't take my eyes off Blake. Megan was on the phone to the emergency services, and they couldn't get here soon enough.
"Damn," Blake hissed, falling to his knees. "God that hurts."
I grabbed his upper arms and helped him lower to the floor before he fell farther. I'd thought the most useless I'd ever feel was when we'd found Courtney and Josh. Blake had a chance. He was breathing, and yet I didn't know what to do other than put pressure on the wound.
Blake leaned against the wall. His jaw was clenched tight and his eyes twitched as he tried to not show how much pain he was in.
"You're going to be fine," I said, holding back a sob and swallowing hard. "The ambulance will be here soon. How do you feel? Blake!"
He smirked through his pain. "I feel like I was just stabbed."
"Shut up," I scolded, letting out an involuntary sob. The fact that he could still make jokes made me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. God, I really loved him.
Kyle had Aaron pinned to the floor under his body. It didn't look necessary. Aaron didn't move an inch. The only thing that made him look alive was the way he was staring at Megan.
"I told you it was him," Blake whispered and winced.
I could've hit him, and if he hadn't already been in a lot of pain, I would have. Bloody moron.
"Shut up," I repeated, pressing my forehead against his and mouthing I love you.
Barely a few minutes later, I heard sirens, but those minutes felt like hours. Blake sat perfectly still, breathing rapidly and deeply. He smiled at me through his pain, and I knew that he would make it because he wouldn't leave me.
"You're going to be OK," I said sternly. "You are."
"I know that. You worry too much."
Paramedics, followed by four police officers, slammed through the door. I thought I would be shoved out of the way, but they saw I was helping stop the bleeding.
"Hello, my name's Jerry. How're you doing?" one of the paramedics said.
Blake gulped audibly. "All right."
Jerry smiled, seeming to understand that Blake was majorly playing down his pain.
"It happened...um," I stuttered. "Not long ago. I don't know how long it's been. It won't stop bleeding. You have to stop the bleeding."
"OK," Jerry said. He was a picture of calm while I felt like I was swimming against the tide. "Now...?"
"His name is Blake," I said, speaking for him. "I'm Mackenzie. Should I move my hand?"
"OK, Mackenzie. No, not just yet. Stay where you are and keep pressure on that. You're doing really well. Where is the knife?"
"Floor," Blake replied. "I work out, but I'm not toned enough to snap a knife."
Jerry and Blake laughed. I couldn't.
"Well, that's good. Now, Mackenzie, I'm going to get you to let go. We've got this now." I did as I was told and slowly lifted my hand. Blake winced. "Good. Blake, we're going to get you on the stretcher and into the ambulance." He looked back at his colleague, who was speaking to someone on her radio in a hushed voice.
I didn't want to let go. I was scared. I stayed by Blake's side, refusing to find my own way to the hospital. There was no way anyone was getting me to leave him.
The last I saw of Aaron was when I caught a brief glimpse of him being bundled into a police car as we made our way out to the ambulance.
*
Blake hadn't been in the hospital ten hours before he was home and in his own room. I helped fluff Blake's pillows so he was more comfortable. "You shouldn't be here. You need to be back in the hospital." I sounded like his mum, who'd also said the same thing.
It had been a little after nine in the morning when Blake had discharged himself. I had been awake far too long, and I was exhausted. Last night--or this morning, however you wanted to look at it--I had been too scared to sleep in case something happened to Blake.
"There's nothing they can do for me in the hospital. I'd rather be in my own bed than sleeping next to weirdos snoring all night and catching a staph infection."
I smiled. "Wow, you paint quite a picture. Lie down." He did and winced as he moved. "Are you in pain? You can't have any more pills for another half an hour."
"Half an hour is nothing. Pass me them, please?"
"No!" I frowned. "Not yet. The doctor said to make sure you had them at the right time."
"The doctor also said I should stay another day."
Sighing deeply, I shook my head
. "You're not getting your own way with this one too. Most men don't even like taking pain medication and you're wanting it early."
"I'm not most men." That was for sure. He huffed. "Fine, but will you lie down with me if you're not drugging me up?"
How could I refuse that offer?
I lay down and snuggled up to his good side. It was over. Aaron was in police custody. Kyle, Megan, Blake, and I were no longer suspects. We were free to move on with our lives.
It's over.
A million emotions rushed inside me, growing bigger and bigger, like a balloon being over inflated. I burst out with a loud sob and dug my fingers into Blake's arm, gripping him for dear life. It was too much. Everything was too much.
I wasn't supposed to break down in front of him, especially not now. There was no stopping it though. I'd burst, and there was no way back.
My heart felt as heavy as lead.
"Shh," Blake murmured into my hair, unable to find the right words to say. He didn't need to say anything. All I needed was for him to hold me. He pressed his lips to my head and whispered, "Shh, it's OK. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tuesday, February 7
"I can't believe it's been eighteen months," I said, stroking Courtney's headstone.
Today marked a year and a half since Josh and Courtney had been murdered. Time had moved painfully slow but also too fast. I missed Courtney every day, but I had finally come to terms with the fact that I'd never see her again.
Blake sat beside me, not really knowing what to say. That hadn't changed. Even after the two of us practically being joined at the hip, he was still a bit rubbish with feelings. Still, he managed to make me feel like the only girl in the world with just one look.
"I know, babe," he said, squeezing my knee.
"I've lost far too many people." I turned to him and gripped the hand that was now resting on my leg. "I almost lost you too..." My throat closed with emotion. It was too difficult to think about that day.
"Nah, was never gonna happen. Aaron had bloody awful aim." I swallowed hard and dropped my eyes to the grass. Blake used humor; I was so not there yet. "Sorry, that was insensitive. You'd think after all this time, I'd get better at that stuff. I'm sorry, Mackenzie," he apologized.
I couldn't help but smile. The most inappropriate things spurted from his mouth, but he never failed to make me smile. I could be so distraught and one awkward word from him would put a grin on my face.