Running scared by Lisa Jackson

Author:Lisa Jackson [Lisa Jackson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Policier
ISBN: 9781420101829
Published: 2010-08-15T12:46:12+00:00

“Oh, dear God,” Kate whispered as she slammed on the brakes. Jon was climbing slowly out of the cab of O’Rourke’s truck. Blood stained the front of his shirt and ran down his face. His eyes were swollen, his face battered, and he limped noticeably. Her heart in her throat, she shoved the car into park and scrambled into the yard amid the excited barking and jumping of Houndog and Jon yelling at the pup to back off.

“Jon?” Her gaze traveled to O’Rourke before landing with full, worried impact on her son. “What happened? Jon, oh, honey, are you all right?” The pup came over to greet her, but she barely noticed and turned frosty eyes on O’Rourke. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll be fine,” Jon growled back. “And it wasn’t his fault.” He motioned to Daegan. “He saved me.”

“But—”

“I said I’ll be fine.” She tried to reach for him but he stood back and blinked fiercely, as if just the sight of her caused his eyes to fill.

“We’ve got to get you to a doctor.”

Jon grimaced.

“I would’ve taken him, but thought we should round you up first,” O’Rourke said. His expression was dark and grim.

“What happened?” She couldn’t hide the censure in her voice.

“The town bully seemed to want to use Jon as a punching bag. I caught up with them down the road a piece.”

“Yeah and he gave ’em hell!” Jon said proudly.

“That Todd Neider again?” Kate asked and her blood began to boil.

That kid had been giving Jon fits for months and now the arguments and shoves had escalated to a full-fledged beating.

“A foul-mouthed sucker if there ever was one,” Daegan observed.

“Yeah, it was Neider,” Jon admitted, leaning heavily against the side of O’Rourke’s truck. “And his friends. I’ll…I’ll be okay.”

“This isn’t going to end, is it? We have to stop it.”

“Can’t argue with that,” O’Rourke agreed.

She tried to reach for her son again. “Where does it hurt?”

“Where doesn’t it?” Jon asked through cracked, swollen lips. His face was bruised and he held his already-injured arm around his middle.

“He’s been lucid, never fell asleep, so I doubt if he’s concussed. But he might have a cracked rib or two.”

“Nothin’s broke,” Jon insisted.

“I think we should let Dr. Wenzler determine that. I’ll get a wet towel and some bandages so you can clean up, then we’ll go.” She was halfway up the steps to the front porch.

“Where?” Jon asked.

“To the clinic, of course.”

“I don’t need to go—”

“I don’t know where you get this aversion to medical treatment, but it’s not working with me. I’m taking you to see the doctor.” She sighed loudly. “I’ve been worried sick about you and now look…Please, Jon, don’t give me any grief about this. We’re going to the doctor and that’s that.”

“She’s right,” Daegan said, staring at Jon with eyes that seemed to see past the teenage barriers her son had so recently and painstakingly erected, the barriers that forced her to keep her distance. “See what the doctor says.”

Jon hesitated, running his tongue around the inside of his mouth, seeming to weigh things in his mind.

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