Blind Loyalty by M J Marlow (ebook reader wifi .txt) 📕

now; but he knew she was not ready for that kind of complication in her life. “Honest, Joanna,” he continued as she hesitated. “I had no idea your father was going to try to hurt you. He said he just wanted to talk to you.” “I’m not ready to forgive you, Aidan,” Joanna told him honestly. “Although,” she continued, smiling as she held the music box in her hands; “as apologies go, this is very nice.” He had to accept that, Aidan realized. He nodded and they finished their lunch and packed things up. They walked back to the school side by side, carrying the basket between them. Her other hand continued to hold the music box he’d given her. They ran into Patrick and Ryan just outside the gym, as they were looking for her. She had a physical education class with them and Sarah next period. “See what Aidan gave me?” Joanna said as she held up the music box and smiled at the young man. “Isn’t it lovely?” “It’s very nice, Joey,” Ryan nodded as he glanced at it briefly. He looked at Aidan. “What’s the occasion?” “It’s her birthday,” Aidan replied. They looked shocked at this news and he wanted to hit them. They shouldn’t be teasing her about something like this. “Didn’t you know?” “Birthday?” Patrick looked puzzled. “Didn’t you have one of those already?” He saw the confusion in her eyes and couldn’t keep it up. “Of course we know it’s your birthday, little sister,” he laughed and hugged her close. “But we don’t have the marching band in our pocket like Aidan does so our celebration will have to wait until we get home.” Aidan scowled at him and left them to return the basket to his car. The twins and Joanna headed into the school building and made their way to the locker rooms. George Jensen, the co-captain of the Cheer Squad, and the three members of the football team who hung out with him, met them at Joanna’s locker. He nodded to the twins and then turned his full attention on Joanna. He was a good-looking enough guy, with sandy blond hair and light blue eyes, but he was too full of his own self-importance for her taste. “You don’t have to keep Murphy as your cheer partner, Joanna,” he said as he leaned against the nearby lockers as she opened hers to stow her books. He reached out to pull on one of her curls gently and moved a step closer to her while his friends kept the twins looking elsewhere. “You could work with me instead.” “Take your hands off of my cousin, Jensen,” Sarah snapped. “Now!” They all turned to see her standing behind them. George scowled at her and moved off. She hugged Joanna. “Happy Birthday, little cousin.” She saw the music box and lifted it up to look at it more closely. “How pretty! Did Aidan give you that?” Joanna nodded and Sarah linked arms with her. “We’re going to be late for Phys Ed, Joey.” The rest of the day went on uneventfully. They got home and the family had an early supper with cake and candles and presents. Joanna was still smiling when she and the others went back to school in their uniforms to get on the bus for the game at a school in a neighboring town. Everyone wished her Happy Birthday and she blushed as they serenaded her. Joanna sat next to Aidan on the bus and listened carefully as he talked about their tumbling run. “You have to think ahead at least two moves as we go,” Aidan said to her as he watched her stroking her locket. “That will keep you from losing momentum.” He put his hand on hers and she pulled it away a bit slower than usual. “I think we’re ready for something more complicated, Joey.” “What we’re doing isn’t complicated?” Joanna asked him in surprise. He shook his head and she was intrigued. “Then by all means, Aidan Murphy,” she smiled at him eagerly; “let’s do something more complicated.” George watched the girl walk towards the football field with her cousin and Aidan and wondered why he was suddenly so angry. The game went as expected, they won; but George’s mind was not on the game. He could not think of anything but a certain dark-haired girl he suddenly wanted more than he’d ever wanted anyone else before. They got back to town and went to the ice cream parlor to celebrate their victory. George leaned close to Joanna and whispered something in her ear. He nodded when she looked at him for confirmation. She excused herself to go to the ladies room and continued on to the back door where George was waiting for her. But when they got to the park, her father was not where George had said he would be. She saw the look in George’s eyes and knew he’d lied to her. She tried to turn back and he grabbed her arm. He was not letting her go and she could feel the fear building up inside of her. He was going to do something that she did not want him to do, she was certain of it. She struggled and tried to hurt him then as her martial arts instructors had taught her, but he would not let go. She was caught fast. “I haven’t given you your birthday present yet, Joanna,” George said as he pressed her up against a tree as a squad car by. His lips were clamped over hers and she could not scream or fight. “Very nice,” he sighed as he pulled away. “I knew it would be.” “George, stop it!” she protested as his hand went up under her sweater. Joanna looked at him in shock. How could he think she wanted him touching her like this? No one was allowed to touch her like this! She got her arm free and she slapped him. He backed away, stunned. He had never had any girl protest before. “We’re not through yet, Joanna,” George said as Joanna turned to run and he yanked her back. He slugged her when she started screaming and she dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. He turned to run and ran into Patrick’s fist. Aidan picked Joanna up and carried her to his father’s office while the twins dealt with George. Murphy looked up as Aidan put Joanna down on the couch. “George Jensen has done a very stupid thing, Dad,” he said as he sat down on a chair and put his head in his hands. He told his father how he and the twins had noticed George talking to Joanna and grown suspicious. They had followed Joanna out the back and watched as George had attacked her. Murphy had him fill an ice bag and put it on Joanna’s jaw as Aidan described the incident. “I don’t know what came over him, Dad. I’ve never known him to attack a girl like that.” Patrick and Ryan brought George into the office and made him sit down. He was looking stunned, and was sporting quite a few bruises, and the Sheriff almost felt sorry for the boy. He knew the boy’s parents, Horace and Gabrielle Jensen were socialites who spoiled their only son dreadfully. He got everything he wanted except parental concern and lessons in personal responsibility. “I don’t know what happened, sir,” George said as he watched Aidan hold the ice bag to Joanna’s jaw. She was in tears and would not look at any of them. “What happens now?” “That’s up to Joanna,” Murphy frowned. “If she wants to press charges for assault, then you are going to have to go through the system. It will go on your record, George, and no college worth attending will touch you.” He looked at the boy and shook his head. “What were you thinking?” “I wasn’t thinking,” George said softly. “I wanted her and I got angry when she refused.”There was a knock on the door and Patrick got up to open it. Lora ignored everyone and went to the couch with her doctor’s bag to check on Joanna. “Is she going to be all right?” “Yes,” Lora nodded. “No thanks to you!” “He –he….” Joanna sobbed as she looked over at George. She shook her head and looked at Lora desperately. “Can we go home now?” “You can press charges,” George said as he looked at her in regret. “I did a stupid thing, Joanna. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” “Don’t you ever talk to me again,” Joanna cried in anger as she slapped him. She could see the hurt in his eyes and knew he was serious about his apology, but she was too hurt to listen. George hung his head as Joanna burst into tears and ran from the office with Lora following. “You will keep away from her, George,” Murphy told the boy firmly. “I won’t take this further this time,” he continued and saw George’s relief. “But you so much as look at that girl again and I will see you are dropped down the deepest hole I can find. Is that clear?” “Yes, Sheriff,” George nodded. He fled before the Sheriff changed his mind. Patrick and Ryan followed and the Sheriff was left alone with his son. “Aidan,” he said stiffly. “Jensen is not the only person who has done something stupid.” His son looked at him in confusion. “Do not let her father use you again so he can get close to her.” He shook his head. His son was not a stupid boy. How could he have let himself be taken in by Leighton’s lies? “Do you realize he used you to slip her poison?” “Why would he do such a hateful thing?” Aidan looked horrified at the thought he had been used in such a vile manner. “She’s his daughter!” “He is growing desperate,” Murphy told his son. Murphy shook his head and wondered when he had forgotten that his son was still a child. At seventeen, he was only just learning that the world was not always fair, not always kind. How could he have expected him to understand that men like James Leighton existed? “The trial is coming up and he doesn’t want her in any condition to testify against him.” He looked at Aidan sadly. “Go home. Now!” Aidan felt a crushing pain as he realized just how much he had disappointed his father. He wished he could take back what he’d done, but that was impossible. So he decided he would have to do something to make up for it. He would take his connection to Joanna’s father and make the man pay for trying to hurt Joanna. He was a good actor; he should be able to convince James that he wanted to help him. So instead of going home, as he’d been told, he went to his workshop in the shed behind the Sheriff’s Office, removed a few of the micro-transmitters he’d been designing, and went to the Leighton estate. “Aidan?” James looked up from his paperwork in surprise. “What do I owe this visit to?” “Joanna’s birthday,” Aidan said simply as he sat down and slid a transmitter under the chair frame. “You forgot about it, sir. She’s really hurt.” “Indeed,” James frowned. He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a wrapped package. “I was about to send Charles to drop that off.” He slid it across the desk. “Perhaps I can impose on you to deliver it for me instead?” Aidan nodded and slipped the package into his pocket as, with his other hand, he slid a transmitter under the lip of the desk in front. “I heard she was sick. Is she feeling better now?” “She is,” Aidan nodded. “She and I are becoming quite close.” He saw James frown and wished he could take