Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)

02.2|| And Then They Were Back

Everything was almost perfect. Tom hadn't realized just how much he'd missed Jessie and Kay until they both showed up and he remembered how much fun they were and how they made Kyle and Jimmy so much more fun. And even if he hadn't hoped for it, Kay actually had news about Angie. She'd left home. Which could only mean she was on her way back to them. Back to him.

That was enough to cheer him up and make him act up, trying his best to make them all laugh. It had been a hilarious evening. One that left him terribly hungry.

"Really?" Sam mumbled from the bottom bunk when Tom jumped to the floor. "You're actually hungry?"

"Hell yeah. All that entertaining left me starving."

"You're such a show off." Sam turned to face the wall and pulled the cover over his head.

Tom tiptoed out of their bedroom. Since the pantry was too small for the two of them, Sam had finally agreed to move to the first floor where his original room was. Tom didn't really care where he slept as long as he had a roof over his head. This was better than anything he'd ever had anyway. The only down side was that he actually had to go downstairs to get to the kitchen whereas the pantry had been next to it. Minor sacrifice. It so trumped bumping into Sam and furniture all the time.

He went down the stairs, trying to make sure he wouldn't wake up everyone, especially his parents. Even if Freider had seethed and raged against Kyle and Jimmy, he'd joined them for dinner and even participated in the conversation whenever Maxi shot him daggers across the table. The atmosphere in the house was pretty tense either way and Tom couldn't say he wasn't looking forward to the girls moving to their own place.

Kay, Jessie and Angie had discussed renting an apartment together and they already had a few places lined up. They just needed to go to some viewings and decide. And the thought that Angie was moving there lifted his spirits once again.

Tom finally made it into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He rummaged in the plastic containers and finally found some left over steak. This was the life! A couple of months ago he wouldn't have imagined that he would ever be able to enjoy left over steak. He took a bite out of it, keeping the refrigerator door open for light. It projected the shape of neatly placed casseroles on his t-shirt. Well, Sam's t-shirt. He really needed to get his ass in gear and go buy some clothes. He couldn't mooch off Sam forever and he dreaded the idea of letting his mom do the shopping for him.

Something crunched in the backyard. Tom frowned and turned towards the window behind him. It was eerily quiet. Then, the distant rumble of a car filled the silence and distant headlights illuminated their street. A dark silhouette appeared in front of the window. He stuffed the food back and pushed the refrigerator door closed. The car disappeared, leaving everything drown in darkness.

A gun. I need a gun. But their weapons were up in their rooms and he didn't even know if his father owned any firearms he could find on the ground floor. The knob on the back door turned slowly and a clicking sound filled the kitchen as whoever was on the other side was trying to pick the lock.

For a second, Tom considered dashing under the table. It seemed cowardly, but he'd be able to take the intruder by surprise. A second, more intelligent alternative came to him. He walked to the door, unlocked it from inside, and pulled it open.

Someone fell over his feet. He grabbed them by the shoulders and pulled them to their feet. Subtle citrusy perfume filled the air with the movement, and he froze. Because it was all of a sudden obvious who was trying to break into his house in the middle of the night.

Angie raised her head and blew her bangs out of her eyes. Another car passed by, illuminating her face for a few seconds. It was enough for Tom to see her sparkling green eyes, her tanned skin, the soft curve of her cheek. Enough for his brain to process what was going on, enough for his body to shut his brain down and take over.