What Rose Above

Twenty-Three

I could feel my heart pounding through my chest as I rushed to Christian's aid. Not that he needed my aid, but I thought I could be useful somehow. Even if I stayed in the shadows. I'd also like to think I learned my lesson from dealing with Iris Lynn. Even though Byron wasn't as mentally unstable as her, I feared he was just as, if not more, dangerous. I wouldn't—no, I couldn't—approach Byron how I approached Iris.

"Tyler, are you still there?" Patty's voice was loud in my ears. My headphones were plugged into my phone so that I could hear her better as I rode my bike to the lake. I had no idea which part of the lake I might find them around, but I figured I'd start near the group home.

My mother was quick to ask questions before I darted out of the house. I told her most of the truth, leaving out the part that I was rushing into danger. All she needed to know was that I'd be with Christian—okay, maybe not with him, but he'd be in the area if anything happened.

"Yeah, I'm still here," I said, trying to catch my breath. The wind whipped my face as I pedaled faster down the street. I hoped that Christian was already there with a team.

Patty responded, panicked and confused, "Why would Joel or Byron be after—what's her name, Yasmine? Yeah, if she tried to stick up for him." No matter how many times I explained, that was the part that confused Patty the most.

Honestly, I understood her confusion. Even if she had witnessed it for herself, she still might have been confused. After all, Nathan was Joel's tormentor. But I had to force myself to look at it from Byron's point of view to really understand his fuel for revenge.

"Patty, I think it was more than just that incident. At the end of the day, Yasmine stood by as Nathan tormented some of the residents. She knew what kind of person he was. Not saying it's her fault, but that's probably why she's a target.

"I mentioned the words hold your tongue to Christian when we first started solving this case together. Hold your tongue was never about people snitching. I think it was about the opposite. He cut their tongues out because they never spoke up."

Patty whistled lowly and I imagined her shaking her head. "Sounds like there's some misdirected anger there too." I nodded though she couldn't see it.

The trees in passing were growing thicker by the trunk. There were less houses, and more roads leading into the open woods territory. In the distance, I could see flashing red and blue lights speeding in from the opposite direction. Damn, we got here about the same time.

"Patty, I need to go. I'm getting close to the lake," I said,

"Okay, be safe!" she said.

I hung up, then pulled up along the edge of the treeline and slammed on the brakes of my bike. Shit, what was my next move? I didn't want to get caught by any of the police officers. Maybe I could avoid them if I kept my distance. I let my bike fall to the ground. The sounds of dogs barking enticed me to move forward. The police were already on the move.

I bolted through the trees, sure to keep low. They couldn't have been too close; the dogs barking were only a faint echo around me. At least I knew we were heading in the same direction though. That meant I was possibly on the right trail.

Five minutes must have passed before I found myself deeper in the woods. The lake should have been closer by now. I could hear yelling, followed by heavy footsteps from somewhere on the other side of the trees. It sounded like several officers running.

"Over here!" one of them yelled.

I skidded to a stop behind one of the trees.

I spotted a few blurry figures running in single file. I had no idea where or what they were running to until I noticed Yasmine standing by the edge of the lake. I could barely see her face but I could hear her. She was crying hysterically.