Jackson had never forgiven himself.
"I didn't want to promise until I knew I could do it."
Cody whispered, "Jax."
Jackson looked down.
"I know I messed up a lot."
"Stop."
"I wasn't there."
"Stop."
"You needed me and..."
Cody threw his arms around him.
Jackson froze.
Then held him carefully.
"You idiot," Cody whispered into his shirt.
Jackson laughed once.
"Yeah."
"I thought you forgot."
"Never."
Across the courtyard, Brian Matthews looked away.
He had no reason to become emotional.
At least that was what he told himself.
That evening, doctors at Oak Creek Medical Center confirmed that Cody had extensive soft-tissue trauma, two severely bruised ribs, and a deep thigh contusion.
Nothing was broken.
The doctor said that was luck.
Police photographed everything.
Cody gave a formal statement.
So did Brian.
Three other students came forward before sunset.
One admitted seeing Weston shove Cody into the boiler corridor.
Another had watched Trent take money from Cody in the cafeteria.
A freshman named Ethan Ruiz told investigators that Trent had demanded money from him too, although the abuse had never become physical.
By eight o'clock, the story had expanded far beyond one victim.
By nine, Principal Wallace's claim that administration had received no previous complaints became questionable.
Marcus Lee's mother was contacted.
She still had copies of emails she had sent the year before.
Seven of them.
Two specifically addressed to Wallace.
The district superintendent received copies before midnight.
Suddenly, Oak Creek High had a much larger problem.
Jackson spent most of Friday night in a plastic hospital chair beside Cody's bed.
He had changed out of his cut.
The leather vest lay folded inside his motorcycle saddlebag.
Cody noticed.
"You didn't have to take it off."
Jackson looked down at his plain black shirt.
"Hospital staff kept staring."
"They were staring because you're huge."
"That too."
Cody shifted carefully beneath the blanket.
"Did you really know Trent's dad?"
"Not personally."
"You sounded like you did."
"I know people who know him."
"So you lied?"
"No."
Jackson leaned back.
"I knew enough."
Cody smiled faintly.
"That was scary."
"Good."
"Jax."
"What?"
"You promised."
"I didn't touch him."
"You threatened his dad's project."
Jackson considered that.
"Negotiated."
"That wasn't negotiating."
"Very aggressive networking."
Cody laughed and immediately grabbed his ribs.
"Ow."
Jackson sat forward.
"Don't laugh."
"Then don't say stupid stuff."
For a few seconds, they were brothers again.
Not victim and protector.
Not foster kid and ex-con.
Just Cody and Jackson.
Then Cody became serious.
"Were you really going to stop the construction site?"
Jackson looked toward the window.
"No."
Cody blinked.
"No?"
"I don't control a union."
"But you said..."
"I said his project depends on drivers, concrete, steel and freight, and that people know me."
"You made it sound like..."
"Like I could shut down a seventy-million-dollar project?"
Cody nodded.
Jackson shrugged.
"Bill filled in the blanks himself."
Cody stared at him.
Then started laughing again.
Immediately he winced.
"Stop making me laugh!"
Jackson grinned.
"Kid, half of being scary is letting people imagine the other half."
Cody's smile slowly faded.
"Did you ever use that stuff for real?"
Jackson knew what he meant.
"Yeah."
"When?"
"Before."
"Before prison?"
"Before and after."
Cody looked worried.