The Watcher

by Heather Kindt

  He grinned. “Yeah, I had to go there. We better get out of here before he suspects something more than my clumsy tendencies.”

  Jonas threw open the door to the men’s room, grabbing a handful of paper towels before running the water in the sink. While he didn’t mean to kill Laney’s friend last year, right now, he wanted to kill this Nick guy. Missy rattled on about a post-party at some fraternity house, and the thought of spending another moment with her gave him a migraine.

  Scrubbing at the red stain on his shirt, he exhaled sharply. He should be elated with his revenge on the horizon—William Clarke’s heart broken to pieces over the death of his love with his Weaver. But something didn’t sit right. He almost felt bad about hurting this girl he barely knew. And there was no way to take it back now. While Delaney engaged in the kiss with this Nick, Jonas spied multiple flashes from the hedge. The infidelity documented by the Wanderer’s spies. The wheels of his plan were in motion, and they were about to run all over William Clarke.

  The interstate was snow-packed and littered with the flashing lights of slide-offs. Nick’s knuckles were white in the glow of the dashboard, holding onto the steering wheel with a death grip. A song blared from the stereo—perhaps another avoidance technique on his part.

  He reached over, reducing the volume slightly. “I didn’t tell you that I grew up in Sarasota.” He kept his eyes on the road, his shoulders tense, his back as straight as a statue. “I learned to drive there. We moved up north when I was seventeen.”

  “If you pull over, I can drive.” Laney unhitched her seatbelt.

  “This is my first time driving in snow. I’m a snow-driving virgin.” The corners of his mouth lifted, but he refused to glance in her direction. “I’ve always wondered how I would die.”

  “Nick, I’ve done it plenty of times.” Heat rushed to her face. “Driven in the snow, I mean.”

  “We’re almost there. If I keep it at thirty miles an hour, we’ll be fine.”

  Nick increased the volume of the music again. Laney wiped the condensation off her window with her mitten. The snow whipped past the car, reducing visibility. She wasn’t sure how she’d find William if she made it through the passage in one piece. According to the book, he was in a cabin in the woods near Metonomy. But because William was unconscious, she had no idea where it was located. Her plan right now was to find the man named Matthew who brought William to the Wanderer.

  Nick coughed before daring to take a hand off the steering wheel to change the station on the radio. Would she ever see him again? Her heart ached at the thought of never coming back, or worse—dying. Her parents would think she was a missing person, forever searching for her. Grady might know more, but he’d never have her book to know for sure that she was fine—if she was fine.

  A shiver ran down her back. The Wanderer wanted her dead because she was a Weaver. But to save William, she’d have to confront this woman.

  “Do I take the exit to Rockport?”

  “Yes.” She reached over and touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “About what? If we need to take this exit, we need to take this exit.”

  Laney didn’t move her hand. “About hurting you, and if I never come back.”

  He exhaled. “What happens if I don’t let you go without me? That’s my plan, by the way. You’re not leaving unless I go with you.”

  “We already talked about this—it’s impossible.” She dropped her hand.

  “How do you know that? Has anybody ever tried? You haven’t even tried going through a Gate before. Don’t tell me we can’t do something when it’s never been documented as impossible.” He chanced his first look at her, and an unfamiliar fierceness pierced his eyes, the kind she saw more often in William’s eyes.

  “I don’t know for sure, but once I leave, I’m not sure what Jonas will do.” Theories filled her head. “He’ll know that I’ll have no idea what’s going on here, so hopefully he won’t try anything. More than likely, he’ll follow me back.”

  “Another reason for me to go. To have you alone in an unfamiliar world with two maniacs that want to kill you, I just… I just need to be there.” He slowed the car to twenty exiting the ramp to Rockport.

  The town lay deserted in the snowstorm. Laney directed him to the pier and the Recluse headquarters. She climbed over the backseat to change. She pulled her sweater over her head. “You don’t have the clothes you need to go to the eighteenth century. Walking around in a suit coat won’t work.”

  Nick popped the trunk of the Mustang. “I have a backpack in the trunk. Got a change of clothes, Gortex coat, my beanie, a flashlight, and assorted toiletries.”

  “You really weren’t going to let me leave alone, were you?”

  “We have to try, at least.” He swiveled around and placed a hand on her arm. “I need to fix things with William. It’s my fault, and I can’t see you with a broken heart.”

  William stretched out his back. While his captor fed him, his body felt the atrophy of its inactivity. The Wanderer spent an hour boarding up all the windows in the cabin from the outside before she left for town to fetch more supplies. They were to be holed-up for the long haul, or until Laney appeared.

  He pushed on the boards that crossed the broken window. There had to be something in this room to use as a battering ram to break out the boards. He picked up the stoker she used as a weapon against him to examine it. It wasn’t strong enough to break the boards, and he wouldn’t use it against a woman.

  A knock came on the door and then an envelope slid through the crack at the bottom. William saw his chance. He banged on the door. “Come back! Help!”

  No response.

  Crouching down, he picked up the envelope—his name scrawled on the front. The weight told him it was more pictures. This was worse than any physical torture they could put him through.

  He slipped his finger below the seal and tore it open. There were three pictures—all taken from some distance away. The subject matter was clear. His heart beat out of his chest.

  William threw the pictures on the bed and grabbed the stoker, driving it at the boards that covered the windows—again and again. When they finally broke away, he took his coat, put the pictures in his pocket, and climbed through the opening.

  The wind from the ocean drove the snow sideways onto the pier creating an icy layer on the wooden planks. Laney tightened her hood around her face, pushing forward onto the dock. In the car, she’d discussed the plan with Nick. It was already ten, and most of the Recluse slept. A guard might be awake, but more than likely, they’d be sleeping in a chair next to Brian’s cell.

  “We’re going to help him escape.” Laney checked her backpack for the bobby pins she stuffed in the front pocket. Her father taught her how to pick a lock when the antique store stocked three locks from the late eighteen hundreds. They’d come off of an old ship, and the keys were nowhere to be found. The two of them spent a good hour or two trying to open the three antiques.

  “What if he won’t help us?” Nick changed into a shirt from his backpack.

  Laney leaned forward over the seat. “I’m sure he’s pretty sick of being locked up. I think we have some leverage.”

  “That’s why you’re the brains in this operation.” He laid his suit coat on the passenger seat. “But as the brains, did you think about how Missy’s going to get her car back?”

  “Not since you changed the plan.” She opened the door to the near-blizzard outside. Large flakes covered the interior of the car in seconds. “Good thing she has Jonas.”

  They ran along the dock with the wild wind and waves muffling any noise they might make to alert the Recluse. The backroom holding the cell had its own separate entrance, so they crept along the wall until they reached it. Laney pressed down the lever and slid inside, Nick right behind her.

  She adjusted to the darkness of the small room. A single candle glowed in the far corner next to a large armchair. Mark snored, a shotgun across his lap. Maybe he didn’t
want a repeat of the lion man incident from the year before. It was obvious that Brian wasn’t going anywhere.

  The cage was dimly lit from the flickering candle casting long shadows from the tall bars of the enclosure. Laney made out Brian’s eyes staring back at her. He walked to the far side of the cage in the corner farthest away from Mark. He stayed an arm’s length from the front of his prison.

  She crouched down beside him. “We’re going to get you out.”

  “I was wondering when you’d show up.” Brian kept his voice at a whisper. “I know what you want in return.”

  “He’s in danger. The Wanderer has him.” Her voice quivered, unable to contain the emotions bubbling to the surface. “I can’t do this without your help.”

  He sighed. “So, what’s the plan?”

  She unzipped the front pocket of the backpack and took out the bobby pins. “I’m going to pick the lock, get you outside, then you’ll send us into the book.”

  “Wait a minute. You never said anything about him going.” He nodded at Nick. “That’s impossible.”

  “I told you it was.” Laney placed her hand on Nick’s leg.

  “Nothing’s impossible.” Nick moved closer to the bars, crouching down beside them. “And if you’ve ever cared about someone before, you’d understand why I need to go.”

  Brian placed his head in his hands. He was quiet for a few moments before responding. “There is a way, but it could get me in trouble.”

  He reached into his jacket and took out a ring. Laney couldn’t make out the color, but the gold of the Weaver spider glistened in the candlelight.

  “I need this back. Someday, when I move on to another Weaver, I’ll use this ring. But utilizing it tonight will grant you passage, along with Laney.”

  He placed the ring on the floor outside the cage. Nick picked it up. He rolled it around between his thumb and forefinger before he placed it on his hand.

  “Don’t let anyone see it.” Brian kept his voice hushed, shooting frequent glances at Mark. “If the powers that be know that an outsider holds the ring, I’d lose more than my job.”

  “Then why are you doing this?” Laney hated to put anyone’s life at risk.

  “Because I know this boy will protect you with his life.” His mouth remained set in a firm line. “Or at least he better, since I won’t be there to do it. And you know how I feel about you, and about William.”

  He shifted to a squatting position. “You’d better start on that lock. The others know that Mark tends to sleep on the job, and they’ll be in here to check on him.”

  Laney lifted the pin to the lock and maneuvered it until the familiar click came from the mechanism. The lock fell into her hand, but she froze when the door squeaked open about an inch. Glancing around, Mark shifted to his side in the chair but remained asleep. The door to the other room stayed closed. If they were going to do this, it had to be quick. Brian gave her a quick nod.

  The door of the cage flung open with a loud squeal. Mark jumped up with his rifle, but the three fugitives were already out the door of the shack. They ran down to the end of the pier, skidding and slipping on the accumulating snow.

  Mark’s voice shouted out behind them. “Stop, or I’ll shoot!”

  Laney looked back. Mark struggled to stay upright as his feet splayed out beneath him. David came from behind, trying to help the older man.

  They had to keep moving, though she wanted to help her friends. After running for ten minutes, they left the wharf area and entered a more residential street. They slipped into an alley between two houses. The darkness provided them the secrecy they needed. A lone cat sauntered behind a row of trashcans, letting out a hiss for interrupting its evening meal.

  “These are for you.” Laney dropped the keys to the Mustang into Brian’s hand. “Rescue your ex-girlfriend. She’s with Jonas.”

  “You left Missy with Jonas?” He leaned against the wall of the house, slapping his hand to his forehead. “Why are they together in the first place?”

  “She likes him for some reason.” Laney shivered as snow accumulated, then melted in her hair. “We left them at Manor Hill. I think you should try to win her back. He’s not interested in her at all and threatened to throw her off the cliff. I’m sure he’s figured out by now that we’re gone.”

  “What?” Brian grabbed his hair this time, pulling it askew. “I need to get over there.”

  Laney and Nick tightened their bags firmly to their backs.

  “We’re ready.” She took Nick’s hand.

  “Find the man they call Silas when you’re ready to come back. I know you’re aware that he’s dangerous.” Brian stuffed the keys into his pocket. “Not everyone’s as nice a guy as me.”

  “Yeah, we know.” She gripped Nick’s hand tighter and mouthed, “Are you sure?”

  Nick squeezed her hand back.

  “And I know you’re well aware that the Wanderer wants you dead.” Brian’s voice was grave. Maybe he didn’t expect to see them again.

  “Not if I get to her first. If she touches one hair on William’s head, she’s going to deal with me.” She shocked herself with her words.

  Brian and Nick stared at her in disbelief.

  “It’s time then.” Brian reached his hand toward Laney’s.

  A strange energy radiate through her body, like when she felt an electrical shock from an outlet as a child. But it wasn’t limited to her hand like the shock; it spread to her outer extremities as her body lit like a torch. Where their hands touched, this energy pulsed, taking on a life of its own. William never explained what it felt like to go through the gate. He only explained that he’d been knocked out from the passage.

  The electricity-like energy coursed through her veins and into Nick’s body through her hands. Light flashed all around them. The cat screeched. Suddenly, everything went black.

  Chapter 16

  Jonas reclined his chair back against the wall and glared at the clock. Didn’t Missy know he needed his beauty rest to look as good as he did? He scanned the room for his date. She’d apparently gotten ahold of some spiked punch because the pills wore off and she was hanging all over some other guy. Jonas searched the room for Delaney. It had been at least an hour since her date dumped punch all over his shirt. Clumsy jerk. They were probably off making out somewhere. See, he’d done them a favor. Pent up passion was never a good thing.

  He took his drink in his hand and weaved his way through the party that was still going strong. Jonas tapped the shoulder of the guy that kept Missy from passing out on the floor. “Excuse me. That’s my date.”

  “Well, excuse me.” The guy laughed, setting Missy into a fit of giggles.

  “Are you going to hand her over, or are we going to have to take this outside?” This stupid world, and the boys that refused to act like men, really got on his nerves.

  The boy took in Jonas from head to foot and decided it was safer to hand Missy over to him. Jonas lowered his shoulder and threw Missy’s arm around it as he aided her in exiting out of the ballroom. He lowered her onto a small ottoman, then left to retrieve their coats.

  When he slipped Missy’s coat onto her arm, she gave him a grin and raised her eyebrow. “Thank you. You’ve been the best date ever.”

  Apparently threatening to toss her off the cliff made him boyfriend material. Some girls had pretty low standards. He had to keep straightening her body as he attempted to put her other arm in the sleeve.

  “You’re not too bad yourself.” Jonas lied. He gave her a sickly sweet smile.

  The door to the castle opened in front of them, and Brian rushed in. His eyes locked on Missy. “What have you done to her?” He held her head between his hands and checked her eyes.

  “Brian?” Missy was suddenly alert and pissed. Her back straightened, and her eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you here? I thought you transferred.”

  “I did.” He backed off, glared at Jonas, then turned back to Missy. “It’s just… I missed you.”

 
Perfect. The Gate Keeper. Jonas’s job in this God-forsaken place was done. Before Brian could stop him, he lunged for Brian’s arm. The light flashed, then everything went black.

  A cold chill ran through Laney. She pulled her coat tighter and clutched her sides. Her ears were ringing, but a distant crunching sound rose above the annoying noise in her ears. Her legs were wet. Laney’s mind wandered through the events of the past hour. Sneaking into the Recluse hideout, rescuing Brian, being electrocuted by him, then nothing.

  Waking up from this nothing, she not only had ringing ears but a massive headache. Laney lifted her lids then squeezed them shut again. The daylight felt like a huge intrusion overtaking her brain. But she had to know about the crunching noise. She attempted the eyelid lift again, and this time with success.

  She stared up at the canopy of trees above her. The branches swayed in a light breeze that touched the tops of the leaves. Her hands gripped the snow on the ground. She wanted to scream but second-guessed her judgment. She was really here—in a world she created. This was her book. And William was close, as far as she knew. She could be with him today.

  “Killer headache?” Nick’s footsteps crunched through the snow. They stopped near her head. He reached down. “Need help up?”

  The sudden move to vertical gave her a head rush, so she held onto Nick for an extra minute. “That was…”

  “Unbelievable, right?” He took hold of her hand and led her to a clearing where a small fire roared to life. “Come dry off. I brought some matches because I thought we might need a fire once in a while.”

  The warmth enveloped Laney, and her wet pants were soon dry. Nick carried over two logs to sit on and dug through his bag for a snack to share.

  She was exhausted, like she could curl back up in the snow and sleep for another ten hours. When they left Rockport, it was almost eleven at night. She picked up a stick and stuck the tip into the fire. It smoldered in the flames.