by Marnee Blake
Bottom line, he didn’t know Vanessa Campbell. But he didn’t like her.
Blue watched him, expectant. He shrugged. “I didn’t grow up with her.” He didn’t say more. It already felt like he’d said too much.
She watched him for a long moment. Then she reached out to squeeze his hand. “I didn’t grow up with my mom, either. Or my dad, for that matter.”
“No?” Maybe that was why he felt so comfortable with her. She reminded him a little of other foster kids he’d grown up with.
“Nah. Gran raised me. She was my dad’s mom.” She inhaled, and her eyes suddenly were vulnerable. “My dad…committed suicide when I was young.” She glanced away. “My mom kind of went off the deep end, dragging me from one commune to another. My gran stepped in to take me.”
“Commune? Like religious commune?”
“No. Like anti-government, off-the-grid lifestyle stuff. People who were escaping from society. She was always into that stuff. Hence the name—Blueberry Sky Michaels. Some hippie shit right there.” Her lips tightened, and he could tell there was more of a story there, but she wasn’t ready to tell it. Finally, she shrugged. “Anyway, last I heard she was living in Idaho somewhere.”
She was trying to act casual, but he got the impression she didn’t talk about this a lot.
His throat tightened. Then he blurted, “My mom was a drug addict.” She tilted her head but remained silent. He looked over her head, unable to watch her as he went on. “She left me in foster care. She’d come back to get me every once in a while, insisting that she’d changed, that she’d gotten herself together. But she never did. I eventually had to refuse to go with her.”
He gritted his teeth. God, that sounded awful. What kind of son refused his own mother? But when Blue didn’t say anything immediately, he looked down. She squeezed his hand again, this time not letting go.
“That must have been hard.”
He nodded.
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “Sometimes I have to remember that. That it isn’t my fault my mom couldn’t be strong enough to care for me.” She studied their fingers, intertwined, deceptively casual.
True.
Sometimes shitty things just happened.
Luke and Kitty joined them then, breaking the spell between them. Blue squeezed his hand once more before breaking the contact. He resisted the urge to snatch her fingers back.
Kitty dropped her backpack at her feet, and Luke tucked his hands in his jeans pockets. “The hotels are that way.” He nudged his head east. “Did you see anything?”
Seth scanned the streets. As far as he could tell, everything was quiet.
They couldn’t have lost them that easily. They hadn’t boarded the train legally, for sure, but still. It seemed too simple.
The next time any of them used a credit card, accessed their phone, or turned up at a relative’s house, they’d be all over them.
Maybe the guys hunting them were banking on that. They were a bunch of kids, after all. With no resources they were aware of. They weren’t expecting Seth to be with them.
He only had to figure out the particulars. Where they could go. What they could do. They couldn’t hide like this forever.
He’d take them to Nick’s, figure it out there. Maybe one of them had other relatives…a cabin…hell, a Boy Scout camp they went to as a kid that might be empty now. Something.
Right now, their priority was food, somewhere to sleep, and showers. If Blue had a concussion, it would be best if they didn’t travel tonight. They’d get moving again in the morning.
“I say we head that way and check in. Maybe we should split up. You guys go first, and I’ll follow with Blue.”
“Dude, I need food. Like now.” Jack had one earbud in, the other hanging down his neck. “I’m not going anywhere if there isn’t food.”
God, this kid was tedious. “Fine, whoever wants food, go with Jack. I’ll walk Blue to the hotel.”
“I’ll go with you, man. I’m hungry, too.” Luke pulled a wad of money out of his pocket and handed it to Seth. “Here, that should be fine for a couple of rooms.”
Seth looked down at the ball of twenties and handed back a few of them. “We should each get our own room. I’ll check in under Peter Richards. Ask for me at the desk.”
“Peter Richards?” Luke’s nose wrinkled.
“Yeah.” Seth smiled. “Should be easy enough for a couple of dicks like you to remember.”
Jack shook his head. “You suck.”
They all chuckled.
Luke shrugged and took some of the money back.
Seth raised his eyebrows. “This looks like a drug sale now. You know that, right?”
A grin split Luke’s face. He pushed up his glasses on his nose. “Yeah, well, I’ve never looked properly up to no good. I kind of like it.”
Seth snorted and clapped Luke on the back as he started down the street. Jack followed with his hands in his pockets and his backpack on his back. But Kitty lagged behind, glancing after Luke and Jack but not immediately following.
“You want to come with us, Kitty?” Blue offered. Seth watched as indecision played on Kitty’s face.
He still didn’t know what to make of Kitty. Even though it seemed like she and Blue were good friends, she appeared uncomfortable around them. But he didn’t think it was because she didn’t like them. If anything, she seemed self-conscious. Or plain awkward.
She glanced between Blue and Seth a few times.
She lifted her backpack again and slung it over her shoulder. “I think I’m going to go with them. But I’ll catch up with you guys at the hotel.” She started walking, waving as she went. “Feel better, Blue.”
“What was that about?” Blue asked when Kitty was far enough away not to hear them.
“Dunno.” But he did. She’d probably overheard him thinking about her. He needed to be more careful in the future. He hadn’t intended to hurt her feelings. “Let’s get going.”
Blue released her hold on the park bench and promptly wobbled. But her stubborn chin said she wasn’t ready to ask for help. She took a few steps before staggering a little. He stood next to her but didn’t touch her. “You done now? Between being tired and bashing your skull in, you could ask for a little help, you know.”
“Yeah, I don’t ask for help well.”
“No way. I’d never have guessed.”
She grimaced. “Fine. Would you help me?” She paused before she added, “Please.”
“See, not so bad.”
“You’ve got a mean streak, Seth Campbell.”
“Yeah, I know.” He tucked her up against him again, allowing himself to rub his cheek against her soft hair for a moment, and they headed off. “One of my better qualities.”
Blue made it a few blocks. That felt like a herculean feat, and she was pretty proud of herself.
Her self-congratulating ended when her stomach heaved. She hustled it to a nearby trash can and tossed up what little she had in her stomach. When she finished, she felt like her head had exploded as well. Rubbing her temple, she met Seth’s gaze and wondered if she looked as much like dog crap as she felt.
He scratched his head, putting his backpack down. Reaching inside, he retrieved a towel he must have swiped from the train.
“I see,” he said, handing it to her.
“What exactly do you see?” She sounded grouchy. She was grouchy. She accepted the towel and wiped her mouth. The slash on her head hurt, the lights were giving her a raging headache, and she’d puked. In front of Seth. Not exactly her finest moment.
“That you’ll go a long way to get a piggyback ride.”
She wanted to say something smart. A comment like that, she should have been able to wind up some sort of sassy comeback. But she was too tired.
“Wow.” He stepped closer, studying her carefully. “You really must feel like shit.” He turned. “Come on. Hop up. I got you.”
Blue stared at the wide expanse of his back in front of her
and balked. She’d spent the past half an hour or so in close proximity to him, and she hated to admit how much she liked it. It seemed every inch of him was covered in tanned skin and toned muscle. With his gorgeous mouth and his intelligent gaze…she had to admit he was probably the best-looking guy she’d ever met.
She’d known how good-looking he was the entire time, of course. She wasn’t blind. But it was getting harder to ignore all that. Because he was turning out to be so much more than some good-looking guy. Like when he was talking about his mother. He hated that he’d had to cut her out of his life. He hadn’t said it, but she understood. After all, he’d refused to leave them, complete strangers, behind. If he wanted to, he could have been long gone. But he seemed determined to protect them all…protect her. For someone like that, who didn’t give up on people…she couldn’t even imagine how hard it had been to give up on his mom. And, thanks to her issues with her mother, she could sympathize, way too much.
The whole thing tore at her heart. And softened her toward him.
He put his backpack on so it hung in the front, and then he glanced over his shoulder. “Come on. Up.” Then he gave her that grin. The half grin, the one she found entirely too sexy. “Trust me. I think I can hold you.”
She didn’t need any more coaxing. If asked to choose between pressing herself against Seth’s gorgeous back or forcing herself to walk another block and then probably puking again? Yeah. No real choice. Besides, she wanted to be near him.
She put her hands on his shoulders and hiked a leg up. He did the rest of the work, hauling her up like a rucksack. They set off, and the jerk wasn’t puffing at all. As if she didn’t weigh a thing.
Well, all right, then. If he’s got this… Blue tucked her head down, laying her cheek between his shoulder blades and allowing herself to curl against him. She closed her eyes and experienced immediate bliss. Why were the lights so…bright?
Against her face, the T-shirt he had borrowed from Jack was warm with his body heat. She rubbed her cheek against him, allowing herself this moment, without him looking, to enjoy the feel of him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on tightly.
To the outside world, they probably looked like any other young, carefree couple. Goofing around, a boyfriend giving his girl a piggyback ride so he could hold her close in public.
Blue was surprised by how much she wished that was true. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in a long time. Not since her high school boyfriend left for college two years ago. He’d said they’d make it work, long-distance, all the way to University of Colorado in Denver.
But they hadn’t. Rather, he hadn’t. For her, there was nothing new in Glory. Not many prospects. But for him? When he’d broken up with her—over the phone on Halloween, so he could take his new girl to a party without a guilty conscience—she’d told him she understood. And she had. It must be hard to look back with so much in front of him.
Since then, she hadn’t had time to date. Guys at the bar would hit on her sometimes. But they weren’t dating material.
Sometimes she missed being young, dating and that sort of thing. But she didn’t regret caring for her grandmother. Especially now…
“You okay back there?” She heard and felt the question against her cheek.
“Yeah. And thanks. I felt like holy shit.”
“Much more dignified than regular shit, then.”
She smiled, despite herself. He was too much.
They walked in silence down the street for a while. Occasionally, she’d open her eyes and see them pass some shops, a restaurant or two. Finally, Seth turned in to a Holiday Inn. Out of sight of the door, he stopped at a bench and put her down.
“Why don’t you wait here? I’ll go check in.”
“You sure?” she asked, even though she had no desire to walk another step. She needed a nap in the worst way.
“Yeah. It’s a girl behind the desk. I need to get a room without ID. I’ll probably have better luck alone.”
She glanced up at him. She expected to see some sort of cockiness on his face. If it had been a lot of other guys, he’d have winked or wiggled his eyebrows, or done some other arrogant thing as if to say, Hey, did you notice I’m incredibly attractive?
But there was nothing. Only a matter-of-fact there’s an issue, and I know the best way to fix it. In this case, he was probably right. If he applied that flirty grin, he’d get what he wanted.
She realized at that moment that this was one of her favorite things about him. No bullshit. See a problem, fix it. Do what needed to be done. She appreciated that in people.
“Okay.”
He nodded. She closed her eyes. She must have dozed off sitting there, because he was back before she knew it with a few folded-up pages and a couple of swiping door keys.
“Everything all right?” Was that her voice? Her words were too slurred, for sure.
“Jesus.” He didn’t say anything else, only leaned over and scooped her up into his arms, tucking her head under his chin.
She didn’t argue. And for a moment, she pretended. She pretended she was one of those girls who had a reliable boyfriend. For once someone was taking care of her.
Maybe it made her a wimp. But it didn’t matter.
He carried her up a flight of stairs. There was a swish and then the door closed behind them, and then he was laying her down.
On a bed. Sweet God above. A bed.
He took her Converse off and pulled the sheets over her. Then he smoothed her hair out of her face with a soft touch.
She closed her eyes, her face pressed against the most comfortable pillow she could remember. The shower turned on in the bathroom, and she decided that she might have been wrong about him. Seth Campbell was someone she could depend on after all.
If she was in the market to depend on someone.
Which she definitely wasn’t.
Jack was pouting. Again.
All they have is Subway. I hate fucking Subway.
His attitude grated on Kitty’s nerves. Having everyone’s thoughts in her head was tough enough, but his negativity would test the patience of a saint.
She’d wanted to stay with Seth and Blue. But they were so…cozy together, and she didn’t want to feel like the fifth wheel. She’d tagged along with Luke and Jack instead.
She regretted that decision. At least in Jack’s case.
When did they even cut those tomatoes, anyway?
“You know, Jack, we could keep walking. Find somewhere else.” Even as she offered, she knew what he’d say.
“No way. I’m starving.” Besides, not many choices in this little hellhole.
So pleasant.
She turned to Luke behind her. He was pondering his dinner options. Cold cut combo is always a good choice, though. She smiled. Now, this was more pleasant.
“I like the cold cut combo, too.”
He blinked, his glasses making his eyes even larger. She got a quick flicker of What the… before he tapped his chin in mock consideration. “Yeah. A solid choice. But the meatball…”
She grinned. If she only had to listen to Luke… Or the nice elderly woman behind the counter. The tenor of their thoughts was…nice. The sandwich maker, she was thinking about her grandson who’d started walking two days ago. She hadn’t seen him do it yet and planned to visit tonight. Thinking about seeing the little boy made her happy. And her happiness filled Kitty with happiness.
This part of her new…gift was fine. She found that some people—like Blue, Seth, and Luke—didn’t fill their minds with nastiness. People like that, even when they were inappropriate or having an errant bit of meanness, they weren’t inherently mean. But Jack…
Wish I was alone. I’d be in Mexico by now.
He had his moments. When he was thinking about his family, she caught flashes of awful pain and sorrow. Worse even than the others. When he thought about his aunt in Trinidad, his worry and guilt were so consuming she wanted to cry with it. But when he was in these kinds of moods… Kitty s
ighed, rubbing her temple.
There must be some way to block out this stuff. Currently, she was at the mercy of whoever stood nearby. And right now that meant Jack.
It wasn’t fair. It was her head. She should be able to control what came in and out of it.
Doesn’t she know the mayonnaise goes on first? God, what an idiot. Jack snorted next to her.
What a jerk. Enough. She couldn’t take any more. There had to be something. She stared at him, focusing. All she wanted was to put up a wall between him and her. Just not him, not him, not him…
He turned then, catching her looking at him. Why’s she staring at me again? She’s so weird.
Anger exploded in her. How dare he? She scowled, concentrating hard, determined to put a barrier between them if it killed her.
She should have stayed… And with that, he was gone. His thoughts had been there and then they weren’t. She smiled. She wanted to taunt him. He couldn’t poison her with his pessimism.
“Kitty?” Luke touched her sleeve. “Are you all right?”
“Never better.” Because she was in control again, control of herself, of her own thoughts. “Why?”
“Your nose. It’s bleeding.”
Chapter Nine
When Kitty returned, Seth left her with Blue and went to get food. He tried to keep the door from making noise as he closed it. Luckily, it latched behind him with only the faintest click.
He paused in the hotel hallway, listening at the door. Blue must have slept through his departure. Good.
Shoving his room key in his back pocket, he jogged to the stairwell, took the stairs down two at a time, and trotted outside into the night air.
He needed to hurry and get back fast. Even though Kitty was there, he didn’t want to be away long. Taking off at a steady clip, he hustled down the street to the Subway. Probably the best place to get something for her.
Christ. This entire situation was fucked. It wasn’t until he’d tucked her into that bed, safely away from danger, and climbed into the shower that the true weight of it all hit him.