Finding Nora: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Searchers Book 2)

by Ripley Proserpina

  She laughed, and turned in his arms. “We can be done. Are you ready to head down?” As the words left her mouth, a shrill ringing sounded. She stared at Seok and Cai, waiting for them to answer.

  “It’s your phone, nae sereang,” he told her politely.

  “Mine?” She remembered the phone Dr. Murray gave her and stuffed in her backpack this morning. “Shit.” She pulled off her backpack, digging through the front pouch. “Shit, shit, shit. Hello?”

  “Nora? Hi. It’s Daniel. I’m sorry to bother you on your birthday, but I need you to come in for an interview. A colleague of mine is here from VMI and I want him present for the next part of your interview.”

  “I’m actually on the top of Mt. Charlotte,” she said. “Tomorrow?”

  “Nope. He’s here only one day before he heads back to Virginia. I need you as soon as you can get here. We’ll wait.”

  “But Dr. Murray…” Cai and Seok's faces had darkened when she said his name.“I have plans today.”

  “I’m sorry, Nora. I know it’s your birthday. I wouldn’t have asked you, but this was a surprise visit. I only learned this morning. Please?”

  She appreciated he didn’t demand she come. He didn’t remind her she was contractually obligated to participate whenever he wanted her. Cai gave Seok a loaded glance and they both walked toward the picnic table.

  She watched them put on their backpacks and sighed. “Okay, Dr. Murray. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Thank you, Nora.”

  She grabbed her backpack. “I’m sorry.”

  Seok shrugged. “It’s okay. We still have the walk down.”

  But her earlier mood was gone. She remembered what Jessica said at her last interview; her next appointment would include questions about her relationships. And she wasn’t ready to talk to anybody except the guys about their relationship. It wasn’t because she was ashamed, though she’d be lying if she wasn’t nervous about how others would view her. It certainly helped that the last few weeks she’d been persona non grata everywhere she went. She’d had a taste of what shunning was like.

  Her biggest worry though, wasn’t how much further she could fall in public opinion, but about the guys. Cai worked with young people. Ryan wanted to be a lawyer. Apollo would be a physical therapist. If people viewed them as morally reprehensible, what could it mean for their careers? In all honesty, she didn’t think Matisse would care, and Seok was an island unto himself. He cared about his friends and her. He didn’t seem to care about anyone else, but maybe it could change if his business was impacted by their relationship.

  “Have you guys told anyone about us?” Nora asked.

  Seok and Cai exchanged a glance.

  “No.” Cai answered first. “I don’t know exactly what I’d say if someone asked me. Or if it’s anyone’s business but ours.”

  Seok shook his head. “I don’t talk to anyone about anything personal outside of our circle. It’s no one else’s business.” He turned around, walking backward so he could watch her. “Why?

  “I’m afraid Dr. Murray will ask me about my relationship.”

  Seok eyed Cai, but shrugged. “Let him. Eventually, Nora, it’s going to come out. We’re going to have to deal with it.”

  “But not necessarily right this minute,” Cai interjected. “Not at the same time she’s already dealing with the shooting fall-out.”

  “If I lied to him…” she hesitated. “… it wouldn’t be because I was ashamed.” She met their gaze. They both seemed to understand, and in Cai’s case, be relieved.

  “I am worried about how it could impact me, professionally,” he allowed. “Yet, I wouldn’t change it. I want to be with you, Nora.” He stopped, waiting for her to catch up. He made sure he had her complete attention before continuing. “I’m—I’m falling in love with you. I’m in it for the long-haul.”

  He lowered his lips to hers. She held onto his elbows, stepping closer to him and lifting up on her tiptoes. “I love you, too,” she whispered against his lips.

  She felt lips on her neck, and the heat of Seok’s body as he crowded her from behind. “If we’re making declarations, then let me make mine as well. I love you, Nora.” His breath tickled her ear, the words so low only she could hear them.

  Cai’s lips left hers, allowing her to turn into Seok’s embrace, but she tightened her grip and reached to hold them to her. Their heads bowed into her neck, one on each shoulder as they held onto each other.

  “This is the best birthday.”

  Both of them nodded, and took her hands, tugging her to walk again. They continued in silence with only the distant sound of traffic and the occasional call of a crow.

  When they arrived in their parkig lot, their car was the only one left.

  “Hungry?” Seok asked as he pulled out of the lot onto the main road.

  “No.” Her mind was racing ahead of her, working out what she should expect from this interview with Dr. Murray. “What university is VMI?” She recalled him telling her it was his colleague’s school.

  “I don’t know,” Seok answered.

  Cai took out his phone. “Virginia Military Institute,” he read. “Why?”

  “Dr. Murray told me the interviewer was from VMI. I’ve been trying to figure out what the letters stood for.” She paused. “I didn’t realize military institutes did research. I thought they were mostly officer training places. Map reading, and, I don’t know, The Art of War.”

  Seok snorted, but Cai answered thoughtfully, “I didn’t know they did either. I think we should come with you.”

  “You can’t come in the interview with me, Cai.”

  “But we could wait.”

  Seok nodded his head.

  “It takes a really long time. My first interview lasted almost four hours. Oh no!”

  Cai whipped around in the seat. “What?!”

  “What time are our dinner reservations? What time is it now?”

  “Crap, Honora. You scared me.”

  Seok’s shoulders shook. Was he laughing at her?

  “Sorry, but I don’t want to miss it. Are either of you wearing a watch? That way I can take off if they aren’t finishing in time?”

  Seok fiddled with something and then reached back, handing her a giant man-watch. The inside of the band was warm from his skin when she put it around her wrist. It was more like a bangle than a watch, sliding up and down her arm. She liked having something of his on her body; the idea of seeing it and thinking of him during the interview comforted her somehow.

  The traffic was stop-and-go the closer they got to the college. She stared out the window nervously. Seok pulled into the parking lot behind Converse Hall and turned around. “I’m coming in. I’ll be in and out the rest of the day. We’ll be back to pick you up at five. Want us to bring you some lunch?”

  Her stomach was a jumbled mess; she couldn’t eat if she wanted to. “No, thanks.”

  Seok and Cai opened their doors, waiting for her to get out. She slid across the seat, standing and stretching and unconsciously rubbing her stomach.

  “How about some ginger ale?” Cai asked, watching her.

  She nodded gratefully. “Yes.”

  They walked into the building together. Cai ran over to a soda machine and fed it a few dollars before returning to her with a green can. She popped the top and sipped it quickly. “Thank you.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

  Seok kissed her head and she turned to him to return his kiss. “What are you going to do while I’m in there?”

  Seok shrugged. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about us. We can always run home and come back. Just know we’ll be in and out throughout the day.”

  A door slammed behind them. Tyler walked with his head down, his ever-present baseball cap pulled low over his brows.

  “Tyler!” Cai called out.

  He startled. His face was sweaty, and pale. She stepped forward. “Are you okay?”

  He took off his hat, not meeting her
eyes while he rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead. “Yeah. Fine. Hey man,” he said to Cai. “What’s up?”

  “Just dropping Nora off, you eat yet?”

  His face paled a little more, and he shook his head quickly. “Nope.”

  “Great. Seok and I will treat you, come on.”

  She noted the way Cai immediately took on the social worker role, and she noticed Tyler relax. Still, there was an unfamiliar tension around him. He was one of the easiest going people she’d met. It was strange the way he wouldn’t look at them. His eyes seemed to land everywhere else, and when Cai moved closer, clapping him on the shoulder affectionately, he flinched.

  Weird.

  “Did you have an interview?” she asked, realizing it was probably the reason for his stress. It certainly was the source of her anxiety.

  He nodded. “It wasn’t bad.”

  His tone was off, everything about him was off. But she didn’t push. She met Cai’s stare. He noticed the same thing. Perhaps he’d get the truth from Tyler.

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “So, I’m going to go.”

  Seok hugged her again, and Cai kissed her cheek. “Good luck,” he said. “Remember, we’ll be back.”

  Nora nodded, glancing once more at Tyler, who continued stare at his feet.

  You’re stalling. She made herself walk to the stairs, allowing herself once last glance before she opened the door.

  When she got to the basement, Dr. Murray was in the hallway, speaking to Jessica. He turned when she approached, smiling easily, with just the right amount of apology. “Hey, Nora. I’m sorry, so thank you.”

  She shrugged, glancing at her wrist. She smiled down at Seok’s watch. “I need to be gone by five. I’m going out to dinner.”

  The way she said it probably gave away she hadn’t had a birthday dinner in, well, she’d never had a birthday dinner.

  “Plenty of time then.” He checked the time as well.

  She relaxed somewhat. Part of her anxiety revolved around getting out of there, and she could safely push it aside.

  “Happy birthday, Nora.” Jessica smiled at her. “Can you come with me so I can take some initial stats and then we’ll get started?”

  She glanced down the hall. “I thought you said someone else was here.”

  Dr. Murray nodded. “He is. You’ll meet him in a minute. He stepped out for a moment. Oh wait!” He walked to them, his hand outstretched. “Do you have the cell phone? I want to switch it out with a different model. I got a grant to upgrade.” He smiled and rubbed his hands together.

  “Okay.” She dropped her backpack to the floor, rooting around for the cell phone and handing it to him.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” He jogged down the hall, and through the door leading to the stairs.

  “Ready?” Jessica asked.

  She opened the door to one of the rooms, and stepped inside, waiting for Nora to follow her. This room was different than the last one. The first room where she completed the IQ and personality testing was bright white and sterile. The sound echoed off the cement, making her head pound. There was a two-way mirror, and a table and chairs. The whole place was uncomfortable.

  This room was the other room’s creepier twin. Not much had been done to renovate it. The walls were dark green, and she could make out writing, probably kids signing their names or something, on the walls. The paint was chipped in places, revealing grey cement. The floor was the same linoleum as lined the first floor’s hallway, cream and orange tile, except this floor was stained. The fluorescent lights flickered, and she realized she’d have another headache at the end of the interview, except this time it would be light-induced.

  “How can you stand it?” she asked Jessica, who gestured to the one vinyl covered chair under the metal table.

  She sat where she wanted, and waited. Jessica held up a finger, and then began to take her pulse. She was quiet so long, she wondered if she’d forgotten she’d been asked a question. Jessica turned to the table, and took out the blood pressure cuff, wrapping it around her arm. She was still silent, and now Nora was unsure whether she should ask again. Doing so would be awkward.

  She didn’t glance at the light, so it obviously didn’t bother her. A knock on the metal door made Nora jump, and the cuff inflated again.

  “Hey, Nora.” Dr. Murray poked his head in. “I’ve got to run off campus for like, an hour. Jess, I need you.” He didn’t offer anymore explanation.

  “You’re not doing the interview?” she clarified.

  He shook his head. “No. I’ll review the video later.” He pointed to the corners of the room. “Surveillance,” he said, and winked at her.

  Jessica unwrapped the cuff and put it away. “They make me crazy,” she said as she placed the cuff in a bag. “I have a killer headache from the last interview. But our other interview room is being treated for asbestos. So we’re SOL.”

  “Oh,” she replied, uneasiness making her draw her knees up to her chest and wrap her arms around her legs. “Okay.”

  “He’ll be in momentarily,” Dr. Murray said, making room for Jessica to pass by him. “Thanks again, Nora.”

  She gave him a smile she didn’t mean, and watched him leave, closing the door behind him. The lights continued to flicker, and then some fuse must have caught because they suddenly came on, along with a buzzing sound specific to fluorescence. She shifted her weight, crossing her ankles, and the chair tipped. She adjusted her weight, and it tipped the other way. No matter which way she shifted, the chair rocked. Finally, she gave up, putting her feet on the floor to brace herself and leaned her elbows on the metal table.

  She checked her watch. Only a few minutes had passed since the boys dropped her off. She reached for her soda, taking a sip, and then tilted her head back to get the last few drops. With the lights on, she could see the room better. Now she could make out what people had written on the walls, and some of it made her shudder. Strips of fly paper hung from the ceiling, and in the corners of the room—she peered closer— mouse traps? She picked her feet up again, but when the chair rocked, she sighed and put them back on the floor.

  She wasn’t sure how long she spent examining the room, but it was long enough to think she’d been forgotten. She glanced down at her watch. Forty-five minutes. Maybe Dr. Murray’s buddy thought they were in a different room, or his office. She swallowed. The idea of being along in Converse Hall’s basement gave her goosebumps.

  This is ridiculous. She stood up and walked over to the door. She grasped the knob, but it wouldn’t turn. Thinking she might have pushed in a lock, she tried to twist it the other way. The knob barely turned at all, it gave a little click, as if to let her know, yes, dummy, it still doesn’t work when you try this way, either.

  A rising panic built in her chest. She pulled at the knob, wondering if it was one of those knobs she needed to push and turn to lock. But it remained firm. This is bullshit. She found her backpack, ready to pull out her cell phone to call the guys.

  Dr. Murray could just be disappointed. She wasn’t waiting around all day, in a murder room, waiting for some dude she didn’t know to ask her questions she didn’t want to answer. She unzipped the pouch, shoving her hand inside, only to encounter nothing.

  She’d given her phone to Dr. Murray. She snorted, shaking her head back and forth. Damn.

  She went to the door, pounding on it with her fist. “Hello?” she called.

  She pressed her ear against the cold metal, listening intently. She didn’t hear anything, and pounded on it again. “Hello!”

  She got down on her knees, cringing at the floor. Who knew what those stains were? Tossing her braid to her back so it didn’t touch the floor, she laid down on the tile.

  Through the gap between the tile and edge of the door, she could only see a few feet directly in front of her, but it was clear no one was there. She pressed her mouth closer to the gap and called out again, “HELLO! DR. MURRAY? JESSICA?”

&n
bsp; The room suddenly plunged into darkness, and she screamed. She sat up fast, her eyes open wide, her breath coming in quick, audible pants.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

  She couldn’t see anything, only slightly darker spots of blackness. She laid her head on the floor again, staring out at the bright floor in the hallway. “SEOK! CAI!”

  Her voice cracked. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to calm herself and opened her eyes again. For a moment, the thin shaft of light threw her back in time. Instead of being in the darkened room, she was in the cafeteria at the high school. And instead of looking into the hallway, she was peering out of a doorway, making sure no one was waiting for her outside with an automatic weapon. She could see the blue sky, and the red dumpster sitting behind the school. She cried out, turning her head to the floor and squeezing her eyes shut.

  She stayed that way, head pressed into the back of her hands, palms slowly warming the cold, gritty tile beneath them. Her knees ached where they rested against the floor, and the only sound she heard was her quick breathing.

  Tears began to drop onto her hands, and she choked. She turned her head to the gap again, this time keeping her eyes shut tight.

  “CAI!” She could barely get his name out. “SEOK!” She took a deep breath, screaming, “CAI!” Her voice broke, and she turned her head onto her hands again. Her entire body shook, her breathing echoing through the room in quick pants that seemed to get shorter as her fear increased.

  She sat up, sucking in a breath, but couldn’t get enough air. She tried again, lifting her shoulders.

  Calm down.You’re okay. You’re okay. They’ll find you. You’re okay. But her rational side couldn’t counter her panicked brain. It screamed at her: ALONE! FORGOTTEN!

  Somewhere deep inside her came another voice. This one low and deep, and comforting. The thought of this voice wrapped her in a blanket of protection. She heard it as clearly as if Apollo was standing right in front of her: fill up your belly with air.

  She put her hand on her stomach, and took a deep breath, trying to get enough air to push her stomach outward. The first few breaths did nothing to help her, and the familiar burn of panic began in her chest.