“Let’s get going, Lena.” Jacinda reached down and clasped my hand.
“Right, err, okay,” I replied.
Flint turned. With the sun glinting off the natural highlights in his hair, and the way his shirt hugged his broad shoulders, I never wanted to look away. However, I wasn’t the only one admiring the view. He passed a group of young women sitting at an outside café table. All four watched him. The sound of giggles and whispered comments followed.
Jealousy raced hotly through my blood. Its intensity surprised me. Feeling my cheeks flush crimson, I did my best to keep my breathing even.
“Everything all right?” Jacinda asked.
A breeze ruffled her long, blond hair. A knowing twinkle glinted in her light brown eyes. I ducked my head and brushed past her into the store. Seriously, I needed to stop making a fool of myself.
THE NEXT TWO hours were entirely painful. I kept thinking about Jet, Jasper and Mica on a trail ride. They were currently enjoying the outdoors, whereas I was stuck trying on piece after piece of clothing. Jacinda dragged me from store to store. The pile of bags grew in our wakes.
It didn’t help that some of the shopkeepers recognized me. I’d asked a few of them this morning if they knew about a missing girl matching my appearance. Every time I got recognized, a wary look would flash across their eyes. Luckily, Jacinda did most of the talking and all of the explaining.
“She was looking for us.” Jacinda handed a male shopkeeper several hundred dollar bills as he rang up our latest purchase. He’d visibly flinched when I’d walked in. “Silly thing, she was so tired,” Jacinda continued. “That’s probably why she was saying that stuff.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile and winked.
The store owner just stared at Jacinda. I swear he was about to drool. “That’s good to hear. My wife…um, I mean…my shop assistant was worried about her.”
Jacinda looked at him demurely through her full lashes. “Please let your shop assistant know that she’s just fine.”
The man smiled and almost tripped when he came around the counter to hand us our bags. “You ladies have a nice afternoon. I hope to see you in here again.” His eyes stayed on Jacinda.
I almost threw up in my mouth but neither seemed to notice. “Are we done?” I asked.
Jacinda gave the man her supermodel smile. He almost knocked over a rack of sunglasses when he turned. I smothered a gag and followed her out of the store.
Once on the sidewalk, I glanced at Jacinda’s watch. We still had thirty minutes until Flint returned. I spotted an ice cream shop on the corner. “Do you want to get some ice cream while we wait for Flint?”
Jacinda’s expression told me exactly what she thought of that. “There’s a shoe store down on that side. Follow me.”
I rolled my eyes and followed her once again. It was hard not to smile, though. There was a bounce in Jacinda’s step. I had a feeling this was the most fun she’d had in a while.
When Flint finally returned, we had over ten shopping bags full of items. In my opinion, I didn’t need over half of them. Jacinda, of course, didn’t agree.
Flint eyed the mountain of items. “How much did you spend?”
Jacinda merely put the bags in the back of the Suburban. “Not much.”
“Jacinda…” he said, his voice deepening.
“Only two thousand. Really, it’s not a big deal.” Worry flashed through her eyes before she smiled brightly. Flint, however, seemed immune to her charms.
He raked a hand harshly through his hair. “Have fun explaining that one to Di. You know we need to conserve the pile. What if it takes months or years to find answers? We’re dependent on that money.”
Jacinda stuffed the rest of the bags in the back. She hurried to her door. It wasn’t lost on me that she never replied.
“Did you find anything at the library?” I asked.
Flint gave another angered glance toward Jacinda’s door. “Not really.”
I stepped back as a slow wave of power hit me. Once again, that feeling radiated from him. I crossed my arms. “Um…what were you looking for?”
“A connection between our cities, or some kind of connection between us and our cities.” Again, he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
I wanted to ask more but got the impression this wasn’t a good time. Flint was angry. That was apparent.
“Should we head back?” I asked.
He nodded curtly and got in the vehicle. I buckled myself in the back again as he started the engine. We peeled out of the parking spot. A few people stared at the shiny, expensive Suburban. I’m sure the two front occupants were partly to blame. Flint and Jacinda were as good looking as any Hollywood A-list couple.
Jacinda smiled as we drove into the forest. “Lena and I had fun. Didn’t we?”
I made a noncommittal noise and muttered something about the experience being akin to dying slowly.
“What was that?”
I knew from her annoyed expression she’d heard me. Of course she’d heard me. She could have heard me a mile away. I smiled brightly and berated myself for forgetting her ability. “Nothing. Yes, it was very fun. The time of my life.”
Flint’s lips quirked up in the rearview mirror.
“Well anywho,” Jacinda said. “We’ll probably need to go back into town tomorrow or the next day. I’m running short on my favorite nail polish. Since we didn’t have time to pick it up…”
I stopped listening as Jacinda rattled off the other things we ‘needed.’ Instead, I watched Flint’s forearms as he gripped the steering wheel. They were well muscled with thick rope veins. That strange feeling of safety washed through me again. I just hoped it wasn’t a false security. Jet’s words still haunted me. A bad omen. I shivered.
CHAPTER TEN
We quickly fell into a routine on the ranch. Since Flint had paid for our cabins through the week, we didn’t need to leave anytime soon.
Each day started with having breakfast at the main house. From there, Di and Flint would disappear. I had no idea where they went. We usually wouldn’t see them again until evening, and since Di wasn’t a talker and Flint seemed intent on ignoring me, I had no idea what they spent their time doing. Consequently, I spent most days with Jacinda, Mica and the twins.
It was fun yet frustrating. Four days had passed yet we still knew nothing about our situation.
I sighed heavily and took a drink of orange juice. We were currently eating breakfast. Di and Flint had already left. Country music strummed through the speakers. Guests chatted and silverware clanked. Everything about our stay had been nothing but pleasant. Yet all I could think about was how this felt like some bizarre vacation that was completely avoiding the reality of our lives. We still had no answers.
“What do Di and Flint do all day?” I asked Mica.
She took a huge bite of pancakes. Syrup practically drowned them. “I dunno for sure, but I do know they spend a lot of time talking about what happened to us and why.”
“But why aren’t all of us talking about it?”
She shrugged. “Hey, you wanna go on a nature walk? They’re having one this morning.”
“Um, sure, but why don’t we all talk with Di and Flint? Wouldn’t it be smarter to have us brainstorming together?”
Mica took another huge bite. “I dunno.”
She turned her attention to Jasper and laughed at something he said. Meanwhile, Jet sat with the curvy blonde and her friends at their table. The twin’s arm was draped across the blonde’s shoulders, his thumb making circles on her upper arm. She inched closer to him.
I sighed in frustration. Over the past four days, I’d also learned that Jacinda wasn’t the only one who wanted to avoid our circumstance. Mica seemed completely oblivious to the fact that our lives started four months ago. The twins seemed more open to talking about our situation. However, Jet acted more interested in hooking up with other guests. I didn’t mind, though. Each time I’d approached our situation with Jet, he started murmuri
ng about aliens and kryptonite.
I understood why Di and Flint ignored him.
“What about you?” I asked Jacinda. “Do you know why we don’t all discuss it?”
The blond beauty’s hand stilled as she brought her napkin to her lips. Her face paled. She gently dabbed at the corner of her mouth. “I’m going to get another cup of coffee. Would you like one?”
She stood before I could respond.
I finished my breakfast as Jasper and Mica got into a discussion about Sriracha sauce – to put on eggs, or to not put on eggs? That was the question. My eyes drifted to the window. Were Di and Flint currently discussing our memory loss? Perhaps searching the area for answers? I pushed my chair back.
“I’m gonna pass on the nature walk, Mica. I’ll see you all later.” I bolted before she replied.
I RETURNED TO the cabin. First ours, then the guys. Neither Di nor Flint was in either. Scents of coffee lingered in our cabin, though. In other words, they had been here. Nobody had made coffee this morning before we walked up for breakfast. I’d probably just missed them.
Back outside, I jogged down the porch steps and plopped my hands on my hips. A breeze fluttered my hair around my shoulders.
Where would they go?
Mica had said there was a nature walk today, and there were always trail rides. However, I’d never seen Di or Flint partake in any group activities. In fact, I’d never seen them on the ranch during the day. Not even at lunchtime.
The sound of a car engine starting broke the quiet. My eyes widened. I sprinted to where the Suburban was parked. White tail lights were alight as I careened to a stop at the bumper. I hurriedly knocked on the back window. Red tail lights flashed.
Without bothering to ask if they minded, I opened the back door and jumped inside. Flint’s dark eyes met mine the second I did. He sat at the driver’s seat, Di on the passenger side. She whipped around just as I clicked my seat belt in place.
“Mind if I join you guys today?” I asked.
They glanced at one another. An unreadable expression covered Flint’s face. My heart quickened at the sight. He looked devilishly handsome, even more so this morning. His hair was still damp from his shower, and his unique scent drifted toward me. That bizarre feeling of safety once again cloaked me. I almost sighed in contentment. Just being around him made me happier.
Di finally shrugged. “Three heads together is better than two. Let’s get going.” She reached for her coffee. Two steaming mugs sat in the console. “Just no talking about aliens and superman. Got it?”
“No aliens and no super heroes,” I replied. “My lips are sealed.”
Flint’s hands merely tightened around the steering wheel. He didn’t say a word.
I couldn’t tell if he was unhappy about me joining them or not. I clasped my hands tightly together. His eyes wouldn’t meet mine when he looked over his shoulder to reverse.
The drive on the county road wasn’t any better. Neither Di nor Flint said a thing. It was very different from hanging out with Jacinda, Mica and the twins. Gone were the joking quips and easy laughter. I felt acutely aware of my presence with these two.
“Where are we going?” I finally asked. We were driving through the forest. Pine trees and aspens flashed by my window.
“Little Raven,” Flint replied. “To the public library.”
“To use the computers again?”
“Yes.”
“What are you trying to find?”
“Today we’re going to–”
“Ah!” Di exclaimed. She grabbed her head and leaned forward. Flint slowed the vehicle and pulled to the side of the road. The Suburban stopped abruptly when he threw it into park.
“Di?” Flint reached over and put a hand on her back. My eyes glued to his large palm resting near her shoulder. My stomach plummeted. Yep, they’re definitely together.
I shook off the intense pain that realization brought. Di was currently holding her head between her hands, and all I could think about was how Flint touching her ripped a hole in my heart.
“What do you see?” Flint’s words were soft and gentle.
“A city,” she said. “It’s…there are skyscrapers and a body of water…maybe an ocean. No…” She shook her head. Her fingers wrapped so tightly around her skull they dug into her hair. “Not an ocean. A lake? No, that can’t be right. It’s a huge body of water.”
“Maybe the Great Lakes?” Flint asked.
“Maybe,” she panted.
My eyes widened as it dawned on me what was happening. Di was in the midst of a vision. She leaned forward, slightly rocking as she gripped her head. I wanted to ask questions, but I didn’t want to interrupt whatever was happening. From how they acted, I guessed this wasn’t the first vision Di had experienced in Flint’s presence.
“Try to make out a detail,” he coaxed. “Can you see something on a building that stands out? Or a pier in the water? Something we can identify?”
“There’s a park. I see lots of grass and people walking and–” Her breath whooshed out of her. She sat up abruptly. “It’s gone.”
She still held her head. Flint rubbed her shoulder. “Did you see anything on a building? Any glimpse of a street sign?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Concentrate. Try to remember.”
“There was…um…one of the buildings was black. It was the tallest one.”
“Good. What else can you remember about it?”
“The black building was by the water. Kind of.”
“Anything else?” Flint asked gently.
She was silent for a moment and eventually shook her head. “No. That’s it.”
“We’ll see what we can find based off that. Thirsty?”
“Very.”
He reached into the back. His gaze again wouldn’t meet mine. Heat raced up my neck as he fished a water bottle from under the seat. When he turned back around, he unscrewed the cap and held the bottle to Di. She took it with shaky fingers and drank greedily.
I swallowed uneasily.
An air of intimacy hung in the cab. I’d never seen Di so shaken or Flint so attentive. Regret pulsed through me. I shouldn’t have come. This was too intimate, too intense. I was forcing myself on them and it was obvious they were sharing something that wasn’t meant to be witnessed by others.
“Are you okay?” Flint asked.
Di nodded. “Let’s go.”
He put the Suburban back in drive. With a spin of tires, we once again sped down the gravel road. None of said anything for the rest of the drive. When we pulled up to the public library and parked in the small lot, Flint turned.
His gaze softened for the merest second when our eyes met. “We’ll spend most of the day here.”
I nodded mutely.
The three of us climbed out of the vehicle. Di stood straight, her head held high. If I hadn’t witnessed her vision, I’d have never guessed any bone of vulnerability lay inside her.
“We’ll search cities today,” she said. “Specifically cities by the Great Lakes with parks by the waterfront. Let’s get a move on.”
She strode forward. The stoic, resolute Di I was slowly coming to know was back.
WE SPENT THE morning on the computers. One of the librarians smiled at Flint and Di when she passed us. Neither of them smiled back. I wondered if Di or Flint had considered the staff here may begin to recognize them. It was my understanding neither Di or Flint wanted to draw attention to us.
Flint leaned closer to Di just as the woman passed. “We may need to start scoping out the internet cafes,” he murmured.
“I was just thinking the same thing,” she said.
I almost rolled my eyes. Of course they’d considered it.
Di sat in the middle of us. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as images from her Google searches came up. I was glad for the distance from Flint. I tried to concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing – searching for cities that matched Di’s vision – but it was h
ard. My body was so in tuned to Flint’s. Every time he took a deep breath or hunched forward, I perked up. Or whenever he leaned back to stretch, I couldn’t help but glance in his direction to admire his strong forearms and rounded shoulders.
Each time he moved, my body betrayed me. I berated myself internally. He and Di were together. So what that he’d put his arm around me four days ago when the group revealed who they were? For the past four days, he’d ignored me. In other words, that comforting arm had obviously been a tactic he used to help new members mesh into the group. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was crazy how much that realization stung.
Don’t think about him, Lena.
I made myself type in a new search and forced myself to ignore the pain ripping through my chest.
THE REST OF the day passed in a blur. We found a few cities that matched the description from Di’s visions and narrowed it down to three: Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo. Chicago seemed the most likely since its black skyscraper, the John Hancock building, was the tallest.
“Does that mean we’ll go to Chicago?” I pulled open the door to the Suburban as we all climbed in. It was almost six in the evening. Supper was served at 6:30 at the ranch. We’d probably make it back just in time.
“Not necessarily.” Di clicked her seat belt in place. “We need to stay here regardless until the new girl arrives, and we won’t leave until I’m positive that Chicago is in our future.”
“You mean it could be a fluke?”
“I can’t say for sure. So far, my visions haven’t been wrong, but we’re not about to travel across the country until I’m sure it’s right.”
Flint started the engine. I tried not to let it bother me that Flint hadn’t said a word to me since lunch. More than ever, I felt like a third wheel.
I had caught him watching me a few times throughout the day, though, that unreadable expression on his face. However, each time our eyes had met, he’d hastily looked away as if embarrassed that I’d caught him. Those awkward moments wreaked havoc on my nerves. All day my body strummed in awareness for him, and all day, he’d only spoken to me when necessary.
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