"The Lost, they're people. Not things or-"
"Things or people, whatever. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say here, Cassie.”
“I know it’s not what you expected.” I wanted to add that I had warned him, but I didn’t think telling him, I told you so, would help anything right now.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“What?” Not really understanding the question, I turned to look at him.
“This story, whatever it is. Why aren’t you telling me the truth?”
He thought I was lying to him. “This is the truth. You asked, and I’m telling you.”
He didn’t say anything for a while. I took my time emptying and drying the bags. When I looked back at him, Ethan appeared to be lost in his own world of thoughts.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, joining him at the table.
“Confused,” Ethan said.
“I meant your injuries.”
“Oh, yeah,” Ethan said. He looked like he was coming back to our world. “I’m alright. Nothing that won’t heal.”
“You should know that I am telling you the truth.” I put as much sincerity as I could into the statement. He had to understand that I wasn’t lying or crazy.
“And your other team members, they all know this?” Ethan asked.
A corner of my mouth threatened to turn up. “They do. It’s our job to know.” I could have told him about my partners, but those were secrets that weren’t mine to tell.
“So, if I go home tonight and I don’t know, I get mauled by a werewolf or something, your team would show up?” The forced smile he put on was so strained that it looked like he was in pain.
“You’re not going to be mauled. But yes, if something happens that involves one of the Lost, you might see us around.” My stomach was a tight little ball of uncertainty.
“The Lost?”
I rushed to explain. “It’s misleading. Some are Lost, they came here by accident, but some are here on purpose, but they’re still lost from their world.”
“The thing that attacked tonight? Was it one of them?”
Thing and them. Even if he did come to believe, he was already sorting people into categories of them and us. It wasn’t a good sign.
“We don’t know who he was. I’m sorry you were pulled into this mess.”
“And you? You’re, um… you…” Ethan let the words trail away.
“If it matters,” I said, filling in the blanks, “I’m human.”
Ethan nodded and his eyes focused in on me for the first time since rejoining him at the table. “I don’t know what to think about all of this.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded.
"I should go," Ethan said. “I think…I think I need some time with this.”
"Okay," I said, surprised that I was able to keep the tremor out of my voice.
He slowly rose to his feet and I walked him to the door and let him out. He stopped on his way out and turned to me. That tiny bit of hope clamored in my chest.
"I didn't expect...I mean...I'm sorry."
I plastered on a smile and lied. "I understand."
Ethan nodded and looked at the ground.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” I felt sick to the stomach and my heart felt squeezed, but I had to ask.
“Uh…well, it sounds like you’re research bound tomorrow.”
“Right,” I said, the defeat clear in my voice.
“I’ll just need some time with this.”
“Of course,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.
I thought he would say something else. Instead, he turned and walked away.
I shut the door before he got to his car and leaned against it, listening intently. It felt like a giant lump was in my throat. It seemed like an eternity.
This was Ethan. Surely he'd come back. He wouldn't leave like this.
My heart hammered in my chest.
A few minutes later, the eternity ended. Ethan started his car and drove away.
Any hope I held evaporated. The lump in my throat didn't die away, and it felt as if my heart was as torn as my soul. There had been a chance there. I was certain of it. Ethan was a fantastic guy. He was smart, caring, and understanding. At least to a point.
And now he needed time to think. Sure, I had told him a lot. Actually, no. We didn’t get very far at all before he shut down, but I could give him time. If a relationship couldn’t work with a guy like Ethan, there’s a chance I’d be spending a lot of time alone.
The home phone rang, which was a welcome distraction.
“Hello?”
There was a crackle in the line and then the caller was disconnected. I looked at the caller ID, but there was no name or number. Since there was no diversion there, I cleaned out the coffee pot and got it ready for the morning.
The home phone rang again and again there was nothing but crackling. As soon as I hung it up, my cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Hello,” Rider said. “I wanted to call to find out how you were doing.”
“It sounds like we have a good connection now,” I said.
“We do have a good connection,” Rider said.
“I’m glad you and Vincent were able to check the area on campus.”
“He dropped me off at home a few minutes ago. We retrieved the bullet fragments and shells left by Ethan. They will be back at the office for testing. Vincent said that Ethan would want to know,” Rider said.
My chest felt tight. “I’m sure he will want to know.” There was no way I was going to ask my partners to call him, but I know Ethan didn’t want to hear from me. “I’ll text him and let him know.”
“Ethan is not there?”
“No, he went home.” Rider was my best friend; could I talk to him about what happened with Ethan? “He, um…” The lump started to reform in my throat. “He was pretty sore, so he went home.”
Even if I could talk to Rider about Ethan, the day had been too long already. There was no way I wanted to talk tonight.
“What are you doing tonight?” Rider asked.
“It’s late, so I’m going to take whatever it is that Taylor left for me, and I’m going to sleep.”
“I see. I will call Vincent. Goodnight, Cassie.”
“Goodnight…“
Rider hung up before I got the rest out. Shrugging, I stowed my phone in my pocket in order to put it on the charger upstairs later.
Knowing that if I put it off now, I would put it off tomorrow as well, I took a few minutes to straighten up Gran’s bed from its use as an impromptu exam room.
While I busied myself, I got lost in my head. Why did I have to tell him everything? Why all at once? I knew it was too much for anyone to take in one sitting.
Tomorrow would be better though. Even if Ethan didn’t call, I’d have a case to focus on.
For tonight, it was medicine and off to bed.
When I reached my room, the doorbell rang. My mood went from depressed to aggravated in a heartbeat. Who would stop by this late at night?
Even more important, would they go away if I ignored them. Then I had a thin thread of hope that it was Ethan, so I hurried back downstairs.
“Who is it?” I called on my way through the living room.
“It’s me, Cass.”
Shaking my head, I opened the door. “What are you doing here so late?” Then I put the pieces together. “And why did Rider send you?” Despite the words, I ushered him in.
“He called, he didn’t send me,” Vincent said. He saw my bandages. He didn’t say anything, but he looked like he wanted to.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. It’s been a rough night.”
He nodded. “Worse than I thought.”
I shrugged. “Can I get you some coffee?”
"Do you want to talk about it?"
“Not really.” There was no part of this night that I wanted to talk about. Although, the muscle relaxers were kicking in, so I was starting to feel better.
"To who?” I asked, not quite following.
“Ethan. I’m guessing this night interrupted your date.”
“You could say that.” I shook my head, but my lips twitched up at the thought of Vincent and Ethan talking about tonight. “That doesn’t sound like the best idea." I cleared my throat. "You didn't have to come by, but thank you."
"Can I get you anything?"
I wanted to ask for a new life, but that was far too dramatic for me, so I shook my head.
"Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be down here."
"You're staying?"
Chapter 15
"I'll be on the couch," Vincent said.
"Don't you want to go home?" I didn't put any emphasis on the words. The truth is, the house felt far too empty.
"I'll be on the couch," Vincent repeated adamantly.
Knowing that I wasn’t completely alone in the house tonight would make me feel better. "Why—"
"Cass, I'm staying."
I rolled my eyes. "What I was going to say was why don't you stay in your room upstairs."
"My room?"
I shrugged my shoulders, then winced. "That's what I was going to say. You did live here after all."
Curling up and going to sleep was tempting, but the need to get the dirt and grime of the day rinsed off was greater. Yawning, I started up the stairs. Before I made it to the top, I remembered the compression wraps on my arms.
When I turned back around, Vincent hadn't moved. He looked caught up in his own thoughts.
“You are going to stay in your room, right?” I asked. “Not down here.”
He looked at me for a few moments, but I couldn’t read his expression. Whatever muscle relaxers Taylor gave me were doing their job.
“Sure,” Vincent said. “I’ll be up later.”
Trying not to look relieved was difficult, but if he noticed, I could blame it on the drugs. Whatever the reason, it was nice to know that Vincent would be down the hall.
“Night,” I said.
“Goodnight, Cass.”
After retreating to my room, I stripped off my socks and shoes. Sleep sounded divine, but I still went straight for the shower. After stripping the dirt from my skin, I stood in front of my mirror and looked at all the bruises.
This was definitely not the way I had expected the night to end.
I balled up the wraps for my arms and tossed them in a corner. This day needed to be over, and my bed looked inviting.
***
The next morning voices filtered up from downstairs. I couldn't make out anything they were saying, or even whose voices they were. After yesterday morning, it probably wasn't the wisest decision to assume the voices belonged to my partners, but, since the plan had been to meet here, I expected it to be them.
I didn't bother getting out of bed. Instead, I decided it was past time I called Gran. Luckily, my phone was nearby, although reaching for it caused such deep aches in my arms, I wasn't sure if I would even be able to pick it up.
"Mornin', sugar," she answered on the first ring.
"Morning, Gran. How is everything at Mom's?"
"As good as can be expected. Your mother has decorated with some sort of fake plants. It's almost as if they want to suck the life out of you to become real plants. Dee Dee is springing me for a few hours later today."
"That's good."
"I forgot to ask if you dropped off that package the other day."
"Yeah, I was able to get it over there."
"I appreciate that," Gran said. She sounded relieved.
"It's no problem."
"How was your date last night?" Gran asked.
"It...it didn't go so well. In fact, it ended badly. I think I caught Ethan off guard by telling him the truth. Now he wants time to think."
"I didn't know," Gran said. She sounded surprised she hadn't known about it ahead of time.
"You can't see everything all the time," I said, trying to sound more upbeat than I felt.
"Why don't you tell me all about it," Gran said.
She received a brief overview of the evening. Not the stuff about the case, but everything with Ethan.
"And Vincent came over?" Gran asked.
"Yeah. I think he stayed in his room. I told him he should take it instead of the couch."
"Don't you worry. You may have only overwhelmed Ethan last night. It can be a lot to take all at once."
"Maybe."
"You're a strong, capable woman. If that man doesn't see what he's missing, you can always show him. If you want to, that is."
"Thanks, Gran."
"I swear your mother's house is sappin' the life out of me."
We chatted about Mom's enthusiastic decorating skills before we said goodbye and I got my day started. The first thing I did was send Ethan a quick text saying our office had removed the bullets and casing from the site.
The second order of business was to take a pain pill and a muscle relaxer. Who knew muscles could hurt so much? I got dressed, found the wraps for my arms, and hunted down the source of the voices. In the kitchen, research was already underway. Logan, Vincent, and Rider all had laptops open.
"Morning," I said, going straight for the coffee pot.
"Howdy, partner. You need help with those bandages?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, it’s not so easy with one arm. Thanks."
I took the seat next to Logan and he started helping me wrap an arm.
From my other side, Rider lifted my other arm lightly and inspected it. I’m not sure what he was looking for, but he sat it back down after a few moments.
I wasn't sure if Vincent had mentioned anything about the previous night, but I wasn't going to bring up Ethan. After what Gran had said, I felt somewhat cheered up. If I wanted Ethan back, it was worth a try. I couldn't imagine myself walking up and kissing him out of the blue, but there had to be something.
"So, where are we?" It was best to press my personal life aside. "Was there anything else about last night?"
"Nothing," Vincent said without looking up from his computer.
"That is not entirely correct," Rider interjected, frowning at his partner.
"What did you find?" I asked.
"Your scent changed," Rider said.
"My scent?" I asked, trying to follow. I could tell I was going to need more coffee.
Logan finished up one arm and I shifted so he could help me with the next.
"You were not you," Rider said.
"I guess that makes sense. Sort of. That happened before when a fragment got out, right?" I didn't wait for an answer. Being reminded how far from normality my life had traveled didn’t make for good morning conversation. "Nothing about Einar?"
Rider shook his head and went back to his deficient typing skills, hunting and pecking as slowly as ever.
"Vincent and I are researching through the office. Rider is online, and we thought you'd go through MyTH," Logan said as he finished my other arm.
"Thank you, Logan, and yeah, I can go through MyTH." I went to get the laptop Neil gave me.
I had been using it to email Quin, another Reader that I had contacted. We had been swapping information for half a year now. It was nice to have another Reader to talk to, even if I didn't have any idea who she actually was. I knew I could track her down, but I wasn't comfortable with that. She'd let me know who she was when she was ready. It wasn't like I had to let her know my real name either.
When I came back to the kitchen, Logan was on the phone.
"Yeah, we'll mosey on down," Logan said before hanging up.
"Where are we heading?" I asked.
"Local police found a body. Hank called and he wants us to check it out to see if it's related," Logan said.
"Any details?" I asked.
Logan shook his head. "Too soon to tell. I thought you'd be sticking around the house today."
I rolled my eyes. "It's my arms. I'll be fine."
"Maybe w
e should drive separately, in case someone needs to leave early," Logan said.
"And by someone you mean me?" I crossed my arms.
Logan shrugged. "It can be a bit uncomfortable in the truck with four."
It was a blatant lie. The truck had two rows of seating up front.
Rider looked like he was going to say something and Vincent kicked him under the table. Rider’s eyes widened, giving Vincent a hurt look.
"Subtle," I told Vincent.
His expression was wooden.
I could feel my cheeks flushing and looked away. "I'm not supposed to drive on the pain pills until I know how I'll react. I took one this morning."
"I'll drive," Vincent said.
"Sure," I said, feeling defeated. Being hurt and not being able to do my job effectively sucked.
I stowed the laptop and grabbed my stuff before leaving the house. Vincent needed to stop at his apartment before catching up with the others. We rode in silence. I couldn't help but wonder what Vincent's apartment might be like. He'd moved in a few weeks ago, and housewarming parties definitely weren’t his style.
His complex was one of the newer models that were popping up all over town. There were eight buildings and some sort of clubhouse at the entrance. More buildings were still under construction.
There was a passing thought that I should wait until he invited me in instead of assuming that I could walk in with him. Then I decided that I could grow old and die before ever getting that type of invite from Vincent, so I followed him in. Since he didn't object, I figured it was as close to an invite as I would be likely to receive.
Vincent lived on the ground floor, for which I was grateful today. My legs might not have been mummy wrapped, but the muscles still ached and the bruises had firmly settled in. He unlocked the door, and I sensed a moment of hesitation before we entered.
I'm not sure what I had been expecting, but I'm certain this wasn't it. The walls were a soft white, the carpet had that just-installed look, and every piece of furniture was new. More surprising, it all matched.
"You missed breakfast. There should be some fruit in the kitchen if you’d like. It's...well, help yourself to anything." Vincent crossed the living room and disappeared down a hall.
The blinds were mostly open, and bright, morning sunlight filtered in. It was an open floor plan, but it was hard to find anything that could be considered personal. I went to the kitchen to get something to eat. I wasn't hungry, but it was an excuse to be nosy and get a bit more insight into Vincent's life. The fridge was mostly empty save for a few pieces of fruit, some vegetables that looked like they all belonged together in a salad, condiments, and bottled water. The six pack of beer off to the side looked out of place.
AIR Series Box Set Page 74