Trevor stared at me for a long moment, then he sighed. He reached for me and pulled me to him. He wrapped his arms tight around me, stroking a hand over my head like he knew I loved.
"Why did Jamie yell at you?"
"Because he blames me for Deanna's murder." I hiccupped a couple of times. "He knew her."
"He knew her?"
I nodded into the crook of his arm. "He was having sex with her. I think he might've loved her in a way."
"Oh man."
"I know. Merlin picked just the right girl to eff everything up. Jamie will never trust me again. I'm not sure we can even be friends anymore."
Trevor was silent and I could tell he was thinking. I pulled away and looked up at his face. Yup, he had his thinking face on.
"What is it?"
"How could Merlin know about Deanna? Why her? It was not a coincidence."
"Maybe he read Jamie's thoughts?"
He shook his head. "No, he doesn't have that kind of power. He's not connected to Jamie. He's connected to you and me. And neither of us knew that info about that girl."
"Do you think he has insider information? That someone told him about Deanna and Jamie?"
"It would make some sense."
"Who would do that though? Who would freely give that up to hurt Jamie?"
He put his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. "Not hurt Jamie, hurt you."
I stared back. I was hearing what he was saying, but I didn't want to believe it. That there was someone out there that would conspire with Merlin to kill a girl to get at me.
"I can't believe someone would do that. Be a part of that girl's murder."
"Maybe they didn't know he was going to kill her. Maybe they don't know anything except that they don’t' like you. Do you know anyone like that? Someone that would want to get some kind of revenge on you?"
My stomach lurched and I turned away from Trevor. I was going to get sick. I ran into his bathroom, and retched into the sink. There wasn't much that came up since I hadn't eaten since lunch, and then only half a peanut butter sandwich. Most of what came out was bile, burning my throat on the way out.
I ran the water, washing it away and stared at myself in the mirror. Trevor came up behind me and rubbed my back. He looked at my reflection in the glass.
"You know who it is, don't you?"
I nodded, then cupped some cold water in my hands and drank it. I reached for a towel to wipe my mouth dry. "Heather Brewer."
"She goes to your school?'
"Yeah she's part of the plastic posse." Off his look I explained. "There is this group of girls that Chloe, Jamie and I called the PPs, the plastic posse. Perfect tanned girls who are as fake on the inside as they are on the outside. We’ve always had problems with them. They're bullies. And Josh used to go out with Heather."
"Josh is the guy you..."
I nodded. "Yup, and Heather is the jealous type."
"Do you think she knows what you are?"
I thought about that, and the way she'd looked at me today on the quad. How she didn't join in the fun and games. She'd almost looked concerned. Now for me or for her own backside, I couldn't distinguish.
"Maybe. But I don’t' think she'd blab to someone like Merlin. Guys like Seth or Quinn, then yes."
Okay, so how would she know about Jamie and Deanna? Where would she get that info when you didn't even know?"
That had me stumped. It was a good question. How would she know?
"Would this Deanna have hung around Heather, would she have been part of the posse?"
"From the look of her I'd say hell no. She wouldn't have been posse type."
"Then how would Heather know?"
"I don't know." Frustrated I threw up my hands in the air and then slumped down onto the sofa. I picked up the cutesy throw pillow I'd bought Trevor at a flea market and spun it around in my hands to keep them busy.
He sat beside me. "We need to find out for sure."
"What do you suggest?"
"Follow her. See where she leads."
I nodded. "Yeah I can do that."
He grabbed my hands. "Together, Sale. From now on, always together."
I smiled at him. Was it crazy that he saying that made my heart skip a few beats?
"Okay, boss man."
He smiled back, then pulled me over to him. I settled in beside him and he put an arm around me. "Since you’re here, do you want to watch Duck Dynasty with me?" He picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
"Yeah okay." I pulled up my legs and curled into him. "I still can't believe you watch his show."
"What? It's funny."
"You're funny."
He bent down and kissed me. It was a simple and quick kiss but it meant the world to me. It meant Trevor always had my back.
Chapter Eight
Operation Follow Heather started the next day.
It was Friday, so we got out of school a little earlier than usual. So, when the dismissal bell rang I ran to my locker, dumped my books, and booked it outside. Trevor was waiting for me. I knew he was worried I was going to go off on my own again. I promised him I wouldn’t, but sometimes promises were really hard to keep.
We got into his glorious POS car and waited for Heather’s sunshine yellow Camaro to come racing out of the parking lot. She always drove like a dude with something to prove. It was one of many reasons to loathe her.
It didn’t take long for the sports car to come peeling out of the lot and onto the side street. Trevor had to weave around two parked cars to get in behind her before she disappeared around the corner and into mid-day traffic.
“Are you going to be able to keep up with her?” I asked.
He just gave me a withering look as if I challenged his masculinity. Maybe I had. I turned my head before he could see the cheesy grin on my face.
“I see you smiling.”
Too late.
“It was just a question, Trevor. Doesn’t mean I’m questioning your dudeship or anything because Heather can out drive you.”
“Good one.” He poked me in the side where he knew I was the most ticklish.
I squealed and nearly came out of my seat. “Don’t. You know I hate that.”
“Then don’t question my dudeship.” His lips twitched into a small smile as he looked at me.
I laughed. “Keep your eyes on the road. We don’t want to lose her.”
Trevor put his concentration back on following Heather. She did a few turns then roared onto a busy major roadway. “Doesn’t she live in the Village?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, she’s not heading that way.”
I glanced at the upcoming street signs. “She must be heading downtown.”
We followed her into downtown. She raced down streets recklessly then turned onto Grove Street.
“She’s heading to the historic district. I bet she’s going to that old tavern I told you about.”
“You didn’t tell me about any tavern.”
“Sure I did. Chloe found out that Deanna hung around this dive place called Ye Old Tavern or something like that.”
“Babe, you didn’t tell me that.”
“Oh. I guess I forgot.”
Heather parked her car on one of the side streets and got out. There were no other spots nearby.
“Pull over. Let me out.”
“Sale...” “I won’t go alone, I’ll just keep my eye on her so I know which way she went, while you go park. I’ll text you if there is a problem.”
“Fine.” He pulled to the side and I jumped out.
Heather was already across the street as I got out of the car so I had to j-walk to catch up. Only one car honked at me, as I dodged traffic. But soon I was hustling down the sidewalk following her. She was a fast walker or it could’ve been she was late for something.
The farther Heather walked, the farther into the bad part of town we both went. I remembered being here before. I’d taken a shadow-way to this location while in a fog. I’d ended up right
across the street from the crappy motel that Thane had taken me. Thankfully Heather was not headed that way. I wasn’t sure if that was something I could handle. She turned the corner and continued down the street. Then she stopped walking and quickly turned around.
I dove into the alleyway right onto a bunch of cardboard boxes. I landed hard; my breath was knocked out of me. Something squeaked with my impact. And I really hoped I hadn’t squished a rat or worse a mangy cat.
After I rolled off, the boxes moved and a scrawny, dirty old woman with no front teeth flew out of there like a shrieking banshee, her long jagged dirty fingernails aimed right at my face.
“Stupid girl!” she shouted while charging at me.
I stumbled backwards and hit the wall, trying to get away from her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump on you.”
“Stupid girl!” she shrieked again.
But I got out of there before she could maul my face. I stumbled out onto the sidewalk. Heather was gone. Which was a good thing and a bad thing. Good, that she didn’t know I was following her, but bad because I had no idea which way she’d gone.
By the time I took two steps, my cellphone buzzed. I took it out of my pocket and saw that Trevor was texting me.
Where the hell are u?
Three blocks down, on Bannock.
Stay there
I slid my phone back into my pocket and took a few more steps. It wouldn’t hurt to keep moving. When Trevor got to Bannock Street, he’d still be able to see me even if I was a half block farther down from when he texted me.
I passed a couple of boarded up storefronts, a pawn shop, and a red door with no sign on it. I stopped in front of it trying to find some identifying marks or words that would tell me what lay beyond. A slight wind blew by, kicking up dust and garbage near my feet. Then there was a creaking noise above me. I looked up to see a rectangular wooden sign swinging in the breeze. I took a step back and read it... Ye Old Tavern, established 1908.
Before I could open the door though, Trevor finally caught up to me. “You weren’t planning on going in there alone, now were you?”
“No.”
“You are such a liar.”
“She’s in there. They’re in there. What are we waiting for?”
He grabbed my arm before I could pull on the door. “Do you really want to go in there, without knowing exactly what we are up against? What if regular people get in the way? What then?"
I didn't really think about that. All I could think about was ending this nightmare. I wanted to go back to my ordinary life, well as ordinary as a newly cambion's life can be.
"Well then what do we do?'
"Let me scout it out. Then we can go in through the shadows later if need be."
"Why do you get to go in and not me?"
"A: you're only 17 so you shouldn't even be in a bar, and B: this is a rough place and I'm not letting you get hurt."
"Where was this thinking when we were in Seattle and I was roadying with you, huh?" I put my hand on my cocked hip to let him know I meant business.
"That was different."
"How? Why?"
"Because I didn't love you then, that's why."
That had me gaping and my hand dropped to my side in shock. "You love me?"
His gaze dropped, he no longer looked at me. He actually looked everywhere but at me. "Yes, although some days you are infuriating."
I kicked at his boot so he'd look up at me. "Hey."
He locked eyes with me. "What?"
"I love you too." I wrapped a hand around his neck and brought his mouth down to mine. His lips twitched into a little smile before I pressed my lips to his.
I kissed him hard and long in front of the red door of the dive tavern. It was a weird place to make out, but it suited us just fine.
When we parted, Trevor rested his head against mine. "Are you trying to distract me from going into the pub?"
"No." I smiled. "Maybe."
"It's working."
"Just go and get it done. I promise I'll wait here."
"Okay." He kissed the tip of my nose, then turned and opened the door and went inside.
I leaned against the wall and waited. After a few minutes, I spied the homeless woman I'd accidentally jumped on creeping down the sidewalk toward me. I tried not to look at her. Maybe if I didn't make eye contact she would walk on by and leave me alone.
I tried to shrink into the wall, so she wouldn't notice me. When I risked a peek, she still crept toward me, like a spider scuttling across a floor. My skin goose fleshed. I was completely creeped out by her. Why couldn't she just go back to her awesome cardboard box house and leave me alone?
I was about to bolt when the door to the bar opened and Trevor emerged. He took me by the hand and pulled me across the street.
"What happened?" I asked.
"She wasn't in there. And when I asked the bartender he said no girl like that had come in."
"Okay, maybe she just snuck in somehow."
"Did you actually see her go in?"
I scrunched my mouth. "Ah, no. I had a little issue with a bag lady in the alleyway."
"So, we lost her?"
"Yes, but don't make it sound like it’s my fault."
"I didn't say that Sale."
"Yeah, but I know your tones."
He gave me a side look as he continued to pull me down the sidewalk. "Let's get back to the car and figure out something else."
That's when I noticed that his palm was sweaty and he shook a little. I yanked him to a stop. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Trevor I know you and I can tell when you're scared. You look like you saw a ghost."
He licked his lips, his gaze darting all over the place. "I saw him."
"Who?"
"Him."
"Oh." all the blood rushed from my head and I felt faint. I grabbed onto his arm. "Did he see you?"
He nodded.
"Damn."
"He smiled at me."
I shivered knowing what that smile looked like. "Did you see Seth or Quinn?"
"No, just Merlin in the corner drinking a draft beer."
"That sounds messed up."
"It was."
We started walking again, this time he didn't need to pull me; I had a renewed spring in my step. Fear did that to a person. By the time we made it back to the car, I was almost running. We passed the street Heather had parked on and lo and behold, her car was gone.
"How did she get by us?" I asked. "We would've seen her if she doubled back."
"The question we should be asking is, why did she double back? You only do that if you think someone is following you."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
We reached Trevor's car and got in. Although it was a nice day, Id didn’t roll down the window. I was still shivering inside my jacket. Merlin had that effect on me. Trevor started the car and pulled into traffic.
Then something horrible dawned on me. "Do you think she purposely led us down here?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Well one thing is for sure. Heather is definitely part of this."
He nodded. "Yeah, it looks like it."
I clenched my fist. "I'm going to nail that bitch to the wall."
"Sale, you need to be careful."
"Why? That bitch was no match for me when I was human, and now that I'm not..."
He reached across the seat and grabbed my hand. "When you're angry you start to lose control. Although she may deserve it, you can't hurt her."
I knew what he was saying to me made sense. But I didn't want to hear it. I wanted to hurt Heather. Badly.
"Fine. I won't hurt her. Much. Just a teeny tiny bit." I turned to him and gave him my pouty face.
Smiling, he shook his head. "And that's why I love you. Always the reasonable one."
After Trevor took me home, (Mom insisted he stay for supper), we holed up in my room to figure out our next move and to play Portal. I had homework to do, bu
t I really didn't feel up to it at that moment. What were good grades going to do for me at this point, anyway? It wasn't like I was going to be a doctor or anything. Not in my condition.
"We should pay her a home visit," I said.
"Oh yeah, she's really going to let us in."
"No, I mean a visit."
He looked at me. "You've been inside her house?"
"Yup, in her bedroom even."
"I thought this girl was your nemesis."
"She is. But Jamie, Chloe and I crashed one of her parties and we had to stop him from jacking off with a pair of her panties onto her bed."
Trevor coughed, nearly spewing out the drink of Coke he'd just taken. "Jamie is one sick dude."
"I know." I smiled. "I miss him so much."
He nudged me in the side. "He'll come around."
My joy at talking about old times with Jamie faded. And I shook my head. "No, I think we're done. I really don’t' think he can get past this. And I know how he feels. In way it would be like me forgiving Thane for hurting me."
"It's not the same, babe. Your attack was unintentional. You didn't know what was happening to you. Thane knew exactly what he was doing every second of every day. He was an evil sonofabitch."
"Maybe, but it doesn't matter. I hurt Jamie in ways that I can't apologize for. He's scarred for life."
Trevor set down the Xbox controller and put his arm around me. "It'll be all right, babe."
"Thanks but the only way I'm gonna feel better is if we pay Heather a little visit."
He laughed. "All right let's go freak this bitch out."
Chapter Nine
Holding hands, Trevor and I melted into the shadows in my room. I concentrated hard on the image of Heather's bedroom in my mind. I just hoped she hadn't rearranged any of her furniture of we might materialize on top of something or in something. And it would really suck if she had a room full of people or her parents were there. Not sure how we were going to explain that.
I kept my eyes closed shut as we passed through the shadow-ways. I didn't want to see what was down there this time. Ignorance was the best policy in this situation. Neither of us were quite ready to face Merlin again.
I knew Trevor would never admit it, but I could tell he was still freaked out about seeing Merlin up close and personal. I could relate. The cambion had an unearthly quality about it, that sent shivers up and down my back. He seemed almost alien in nature. Not of this world. Not for this world.
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