I tried to ignore them. Fresh scents of eucalyptus subtly tinged the air. A dried wreath hung on the wall. I concentrated on that. It smelled nice. Unfortunately, the scent did little to distract me. Flint’s towering presence and dark eyes continually pulled at me.
I shuffled my feet and stuffed my hands in my pockets. That was a mistake. The shorts practically fell off. Luckily, I caught them before they fell to my knees.
“Ready?” Jacinda reappeared with a fresh sheen of lip gloss on her lips, and a pink purse clutched in her hand. A metallic Prada label gleamed.
I nodded eagerly. “Yes!”
She grinned, obviously mistaking my enthusiasm for the shopping trip versus wanting to flee the uncomfortable environment.
“Let’s go,” Flint said.
The sound of his deep voice made me jump. Calm down, Lena! It wasn’t good to pine for a guy that was already taken.
Or were he and Di not together?
I briefly pictured Flint’s arm around me that morning when the group revealed who they were. Di hadn’t seemed to care that Flint sat so close to me. Although, that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Flint’s intentions could have been to help me mesh with the group. Or maybe he’d been afraid I’d bolt or pass out. He simply could have had his arm around me to stop me from fleeing. I could be reading into something that wasn’t even there.
I sighed. I was putting way too much thought into this.
“Lena?” Jacinda called. She and Flint were standing by the door.
“Oh, sorry,” I mumbled.
Flint didn’t say anything as we left the cabin. He also wouldn’t meet my gaze. Once again, his face was completely unreadable. Di, on the other hand, called out to not spend too much money. Jacinda just waved and acted like she didn’t hear her.
Our car doors slammed in the quiet afternoon. Flint sat in the driver’s seat, Jacinda took the passenger side so I hopped in the back. Sitting right behind Flint offered a very nice view of his beautiful hair and broad shoulders. They were so broad they extended past the seat. A pool of heat filled my core. I squirmed uncomfortably as Flint started the engine. What the hell is the matter with me?
Before long, we were in the forest driving toward Little Raven. A breeze trailed through Flint’s open window, carrying scents of pine. My thoughts drifted to everything I’d learned that morning. Was it really only that morning?
I rubbed my tattoo. The perfect circle divided into four. Since the silence was killing me, I said the first thing that came to mind. “What do you think our tattoos are symbols of?”
Flint’s dark eyes drifted to the rearview mirror. “Di and I have a few ideas.”
Jacinda clasped her hands tightly together. “How many shirts do you think you’ll need?” she asked. She flashed me her supermodel smile.
Shirts? “Oh, um. I don’t know. Three or four?”
“That’s it?” she replied.
I leaned forward so I could better meet Flint’s gaze in the mirror. “What do you think the symbols are of?”
“I really don’t think three or four is enough,” Jacinda cut in. “I was thinking you need at least a week’s worth at the very minimum. You’ll also need hiking boots, if you want to join in the activities. Not to mention jeans, shorts, shoes . . .” Her list grew.
I leaned back in my seat. Jacinda’s nervous energy bubbled around her. I gave Flint a questioning glance. He subtly shook his head in the rearview mirror. I took the hint. Jacinda obviously didn’t want to discuss our situation. I remembered what Jet said. How all of this was a bad omen. But still, didn’t we need to talk about it? Burying our heads in the sand, pretending like we were normal people, wouldn’t help us.
When we got to town, Jacinda gracefully extracted herself from the Suburban.
“Come on, Lena.” Her energy had returned to its usual subdued state. I hadn’t mentioned our tattoos again.
Flint and I stepped out of the Suburban. We stood beside one another on the sidewalk. He towered over me. In jeans and a T-shirt, he looked incredibly sexy. I tried not to notice.
“I’m going to the public library to use the computers,” he said to Jacinda.
A swell of disappointment strummed through me. “You’re not coming with us?”
He shook his head without meeting my gaze. “Pete and Val don’t have Wi-Fi. Besides, public computers are safer when we’re doing internet searches.”
“Searches for what?”
“I want to research a few things, now that we know where you woke up. I’ll be back in two hours.” He still wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“Let’s get going, Lena.” Jacinda clasped my hand.
“Right, um, 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 that morning if they knew about a missing girl matching my appearance. Every time I got recognized, a wary look would flash across their faces. 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 murmuring 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 attention 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 waited in either. Scents of coffee lingered in our cabin, though. In other words, they had been there. Nobody had made coffee that morning before we walked up for breakfast. I had 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?”
&n
bsp; “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.”
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 8