by Gloria Craw
Jacob was holding on to her left hand, so I couldn’t see her fingers, but there was no doubt in my mind…she was Nikki Dawning, and she looked drugged to within an inch of her life.
Chapter Twenty
“Nikki is the newest addition to our family,” Yvonne said.
The others in the room hadn’t known Nikki when she was beautiful, so they couldn’t make the comparison. The way her eyes wandered the crowd could have been attributed to nerves. I knew better. She was definitely drugged.
When she looked my way, I froze like a deer in headlights. She was out of it, but if she recognized me and said something, I’d be in trouble. I needed to get out of there quick.
“Is there a restroom nearby?” I whispered to Phoebe.
“Down the hall to the right,” she whispered back.
I slid out of my chair, took a few quick steps to get behind the serving staff lining the back of the room, and hustled out the door. Thankful that I’d thought to get a key card the day before, I took it out of my clutch, ran to the elevators, and swiped it. The doors opened at the same moment I got a text from Theron.
Get out of there, it said. Something is wrong.
I texted back, Nikki is here. I’m on the way out.
As usual, the man at the gatehouse waved for me to stop so I could get my imaginary phone. Open the damn gate, I put into his mind. He did it, and I sped through.
I hoped Theron’s tech was working, because the feed was going to show me bolting out of the Ledges like a maniac. I stopped on the side of the road long enough to text Phoebe and lie about going home because of a headache.
My whole body was shaking, and not just because of the treacherous drive.
I’d been told to listen for mention of Nikki. I was supposed to report if I overheard something that might lead to finding her. I hadn’t expected her to walk into the same room as me. From the beginning, I’d known spying on the Truss was dangerous. If they found out I was spying on them, there would be unpleasant consequences. Seeing Nikki as a shadow of herself made the danger all the more real to me. If they could do that to her, they could do worse to me.
I formulated a plan. I’d get back to Theron’s, make a call to Katherine, and then get a ticket to fly home.
I’d found Nikki and gathered some information that suggested Yvonne and Robert would make an unstable clan chief combination. I could report that Yvonne was a kleptomaniac, never a good quality in a leader, and last but not least, Yvonne was a Sebastian worshipper.
I’d done my job and wanted to go home, but I had the sneaking suspicion they’d want me to stay.
Theron was waiting for me when I drove through the trees and parked my car. He came down the steps at a jog and scooped me up. When he set me on my feet inside the cabin, I was shaking uncontrollably.
Grabbing the handy-dandy quilt off the back of the chair, he pulled it over my shoulders and wrapped his arms around me in a straitjacket-like hug.
“Tell me about it,” he said.
“You wouldn’t believe how she looked, Theron. She was so drugged she could barely stand. And she’s likenessed to Jacob,” I said with disgust.
“Yvonne and Robert’s son?”
“Yes.”
I could tell by the way his body tensed that really disturbed him. “We’d better go over everything,” he said, helping me to a chair. “Start from the beginning.”
It took me a few seconds to remember where the beginning was. Then it came to me. “I saw Jacob two days ago at a bistro. I didn’t know it was him at the time, but I overheard him say, ‘You’re dealing with two lives.’ Now I think he was talking about himself and Nikki. He obviously knows the bad condition she’s in. If appearances are anything to go by, she might actually die. And if she does, he will, too. Why would he let that happen?”
“Who knows what likeness means to the Truss anymore? Assuming the physical connecting is still there, Jacob has probably been weakened by her state.”
He hadn’t looked sick, but then I had no reference point to compare him to.
“Jacob seems like he’s in his mid-twenties. I have no idea how old he really is, but Nikki is seventeen. The age difference alone is disgusting.”
“Nikki is young to have likenessed,” he agreed. “It rarely happens before we’re twenty. But age and time are different for us. Some likeness pairs are fifty years apart in age.”
“Yuck.”
“I agree, but it’s a fact.”
I put my head in my hands. “I don’t understand why she’s being treated like this.”
“If they’re keeping her drugged up the way you say, she must pose some kind of threat to someone. Your guess is as good as mine what that threat might be.”
“This entire thing is so messed up. The last time I saw her, she was bold and beautiful. All of that was gone tonight. We have to get her out of there.”
“Don’t worry. Spencer will turn the matter over to the Dawnings now. They’ll take care of it. Your part is done.”
I shook my head. “I thought so, too…for about half a second. Phoebe said there’s another meeting Saturday night. I think the Truss at the Ledges are the Elders Spencer and Katherine told me about. What if Yvonne wants to get appointed clan chief this weekend?”
“That’s an issue for the clan chiefs to deal with. Not you. There’s nothing you can do about it if Yvonne calls for a vote.”
“That’s not really true,” I said, putting my head in my hands. “I’m a bit more advanced than most thoughtmakers. I can cloak thoughts.”
“Wow,” he said. “Ian told me you were good, but I never suspected you were that good.”
“I just want to go home,” I said wearily. “I want to be done with the Truss. I never want to see or even think about them again, except for maybe Phoebe. But deep down I know it isn’t finished yet.”
“You should probably get the hard part out of the way,” he suggested. “Call Spencer and Katherine.”
“I will. I just need a minute to get myself together first.” Remembering Theron had texted me when I was in the elevator, I asked, “How did you know I was in trouble tonight?
“That voice…yelled it at me.”
I laughed a little.
“Don’t laugh. I already feel like I’m losing my mind.”
I could have told him he might be able to open a pathway to the dead like I could, but if hearing my mother’s voice freaked him out, that revelation might have given him a stroke.
“By the way,” I said, “where did you learn to hug? You almost squeezed the life out of me.”
“I’ll tell you, but you won’t like it.”
I gave him a go ahead look.
“Animal Planet,” he replied. “You know how they put straitjackets on dogs to keep them from going nuts during fireworks and storms?”
“Yeah.”
“I figured if that kind of thing worked on dogs, it would probably work on you.”
I chuckled. “I should be insulted, but I’m just…glad you’re around to hug me when I need it.”
“I do what I can,” he said, picking up his trusty quarter and tossing it in the air. “You better call the wonder team now.”
I got voicemail for both Spencer and Katherine, so I tried Ian. He picked up, and I told him what happened.
“This is really big,” he said. “I’ll keep calling my parents.”
“Hang on,” Theron interjected. “Put him on speaker, will you?”
I did and he continued, “Tell your parents I accessed the Truss financials, travel records, and some other things. They’ll be interested in the information I uncovered. I’m sure your dad will be thrilled to report I broke my suspension.”
“Ian,” I chimed in. “Theron only messed around with tech to help me. He wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”
“I know. I’ll remind my dad of that and be in touch.”
I ended the call and laid my phone on the arm of the chair. “You still think Spencer and Katherine are goin
g to ask you to stay up here?” Theron asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“Want some advice?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Check yourself into a mental hospital for even considering it.”
I gave him my sweetest smile. “Maybe they’d let us share a room, since we both hear voices from beyond the beyond.”
He fake-laughed and changed the channel on the TV.
We ate leftover lasagna, watched more History channel, a documentary on William the Conqueror this time, and still Ian didn’t call.
Theron looked me over as the credits rolled. “You should go to bed,” he said. “Waiting up won’t make them call any faster.”
It was a good suggestion, so I dragged my tired self to my room, took the red dress off, and rolled into a ball under the covers.
Sleep came easily. I had a dream that I was back at Fillmore High. The halls were crowded with kids trying to get to their next classes, and through the throng, Nikki came toward me. She was wearing the familiar sneer on her face. When she got close enough, she grabbed my arm. Her grip was so tight it stung.
“I can’t find my next class,” she said. “I don’t know where to go. You have to help me, Alison.”
The dream version of me tried to loosen her grip on my arm and replied, “I don’t know where your next class is either.”
Her eyes widened. “If you don’t help me, he’ll kill me.”
I snorted. “Who will kill you? Your teacher?”
She said something I couldn’t quite make out and then transformed into the sickly, bent girl I’d seen at dinner. She mouthed help me then faded away.
I woke in a cold sweat and kicked the blankets off. It was just a nightmare, but I couldn’t help wondering if my subconscious was trying to tell me something.
A little freaked out and not wanting to be alone, I went back to the living room.
Theron was sitting in his chair, staring into the flames of the fireplace. He had a pad of paper on his knee and a pencil in his fingers. “I can hear you breathing,” he said. “Might as well come in and sit down.”
“Okay,” I replied softly.
“Did I wake you up?” he asked. “I tried to be quiet.”
“No. I had a nightmare. I could use some company for a few minutes. Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Did Spencer call back?”
“No, but Ian did. He told his parents everything. They’re thinking it through and will call us back when they decide what step to take next.”
“Great. I love living in suspense.”
He started twirling the pencil he was holding.
“What are you drawing?” I asked.
He moved his project so I couldn’t see it. “It’s personal.”
I wasn’t upset that he’d warned me off. Sometime since meeting him, I’d gotten used to how he worked. When he was in the mood to talk about something, he had a lot to say. When he wasn’t in the mood, he made it clear. There was no guessing with Theron.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Almost two a.m.”
“I’m officially eighteen. I should probably feel great about it, but I’m just another year closer to leaving my life in Vegas.”
“Do you know where you’ll go when you do leave for good?”
“Lillian, my boss, offered me a room at her new place. It’s in Sweden, so at least I wouldn’t be as tempted to sneak back and check on my family. What about you? Where will you go when your suspension ends?”
“I should go back to Columbia and finish my art degree, but I think I’ll travel instead. For the first time in my life…or maybe the second, I feel like being entirely irresponsible. Maybe I’ll swing by Lillian’s place and say hi.”
“I’d like that,” I said.
He stood up and stretched. “I’ll plan on it then. I should get some sleep or I might mess up the turkey tomorrow. Will you be okay out here on your own?”
“Probably. If I get scared, I’ll wake you up.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll be sure to lock my door.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Good morning, Sunshine,” I said when I went into the kitchen the next morning.
Theron turned around. He had a towel over his shoulder and a kitchen knife in his hand. “What’s with you and ‘good morning, Sunshine’?” he asked. “Can’t you just say good morning, like a normal person?”
“I call you Sunshine because of your sunny disposition.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “For a somewhat intelligent person, you have a remarkably distorted view of reality.”
“Maybe I see things that others don’t,” I countered. “No word from the wonder team yet?”
“Not yet.”
I scooted up to look over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Packing up Thanksgiving dinner. We’re going to Stacy’s house to cook it.”
“You didn’t tell me that was the plan.”
“That’s because I decided it about an hour ago.” He got the cranberries out of the fridge. “I checked the weather report. The roads should be clear for a while.”
“Not that I’m not thrilled to get out of here, but why the change?”
“Because we’ll go stir-crazy sitting and waiting for Spencer and Katherine to call. Get your stuff. I’ll be finished with this in ten minutes.”
I hummed a little on the way to my room. I was going to see Ian again. Happy Thanksgiving to me.
We didn’t say much on the drive to town. Theron kept on the main road past Betsy’s and parked the Land Rover in front of a cute little house a couple blocks down. There was a snowman in the front yard. The poor guy was wearing a purple scarf and a heliotrope-colored hat. One of his coal eyes had popped out, but rocks poked into his face in the shape of a smile made him look happy anyway.
Stacy and Ian were waiting for us at the front door. Ian came down the steps looking casually hot in a dark gray sweater and jeans. He winked as he passed me on the way to help Theron carry stuff in.
Stacy waved me forward, so I went up the steps to meet her. She gave me one of her infamous “Stacy hugs,” led me into her living room, and opened a coat closet. “You can put your jacket here, if you’d like,” she said.
I picked a hanger to use and looked at the space around us. It was clean but as haphazard-looking as the snowman. Computer equipment and tools were spread over every horizontal surface. Cords and wires cluttered the floor.
“I’m sorry about the mess,” she said. “I’d like to say I’m in the middle of a life-changing project, but it always looks like this. I run a computer repair business. This room is my front office and workspace. Follow me close and I’ll get you through the chaos. Careful not to trip on anything and kill yourself.”
She guided me along an uncluttered but narrow path to her kitchen, which was pristine. There were no electronic odds and ends to be seen anywhere.
Theron knocked at the back door.
“That’s our chef,” Stacy said, going to open it.
Theron came in with his arms full of bags. Ian followed with more bags and the cooler.
“Just put everything on the counter,” Theron said. “I’ll unpack it.”
Ian did as he was asked and then came to sit next to me. “Happy birthday,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” I whispered back.
Though it was partially hidden by the collar of my shirt, he picked up the sapphire. “I’m glad you wore it.”
My skin tingled where his fingers touched my skin, and I smiled, thinking I might never take it off.
“I didn’t know you liked to cook,” Ian said to Theron. “Stacy says you’re really good at it.”
“He is,” I agreed.
“Stop talking and come help me get this meal ready,” he grumbled.
Ian got up. “I’m glad to see you’ve gotten more polite,” he said.
Theron put his hands on the counter and let his
head drop to his chest. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “This thing with the Ledges is stressing me out. I’ll try to do better.”
Ian thumped him on the back. “It’s okay. I feel the same way.”
He pulled it together and asked, “Will you put the potatoes in the oven, Stacy? Ian, you can peel the apples for the pie, and Alison, you can finish the bread.”
He got out a covered bowl and handed it to me. “This is the dough. It has to be kneaded one more time before it bakes.”
He got some flour out of one of his handy-dandy containers, sprinkled it on the counter, and then put a ball of rubber-looking dough on it. He demonstrated how to push and roll the dough to knead it and turned me loose.
It went fine until the gooey dough started to stick to my fingers. “Theron, something’s wrong,” I said, lifting my hands so he could see them.
Ian gave a short laugh. “You need to put more flour on the dough every once in a while, so it won’t stick to you.”
“Oh,” I said, shaking my hands to loosen some of the sticky stuff.
“You’re never going to get it off that way,” Ian said.
He took my hands and started stripping the goo off of my fingers one by one. It created an intimate awareness between us. Without thinking about it, I moved toward him. Our faces were close, and his breath brushed across my cheek. I lifted my chin to kiss him and caught Stacy and Theron watching us.
“Well, that was disturbing,” Theron said. “I may never see bread the same way again.”
We worked together until Theron said everything was done and then sat at the table while Stacy bustled around getting drinks.
She reminded me of the snowman in the yard, a little messy but cheerful.
“I have orange or grape soda,” she said. “What do you want?”
We all chose grape, and she brought them to the table.
“I just got the new Tomb Flyer game,” she said, sitting down. “I haven’t opened it yet, but you guys can do the honor later. It’s sitting on the PS4 right now.”
Ian and Theron shared a look. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” Ian said.
“How about now?” Theron asked.