Page 45 of Dead Rockstar

“I thought about it, but I guess not,” I said. “No swimsuit.” I no longer felt like swimming.

“You don't need one,” he said, and his eyes met mine, still full of delicious heat.

“Don't tempt me,” I said, looking him in the eye. “Anyway, something’s come up.” I related what had just happened with Lee in the stairwell, my heart still hammering. I twisted my hands in my lap as I recounted everything, wondering how on earth any of it could be happening. I didn't know how many more late-night followings I could take, how many more jolts to my nervous system. Between Lee and Tess, I was a mess.

As I told him, Phillip swam over to the steps and came out of the pool, wrapping a motel towel around his waist. Steam came off his huge shoulders. He sat beside me on the deck chair, the bright smile from before replaced with a look of anger. “Did he hurt you?”

“No,” I said. “I don't think he ever intended to. I think he just wanted to scare me a little, to warn us.” I had gotten the impression that what little power he'd exerted over me, Lee found detestable. It seemed like the entire thing had left a bad taste in his mouth. Shady dealings didn't seem to come naturally to him. I told Phillip this, and he nodded.

“Maybe not, but we still need to be careful. We don't know who he works for, and what he's willing to do to stop us. It might be that he doesn't have much choice in the matter.”

“Will we go back, then?” I asked. “To Jekyll?”

He shook his head. “I won't. But I think you should.”

“No, I'm not leaving you.”

He sighed. “Stormy, I know you want to help, and I'm really touched. I like having you around. Not just because you summoned me and I'm drawn to you and all that, but because I really like you.” His eyes burned into mine. “I really do. But this...it's dangerous. Tonight alone you've had two guys show up that could have done you harm. We've been followed. Somebody ran you off the road. People are showing up at your house in the dead of night, snooping. I can't keep putting you in danger. It's not right.”

“You just proved my point. I'd be in just as much danger at home, by myself,” I argued. “Maybe more. And anyway, I'm the one who started the whole-”

“I really don't think so,” he said. “This is about me. Some rule must have been broken, some taboo has been breached, like you said. Whoever it is I've angered, they don't like that I'm here, just like Lee said. I won't know what's up exactly until I can talk to Guthrie. But I feel like if you went home and went back to your life like nothing was wrong, they'd leave you be. That's clearly what they want you to do. Lee told you as much.”

“But what about Tess?” I asked.

“I don't want to hurt your feelings when I say this,” he said. “But I don't think Tess is following you because he cares about you. I think he works for, or maybe with, this Lee guy. I think he's wrapped up in all this somehow.”

I knew that already – Lee confirming that he knew Tess had made that obvious. But it still stung to hear it. “How, though? How would he even know any of these people? And he was back in town before I did the spell. Before you were ever in my life.” I wasn't sure why I was arguing. I knew he was right.

“Just one of my hunches,” he said. “I'll just get a feeling about something, a vibe or whatever, and so far, they’ve been right every time. You know, you've seen me do it. I wouldn't call it full-fledged psychic or anything, but I get, like, impressions. I just sort of have general ideas about things and I can trust them.” He put his hand on mine. “I think there are other people out there who can do the same thing. What if maybe the fact that you were going to do the spell was already out there, before you ever did it. And whoever these folks are, they felt that intention, they could read it. And they've sent out their...whoever they are...to try and either stop you, or at least curb you somehow. I think Lee is one of those people, and so is Tess.”

“My intention...” I trailed off. I had been pretty clear on my intentions. I'd even joked with Sloan about it beforehand. Could it really be possible that somebody, somehow, had picked up on my plans – even though at first they'd been a joke – before I'd even started?

“I'm the one who brought you back. I'm the one who read the spell. I'm the one who did the magic,” I said finally. “You're driving my car and we're on my dime, at least for the time being. You've been with me every step of the way since you came back. Do you really think after all that, if I just turn around and go back to my shitty trailer that they'll leave me be? I'm a liability!”

“Not if you release me,” he said quietly.

I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean, 'release you'?”

“You summoned me. So I came,” he answered. “But if you release me of that duty, so to speak, I am no longer summoned to you. I can go and do whatever. And the tie between us is severed.”

“That sounds like some idiot bullshit from a YA vampire novel,” I said, irritated. It hurt my feelings that he'd suggest such a thing. And I wasn't sure I believed it could be that simple, anyway. “How do you know it'd even work? You said you didn't know about the spell.”

“I don't,” he said. “Not really. There's a lot Guthrie needs to answer. But this is just a thing I-”

“That you just know, right?” I snapped. “Seems like you conveniently just know a lot of things.”

He was annoyingly calm. “Why are you upset with me?”

“I'm not.” I couldn't look at him, so instead I stared at the steam coming off the pool. The tendrils of white fog almost looked like ghosts floating on the water. “You could have just said that you wanted me gone.”

He was quiet for a minute, then he picked up my hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it. “No, Stormy,” he murmured. “I don't want you to go home. I want you to stay. So bad I'm tempted to just say forget it, come with me. But I'm trying to keep you safe.”

“I don't enjoy being treated like a child,” I said angrily. “I can make my own decisions. You've been back, what, three days? And you're trying to boss me around.”

“No, Stormy, I just want-”

“Yeah, yeah, to keep me safe,” I said, standing up, wrapping the towel tighter around my shoulders. I was freezing, and so very tired. And very hurt, and very angry, though I wasn't sure I had the right to be those last two things. “Funny, that’s just what Lee said, too, right after he had his arm over my throat.” I sighed. “Fine. I'll release you. If you want me gone so bad, you don't have to tell me twice. I'll do it in the morning, okay? Right now I'm tired, and I'm going to bed.” I pulled the towel from around my shoulders and handed it to him, ignoring his stricken expression. “For your hair. Enjoy the rest of your swim.”

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