Page 101 of Secret Gifts
My stepdad grumbles under his breath to exhale his torment, and then he shakes his head while avoiding all eye contact with me.
“Well, I suppose we should leave you to shower and get ready. I’ll talk with you after while,” she murmurs softly, and then I stand to meet her as she climbs free from the dusty chair.
“I love you, Mom. I promise I’m fine,” I say reassuringly.
“You’re sure this wasn’t specifically an attack on you?” she whispers so low I can barely hear her.
I know it was.
“I know it’s wasn't,” I lie again, and she nods while accepting it before kissing my brow.
I tie the sheet around me as I walk them to the front door, and then I listen for Jase’s voice once they start walking out. I hear nothing though. He must have gone somewhere.
Uncle Brazen kisses the top of my head, and I grab his arm before he escapes.
“Where did Jase go?”
He frowns a little, and then he shrugs.
“I suppose he had some business to tend to. I’m sure he wasn’t planning on us leaving so soon. We can stay for a while,” he offers, and I shake my head vigorously.
No. Go. Please go.
“I’d like to have some time to myself, actually,” I say while shrugging, and he gives me a small wink before disappearing and joining my mother.
The scent of chocolate and dark cherry finds me, and I gasp as I follow it. That was the chocolate I thought I smelled last night. It was faint - too faint to actually pick out what it was - so he wasn’t in the room, but he had been. Now it’s terribly strong, fresh, and drawing me toward it.
He’s here.
I look around the bedroom where I just left, and his scent is almost overpowering. I need to tell him thank you. I want to find out what secrets he knows about the company I keep.
Now that I’m not writhing in pain or bleeding to death, I have so many questions to ask. I want to grill him about his evasive answers, and now I have the strength to do it.
“I know you’re here. Where are you?” I say to the vacant room that is still trembling at the mere sound of my voice after the hell I forced it to suffer through last night.
My eyes search the bathroom, but nothing. I check the closet to find our bags tossed in there but nothing else.
“Please talk to me. I just want to tell you thank you. I haven’t told anyone anything about you if that’s what you’re worried about. All I told them was that you saved me.”
No one answers, and I’m starting to worry I’ve gone crazy. Then I see the small box on the end of the bed that hadn’t been there when I first walked back in.
It’s solid black, and there’s a red bow tied around it in such a decadently delicate fashion. I walk over to it, and I shiver as I pick it up.
As beautiful as it is, I’m too tempted to shred the dressed up outer-coating to find the gooey inside. The red ribbon falls to my feet, swiping my leg once with its satiny touch on the way down.
I’m a little disappointed to find a mere note tucked inside the beautifully misleading box, but when I remove it, I see a phone underneath. I quickly read the note to find out what’s going on.
This is the phone I’ll call you on from now on. It won’t show you my number, and it’ll alert me if you try tracing my location while on the phone with me. That doesn’t mean I don’t trust you, it means I don’t trust the ones around you to trust me. By the way, good to see your hybrid getting some exercise.
Until next time,
Your helpful stalker
I laugh at the sentiment, and then I roll my eyes while sliding the incredibly small, thin phone under the mattress. I’ll have to be careful not to think of this phone while with Jase. I suppose there are some ups and downs to having a mind reading boyfriend.
Time to shower, and start this chase again. Next time, I won’t be so naïve when facing these monsters.
“Have you got everything?” Jase asks while plopping my bag over his shoulder and snaking his free arm around my waist.
