Page 21 of Hunted in the Shadows
Sylvia’s musical chuckle sounded to my right as she pressed her hand over my fluttering pulse. “I can feel your heart racing. It’s out of control.”
The car made a sudden swerve, and Sylvia was knocked into the air with a yelp. Catching herself in a hover, she glared at Cliff.
“If you give him another boner, I’m throwing you out the window,” Cliff said, pulling a hand off the wheel to stab a finger in her direction. “I’m not kidding this time.”
The memory alone made me avert my gaze guiltily, but Sylvia made only a growl of irritation as she returned to sit by my window. “We’ve been driving for ages. How do you expect me to keep to myself foreight hours?”
“Well, it’s less thanonenow, you little freak. You’re almost out of the woods. Are all fairies this horny?”
“Feeling left out?” Sylvia batted her eyes at him.
Cliff ignored her and turned up the music.
She shared a comfortable grin with me, one that lingered as she settled into her perch. “Your playlists are getting stale,” she called over to Cliff. “Can you play ‘Rocket Man’ again?”
Forcing a neutral smile, I cringed internally. The first time she belted along off-key to Elton John was adorable. The seventh time was downright grating, though I’d cut off a finger before telling her that.
“Nope,” Cliff blessedly interjected. “Guns N’ Roses until we get there.”
She huffed. “It sounds so angry. How can you stand it?”
An argument might have occupied the rest of the trip if my phone didn’t start ringing. As I pulled it up, the incoming video call made my eyes widen, and I realized—fuck, it was the first Saturday of the month. Usually, I made sure that I could answer this call privately, but there was nowhere to go.
“Jon?” Sylvia cocked her head up at me, frowning. “Are you alright?”
I swallowed hard. If I ignored the call, I’d have to wait another month—maybe even longer. Fixing Sylvia with the calmest look I could manage, I said, “Stay there until I hang up. It’s a video call.”
Her eyes swam with questions, but she nodded.
Straightening, I held my phone in front of my face and tried to block out Cliff and Sylvia’s heavy silence. When I accepted the call, I smiled as though I didn’t spend most of my time trying not to fall apart.
“Hola, Tia,” I said, reaching over to lower the radio volume. “We’re on the road—sorry about the noise.”
Tia Sonia sighed with relief. “Mijito, I thought you weren’t going to answer! How are you? How’s work?”
“Same old.” I rolled my eyes. “Heading to Michigan to meet with a client.”
“Ay, why can’t they send you closer to home? There are plenty of factories right here.”
“Claro que sí, perothey’re trying to reach more of the Midwest. I’ll come around to visit when I can. Promise.” I focused on the screen, shame heaping onto me as Sylvia witnessed how easily I lied through my teeth. I cleared my throat. “Mom’s there? She’s talking today?”
“Sí, the nurses said she had a rough night, but we’ve been having a nice late lunch together.” She gave me a meaningful smile, then looked past the camera. “Ivette.Es tu hijo.¿Quieres saludar?”
“Jon?” Mom’s voice wavered. “Dámelo.”
My throat tightened when her face filled the screen. Dark eyes, wavy black hair that had gone dull over the years. Still, when she found me on the screen and her expression lit up, she was the most beautiful person to have ever existed. She had been too unwell the past couple months to be cleared for visitors at the hospital. Now, her grin was like a medicine I didn’t realize I’d been deprived of.
“Mom,” I said, fighting to keep my tone light and casual. “¿Qué tal?”
She grimaced dramatically. “Estoy llena. You know your tia always brings too much food. You should come have some.”
I hesitated, unsure if she was joking or not—it was always hard to tell. So I shrugged. “Maybe I can come around for Christmas. I’ll make youpasteles. How does that sound?”
Her eyes hardened a little. “Why can’t you come now?”
“I’m on the road,Mama. Working.”
That didn’t make her any less agitated. “Always working,” she muttered. “At least let me talk to your dad. Adam?” Her voice rose suddenly. “Adam? Are you driving?”
