I stepped inside the warm diner, but still felt chilled. I didn’t pause, I couldn’t or I’d let the fear overtake me. But as I started to move forward, Lewis latched onto my arm, stopping me in midstep. Confused I glanced back. He pulled me close, my back hitting his chest.
“Lewis, what—”
He leaned down, his lips on the shell of my ear. A shiver raised the fine hairs on my body.
“I understand, Cameron. I understand,” he whispered. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
********
I’m not going anywhere.
The words whispered over and over through my mind. They gave me strength when I wanted to run. When I wanted to reach over and punch George in his smiling face. When I wanted to vomit.
I leaned back against the cracked vinyl seat and sucked in a steadying breath. Lewis could read minds. I wasn’t alone. I clung to that realization like a lifeline.
“So, how’d you two meet?” Lewis asked. His thigh was pressed to mine, his side to mine. He was warm, strong and comforting in a way only I could possibly understand. Finally, I had someone to trust.
“Oh, umm, George was hungry,” Annabeth explained with a shrug. Her face was flushed. She was wondering if Lewis realized how old George really was. It bothered her, although she wouldn’t admit it. She, too, wondered why George would date someone so much younger. I realized, with that thought, I might have an in.
“You in college?” Lewis pinned his hard gaze to George.
George gave us a half smile and rubbed his short crew cut. “Oh, no, had to take a break. My mother was in the hospital and I needed to take care of my little sister.”
Annabeth sighed and rested her hand a top of his. She was wearing a silver ring with a blue topaz. Had George given it to her? “He’s going back as soon as his mom gets better.”
It would have been a nice story if George hadn’t been a liar...oh right, and a murderer. I slid Lewis a glance. He looked at me, understanding in his gaze. He knew George was lying. It was the first time I could share that experience with someone. My heart expanded and for a brief moment I finally felt warm on the inside and out. I was sitting across from a murderer, yet I was practically in tears because I wasn’t alone anymore. I looked away, feeling off balance and at the same time, oddly alive.
“He’s so sweet,” Annabeth said.
I almost snorted, but caught myself just in time. As sweet as a serial killer could be. I’m sure his mother would be really proud if she knew what he did in his spare time. I forced the bile to remain firmly in my stomach. Anytime his gaze met mine, I wanted to puke. For thirty minutes we’d sat here, drinking pop like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. I kept waiting for Lewis to do something about George. Surely he had a plan. I sure as hell didn’t, as this was all new to me. Yet as the clock ticked the moments by, I realized perhaps he was waiting for me to do something.
“Annabeth, go with me to the bathroom?” I blurted out, unable to stay silent any longer.
“Sure!” She kissed George on the check and moved from the booth. With a giggle, she slid her arm through mine. “Isn’t he freaking cute?”
I smiled. Although it probably looked more like a snarl, she didn’t seem to notice. Inside the small, one stall bathroom, she opened her purse and pulled out a lipstick. I’d never seen her wear makeup. “Since when are you dating Lewis?”
“What?” I washed my hands, looking at her in the silver framed mirror, trying to decide what to tell her and how.
“You’re dating, right?” She looked confused. “I mean I saw you guys all cuddly and he drove you here.” She put her lipstick away and leaned against the counter, smacking her now pink lips together.
“I don’t know. I…I like him.” It was more than like. We were connected in a way no one else could possibly understand. Vaguely I wondered how far away he could read minds. Could he hear my thoughts even now?
She grinned. “Emily’s going to be pissed.”
“I know.”
She rested her hand on my arm. “Hey, you can’t not date him because of her. Please, she can’t get every guy. It’s not fair.” Annabeth felt like she could give dating advice since she now had a boyfriend. I wanted to roll my eyes at the thought. There were so many more important things to worry about than school crushes.
“I know,” I repeated more forcefully, hoping she’d drop the subject.
“So don’t let her stop you.”
I nodded as I dried my hands on a paper towel. “That’s a pretty shade of lipstick.”
She grinned. “George likes it when I wear lipstick.”
Gag, what else did George like? Besides killing innocent people? I so didn’t want to know. “So you and George…”
She grinned, her excitement nauseating. “He’s so cute, isn’t he?”
I nodded numbly, inside my blood boiled. How could she not see that something was wrong? How did she not see the chill evilness in his eyes? Feel the anger in his touch? “He’s older than you, does your mom know?” The words slipped from my mouth. It wasn’t exactly the route I’d wanted to take, but couldn’t help myself.
She frowned. “Not that much older.”
“Nine years!”
She paled, silent for one long moment. “How’d you know?”
I blushed and looked away. Crap. We’d been in here less than five minutes and I’d already screwed up. “I could tell you were lying.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry for lying, but you don’t understand—”
I turned on her in a fury. “I do, I understand that it’s weird.”
“Excuse me?” Her face flushed, her body trembling. Okay, this was getting way out of hand. She knew it was weird, why couldn’t she admit it? We were friends, weren’t we?
I tried to calm down, taking in a deep breath, realizing I was going off track. Someone had to be in control. “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, but seriously, Annabeth, have you wondered why someone so old would be interested in a high school girl?”
“No,” she snapped, lying. “Are you saying I’m not good enough?” Her lower lip quivered.
Oh God, this was so not going the way I wanted it to go and she was getting ready to bolt. I grasped her arm, begging her to understand. “Please, Annabeth, you’re my friend. I’m worried, that’s all.”
The words seemed to have some effect and she sighed, her face softening. “You don’t need to worry. He’s great, he’s—”
“Was he here? That night we found Savannah?” Had I actually said that? No! No, this was not going right. Somehow the words had just spewed from my mouth.
She frowned, her face growing hard again. “I don’t…yeah, he was.” She shook her head. “Why?”
Why couldn’t she just get it? Why couldn’t she sense the evilness in him? Why did I have to explain? “He said he just came back from college, right?”
She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive action, one I did often enough to know.
“He comes back. No one has ever heard of him before. He was here the night Savannah was found.” Two and two together…
“What are you saying?” her voice was high-pitched.
She was upset, she couldn’t believe I was actually implying Savannah’s death had something to do with her boyfriend. “Please, Annabeth, please, I think…I know…” I paused, realizing I couldn’t come out and accuse him of murder without telling her about my ability. “I want you to break up with him.”
She laughed, a harsh sound, her normally soft brown eyes had gone hard as obsidian. “You’re jealous. Or…or Emily put you up to this.”
“No! I would never do that to you!” The thought of being grouped with Emily repulsed me. I reached for her but she turned, spinning away from my touch.
“Don’t! I can’t believe you.” She pushed the swinging door open and fled into the hall.
“That went well,” I muttered. With a sigh, I pushed open the door and walked straight into a hard chest.
“
Woa, you okay?” Firm fingers bit into my upper arms, holding me tight.
I jerked my gaze upward, staring into George’s cold eyes. I couldn’t respond, couldn’t breathe. My heart slammed erratically against my chest. I told myself he couldn’t do anything here, in a public place, but my body refused to believe what my mind said.
“Annabeth seemed upset. Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” I managed to get out.
He didn’t reply, merely stared down at me. God, I want her. His evil thoughts whispered to me, unwanted thoughts that sent bile to my throat. Lucky me.
A cold sweat broke out between my shoulder blades. I couldn’t look him in the eyes and dropped my gaze to the buttons on his shirt.
“Ananbeth is lucky to have a friend like you.” His fingers moved up my arms to my shoulders. Spiders crawling over my skin would have been more welcome. I bit my lower lip to keep from crying out.
Lewis!
George’s hands moved up my shoulders toward my neck. “She really is luck—”
“Everything okay?” Lewis suddenly appeared at the end of the hall.
My terror fled and rationality rushed in on a heated wave. “Yeah.” I nudged George aside, shoving my elbow into his gut and racing toward Lewis.
“Annabeth is asking for you,” Lewis explained, slipping his arm around my waist and drawing me near. And I let him, because I was pathetic and scared and he knew it. Both of them knew it.
George’s face flushed and he rubbed that short crew cut. “Oh, sure.” Without a backward glance he hurried away.
For one moment we merely stood there, while I was wrapped in my shame and embarrassment. George had practically mauled me and I’d let him, too stunned and afraid to react. “Go ahead,” I whispered, moving away from him. “Tell me I told you so.”
Lewis watched me with a sympathetic, but knowing look upon his face. He’d either read our minds, or he knew from experience that telling Annabeth wouldn’t work. “She’s leaving.”
Annabeth. I pushed past Lewis and stepped into the main room.
“Come on, George, we’re leaving.” Annabeth gripped her murdering boyfriend’s hand and pulled him toward the front door.
He looked confused, worried. He should be worried. “Oh, okay. Is everything all right?”
She sniffed, as if offended. Annabeth was finally showing some backbone. Unfortunately, it was for the wrong reason. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“See ya,” George said, turning and waving. “It was nice meeting you.”
I didn’t wave back. Trembles raked my skin. I couldn’t stop shaking as I watched them leave together. Why wouldn’t she listen to me? We’d been friends forever. I rested my hand on the back of the booth, resisting the urge to go after her. I couldn’t very well force her to stay. “Tell me he won’t hurt her, at least tonight.”
Lewis stood next to me, staring out the window. “He won’t. She’s his cover. His attempt at looking normal.”
“She’s not even seventeen, he’s twenty-five. How normal can they look?”
“I didn’t say it was a good plan.”
We were silent, watching them as they drove away while Elvis sang about hound dogs in the background. “I tried to warn her. I said I didn’t trust him. I said pretty much everything I could without admitting the truth.”
“She didn’t believe you.”
I nodded, tears burning my eyes. “You said we could help.”
“We can.” He took my hand, his fingers warm and strong. “And we will.”
I was shocked by his sudden touch, even more surprised when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. Was it a brotherly kiss or something more? My heart slammed wildly in my chest as I prayed it was something more.
“I’ll take care of it,” he promised.
Maybe I was too afraid to deal with the situation fully, or perhaps I actually trusted him, but I knew Lewis would do as he said.
Chapter 6
Lewis said he’d take care of George. And I’d believed him. But with a forty-eight hour time period to gain perspective, my trust in a guy I barely knew was starting to waver. How would he take care of psycho George? What could he possibly do without admitting his own ability?
“Did you hear?” Emily paused next to my locker, a smirk on her perfect face. She wore a dress so short she’d make a hooker blush. Always comfort before fashion, I was dressed in my typical jeans and zip-up hoody, my dark hair in a ponytail.
I was surprised Emily was talking to me again and instantly suspicious. She had to be after something. It was way too early and I’d had too little sleep to play her guessing games. But I didn’t have a choice. Her excitement rolled off her in waves, and with her excitement came her thoughts. Annabeth.
I heard her name whisper through Emily’s mind. She wasn’t the only one. I glanced down the crowded hall. Annabeth’s name was bouncing against the walls, back and forth in the minds of everyone present. Thoughts so fast I could barely catch full sentences.
Crying...
Can’t believe she didn’t know…
Her own boyfriend…
Arrested...
I slammed my locker shut and spun around. “What happened?”
“What a freak,” Emily said loudly enough to be overheard. Of course she loved the attention. “How could you not know your boyfriend was a murderer?” She shivered dramatically.
Oh God, Lewis had taken care of George! I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled or horrified.
“I knew he was a sicko the moment I met him. I can’t believe she brought him to my house.” Emily pressed her manicured hand to her heart. “He knows where I live! I could’ve been his next victim.”
Surprise quickly gave way to irritation. Unbelievable. How had I been friends with Emily for so long without strangling her? Please, if George wanted to kill her, he was going to have to get in line. “Where’s Annabeth?”
She slammed her locker shut with a flick of her hand. “Who knows and who cares. In my opinion, she’s just as sick as him…”
I spun around and started down the hall, leaving Emily behind. She didn’t need me anyway, she had her ego and the entire school to hang on her every word.
As I pushed past students hurrying to get to class, I couldn’t help but notice people giving me sidelong glances, their whispers ringing through my mind. They all knew I was friends with Annabeth and they wondered if I had realized her boyfriend was a murderer. Wonderful, guilt by association. I pushed aside the hurtful feelings, determined not to care. I had to find Annabeth. I had to make sure she was okay. How could Lewis do something so dramatic and not tell me? When had he gone to the cops?
Tara was walking toward me, another girl who worked at Lakeside. “Tara,” I latched onto her arm. “Have you seen Annabeth?”
She frowned, tucking a black curl behind her ear. “My God, Cam, did you hear?”
I nodded, wishing she’d skip the pleasantries and answer my question.
“Can you imagine what could have happened to Annabeth?”
Finally someone who actually cared about Annabeth. “Have you seen her?”
“She’s in the bathroom, but...”
“Thanks.”
I had five minutes before school started, but I’d be late if I had to. So much for that perfect attendance record. I pushed the door wide and burst into the girl’s restroom, a white space smelling of lemons that had provided more than one student with solitude. The place was surprisingly empty, as if the female population could sense the depressing aura and was purposefully keeping away. “Annabeth?”
No response, but I heard her thoughts whispering from behind one of the closed stall doors.
Why is she here? It’s her fault. God, I hate her. She did this on purpose…
I cringed, feeling her words like a knife to the gut. “Annabeth.” I paused outside the middle stall, resting my hands on the cold steel door. “Come on, please, come out.”
Why does she care? She wanted to humi
liate me. She did it. I know she turned him in. She’s just like Emily.
“I’m not,” I cried out, tears burning my eyes. “I swear I’m not like Emily.”
There was a stunned moment of silence and then, Oh my God, how’d she know…
I realized my mistake and at the same time, I didn’t care. I was tired of hiding. Tired of being alone with my secrets. Meeting Lewis had taught me that I didn’t have to hide. I felt more in control of my life than I’d ever felt before. “Annabeth? Please, come out.”
The bolt screeched back and the door pulled inward. Her round face was splotchy, her eyes wide and bloodshot from crying. The dress she wore was a wrinkled mess. In our shallow school where fashion mattered, her state of disarray wouldn’t help her cause.
“Did you turn him in?” she demanded.
“No, of course not.” Resisting the urge to tell her the truth, I bit back Lewis’ name.
Her brown eyes narrowed. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not! I didn’t, I swear.”
She looked reluctant to believe me. I wanted her to believe me, but at the same time, wondered why she cared. Shouldn’t she be happier that her life had been saved? Or was it merely embarrassment that had her crying?
I grabbed some toilet paper and handed her the wad of tissue. “Annabeth, I’m just so relieved you’re okay.”
She ignored my offer. “He didn’t do it.” She moved to the sinks lining the wall and turned on the water. “I know everyone thinks he did, but he didn’t.”
She splashed water on her face and I stared at her, horrified, the toilet paper forgotten in my hand. Wonderful, she was going to be one of those women who stood by her man, even when he went to prison. She’d marry him and write to him every day, proclaiming his innocence on Oprah. I sank back against the wall, sick. They’d write a movie about her and it would be on Lifetime, that channel Grandma liked to watch.
“Annabeth, he did it.”