Hourglass

  Besides, what was I going to say? By the by, there’s this partially solid glow-in-the-dark guy who likes to hang out in my room? Was I going to admit why I’d never mentioned him to Michael? The attention and interest Jack gave me felt good. Now that I thought about it, maybe good enough to offset the fact that Michael had the lovely Ava as an alternative, when I had no one.

  Except whatever Jack was.

  How could I explain that without looking like a complete jerk?

  If Jack disappeared, it wouldn’t be an issue, and I could go back to worrying about other things, like the possibility of dying while attempting to time travel so I could stop a murder.

  Stuff like that.

  So much had happened since I returned to Ivy Springs. I leaned back and closed my eyes. My whole world felt upside down. A month ago, I didn’t know what rips were. I didn’t know what my ability meant. I didn’t know Michael existed. Things were a lot simpler.

  And a lot less interesting.

  I waited a few more minutes. Figuring Jack for a no-show, I knocked on the door to Michael’s loft. No answer. I returned to the restaurant to find Thomas and Dru at the table. Alone.

  “Where’s Michael?” I asked, looking up at the clock hanging above the bar. I’d been gone for only fifteen minutes. Surely the man possessed more patience than that.

  “He left.” Dru’s eyes darted to meet Thomas’s before she looked back at me. “This, um, woman, came up to his loft to find him. She said there was an emergency.”

  “Woman?” Please mean Cat. “Tall and gorgeous? Supershort hair?”

  “No,” Dru said apologetically. “Tall and gorgeous, but long auburn hair.”

  Ava. “What kind of emergency? Did she say?”

  Dru nodded. “She mentioned a name before I left them alone … Kaleb.”

  “Michael insisted you stay here.” Thomas cleared his throat and took my cell phone from the table where I’d left it when I went to the loft. He dropped it into his shirt pocket. “That you not try to contact him and that you keep a low profile. He was adamant it was for your own safety and told us that if you tried to follow him, we should stop you.”

  “Of course he did,” I muttered. I dropped into my chair, overcome with jealousy. And worry. Whatever happened must have been big for Ava to come to Ivy Springs to get Michael.

  I folded my arms on the table and laid my head down on top of them, fighting tears and exhaustion. I’d just made a huge decision, agreeing to help Michael save Liam, and I itched to act on it. I’d felt so connected to him when we sat down to talk to Thomas and Dru. Now he was back to keeping things from me.

  I sensed Dru gesturing furiously to Thomas. When I looked up, she and I sat at the table alone. “Michael said he’d call you as soon as the problem was resolved. I’m sure things will be fine.”

  I nodded.

  “If it makes you feel better, he didn’t seem happy to see her.”

  It didn’t.

  I felt hurt that he left without saying good-bye, and angry that my brother and Dru seemed to be so accepting of Michael’s “orders” for me. I also felt too defeated to argue. For now.

  Dru sighed and reached out to pat my hand. “When was the last time you ate anything?”

  The pineapple at the Renegade House. “Breakfast.”

  “Let me take care of you, okay?” Dru asked in a gentle voice. “I know you hate it, but I need to practice for when the little one gets here.”

  “Not fair.” Mentioning the baby was the worst kind of blackmail.

  I let Dru take me home, feed me the marinara sauce and bread I’d smelled coming from the restaurant kitchen, and even make a bed for me on the couch, knowing she did it only to keep an eye on me.

  Even though my body had reached the point of exhaustion, my brain wouldn’t shut down. So many thoughts kept my mind whirling: Jack, and who, not to mention what, he really was. Lily, and the secrets between us. Michael, and where he was. What he was doing. And with whom.

  Circling around and around, never finding any answers, I fought sleep, holding out hope the phone would ring.

  Talk about pissed.

  I woke up confused. I’d slept in three different beds in the past few days. I preferred Michael’s to all of them. Probably because of the pillow.

  He never called. Or he did and Dru or Thomas answered because I was asleep. Maybe one of them turned off the ringer. I reached out for the portable phone on the coffee table, fumbling to see the caller ID.

  Nothing.

  I might not know where Michael was, but I had a pretty good idea how to find him. I threw the covers back and made a beeline for my room, taking the phone with me, just in case.

  “Hold it.” Thomas stepped out of the kitchen with a box of Fruity Pebbles in his hand, blocking my way. “Where are you going?”

  “To take a shower.”

  He angled his body to keep me from stepping around him. “What about after that?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “You’re not going to look for Michael, are you?” Thomas asked the question as if he already knew the answer.

  “I guess it all depends,” I said, fisting my phone-free hand on my hip. “How long are you supposed to keep me away from him?”

  “Did he call?”

  I shook my head.

  “Em, he was serious. I don’t know if he knew what kind of situation he was walking into when he left, but he didn’t want you to be involved.”

  “I need to go to the coffeehouse to check my schedule,” I said in a monotone, not meeting his eyes. “Am I allowed?”

  “Don’t be this way,” he pleaded. I knew he hated lording any kind of authority over me. But he still did it.

  “I’m your sister. You’re taking Michael’s side over mine. How could you?” I figured it wouldn’t hurt to layer on some guilt now to pave the way for forgiveness later.

  “I am on your side. So is Michael,” he said self-righteously. “His intention is to keep you safe.”

  I still held the cordless phone in my hand. I really wanted to throw it at my brother’s head. Growling in frustration, I pushed past him, slammed the door to my room, and locked it behind me.

  I showered quickly and chose not to argue with my hair, leaving it loose and wavy. I didn’t want to think about why, but I took special care with my makeup and clothing, wearing tighter jeans than usual and a close-fitting green T-shirt with a scoop neckline. As accessory challenged as I am, I even threw on a matching pair of earrings. Dru’s shimmery powder still sat on my dresser, and I used a little to highlight my … collarbone. Trying not to feel like a hooker, I grabbed a pair of strappy-heeled sandals and pulled them on as I half ran, half hopped to the front door.

  I didn’t see Thomas, but as I turned the knob to leave I heard Dru clear her throat from behind me.

  “What?” I spun around to face her, leaning back against the front door hard enough to make it creak. “I’m going to Murphy’s Law. I already cleared it with the prison matron, even though her panties were in a wad about it.”

  “Work? I know what I would do in your situation.” She scanned my outfit, then handed me my cell phone and her keys. “Don’t make me regret this. And stop insulting my husband.”

  I took the keys and gave her a quick hug. “You’re going to be such an excellent mother.”

  “If you were my child, I would staple you to your bedroom wall.”

  I blew her a kiss and shut the door softly behind me.

  Chapter 31

  I couldn’t get in touch with Michael—his cell phone kept bouncing straight to voice mail. I drove like a maniac to Murphy’s Law, parking illegally at the curb. The pickup line for orders snaked almost to the front door. Lily threw me an apron as I walked behind the counter and then did a double take.

  “Wow,” she said, giving me the once-over. “Okay. Wow. What are you going for with this look? Are you headed for a Playboy Bunny convention? Because whatever you’re doing, I can guess it’s not making
coffee.”

  “I’m throwing my hat in the ring, staking a claim, making my intentions known. It’s kind of like … a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.”

  “I could’ve done without that visual.” She assessed my outfit as I tied on the apron. “Why do you feel the need to put all your goodies on the front line for a man?”

  “It’s more for the competition,” I answered, twisting my hair up and sticking a pencil in it to keep it out of my way.

  Lily shook her head and added a shot of espresso to a latte.

  I threw up my hands. “What? Do I look that bad?”

  “No, you look that good,” she said, spooning foam into a mug. “I just want your self-respect to be intact when all this is over. I assume Michael is your fire hydrant?”

  “Yes.” I picked up the order pad to see what was next and then poured milk into a metal cup before attaching it to a steamer. “I’m sorry for bailing on you yesterday,” I said over the hissing noise. “You’ve been here two mornings in a row, haven’t you?”

  “No worries. Vanilla latte?” she called out to the crowd before turning back to start the next drink. “Just help me get through these orders, and I’ll forgive you.”

  We worked in silence for a few minutes until the crowd dissipated. Lily picked up a glass of ice water and downed half of it before asking, “Where are you headed?”

  “I don’t know exactly. There are a couple of places I think he might be. Or he could be someplace else altogether. That’s why I came to talk to you.” I was done with secrets. My best friend needed to come clean. Even if it meant I had to do the same. “I wanted to ask you to help me.”

  “Help you?” she asked, crunching down on a piece of ice and narrowing her eyes.

  “Help me … find him.” I wouldn’t chicken out. I wanted everything out in the open. “The way you find things.”

  Lily choked on her ice before seizing my arm and dragging me toward the back office. She yanked me into the room and slammed the door behind us.

  “What the hell, Lily?” I rubbed my arm where she’d grabbed it.

  “How do you know?” Lily’s breath came out unevenly.

  “I don’t know anything specific,” I confessed. “I just had an idea.”

  “I’ve tried so hard to keep it a secret.” She stared at me with wide eyes. “When you asked me my opinion about the supernatural the other day, I got the feeling you were on to me.”

  “Actually, I asked you the question about the supernatural stuff because of me.” I opened the door, sticking my head out to check the shop for customers. Only a couple of people sat in the orange chairs by the front window. I pulled my head back in and shut the door.

  Lily sat down on the edge of the desk. “Please don’t tell me you’re a vampire. Vampires are so overdone.”

  “I swear on every coffee bean in the universe that I’m not a vampire,” I promised her, laughing. “But … I can … sort of … see people from the past. Talk to them.”

  “Is that what you saw that day in the cafeteria? A ghost?”

  “Yes, but it’s a little more complicated than that.” I smacked my forehead with my hand when I realized I’d just given her Michael’s standard answer to me. “It would take a while to explain, and I’m kind of in a hurry. But am I right? About you?”

  “Em, there’s so much tied up in what I can do—what I promised my abuela I would never do. It’s not dowsing. It’s not like I use a divining rod, or even a pendulum, even though I wear this one.” She fingered the tiger’s eye pendant that always hung from a silver chain around her neck. I thought she wore it because it matched her eyes. “The short answer is, yes, I can find things.”

  “Why is it such a secret?”

  “I don’t know all the reasons.” Lily’s mouth turned down at the corners. “But Abuela has very strict rules about what I can actively look for. Inconsequential things, like my keys or a recipe she’s misplaced, occassionally. But a living, breathing human? Never.”

  “But the other day—you knew she was back from the bank before you saw her.”

  “I knew the bank bag was back. And I knew Abi had the bank bag. I’ve developed loopholes over the years.”

  “Have you ever talked to anyone about it?” I thought of the Hourglass. “Like a professional?”

  “A professional what? Abi would kill me if she knew I told you.” She inclined her head toward the front door. “I’m sorry I can’t help you find Michael. I know you’re in a hurry. Go.”

  “I’m not if you want to talk—”

  She shook her head. “Let me think about everything. Figure out what’s okay to share and what isn’t. Figure out what I want to ask you.”

  “I’m glad you told me. After everything I’ve been through, everything you’ve seen … you’re still here. I’m here for you, too.”

  Lily reached out to grab my arm and pulled me into a hug. “I should’ve told you earlier. You might not have felt so alone.”

  “No. I understand why you couldn’t.” I hugged her back. “Thanks for trusting me. I won’t tell anyone your secret.”

  “Ditto.”

  We broke the embrace and looked at each other for a long time before I turned to leave. “

  “Em? Wait.”

  “What?”

  She held out her hand, her signature moxie back. “The apron doesn’t go with the outfit.”

  Chapter 32

  I figured I’d start at the Renegade House. It was almost too easy. His car sat out front. He’d had access to a phone yet failed to call me.

  Payback time.

  Taking a quick glance in the rearview mirror, I yanked the pencil out of my hair and shook it out. I got out of the car and marched toward the porch. Before my heel hit the top step the door flew open.

  “Why is it impossible for you to do what anyone asks you to do?” Michael wore the same clothes he’d had on the last time I saw him. They were wrinkled, as if he slept in them—except he didn’t look like he’d done any sleeping. His eyes were bloodshot, his chin stubbly. I wondered briefly how it would feel against my face if he kissed me.

  Then I remembered I was mad.

  “Why is it impossible for you to call someone when you’re supposed to?” I reached up with both hands and gave him a good shove to the chest, feeling a jolt of electricity that ran all the way to my toes. “My brother practically handcuffed me to the furniture. I spent all night worried, wondering what was going on.”

  “Easy. I need you to stop yelling.” He rubbed his eyes with his fists. “It’s been a long night. I apologize for not calling, but it took us forever to find Kaleb.”

  “Us?” I asked, my voice thick with jealousy.

  “Us. Me, Dune, Ava, and Nate.” He leaned back, propping one foot against the side of the house. “We had to split up and take it place by place. He went barhopping in downtown Nashville. Luckily, he didn’t drive.”

  “Is he even old enough to get into a bar?”

  “He’s almost eighteen, but not quite. Fake ID. He uses it to do lots of things he shouldn’t. It’s easy to tell when Kaleb is hell-bent on destruction. A friend called here, and Ava answered. She couldn’t get me on my cell, so she had to come to the loft.”

  Had to, my rear end.

  “Come inside.” Michael pushed himself away from the wall and gestured to the screen door before pulling it open. “But I’m warning you ahead of time: it’s not very pretty. Kaleb is my best friend. I hope you don’t judge him on what you’re about to see.”

  He held the door for me, and I followed him into the living area. The smell hit me first. Part brewery, part gas-station bathroom.

  “Whoa.”

  Even though the room was dim, from the doorway I could see one foot hanging over the arm of the couch. A big foot, the ankle attached encircled by a tattoo resembling barbed wire. I walked quietly around it to take in a sprawled-out, snoring figure.

  One huge bicep featured a tattoo of a dragon’s head; the other bicep, a forked tail.
Taller and broader than Michael, Kaleb had the most defined abs I’d ever seen. The flannel blanket wrapped around his waist would’ve been a perfect size for me; on him it looked like a hand towel.

  “Why isn’t he wearing clothes?” I whispered the words to Michael.

  He grimaced and whispered back. “You don’t want to know.”

  I wrinkled my nose and started breathing through my mouth. Taking a step closer, I noticed Kaleb’s face, probably beautiful when he wasn’t hung over. His black hair was cut short, and he had a small hoop earring in each ear, kind of … sexy pirate. I jumped back when he groaned and opened one violet-blue eye.

  Kaleb struggled to focus. The circles underneath his eyes were deep, or it could’ve been the shadow of his black eyelashes. “Am I dead? Are you an angel? Damn. You’re smokin’ hot for an angel. Come ’ere,” he slurred.

  Not hungover.

  Still drunk.

  I hurried to stand behind Michael when Kaleb reached out for me. More like swiped at me with a hand the size of a frying pan. He was scary big, mostly naked, and reminiscent of an escaped convict.

  “Hey, Mike. I did it again.” Kaleb grinned, and his face lit up. I could see how, clothed and sober, he could possibly be endearing. Right now … not really.

  “Yes, Kaleb, you did it again,” Michael said, sounding very much like a tolerant but exasperated kindergarten teacher.

  “Who came to get me? I know she wasn’t there.” He pointed to me and smiled wider. “I would have remembered her.”

  “I did,” Michael said. “So did Nate and Ava.”

  Kaleb put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. I tried not to stare at his chest. “Ava? Why did you have to bring the Shining?”

  “The Shining?” I asked.

  “Stephen King reference,” Michael said to me. To Kaleb, he said, “Because Ava’s the one who answered the phone. She came to get me.”

  “Came to get you?” Kaleb frowned and opened his eyes to squint at us. “Where were you?”