Death and the Girl Next Door (27 page)

He seemed hesitant, as though unsure of how to put into words what he wanted to say. When he did speak, it was with reverence, each word carefully chosen. “You need to understand that Jared is good, yes, he’s light.” He fixed his attention on me, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the rest of what he had to say. “But he’s also dark, Lor. He was created for a very specific purpose and has more power than his brothers. When a higher being says dark, what they’re talking about is the absolute absence of light. The absence of good. Do you know what that means?” When I shook my head, he continued. “The absence of good is a nice way of saying ‘evil.’ There’s a part of him that’s evil.”

“But can’t that be said about anyone?” I asked, jumping to Jared’s defense. “Doesn’t every being on earth have the capacity for evil?”

His brows slid together. “Not like this. Not to this degree. I’m not saying he has the capacity for evil, Lorelei. I’m saying he
is
evil. It’s just as much a part of him as auburn hair and smoky gray eyes are to you. It’s in him. In his genetic makeup. Inherent and pure.”

“And so is good,” I argued.

“True. But just so we’re clear, supernatural beings aren’t afraid of much. You have to be pretty powerful to scare Casper into pissing himself. The everyday poltergeist isn’t afraid of angelic beings, Lor. Yet they’re terrified of Jared.”

I took a sip of soda, then rubbed my face on my monkey’s tummy. “I think he’s more good than evil,” I said, standing my ground.

“You could be right.” He leaned against the window frame. “I’m not saying he isn’t.”

“When I saw him in the forest,” I said, trying to explain, “when he changed, I just … I kind of freaked out. I ran from him. He was so big and so angry and I thought he killed that man, so I ran.”

“Lor,” Brooklyn said, “that was totally the right thing to do.”

“But when I thought about it later,” I continued, “I realized he was protecting me.”

Cameron disagreed. “You can’t know that.”

“Yes, I can. He pushed me to the ground, then changed and attacked them like he was protecting me. I was just so scared when I saw him. I’m such a girl,” I said, utterly disappointed in myself.

Brooklyn scooted beside me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I wish I had been there with you. I’m so sorry you went through that alone.”

I rested my head against hers.

“You’ve had a traumatic experience,” Glitch said. “It’s gonna take a while to get over it.”

“I know, but I think it’s more the loss. I just can’t believe he’s gone. I know how that sounds after everything that’s happened. He’s probably the last person I should miss, but—”

“He’s not gone, shortstop,” Cameron said.

My head snapped up. I watched him with way more hope than I wanted.

“He never left,” he said reluctantly. “He’s been here the whole time.”

“Here? Like,
where
here?”

“Why do you think I’ve been staked out on your fire escape? He’s close.”

Now for the sad part.

My soul took flight! My heart soared! A euphoric, deliriously giddy sensation washed over me with the knowledge that Jared was still here. He didn’t leave. He didn’t go back to his day job.

“Do you know where he is?” Brooklyn asked.

“No, but I can feel him.”

“What do you feel?” I asked, just wanting that small bit of knowledge to tide me over while I wondered if I would ever see him again.

He ground his teeth, hesitated, then said softly, “Pain.”

I jumped up and ran to the window, searching the distance for any sign of him. “Is he hurt? Is he stranded somewhere?”

“No, not that kind of pain. Pain like yours. Deep. Desperate. It’s disturbing. Between the two of you, I’m on the verge of committing suicide.”

I put my hand on the window, wishing he would come back, praying. But just the knowledge that he wasn’t gone forever caused a flood of tears to sting the backs of my eyes.

“Please, don’t cry.”

“Holy sh—” Glitch fell out of his chair and Brooklyn yelped before plastering her hands over her mouth.

I closed my lids. His voice was like water on a scorched desert plain, welcome and nourishing.

“I’m sorry, Lorelei. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Without another thought, without the slightest hesitation, I turned and ran into his arms. He lifted me off the ground and held me for a long time, his embrace powerful, his body warm and enveloping.

“I’m so sorry.”

“No,” I said between hysterical laughs. “I’m sorry.”

“You? You have no reason to be.”

“After everything you did for me, after you saved my life over and over, I turned on you in a heartbeat.”

“You didn’t turn on me,” he said with a release of air. “You were scared.”

“Oh, my God,” I said as I squeezed my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. “You’re back. I was so worried.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” Brooklyn said, “stop apologizing. And, you,” she said menacingly at Jared, “just where the bloody heck have you been?”

He buried his face against my neck. “I thought I should keep my distance for a while, you know, in case you never wanted to see me again.”

“Please,” Glitch said, “if shortstop and moon pie never wanted to see you again, you’d be the first to know.”

I leaned back to look up at him. His jaw was darkened by days of stubble, his hair tangled, unkempt, his eyes bright with emotion. After a moment, his full mouth tilted into a lopsided grin and I couldn’t help the sharp inhalation that slipped past my lips. He totally looked like a supermodel.

He glanced at Cameron and nodded once. “Cameron.”

“Jared,” Cameron said.

Their greeting was cool, but even that was better than the alternative: nine rounds in the McAlister house. Jared’s dark eyes bored in to mine. I didn’t wait this time. Life was too short. I leaned in and kissed him right on the mouth. The kiss deepened instantly, like we each needed to drink from the other. My lips parted and his tongue took instant advantage, tasting and exploring. The heat he exuded seeped into the fabric of my pj’s. He sighed into my mouth and I breathed him in.

“This is awkward,” I heard Glitch say.

Just then a knock sounded at the door. “Honey, can we come in?” It was my grandmother.

I broke off the kiss and jumped to the ground. Dizzy from the heavy panting, I glanced around to hide the evidence before realizing there was no evidence to hide. Okay, fine, I could do this. After a deep, calming breath, and a quick smile tossed to Jared, I stepped back, smoothed my pajamas, then said, “Come on in, Grandma.”

She opened the door slowly and peeked around it. “You ate,” she said, sounding pleased.

I glanced back at the empty pizza box. “Oh, yeah. I’m feeling much better.”

With a pretense of pleasure, she offered me her ulterior-motive smile. I should’ve known she was up to something. “Good,” she said, examining the room quickly, “then you kids won’t mind coming downstairs for a bit.”

“But—”

She closed the door before I could argue. Then, when I least expected it, she reopened it and said, “
All
of you.”

“But—”

Nope. She was gone.

Man, that woman was quick when she wanted to be. But put her behind the wheel of a Buick …

“Um, maybe you should get dressed,” Glitch suggested.

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right.” I offered Jared a shy smile, only just realizing what I must look like, before scrounging up a clean pair of jeans and a plain black tee. “’Kay, be right out,” I said, hurrying to the bathroom, suddenly unable to meet Jared’s eyes. I swore on all things holy, if my hair looked bad, God and I were going to have a long talk in church this Sunday.

I changed quickly, brushed my teeth, and ran wet fingers through the mop on top of my head more commonly referred to as hair. It wasn’t horrible, but there was always room for improvement. I let it fall down my back and offered up a silent prayer in the hopes that Jared liked redheads. Or dark auburn heads. Either way. He didn’t seem to mind my coloring. So far, so good. A boy once broke up with me in the third grade because he said he didn’t realize I had red hair until we went out onto the playground at recess. Our love had lasted twenty minutes. So as long as Jared and I stayed out of the sun, we should be good.

I stepped out to face the masses, though I zeroed in on Jared instantly. He was lounging against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he appraised me, appreciation lighting his face.

“Are we ready?” I asked, my voice more shaky than I’d hoped.

“I ain’t going down there,” Cameron said.

Brooklyn turned to him, mouth agape. “She said all of us, Cameron. Which means you too.”

“The hell it does,” he said, making for the fire escape.

She lunged forward and caught his T-shirt. “No way. If one of us faces the firing squad, all of us face the firing squad.”

“Those are illegal now, right?” Glitch asked.

“Do you think this is about the Southerns’ piano?” I asked, suddenly nervous. That thing must have cost a fortune. “We are so busted.”

Jared’s mouth formed a grim line. “I don’t think anyone down there is worried about the Southerns’ piano.”

“Well, okay, I guess that’s good.” I raised my brows to Brooklyn, who nodded in halfhearted agreement, clearly worried now herself.

When we started downstairs, Jared wrapped a hand around mine as Brooklyn dragged Cameron by the hem of his shirt. Glitch brought up the rear. The stairs led to the kitchen, but I heard voices in the living room beyond that. And not just my grandparents’. Startled, I asked Jared over my shoulder, “What did you mean
anyone down there
? Who’s here?”

“Lorelei.” He pulled me to a stop just before we got to the living room door and stepped closer. “Whatever is said, whatever is done, I want you to remember who I am.”

After a failed attempt at a smile, I asked, “Who are you?” I was so completely confused. Who was in my house? And what did this have to do with Jared?

He let out a long, withering sigh. “I’m the same guy you knew five minutes ago. I haven’t changed.”

I forced myself to think rationally. What did I really know about Jared? Every bit of information I received about him conflicted with some other bit, like trying to put together a puzzle where the pieces didn’t quite fit. But I knew he’d saved my life. More than once. Wasn’t that all that mattered?

Cameron stepped behind him and spoke over his shoulder. “Worried?” he asked with a confident smirk.

“What’s going on?” I asked Jared in concern.

Cameron strolled past us and slid the pocket door that led to the living room. “Showtime,” he said, a menacing grin on his face.

The door opened, and a room full of people stood and faced us, like a surprise party without the party.

SANCTUARY

Bright lights illuminated face after face, most of whose I recognized, including Sheriff Villanueva, I noted with a rush of panic. Compared to the Southerns’ great room, ours was minuscule, but if I’d stopped to count, I knew I’d find at least fifty people in our living room, probably more.

I took a wary step back, but Brooklyn took my other hand and led me in. With her eyes on the sheriff, she said under her breath, “You were right. We are so busted.” Then she looked up and screeched to a halt. “Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?”

Brooklyn’s mom held out her arms to her. She was the most beautiful African-American woman I’d ever seen, petite like Brooke with the same delicate shape and soft brown skin. But her dad was tall and thin and almost as white as I was. He was super good-looking, though, so I understood the attraction.

Surveying the room, I saw Glitch’s parents as well.

He spotted them at the same time and looked back and forth between the two in shock. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“Cameron.”

We all turned to see that even Cameron’s dad was there. In that moment, Cameron’s expression turned from cocky to almost embarrassment. “Dad, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?” he asked, stepping toward his son.

Cameron towered over him, as he did everyone else in the room except for Jared, the boys like two sides of the same coin, one dark and one light.

“Don’t you think I’ve stayed away long enough?” he asked.

Cameron tensed as though suddenly annoyed. “Why now?” he asked under his breath. “You’ve never believed before. Why now?”

Mr. Lusk placed a supportive hand on his arm. “Son, I’ve always believed. Deep down, I’ve always known what you are. Pastor Bill called me and, well, clearly there are bigger things at stake than what even your mother could’ve imagined. It’s time I got in the game instead of sitting on the sidelines.” His mouth thinned into a solid line of regret. “I just wanted you to know I’m here for you.” He glanced around. “For all you kids.”

Cameron shoved his hands into his jeans pockets in discomfort. “Thanks, Dad.”

I’d been so caught up in their discussion, I didn’t realize until that moment that everyone in the room was gawking at Jared. Including my grandparents.

My grandfather snapped to attention. He offered Jared a smile and held out his hand. “We’re the Order of Sanctity, or, as we like to call ourselves now, the Sanctuary, and we’re here to help in any way we can.”

I blinked in confusion. The Sanctuary was the name of our church and most of these people attended on a regular basis. “Grandpa, what’s going on?” But he continued to stare at the supreme being standing before him, his hand held in limbo. Did he actually know what Jared was? What he could do?

Jared scanned the room, stopping for a split second on each face before returning his attention to Grandpa. After sizing him up, he asked, “Do you know what I am?”

My grandmother’s face lit up. She took Grandpa’s outstretched hand and said, “You’re a messenger. An angel.”

Jared sighed as though disappointed, then raised one sleeve of his T-shirt, displaying the band of symbols tattooed around his biceps. “Archangel,” he corrected.

My grandfather lifted the glasses dangling around his neck and stepped closer to examine the tattoo. He stilled. For a long moment he stood there, his face turning ashen in disbelief before taking a wary step back.