Devoured (15 page)

Luke groans. “I guess that’s better than her knowing it was at yours.”

“Why?”

“She apparently drove by my house that morning you came over and saw you. She said she asked you about it. I tried to be as vague as possible about the whole thing, because I didn’t know what you told her, but it was obvious she was upset.”

“I lied and told her I was here to ask Nona about my future with Ryan.” Yes, think about a future with Ryan, I tell myself—instead of thinking about kissing Luke, who’s lacing and unlacing his fingers with mine. I have absolutely no business sitting this close to him and holding his hand, but I can’t make myself let go.

“Do you have a future with him?”

My stomach flips. “What do you mean?” I chance a sideways look at him and just about die seeing his dark blue eyes locked on mine.

“I mean, I’d kind of like it if you didn’t.”

“I don’t know,” I spit out as my heart pounds madly.

“Does he know you like I do?” he whispers.

He leans in and I feel his breath on my cheek. I turn to face him.

“And what do you know?” I whisper, my heart about to burst.

“Everything.”

Our lips touch, and I feel like I’m floating. I know I should pull away, but God help me, I kiss him back instead.

FOURTEEN

I stand in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom. Ryan will be here any minute. I turn in a circle and decide I’ll keep the strapless blue dress on even if it’s still a little too chilly for it.

Not that dressing up for Ryan makes up for the fact that Luke Amador kissed me earlier today—and that I kissed him back.

I scowl at my reflection. “You are a skanky ho.”

I picture an announcer on one of those white-trash talk shows saying,
“Megan Sones is here today to tell her boyfriend she cheated on him with her psychic love toy.”

But it was just one kiss—one wonderful kiss—followed by many mentions of said boyfriend.

I plop down on my bed and wish I could be stronger, because liking two guys at the same time is just asking for an appearance on one of those shows, no doubt with Samantha and Ari waiting in the wings, ready to take me on in a bra-baring catfight.

I shake my head and try to concentrate on the fact that Ryan is taking me, not Samantha, to a swanky restaurant. Try to be happy and forget about the kiss.

I reach up and touch my lips.

That one electric kiss.

The doorbell rings, and Fergus barks.

“I’ll get it,” Mom calls out.

I rush over to my mirror again, looking for signs of guilt showing on my face. Remy appears beside me, her head hanging down.

“It’s too late,” she says sorrowfully.

“Yeah, you can’t take back kisses,” I reply, knowing full well Remy isn’t talking about Luke.

She looks up at my reflections and smiles. “Blue dress.” She pulls at the hem of her own dress and twirls around.

“Yeah. Love to stay and chat, but I’ve got a date and a lot of sucking up to do, because I was a bad girl today.”

“She tried to use an apple,” Remy says, pausing midtwirl and shaking her head, “but now they just use knives. I guess it works better that way.” She reaches her hand toward mine, but I pull it out of her reach and jump back.

“Oh, no,” I say, holding my hands up over my head. “We’ve already traveled this particular nightmare of a road before, and I really don’t think I need to see any more dead girls or knives, okay?” I say, my voice cracking.

Remy nods. “Apples are nicer.”

I stare at her bug-eyed as I back through my bedroom door. “Yeah,
apples
. Um, I’m gonna go now, okay?”

I run down the hall, and then look over my shoulder. I’m enormously relieved to see she hasn’t followed me. I take a deep breath at the top of the stairs to compose myself, and then head down.

“Don’t you look nice,” Mom says quietly from the couch. I notice her eyes are red rimmed and she’s looking worn-out. I assume she’s been thinking about Dad and Remy, but I’m not getting any indication of which way she’s leaning.

“Yeah, wow! Very nice,” Ryan adds, looking me up and down. He’s wearing a white button-down and a blue blazer, looking utterly adorable. My stomach flips nervously with guilt.

“Thanks,” I say, feeling like a total creep. I turn to Mom. “Um, we’ll be at the Ledges Dining Room at the White Mountain Hotel.”

“The Ledges? Is this a special occasion?”

Ryan nods. “Yeah, it’s our one-month anniversary today.”

Why did I have to kiss Luke today of all days?

The phone rings and I rush to get it, glad for the interruption. I look at the caller ID and frown. “It’s the nursing home.”

Mom jumps up and holds her hand out to me. “I asked them to call me.” She takes a deep breath and clicks the talk button. She listens for a few seconds with her lips pursed. “I see,” she says. She covers the mouthpiece with her hand. “You two have fun.” She waves us away and heads into the kitchen.

“Ready?” Ryan asks.

I look at Mom standing slumped in the kitchen and try to hear what she’s saying, but then Remy floats down the stairs talking about apples again and I can’t make anything out.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Ryan looks up from his menu with a smile. “By the way, I got a bottle of champagne for later.”

“How did you manage to get that?” I ask, hating how every nice thing he’s done this evening is just making me feel more and more guilty.

First he gave me his jacket for the car ride because I didn’t think to bring a sweater, then he opened the car door for me, held my hand in the parking lot, and pulled my chair out for me.

“Steven got it for us.”

Steven—Samantha’s brother. Why does everything circle back to her? Of course, Samantha’s looking more and more like a saint compared to me. “So Steven doesn’t mind contributing to the delinquency of minors?”

“Apparently not,” he says with a sly smile. “My parents are out tonight, and I thought we could go back to my house and celebrate, if you know what I mean.” He reaches across the table, takes my hand, and gives me a knowing look.

Oh, God. He’s talking about doing
it
. I’ve been putting him off because I really wasn’t sure I wanted to give it up to someone with—as Nicki put it—a groupie. My big excuse has been that we haven’t been going out that long and it was too soon. Maybe he figures one month is long enough—no wonder he had the date memorized.

I force a smile on my face. “Hmmm, sounds intriguing,” I murmur.

Our waitress, Marie, sidles up to the table and I could kiss her for preventing Ryan from making more detailed plans for later.

“Let me tell you about our specials. We have a roasted pork loin with apple chutney stuffing and garlic smashed potatoes.”

I picture Remy babbling about the stupid apples and think I’ll pass on that one.

“Pan-seared tuna covered with a wasabi-ginger sauce, a teriyaki vegetable medley, and spicy shrimp spring rolls. And finally we have a twin lobsters with crabmeat stuffing plate for two that comes with baked potatoes topped with sour cream and a side of steamers. Do you need a minute?”

“Yes, please,” Ryan says.

Marie nods, looking weary. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Ryan licks his lips. “How about the lobster plate for two?”

I shake my head. “I think I’ll just have the chicken piccata,” I say, not wanting to get the “romantic” dinner for two.

“But I’ve heard lobster’s an
aphrodisiac
.” He gives me a sultry look and I want to crawl under the table.

“I’m not a seafood lover,” I lie.

“Really, you don’t like lobster?” he asks, looking disappointed.

I shrug. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay, it’s not like we
need
it anyway.” He winks at me, and I know I have to break up with him.

“Ryan, I’ve been thinking—” My phone starts ringing and I fumble for my purse. “Shoot, I forgot to turn it off!” I grab it and see it’s Nicki. She knows I’m out with Ryan, and despite the fact that she’d be cheering if she knew I was planning on breaking up with him, she wouldn’t be calling unless it was an emergency.

“Let me take this out in the lobby. I’ll, uh, be right back!”

I open my phone as I weave my way around the tables, earning annoyed looks from some of the diners.

“Nicki?”

“Hey, are you done having dinner with the rock star yet? I’m kind of in a jam.”

“What’s the matter?” I ask, glaring at an elderly couple that’s staring at me.

“I stayed late after chorus practice talking to the assistant director, but when I got to my car, I couldn’t find my keys. Everyone’s gone, the place is locked up, and my parents are having a power dinner with one of my mom’s clients, so I was hoping you and Ryan could pick me up.”

“No problem! We haven’t even ordered yet, but Nicki, I kissed him.”

“Ryan? Big yawn.”

“No! Luke! Actually, he kissed me, but I’m going crazy and I really, really need to talk to you about it.”

She whoops into the phone.

“I haven’t officially cut things off with Ryan so
don’t say anything
, but—”

Nicki gasps.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she says slowly. “I just thought I saw something at the edge of the woods surrounding the parking lot.”

I hear breaking glass. “Nicki?”

“
Holy shit!
Something just smashed the light post by my car!”

“I’ll get Ryan, we’ll be right there.”

“Megan,” she says slowly, “there’s definitely something moving in the woods—something big—and it’s getting closer.” Her voice is quaking. “Megan, I’m scared.”

“What is it?”

I hear her phone hit the ground.

“Oh my God, no! Leave me alone! Somebody help me! Help me!”
she screams.

My blood freezes as I realize this is what I heard when Remy held my hand during the blackout in the Haunted Forest ride.

“Nicki?”
I scream. I hear shuffling noises and then nothing.
“Nicki, don’t go in the woods! Don’t go in the woods!”

I hit the off button and dial 911 with shaking hands.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“My friend is at the North Conway Community Center and I think someone is after her!”

“After her?”

“She screamed and dropped her phone. Can you send someone over there right away?”

“I’ll alert the police, please stay on the—”

I hang up, hardly able to breathe. I punch in Luke’s number and pace up and down the hallway.

“Megan?”

“Luke, someone’s after Nicki. She’s at the community center, but I think—” I suck in a deep breath, not wanting to say what I have to. “I think the vision Remy showed me in that ride was about Nicki. I think someone’s after her. I’m like ten minutes away and I’m scared I’m not gonna get there in time.”

“I’m downtown with Ari—we can be there in a few minutes.”

I shut my phone and run into the dining room.
“Ryan!”
I scream.
“We have to go right now!”

We pull into the parking lot, and I see Luke and Ari talking to a couple of officers.

I rush out of the car and Luke points to me. “She placed the call.”

“Did you find her?” I ask. I look all around the lot. Nicki’s cell phone is on the ground near the driver’s door of her car, surrounded by the broken glass from the lamppost. Her purse is a few feet away with her wallet and brush spilled out of it.

Ari shakes her head, worry filling her eyes. “There was no sign of her when we got here.”

“Miss, can you tell me what happened?” a short, tubby officer asks.

“What happened is we have to look for her before it’s too late!”

“Just hold on. We need a little information.”

“There’s no time.” The officer isn’t making a move to go after Nicki, and I shake my fists in frustration. “Okay, my friend Nicki called me like ten minutes ago and said she couldn’t find her car keys. She thought she saw someone in the woods and then she said the light got shot out or something. She dropped her phone and I heard her scream.” My lips tremble.
“She screamed for help.”

I look at Luke—he’s the only one who understands what will happen if we don’t get to Nicki in time. “We need to find her!”

He nods. “Officer, can we start looking for her now?”

The man shakes his head. “I told you before, this is a potential crime scene and I can’t have you kids traipsing around destroying evidence. Bill,” he says to the other cop, “call for backup, and tell Tony to bring the dogs.” He turns to me. “Don’t worry, Miss, we’ll do everything we can to find your friend, and there’s a good chance she got a lift with someone else.”

I stare at him incredulously. “Oh my God! Look around. Why would she leave her stuff lying on the ground if she got a ride?”

Ari reaches out and squeezes my arm. “Don’t worry, I know she’s okay. I just know it.”

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” tubby cop says to me. “I’m sure we’ll find your friend safe and sound.”

Ryan puts an arm around me, drawing me close to him. “He’s right, Meg, let the police do their job.”

“They’re not doing their job; they’re standing around while who knows what is happening to Nicki!”

I look out at the woods surrounding the back of the parking lot. Unfortunately, I know too well what might be happening to Nicki, and if I don’t act quickly, Remy’s vision will come true—if it hasn’t already.

“You know what? If you’re not going to look for her, I am!” I take off. Ryan snatches out for me, but I pull away. I race past Nicki’s purse and ignore everyone calling after me.