Tempted by the Night (5 page)

He'd have to wait for dark, when, as he learned, most of the entire settlement of River Vale would gather in the town center for the weekly movie. Luke remembered those nights well, for they'd been going on for as long as he could remember.

Working movie projectors, screens, and DVDs were few and far between, and unlike in the times before the Change, there weren't televisions or disc players readily available. Even if you came upon one, it was unlikely to be working fifty years after the devastating events. The ones that were still in working order a half-century later were carefully maintained.

So the weekly movie night had been a treat for everyone—but especially for teenagers, who cuddled together in the dark at the edges of the audience and did what teenagers did.

Oh yes, Luke remembered those nights very well.

 

* * *

Marisa didn't want to leave her home to watch
Never Been Kissed
, but as it turned out, she didn't have much choice.

Instead of being able to go check on Luke—who, for all she knew, was dead and lying in a pool of his own blood in the secret room—and get some damned answers from him, she had to leave.

It was either that, or stay here with that creepy bounty hunter Juniper. Despite Ian's violent reprimand earlier, or perhaps because of it, Juniper had watched her all evening with a definitely lascivious gaze. Marisa had the uncomfortable feeling that the minute she was alone in the building—or if Ian left—her unwanted guest was going to become much too friendly.

And so she seized the opportunity to put a good bit of distance between herself and the bounty hunters, even if it meant leaving them to their own devices in her home. Who knew, maybe they'd want to watch the movie too.

Her plan was to leave the building and sit at the back of the audience during the movie. Then once things got rolling, she'd slip off into the darkness and try to figure out how to sneak back into the library and get to Luke without being noticed. It would be risky, but what else was she going to do? There was another door to the secret room, but it only opened from the inside.

Everyone had already begun to gather in the town center when she approached. Marisa could only believe it had to do with the need for the townspeople to interact with each other, find support from one another, and share their concerns about why the bounty hunters were here and how long they were going to stay. It was always unsettling when the MITs arrived, but usually they didn't stay longer than a few hours. This extended stay was cause for concern.

“How's it going, Marisa?” asked Matt Redding. He was a big, solid man with eyes that always softened when he looked at her. “I heard…” He glanced around as if to make sure no one could hear. “Are they really
staying
at your place?
Bastards.
” His teeth were gritted. “They already tossed the Turners' place. Whatever they were looking for, they didn't find. But they messed it up good. They're not—are you all right? They haven't…
done
anything, have they?”

“They've been the perfect gentlemen,” she said lightly, and glanced over to see how Genny and Harm Turner were doing. The young couple looked shellshocked, but at least they'd suffered nothing worse than a messed-up house. The bounty hunters had been known to burn homes or arrest people and take them away if they even suspected wrongdoing. “I made them dinner and they ate it without complaining.”

“Wow. They must have been hard up,” said Gil Trapper.

Marisa gave a little laugh, glad to relieve her tension—at least a little.
How long are they going to be here?
“They didn't have much choice.” She pushed up her glasses.

“Bastards,” Matt said again. Then he edged closer. “You can stay with us if you want, Marisa. It would be safer. I'll make Kenny give up his bed.”

If it weren't for Luke, Marisa would have jumped right on that. Instead, she said, “Thanks, Matt—I might just take you up on it.”

It was getting dark and everyone began to take their seats on the grass. Blankets and cushions came out, along with a variety of drinks and snacks—including peanut brittle, popcorn, beer, mead, and lemonade. Clearly, the members of River Vale were trying to act as normally as possible, despite the specter of their unwanted visitors looming over them—literally and figuratively—and the not-so-promising title of the movie.
Never Been Kissed
. Marisa almost knew what that felt like.

She stood around talking with as many people for as long as she could, and delayed finding her seat, for she sensed Matt wanted to sit near her. He was a widower who lived with his sister and her children, and lately he'd begun to show definite interest in Marisa. Normally, she would have been comforted and flattered by it, and maybe even interested herself—he was a good-looking man who worked hard and was always respectful. But with worry for Luke hanging in the back of her mind, she couldn't afford to be too relaxed. If she sat near Matt, he'd want to come with her when she sneaked off. Or he'd ask questions. Or draw attention.

At last everyone had settled into their seats, and she spread out her blanket at the very back of the crowd. The viewing area was a large clearing on the north side of the settlement, and the grass was thick and soft. The movie would be projected onto an old billboard that had been whitewashed several years ago for this purpose (though it needed to be done again, for an advertisement for Stark Hickey Ford was beginning to show through the paint). The billboard had fallen from its moorings during the Change and was brought to River Vale, then integrated into the protective wall that surrounded the settlement.

Even as the last bit of chatter ebbed, and the soft whirr of the projector started up, Marisa could hear the other sounds of night beyond the walls. The calls of dangerous animals—feral dogs and wild cats, lions, and wolves. And then, faintly in the distance, the eerie, soul-scraping sound of the zombies.

“
Rrrrruthhhh…ruuuuuthhhhhhh…
” Their cries were horrible and unintelligible, but Marisa had the sense they were searching for something…always searching for something.

“
Ruuuuuuthhhhh…ruuuuuuthhhhh…
”

Even here, safe from the awkward, flesh-rotting creatures, she couldn't control a low shudder. She'd never seen one. Never been unlucky—or dumb—enough to be caught outside the walls once the sun went down. But Marisa knew others who had. She shivered.

The movie began and the last bit of conversation ended. The night air was crisp, filled with the scent of popcorn and sausages toasted over a small bonfire off to the side. The only light was from the film, reflecting over the faces of the audience while leaving the rest of their bodies in darkness.

Marisa adjusted her glasses, then bent her knees upright and wrapped her arms around her calves, resting her chin on top. A wavy lock of hair from her ponytail fell free, tickling her jaw. She fidgeted. How long would she have to wait until it was safe to sneak off?

Other than the couple in front of her—teens who couldn't keep their hands off each other—the rest of the audience seemed engrossed by the movie, despite the title. No surprise there, for the DVD was a new find that had just been brought into town by one of the traveling scavengers. Probably no one had seen it before.

Marisa was just about to ease to her feet and slip away when three shadows rippled over the rows of people near the front of the audience, off to the right. She turned her head slightly and recognized Ian, Juniper, and their companion.

Apparently they had come to watch the movie after all.

Damn.

Now she wasn't going to be able to get up and sneak away for fear one of them would see and recognize her. It was dark, but not that dark, and she couldn't take that chance…could she?

Should she?

Just move over to the side some more
, she told them silently.
Then you won't see me…

But they stood in a forbidding cluster, their long shadows from a single light casting over the people of River Vale like a warning. A stark reminder of their presence and power.

Marisa chafed and tried not to worry. They weren't going to stand there all night. Surely they weren't.

Then all at once, she felt the air shift behind her. Movement. Someone was there—someone who sat down behind her.

Marisa stiffened, because that someone sat
really
close. Close enough she could feel the warmth of new presence. And that someone shifted forward, and the next thing she knew, two strong, jean-covered legs slid onto either side of her, and a hand touched her arm.

She drew in a startled, shaky breath, ready to speak or push him away when a low voice said, “Shhh. It's me.”

Me?

Again?

But her surprise and shock had waned, making way for her senses to take over. The warmth, scent, and most of all the
feel
of the man who'd settled behind her was definitely Luke.
Oh boy.

“Just play it cool.”

“Are you
crazy
?” she hissed, realizing the fact that he was nearly hugging her from behind was the least of her problems. Well, at least he wasn't lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor…

“It's dark. They didn't see my face. They can't see your face either. I'm sure they think we're just another anonymous couple, cuddling up to watch the movie. ”

Marisa closed her eyes, battling anger, desire, and a wave of sadness. As
if.
“If you say so.”

“I say so.” He shifted closer, and she stiffened even more as he curved his arms around her from behind.
Please don't let him feel my heart pounding like this.

Luke's face was just behind her ear, and the warmth of his body burned into her. His thighs bracketed her on either side, and she refused to let herself think about how he was cradling her rear end
right there
at the juncture of those thighs. She felt the brush of a soft curl of hair against her cheek, and noticed his wide, bare feet settling on the grass on either side of hers. His breath was warm on her bare neck, sending gentle tickling sensations over her skin. She was ashamed to admit she could hardly breathe, and she was getting hot, and damp, and—

“Are you cold?”

“N-not any more,” she managed to say.
What the hell is he doing?
Then she realized she had a lot more pertinent questions for him, and the last thing she needed was to be distracted from them. “How did you get out?”

“I found the other door. Are you okay?” His words shuttled softly against her, his breath warm against her hair. Little prickles of awareness and hot sparks of desire exploded over her as his lips brushed her earlobe. Accidentally. Of course it was accidental. “I could hear everything. I'm sorry about all this.”

Sorry. Yeah, right.
“I wasn't certain if the sound system was turned on. I'm fine.”
Sort of.
“But you have
a lot
of questions to answer.”

“That's why I'm here. Right now, I mean,” he said.

She closed her eyes. This was torture. Did he have to sit so close to her? Did he have to smell so good?

Did he have to have loved her sister—and broken her heart?

“Why did you leave?”

His sudden stillness told her he wasn't expecting that question any more than she had been expecting to speak it…but there it was.

“I'm assuming you're talking about leaving River Vale, and not the—er—safe-room.”

“Well, I—uh—” This was her chance to backpedal, to get the answers that were really important. But before she could redirect, he spoke.

“I left because I realized I couldn't marry Lainey.”

His voice, so low and rough and sexy, sent another shiver of desire through her. She gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her voice low and her mind focused on anger and not the lust galloping through her. “You couldn't have told her that
before
the wedding day? You had to tell her
on
it? You broke her heart, Luke. You broke her heart, and you broke—”

You broke
mine
.

I thought you were the good guy. A great guy. A guy worth
wanting
.

Instead, she said, “Yeah, I got that. So did the whole town. You got cold feet.” She straightened, pulling herself slightly out of his grip. Immediately, she felt chilly at her shoulders and back and wished he would cuddle her close again—and mean it. “Ian and his pals are looking for you. I don't suppose you're going to tell me why, even though I've put my butt on the line for you.”

He leaned closer, but didn't tighten his arms around her again. “Yes, they're looking for me. It's a little complicated—”

“It's going to get a lot more complicated if they find your ass because I stand up and point to you.”

He sighed, a gust of warmth over the top of her head. “Right. I owe you some answers, I know. But first…I didn't get a chance to tell you I'm sorry about your dad. I heard he'd passed—I happened to run into Benny Targent during my travels a year ago, and he told me. He was a great guy, and I'm really sorry he's gone.”

“Thanks,” she said, mollified by his honesty.

“Now for some answers. I was hanging around Ian Marck for about a month, pretending to work with him while I was trying to find out what he's up to. Marck didn't really trust me, but he didn't have reason not to. So when I got the information I needed—okay, so I'll tell you: they're looking for some people who escaped from the Strangers. I stole Marck's picture of them right under Juniper's nose—he's a douche
and
a dumbass—so I had to get the hell out of there.”

“How did you get hurt if you got away?”

“Well, I wanted to know more after I found the picture and realized what it was, so I circled around back to their camp after they realized I escaped, and climbed on the back of their truck while they were driving. I was trying to figure out where they were going. A rock flew up and hit my head while I was hanging on to the back. And that's what caused—well, that's when I showed up here. I was already on my way here anyway, because I had something to do.”