The Second Sign (22 page)

When she saw Jake, who had scooted closer to the
girl and scribbled something on a sheet of paper and handed it to
her, she wanted to run and leave everything behind. She wanted to
hit something, to hurt somebody, to let out all her anger at
something. Jake was a perfect target.

She bounded out the door without so much as a glance
his way.

“Hey, wait up,” he said, running up beside her.
“What happened? What’d you find out?” he asked out of breath.

Gabby whirled around and shoved him hard, almost
unbalancing him.

“What the hell?” His face turned into a scowl.
“What’s your problem?”

“You? What the hell were you doing in there? Did you
suck her face and try to get into her pants like you did me?”

He flinched as if she had struck him in the gut. His
face pinched hard, controlling his own anger. “I did what you told
me to. It was you who told me to flirt with her so you could talk
to this kid, or did I miss something?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t tell you to give her your
number.” She continued toward the truck, unsure if she wanted to
share the same space with him.

“I didn’t. It’s a bogus number. Would you stop?” He
grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.

Her anger rattled her. She saw herself pound him to
a pulp, and he let her because he wouldn’t hit her back. She wanted
him to hit her back, wanted him to stop her. But he didn’t. She
blinked and the world returned. He looked confused, hurt passed his
eyes, his jaw muscles flexed but he didn’t let her go.

“Gabby, I love you,” he said, slowly, as if she were
unable to comprehend the three words responsible for wars,
jealousy, greed, and all the other deadly sins that popped into her
head.

The words slid through her like a dull blade,
tearing through her flesh and into her heart. She couldn’t breathe,
her vision blurred, her hearing muffled, and the ground came up in
a rush to meet her. He caught her before she made impact.

Jake turned pink, his eyes wide. “Wow, not the
reaction I expected,” he said, cradling her in his arms.

His intense gaze held her still. She felt her own
limbs heavy but found no words to make it all go away, to go back
to normal.
Her
normal, anyway.

“Say something,” he whispered.

She held her tongue scared at what she might say to
him that would pull him deeper into the trench she had created.
Gabby felt a cold terror flow into her veins. Fear of love. She bit
her tongue before she spoke.

“I need to get back home.” She forced the words out
as she stood up and inched away from him, wanting so much to tell
him she loved him too. But she couldn’t. She didn’t know what those
words really meant except death. More people died for love than
hate.

She got in the truck and waited for him.

His face hardened, his shoulders slumped,
defeated.

He would lose patience with her just as Max had and
break the connection, whatever connection they had. She couldn’t
lead him on, even if she couldn’t breathe without him.

It was full dark on the way back, and Jake was quiet
probably wishing he could take back what he said.

Love...No Way

Jake wished he could take back what he said. He
wanted to hit himself. Hard. But instead he kept his eyes glued to
the road in front of him. What had he been thinking? Love. What did
he know about loving a girl? A girl who carried so much baggage
people were dying around her. He needed to drop her off, like,
now.

Love was something he saved for his mother and
sister. Not Gabby. He could deal with protecting her, wanting her,
and needing her, but loving her?

“Shit,” he whispered under his breath as the truck
began to choke. It slowed, stalled until finally it coasted to a
full stop on the shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Gabby asked.

“It looks like it’s out of gas.”

She gave him a frown. “You didn’t check?”

“No, Mrs. Know-it-all. I didn’t. You were the one in
such a rush.”

She bit her lip, and he wanted to apologize but bit
it back.

Love.

Stupid. Smacking himself would be good right about
now. He got out of the truck because there was nothing else to do.
They managed to be stuck in a narrow two-way road sandwiched by
trees. The clouds hung thick providing no light on either side.

Gabby followed him and leaned against the truck
beside him. “Maybe we should stay in the truck and call someone.”
She took his hand in hers.

She felt so cold, making him shiver.

She leaned against him, resting her head on his
shoulder. ”I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Me too. About everything.” His voice came out
bitter and he hated it.

She stiffened beside him and released his hand,
lowering her eyes to the ground. “You don’t have to be so pushy,”
she remarked, her voice tainted with pain.

He looked at her, his mouth hanging open. “Me?
Pushy? You’re the one leading me by the nose here. I’m stupid
enough to buy it.”

She gasped. “You’re such a baby. You tell me you
love me, and then clam up like it came out of your second brain,
and
I’m
the one leading
you
?” The veins on her neck
bulged.

He wanted to possess all of her, to take her right
then and there. And before he could even think of all the negative
consequences of
that
action, he pulled her tight against
him, pinning her with his body and the truck, and claimed her. She
squirmed under him as he ravaged her lips, tasting her. Anger swept
through him giving him freedom. A release he had never known
possible.

She put her palm on his chest and every cell in his
body exploded in decadent ecstasy. He pressed himself closer,
ignoring her slight push and obvious want of space. It only excited
him more. He was done with this cat and mouse game with her. She
was his.

He lifted her and settled her on the ground, easing
onto her. Her resolve shattered as she wrapped her arms around his
neck and slipped forward pressing against his bulging pants. If he
were a god, he would make their clothes disappear. He released her
mouth, pressing kisses along her neck, and explored every inch of
her body. He needed to feel her bare flesh against him, it was what
drove him.

“Jake, stop,” she whispered.

But Jake could no longer find reason that didn’t
lead to this. It was both pain and ecstasy. He took her wrist and
pinned them with one hand above her head. Heat trailed from her
warm flesh, her scent wafted up his nostrils into his brain. His
senses heightened to the point where she could no longer hide from
him. She was embedded in his mind and soul. He slid the fingers of
his free hand inside the seam of her waistband, inching lower,
feeling the warmth of her flesh.

“Jake, stop,” she whispered through a haze of thick
air as she tried to squirm away from his grasp. “Stop it.”

The haze lifted and her sharp command forced him to
release her hand, but he didn’t make any effort to lift himself off
of her. Raw fear held her steady. He saw it in her eyes and he
laughed. A deep, throaty laughter. His body covered her. She
couldn’t move. “I can take you right now and make you scream.” His
voice foreign to his own ears. “We were meant to be together,
Gabby. Always.”

“Why are you doing this?” her voice broke, sending
sharp needles through him.

He blinked and the sudden realization burned through
him. Could he make her scream? Could he force himself on her? Isn’t
that what Pat did to her? Releasing a breath he didn’t know he had
been holding, he stood up.

An ebbing pain sliced through his back, and he bit
back a wince. He didn’t want her to know his pain. To know that he
was turning into something he couldn’t understand. Whatever the
hell was clamped to his spine was messing with his head. Changing
him.

Gabby sat up and he reached down to help her, but
she slapped his hand away, her face hidden behind her wave of thick
hair. She stood up and wiped her pants, fixing her shirt. A thin
trail of blood fell down her neck where he’d bit her. He reached
for his own lips, tasting the blood.

“I’m sorry. I got carried away.” What could he say?
That he had a primal need for her? A feral need that included
forcing her to be his? Every inch of his being bursting with desire
to claim her.

A surge of adrenaline flowed through him. He felt
like he always did before the jump—godlike. It felt good. But he’d
never hurt Gabby, or anyone else. It had always been himself on the
precipice, but now there were two lives in the balance, and he knew
she wasn’t telling him everything. They had been privy to two
separate murders. Gabby had known something. And then there was
Kyle. Something didn’t connect. She made it very clear she didn’t
want him as much as he wanted her.

She gazed at him, her eyes veiled. “That isn’t love,
Jake.” She pointed to the ground. “Are you sure you even know the
difference?”

Those words stabbed him and he flinched. “I’m going
to take a whizz. Call someone for the truck.” He strode deeper into
the woods. He didn’t have to piss, but he needed to get away from
her and her hold over him. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of
protecting her mixed with the conflicting images of killing
her.

A flicker of light caught his attention and the
memory of the apparition near the jump spot settled on his mind. It
had been the robed figure with no legs who sent him crashing to the
ground, causing the pain flaring up his back. He also remembered
the warning to stay away from Gabby. He didn’t.

A globe of light hung suspended in the air at eye
level. It pulsed, turned a dirty shade of gray, and then formed
into a large bubble, reminding him of a snow globe.
I don’t
believe in fairies
, he thought just before stepping forward
into the light.

A woman with a long, flowing gown, black hair, and
deep black eyes stared back at him. Her features were hazy as if he
were looking at a blurred photo.

“I must be dreaming,” he whispered, pressing his
eyes with the tips of his fingers. The voice that floated toward
him set his heart on edge. There were two voices overlapping each
other. One distinct voice held him in place. “Mom?”

“I’m here, son,” she whispered back, a hollow sound.
But Jake knew it wasn’t his mother. His mother never would call him
son.

“Who are you?” he asked. Dreaming wasn’t an option.
He could still feel the stirring of the wind, Gabby’s scent on him,
and the tingling in his back.

“You
are
handsome. No wonder she chose you.”
The apparition stepped closer and slid her index finger along his
jaw.

Still, he saw blurred shadows in front of him. She
let out a heavy sigh, but he felt no breath on his face.

“My name is Naite. I am the governess of souls.” She
paused.

Jake cocked a brow. “A babysitter,” he said.

She scowled clearly bothered by that interpretation
of the word. “Of sorts.” She stepped back.

“What do you want?”

“I’ve come to collect you.”

Jake stood rigid. He wasn’t going anywhere with this
freak ghost. His flesh went cold, his vision cleared, and he could
almost make out Naite’s underlying features. Her dark hair turned
into a flaming red like the leaves in autumn, her dark eyes turned
green, her nose fine, her lips...

She raised her index finger to him. “I wouldn’t do
that if I were you,” she warned, a smirk on her lips. “Seeing my
true form will bind you to me. Let your eyes relax and simply
listen.”

Her voice was soft, pleading. Jake felt no other
option but to obey.

“Your father has arrived, but I fear it is too late.
You see, your father decided to become mortal after love clenched
his heart. He garnered favor from the underdark, but a price had to
be paid.” She paused, her gaze seeping into his very being.

He felt exposed, naked.

“Jenna?”

The apparition laughed a seductive sound, sending
steady vibration throughout his body.

“No, lucky for her, she’s not your father’s
daughter. But you certainly are, aren’t you? Your mother killed
herself believing that she could save you. She failed.
You
are the price of your father’s sins, for his mortality.”

Jake clenched his fists at the mention of his mother
but found that words were useless. His tongue heavy, his mouth
sealed, he couldn’t breathe a word.

“Love is such a powerful emotion. It leads humans to
do unspeakable things.” She lifted her eyes past his shoulder,
leading his gaze to Gabby who stood inches from him.

He could reach out and sift his fingers through her
hair, and yet, she could not see him. Though her mouth moved, her
words were muffled.

“Ah, perfect timing,” Naite said, a broad smile
spread on her lips. “Take young Gabby here. She hasn’t told you the
truth yet. Secrets. Lies. That is what surrounds her heart, not
you.”

Jake felt as if someone had hit him with a bat
straight in the gut. Jake knew that Gabby wasn’t telling him
everything and believed she would when she was ready. But to lie to
him? “You lie.”

“Do I?” She gave him a pathetic look as if speaking
to an infant. “Ask her what Kyle told her. Ask her why her brother
couldn’t save your mother. He was there. Ask her where do souls who
have committed murder and suicide go. And let your own heart decide
if she’s lying to you.”

She reached out her hand and a black shadow whipped
out of her palm, hitting him in the chest. A light flashed behind
his eyes and he doubled over, falling on one knee. He took a deep
breath and stood up.

His vision cleared and memories flooded him, leading
him into the past. He had been fourteen when he found his mother.
Dad wasn’t home yet. He was on some business trip or other, Jake
couldn’t remember. His dad usually left them a few days a year with
the promise of a family vacation to some exotic hideaway afterward.
Jake never cared for the hideaways, but he did care about the tall
mountains and blue seas usually surrounding these hideaways.