Bound in Blood 1 Clandestine (9 page)

The next day at work seemed to pass in a blur. Emily spent
the morning running the register and helping customers. She
knew the inventory at Blake’s backwards and forwards, it was a
fairly mindless task. No matter what she did though, her mind
was still stuck on last night. She tried to ignore it, but it just kept
slipping back in.

In a matter of just a few days she had been attacked twice.
The attacks themselves were bad enough. Though the monsters
who delivered the attacks, were what plagued her the most.
There was just something so different about them. The one
called Luke,didn’t even try and hurt her. Granted, he probably
would have, if it hadn’t been for whatever was in that alley. Both
times they put her under some kind of spell. That couldn’t be
what actually happened, there was no such thing as magic, was
there? Either way, there was something very wrong with this
picture. Every time she closed her eyes, glowing red eyes burned
behind her lids. It was as though they were imprinted there with
the sole purpose of torturing her.

The other ginormous problem was that more of the residents
seemed to be lost to the pod people too. Well, maybe the
numbers hadn’t necessarily increased. More of them were
coming out to be counted, that’s all. They were like Lakeview’s
personal version of Stepford wives or something. Most didn’t
even purchase anything. They just seem to wander around the
store aimlessly. They were talking more today, despite the
underlying fear that still lingered behind their put on facades.
Well, she guessed she shouldn’t say they were talking, per say. It
was more like the freaky pod people spoke in hushed whispers to
each other and no one else. They kept scanning the room every
few minutes. It was like they were expecting something bad to
happen.

When they caught her eyeing them from behind the counter,
the huddle would disperse like scared little mice that were being
hunted. When Emily would ask them if they needed something,
they smiled quickly and just walked out of the store without
saying anything. What was that? It wasn’t like she smelled.
Whether she was distracted or not, Emily knew she had been
pleasant. The group acted as though they had been caught doing
something embarrassing. That was the type of reaction that had
been going on all day and she almost couldn’t help but take it
personally.

Unfortunately, Lucy wasn’t in today. She was supposed to
be according to the schedule. Hopefully she wasn’t sick or
something. Emily wished desperately that her friend had been
there. She wanted to confide in her about everything that had
been happening. Trusting Lucy was as easy as breathing. Plus,
she wouldn’t think Emily’s theories were insane like everyone
else surely would. That knowledge was comforting. Lucy thrived
on weird. She loved all things unexplainable or impossible.

A book slammed down on the counter, interrupting her
reverie making her jump. “Hey I’ve been standing here forever.
You think you might return to this planet long enough to ring me
up?” The guy’s voice was sarcastic and his expression was
extremely annoyed.

Man, how long had he been there, she thought. Her face
flushed with hot embarrassment. “Oh sorry, guess I’m sort of out
of it today. “ Emily grabbed his book so she could scan it. As
she did the title caught her eye,
Supernatural Hunters
. Huh? She
had never seen that book before. Oh well, she thought as she
flipped it over for the bar code.

“There’s no tag on
this. Was it in science fiction or
paranormal?” Emily gazed up at the guys face expectantly. He
couldn’t have been much older than her, if at all. She thought he
looked familiar but couldn't place him or his name.

“Neither. I was looking
for my mom and found it in the
self-help section. Fate brought me what I wanted.” He smiled a
crooked smile that gave him an air of arrogant, boyish charm.

George trudged out of the back room, eyed the customer
with money in his hand and instantly softened. “Is there a
problem?” His question was directed at the man but his glare
was definitely meant for Emily.

“Hey
, George this guy wants this book.” Emily held up the
novel as evidence.“There is no tag and it’s not in the computer.
I’ve never seen it before.”

Before she started to hand him the book, he shrugged it
away. “No matter, just punch it in the computer and charge the
suggested price.” He moved passed her and around the counter.
“I’ve got to go. Emily you’ll need to close up and I won’t be in
tomorrow.” Without a second glance, he was gone. There hadn't
been enough time for Emily to point out that tomorrow was
supposed to be her day off.

Man, he was a hurry she thought, as she watched him
disappear out the door. It wasn’t like George to not have time to
worry about what a customer is charged. She figured he would
take the lack of tag as a golden opportunity to mark up the price.
If nothing else, he should have lectured Emily on the fact that the
book wasn’t marked. Normally he would take great satisfaction
in such activities.

Sensing the annoyance in the other guy’s posture
, she
quickly punched in the book and searched for a price to charge.
There wasn’t one, so she put in a logical price for a book of its
size and genre and then slipped it into a bag. “Here ya go. Sorry
about all the trouble.” She smiled warmly trying to soften the
tension.

He dropped a bill on the counter and when Emily tried to
get his change, he told her to keep it. He appraised her for a
moment, smiled and then left the counter without another word.
When he got to the door he paused with his hand on the knob
and turned and looked back at Emily. She matched his stare with
one of her own. They seemed locked into a contest for what
seemed like forever. Then, the door flew open startling her
staring partner back a few steps, immediately breaking them
from their trance. A customer stood just within the doorway,
looking impatient. They got around each other leaving the door
way empty and the bell still ringing announcing the new comer.

Why was that guy watching her like that? The look he gave
her wasn’t an admiring one. Even though she didn’t have much
experience in that department, she knew what it looked like
when a guy was into a girl. He had looked like he was trying to
delve into the deepest contents ofher brain. It wasn’t frightening
or anything. He just seemed curious. Emily wondered idly if he
was new in town. He didn’t look like one of the construction
workers that were working on the new developments. Really she
didn’t think he could have been far from her age.

Lakeview was a small hole in the wall town, which no one
really cared about. People Emily’s age didn’t usually come
flocking into town voluntarily. It’s not like the community
college was a treasure. They strived to follow the policy of
mediocre education, at rock bottom prices. Even if the price
lured student’s, community colleges were a dime a dozen, they
wouldn’t need to come to Lakeview.

The guy was definitely good looking, in a shaggy sort of
way. He wore a white T-shirt with faded jeans that rode low on
his hips. They were the kind that was supposed to be that way.
He wasn’t like the gang banger wanna-be’s that like to show off
half their assets and oversized boxers. He had a casual demeanor
that still radiated determination. In other words, he was a
walking contradiction. On one hand, he appeared to be a gentle
giant, and on the other, seemed like a sarcastic pain in the butt.
Like he didn’t have a care in the world, yet displayed an obvious
impatience and distaste for everything.

It wasn
’t very common for her to take such a strong notice
of a guy like that. Emily had never really had a boyfriend before.
She didn’t have time nor the desire to put up with the drama a
guy in her life would bring. Even still, she knew what her type
was. Even if she didn’t plan on dating there was no harm in
admiring the merchandise. It’s not that she didn’t want a
boyfriend. She had always wanted to be kissed and feel the
security of someone’s strong arms around her. Feelings like that
would only get her in trouble though. Getting out of Lakeview
was imperative and a boyfriend would only complicate the plans
that have been made since her mother died.

Not to mention that her beast of a father would have to sit at
home and clean his gun all night. Sam wouldn’t stop there. He
would have no fear in
using
that gun to get his point across. He
didn’t even really like Emily to bring regular friends home, but a
boyfriend? Yeah right! That would be like giving the poor guy a
death warrant before he even walked into the door. Maybe
throwing him to a pack of wolves would be a better analogy.

There had been boys that had shown interest in Emily, the
feeling was just never mutual. Most of the bottom feeder boys
that went to the high school with her weren’t worth anyone’s
time. The college didn’t seem to produce a wide selection of
winners either. It wasn’t that Emily was a snob or anything,
because she wasn’t. Certain standards were just necessary for
survival.

The rest of the day was slow. She decided to close up early,
no one would even notice anyway. She had now had two run-ins
with jerk guys after dark. Emilywasn’t about to give an open
invitation for a third. Besides, it wasn’t too early. The worst
George would do was doc her pay. As much as she needed the
money she could live without it.

The decision was already made, even while she was still
contemplating. Unconsciously making preparations, she had
already shut down the register and turned off most of the lights.
She grabbed her backpack and keys. Not giving herself time to
second guess calling someone for a ride, she headed out to the
street alone.

Emily thought about calling a friend to see if they wanted to
go to a movie later. An estrogen rush would probably be just
what the doctor ordered. It didn’t really even matter what the
activity was. Emily was just really over all the drama that had
been going on lately. Since she had been going to college, she
had lost touch with a lot of her friends. Some of them did go to
the local college too but they weren’t really in the same classes.
Working didn’t leave time for a social life either. Especially,
since she had started picking up extra shifts.

If she was being completely honest with herself,
she didn’t
really have close friends in high school either. There were
acquaintances that she spoke to at school, but never after the
school day was done. Lucy was really the closest thing Emily
had to a real friend and that was saying something. The two of
them rarely got to see each other anymore. Emily had always had
other priorities in her choice of after school activities. Luce was
always busy with her various blind studies and her martial arts
training.

To anyone else it may have seemed odd that her blind friend
was a black belt, but Emily just always thought it was super cool.
Itreally helped heighten Lucy’s senses to epic proportions. Also,
who better to learn to defend themselves than the blind
community? After all, they were practically walking targets. Her
friend wasn’t a victim though and never would be.

The party scene wasn’t really Emily’s cup of tea either.
Alcohol and her DNA didn’t seem to mesh well, judging by her
father’s life. She never wanted to take the chance she would be
susceptible. That lifestyle wasn’t good for anyone and that was
doubly true for her. There were more important things to worry
about. Most of the kids from her high school and a lot who now
go to college with her were on a drink now study later game
plan. Most of the people that chose Lakeview Community
college to further their education,weren’t planning to transfer to
more prominent Universities.

Emily reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone.
She looked up Lucy’s number in the contact list and hit send.
Maybe Luce wasn’t sick and would feel like hanging out. Plus
she really wanted to talk to her about all the drama trauma going
on lately.

“Hey Em what’s up?” Lucy’s vo
ice sounded cheerful as
always.
“I closed the shop early and wanted to hang out. I really
need to talk to you Luce,it’s kinda important.”
“Awww…I’m not in town. I came back early so I could get
going on studying up for finals. I’ll be back in a few days
though. What’s wrong Em?” Lucy sounded concerned by
Emily’s request.
Recognizing her friend’s concern, Emily tried to eliminate
any false note to her voice before speaking. “Oh, nothing. I just
miss you is all. We haven’t hung out much lately, youknow?”
Lucy didn’t buy it. “Sure, whatever you say Em. How about
I call you tonight? We can talk more about whatever it is you
can’t tell me now,k?”
“Sure sure,sounds good,” Emily sighed. There was no point
in arguing. Lucy had always been able to read Emily like a book.
“If you don’t call or text I’m calling you.” Lucy scolded in
her mom voice.
Emily sighed again, “Alright I get it. I promise I’ll talk to
you later. There is stuff Ineed to talk to you about.” Emily
stressed the last sentence, hopefully conveying the necessity of
their talk. Everything was pressing down on her shoulders like
the weight of a grand piano.
“K good. I’ll be waitingfor your call babe so don’t bail on
me,” Lucy scolded again. This time though, it was obvious that
she was returning to her perky self.
“Alright mom I’ll talk to you later.” Emily laughed.
When Emily hung up she felt better about the situation. She
hadn’t actually told Lucy what was going on, but at least it was
out that she needed to. She shoved her phone back in her pocket
and finished locking up the store. Even if Lucy didn’t have any
answers, she would probably be able to help her figure
everything out.
Luckily, when she started home there were still people out
on the sidewalks, all along Main Street. Emily heard whistling
and looked in the direction of the sound. It was coming from
outside Flora’s Flowers next door. Flora was outside watering
her hanging plants outside her shop. Emily smiled as she
recognized the tune
Zippidy Doo Da
coming from the shop
owners lips. No matter the season people could always count on
a jungle of plants or flowers outside the middle aged woman’s
store. The scent from the hanging plants was totally intoxicating.
Emily took in a deep breath letting the smell envelop her senses.
The light breeze rustled the plants branches and the spray from
the hose misted Emily’s face. Despite the breeze the cool water
felt nice.
Flora smiled and waved when she saw Emily watching. She
was the nicest woman and a serious expert at her craft. Her
thumb was the greenest in town. She could turn a simple flower
arrangement into a masterpiece worthy of appearance in a
magazine. Emily always wondered why she didn’t take her
business to a bigger city where she could make better money.
On the other side of George’s place, was a comic book
store. All in all, it seemed to do pretty good business with the
kids. The owner of the store was a young guy that had taken over
when his father died. Emily had never really been into comics
although, to each his own right? Even though they were
supposedly graphic novels,she personally didn’t buy it. It just
didn’t seem logical that something with brightly colored pictures
and word bubbles could be called novels.
There was a dog across the street digging at the insides of a
box left outside the bakery. Maybe there were discarded pastries
inside. Emily couldn’t help but giggle. The pretty retriever was
pawing at the box savagely. As she got closer she could see its
pink studded collar so she obviously had a home. She hadn't seen
her before and Emily hoped the dog wasn’t lost. She debated
crossing the street so she could check her tag. If the dog lived on
her way she could take her back to her owners. The animal
shelter would already be closed for the night. If it was a stray
there was always her house. At least the pup would have
somewhere to sleep for the night. Sam wouldn’t notice anyway.
As long as Emily kept her in the bedroom and tried to keep the
barkingdown to a minimum it wouldn’t be too big of a deal.
She was so lost in her mental preparations,that she didn’t
pay attention to the path right in front of her.
She ran smack
dab into a person. Thankfully, a strong person so they didn’t fall.
The force of it though knocked Emily back a few steps. Whoever
it was, they were solid. It startled Emily, making her gasp loudly,
as she brought her hand up to her chest. She willed herself not to
have a heart attack.
Breathing hard, Emily collected herself enough to speak.
“I’m so sorry,” She stammered. “I didn’t see you I was watching
the dog over there.” Emily pointed awkwardly in the retriever’s
direction.
“It’s no problem. I stopped to watch the feast too.” His
voice was like velvet.
Her mind swayed with recognition. She knew that voice,
but from where? She brought her eyes up to see him for the first
time. A picture flashed into her mind. His ocean blue eyes
seemed to wake her memory out of a deep sleep. It was her
rescuer from the night in the alley. “It’s you.” What a dumb
thing to say, she thought feeling incredibly stupid. She could
have come up with something more intelligent. The last time she
saw him she at least had an excuse for acting like an incoherent
moron.
“Yes, and it’s you. I was wondering how you were after the
other night.” His sentence ended in the most magnificent smile
Emily had ever seen.
“I’m fine. Thank you for saving me,I mean.” Well, at least
she half way managed a full sentence, sort of. It was ridiculous,
but she couldn’t stop gazing at him like a pathetic little school
girl. She felt like the Retriever, just before it pounced on the
pastry box. It was incredibly easy to get lost in his amazing eyes.
It felt as though she was somehow swimming in the endless deep
blue of them.
He seemed to notice and it made his grin grow cockier.
“Don’t mention it. I’ve always been a sucker for damsels in
distress. I just happened to be in the right place at the wrong
time.
“Well either way, I really appreciate it. I owe you one,” she
said with a tremendous amount of gratitude. It suddenly dawned
on her where they were standing. The now not so dark alley she
had been jumped in was directly to their right. Her heart began to
pound furiously at the sight of it.
His eyes followed her glance. “Well apparently, this has
become a meeting place for us. Were you trying to relive a
moment?” He said with mock disgust.
A hysterical giggle burst from Emily’s lips without
permission. “No definitely not.” Emily cleared her throat trying
to quiet her moronic nervous laughter. “I could do without this
place. I only come passed here because it’s on my way home
from work.” She made a gesture behind them toward the front of
Blake’s. “I work at the book store,” she babbled idiotically.
“Would you like some company?” He asked, sounding as if
it didn’t matter to him either way.
“Um, what?” Emily said totally surprised. She could feel
the flames licking up her cheeks and here this guy was standing
there all casual as if he was completely unaffected by their odd
situation.
“I thought you might like me to walk you home. Maybe it’s
not the best idea.” He began to walk around her in the opposite
direction. As he did, he gave her a very guy like nod.
Crap, Emily thought. He must have misunderstood her
reaction. She couldn’t let him go. There were still so many
questions about the other night. The morbid details may have felt
very fresh but she still didn’t have all the answers.
The chance to get those answers was trying to walk away.
“Wait.” Emily said hastily. She put a hand up as though she
could stop him. “I’d like it if you walked me home. That is if the
offer is still there…” She let her voice trail off hoping he would
pick up the thread and accept her request.
He took a deep breath and turned back around to face her.
“Of course, the offer still remains Emily.” Without another word,
he started off down the side walk leaving her behind him a few
steps.
The mysterious hottie walked about as fast as Emily jogged.
She had to scramble to catch up. The awkwardness made her feel
very inept. Her anxiousness allowed her to catch up quickly
though. How strange. He was sweetly walking her home but
acting all arrogant at the same time. Emily wondered if this cool
bad boy persona was just an act for her benefit. She remembered
him battling her attacker effortlessly with no hint of
apprehension, but squelched the thought. He was obviously a
bad boy. The mysteriousness that radiated off of him was
electric.
As she glanced at him periodically, she noticed that his face
was wiped clean of any emotion. It was impossible to get a read
off him at all. The silence was driving her insane. She had to get
him explaining, or it would be too late. The distanceto Emily’s
house wasn’t far.
“How do you know my name? How did you know where I
lived the other night? Where did that guy go in the alley? Did
you do something to him?” The questions shot out of her mouth
like bullets from a machine gun but she couldn’t help herself.
Once the words got started they had a mind of their own. It was
as though she had no control of her mouth what so ever. He
probably thought she was nuts. That would be understandable,
she thought she was nuts too.
An almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of his
mouth. “My my, so many inquiries, so little time. So you have a
strongrecollection of the other nights events do you?” He almost
seemed surprised. It was clear he was trying to not let it show but
it was still there.
That wasn’t a normal reaction. There was definitely
something more behind his words, some hidden meaning that
one way or another, Emily
had
to get to the bottom of. The
surprise on his face was confusing. Why wouldn’t she have her
memory? It’s not like he could have known she had blocked it
out at first.
“Well… I didn’t at first.” Emily shrugged. “I guess it just
came back to me.” She watched closely for the expression to
change, though it stayed in perfect control.
“You must have a strong mind to have repressed such terror
and then regain it so quickly.” He grabbed her elbow helping
her off the curb across the street.
She hated realizing it, but they had already crossed several
blocks. It seemed like they had only been walking seconds and
not the several minutes it had to have been. She had to get him
talking. Time was running out and he would be gone again.
”You still haven’t answered my questions.” She pressed,
hopefully encouraging him to explain things further. Apparently,
he wasn’t going to offer up any information without a bit of
prodding from her part.
When they reached the next street, he promptly dropped her
arm as if he had been burned. Geez, it’s not like she had a
disease or something. It wasn’t like he was obligated to be all
gentlemanly in the first place. Emily knew how to walk just fine
by herself. The sting on her ego was blazing like a raging wild
fire. She knew she shouldn’t care, but the feeling of not being
good enough coursed, deep within her core. Thanks to Sam, that
seed was planted long ago.
“You’re right, I haven’t answered.” He retorted sharply. He
said nothing else as if his words were answer enough.
That just wasn’t enough for Emily. She deserved answers
and was going to get them one way or another. Suddenly,
bravery settled in. All hints of shyness melted away with every
step.
“And then?” Emily pushed harder. If he would just look at
her, he would see the look on her face was fierce and smoky. At
least that was the look she was going for anyway. Knowing him,
it would probably hold no intimidation at all.
It was at least another block before he said anything. “I’ve
been in the bookstore before. One of the employees said she had
a co-worker named Emily. When you said that you worked there,
I guess I just made the connection.” He looked casual but his
voice faltered.
He was lying. “Um no. You knew my name that night. You
just found out I worked there today. Not to mention the fact that
I don’t work for a girl.” She shot back shooting him an equally
cold side long glance.
“Alright calm down. No need to get angry. So you caught
me. Let’s just say, I’m very observant of my surroundings. I’ve
seen you around.” He did sound apologetic, even though he was
still obviously lying.
It was crystal clear that she was going to get nothing else
from him on that subject. She’d let it go for now. There were
more important things to worry about then her name anyway.
Plus, he seriously made the simmer down motion with his hands
when he told her to calm down. That was completely
unexpectedly cute and annoying at the same time. Emily hated
the affect he was having on her. She wasn’t really sure what that
affect that was but didn’t really want to know either. There was
no time in her life for complications.
“And the jackass from the other night? What happened to
him?” Emily’s thinly lined brow rose fiercely with her accusing
glare. She tried to sound tough so he would take her seriously.
This honestly wasn’t hard since she really was getting
aggravated.
“I simply encouraged him to take his business, elsewhere,”
he said the last word slowly as if to display its double meaning.
“Which means? Emily was feeling annoyed at his evasions
it’s not like she was asking him to recite the Battle Hymn of the
Republic backwards or something. Which for future reference,
probably wasn’t a good idea, since Emily didn’t even know it
forwards.
“Alright alright. I used just a bit of force but under the
circumstances, I had to do what was necessary. He hurt you I
wasn’t just going to give him a lesson in politeness and
manners.”
They turned the corner onto her street. Her time was
running out. It was annoying that the conversation reallywasn’t
going anywhere. Although, he had just admitted to fighting for
her honor, so maybe it could be excused. That was kind of sweet
really.
When they reached her driveway she looked up to the
garage. Oh thank God, she thought relieved. The garbage can she
had strategically placed partially in front of the door was still in
place. That meant Sam wasn’t home. The placement was
something she did often. Emily wanted fare warning he was
home in case he tried to be sneaky and park in the garage.