Entropy (The Countenance Trilogy 3) (9 page)

“I know, man, but come on. This is my fucking sister.’” He knocks his hand into my chest as if I should forget the idea. “And, believe me, there will be no fucking my sister. You got that?” He stuffs his hands in his pocket and stares off straight ahead.

“Look, I know for a fact you’re waiting for Carter just like I’m waiting for Laken. And, I know for a fact you’re planning on getting laid tonight. I don’t see why the math is so different when my dick is involved.”

“You’re a freaking idiot.” Fletch takes a step back, incredulous I had the balls to go there, and, in truth, I’m a little surprised myself.

“Look, if you don’t want to do it, I’ll have someone else. Hell, it’s probably Blaine in charge tonight. I’ll drop him a text before I take off.”

“You think I’m going to let you go to some deserted, freezing lake and take advantage of my sister? Dude, you’re insane.” Fletch takes off into the crowd, and I follow quickly losing him in the mass of stray bodies.

I spot Coop and Carter over by the gym and sprint in that direction.

“Good game.” I offer the two of them a respective high five.

I used to play football. I used to dominate that field. I’m not sure why the Counts chose to obliterate that part of my existence. I could have kicked Coop’s ass on and off the field, and it would have been a pleasure. The Counts stole so much, and yet they more than generously made up for it in creature comforts. I haven’t spoken to Jones yet about any of this bullshit, but we’re driving down for the afternoon tomorrow, and I plan on shocking the hell out of him with the revelation. I want a lot of answers. Speaking of which.

Laken jumps up onto my back before I can ask Coop anything. I’ve been checking in with him sporadically throughout the week to see if he’s had any breakthroughs in solving Edinger’s paternity problems but nothing.

“Great game,” Laken says it to both Coop and Carter at the same time. Fletch comes up and tackle hugs Carter.

“You hanging out at Melville tonight?” Coop asks me as Laken drifts off with Carter and Fletch. Odd. For a girl who announced she’s taking the two of us to winter formal, she sure is evasive when it comes to her “other boyfriend” as Kresley put it. Maybe she’s thinking of axing her dual dating plans for the big dance. God knows, I’d like nothing more.

“Nah.” I smile over at her as Carter drills into her ear a million miles an hour. “I think maybe Laken and I will take off on our own.” I shoot a hard look over at good, old Coop. “Have a private celebration if you know what I mean.”

His eyes widen before reverting, and he shrugs it off as if it were no big deal.

“Have a good time, man.” He slaps me some skin as if he were cheering me on. The next thing you know, he’ll be whipping out a condom and wishing me good luck. But I’m not buying it.

“You get any leads?” I clench my jaw because just watching him pretend like he doesn’t care about my postgame plans is ticking me off. It’s not natural. And if he were smarter, he’d play this game a little different because it’s too damn easy to read what’s going on.

Coop glances over my shoulder at Laken, but her back is turned to the two of us, and he looks disappointed as shit.

There you go. Now that’s a little more believable.

“I’ll be heading to the Transfer soon. I plan on shaking down the hag. See if she knows anything.”

The hag is some fucked-up chick named Ezrina—a Celestra doing time in the Counts dungeon. She’s a lifer, so she may not care about ratting anyone out, especially not Demetri.

“Perfect.” I tick my head over to Laken. “Does she know?”

Coop looks me right in the eye and shakes his head just barely.

“Good. I appreciate it, man. The whole point is to keep her safe.”

Fletch comes over and lands his hand on my shoulder, heavy as a basket of bricks. “Melville. Let’s do it. The girls are in. You in, Coop?”

“I’m there.” He holds out his hands, his fingers still hanging onto his helmet.

“You guys have fun. I think I’ll head out with Laken. We’ll catch dinner and movie.” I glare into Fletch. “Trust me, we’ll have a perfectly boring time.” There’s no way I’m even hinting at the fact that I might be bedding his sister. I was stupid to say anything in the first place.

“No can do.” Fletch plucks a water bottle from his jacket and downs it. “I’m keeping an eye on that little girl tonight. She won’t be doing any private cheers for anyone, so you can put your dick away.”

Coop cracks a smile then quickly quells any hint of joy that was ready to take over.

I shoot a look to Fletch. “You’re not my keeper, dude.”

Laken bounces over with Carter and wraps her arms around my waist without hesitating.

“No”—he growls—“but I’m
her
keeper, and I say she stays on campus, right fucking next to me where I can keep an eye on both her and her legs.”

Coop flinches like he was just hit.

“What’s this about?” Laken pulls back mortified that we’re even implying her virginity is at stake. Then that dull ache settles in my stomach when I remember that she gave it away to Tucker Donovan months after the Counts had me moved. There’s another reason I’d like to ring someone’s neck. There had to be a better way to do this.

“It’s about nothing.” I drop a kiss over her cheek. “Ready to hit the road?”

“
Laken
,” Fletch barks it out. “You’re not leaving my sight tonight. I want you at Melville. You got that?”

“Yes, sir.” She mock salutes him before breaking out in a string of giggles.

“I’m not kidding. You think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight knowing you’re letting this idiot defile you like that.”

Laken’s cheeks redden under the white-hot floodlights. “Wes, what have you been saying?” She pulls back like she’s ready to deck me.

“Swear to God, all I said was that we were hitting Charity.” I hold up my hands.

“And”—Fletch sticks his hand in my stomach—“the fact you wanted me to check you in.”

“Nobody’s checking anybody in.” Laken injects herself between her brother and me. “We’ll hang out at Charity, and we’ll come right back. Besides”—she looks up at me lovingly with those crystal cut eyes—“I’ve been looking forward to some alone time with my boyfriend all week.” She didn’t hesitate with the words. She didn’t look at Coop once.

My stomach pinches with both relief and agony. Would Laken stoop so low to pretend to want me? Doubt it. She’s just as thrilled as I am that we’re back together. Her only objection to the Counts is the fact they’ve taken her family. I think having me on board with her rescue operation, the fact I can finally remember a past that I once pegged as fictitious—has defused any power Coop had over her. At the end of the day it’s me that Laken wants—she always has.

“See you guys later.” I bury a kiss over her head as we walk toward the student parking lot. “Thank you,” I whisper as I wrap my arm around her tight.

“For what?” She gives my ribs a tickle. A genuine smile rides low on her lips.

“For loving me.”

Laken pulls me to a stop and takes up both my hands. Her gaze burrows into mine as her breathing steadies. “I will love you until the day I die, Wesley Parker. And you don’t have to ever think otherwise.” Laken presses up on her tiptoes and lands her lips over mine. Her tongue explodes in my mouth as if it were trying to rescue me, pull me out of a burning building by way of her love. My body melts into hers, and we stand there for what feels like hours pouring our love into one another in the best way we know how.

I’ll love you until the day I die, too, Laken
—
and then forever after that.

The moon sits high over Charity Lake, casting its velvet spotlight over the vicinity. There’s a clearing over by the north shore, and I start a fire.

“A fire, huh?” Laken lays out the bevy of blankets we’ve brought and pulls back the top few as if turning down a bed.

“For one, I thought it’d keep us toasty.” I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was colder than shit. Perhaps this wasn’t my brightest idea. “And secondly”—I give a wry smile—“it spooks the Spectators.”

“Oh, really?” She lies back, relaxing her head on a makeshift pillow she made out of my jacket. “So they hate open flames? Sort of like Frankenstein.”

“Yeah,” I give a little laugh. “Sort of like Frankenstein.” I drop down next to her and pull her into my lap. Laken’s been so relaxed around me all week. I don’t remember a single minute since she’s been at Ephemeral that she’s been so comfortable with me. “Remember going camping up by Wallace Creek?” The more I pepper our conversations with the past, the more responsive she is, so I keep doing it. Of course, I haven’t let my guard down when it comes to my thoughts. I’m not there yet, and neither is she. That’s okay. There’s a reason the good Lord didn’t give us each a sixth sense especially when it comes to telepathy. Sometimes we need our own private space, and it just so happens that our mind is where he drew the line.

“Wallace Creek.” She laughs. “You would fill notebooks just sketching out the birds.”

“Remember the fox?” I give her arms a squeeze before touching my lips to hers.

“The one that almost bit me? And you said I had rabies for a week? Yeah, I remember.” She shakes her head at the thought. “Wes?” She twists into me, landing her legs around my back. My dick perks to attention because the most intimate part of her is touching the most intimate part of me, and it wholeheartedly approves.

“What’s up?” I trace her lips out with my tongue, and a moan gurgles from her throat.

“What had Fletch morphing into a human chastity belt?” She tilts into me. “Did you tell him something was going to happen between us tonight?”

“No. I swear, I would never say that to your brother.” I twist my lips to the side. “I may have heavily implied it.”

“
Wes!
” She swats me over the chest with a bubbling laugh. “You’re a dirty dog, you know that?”

“I’m sorry.” I slip my hands up her sweater and tweak my brows. “But that’s not what I wanted tonight to be about. I swear to you. I wanted to be near you—hold you and tell you how damn beautiful I think you are until you couldn’t see straight.” I drop a kiss over her nose. “Then I wanted to hold you and watch you sleep. I swear, Laken. I didn’t plan on catching a wink.” I hold up a hand as if I were a Boy Scout. “I just wanted to watch over you all night long.”

“Wes,” she breathes my name, and not a sound comes out. “That’s the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my life.”

“I want you, Laken. I won’t lie. But I want everything with you. And when the time is right, I want to do that, too.” I glance down at her cheer uniform. Her legs are prickled with goose bumps, so I wrap a blanket around the two of us.

“I want you, too, Wes.” Her eyes moisten with tears. Her lips quiver. “You’re the other part of me. When you came back—when you remembered—it was as if my heart was made whole again.” Her gaze falls to my chest. “Wes?” She shakes her head. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” I lean back as her body molds to mine, warm and soft, and I drink down the sweet scent of her perfume.

“Are you mad at the Counts for everything they’ve done?”

“Hell, yes.” My head ticks back an inch. “I’m pissed that they have your family hostage. I want them back as much as you do.”

“Are you upset they rearranged our lives?” Her fingers zigzag down my chest, and my dick starts to rouse from its slumber.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head looking past her into the forest. “I mean, I want to know where my mom is, but, other than that, you’re my family, and you’re here with me now. We have wealth beyond imagination, Laken.” I bear into her, pleading for her to understand. “Back home I couldn’t afford to change the tires on my truck. I was probably one good blowout from a
real
casket.” I brush my thumb over her cheek. “Here we can live long satisfying lives—prosperous—educated. We have powers beyond our wildest imagination, Laken. Back home we were destined to a life of poverty and hardship.”

“So you think the Counts did us a favor?” Her voice drops to its lower register.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.” I lean back on my hands, and Laken sits high on my lap as if she were riding me. I let the imagery soak in for a minute—Laken naked with her hair falling over her shoulders, her head swaying back and forth with pleasure.

“It’s not right, holding people against their will,” her voice breaks when she says it. “They’re nothing but a group of bastards, and I want to make sure each one of them pays.”

“Shh.” I touch my finger to her lips.
Trust me, if they wanted to listen in they could
. I give a sad smile because I’m pretty sure she heard.

Laken gives a slow nod.

They’re the reason the Spectators are the way they are, Wes. They experimented on innocent Celestra. They did this horrible thing to thousands, maybe millions of people. They’re beasts, through and through.

How about we focus on us?
A slow smile cinches up my face.
Wes and Laken, just like the old days.
A wave of grief comes over me, and I shake my head.
I’m so damn sorry I didn’t believe you.