Few Are Angels (24 page)

“I just need to find out the best way to do it, you know? I've been thinking about it for a while.” Alex got off of the bed and moved over to where I stood.

My suitcase was packed and ready, and he hefted it up over his shoulder and moved toward the door. I looked around one last time and then went into the bathroom to check for any stranded toiletries.

I met Alex and Eric in the hallway, and we all headed downstairs. The silence was odd. Two days earlier, Alex and his father had been hanging out like in the old times, and now it seemed they weren’t even talking to each other. This was the reason I thought Alex should talk to his father again—to avoid an awkward situation. I looked up at Eric’s face and noticed the stress lines that had once seemed to be disappearing making a comeback. His posture was different, and I knew that he was worried about his son and his decision to transfer. I didn't understand why Alex leaving NYU to study at Virginia Tech was such a big deal. They were both great schools. I needed to find out why Eric was so worried about Alex wanting to come home. It wasn’t like it was some girl swaying his decision, or at least I didn't think it was. Alex would have told me if there was a girl here in Cedar he was interested in.

Outside, Sarah and Lea had the SUV warmed up for the trip home, and I settled into the back seat. Kale and I had decided we would search for Jace together. That conversation had actually consisted of me threatening to follow Kale into the Elmwood unless he took me with him, so he had no other option but to agree.

***

Monday night back in Cedar Grove was interesting. After dinner, Brett and Mia came over. Mia was dressed to impress, and of course Alex noticed. There wasn’t any fresh news about the murders, and the police didn't have any leads. The residents of Elmwood were torn between requesting the sheriff ask the FBI for help, and letting them handle it themselves to keep their small town fiasco a secret.

“My dad thinks he and his men can figure this out on their own,” Brett said.

We all sat in my room: Alex and I on the bed, Brett on the floor, and Mia perched at my desk, idly stroking the keys of my laptop.

“See, this is another reason for me to come back home,” Alex said. He hadn’t told anyone other than his family and I about his decision to return home from college in New York.

Mia quickly perked up. “Why? You planning on coming home to protect us wee girls from the big bad wolf?”

Through a brazen red blush, Alex nodded. “Well, I don’t know that I could do more than the police, but it looks like this guy gets the girl when she’s alone. Brett can’t be in two places at once, so he can be with you in Elmwood while I am here with Ella in Cedar.”

Mia’s reaction to Alex assigning Brett to watch her wasn’t pretty, but she did well to rein it in. The boys were oblivious to her disappointment. For the first time, Alex’s return home concerned me. How was I supposed to spend more time with Kale searching for Jace in the Elmwoods if Alex and Brett were intent on keeping me out of it? Alex mistook the worry on my face for fear and patted my back to sooth me.

“True, dude. I mean, even if the girls stay out of the Elmwood, it doesn’t mean the killer won’t grab ‘em from somewhere else and take ‘em back there,” Brett said.

“Maybe she and Mia can carpool until Ella gets her car?” Alex asked, looking at Mia.

She didn't respond.

“My friend Kale can walk me to and from work. Just until I get my car and get some snow tires on it.” I hoped Alex wouldn’t take that the wrong way. I ventured a look at him and noticed the outright look of annoyance. That was what I’d hoped to avoid, but I didn't want to be stuck with Mia and her attitude any longer than I needed to be. Before I could add any more, Mia spoke up.

“Sounds great to me. Besides, she and I may not always have the same schedule, and I am not a taxi service.”

“Then it’s settled,” Brett said and went back to looking through Alex’s old comic book collection.

Alex didn't say anything about Kale, but I knew he would bring it up later when everyone was gone. He was leaving for New York Tuesday night and would be returning after he’d packed and officially dropped his classes. It was spring semester and he had until March to withdraw without academic penalty, then he planned to enroll in Tech’s second eight-week spring session in March.

The evening ended with the four of us making plans to watch each other’s backs after Alex moved home. After walking Mia and Brett to Mia’s car, I waited upstairs in my room while Alex finished discussing his plans with his father. I checked my phone for messages. When I didn't see any, I sat in the alcove. Realizing Thanksgiving break was over a day, and I had not done as much reading as I’d planned, I started a new Word document and opened my copy of
Moby Dick
.

Two hours and three pages into the report, I glanced at the clock. It was well after ten, and Alex still hadn’t returned from Eric’s office. I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing, so I decided to give it another thirty minutes before heading down to see what was happening. I texted Kale and asked him to walk me to and from Knope’s and waited for his reply. He agreed and said we should start the search for Jace immediately. He wanted someone posted at the store and at the house when I wasn’t there, just in case. I thought it was a good idea. The Carltons were at risk because of me, and it felt like a heavy stone weighing on my chest. I needed to figure out how I could stay hidden and leave the Carltons out of any unnecessary danger without upsetting them. Once Alex moved back, leaving would be close to impossible for me.

Alex walked into the room and roughly planted himself on the bed. He lay back and placed his arm over his eyes, releasing a frustrated breath.

“So, I take it the talk didn't go so well.” I placed my phone back into my pocket and walked over to the bed. “Wow, must have really been bad.” I sat on the edge of the bed beside him. When he still didn't make a move to say or do anything, I started to get up.

“Wait.” His eyes were still covered and he was motionless. “I think my father might be right.”

I sat back down, not sure what to say. He hadn’t told me why his father thought he wanted to transfer, so I couldn't give an opinion on the matter without more knowledge. I waited for him to continue, but he was silent.

“Alex, for some reason, you won’t tell me why your dad thinks you want to come home all of a sudden, so how can I help you if you don’t tell me everything? It’s not like you to keep things from me.”

Alex scoffed. “You’re one to talk about keeping secrets, Ella.” He lifted himself from the bed to pace the room.

I wanted to defend myself, but he was right. I’d been keeping secrets, but mine were different—they were dangerous.

“What do you mean?” I asked, fishing for more of an accusation.

“I don’t know, Ella, you tell me.”

His anger startled and worried me. It seemed like residual anger from the conversation he had with his father was etching his way into ours.

“What is with you and that guy?”

His question took me by surprise. I’d only mentioned Kale once to him. Why would he think there was something going on between us? “Is that why you are angry?” I asked. “Not about the conversation with your father, but at me?” I stood up and faced him.

“I didn't say I was angry with you, I just asked a question. Here’s another: why should I stay if you already have someone here to protect you?”

I eyed Alex for a moment before I responded. “Are you saying the reason you are coming home is
me
?”

His expression turned from one of anger to one of hope. I moved back, holding my head in my hands. I should have seen this coming. Alex had always tried to protect me when we were growing up. I could always depend on his fierce need to help me when I needed it most, but this was different. This was causing a rift in his relationship with his father and he was leaving a school he’d always wanted to attend. He stared at me with hopeful eyes, and I knew what he wanted.

“Oh God, Alex, I can’t ask you to do this solely for me! The killer isn’t after me,” I lied.

Alex shook his head and sat up. “This isn’t just about a killer, Ella, and if you don’t see that, then my father was right; I am making a mistake—a big one.” Alex barreled through the door and down the stairs.

He had decided to stay because of me. Well, he
was
going to stay because of me, and I had just ruined it. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or sad. Yes, I had wondered about things between Alex and myself, so what was stopping me from telling him to stay? As if to answer my question, my phone played Kale’s ringtone.

“Hello?” My mind was still foggy from Alex’s confession, and Kale noticed right away.

“Are you okay?” he asked, with an edge to his voice that told me something was not okay on his end.

I shook my head to clear it. “Yeah, I guess so. I've just got a lot on my plate right now. What’s going on?” I moved to the window to see if he was outside, but saw nothing but darkness and snow.

Kale cleared his voice. “I have located Jace, and I have him here.” His voice was strained as he struggled to sound casual.

“Really?” I sat in the alcove. “I thought we’d agreed to look for him together.” I could hear a commotion in the background, followed by someone’s curses.

Kale’s muffled voice told whoever was there to shut up.

“Kale? When you say you
have
Jace, what exactly do you mean by that?” I already knew what it meant, but I really hoped I was wrong.

“Meet me at the edge of the woods in an hour.”

Dumbfounded by the fact I would be so close to where those girls’ bodies had been found, I didn't answer.

Kale cleared his throat. “Ella, I will protect you. I have sworn to it, and I would not have you come here if there was a threat. Do you understand?”

I believed him, but that didn't mean I wasn’t still worried about the things that went bump in the night in the Elmwoods.

Chapter 24

Little white lies under a pale blue moon

An hour later, I dressed in my warmest clothes and crept downstairs to meet Kale at the edge of the woods. I thought it would be hard to sneak past Alex; it wasn’t. He wasn’t even home, and his car wasn’t in the driveway. Where would he go this late? I walked down the porch steps. I knew he would wonder the same thing about me if he returned home before I did. He was leaving the next day at five, and I needed to talk to him before he left. I hadn’t had enough time to think about our conversation because of the phone call from Kale. I was sure he had Jace restrained in the mausoleum. I was angry that instead of waiting for me, so I could coax Jace to help us, he’d went out on his own and found him, which would make it difficult if not impossible for Jace to trust us. Kale stood at the entrance to the woods. He glowed in the light of the moon and stared at me with such intensity I shivered. It was hard to stay angry with him when he looked like that. His dark gaze stayed on me until I was a few feet in front of him. His lips parted. My feet moved me closer to him until I stood directly below his gaze.

He breathed my name, and his eyes flickered to my mouth, causing me to involuntarily lick them.

Kale visibly swallowed a groan and held his hand out to me. He led me farther into the woods, out of sight of the driveway and house. In the darkness, I could still see the outline of his face. The smooth lines and supple bottom lip would make any girl fall to her knees for a chance to kiss him.

“I am going to carry you there. We will be there in minutes.” He backed away to gauge my reaction.

The first time we’d made this trek together, he was hurt and it was daytime, so he wasn’t strong enough to carry me. The idea of being in his arms made my heart beat faster, and Kale glanced at my chest. “Don’t worry, it will be fast.”

“Okay.”

He placed one arm around my back, then used the other to lift me against his chest. He murmured in my ear for me to tuck my head down as we travelled, so I placed my head on his chest and used his jacket to cover my face. His scent washed over me, as did the icy air. Burning leaves and spicy air filled my nose. Sooner than I thought possible, Kale was placing me down in front of the mausoleum’s doors. I looked around and gasped. We’d arrived in under a minute. Though I was a bit dizzy, I wanted to do it again, but this time with my eyes open.

Inside, Jace sat in the corner with his hands tied behind his back, his feet bound, and his mouth taped shut. His anger was a palpable force around us and seemed to thicken the air. His struggles intensified once he saw me, and his ice blue eyes grew wider as Kale placed his hand on my back and moved me farther into the room. Everything inside was the same as before; Kale’s backpack and cooler sat in the corner a few feet from his captive, and the blanket I’d lent him was folded up and placed on top of the lonely casket on the right side of the room. My shock turned to anger as I looked at Kale. His eyes searched mine, and I could tell he knew what I was thinking.

“I can’t believe you did this,” I said. Our planning had allowed me time with Kale, but I’d had to lie to Alex to get away from the lodge, and now that seemed all for nothing. “You said we would search for him together. How is he to trust us now that you have done this?” I moved closer to Jace, ready to free him from the ropes, only to be stopped by Kale.

His face was serene as pulled me from Jace to face him. “I didn't find him. He found me.”

Jace continued to struggle against his restraints, and I felt the pull of anger fade, changing into confusion.

“He went to your home while you were at the lodge. Once he saw you were gone, he returned here and waited for me.”

I remembered back to when Kale and I had walked to the mausoleum. Kale knew someone was following us, and he sent me away before I could see who it was. It must’ve been Jace.

“Okay, well I’m here now, and his job is to protect me, right?” I looked back at Kale.

His eyes clouded with anger. The more time I spent with Kale, the easier it was for me to understand him. Soon his talent for hiding his emotions would be a code easily cracked by me.