Flee (The Aurora Lockette Series, Book 1) (3 page)

I shut the door to my apartment behind me and
engaged the deadbolt. I took an old wooden chair and leaned it
under the doorknob.

I stood on my tippy-toes behind the chair so
I could see out the peephole. Nothing.

I stayed there until my neck hurt from the
awkward angle. I turned on all the lights in the apartment and left
pepper spray and a cell phone on the sink while I showered. I tried
to pretend I hadn’t freaked out.

By the time I squeezed my repaired car
in-between two nicer ones in the parking lot at school, I was
convinced I had imagined the whole thing. I opened my door just
enough to get out of my car and squeeze between it and the super
expensive car next to it. My bulky backpack made this exercise a
challenge.

The owner of the expensive car stood near the
bumper of her car with her arms crossed over her unnaturally large
chest while she watched me carefully avoid banging her car. I was
all nerves, but I smiled while I squeezed past her.

Bree fell into step beside me. “Hey
there.”

“Hey,” I said.

“You want to grab lunch today? We’re going to
try the deep fried taco place. Apparently, it’s a legend around
these parts.”

“Thanks for the invite, but I’m going to
pass.”

She grabbed my arm and forced me to stop.
“How come you never come with us?”

I retracted my arm. “I’m sorry. Nothing
personal. I’m just not good with people.”

She pivoted so she was facing me. Since we
were both short, I had nowhere else to look but at her face.
“That’s a crock of shit and you know it. Secretly a man? Terminally
ill? You can tell me.”

I laughed and took a step back. “None of the
above. I have a workout at two today, and fried tacos, whatever
those are, are not in my meal plan.”

She narrowed her eyes at me for a second.
“Fine, but you better avail yourself to us on some weekend.”

“Done,” I said.

She seemed satisfied because she whirled
around and started walking again. “Do you have a trainer or
something? I swear you’re always at the gym. I haven’t been over
there yet.”

“Kind sorta. I have a workout buddy who helps
me out.”

“Law student? I haven’t seen you really
hanging out with anyone.”

“No, not a law student.”

“An undergrad? Oh, cougar, here me roar!” She
made a snarling noise.

I laughed with her. “It’s nothing. He’s just
a friend.”

“You said ‘he’...I knew it. Gym buddy is a
he.”

“Like I said, not like that.”

“Right.” We both walked into Torts class,
effectively ending our conversation.

***

After classes, I found myself leaned up
against the back wall of the administrative building. It was cool
and shady and there were no people.

I found a small bench nestled against the
building, facing the tree grove which backed up against the campus.
I pulled a textbook and highlighter out of my backpack, but they
sat in my lap, unused.

I was too busy daydreaming. I thought of the
things I would never have, of the normalcy so many people seemed to
enjoy. I thought of Gavyn and hated myself for it.

I flipped open the massive textbook. Reading
cases for law school wasn’t a simple matter of reading. I needed to
be able to point out the facts, the holding, and the dissent. This
is where my highlighter and pen came in handy. My book was starting
to look like an art project with all my notes and multi-colored
highlights.

The world went a shade darker. I looked up. A
puffy dark cloud had passed over the bright Texas sun. I scanned
the grove of trees, now cast in shadows.

Something moved. Something big.

I jumped out of my seat, sending my book and
highlighter flying to the ground with a loud thwack. The
creepy-crawly sensation swept through my body.

The sidewalks were empty, but something moved
through the shadows of the forest, blending from one tree to the
next. It flickered, like bad reception on an old T.V.

I kept my eyes on the dark shape as I
crouched to retrieve my book. I put my backpack on the floor, and
then used my arm to sweep the objects back into my bag. I
re-shouldered it, then turned my back on the shape and ran around
the corner.

I was back in the law school courtyard, and
there were tons of people. I walked slowly through the crowd,
throwing glances back at the tree grove. Whatever it was, I could
feel it.

The sun came back out, and everyone else was
smiling, laughing. I sat on the front steps of the classroom
building until I felt calm again. I had missed my workout with
Troy, but at least I could think straight. I switched out my books
for my gym bag in my trunk. I took the long way to the gym, staying
away from the trees.

I fished out my cell phone while I
walked.

She answered on the first ring. “Hey, honey.
How are you?”

“Hey, Mom.”

“You sound stressed. Are you all right?”

I took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m okay, but
something is off.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been having a hard time here. I feel it
almost all the time. I constantly have to think about it so I
don’t, you know...” I glanced around to make sure I was alone. “So
I don’t fly.”

“How long has this been going on?” she
asked.

“Since I got here. Since I left. I don’t
know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.” I was close to
the gym now. “And there’s more.”

“What?”

“I think I’m being followed.”

“What? What do you mean you’re being
followed? Who is following you?”

“Aurora! Hey, over here!” It was Troy and his
booming, cheery, penetrating voice. I glanced up, instantly taking
in the taller, slimmer figure next to him.

“Mom, I have to hang up. I’m sorry.”

“What? Wait a second, you need to start from
the beginning and tell me every—”

“People here. Can’t talk.” I snapped the
phone shut.

“Hey there, Texas rose.” Troy bent down so he
could give me a quick hug.

“Hi, Aurora,” Gavyn said. He had his hands
shoved deep in his pockets, and he looked good. Really good.

“Hi.” I had a real smile on my face now.

“Wait, you two know each other? Is this the
girl you were telling me...” Troy let his voice trail off when he
saw the look on Gavyn’s face.

I jumped in to end the uncomfortable silence.
“What a small world. Troy, I met Gavyn in a fender bender, and
Gavyn, I know Troy through the gym.”

Troy was beaming. “Yeah, I know. I heard all
about it. I just didn’t know it was you.”

“What?” I asked.

Gavyn spoke again in his quiet voice. “Mate,
come on now.”

Troy didn’t stop. “Chill out, man. This is my
gym buddy. Remember me telling you about her? How crazy is
that?”

“Very crazy,” Gavyn said.

“Speaking of, where were you today?” Troy
said.

“Oh, sorry. I got a little busy with school
stuff.” I tucked my hair over my shoulder.

“I’m glad I ran into you. I’m having a party
this Friday and I want you to come.”

“Where will it be?” I asked.

“I’m renting out a huge room at the Glitz on
the Riverwalk. It’s going to be awesome.”

I smiled. “Okay, yeah, I’ll be there.” I
snuck another glance at Gavyn. He was watching me.

“Well, you are single, right? I’ll try and
invite some of my good looking friends,” Troy said.

“I’m single.”

“Sweet! Check you later, then. You better be
in the gym tomorrow.”

“Sure. Bye.” I waved at both before walking
away.

I made it to the gym, but I was a shaky mess,
flushed with something more than the heat. Hot movie stars made me
nervous.

I changed into shorts and sneakers and went
into the cardio room. I selected the stationary bike. It gave my
body something to do, but didn’t require a lot of concentration to
operate. I had a lot to think about.

***

Friday rolled around before I barely had
time to register the week had passed. Bree and I were sitting in
the courtyard. We had one more class to go before the weekend.

“Blast it! It is so freakin’ hot!” I twisted
my hair into a messy bun and stuck a couple of pencils in it to
hold it up.

“Yeah, I know. There isn’t a deodorant in the
world strong enough to make me feel okay about this weather,” she
replied. “Does it get this hot in Kansas?”

“Not really. And if it does, it is not this
humid,” I said.

“Yeah, it’s the humidity, right? Dallas gets
hot and humid too, but not like this.” She took another swig of her
water bottle. “So what you doing this weekend?”

“I have a little shin-dig tonight, followed
by two days of nothing.”

“Whose party?”

“The guy at the gym.”

“With the youngins’? Are they going to do
body shots and play beer pong?”

“Probably.” I so badly wanted to confide in
her, to trust her, to tell someone. “There’s a guy going who’s his
friend. I’m interested in him.”

“Now this,” she said, “is good news. A pretty
girl like you gets quite a few looks from the boys, but you seemed
to ignore it. Tell me more about this boy.” She put her elbows on
the table, leaned forward, and rested her chin on her folded
hands.

I leaned back in my seat. “It’s too early to
say much, but his name is Gavyn. He’s gorgeous, and I turn into a
nervous wreck around him.”

“Nervous is good. It means there’s
chemistry.”

“I suppose,” I said.

“I suppose? That sounds less then
enthusiastic. Didn’t you date in college? High school?”

“A little,” I said. “I’m not a big
dater.”

She tilted her chin to the side and watched
me. Finally, she spoke. “Where is this going to be? What type of
people?”

“It’s going to be at a hotel on the
Riverwalk. I think it’s kind of a rich crowd.”

She smiled. “Relax. It’s San Antonio. The
Riverwalk is super laid-back. You know, flip-flops and shorts sort
of thing. Just wear a cute sundress or something. Keep it
simple.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

“Oh, and take a cab down there. Parking is a
bitch and it’s hard to stay sober. Those margaritas are bigger than
your face.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur as my
excitement built about the party. After rushing home to shower, I
flung my closet open, hoping the right thing to wear would
magically stand out. While I pondered my outfit, I dried and
brushed my hair and dusted a light powder on my skin. I didn’t
bother with any other makeup beside mascara and lip gloss. I
settled on hemp sandals and a simple black sundress that set off my
toned arms and shoulders nicely.

The cab dropped me off in front of the Glitz.
After some wrong turns through the ultra modern lobby, I found
myself outside the suite Troy had indicated in his text
message.

I knocked on the door. It flew open beneath
my hands.

“Welcome! Beer is in the fridge, hotdogs are
on the back patio. Come on in!” Troy said.

“Thanks for the invite.”

The huge suite looked more like a large
apartment. A sectional occupied most of the right side of the room.
The wall facing the Riverwalk was made almost entirely of large
windows. Out the windows, a huge deck overlooked the Riverwalk
below. Brightly colored umbrellas dotted the patio restaurants,
while tourists walked down the winding sidewalks by the river.

Troy walked me into the kitchen and showed me
where all the drinks were set up. I grabbed a beer and returned
with him to the living room. He introduced me to Savannah Gessner,
one of the other leads in the movie. She was beautiful and petite,
with thick brunette hair cut into an edgy angled bob. She smiled
shyly and shook my hand, asking where I got my sandals from. I fell
into an easy conversation with her. After I drained my beer, I
returned to the kitchen in search of another.

I found a trashcan against the far wall and
threw away my empty beer bottle. I turned around and bumped into
Gavyn…again.

He had a beer in each hand, with one extended
toward me. “You know, this is literally the third time you’ve
bumped into me. Maybe I shouldn’t give you this beer.”

I took the offered drink and raised it in a
mock toast. “Thanks. I’m done walking into you, I promise. At least
for today.”

We stood in awkward silence. Troy appeared
and thumped Gavyn on the back playfully. “Nice of you to show up,
Gavyn. Wonder what brought you out? Speaking of which, Aurora, you
look hot. You know how to fill out a dress, girl.” He walked off,
winking at us as he left.

“Wow. That kid’s a trip,” I said.

“Yes, he is. He was right though.” He paused.
“I was hoping you would be here, and you do look positively
delectable.” He put his hand on the wall next to my head and leaned
against the wall, angling his body toward me. This small movement
almost caused me to have a coronary. “You called him a kid. How old
are you?” His face was only inches away from mine.

“A lady never tells. How old are you?” I
hoped my smile was flirtatious, and double hoped I didn’t have beer
breath.

“I’m twenty-two,” he responded. “You’re in
law school, so you have already completed a four year degree,
right? You must be twenty-three or twenty four.”

“Yes, twenty-three. I thought you weren’t
familiar with the American legal education system?”

He shrugged. “How do you like San Antonio so
far?”

“Well, it seems pretty cool, but I haven’t
seen much of it.”

My stomach betrayed me by growling.

He took his hand off the wall and leaned
back. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

He followed me out onto the patio. We loaded
up our plates with the catered Mexican fusion food, grabbed some
bottled water, and sat at one of the tables, joining Troy and some
of his friends.

Savannah gave me a warm smile as soon as I
sat down. “So, how long is law school?”