INK: Fine Lines (Book 1) (19 page)

I drop my hand in my lap, lacking strength to hold it up. Why 
haven’t
 I beaten the shit out of him? “Because I never needed to before, I guess.”

Aiden nods and appears to be giving me props for the beating I doled out.

“Trouble with the little woman?” A man’s voice with a British accent invades the conversation.

We both look up at him. Aiden responds, “You could say that.”

“Yeah.” He says, sitting down next to me as if he knows us. For all I know, he does know Aiden.

“Who are you exactly?” I study him carefully.

“I’m Nigel. I also had a squabble with the wife. I have a six pack. You chaps interested? Seems we are all in the same boat here.” Nigel offers me a bottle.

Oh no, I’m nearly through the worst of the shakes and I’ll be damned if I’m going to have Shay catch me with a bottle in my hand on the off chance she decides to open that door. I hold my hand up. “No thanks. I’ve got get going.” I stand, trying to hide the pain movement is inflicting on me.

Aiden also refuses. “Thanks, but I don’t think that’s the answer tonight. If I have any hope of getting back into that room I should pass.”

I hope my keys didn’t fall out of my pocket during the scuffle. I’m relieved when I hear the tell-tale jingle. “Aiden, you stay here, I mean right here, until she lets you back in.” I point to the spot Aiden’s sitting in.

“You got it, boss.” Aiden salutes me sarcastically.

“I’ve got an eight o’clock; if I hurry I’ll be late. Call me when she lets you back in, and stick with her, for God’s sake.”

Shay

I feel like I’m falling forever when I finally land softly on the ground. I look around, in hopes of getting my bearings. His hands rest on my shoulders and I feel immediately at ease. Gabriel leans down in my ear and whispers, “Hey beautiful, you up for some fun?”

I turn around, full of excitement just to see him. “Always!”

“Good, it’s going to be special tonight.” He drops his hold to my waist and heat rushes through me. He’s sublime with his hotter-than-hell good looks. I can’t help but admire my imagination’s handiwork.

“Special, you say? What’s the plan? A continuation of the beach?” I run my hands up his arms, my fingertips dancing lightly on his skin. God I hope it is, I’m curious to know just how far I’m willing to go in my dream state.

“No, not tonight, the Specter is on the move.” Gabriel’s expression darkens with regret and his jaw tenses.

We’re in Palm Harbor and my heart fills with dread. That ups the chances that he’s going after someone I care about. It could be anyone, like McNab said—no one is safe. Gabriel takes notice of the fear running through me. “What’s the matter, love?”

My entire body is rigid. I can’t stop the slide show in my head of Gary and Alice’s murder. I shake my head, looking down. He puts his finger softly under my chin, guiding my eyes up to meet his worried gaze. “Talk to me.”

“It’s just that…” I hesitate in fear of the gravity of it all pulling me in deeper. “What we saw in the garage the other night…” The horror overwhelms me. The rest of the words get caught in my throat, tears free-fall down my face.

Gabriel glides his finger across my cheek, catching an overgrown teardrop. “I know it was awful. That’s why we have to stop him. But remember, this is just a dream. A way to tell a story.”

Sobs overwhelm me and I try to spit out the words between heavy gasps, “No, it isn’t just a dream.”

He takes me into his arms, holding me tight; his scent cradles me. “I know it seems so real.”

I push him away, looking into his stormy gray eyes. I’m still sobbing, still struggling to say the words, “Gabriel, it happened. It happened in real life. My neighbors, I
knew
 them and they are 
really
 dead, they were 
really
 there, we were 
really
 there. There’s something happening and I don’t know what it is.”

“What?” Gabriel looks at me as if I’m crazy and all I can think is that he’s just like everyone else.

“It really happened!” Hysteria grips me and I start going on about what’s happening in my waking life. Explaining how we really do have to stop the Specter in a series of lip-quivering statements.

He puts his hands on my shoulders to quiet me and pulls me into a strong embrace. “We’ll stop him, together.”

We are startled back to our surroundings by a car door slamming shut. I look up to see Taffy riding away in a car with someone. I can’t see the driver.

“Oh my God, that’s Taffy.” I hiss a cloud of venom from my mouth.

“Who’s Taffy?” Gabriel asks.

“Eli’s... I’ll explain later.” I pull myself together, trying to think clearly. “Gabriel, we have to save her. My survival depends on it.”

He feels the urgency in my voice. He nods and pulls me close to him. He leans down, pressing his lips against mine. It feels wrong. The realization hits me that I don’t feel in control like I usually do when I’m with him. I don’t like how the tables feel turned. He can sense my hesitation and pushes in harder against my mouth, taunting my tongue with his. Teasing in and out forcefully, I succumb to the passion of the act but have a hard time letting myself melt into him. My feet feel like they aren’t touching the ground—like I’m floating through the air. The world is upside down and I don’t know what’s real or imaginary.

Gabriel pulls away slowly from our kiss. “Open your eyes, love. We’re here.”

Wrestling with my twisted emotions I try to push aside my conflicted feelings. Part of me can think of nothing better than watching the bitch that’s been warming Eli’s bed writhe in pain. Anger boils in me, and then my hands begin to shake. The thought of rationalizing all of this as being just a dream wins over for a moment, seeing her out of the picture if only for a night. Maybe for one night I won’t imagine her smashing her double-Ds in Eli’s face. Gabriel wraps himself around me. “Okay, pain it is.”

“No!” I yell out. “She can’t die.” There’s a warehouse to our left, I assume that’s where it’s going to happen and run for it.

Gabriel catches me. Holding on to my wrists he smiles into me. “You’ve set things in motion. You are so full of power; that’s why I burn for you. I ache for you when we’re apart. I’ve missed you so much.” Gabriel’s breath is hot on my neck.

I look at him. Who is he? “Let me go.” As if having a spasm, I jerk myself free from his hold. “I have to save her. I have to stop this!”

It’s dark inside, but there’s a glow emanating from back corner of the huge empty room. The amber light illuminates the corner like a dying star that is sputtering out from behind sheets of plastic hanging from a makeshift frame. I move closer, trying to be quiet. There’s hazy movement on the other side from where I’m standing.

I stiffen as I feel, not just hear, the terrifying screams fill me and the room. I can’t see what’s happening; I can only hear the pleading, cries for mercy. Fear grips me and I remind myself that I have to figure out a way to stop this. My mind is racing for a way to bust through and stop a...stop a what? A ghost? An apparition? How do I stop something I can’t even touch?

“I’ll do anything, please stop, please I’m begging you, please.” Taffy pleads with the Specter, but I know it’s no use. From the sound of her cries subsiding I’m guessing she knows too. Her screams pull through my soul like a rusty hook. I’m drawn closer to the plastic. All I can see is the movement of the dark shadow on the other side. The room is flooded with the smell of blood and feces. Gabriel pulls me back, shaking his head.

The screaming finally stops and is replaced by hissing laughter. “
You can come out now, my love. See what I’ve done. Just for you.”

I turn and look at Gabriel. He loosens the grip on my hand as though giving me permission to move forward into the scene.

Walking closer to the plastic, there is no movement. A red hue invades the room. The plastic is splattered with dark red drops moving at gravity’s will. I push the plastic aside, looking around the room for signs that the Specter is still there.

Gabriel hasn’t moved from where we stood a moment ago. I take in the scene. There is blood splattered purposefully all over the room, coating the plastic. My shock is interrupted by a gurgling sound, drawing my attention to Taffy. Oh God, she’s still alive.

She’s hanging from her ankles, her throat slit and blood running down her face, caked in her hair. There are two red stains where her breasts once were and her eyes are gone too. Yet I still feel like she’s looking at me, like she can see me. I watch as her mouth moves, trying to speak. She’s trying to say something. “Eli…” The sound is encased in a sputter of blood that rides out on her last breath. Her body goes limp.

I fall still to find my center, trying to process what’s happening. Her last word haunts me already. Why did she say his name? Involuntarily it escapes my lips. “Eli.”

I have to start mentally cataloging the scene. I note the red liquid that has pooled below Taffy. I memorize every path the blood chose to take while pouring out of her. The lines embody chaos itself, forming a beautiful filigree of horror, staining her white shirt and glitter-encrusted neck. It’s hard to look at her. There are long red pinstripes down her leg where the knife must have cut first. Small stains of blood dot her shorts at the end of each knife mark on her thighs.

My eyes close for a moment to regain my composure, but it’s just too much. I look away from Taffy and study the markings on the wall. The same symbols as before, but there is something different. There is an arrow high up on the wall near a shelf. I follow the arrow through the room. There’s writing on the wall, writing I can read. I study it for a moment to make out the words written in blood. “My eyes are up here.” I can’t help but follow the arrow further to find her eyes there on the shelf.

I’m jolted awake by my phone ringing. I try to cross the room to the dresser where it is, but I’m so dizzy and nauseated all I can do is fall to the floor and throw up. My phone rings again and again—at least four missed calls. At this hour I know it has to be important. I crawl over to the dresser, pull the phone down and lean my back against it for support. Looking at the screen, I startle when it rings again in my hand.

“McNab.” My voice is hoarse as though I’ve been screaming.

“It happened again, didn’t it?” His tone is uncharacteristically panicked.

“Yes,” I push the words out with my breath.

“Come open the door, let us in.” He tries to sound calm, but alarm hangs on the edge of his voice.

“What?” I’m confused, what does he mean? “Let us in?”

“Come open the door and let us in. The bar is on the door; we can’t get in.” He says it slowly, in a kind, non-condescending tone.

“I can’t move.” I still can’t comprehend what he’s saying. I hear some commotion in the background, followed by a crashing sound in the room.

They both move in, crowding me. “Shay!” Aiden gasps. He puts his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap. His amber eyes are full of worry and I nestle deeper into him for comfort. “What happened?”

McNab stands above us, worry wrinkling his forehead. “What was it, kid? What did you see?”

I look up at him. He’s hazy but I know his voice, I know it’s McNab. My eyes refuse to focus and my voice is lost deep inside me. I fight to maintain consciousness but darkness prevails.

***

Shay

My eyes flutter open, assaulted by the bright Florida sun streaming in through the gaps in the curtains. I feel like I had one too many run-ins with Mr. Ceurvo and the room smells like vomit, Aiden, and something else. Sage, I think.

“Hey Sunshine.” Aiden gives me a gentle squeeze, filling me with warmth and comfort. “Are you okay?”

He’s sitting with his back against the headboard and I’m lying cuddled against his chest. The familiarity and warmth of him holds me tighter than he does. My vision is still foggy from sleep and I can’t quite make out the finer lines in the room. “Aiden?”

“I’m here.” He strokes my hair tenderly. “You had some sort of seizure, so take it easy.”

“Seizure?” I question, trying to sit up. I don’t have seizures; what the hell?

“Yeah, we aren’t sure what happened. You were in pretty bad shape when we came in.” McNab’s voice comes from across the room.

“McNab? What are you doing here?” My tone is as addled as my brain. I think I can see the shadow of him sitting in the far corner. “What’s going on?”

“Like he said, you had some kind of 
episode.
” McNab comes into focus as he approached the bed. His tone doesn’t match his words. He’s trying to tell me something, but I’m too out of it to so much as try to get it.

I lay back on Aiden and tilt my head up to look at him. He has a black eye and his face is in even worse shape than it was the day before. It all comes crashing back. The fight with Eli, the marriage proposal: it propels me from the bed onto unsteady feet. Out of instinct McNab catches me from falling.

“Whoa, kid. You really do need to take it easy.” McNab holds me for a moment too long for his own comfort. I can feel his revulsion. His eyes are pleading with Aiden to come and take me from him. I’d almost be offended by his reaction, but I understand how he feels about being touched.