Kiss of Death (The Briar Creek Vampires, #1) by Jayme Morse & Jody Morse (21 page)

“Justin! Hi!” Lexi exclaimed, throwing
herself into his arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she had
hugged her ex-boyfriend, but he reminded her of home. Glancing
across the street to make sure that Gabe wasn’t peering out the
window, she stepped back, allowing Justin to come into the
entryway. “Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t
supposed to come until tomorrow.”

“I know, but I didn’t want to have to wait
that long to see you. So, I took the day off from summer
school.”

“How did you manage that one?”

Justin waved a piece of paper in his hand. “I
took the day off to look at a college in Pennsylvania,” he said
with a wink. “Only problem is now I have to actually go and get a
signature, or it’s not an excusable absence. Do you mind if we stop
there first? It should only take a few minutes.”

“Sure,” Lexi replied. “I’ve been there
already, actually, so I know where it is.”

“I’ve missed you, Lexi,” Justin said. “I
couldn’t believe it when you told me that you’re not livin’ in
Jersey anymore. What happened?”

“My cousin died, so we came out for a visit,”
Lexi said, realizing that this was the first time she had told
someone outside of Briar Creek what had happened. “While we were
here, my mom died. So I’m pretty much stuck here, living with my
aunt and uncle.”

“Damn,” Justin muttered, running his fingers
through the sandy blonde curls that fell onto his forehead. “Are
you okay?” he asked, pulling her back into a hug.

“Yeah, as okay as I can be under the
circumstances, I guess,” Lexi responded. She glanced down at her
pajamas. “I didn’t realize you were going to be here so early. I
overslept. Let me go change.” She began climbing the stairs, before
turning around and saying, “Come wait in my room, Justin. My aunt
and uncle didn’t know you were coming, or that you’re here. Then we
can leave.”

“’Kay,” Justin responded, looking around.
When he reached the top of the staircase, he said, “Are your aunt
and uncle rich or something? This house is huge.”

Lexi grabbed a pair of frayed denim shorts
and a checkered pink button down top from her bedroom. “It was my
grandma’s before she died. My aunt and uncle claim to be poor,” she
said. “I’ll be right back.”

In the bathroom, she hurriedly slipped out of
her pajamas and into fresh clothing. Lexi decided that it felt nice
to see Justin, but that she also didn’t have any feelings for him
anymore. In between falling head over heels for Gabe, getting to
know Dan better, and imagining her (hopefully steamy) date with
Brandon, Lexi realized that she had no room for any other guys in
her life right now.

Lexi strode back into her bedroom and sat
down on the bed next to Justin. He put his shoulder around her.

“I hope I’m not bein’ rude, but how did your
mom die?” Justin asked, looking at her from behind his turquoise
blue eyes.

“The doctor said she was food poisoned,” Lexi
said. “It makes no sense though. They said she got E. Coli from
beef, but –”

“Your mom doesn’t eat meat,” Justin finished
her sentence, nodding that he understood where she was going with
her statement.

“Exactly,” Lexi replied. Smiling, she added,
“I’m surprised that you actually remember that.”

“I remember the night we ordered pizza and I
wanted sausage, but your mom said no,” Justin laughed. “Then we
ended up getting half cheese, half sausage, and your mom wouldn’t
touch one of her pieces from her half because it was too close to
the meat.”

Lexi smiled at the memory. “Yeah, I remember
that, too. So, anyway, it’s strange.”

“Do you think that the doctor was lying to
you? Maybe they were tryin’ to cover somethin’ up,” Justin
said.

Lexi thought about it. “I guess that’s
possible,” she said hesitantly. “I just don’t know what they’re
trying to cover up.”

Justin shrugged. “Who knows, Lex? All I know
is your mom didn’t eat no beef. How did your cousin die?”

“That’s a mystery too,” Lexi said. “First,
they said that he was attacked by a wild animal. Then, they started
investigating because they suspected something more.
Supposedly.”

“What do you mean by supposedly?”

“Well, my aunt and uncle told me that. Crazy
thing is, they told me that the police were investigating Austin’s
laptop…but then I found his laptop in their room. I don’t think the
police ever took it,” Lexi said.

“Huh,” Justin murmured. “I wonder why they
would lie about that…”

Lexi shrugged. “I have no clue. I wish the
cops would have taken the computer. I have this weird feeling that
something really bad happened to Austin, but no one else seems to
think so…or if they do, they haven’t said so.”

“I think,” Justin started to say, before
snapping his mouth shut again and chewing on his kissable bottom
lip.

“What do you think?” She questioned, raising
a thin eyebrow.

“I don’t know if I should tell you this,”
Justin said hesitantly. “I don’t wanna freak you out.”

“I don’t think I could get any more freaked
out than I’ve been lately,” Lexi said. “After getting hurt and
–”

“Hurt?” Justin interrupted her.

“Oh, I forgot that I haven’t told you yet. I
got beat up pretty bad at a carnival,” Lexi answered.

“By who?” Justin asked, a worried expression
mirrored in his face.

“I don’t know, I didn’t see the person. It
was random,” Lexi said, adding quietly, “I think.”

“Okay, then I definitely gotta tell you
this,” Justin began. “I think you need to know, if you don’t
already. When I was lookin’ for a college around here, I came
across this weird blog…”

“Go on,” Lexi encouraged.

“I found out that there are a lot of murders
in Briar Creek. There were 46 murders last year alone,” Justin
said. “And one of the articles I found pointed out that there were
no murder suspects in any of the cases. No one was ever
charged.”

“So, what are you saying? Is there a Briar
Creek serial killer or something?” Lexi questioned.

“I’m sayin’ that I think there’s something
going on in this town, and I think that someone’s doing a really
good job at coverin’ it up,” Justin replied.

From behind them, someone made a point of
clearing their throat. Turning around to see who was standing in
the doorway, Lexi felt her heart sink.

****

Chapter 21

Violet stood in the doorway, arms crossed
tightly over her chest. Her fair cheeks had turned pink with anger.
Lexi should have known that her aunt would come home before she
could either hide or sneak Justin out of the house.

“Who’s this, Lexi?” Violet asked coolly.

Placing a hand on his squared shoulder, Lexi
answered, “This is Justin. He’s my ex-boyfriend from home.”

“Home? This is your home now. Does Dan know
that your ex-boyfriend came to visit?” Violet asked, putting a
sarcastic emphasis on “ex-boyfriend.”

“No. I didn’t realize that everything I do is
Dan’s business,” Lexi said defensively.

“He’s your boyfriend. I don’t think he would
be too happy about you hanging out with another guy,” Violet shot
back, turning to Justin. “Is there a reason you came here?” she
asked.

Justin shrugged his shoulders. “Just to see
Lexi, I guess.”

“So, you drove all the way from New Jersey to
Briar Creek just to see Lexi?” Violet asked, an icy look in her
amber eyes. Justin nodded.

Turning to Lexi, Violet asked, “How could you
let him come here without even asking my permission first?”

“I didn’t know that he was coming,” Lexi
lied, glancing over at Justin. “I told him where I was living, but
I didn’t tell him to come.”

“Yeah, Lexi didn’t invite me. I wanted to
surprise her,” Justin played along.

“Oh, how sweet,” Violet said sarcastically,
looking into Lexi’s eyes before glancing at Justin. “Well, say your
goodbyes, Justin. Lexi’s grounded.”

“What? That’s not fair!” Lexi yelled louder
than she meant to. “I haven’t done anything wrong! I’ve done
everything you’ve asked, including date Dan.”

“You didn’t ask if you were allowed to give
our address out to strangers,” Violet responded firmly. “Say your
goodbyes, Justin, and get out of our home.”

“Can you at least give us some privacy?”
Justin asked. “I did come all the way from Jersey. I’d like to say
goodbye to Lexi alone.”

“Fine,” Violet replied, leaving the room.
Over her shoulder, she called, “Five minutes!”

“Damn, your aunt’s a bitch,” Justin
whispered, mouthing the last word.

“You’re telling me,” Lexi whispered back.

“She’s making you date someone?” Justin
asked. Lexi could have sworn she saw a jealous look in his eyes.
She nodded. Justin sighed and asked, “Are you okay with that?”

“Not really, but I kind of don’t have a
choice. If I don’t date him, they’ll ground me.” She shrugged. “I
didn’t like the guy at first, but he’s starting to grow on me.”

“I see,” Justin answered. “Look, Lexi, I’m
worried about you. I think you’re in danger here, and your aunt
seems like a complete bitch.”

Lexi stared down at her toes and quietly
said, “Yeah.”

Justin stared into her eyes. “I’m gonna get
you out of here, Lexi. When I get home, I’ll ask my mom if you can
move in with us. You know she’ll say yes. She loves you. We’ll see
if we have to get a lawyer or anything. Then, I’ll come back for
you, okay?”

Lexi nodded. This was her one shot at getting
out of Briar Creek. The idea of leaving Gabe crossed her mind. She
remembered that he didn’t want to see her anyway and tried to shake
the thought away.

Justin cupped her chin his hand and kissed
her forehead. “Bye, Lexi. Take care of yourself while I’m gone.”
Then he whispered into her ear, “Meet me at the college in ten
minutes.”

“I will,” she said, ignoring the fact that
she didn’t feel any spark between them when his lips brushed
against her skin.

****

Chapter 22

It couldn’t have been better timing when
Violet decided to take a shower almost immediately after Justin
left. Sneaking out of her bedroom window, Lexi concluded that she
was going to become an expert at climbing down the terrace if she
had to continue living in Briar Creek (which she hoped she
didn’t).

As she walked to the library, Lexi thought
about Justin’s offer. With all of the bad memories she was making
in Briar Creek, getting out of this town seemed like the best thing
for her. Lexi knew that once Violet found out about her plans, she
would find a way to interfere, and the plans probably wouldn’t
happen.

Sighing, Lexi turned onto Lochester Ave. Out
of the darkness of the forest surrounding it, Briar Creek College
loomed ahead of her. As Lexi approached the parking lot, she
spotted Justin’s bright yellow Eclipse on the far end. When she got
closer to his car, she realized that it was empty. Deciding that he
must have gone inside to get out of the hot sun, Lexi walked
towards the building.

Before Lexi could open the door, it swung
open towards her and she found herself staring face-to-face with
Craig.
Shit
, Lexi thought to herself. She hadn’t given him a
call like she said she would. In fact, she had thrown his number
out.

“Hey there, stranger. It’s Lexi, isn’t it?”
Craig asked. Lexi nodded and tried her best to flash him a
genuine-looking smile, but was afraid that it had come out to be
just as awkward as she felt. “I haven’t seen you around lately,” he
went on. “When did you want us to get together?”

“Yeah, I’ve just been busy,” Lexi found
herself lying to him again. “I’m not really sure when I’m free
right now, though.”

“Why don’t you just give me your number then
and I’ll call you?” Craig persisted, pulling a pen and a piece of
paper out of his pocket. Lexi had a feeling that he was going to
continue trying to persuade her to hang out with him any time that
she happened to bump into him, which was bound to be soon because
Briar Creek was such a small town, unless Justin or her dad got her
out of here. It might just be easier to give him her number and
pretend to be busy or maybe actually agree to go out with him if
things didn’t work out with Gabe (which seemed like a good
probability at the moment).

Lexi jotted down her number and handed it to
him. “Just don’t call too late,” she said. “I’m commuting, so I’m
living with my aunt and uncle right now.” Lexi decided that she
would save the sob story about her mom for a later date, if she
needed a better excuse.

“Sounds good to me,” Craig said, folding the
number up and sliding it in one of his pockets. “I’m gonna go get
some lunch, but I’ll talk to you real soon, Lexi.”

“Bye,” she replied, giving him a tiny awkward
wave before going into the building. Once she was inside, she found
Justin, who was sitting on a bench, a few feet away from the door.
He stared at her accusingly.

“Who was that who you just gave your number
to?” Justin asked. Lexi noted the jealousy in his voice.

“Just a friend,” Lexi replied. “He’s actually
one of the only nice people I’ve met in Briar Creek. Don’t worry,
there’s nothing going on,” she added, before reminding herself that
she didn’t have feelings for Justin. Lexi felt bad, though. He was
going to try to help her; the least she could do was not let him
feel like she was interested in other guys, especially when it was
a guy that she wasn’t actually interested in – even though she did
think he was really cute.

After Justin got someone in the
administration office to sign his slip for school to prove that he
had visited a college for the day, he and Lexi got into his car.
“What do you wanna do?” he asked.

Lexi thought back to the last time she felt
happy and safe. Memories of her mom pushing her on a park swing and
sitting on the other end of a seesaw so that Lexi could sit high up
on the other end, giggling because she felt like she was flying. “I
want to go to the park,” Lexi said, without hesitation.