Somewhere Between Water and Sky (Shattered Things #2) (12 page)

Members of a SWAT team rush past us and run upstairs. I hear their footsteps above us as they look in the rooms. Jessa nods her head.

“
Of course, sir. We just wanted to see an abandoned building.
”
She juts her finger toward the second floor.
“
Who would have expected
that
to happen?
”

“
You
’
d be surprised,
”
the officer mutters and Jessa just shakes her head.

“
Come on, Steph. Let
’
s get you outside.
”

We walk around the corner of the hotel to a back area. Our feet crunch who-knows-what and I keep darting my eyes back and forth, back and forth, half expecting my father to walk out of the woods at any moment.

“
Okay, what
’
s going on?
”
She points to my hands and I bury them in my back pockets.
“
You
’
re shaking. And your eyes are all crazy. If I didn
’
t know any better I
’
d say you were high on something.
”
Her head jerks back.
“
Wait. You aren
’
t high, are you?
”

I shake my head.
“
No. I just need to get out of here.
”

I
’
m past the point of fear, the adrenaline burst leaving me numb and in shock.

There
’
s no way he could have known I was here. No way. Right?

Jessa reaches for my arm and I jerk it away. I turn and stalk toward the Jeep, wiping my cheeks with the side of my thumb. I pass Ren and he turns and gives Jessa a quizzical look. She shrugs and whispers loud enough for me to hear.

“
She just started walking away. I have no idea what
’
s going on
…”

Her footsteps falter just for a moment behind me and I hear Ren break in and call for her.

“
Hey. Just let her go. She
’
s fine.
”

I keep walking, urging myself not to run
—
not to break into a sprint and go until I can
’
t go anymore. Let Ren and Jessa talk to the cops. I
’
ve done enough of that in my lifetime. When I finally sit down and rest my head against the back of the seat, I fight for control
—
for some type of reason. I close my eyes against the memories but they keep coming.

Back home, dad had a system with his men. They found the weak ones to use
—
to drag into their plot of determining how and when they
’
d find more girls. Whenever they were on a call or scouting, there was always someone in the background watching. They had a code. They would use the lights of the car to talk to each other.

One flash and the coast was clear.

Two flashes and there was nothing left to do but turn and run.

I think back to the car I saw in the distance and feel a sharp pang of adrenaline deep in my bones. Surely it was just coincidence
—
I
’
m just making something out of nothing.

Right?

I rub the chill from the back of my neck, willing Jessa and Ren back to the Jeep. I hear shouting and a snap
—
crack behind me. Turning around, I see the abandoned building engulfed in fire, Jessa and Ren running toward me.

“
What-in-the-fucking-hell?
”
Ren screams as he jumps into his side and turns on the engine.
“
Seriously.
”
He shakes his head maniacally.
“
That thing just burst into flames. No warning.
”

He jumps up and down and motions wildly for Jessa to hurry. Time moves slow-but-quick and I feel my vision clouding again. Something isn
’
t right.

“
What
’
s happening?
”

Ren turns to look at me as he shifts gears, ready to peel away as soon as Jessa
’
s ready.

“
No ones knows. It just happened. They say if they can
’
t contain it
’
ll blow. They told us to run.
”

“
Who?
”

Ren takes a big breath. Jessa
’
s in her seat now and he
’
s speeding through the dirt trying to get on the street as soon as possible. Her eyes are feral
—
nothing but fear and confusion. I watch her hands shake as she tries to button her safety belt.

“
The SWAT team running out of the building. Apparently they went up to the room and the boy was gone
—
just completely vanished. His sling was the only thing left behind.
”

Two flashes mean run.
I swallow back the despair and force myself not to show any emotion
—
mirroring the stoic look Ren gives me in the rearview mirror.

“
So the fire?
”

“
That
’
s the weird thing. It started downstairs. After you and Jessa left with the officer, and after the SWAT team ran upstairs, something in the lobby caught fire. They still have no idea what happened.
”
He shakes his head and lets go of the steering wheel to run his fingers through his hair.

Glancing at Jessa, he reaches over and touches her knee with the tip of his finger and she grabs it.

“
Let
’
s just get out of here.
”

She doesn
’
t respond, just stays silent
—
forehead pressed against the railing next to her, fingers gripped tight around his hand.

I can
’
t keep my eyes off the flames, dancing around and under and in between every frame of the building. The firetruck immediately taps into motion, raising ladders and pulling out their hose.

It doesn
’
t matter though. The flames have spoken. This building will be nothing but ash. I feel the hope of earlier rise with the smoke above us. I grimace and brush away a lone tear falling down my cheek.

I should have known the silence would burn me.

.::.

The ride home is a silent one. We get to the hotel and Ren pulls up to the front door to drop me off. He glances at me in his mirror again and offers a slight smile.

“
Thanks for coming with us Stephanie. Sorry things got so
…
.weird.
”

I don
’
t respond except for a brief moment of eye contact. I step down from the Jeep and walk toward the front door when I hear Jessa calling my name.

“
Stephanie! Wait. You left something.
”
She reaches down by her feet and sits up again, holding something out of the window. I gasp when I see the familiar black ribbing with the yellow string hanging down from the pages.

Another journal.

“
W-where did you get that? It
’
s not mine.
”

Jessa shrugs and looks confused.

“
It just showed up
—
I kicked it by accident on the way home and figured it fell out of your bag when we were leaving the building.
”
She moves to bring it back inside the window and I lunge for the journal, grabbing it out of her hands. This one I
’
m keeping. I hug it to my chest and force smile.

“
You
’
re right. Sorry. It
’
s late and I
’
m not thinking.
”
I peek in my purse and glance back up at both of them.
“
Not here.
”
Lifting the journal by head I laugh.
“
Thanks for finding it
—
and for giving it back.
”

And then I turn around before they can see me shaking from the inside out. I smile as I walk into the lobby and I keep smiling as I make eye contact with the guy behind the desk.

“
Good evening.
”
He nods.

I nod back and turn toward the elevator. The double doors. The steel. That
’
s what I want
—
what I need before I can look down at this leather between my hands.

A couple turns the corner and almost run into me. She laughs and her fingers wrap around my arm.

“
Oh darling. I
’
m so sorry.
”

My eyes catch on her jewels and I blink and look at her.

Smile, Stephanie.

“
No problem. I probably wasn
’
t paying attention.
”

I
’
m ten steps away.

Now five.

Three.

I close my eyes when I press the button, hoping to find an empty elevator. I open them again and watch the numbers fall to my floor. When the doors open and I am alone, I breathe a sigh of relief. The journal feels heavy in my hands.

I wait until it
’
s just me and the dinging of the floors.

I open the journal.

Thought you might like a fresh one. Try not to throw this one away? I love you. - Kevin

The silence roars above and below me and I stare at the words for what seems like hours. I knew it was him. I knew it and I don
’
t know how but as soon as I turned and saw Jessa holding the journal I knew he
’
d be the one responsible.

I can
’
t explain the feeling inside me
—
elation, relief, anger, fear, joy, confusion
—
all of it. It
’
s all coming and pushing up and out and I
’
m crying and screaming and ripping at the pages before I can even think twice. When I finally blink and realize what
’
s happened, the journal is in pieces of ripped paper and torn binding around me and there
’
s a lady bending over and looking at me curiously.

“
Young lady, are you okay? Can you hear me?
”

I jerk away and sniff, pushing myself up and looking around me. I don
’
t even know when she appeared.

How long have I been here?

I blink and my eyes land on a piece of paper by the door.

I see his handwriting peering up at me and I
’
m falling again
—
I
’
m falling but this time falling feels like standing up and banging on the door and begging for it to open so I can just get into my room and lock the door and hide under the covers.

“
Please just let me out! I need out. Just let me out
…”

The lady steps away from me, shaking her head and reaching for her cell phone.

I turn to look at her, my eyes wild.

“
I
’
m fine! I
’
m fine.
”
I point to her phone.
“
Please don
’
t call anyone. Please. I
’
m fine. I just need out.
”
I turn to bang on the doors again as I hear the ding of a floor. I don
’
t even wait for the doors to slide open all the way. I
’
m out and running to my room before they
’
ve even closed, the lady peeking her head out of the elevator to watch me swerve down the hall.

I struggle to lift my hands and end up holding one hand still so I can keep stop the shaking long enough to wait for the green light letting me know I can turn the handle and disappear. Once inside, I don
’
t even reach my bed. I fall against the door frame, sobbing, clutching at my shirt and pulling until it rips. The sound awakens me. I
’
m clutching and pulling and ripping everything I can get my hands on
—
it
’
s the only way I
’
ll survive, to hear the ripping of my heart right out of my chest.