The Haunted (19 page)

“
Only in case of emergencies…and this is an emergency.” He poked his head out, the joint pinched between his fingers. “You want a drag?”

“
No thanks.”

Within thirty minutes he was asleep and I was staring at the ceiling. I picked up my cell phone, dialed Kade’s number and then hit
End
. It was after midnight. I didn’t want to act desperate, even though I was.

Glancing at Shane one last time, I set my phone aside and slid under the covers.

Chapter
22

I was at Tom’s party, a cottage with three bedrooms, a great room, kitchen and a loft. I had a drink in my hand and as I walked through the crowd, people nodded at me.

Kade stood with his friends, leaning against the kitchen counter, a cup full of beer in hand. Seeing me, he nodded and continued talking with his friends. I’d expected a better reaction, and rather than go up to him, I stayed on the periphery and waited for him to come to me.

I lingered nearby, drinking, and talking with friends. When he walked past me, I grabbed his hand and led him into the nearest bedroom.

“
What are you doing?” he asked, perplexed and irritated as he pulled his hand away.

“
Don’t you want me?” I asked, but it wasn’t my voice. I did the strangest thing then—I put my hand to his forehead, and then flaring my fingers, slid them down over his face.

He blinked a few times and stared at me for about ten seconds before his lips curved into a boyish smile, white teeth flashing. “What are you doing here?”

Before I could answer, he leaned in and kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in weeks.

Liquid fire rushed through my veins, and I savored the way his hands ran over my body. Desperate to get closer, my fingers threaded through his dark hair, and I clung to his shoulders.

Knocking sounded at the door and Kade cursed under his breath. “Go away.”

“
Come on, MacKinnon. Not in my parents’ room. Go upstairs to the loft, will ya?”

He took my hand and opened the door. Tom stood there, brow lifted high as his gaze shifted between us. One side of his mouth curved in a strange, kind of knowing smile. He shook his head a second later and wandered back into the kitchen.

I pulled Kade’s head down to mine and we kissed. I could hear his friends whispering, and Johan laughed. Maybe too much PDA for them?

Kade caught my earlobe with his teeth. Goosebumps rose along my arms and I smiled. As we walked into the great room, I saw Richie, Shane’s friend, who sat on one of the two couches playing video games with Tom’s brother. He glanced at us, and did a quick double-take, his gaze focused on our linked hands. Frowning, he turned back to his game, looking confused.

We walked up the stairs to the loft, hand in hand.

I caught my reflection in an oval mirror hanging on the wall. My eyes looked strange, different. He grabbed me, kissing me, pulling me close.

My arms encircled his neck, and when I glanced in the mirror again, this time I saw someone else’s reflection.

I woke from the dream with a sickening feeling. The dream had seemed so real. What if Kade really had been with Dana?

No, I was just getting myself riled up. All my fears about not being able to go to the party had manifested into a nightmare, that’s all. I was just freaking myself out unnecessarily.

I took a shower and got dressed. Shane was still sleeping, so instead of turning on the television, I sat in a chair by the window and texted Megan, asking her about the party.

Within five minutes she texted back saying she and Cassandra had left the party at eleven thirty, but it had been fun and she was bummed I had missed it.

I was relieved. If something had happened, Megan would tell me. I knew that. We were good enough friends to have each other’s backs, and I knew Cassandra couldn’t keep anything to herself. She would have definitely texted me by now. I’d feel even better once I talked to Kade.

Dad came knocking on our door at ten o’clock and said we were having brunch. I just wanted to get home, but it’s not like I had a choice. I felt a strange sense of urgency that only intensified when I saw Cheryl sitting at a table in the dining room. Seeing us, she waved and we followed Dad and Miss Akin over.

Cheryl wore jeans and a sweater and her slightly longer than shoulder-length hair was worn down. She was prettier without so much makeup, I thought, but she would never be as pretty as my mom. No amount of makeup would change that.

Miss Akin kept the conversation flowing during brunch, mostly about the beauty of Edinburgh. I couldn’t eat a bite. After last night’s dream and the knowledge that Dad had a girlfriend, I had no appetite. I couldn’t say the same about Shane though, who downed his breakfast and then mine on top of it.

When Dad checked out at the hotel desk and said goodbye to Cheryl, Miss Akin put a hand around my shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll be home soon, my dear.”

My irritation must have been obvious. I managed a halfhearted, “Nice to meet you,” to Cheryl when we parted ways in the parking garage.

None of us said a word as we walked to the car and settled in for the ride home.

Dad slipped into the car and he had lipstick on his mouth. Pink lipstick. The same shade as Cheryl’s.

He even started whistling.

My gut clenched.

As he pulled out onto the main highway, I saw him watch me and Shane in the rearview mirror, almost like he was waiting for us to say something about his girlfriend. What did he expect us to say? “Hey, thanks for completely blindsiding us.”

I avoided his gaze, and instead stared out the window. Shane sat beside me, listening to his iPod. We were an hour into our ride when his phone signaled he had a text. He hit a button, read the text, and then he lifted the screen closer to his face. He sat up straighter, glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and then started texting.

Probably a porno picture from Richie, who was rumored to send raunchy pics and videos to his friends’ phones and emails.

I held my phone in my hand, cranked my music and stared out at the passing landscape for the next hour.

When Dad pulled into the inn driveway, I opened the door even before he stopped the car. I already had my backpack in hand, and wished I’d thought to bring my key along so I didn’t have to wait for Dad to unlock the front door. He watched me closely but I refused to make eye contact. I did glance at Shane. His earbuds hung around his neck, and he had pocketed his phone.

Once the door was open, I walked past everyone and ran up the stairs. In my room, I pulled open the drapes and looked out at the castle. My heart pounded hard against my chest. Over and over again the scene from the dream replayed itself in my mind.

Something was very wrong. I felt it in my bones.

I glanced at my phone. No messages, no missed calls. It was nearly three o’clock in the afternoon. Why the hell hadn’t Kade called by now?

I set the phone on my nightstand. I needed to focus on something else.

I thumbed through Laria’s journal, and couldn’t help but wonder why she had suddenly gone quiet. Too quiet.

A knock sounded at my door. I so didn’t want to talk to my dad about Cheryl. “Come in.”

Shane opened the door and shut it behind him. “Hey.”

“
Hey, what’s up?” I asked, sitting down on my bed.

“
I have to tell you something,” he said hesitantly.

Every nerve in my body tensed. “Okay.”

“
Richie was at Tom’s party last night…and he said that Kade was with Dana.”

Tears burned my eyes, and I tried to blink them back but failed. In the dream I had seen Dana’s reflection in the mirror. This just confirmed that the dream had been real.

“
I’m sorry, Ri,” Shane said giving me a hug. “I know you really like him.”

Actually, I loved him.

I put Shane at arm’s length. “Were they like together-together?”

He winced. “I don’t know for sure, but it doesn’t look good.”

“
Look
? What do you mean?”

He handed me his cell phone and hit the video play button.

There in full color was Kade making out with Dana. Every nerve in my body tensed. He had her up against the wall in the hallway, one hand in her hair, the other on her ass. I could hear Tom in the background laughing under his breath. No doubt he’d taken the video. “Richie said they went up to the loft right after that was filmed, and didn’t come down for an hour.”

My imagination, or memory of the vision, had to fill in the gaps of what happened in that hour.

“
How did you get the video?”

“
Richie. He texted me first thing this morning, asking if you and Kade had broke up. I didn’t want to say anything when we were in the car. I didn’t want Dad and Miss A to hear.”

I couldn’t hold the flood of tears back any longer. I was devastated.

“
I’m sorry, Ri.” Shane gave me a hug, his arms tight around me. “He’ll be sorry. I guarantee it.”

***

Kade stopped by a little after five o’clock, and I could hear him talking to Shane at the front door.

I almost went downstairs when I heard my dad intervene. A few seconds later the front door closed and I heard a car pull out of the driveway. I didn’t want to talk to my dad about Kade or what had happened. In a way I blamed him for taking me to Edinburgh when I could have been with my boyfriend instead. I was sure Miss A would catch on soon enough, and show up at my bedroom door with milk and cookies.

Milk and cookies were the last thing I needed.

My phone rang. It was Kade’s number. I immediately turned the phone off.

I needed a lobotomy, or anything that would get the image of Kade and Dana all over each other out of my mind. Unfortunately every second of the fifty-four second footage was burned into my memory. There was nothing he could do or say to deny it—it was there for all to see in living color.

Disappointment and anger ate at my insides. I hated the dark feelings waging war inside of me. I was furious, hurt, humiliated, and I wished more than anything I would have been home this weekend.

I shook my head, unable to believe Kade had hurt me so badly. Ian would have never betrayed me. No way, not like this. I took out the drawings of Ian and Kade, my gaze skipping from one to the other. I clenched the drawing of Kade in my fist and tossed it across the room.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in and tried to focus on something positive, but there was nothing positive in my life…aside from my friends. But not one of them could make me feel better.

With a sigh, I opened my eyes and saw the matchbox. Laying at the end of the bed. My heart missed a beat. Where had it come from? It hadn’t been there seconds ago.

Do it.

I snatched up the box, opened it. My hand trembled seeing the single, sparkling new razor blade. I craved the release it would give me—knew that the pent-up rage toward Kade, the hatred toward Dana, and the frustration I felt with my father would disappear, if only for a minute.

I walked into the bathroom, and shut the door behind me. Without a second thought, I brought the razor blade to my arm and dragged it across my flesh.

The blood beaded on my skin, and I waited for the familiar release to come.

Instead, as the seconds ticked into minutes, I felt an overwhelming sense of anger and disappointment at myself. Tears burned my eyes. What the hell had I done? I had promised myself I would never cut again.

Cruel laughter filled my ears. A wave of nausea washed over me as I watched the trail of blood drip from my arm, onto the floor.

I was so tired. Tired of life. Tired of everything and everyone.

“
Riley.”

I heard my name being called, sounding like from a distance.

I tried to open my eyes, but my lids were so heavy.

“
Riley, wake up.”

Slowly, I opened my eyes to find my brother standing over me, a look of shock on his face. “No, no, no,” he was saying over and over again.

I blinked, and when I focused on him, he was ravaging through the medicine cabinet. “What the hell are you thinking?” I could hear the anger in his voice.

I understood that. I was angry with myself.

I glanced at the cut, surprised the blood had dried so quickly…or had I passed out?

“
I shouldn’t have said anything. God damn it,” he said under his breath.

He was on his haunches beside me, pouring hydrogen peroxide over the wound.

It stung like hell, but I welcomed the pain.

“
You told me you wouldn’t cut,” he said through clenched teeth.

“
I’m sorry, Shane.”

Grabbing a wad of cotton balls, he pressed several to the cut.

“
I don’t know…you might need stitches.”

“
I’ll be fine.”