and slid open the glass. Gabe was straddling a thick branch of the tree I’d climbed so many times.
“What are you doing here?” I spoke softly, although there wasn’t anyone close enough to overhear and I doubted any neighbors could see Gabe. He blended in with the shadows, as if the darkness was welcoming one of their own.
“I had to see you,” he whispered through the grainy screen.
“But you shouldn’t have risked coming here. It’s not safe!”
“Not safe for whom?”
Good question, I thought uneasily, at the same time impressed with his grammar. I never could get the hang of who and whom.
I told him to climb down and wait for me. Then I grabbed a jacket and slipped quietly out of the bedroom, ignoring the voice inside me warning that this wasn’t a good idea. Earlier today I’d spoke of love and the future with Eli. Now here I was sneaking out to meet another guy. I loved Eli — that was something I was absolutely sure of — yet I couldn’t resist seeing Gabe again any more than I could resist licking the spoon when I mixed cookie dough. My roller-coaster emotions whirled up and down, spinning out of control and flying off the rails.
I couldn’t wait to see Gabe again.
When I peeked into the living room, Mrs. Perfetti was still sleeping, which worried me a little since it didn’t seem normal to sleep so much. Still, I was glad, since it would be easier to sneak out without her knowing. The DVD had ended and the TV screen showed a blank blue screen, humming slightly. I stepped softly through the door in the mud room and into the backyard.
It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dim light.
And there was Gabe, sitting on the edge of a brick planter, smiling up at me in a way that flip-flopped my stomach. His eyes, shadowed underneath the brim of his cap, were impossible to read. But his lips curved with secrets and promises. And I smelled a heady salty scent of fathomless seas.
There was something forbidden, dangerous, and irresistible about being here, a few feet from a dead guy who could easily slip into bodies and minds. When he tipped his cap, staring deep into my face, I seemed to dive into the fathomless sea-green of his eyes. We stood, neither moving forward, staring at each other for a long moment.
Not sure what I was feeling, only that I had no right to feel anything for Gabe, I shook off this weird mood and went straight to business.
“Gabe, before you ask, no, I haven’t set up a meeting with my grandmother yet. But I will, either tonight or tomorrow morning. Time is running out fast, and you’re in danger.”
“I am?” He didn’t sound alarmed, only curious.
“The DDT knows you’re in the area.”
“You’re breaking rules by telling me this,” he said, gazing deeper into my face.
“I expect to be struck with lightning any moment,” I joked.
“They won’t harm
“But you could lose everything. It’s dangerous for you to even be here with me.”
“The risk is worth it to see you. You’re wrong about why I came here — not because I want to meet with your grandmother. It’s to share my power with you. We have unfinished business.”
He didn’t say it, but I knew he meant fusing.
And I wanted to — help me, God — I wanted to.
“I can’t.” I shook my head, backing away from him.
He followed, his brief touch shooting fireworks through me.
“Please, Amber.”
When he said my name, with that faint English lilt to his voice, I lost all reasonable thinking ability and melted like chocolate over a bonfire. He’d risked his soul to come here for me. He was so gallant, not like any one I’d ever met before … or would meet again.
So I nodded and whispered, “One last time.”
18
“Is there someplace private we can go?” he asked, sweeping his gaze around the dimly lit backyard with its scattered patio furniture and grass that needed mowing. There was a doghouse, too, although the Perfettis hadn’t had a dog in years. Except for a wisp of wind that rustled the leaves and shadows, the yard was as still as death.
I glanced over at the bright lights shining from neighboring windows. “The garage, I guess. No one ever goes in there since it’s easier to park the cars in the driveway.”
I led him into the detached garage, pushing open a door that squeaked from lack of use. Reaching out, I felt for the light switch and flipped on a fluorescent tube light fixed into the open rafters. Dust swirled as I took a step inside, and I sneezed.
“Bless you,” Gabe said, coming up behind me.
“A blessing from a Dark Lifer?” I teased.
“Being a fugitive doesn’t mean a lack of manners.”
I shoved aside a pile of old newspapers and some boxes to make a path through the cluttered junk, then turned to Gabe curiously. “I can’t figure you out.”
“If this were a movie, I’d be the villain.”
“I’m not so sure. You’re polite, poetic, and you’ve offered to help me even though I reported you to the DD Team.”
“Ah, so the truth comes out at last. You’re the villain.” He folded his arms across his chest, giving me a wry smile. “Life isn’t black and white; people aren’t all light or dark. It’s the gray inside all of us that makes things interesting.”
“You’re definitely interesting.”
“I hope to be much more than that … ” There was a deliberate pause, something dangerous smoldering in his sea eyes. Then he added, “To you.”
Lost for words, I broke away from his gaze, tripping over a garden hose coiled like a snake. Stumbling but catching myself before I fell, I moved deeper into the garage, assuring myself that I was doing the right thing. This was all about helping Alyce and had nothing to do with any attraction for Gabe.
With its dust, dried grass, and oil smells, the garage was not a great setting for a spiritual ceremony. I glanced with some embarrassment at scattered tools, a broken lawnmower, and old bikes stacked up against the wall. A pink bike with a banana seat reminded me of Alyce, when we were little and used to ride bikes all over the neighborhood. Everything had seemed so simple then, and I had no idea that beneath Alyce’s smiles lurked a tragic secret. It was still hard to believe she’d been searching for the grave of a sister she’d never told me about.
Of course, there had been clues — moments when she seemed sad and cried for no reason. She’d say her mother was mad at her for stupid stuff like not finishing homework or cleaning her room. But now I suspected her tears had been for more serious reasons. Why hadn’t I guessed she was suffering? How could I be so blind? I thought I knew everything about her … but I’d been wrong.
Now I had a chance to make it up to her, to find the missing grave and give closure to this family secret. Gabe had the key to accessing powers and learning more than was humanly possible.
He gestured to a ripped brown-leather couch that had been pushed up against a wall. “Let’s sit there.”
I nodded as if under a spell, unable to refuse him anything.
“So how do we start?” I asked, heart thumping. “Can you, um, connect with your powers when you’re not near sea water?”
“When in doubt, improvise.” He pulled out a small paper bag from his pocket. “I brought something that should help both of us focus.”
When he said “both of us,” like we were one entity instead of two, I leaned closer to him as if pulled by a magnetic force. Everything about him radiated charismatic power: the confident lift of his chin, the narrowed
