I put my hand on the window, wishing he would come back, praying. But just the knowledge that he wasn’t gone forever caused a flood of tears to sting the backs of my eyes.
“Please, don’t cry.”
“Holy sh—” Glitch fell out of his chair and Brooklyn yelped before plastering her hands over her mouth.
I closed my lids. His voice was like water on a scorched desert plain, welcome and nourishing.
“I’m sorry, Lorelei. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Without another thought, without the slightest hesitation, I turned and ran into his arms. He lifted me off the ground and held me for a long time, his embrace powerful, his body warm and enveloping.
“I’m so sorry.”
“No,” I said between hysterical laughs. “I’m sorry.”
“You? You have no reason to be.”
“After everything you did for me, after you saved my life over and over, I turned on you in a heartbeat.”
“You didn’t turn on me,” he said with a release of air. “You were scared.”
“Oh, my God,” I said as I squeezed my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. “You’re back. I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” Brooklyn said, “stop apologizing. And, you,” she said menacingly at Jared, “just where the bloody heck have you been?”
He buried his face against my neck. “I thought I should keep my distance for a while, you know, in case you never wanted to see me again.”
“Please,” Glitch said, “if shortstop and moon pie never wanted to see you again, you’d be the first to know.”
I leaned back to look up at him. His jaw was darkened by days of stubble, his hair tangled, unkempt, his eyes bright with emotion. After a moment, his full mouth tilted into a lopsided grin and I couldn’t help the sharp inhalation that slipped past my lips. He totally looked like a supermodel.
He glanced at Cameron and nodded once. “Cameron.”
“Jared,” Cameron said.
Their greeting was cool, but even that was better than the alternative: nine rounds in the McAlister house. Jared’s dark eyes bored in to mine. I didn’t wait this time. Life was too short. I leaned in and kissed him right on the mouth. The kiss deepened instantly, like we each needed to drink from the other. My lips parted and his tongue took instant advantage, tasting and exploring. The heat he exuded seeped into the fabric of my pj’s. He sighed into my mouth and I breathed him in.
“This is awkward,” I heard Glitch say.
Just then a knock sounded at the door. “Honey, can we come in?” It was my grandmother.
I broke off the kiss and jumped to the ground. Dizzy from the heavy panting, I glanced around to hide the evidence before realizing there was no evidence to hide. Okay, fine, I could do this. After a deep, calming breath, and a quick smile tossed to Jared, I stepped back, smoothed my pajamas, then said, “Come on in, Grandma.”
She opened the door slowly and peeked around it. “You ate,” she said, sounding pleased.
I glanced back at the empty pizza box. “Oh, yeah. I’m feeling much better.”
With a pretense of pleasure, she offered me her ulterior-motive smile. I should’ve known she was up to something. “Good,” she said, examining the room quickly, “then you kids won’t mind coming downstairs for a bit.”
“But—”
She closed the door before I could argue. Then, when I least expected it, she reopened it and said, “
“But—”
Nope. She was gone.
Man, that woman was quick when she wanted to be. But put her behind the wheel of a Buick …
“Um, maybe you should get dressed,” Glitch suggested.
“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right.” I offered Jared a shy smile, only just realizing what I must look like, before scrounging up a clean pair of jeans and a plain black tee. “’Kay, be right out,” I said, hurrying to the bathroom, suddenly unable to meet Jared’s eyes. I swore on all things holy, if my hair looked bad, God and I were going to have a long talk in church this Sunday.
I changed quickly, brushed my teeth, and ran wet fingers through the mop on top of my head more commonly referred to as hair. It wasn’t horrible, but there was always room for improvement. I let it fall down my back and offered up a silent prayer in the hopes that Jared liked redheads. Or dark auburn heads. Either way. He didn’t seem to mind my coloring. So far, so good. A boy once broke up with me in the third grade because he said he didn’t realize I had red hair until we went out onto the playground at recess. Our love had lasted twenty minutes. So as long as Jared and I stayed out of the sun, we should be good.
I stepped out to face the masses, though I zeroed in on Jared instantly. He was lounging against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he appraised me, appreciation lighting his face.
“Are we ready?” I asked, my voice more shaky than I’d hoped.
“I ain’t going down there,” Cameron said.
Brooklyn turned to him, mouth agape. “She said all of us, Cameron. Which means you too.”
“The hell it does,” he said, making for the fire escape.
She lunged forward and caught his T-shirt. “No way. If one of us faces the firing squad, all of us face the firing squad.”
“Those are illegal now, right?” Glitch asked.
“Do you think this is about the Southerns’ piano?” I asked, suddenly nervous. That thing must have cost a fortune. “We are so busted.”
Jared’s mouth formed a grim line. “I don’t think anyone down there is worried about the Southerns’ piano.”
“Well, okay, I guess that’s good.” I raised my brows to Brooklyn, who nodded in halfhearted agreement, clearly worried now herself.
When we started downstairs, Jared wrapped a hand around mine as Brooklyn dragged Cameron by the hem of his shirt. Glitch brought up the rear. The stairs led to the kitchen, but I heard voices in the living room beyond that. And not just my grandparents’. Startled, I asked Jared over my shoulder, “What did you mean
“Lorelei.” He pulled me to a stop just before we got to the living room door and stepped closer. “Whatever is said, whatever is done, I want you to remember who I am.”
After a failed attempt at a smile, I asked, “Who are you?” I was so completely confused. Who was in my house? And what did this have to do with Jared?
He let out a long, withering sigh. “I’m the same guy you knew five minutes ago. I haven’t changed.”
I forced myself to think rationally. What did I really know about Jared? Every bit of information I received about him conflicted with some other bit, like trying to put together a puzzle where the pieces didn’t quite fit. But I knew he’d saved my life. More than once. Wasn’t that all that mattered?
Cameron stepped behind him and spoke over his shoulder. “Worried?” he asked with a confident smirk.
“What’s going on?” I asked Jared in concern.
Cameron strolled past us and slid the pocket door that led to the living room. “Showtime,” he said, a menacing grin on his face.
The door opened, and a room full of people stood and faced us, like a surprise party without the party.
SANCTUARY
Bright lights illuminated face after face, most of whose I recognized, including Sheriff Villanueva, I noted
