(a.k.a. Jules), a Nephil from my past. Since fallen angels didn’t age, and I’d known Scott since he was five, I’d already ruled that out. But even if Scott wasn’t a fallen angel, he could still be Nephilim.
But if he was Nephilim, what was he doing in Coldwater? What was he doing living an ordinary teen life? Did he know he was Nephilim? Did Lynn? Had Scott sworn fealty to a fallen angel yet? If he hadn’t, was it my responsibility to warn him about what lay ahead? I hadn’t instantly hit it off with Scott, but that didn’t mean I thought he deserved to give up his body for two weeks every year.
Of course, maybe he wasn’t Nephilim at all. Maybe I was getting carried away with the imagined belief that I’d overheard him speak to his mom’s thoughts.
After chemistry I swung by my locker, traded out my textbook for my backpack and cell, then walked to the side doors offering a clear view of the student parking lot. Scott was sitting on the hood of his silver-blue Mustang. He was still wearing the Hawaiian hat, and it dawned on me that if he kept this up, I wouldn’t recognize him without it. Case in point: I didn’t even know his hair color. I pulled the Post-it note my mom had left for me out of my pocket and dialed his number.
“This must be Nora Grey,” he answered. “I hope you’re not ditching me.”
“Bad news. My cat’s sick. The vet squeezed me in for a twelve thirty appointment. I’m going to have to take a rain check on the tour. Sorry,” I finished, not expecting to feel quite this guilty. After all, it was just a little lie. And not one part of me honestly believed that Scott wanted a tour of Coldwater. At least, that’s what I was telling myself to ease my conscience.
“Right,” Scott said, and broke the connection.
I’d only just closed my cell phone when Vee came up behind me. “Let him down easy, that’s my girl.”
“Do you mind if I borrow the Neon for the afternoon?” I asked, watching Scott slide off the Mustang and place a call on his cell.
“What’s the occasion?”
“I want to tail Scott.”
“What for? This morning you made it pretty clear you think he’s a bottom-feeder.”
“Something about him is … off.”
“Yeah, it’s called his sunglasses. Hulk Hogan, anyone? Either way, no can do. I have my lunch date with Rixon.”
“Yeah, but Rixon could give you a ride so I can have the Neon,” I said, shooting a glance through the window to confirm that Scott hadn’t hopped inside the Mustang yet. I didn’t want him leaving before I convinced Vee to hand over the Neon’s keys.
“Of course he can. But then I’d look needy. Guys today want a strong, independent woman.”
“If you let me take the Neon, I’ll fill up the tank.”
Vee’s expression softened just a tad. “All the way?”
“All the way.” Or as much as eight dollars and thirty-two cents would buy.
Vee chewed her lip. “Okay,” she said slowly. “But maybe I should come along and keep you company, make sure nothing bad happens.”
“What about Rixon?”
“Just because I’ve gone and snagged myself a hot boyfriend doesn’t mean I’m going to leave my best friend high and dry. Besides, I have a feeling you’re going to need my help.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen. I’m tailing him. He’s not going to know I’m there.” But I appreciated the offer. The past few months had changed me. I wasn’t as naive and heedless as I’d once been, and taking Vee along appealed to me on more than one level. Especially if Scott was Nephilim. The only other Nephil I’d known had tried to kill me.
After Vee called Rixon and canceled, we waited until Scott had angled himself behind the steering wheel and backed out of his parking space before we exited the building. He turned left out of the parking lot, and Vee and I raced for her 1995 purple Dodge Neon. “You drive,” Vee said, tossing me the keys. A handful of minutes later, we caught up to the Mustang, and I hung three cars back. Scott got on the highway, heading east toward the coast, and I followed.
A half hour later, Scott exited at the pier and steered into a parking lot at the edge of the strip of shops leading out to the ocean. I drove slower, allowing him time to lock the doors and walk away, then parked two rows over.
“Looks like Scotty the Potty is going shopping,” Vee said. “Speaking of shopping, you don’t mind if I have a look around while you run amateur-hour surveillance? Rixon said he likes it when girls accessorize with scarves, and my wardrobe is clean out of scarves.”
“Go for it.”
Staying a half block behind Scott, I watched him walk into a trendy clothing store and exit less than fifteen minutes later with a shopping bag. He went into another store and came out ten minutes later. Nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing that made me think he could be Nephilim. After a third store, Scott’s attention was drawn toward a group of college-age girls eating lunch across the street. They sat at an umbrella table on the restaurant’s outdoor terrace, wearing cutoffs and bikini tops. Scott pulled out his camera phone and clicked a few candid pictures.
I turned to grimace in the plate-glass window of the coffee shop beside me, and that was when I saw
My dad.
He folded the paper and walked toward the back of the shop.
I ran down the sidewalk to the coffee shop’s entrance and pushed my way inside. My dad had disappeared in the crowd. I jogged to the back of the shop, frantically looking around. The black-and-white tiled hallway ended with the men’s room on the left, the women’s on the right. There was no other exit, which meant my dad had to be in the men’s room.
“What are you doing?” Scott asked from directly over my shoulder.
I whirled around. “How—what—
“I was just about to ask you the same thing. I know you followed me. Don’t look so surprised. It’s called a rearview mirror. Are you stalking me for a specific reason?”
My thoughts were too jumbled to care what he was saying. “Go inside the men’s room and tell me if there’s a man in a blue shirt in there.”
Scott tapped my forehead. “Drugs? Behavioral disorder? You’re acting schizo.”
“Just do it.”
Scott gave the door a kick, sending it flying open. I heard the swinging of stall doors, and a moment later he returned.
“Nada.”
“I saw a man in a blue shirt walk back here. There’s no other way out.” I turned my attention to the door across the hall—the only other door. I stepped inside the ladies’ room and nudged each stall open one at a time, my heart up in my throat. All three were empty.
I realized I was holding my breath, and let it out. I had several emotions strung tight inside me, disappointment and fear at the top of the list. I’d thought I’d seen my dad alive. But it had turned out to be a cruel trick of my imagination. My dad was gone. He was never coming back, and I needed to figure out a way to accept it. I crouched down with my back to the wall and felt my whole body shake with tears.
CHAPTER 5
SCOTT STOOD IN THE ENTRANCE, ARMS FOLDED. “SO this is what the inside of a women’s restroom looks like. Got to say, it’s a lot cleaner.”
I kept my head bowed and wiped my nose with the back of my hand. “Do you mind?”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me why you followed me. I know I’m a fascinating guy, but this is starting to feel like an unhealthy obsession.”
