“That’s not true, is it?” Wade asks, turning to me.
Suddenly, his phone blares from his pocket.
Blinking wildly, he takes another step back and pulls it out. After staring at the screen for a moment, what color he had left fades from his face and his gaze drops to the ground. “Shit, I need to take this.”
Walking away from us, I stare at his back in surprise.
“What the hell could possibly be more important than the conversation we were having?” Dominic scoffs. “He seriously needs to reassess his priorities.” But as soon as the last word is spoken, a spark of sympathy flickers in his eyes. “Oh,” Dom whispers.
Wade hangs up the phone, shoving it into his pocket. He doesn’t turn around at first, but instead drops his chin to his chest.
“Wade? Is everything—” I begin.
Wade turns around, tears brimming in his eyes. “My grandpa was just taken by ambulance to the hospital. He’s aspirating and they’re not sure if…” his voice chokes out.
“Oh my god, Wade, I’m so sorry… Go, go to him,” I say.
“Yeah, I need to get you back home,” Wade says, his eyes glazing over.
Dominic steps forward, his demeanor a complete turnaround from a moment before. “Look, man, I can take her. It’s on the way to my house anyway.”
Wade’s jaw sets, but he nods. In any other circumstance, he would have put up a hell of a fight, but I can see just how much this has caught him off guard.
Taking a step toward me, Wade places his hands on either side of my arms. “Autumn, I promise, we’ll talk about all of this. Everything. But this…it takes priority right this moment.”
As much as I wish I had more answers, I also know how much his grandpa means to him.
“Of course it does. Go. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I know something,” he whispers, bending in and kissing me on the cheek.
I reach up, pulling his face to mine so I can kiss him properly. My skin burns at the point of contact and I can’t help but feel like whatever is going on, it’s about to tear apart everything.
Wade pulls away, grabbing hold of my hands. “I love you, Dru. I really do.”
With that, he makes his way to his car and hops inside. He casts a quick, distant wave and speeds off.
“God, I hope he’s safe to drive,” I whisper under my breath.
“He’ll be fine,” Dominic says with more confidence than I feel.
I take a deep breath and turn on him. “You have some explaining to do.”
Dominic snickers. “It’s not my secret to tell. As much as I would love to wipe the smug look off that guy’s face, he has to be the one to tell you.”
I roll my eyes. “Not more of this bullshit. Come on, Dominic. I thought we were past all of this.”
“Let’s just say his presence could have dangerous consequences. That’s as much as I can tell you,” he says, crossing his arms.
“So helpful,” I mutter.
The door to the Bourbon Room opens and four patrons walk out, their voices jumbling together in hushed, hurried tones.
“I can’t believe they found a body. We’re gonna need to hurry,” one of them says.
“Is it one of the new kids?” another says.
“They aren’t sure. They’re trying to ID the body now, but it’s a girl, that’s all I know.”
Unable to help myself, I reach out and grab the closest woman by the arm. “I’m sorry…did you say they found a body? What did you mean by new kids?”
“Two more kids are missing—a boy and a girl. It’s horrible, just horrible…” she mutters, turning back to continue on with her group.
My mouth drops open and I cover it with my hands. The Vodník is still at work and here I am, thinking I have problems. I’m so petty.
“Look, let’s get you home, Autumn. If there’s one place where you can get answers, it’s there.” Dominic walks out into the street, making his way to a bright red Honda Civic.
Without a word, I slide into the passenger seat and buckle up. I clench my jaw and turn to look out the window. If I was stolen by the Vodník before, I should be helping… If I remembered more, maybe I could have done something to stop all of this.
“There’s nothing you could have done,” Dom says, reading my thoughts.
“You don’t know that,” I mutter.
We drive in silence until we reach the end of my driveway and I point to its entrance.
“Yeah, I know,” Dominic mutters.
When I throw him a quirked eyebrow, he shrugs. “It’s a small town, Autumn. Besides, I just live down the road, too. A couple miles past Cat and Colt.”
“Oh, well I didn’t know,” I say, returning my gaze to the trees.
When he pulls up to the house, he stops to take a closer look at the weeping angel statue. “Interesting choice of decor.”
“Yeah, I thought it was interesting, too,” I say, nodding. “Well, thanks for the ride, Dominic.”
I kick open the door, not wanting to be in his presence any longer than I have to. He’s been nothing but a pain in the ass since I met him and trying to get more information out of him is pretty futile.
Hopping out of the driver’s side, Dominic places his forearms on the roof of the car. “Hey, Autumn, if it matters, talk to your dad. I think he’ll have more answers if you ask him directly. He knows more than you think he does.”
Narrowing my gaze, I say, “Okay…”
“Just my two cents’ worth. Anyway, catch ya later,” he says, getting back into the car and driving off.
I stand there for a moment, watching his Civic fade into the distance. When the car disappears completely, my focus shifts from the driveway to the angel.
What’s really going on with Wade? Even if I was a necromancer, why would that matter? Or does it have to do with something else? Something tied to Wade instead
