The goose bumps disappeared by the time the server turned up with my food. I smiled as she placed my coffee, a bottle of water, and a brown paper bag on the table in front of me.
“Thanks,” I said and opened the bag and checked my sandwich, and then smelled my coffee to check my drink. It was fine, and I took a sip. The caramel flavouring hit the right sweet spot I needed. Just enough toffee tasting, enough sweetness to get me through the day.
I sat in the café a little longer, ate my sandwich, and drank my coffee. Wishing Clay would call me back with some answers or the crazy guy would disappear for good.
My mobile dinged.
I opened my messages.
Polly: Too noisy on a Saturday night, and we won’t get on the pool table.
Me: Okay. Let me know the rest later.
Polly sent a smiley face text. I stood and tucked my phone in my back pocket and left the café. But I wasn’t stupid. I still glanced around, looking for the figure. Not knowing what it was? But knowing enough that it didn’t seem real.
Expiring loudly when my feet landed in the library building—I didn’t realise I’d held my breath the entire way. Was it all in my mind and I created it or was it because I was investigating my parents’ deaths? Could it be connected, because if that was so, did it mean someone was now looking for me?
Were my suspicions about their deaths right all along?
The car accident was just over a year earlier. My mother was driving and apparently, she was driving too fast. But I wasn’t buying it—not yet. There was something about their injuries that seemed inconsistent with a car crash, and that was the reason I looked into the incident.
Something wasn’t right.
I’d spoken to Clay about it a few times and until my birthday, I was told to leave it well alone. But sod that. If my parent’s deaths were as accidental as everyone tried to make them appear.
Then why were my instincts telling me they were all wrong?
Chapter 14
Ryan
Itsurprisedmetosee Lacey walk into the library. Her timetable was the same as Carter’s and I knew he was in the lecture theatre until five o’clock. She glided into the quiet area as though she floated on air. She definitely had a serenity about her, and the small natural smile she had on her face at all times was perfect. Though I wasn’t sure if it was real or a mask, especially what I’d learned about her, and the conversations I had with Carter, I knew she hid her emotions well.
She placed her bag and laptop on a table away from other students, took a sip of her bottle of water and placed it at the side of her laptop case. She took her laptop out of the case and pulled open the screen.
She must have felt me staring because she turned her head and glanced at me, giving a nod and a quick smile. I beamed back.
Relax, Ryan. Play it cool.
Her mobile rang.
She stood up and pulled it from her back pocket, swiping across the screen.
“Hello Clay,” she said and looked around the library after someone made a shushing sound. “I think I’ve got a problem.” Her voice lowered, but I could still hear her, and her words made my ears prick.
“I think someone is following me. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s freaking me out.” She hummed and nodded and made some facial gestures.
“No, it’s unreal. He has white hair, and his skin is translucent,” she said.
She shook her head as she listened. “No, it isn’t a light fae or a dark fae. It’s like he’s a hybrid of the two, but…”
I heard Clay’s voice on the other side of the call raise.
“I’ll come home next weekend. I’m busy this weekend because I’ve got a date on Saturday.” She stopped and laughed. “It’s just a date, Clay. I’m not getting married.” She looked around the room again. I followed her gaze and saw a girl with purple hair glare at her. Lacey shrugged her shoulders at the girl and turned away. “Anyway, I thought you said I needed to immerse myself into uni life.”
She lowered her head to the table and shook her head. “Carter, no, not with Carter. Why would you think I’d want a date with him? No, it’s someone I met last week. In fact, it was one of those guys in the restaurant. Remember who was sitting at the table?” She laughed as she finished rambling and paused for a beat. “Don’t worry, I’ll be safe.”
“LACEY.” The voice was loud and very clear as it boomed down the phone. The voice went quiet again.