Dead Series (Book 3): A Little More Alive (19 page)

“Ha! And give her
another chance to rip my heart out? No thanks.”

“Oh Rory, stop
being so dramatic!” Laura opened the freezer. “The poor girl was terrified of
leaving so cut her some slack. Everyone makes mistakes, even
you
.”

“Clutch is
actually a pretty cool guy,” Woody said, pulling his phone from his shorts and
tapping at the screen. “But he doesn’t matter, because Rachel still has eyes
for you, gangster.”

Rory looked up
from his cellphone. “What do you mean?”

“After we unloaded
your U-Haul yesterday, I ran into her at Nate’s.”

“Seriously?”

“You should’ve
seen the look on her face when I told her you were back in town.”

“I told you!”
Laura popped a Lean Pocket into the microwave and Rory cast a sideways look her
direction.

“What’d she say?”

“What didn’t she
say? It was like twenty-questions and here I was all sweaty and beat and just
wanting to grab a frozen pizza and a six-pack real quick.”

“So what did she
say?”

“She was all like,
How long is he going to be back? Is
Danielle with him? How’s he doing?
”

Rory’s eyes bulged
from their sockets. “What! How does she even know about Danielle?”

Woody shrugged.
“Not from me. She must be stalking you on Facebook.”

“So what’d you
tell her? Did you tell her we broke up? Please tell me you didn’t tell her we
broke up.”

Woody leaned back
and got quiet, shoe wagging faster across his knee.

“Woody!”

“What was I
supposed to say? It came up in the course of natural conversation.”

Rory’s eyes
thinned. “How?”

“She asked if
Danielle was with you and I said you broke up.”

Laura laughed out
loud and set a plate on the island.

Rory rubbed his
face and grumbled under his breath. “You could’ve at least left that part out.”

“Sorry man, it
just slipped but it brought a glimmer to her eye.”

Pulling his hands
away, Rory’s eyebrows dipped. “What kind of glimmer?”

“The good kind,
which is why it’s crucial you come tonight.”

Letting his gaze
wander out the French doors, he tried convincing himself that ship had sailed.
He wouldn’t give Rachel the chance to pull the football out from under him
again. That was the last thing he needed right now. Right now he was better off
figuring out how to get back on his feet, regardless of how terminally hopeless
that seemed at the moment.

“Just no
cellphones; that’s the new rule. Not even in the car ride out there.”

Rory’s eyes
snapped to Woody and thinned. “What now?”

“I know it sounds
crazy, but you actually have to talk to people face to face out there. It’s
called the art of conversation, which is a dying breed.”

He stared at Woody
with his jaw dangling. “Are you insane?”

“It’s not that
bad.”

“Speak for
yourself. I have nomophobia!”

Woody bent an
eyebrow. “Nomo-what?”

Rory shoved his
phone out to him. “Nineteen people have commented on my blog post over the last
two days.”

“Nineteen? That’s
it?”

“These people are
counting on me!”

Laura chuckled as
the microwave beeped. “I think you’ll manage for one night,” she said, taking
her food out. “Besides, if some masked man with a knife shows up, just think
how much more of a challenge it’ll be without phones.”

Woody’s face fell.
“Wow, that’s really dark, Mrs. C. Maybe I should bring a gun instead.”

Rory snorted and
returned to his cereal. “Don’t forget you’re talking to the woman who picked
the house right across the street from a funeral home.”

She pursed her
lips. “Allan’s is a Victorian landmark and, besides, the dead don’t bite,
Rory.”

Smiling, Woody’s
gaze lowered to the cellphone in his hands. “There’s not much reception out at
the lake anyway, but that’s the new rule.”

“Who’s new rule?”

“The girls, and
don’t even think about breaking it. Two weeks ago, Kate caught Cliff with his
phone in his tent and he woke up to find it soaking in a cup of beer.”

Rory spooned some
soggy cereal into his mouth, flipping through screens on his cell. “Why doesn’t
that surprise me?”

“Well, good for
Kate. I think that’s a fantastic idea.” Laura folded her arms across her shiny
tank top. “Look at you two right now, plugged into those things like some kind
of bad Syfy movie. There’s a whole world going on around you and you don’t hear
a single word anyone says.”

Rory looked up,
eyebrows drawing together. “What’s that now?”

Her lips pressed
into a thin, grim line. “Very funny.”

“No, I’m serious.
I didn’t hear a single word you just said; I was snapchatting. Check out this
new filter that makes you look like an alien.” He held the phone up and she
rolled her eyes.

 
Woody slipped his cell into a front pocket.
“Truth is, it’s actually kinda nice to unplug once in a while. Reminds me of
when I was a kid and we’d ride our bikes ten miles without water or a helmet.”

“What if we have a
car problem? Or what if someone gets hurt?”

“What if we have a
great time?” Woody sighed. “Look, we’re taking two cars and we have first aid
kits. Kate knows how to dress a field wound and we’re just going to chill
hard.” He flattened his lips. “Dude, seriously, what’s the worst that could
happen?”

Chapter
Three

Lake
Darling

S
tu stopped running
and rested his hands on his knees, gasping for air. He looked down the
shoreline, squinting against the late afternoon sun. “Boomer!” The black lab
stopped frolicking in the water and turned to him, ears lifting into the sky as
if Stu just said something about a treat. “Come on, buddy!” Stu waved and
Boomer hesitated before sprinting across the hot sand, tags jingling around a
red collar. “Let’s walk it out for a while, huh buddy? I’ve got a major cramp.”
He rubbed the dog’s shiny wet head and straightened up, clutching his side.
Boomer shook back and forth, spraying him with lake water.

“Hey!” Stu laughed
as a flock of geese glided over the tree line, honking and smoothly splashing
down into a calm and serene Lake Darling. Pointy eared, Boomer watched the
waterfowl through engrossed eyes, somehow resisting the urge to leave his
master’s side.

“Hang on a second,
I think we’ve got a live one here, Boom,” Stu whispered, causing the lab to
notice the approaching silhouette of someone walking a small dog. When Stu
caught wind of the long brown hair and short shorts on the woman coming his
way, he was happy to be wearing sunglasses. Starting towards her, he acted like
he wasn’t staring at the breasts jiggling inside a red tank top as she
powerwalked across the sand. “Just remember, Boom, play cute and cuddly until I
get her number. Then you can go back to your normal self. Okay?”

Boomer barked one
time and shook more water from his coat.

“Atta boy,” Stu
whispered, trying to round up his best opening line. This was the hard part. At
least in a bar, everyone had some liquid courage running through their veins.
Because it didn’t matter if it was the grocery store, the gym, or the
bookstore, he always felt like a creep approaching women without at least a
three-beer buzz swirling around inside his head. But he was tired of meeting
women in the bars. They were always the same sloppy drunks who didn’t know when
to leave the next morning. Unfortunately, women weren’t exactly falling over
themselves to date a balding insurance salesman and, at thirty-seven, time
wasn’t on his side. Some of his friends already had kids in high school and in
a town this size, the good ones went fast. Beer buzz or not, he would swing the
bat.

Boomer couldn’t
restrain himself a second longer and took off down the beach, quickly closing
on the geese drifting closer to shore. The brunette’s small dog jerked back on
its leash, releasing a panicked series of high-pitched yelps as Boomer zipped
past.

“Sorry bout that,”
Stu said, watching the lab leap into the lake and scare the large birds into
flight. “He’s got a one-track mind.”

Shielding her eyes
from the setting sun, she watched Boomer with a pretty smile shaping her lips
and the sweet smell of jasmine floating from her skin. “He’s a cutie. What’s
his name?”

Stu tried not to
stare at the nipples poking through her tank top. Tried not to wonder if she
was wearing a bra or not because that would only fluster his game. “Stu. I
mean, Boner. Boomer! I’m Stu. He’s Boomer,” he panted, extending a sweaty hand.

Her eyes dropped
to his hand and hovered. Stu cringed, knowing he just officially creeped her
out because, after all, he was a stranger and strangers were bad, especially
ones who said the word
boner
.

She took his hand
and squeezed, sending an electric charge up his arm. “I’m Tanya.”

Relief washed over
him and he held onto her hand for a few seconds too long. “And who’s this?” he
asked, reluctantly releasing her warm skin and looking down at the fluffy
Pomeranian dancing around her feet.

“This is Chloe,”
Tanya replied, untangling the leash from her toned legs.

“Wow, she looks
dangerous.”

“She likes to
think she is.”

“Looks like she’s
been working out or something.”

Smiling, she
stroked Chloe’s head. “She keeps me in shape, that’s for sure. Don’t you,
girl?” Chloe wagged her tail faster, acutely watching Boomer splash around in
the water down the way.

“Hi Chloe,” Stu
said in a high-pitched voice, bending over to pet her. Chloe viciously snapped
at his fingers. “Jesus!” he shrieked, yanking his hand back.

Tanya jerked on
the leash, her smile dropping to the sand. “Chloe! Oh my God, did she get you?”

Stu examined his
fingers and exhaled a relieved breath. “No, but that was a close one.”

“That is a bad
dog!” she said, glaring at Chloe, who stopped barking and sat in the sand,
watching Boomer sniff around in the water now up to his belly. “I’m sorry;
she’s not very good with strangers yet. I just got her last month from the
shelter.”

“Man, you need to
watch the Dog Whisperer. That guy will have Chloe doing dishes in an apron
before you know it.”

Tanya chuckled,
staring at him through these beautiful browns that made his heart beat faster
in his chest. “Now that would be a trick,” she replied, brushing a long strand
of hair from her face. “She’s only two, so I guess it’s not too late to teach
her some new ones. How old is Boomer?”

“He’s six, going
on three.” Stu smiled, watching Boomer nose around in the water. “He’s a big
baby but a really good dog.” Taking a deep breath of fresh country air, the
conversation trailed off into an awkward silence that usually predicates the
end of said conversation. Soft waves lapped at the shoreline while Stu’s mind
worked double-time, trying to scrape together something witty to say before
Tanya told him to enjoy the day and walked out of his life forever. She was way
too beautiful for something tragic like that to happen.

“I think I saw the
two of you out here last Tuesday around this time.”

His heart skipped
a beat, making him a little dizzy. It wasn’t possible. Did she just bail him
out? “Yeah, we were out here on Tuesday,” he replied, unsure which shocked him
more: The fact that he somehow missed this bombshell. Or that she remembered
him.

A light breeze
pulled the hair from her face. “I love walking out here; it’s so beautiful.”

Stu followed her
gaze to the large lake he grew up fishing and swimming in with his family and
friends. It definitely held a certain charm but one he had come to take for
granted.

“We just moved
here last week.”

His gaze swept
back to Tanya, who was smiling down at Chloe. Stu’s blood pumped faster in his
ears. It was a Christmas miracle come early, or late. Regardless, God had given
him first crack at a new transplant and he would not let God down. “Oh yeah?
Where from?”

“Chicago.”

“Chicago? Wow, you
lose a bet or something?”

Her abrupt
laughter lit up his world. “No, I took the Assistant Director position at the
public school system here in town.”

He opened his
mouth but nothing came out. “Wow. Really?”

She nodded, trying
to fight back a proud smile.

“That is great.
Congratulations.”

“Thank you, I
really like it here. The people are so nice.”

“They really are.
All twenty-seven of them.”

A short giggle
escaped her full, red lips. “Are you a native?”

“Born and raised.”

“So what do you do
for fun around here anyway? Other than come out to the lake.”

Stu tried not to
let the bells and whistles going off in his head like he just hit a
million-dollar slot in Caesar’s Palace distract him. “There’s actually more to
do than you probably think.” Taking a hopeful breath, he held onto it and dug
his running shoes into the sand. “Maybe I could take you on a little tour this
weekend, if you really want to see the underbelly of Minot.” His eyebrows rose
into the middle of his forehead, pulse racing, sweat sprouting.

She stared at him
through his sunglasses like she could see his eyes, brushing a sneaker across
the top layer of the sand. His mind scrambled for something to tip the scales
in his favor, but everything felt desperate or perverted (or both) so he
checked on Boomer, who was busy scouting the water. Suddenly freezing in place,
the lab turned to stone and stared hard into the water before pouncing on
something and then moving on like nothing ever happened.

“Do you have your
phone? I’ll give you my number.”

Stu turned
back to Tanya,
trying not to look too astounded and failing miserably. Yanking his cell from
his shorts, he nearly dropped it. “Yeah, I’ve got it,” he said coolly, handing
her the phone. Her fingers brushed against his as she took it, igniting another
spark inside he wanted to turn to a fire. He refused to fidget under any
circumstance as she entered her number into his phone because this was BIG and
he did not want to blow it now. No, now was the time to shut his trap and get
out while the getting was good.

She handed the
cell back. “I like your display.”

His gaze fell from
her chest to the picture of Boomer wearing a Darth Vader mask and black cape
and there was no hiding the red creeping into his cheeks. At that very moment,
something witty came to him out of thin air. Something that would make her
laugh out loud. Something she would remember for the rest of her life. It was
that fucking good. Opening his mouth to spring this wonderful gift on her, a
strained yelp pierced the lakeside and cut him off. Stu turned to see a bearded
man in a suit and tie high-stepping through the water, carrying Boomer under
one arm like a running back. Boomer struggled for freedom as the big man went
in deeper, managing to get out one last howl before water rushed over his
snout.

Stu’s cellphone
slipped from his fingers to the sand as the man’s head disappeared next. “What
the hell,” he muttered, turning a confounded stumble into a frantic sprint.
“Boomer!” Kicking up sand, Stu splashed into the lake and stopped knee-deep,
chasing his breath and scanning the blooming ripples. “Boomer!” His cry carried
across the hillsides and vanished.

“What was that?”
Tanya shouted from the shoreline behind him, the wind tugging at her hair as
she clutched Chloe to her chest.

Stu waded in
deeper, unable to formulate a response, replaying things in his head. Things
that couldn’t be. “It was a man!” he finally answered, searching the murky
water.

 
“How? How can that be?” she gasped, even
though she saw the exact same damn thing he did.

He turned to her,
horror dripping from his eyes like the water from his nose. “Where’d he go?”

Shaking her head,
her teeth began to chatter. “I don’t know.”

He stared at her
through wild eyes, heart jackhammering against his sternum. “Call the police!”
Stu pointed to his phone in the sand but Tanya didn’t follow his finger.
Instead, her eyes slipped over his shoulder and got round. The wind picked up
and the color drained from her face. Spinning, he stumbled backwards, staring
incredulously at the three elderly men slowly emerging from the water.

Tanya screamed and
Chloe shot from her arms. “Chloe!” The small Pomeranian hit the ground running,
charging the men coming out of the lake and barking like she meant business.
Stu backpedaled toward the beach, unable to tear his eyes from the things
trudging closer. Their suits and ties were tattered and torn with loose strips
of fabric hanging like the skin and moss from their faces. The one with a
pocket watch reached for Stu with decomposing hands, watching him through
recessed eyes while Chloe yipped off to the side. They slogged closer. The dog
barked harder. Stu couldn’t breathe. An old lady in a black dress exploded from
the water and snatched Chloe before the dog knew what hit her, spiking Stu’s
already racing adrenaline. The woman dove back into the water as fast as she
came out, cutting the Pomeranian off in mid-yip. Tanya’s subsequent scream
skipped across the water.

Stu jerked his
gaze back to the men reaching for him through tattered coat sleeves. His heel
collided with a buried rock in the lakebed and he hit the water with a loud
slap. The old men sneered, exposing broken teeth and blackened gums. Stu
crawled backwards on his butt like a crab, kicking as they snatched at his
ankles. Their clammy, yet firm grips made him shriek to the blue skies above.

The men took their
time dragging him into deeper water while Stu twisted onto his stomach and
clawed at the sand. Water splashed into his mouth. Broken fingernails dug into
his legs. “H-help!” He choked, watching Tanya stand there with her hands
covering her mouth. “Run,” he yelled, taking a big gulp of air just before his
head went under.

Stu held his
breath, knowing it wouldn’t last long at the rate his heart was pounding. His
eyes opened to see a blurry image of the men swimming with their arms at their
sides and legs pressed together like tails. The water turned darker. Colder.
Stu clawed at someone’s hand around his ankle and tore away a piece of
clay-like flesh. Dropping it, he thrashed wildly as his ears began to pop and
the sunlight faded above. Bubbles streamed from his nose and mouth. His body twisted,
desperate for a sip of air.