I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series) (14 page)

“How can you be so sure he was telling the truth?” Shorty’s soft voice made them both jump. He was standing on the edge of the room. Lucy didn’t even hear him come back in.

“I guess I can’t, but it felt like the truth. My dad worked for the FBI. He wasn’t an agent or anything…just an analyst. But even though he didn’t do field work, he still had reason to be scared of this man.”

“Do you think it was his boss or something?”

Lucy pressed her bottom lip into a tight line and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d never seen him before, but Dad kept me away from his work. I just assumed he was a cop…a really powerful one, but I don’t actually know and I don’t want to. I just want to lay low and stay out of law enforcement’s way. I don’t care if he’s FBI, LAPD or a freaking US Marshall. I don’t want him to find me.”

“Do you think he recognized you?”

She flinched, looking up at Shorty. His hard expression had softened, his dark eyes swimming with a look she’d never seen before. Sympathy maybe?

With a slow swallow, Lucy shrugged. “I don’t think so. His eyes didn’t flicker with any kind of recognition.”

“Your swift exit may have made him suspicious.”

Closing her eyes, Lucy dropped her head into her hands. Tears were swarming to break free, but she held them tight. Marlin rubbing slow circles over her back wasn’t helping. She lurched off the couch. “So what do we do now?”

Shorty sighed, sliding his hands into his pocket. He looked from Marlin then back to Lucy. “It’s time for a change of scenery. It’s too risky staying here now.” He rubbed his long fingers across his bottom lip. “I’ve been doing some research in the San Francisco area. They have some pretty wealthy schools across that bridge.”

“Schools?” Lucy frowned.

He stepped towards her with a grin. “I think it’s time, Miss Cyan, that you start acting your age.”

She swallowed. “And what would I do while acting my age?”

“Oh, I’m sure we can come up with something.” He chuckled. “Those gullible rich kids and their mummies and daddies have plenty to give away to lovely souls like us. Don’t you agree?” His black eyebrows lifted and his white teeth shone. “I have a few cons I’ve been researching. I think we can pull off a trick or two that will score us some decent cash.”

The gleam in his dark eyes made her stomach swirl with dread.

Lucy looked away from him and caught Marlin’s grin. “Don’t worry, Cy. I’ll take care of ya.”

She nodded, forcing a smile. San Francisco. Yes, good. If it meant she wasn’t in the same city as that blond man, then that was exactly what she needed.

“San Francisco it is,” she whispered.

Chapter 16

May 2014

“Hey.” Dani’s voice was sweet and chipper as she greeted me.

I closed my locker with a grin. She looked adorable, standing next to me with a test paper in her hand. I saw the 98%, circled in red and I thought she was going to bust out of her skin. Her smile was so huge, her blue eyes dancing.

“Congratulations.” I took the Sociology test from her and scanned the pages to see where she might have beaten me. Miss Berry’s comments on her essay section were glowing.

“So how’d you go?” She bit her lip and I was struck by the fact that I was looking at Dani. Not -
I can’t tell you where I live, Dani
- or -
I have deep dark secrets you’re not allowed to know about, Dani -
but the real deal. Her face was flushed with triumph, her smile open and free.

“I got a 91.”

“Yay.” She squeezed my shoulder, bouncing on her feet.

“You seem pretty excited. Don’t you get marks like this all the time?”

She drew in a breath, reality suddenly catching up with her. At that moment, I hated myself. Whatever I’d just said had closed off the valve. Her smile was still there, but her reserved field flew back into place as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, I mean I do, okay.” She shrugged. “I just don’t normally study with others and I guess I’m grateful that you helped me get such a high score.”

It didn’t feel like the truth somehow, but I took it. Reaching for her hand, I gave it a squeeze. “Well, maybe we should study together more often.”

Her white teeth appeared as she bit her lip again, trying to contain her grin. “Maybe we should.” She glanced down. Looking shy, she held her breath then just let it out. “Want to go out and celebrate?”

This was the first time she’d initiated any kind of hanging out with me…just me. I could tell it was a big step for her and I could also tell she was thinking of it as a date.

I wanted to say yes so badly, I was practically choking on my no.

With a wince, I shook my head. “I’d really love to, but I have to go to this family dinner in San Fran tonight. It’s a thing I do with my cousins, like every month, and everyone has to be there.”

“Oh, okay.” She tried to step back, but I held her hand, keeping her in place. She grinned. “Maybe some other time?”

“Definitely some other time.” I threaded my fingers into hers and started pulling her down the corridor. A few of my friends noticed our linked hands, but I didn’t care. I liked that I was walking Dani out to my car, I liked that she was letting me hold her hand all the way.

Her slim fingers fit between mine nicely, the pressure between us even. I rubbed my thumb over her forefinger, feeling a sweet contentment. For a second she felt like mine and that felt right.

When we reached my car, her grip loosened. She wanted me to let her go and I would, in a sec. I knew what was coming and I played for a delay.

“Elliot’s having us all over to his place tomorrow night. We’ll probably just eat lots of food and watch a movie…or if Jaeda can convince us, play some type of board game. You wanna come?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like fun. They won’t mind me coming, right?”

“Nah, of course not. You’ve been hanging out with us a ton. They like you.”

She didn’t seem as convinced as I was trying to sound. Her lips pushed to the side as she nodded.

I squeezed her hand. “They’re getting to know you. That takes time.”

“I’m not sure Elliot will ever fully warm to me.”

“He has mother abandonment trust issues going on and he can be a very protective friend.” I ran my free hand through my hair, wincing at what I was about to tell her. “I dated a girl in 9th grade who turned into a full blown stalker and it didn’t go well.”

Her lips formed a sweet little O, but then broke into a smile, which she had to bite back.

“Shut up.” I chuckled. “I was young.”

“Wow.” She giggled. “That’s wow…quite impressive.”

I shook my head, feeling like the idiot I was. “Elliot was really awesome through it all. He’s a good guy. It takes a while for him to trust people, but once he does, he’ll do anything for you.”

“Including eradicating stalker chicks, it seems.”

I laughed.

“Does he think I’ll turn into one too?”

“No.” I shrugged, desperate to appear casual. “He just doesn’t know you yet.”

“I know.” She wrinkled her nose and opened her mouth as if she wanted to give me a little nugget, something to dissipate the cloud of unanswered questions between us, but she changed her mind. Her mouth closed and I hid my disappointment behind a gentle smile.

“So what time should I meet you? I mean, where should I meet you?”

My eyebrows rose, all innocent like. “I could come collect you from your place?”

Her eyes narrowed.

I sighed. “Okay, fine. Elliot lives in Presidio Court. It’s near the Country Club. We’ll probably meet for dinner, say six-thirty.”

“Okay, I can find that. What number?”

“Four.”

She nodded, storing the information away. “Alright, I’ll see you then.” She tried to wriggle her hand free, but I held fast.

“Can I at least give you a ride home?” I said it with a smile, already knowing the answer.

“I thought my narrowed glare just covered that.”

“I can be pretty stupid sometimes. You might have to clarify.”

“Okay.” She fought with a chuckle as she nodded her head. “Zach, you can’t come to my house. You know the answer’s not going to change, right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded with a half shrug.

Her head tipped to the side. “But you’re not going to stop asking, are you?”

I played thoughtful for a second, then shook my head. “Nope.”

She gave into her laughter, looking to the ground for a second then back to me. She pulled her hand from mine and placed it on my shoulder. Leaning forward with a whisper of a grin, she said, “Good. I kind of like that you do.”

Her kiss was soft and caught me by surprise, her sweet lips caressing mine for the briefest moment, before rising into a smile that made my knees weak.

I must have looked like a complete doofus, caught in a spellbound daze. She chuckled and stepped away from me. “See you tomorrow, Zach.”

“See ya.” I raised my hand, but she’d already turned and was walking towards the road. Finally, finally, my brain kicked into action and I smiled, then I grinned and then I had to fully resist the urge to whoop and pump my fist in the air. Instead, I yanked open my car door and let out a loud chuckle.

I knew Dani had secrets and yes, I still wanted to know what they were, but right that second I couldn’t have cared less who she really was. Danielle Harrison had kissed me and even that brief connection had been enough to frazzle my usually alert brain. There was no denying it now, my intrigue was fading, being replaced with something that could open my life to a whole lot of angst, but also a whole lot of something I wanted plenty more of.

I started my car, still grinning like a chimpanzee and sang my way home on a euphoric high. If only I’d known I was about to come crashing down off my love struck cloud.

*****

Dinner went well. It always did. Mom’s sister, Louise, was a peach and the world’s best cook. Maybe not better than AJ, but her meals were the best home cooked thing I’d ever come across. So having been stuffed with crispy roast potatoes, juicy pork fillet with apple sauce and some vegetable concoction that tasted divine, I followed my eager cousin up to his room so he could show me his latest project.

“The year book’s coming together so great. See what I did here?” Luke pointed to the computer screen, his graphics for the Lowell High School’s Winter Formal looking magical. I leaned over his chair and soaked in the images, admiring his page layout and the color scheme he’d chosen.

For a sixteen year old, Luke kicked ass at graphics. Elliot and Jaeda would be impressed by his work. I’d have to show them. When he’d made it onto the yearbook committee earlier in the year, he’d phoned me all excited. Any chance to show off his graphics skills thrilled the kid.

I glanced at his bed and looked at all the old yearbooks sprawled across his duvet.

“Wow, you’re really researching this.” I picked up the book closest to me and gazed at the images.

“I want to do a good job. I want to wow the school, you know? Take it up a notch.” His desk chair rolled towards me and he spun around to see which yearbook I was looking at.

“That’s from last year. I don’t like how they laid out the pages.” He pointed over my arm. “See the way those colors clash.” He made a face. “Plus, that picture is totally aligned wrong and this one down here would have looked way better up there.”

I didn’t see what he was talking about, my eyes were too busy locked on a picture on the left hand page. I frowned, pulling it closer to my face. Was that Dani? I mean, she looked a little different, her hair was longer and darker, but that was definitely her face.

“What are you looking at?” Luke nudged me.

“That girl.” I tapped my thumb next to the photo. “She goes to my school now.”

“Let’s see.” Luke took the book from me. “Oh yeah, that’s Riley. She goes to Monte Vista? I was wondering what’d happened to her.”

I flinched. “Riley? Don’t you mean, Dani?”

“What?” Luke’s forehead creased. “No, that’s Riley Mitchell.”

I took the book from him and looked at the picture again. “You sure? It’s not Danielle Harrison?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Half the freshman guys were totally in love with her. She was only at the school for like two months, maybe. It wasn’t long, but she certainly left an impression. She was a senior and way out of our league though.”

“A senior? But I thought you said this was from last year?”

He flicked the cover over. “Yeah, 2012-2013. Why are you looking so pale?”

“I’m not.” I shook my head. “I just…. She looks so much like Dani it’s freaky. What did you say her name was again?”

“Riley Mitchell. She was beautiful, a little quiet, but she was dating this really rich prat, Miles Filmore. Such a dick.” Luke made a face, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

My gut twisted. “Yet she dated him anyway?”

“Yeah.” Luke shrugged. “She didn’t always look as though she wanted to, but I guess he was good-looking and had a nice car. Some chicks do that kinda thing. You know, date rich guys for the perks. But in saying that, he was pretty whipped. I mean he almost seemed nice when they were dating. I think he really liked her.”