Kissing Trouble (35 page)

No sooner had he dialed when there was a pounding on the front door. They exchanged bemused glances before hurrying into the hall to answer.

Shaun glowered at them from the front porch. “What’s the big deal locking the door?” he snapped in the way of greeting.

Mason moved aside to let the other man in. “It must have slipped your mind that we have a lunatic out to butcher us in our sleep.”

Shaun bared his teeth, but said nothing as he pushed his way into the house.

“Where’s Luis?” Maosn asked, shutting the door.

“How would I know?” Shaun grumbled. “His door was closed when I left.”

“Where did you go?” Julie made the mistake of asking.

His brown eyes narrowed. “What’s it your business?”

“Lay off,” Mason groaned, frustration lacing his tone. “Seriously, man, just answer the question.”

Shaun looked from Julie to Mason with narrowed, wary eyes. “What happened?”

They went into the living room. Shaun claimed the main sofa while Mason and Julie took the loveseat. Mason told him everything, which didn’t take nearly as long as it should have. Shaun simply stared back with his mouth gaping and a look of wide-eyed bewilderment.

“So the guy’s a nut?” he said at last when Mason quit speaking.

“Looks that way,” Mason said. “We went to check your rooms, but you guys weren’t there.”

Julie was touched that he’d said
we
and not her. She had a feeling Shaun wouldn’t appreciate her going through his things.

“I went for a walk,” Shaun said. “After listening to you two fuck like rabbits on crack for most of the night, I needed some alone time to clear my head.”

It was Julie’s turn to look horrified.

“Jesus!” Mason snapped.

Shaun raised a brow with bored amusement. “Was it a secret? Because trust me, the entire town heard you.”

Scalding heat coiled in the pit of Julie’s stomach and bubbled up her chest to spill into her cheeks. The back of her eyes stung and her fingers tightened into fists that wanted to slam into Shaun’s arrogant face.

“What is your problem?” she burst out before she could stop herself. “What did I ever do to you?”

Shaun narrowed his eyes in cold disgust. “What makes you think you did anything? I didn’t realize we all had to bow to your awesomeness.”

“Knock it off, Shaun!”

“No!” Julie put a hand on Mason’s forearm, stopping him from speaking as she stared daggers at the guy watching her back. “I want to know. Why do you hate me?”

Shaun jerked one shoulder. “I don’t care enough about you to hate you. Again, the world doesn’t revolve around you and your
feelings
.” He said
feelings
with air quotes.

“You’ve been on my case since we were kids and I want to know why.”

The spark in Shaun eyes could only be construed as livid fury as he glowered at Julie. His face muscles twisted into a sneer of disgust that should have killed her on the spot. But when he opened his mouth, the front door opened and a quiet voice called through the house.

It was Luis. He walked into the doorway, a plastic bag in hand. He was sweaty and flushed.

“Where have you been?” Mason demanded. 

“I wanted some chips.”

Shaun squinted up at him. “You walked to town?”

Luis ignored the question, his anxious glance darting from face to face. “What happened?”

“Oh, just your usual crap.” Shaun heaved himself up to his feet and stretched his muscly body. “Lunatic on the loose and Brewer wants a heart to heart.”

Luis either missed or ignored the latter part as his eyes grew enormous. “What do you mean a lunatic on the loose?”

“Was the chick swinging from the basketball hoop not clue enough for you, Sherlock?” Shaun goaded. “I will say this,” he continued, ignoring Julie’s scoff of revulsion, “Mason sure knows how to show a guy a good time.” He looked to Mason and gave him a thumbs up sign. “Remind me to sign up for the full package next year.”

“Wait!” Luis put up the hand not holding the bag. “Go back to the lunatic.”

Shaun flopped back down on the sofa and patted the cushion next to him. “Have a seat, my
Young Padmé
. We apparently missed quite an event.”

Cautiously, Luis shuffled to the sofa and sat. He tucked his bag between his parted feet and waited.

Mason retold the story. The more he spoke, the paler Luis seemed to get. It got to the point where even his lips were a white circle, open in a horrified O. His hand visibly trembled when he raised it and wiped the back across his mouth.

“So, does ... does this mean we can leave?” he stammered. “I mean, the sheriff can’t expect us to stay after that, can he?”

“He says he’ll return our cars once Dr. Nixon’s story checks out,” Julie assured him.

“Geez...” Luis moaned, dropping his face into his hands. “I thought stuff like this only happened in movies.”

“The good news is,” Mason cut in, “we only need to spend a few more nights here. First chance we get, we’ll pack our things, load the cars, and get the hell out of here.” He dusted his hands on his thighs and rose. “We’ll leave this asshole to the cops and the loony doctor.”

Luis got to his feet, bent at the waist, took his bag by the handles, and straightened once more. “I’m going to start packing in case we get to leave tomorrow.”

He left without another word to anyone. Shaun seemed unperturbed by the whole situation as he dumped his filthy boots on the coffee table and reached for the remote.

Mason twisted his torso towards Julie. “I’m going to get my things together, too. You coming up?”

She started to say yes and even began to rise, but she glanced at Shaun and shook her head. “I’m going to stay here for a little bit.”

Mason followed the line of her sight and the corners of his mouth turned down. He looked on the verge of saying something, maybe to tell her not to bother, but he gave a reluctant nod instead and ambled to the door.

“I’ll just be upstairs,” he said, but whether it was to her or Shaun, Julie didn’t know.

She waited until his footsteps had faded on the stairs before fixing her attention on the only other person in the room. Shaun, if he noticed her scrutiny, never showed it as he flipped idly through the channel. But the fact that the TV was on mute, made her think maybe he knew why she was still there.

“We need to talk,” she said at last when it was apparent that he was content just ignoring her.

“Do we?” he grumbled. “My show’s about to come on.”

Julie furrowed her brows. “Well, this is more important than any show.”

He flicked a glance in her direction. The TV light shone in his muddy eyes. “Says you.”

Refusing to be goaded, Julie straightened her spine and screwed down her resolve before speaking. “Okay, look, I want to know why you think so badly of me. As far as I know, I have never done anything to you.”

Shaun snorted. “As far as you know.”

“Shaun, please.” She drew in a breath. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t see the point. Truthfully, I think this whole thing is a waste of time—”

“So why are you talking to me then?” he snapped.

“Because you’re Mason’s best friend,” she shot back. “He cares about you and I care about him. I don’t want this tension between you and me to weigh on him. So for him, I’m willing to settle this.”

“There’s nothing to settle,” he muttered, flipping the channels even faster until it was a smear of flickering colors. “We’re leaving in the morning. You and I will never have to cross paths again.”

“That’s not...” She wet her lips. “I’m in his life now and we’re going to try and make this work—”

Shaun’s brown eyes shot to her, narrowed like he couldn’t quite believe he’d heard correctly. “What?”

“Mason and I,” she repeated more slowly, “we’re going to keep seeing each other.”

“Seriously?” He barked a
ha
that turned into a full out fit of laughter. “Is that what he told you? That he’s going to just pack up his life to be with you? Wow! You are so stupid. I can’t believe girls still fall for that bullshit line.” He sobered, but his mouth continued to stretch across his face in a twisted sneer of mock amusement. “But I guess it worked. He certainly got into your pants quick enough.”

Julie shot to her feet. A sharp, cold sort of feeling had begun to seep through her and it was churning with the rage she was already feeling so she felt almost sick in the stomach.

“You are...” She couldn’t even think of a bad enough word to describe him. “I thought we could be adults about this and be cordial towards each other for Mason’s sake, but I can see that you are just ... evil. I can’t believe how horrible you are.”

He rolled his eyes and went back to the glaring at the screen. “Yeah, yeah. Are we done?”

“So done!” she hissed before stomping from the room.

Her limbs trembled with barely suppressed rage as she jogged up the stairs. She was lost in such a thick haze of red that she didn’t see Luis until they almost collided.

“Whoa!” Luis stumbled back, hands raised in surrender. “Sorry.”

Willing her nerves to calm down before she punched a wall, Julie sucked in several deep breaths before being able to speak. “No, I’m sorry.”

Luis searched her face, concern darkening his. “You okay?”

She started to nod, only it ended in a shake. “I just don’t understand him.”

“Shaun?” Luis guessed. “Yeah, he’s a hard one to figure out.” His expression became sympathetic. He rested a hand on Julie’s arm. “Don’t let him get to you. He means well ... I think.”

Snorting a chuckle, Julie pivoted around him towards her room. “I’m going to go pack. Are you done?”

Luis shrugged. “I don’t have very much.”

She remembered his room, the sparse, tidiness of it.

“Jewels?” She started at Mason’s nickname for her coming from Luis’s mouth. He seemed to realize his error as well, because he flushed. “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay.”

He dropped his gaze to his feet, clad in clean tennis shoes. “I just ... I wanted to apologize again for what happened yesterday. I don’t want you to think I ... because I don’t. I mean, I would if you and Mason weren’t ... but Mason’s like a brother to me. I wouldn’t...” He broke off with a shaky laugh. “I’m making no sense am I?”

Julie offered him a kind smile. “It’s fine, Luis. I’m not angry.”

He blew out a breath. His shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you. So...” He gave her a lopsided grin and rubbed his hands together. “Do you need help packing?”

Chuckling, Julie shook her head. “No, thank you. But I would love help with supper later.”

“Deal!” he said almost immediately, making her laugh again.

With a light pat on his arm, she left him and stepped into her room. She left the door ajar as she pulled out her duffle and began putting her things into it. She had most of the drawers emptied when a shadow in the doorway made her jump.

She whipped around.

“Mason!” She put a hand over her thumping heart. “God, don’t do that.”

“Sorry.” He stepped deeper into the room, stopping when he reached the footboard. “I finished and thought I’d come see if you needed a hand.” He rested a forearm against the frame and leaned into it. “I really hate seeing you leave. I had hoped we would have the month together, get to know each other better, and see what we should do next.”

“Me too, but I can’t stay,” she said, stuffing a t-shirt hastily into the bag. “I honestly hate this place so much.”

Mason nodded. “Yeah, me too.” He moved around the bed to her side and lightly touched her arm. “But I don’t want this to be the end, Jewels.” He ceased her packing by pulling her to him. “I just got you back.” He kissed her lightly. “I need to see you again.”

While his words sang through her like the soft chimes of a bell, it was Shaun’s taunting words that made her flinch.

“You don’t need to feel obligated to—”

“Obligated?” He jerked back like she’d struck him. “This isn’t obligation, Julie. This is me finally grabbing on to what I’ve wanted for years with both hands.” He ran a tongue slowly over his bottom lip. “I told you, I made a promise to myself that the next time we crossed paths, I would keep you.”

A warmth spread through her, chasing away the chill. “And what if we never saw each other?”

He shook his head, eyes never leaving hers. “I never believed that. I knew the day would come and it has.”

“Even if we live miles apart?”

He captured her chin gently between his fingers. “Doesn’t matter. I’m a very determined man.”

She chuckled. “Okay, how about we get out of this mess first and if you’re still interested ... call me.”

He kissed her again.

“Count on it.

I
t was after eleven the next night when the phone rang, jarring Julie from her slumber. Groggy and a tad disorientated, she rolled out from under Mason’s suffocating embrace and reached for the receiver on the nightstand. Her hand hit her cellphone, sending it cluttering to the ground. She cursed and pushed herself up higher on the bed. The sheets began to slip down her naked chest and she caught it quickly before snatching the phone up.

“Hello?”

With a knuckle, she rubbed at the sleep in her eyes. She squinted with one eye open at the clock. She and Mason had only gone to bed an hour earlier, but it felt like she only just shut her eyes.

“Ms. Brewer?”

It took her a second to recognize the gruff voice on the other end. “Sheriff Reynolds?”

Next to her, Mason stirred. He raised his head and squinted up at her through the darkness.

“Okay?” he mumbled groggily.

She put her finger to her lips, quieting him as she tried to focus on the man on the other end.

“Pardon the late call,”
Sheriff Reynolds was saying.
“But I thought you would want to hear this as quickly as possible.”

Julie pushed up higher in bed, fully alert now. “Is everything okay? Did you—”

“No,”
Reynolds cut her off.
“But I can confirm that Dr. Nixon’s story pans out.”
While he said it, he didn’t sound very happy about it.
“This ... Jimmy fellow may in fact be responsible for the death of Bethany Row as well as everything else you’ve experienced up there.”