Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (11 page)

“Hey, you’re back.” I said in a raspy voice.

I glanced over at Clarissa’s bed to see that she never came home last night. Aiden sat down on my bed beside me feet. I glanced at my alarm clock. It said it was already almost nine o’clock.

“I’m back. And I brought you something.” He whispered, smiling down at me. He set a tiny gift bag on the bed in front of me. I lifted myself up into a sitting position.

“A present? For me?” I said in a more cheerful voice.

“Yes. It’s rude to leave the country and not bring back gifts for your friends.” He said as though it was simply a friendly gesture, but I doubted he brought anything back for Cassie. “Open it.”

I grabbed the gift bag and dug through the tissue paper. Finally, I came upon a small jewelry box. I opened it with careful fingers. It was a light blue, braided, leather charm bracelet, and it had a charm of England’s flag on it.

“Aw, I love it. Thank you.” I said, throwing my arms around Aiden. The hug was meant to be brief but, somehow, it lasted a bit longer. He smelled incredible for someone who just got off a plane. I moved back and began putting the bracelet on my wrist.

“Are you ready to party tonight?” He smirked.

“Ugh no, not at all. A lot happened while you were gone and the last thing I want to do is be anywhere near Vicky.” I asserted.

He gazed at me in confusion. I told him everything that happened to Jenny. I left out the part about the dream, though.

“Is she okay?” He asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know. She didn’t seem to think it was a good idea for her to move in with her aunt and uncle, but her parents were forcing her. I truly hope she is.” I worried the inside of my cheek.

“Well, maybe you could put Nair in Vicky’s shampoo tonight or something.” He said. I chuckled at the thought of Vicky being bald.

“As fun as that would be, I wouldn’t want her to come across as a victim. I want to prove what she did to Jenny. Which being in her house might help me do, so as much as I don’t want to, I guess we are going to a party tonight.” I reluctantly agreed.

“Aces!” He exclaimed. “Okay now, get up. It’s late.”

“No, it’s not. It’s early.” I said, lying back down and covering my head up. “I’m going to sleep for another hour.”

“No, you’re not.” He asserted.

He uncovered me, but I ignored him and flipped over onto my side. He leaned onto my bed and started tickling my ribs. He was one of the few people who knew the exact spot I was most ticklish. I tried maneuvering away from his hand, but it was hopeless. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Finally, I managed to grab his arm and tug him onto the bed. After wrestling with him for a few moments, I ended up on top of him, holding his arms down so he couldn’t tickle me anymore.

“Okay, uncle.” He smiled up at me.

I released his arms. He grabbed my waist and scooted me down. He sat up with me still on top of him. He moved so easily that I knew he was much stronger than me, and I wouldn’t have ended up on top of him if he hadn’t wanted me there.

Gazing down into his crystal blue eyes, I finally got tired of resisting the urge, so I leaned down and kissed him. He responded instantly, his tongue exploring my mouth. He tasted almost the way he smelled, only sweeter.

His hands roamed up and down my back, sending tingles all over my body. Then, he drew me closer, which made me realize how little I was wearing. I felt evidence of just how excited Aiden was getting as our kiss intensified. The only thing I could think about was how his mouth felt on mine, which was pretty damn good. After a moment, he pulled away and there was only the sound of our heavy breaths.

“I’ll let you get dressed.” He said, moving out from under me.

“Wait, you never told me what we’re doing.” I was having trouble breathing, so the words sounded like I was speaking from underwater.

“It’s supposed to snow next week,” he said in a hinting tone, “which means snow day.”

“Which means we can finally pull our prank.” I finished.

Aiden and I had been planning this prank for a while. We were entering a contest that this online show was holding. The contest was the best themed prank. Catch was, the prank had to end up on the local news or in the local newspaper, but that part was easy. There was never anything interesting going on in Waverly, so you could bet your bottom dollar that anything out of the ordinary would end up in the paper.

“What does that have to do with today?” I asked.

“We need supplies, and we can’t get it here, or everyone will know it was us. We’ll have to drive to Lincoln.” He stated. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes and we can leave, then.”

“Okay.” I said in resignation, finally slipping out of bed.

By the time Aiden returned, I had already showered, straightened my hair, and put on makeup. He sauntered into my room as I was putting on lip gloss. He was carrying a coffee cup and handed it to me.

“Since I made you wake up, I thought the least I could do was buy you caffeine.” He said. I took a sip of it.

“Mm, a caramel latte, my favorite. Thank you.” I said, giving him a genuine smile. We strolled over to his driveway and got into his brother’s car.

“Where are we going to find Halloween decorations in February?” I asked him.

“There’s a costume store in Lincoln that sells it all year.” He said. He flipped on the radio and scanned through the stations.

“Whoa, go back.” I said and he did. It was a news update.

“Another girl went missing, yesterday. She was last seen at the Westfield Gateway Mall in Lincoln. Her name is Jessica Thomas. She was wearing her school uniform. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Her picture is posted on our sight. If anyone has any information, we ask that you call the Lincoln police station.”

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.

Aiden jerked his head to the side. “What is it? Do you know her?”

“Cassie and I went to that mall yesterday, and I think saw that girl there. And I might have seen the guy who took her.” I said, causing Aiden to turn and face me.

“You saw her get taken?” He asked.

“Not exactly, but there was this creepy guy watching her and her friends.” I described the guy to Aiden.

“Are you sure? A scar and a trench coat? Seems to me he would have stood out to everyone.” He questioned. “Did Cassie see him?”

“I’m not crazy, Aiden. I know what I saw.” I asserted. However, I was feeling anything
but
certain at the moment.

“I know you’re not crazy, Bridge. But you have been under a lot of stress the last few days.” He pointed out.

“He was there.” I didn’t know if I said it for his benefit or mine. My chest became tight and restrictive. Honestly, the last few days
did
have me questioning my sanity. Between my tree dream and my psychic dream, I just didn’t know what to think.

“Okay, I’m sorry.” He paused. “Are you going to call the police station?”

“I doubt they believe me.” I gripped my leg. He didn’t respond. After a few minutes of silence I finally said, “Maybe I should.”

“Should what?” He asked.

“Tell the police. I mean if he is the killer and I don’t say anything, anyone else killed will be on my shoulders.”

“No matter what, Bridge, the only person’s shoulders those deaths are on is the killer’s. However, if you want to tell the police, then we could go by the police station.” He said. The muscles in my chest loosened slightly. If he truly thought I was crazy he wouldn’t have offered to take me to the police station, would he?

“I do. Want to, that is.” I said resolutely.

“Okay, we’ll go there first.” He flipped on his blinker and made a right turn. We parked in front of the Lincoln police station.

“Do you want me to wait in the car or come in with you?” He asked.

“Come with me, please?” I felt nervous. Let’s just say, I did not have the greatest affinity with cops. In fact, if we had been going to speak with Sheriff Brick about what I saw, not only would he
not
believe me, but I’m sure he’d find a way to have me arrested for the murders.

“Okay.” He reached over and gave my hand an encouraging squeeze. And with that, I suddenly felt all the courage I needed.

“Can I help you?” said a woman at the first desk we came across.

“I have information about the most recent girl to go missing. Jessica, I think.” I told her.

“Alright, you’ll want to talk to Detective Lansley right over there.” She said, pointing at a tall, scrawny man in business casual attire. He wasn’t in any specific uniform, but he did have a badge on his belt. He saw her pointing at him and waved us over.

“I’m Detective Lansley.” He announced, shaking my hand and then Aiden’s. “Have a seat.” He gestured to the chairs across from his desk. “Now what can I do for you?” He asked, but what he actually meant was, “What can
you
do for
me
?”

“I saw Jessica at the mall yesterday.” I explained. The detective leaned forward with interest.

“So then, you know Ms. Thomas?” He asked.

“No, but I’m fairly certain I saw her yesterday with her friends.” I told him. He appeared skeptical.

“Is this the girl you saw?” He held up a picture. I studied it carefully and focused hard on my memories from yesterday.

“Yes, that’s her.” I was positive now.

“Okay.” He pulled out a notepad. “Was there anything unusual or suspicious that you noticed?”

“Yes. I saw a man watching them. He noticed me looking at him and disappeared into a store.” I described the man to him. His expression was incredulous.

“Alright, let’s set you up with a sketch artist.” He said in a resigning tone.

The sketch artist was a young, black man named Phil. I told him everything I could remember about the man. Once the sketch was finished, Phil took one look at it and actually laughed.

“Girl, you’ve been watching too many scary movies. Real life murderers don’t look like this. They look like every day people. Like you, me, and your friend here.” He glanced at the sketch and laughed, again.

“Fine, but I didn’t see
you
there. I saw
him.
” I shot.

“Alright, alright. I’ll pass this along to the detective.” He said.

I left my name, house phone number, and address with the lady at the first desk. Aiden and I strolled back to the car.

“Are you okay?” He asked me once we were on the road, again.

“Yes. I actually feel better. Even if they don’t believe me, at least I told them what I saw. If they don’t listen to me, then whatever happens will be on them, not me.”

“Good, I’m glad you feel better.” He smiled over at me. I couldn’t help notice the way he worded that. I tried to shush the voice that told me Aiden was only placating me. He still didn’t believe what I had seen.

We spent the next few hours in the costume store buying all sorts of things. Finally, we headed back to Waverly to get ready for the party, tonight. On our way back, I remembered I needed to call Curtis. I tugged my notebook out of my bag and found where I had scribbled down his number. I asked Aiden if I could use his phone. I punched in his number and hit send.

“Hello?” He answered.

“Hey, Curtis, it’s Bridget. I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be at a party at Vicky’s later, so if there’s anything you need me to do, just let me know.” I told him.

“Okay, call me if you get an opportunity to get on her computer.” He said.

“Okay, I will.” I hung up. So now, I had a real reason to look forward to tonight. I might get what I needed to bring Vicky down.

Once I was home, I slipped into the black skirt that went mid-thigh and the hot pink tank top Cassie had bought me for my “date”. As I curled the ends of my hair and sprayed it with hair spray, I couldn’t help but think about Cassie’s insistence that this was a date. Part of me hoped she was right. I was reapplying my mascara and lip gloss when Aiden knocked on my window, which I had left open for him and crawled in.

“You look stunning.” His voice was awed.

“Thanks.” I turned my face away so he wouldn’t see me blush, but somehow, I think he knew. “Um, can we stop by the diner so I can pick up my check first?”

“Sure.” He said as I slipped on a pair of strappy sandals.

Once we drove up to the diner, we spotted Mrs. Harris’s blue Prius parked out front, so I decided I would go through the back to avoid her. Aiden moved the car around the building and put it in park. I saw that Damon was leaning against the wall taking a smoke break.

“Damn, where are you headed tonight?” He asked. I couldn’t stop the shy smile that appeared on my face.

“A party.” I told him. “Is Betty still here? I was hoping to get my check.”

“Yeah, she’s in her office.” He took another drag.

I stared at his cigarette with longing, but I shook it off and went inside. I waltzed back to Betty’s office. Her door was open, but she was staring down at some papers, so I knocked to let her know I was there. She glanced up and gave my outfit a disapproving look.

Betty was Chad’s mother, so she felt the need to parent me since Chad and I were friends. Not that I didn’t appreciate her. Lord knows, I wouldn’t have a job if she didn’t feel protective of me. I wasn’t exactly the best employee.

“Bridget, is there any way you can work tomorrow night? Stacy’s kid is sick.” She said.

“Yeah, sure. Can I get my check?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s right here.” She said, handing it to me.

I sauntered back outside where Damon was finishing off his cigarette. I was tempted to ask him for a puff but decided against it. Aiden would be complaining at me the entire night if I did.
So
not worth it.

“So, it looks like I’m working tomorrow.” I told him.

“Awesome.” He said. “Have fun at your party.”

“Doubtful.” I said.

“Oh? Why is that?” He asked.

“It’s a long story.” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you.” He put out his cigarette and headed back into the diner.

I strolled back to the car and slid into the passenger seat. I tucked my check into my bag. After getting a look from Aiden, I buckled my seatbelt.

“Who was that guy that was checking you out?” Aiden asked me, sounding jealous.

“That’s Damon. He’s the cook. And he wasn’t checking me out.” I said, even though I thought maybe he
had
been checking me out. Aiden gave me a brief look of disbelief.

“Okay, so we need a game plan.” Aiden said after a few minutes.

“Right, so how do you want to play this?” I asked him.

“I guess when we get there, we mingle for at least ten minutes, and then you can ask where the bathroom is. After you excuse yourself, try to find Vicky’s room. I’ll distract her while you do what you need to do. After you come back down, we’ll sneak off and find the office.” He said. I didn’t like the sound of him
distracting
her, but I wasn’t going to say as much.

“Don’t you want me to distract them while you find the office?” I asked.

“No, getting caught by myself would be a great deal more suspicious than if I was caught with a girl.” He explained.

That made sense, and even though I tried to tell myself we were only going to
pretend
to be hooking up, I still felt my pulse speed up. As my heart began pumping rapidly, Aiden glanced up quickly with a grin like he could hear my pulse's change of pace.

We parked by the curb in front of Vicky’s house. I trailed behind Aiden as we approached her door. He handed me his phone and I stuck it in my bra since I didn’t have any pockets.

“Lucky phone.” He gave me an amused look and rang the doorbell while I stood behind him. Vicky answered it and gave a huge grin. She threw her arms around Aiden before he could react, but when she saw me, her smile twisted into a scowl.

“Why is she here?” She asked Aiden, pulling out of the hug.

“I brought her.” He stated like it needed no explanation.

“Fine, I’ll let all the guys know the stripper’s here.” She glared at me.

Multiple insults popped into my head, but I bit back my tongue. Literally, I had to physically bite my tongue to keep from saying anything back. Aiden and I brushed past her into the living room.

The house was full of people. It should be easy to sneak off without anyone noticing, but I decided to stick with the plan. So, while Aiden followed Vicky into the kitchen, I sat down on the couch to mingle for a few minutes.

We got to the party late enough that most everyone was drunk. On my right was a couple doing some heavy making out and on my left was Levi Clark. Levi was on the baseball team at school and was one of the most arrogant guys I’d ever met, right up there with Cal and Sheriff Brick.

“Hel~lo Bridget. You look smoking hot, tonight.” Levi put his arm on the back of the couch behind me.

“Hi Levi. “ I said in an uninterested tone that didn’t seem to faze him.

“So, what are the odds of me finally getting a taste of your candy?” He asked.

“Oh, I’d say they’re somewhere around a million to none.” I frowned.

“What if I let you have a taste of mine, first?” He tried to guide one of my hands to his crotch.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” I stood up, yanking my hand away from him.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about.” He stood up beside me.

“Alone.” I said sternly.

“Fine, whatever. You don’t have to be such a bitch.” He muttered.

“Apparently, I do.” I mumbled under my breath and headed for the stairs.

It was easy enough to find Vicky’s room. She actually had a sign on her door that said
princess
. I quietly stepped in, closing the door behind me. I spotted her laptop and pushed the power button. I grabbed Aiden’s cell phone and dialed Curtis’s number.

“Hello?” He answered after only one ring.

“I’m on her computer now. Luckily, there’s no password.” I told him.

“Okay, do exactly as I say. Click on start, and then select
All Programs
. Now find and click on
Accessories
and then,
Command Prompt
. Got it?”

“Yes. Now what?” I asked.

“Okay at the
Command Prompt
type
I-P-C-O-N-F-I-G
. Now hit enter.” He said and waited for me to do it. “Now look for where it says IPv4 address. Did you find it?”

“Yeah.” I read off the number to him. “Is that all you need?” I asked.

“Yes, that’ll help me match the IP address to the one that hacked the account. I’ll get back to you on it next week.” He said and then hung up.

I shut her laptop down and placed it right back where I found it. I put Aiden’s phone back in my bra and stuck my ear to the door to make sure the hallway was quiet. I slipped out when I only heard silence.

As I sauntered back down the stairs, I noticed something that would definitely put a damper on our plan. Vicky was glued to Aiden. He was sitting in one of the chairs in the living room and she was sitting on the arm of the chair.

When he spotted me, he lifted his shoulders and gave me an expression that said he didn’t know how to get rid of her. If I went over there now, it would only start a fight and get us kicked out of the party. I had to think of something quick.

I grabbed a glass swan off one of the shelves and dashed to the downstairs bathroom. I dropped it into the toilet and flushed. Water started flowing over the rim and onto the floor.

I hid over by the stairs and watched as someone went into the bathroom and emerged back out, immediately. She raced over to Vicky and told her about the toilet. Vicky followed the girl to the bathroom.
That should distract her for a while,
I thought to myself.

Aiden’s expression told me that he was impressed. He took the opportunity without hesitation. I followed him into the downstairs hallway as he searched for Vicky’s father’s office. Finally, we came across double doors that screamed
office
. Aiden tried to open them, but they were locked.

“Do you have a bobby pin?” He asked. I tugged a non-crucial one out of my hair and handed it to him. He began picking the lock with it. After a few seconds, we heard it click.

“Where did you learn to do that?” I asked, thoroughly impressed.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teased. He pushed one of the doors open and waited for me to slip in. He closed the door behind us.

“What are we looking for?” I glanced around the room. My eyes landed on the massive desk near the back wall.

“
You
aren’t looking for anything. I just need you to sit on the couch over there and watch the doors. If you see the doorknobs turn, just say my name, okay?”

“I’m the lookout?” I pouted. It had been such a rush sneaking into Vicky’s room.

“The lookout is the most vital role.” He said and I knew he was merely placating me. I rolled my eyes and sunk into the couch.

Aiden flipped through filing cabinets and drawers. I wondered what exactly it was he was searching for. After a few minutes, he seemed to find something.

“I need my phone.” He said, concentrating on a file he found.

I rushed over and handed him his phone. I went back and flopped onto the couch. He started taking pictures of whatever was in the file. Just as he was putting everything back, I saw the doorknob start to turn.

“Aiden.” I said and instantly he was over on the couch.

Without hesitation, he lifted me on top of him and began kissing my neck. His lips found my mouth as his hand caressed the curve of my leg. I kissed him harder almost forgetting we were supposed to be only pretending, but it came right back to me when I heard the door behind me finally open.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this room was occupied.” A girl I’d never seen before said. She was holding hands with some guy. It was obvious they were searching for a place to hook up.

“No problem.” I breathed. They closed the door behind them. “Did you get what you needed?” I asked Aiden, hyperaware I was still sitting on his lap.

“Yes I did. Thank you so much for helping me.” He grabbed my hand and interlocked his fingers with mine.

“Well, you did kind of force me into it with the bet.” I teased.

“Yes, I did. I’m sorry.” He grinned, not appearing apologetic in the slightest.

“Don’t be. I got something out of tonight, too.” I admitted.

“Making out with me?” He smirked.

“
That
and I got Vicky’s IP address. So now, I’m one step closer to proving what she did.” I asserted.

“Well, I’d say we’ve had a productive night.”

“I agree.” I stood up, stretching my arms. “Do you think we should go, now?”

“Maybe in a few minutes.” He said in a mischievous tone. He tugged me back down onto the couch sitting next to him.

“Ah, I thought it was supposed to be pretend.” I teased.

“There’s no pretending needed when it comes to kissing a beautiful girl.” He said in a soft, sensual voice that gave me shivers.

He leaned over and kissed me. Then, he kissed me again and then again, until he was on top of me. His lips moved easily with mine as I closed my eyes, allowing the sensations of the moment to overtake me. His hand found my leg, again. My hands inched under his shirt in search of the muscles of his stomach, but as he pressed his body against mine, my hands circled to his back grasping at his strong shoulders. I felt heat spread through me at the pressure I felt from our bodies being pressed together.

I kept telling myself we were
not
going to have sex tonight. Not here in Vicky’s house. But my
resolve
seemed to
dissolve
a bit more every second. He moved his lips to my neck, tracing it with soft kisses. Then, I felt his teeth scrape against my skin.

“Your teeth are sharp.” I whispered. He immediately jerked away and off of me. I shot up, but he was facing away from me.

“I’m sorry.” He said in a muffled voice.

“What’s the matter?” I asked, unsure of what was happening. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but then he turned back to me.

“Nothing, we should go soon before someone else catches us in here.” He stood up.

He offered his hand to help me up and I took it. I straightened out my skirt and tried running my fingers through my hair to fix it, but I knew it was no use.