Snake Eyes (The Masks Series Book 3) (18 page)

Eric

I ran my thumb over my phone screen before plonking it onto the table with a heavy sigh.

“Still not answering, huh?” Dale’s soft question felt loud in my ears.

I shook my head, struggling for words.

Hell, I’d been struggling all week. It’d been seven days of hell since Caity slammed out of my car. I’d spent the first day numb, the second day sleeping, the third day desperately trying to call her, but she’d ignored every message.

Nicole, with her usual flair, got in on the action and finally got in touch with her. I stood there in agony listening to her bawl out Caity on her psychotic behavior. After that, Caity turned her phone off and none of us had been able to reach her since.

I’d even called around to her parents’ place to see how she was doing. They were as perplexed as me.

“She won’t tell us anything. She called two days ago to let us know she’s going away with a friend for Thanksgiving.”

“Who?”

“Some girl named Quella.”

Since that moment, the sick nausea in my stomach would not abate. I was plagued by it. My head felt like it was in a constant state of fuzziness, making lectures impossible to hear. As I walked the campus my eyes were constantly looking out for Caity, but I never saw her. It was like she’d disappeared off the face of the earth as well as my life.

“Dude, I know this hurts, man, but she obviously doesn’t want to talk to you right now.”

“But why?” I whispered. “I never saw it coming. I never expected this from her. I feel totally blind-sided.”

“You’ve got to admit that she’s been acting a little different since Quella moved in. You knew something was up.”

I closed my eyes as Dale took a seat at the kitchen table.

“I didn’t think she could be influenced so easily.”

“Remind me of her words again?”

“Don’t make me relive it.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms.

Dale shot me a glum smile. “I just recall you saying that she needed a break for
now
...that doesn’t mean forever. I don’t think calling her every day is helping. Maybe you need to respect her wishes.”

“I can’t give up on her. I can’t just let her go.”

“It’s not your choice, man.”

I met Dale’s sympathetic look with a dark wrath. Shooting out of my chair, I kicked it away from me. It toppled to the floor with a loud crash.

“I can’t buy it! I can’t believe that she would go from loved up to breaking off in one weekend.”

“What happened down in San Diego?”

“I don’t know. I thought things were pretty good! I mean, yeah, I probably lectured her a little too hard on the way back, telling her to stop feeling so responsible for Quella, but I didn’t think she’d take it to this extreme. What, is her roommate a witch or something? Has mind-controlling powers?”

Dale snickered, but swiftly swallowed it down when I looked at him.

“Or maybe Caity just needs some time to figure out what she needs.”

“If I could talk to her...if she’d only listen to me, I know I could change her mind.”

“People need to walk their own journeys, in their own time. Forcing a feeling doesn’t work, dude.”

I shook my head, unwilling to listen.

“School gets out today and then she’s taking off with Quella. I can’t let that happen.”

“Eric—”

“I’ve got to find her.” I spun out of the kitchen, snatching my keys off the side table. “If I can talk to her, I know I can make this right.”

“She wants space!”

“I’ve given her a week!” I threw my arms wide. “She’s not leaving without talking to me.”

I wanted to punch the pained expression right off Dale’s face.

“What!”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m kind of worried that you’ll only push her away even more.”

Letting out a soft curse, I squeezed the keys in my hand until it hurt.

“I’ll hate myself forever if I don’t at least try. If I see her today and she still doesn’t want me, I’ll walk away.” The words fell out of my mouth, broken and splintered.

Dale didn’t say another word as I walked out the door.

I drove in tense silence, not even bothering with the radio. All I could think about was Caity and what I’d say to her. I only had one class this morning and I’d driven back home straight after it. I had no idea what I wanted to do for Thanksgiving anymore. Caity and I were supposed to have lunch with her family and then watch football with my mom and Cliff. Those plans were shot to hell...unless I could say the right thing today.

It took me a while to remember which classes Caity had today. I started at her dorm, but no one was there. Her room was locked up tight, freaking me out for a second.

Had she left already?

But then I remembered that she had a Comparative Literature class at two.

I checked my watch and raced down the stairs. If I hurried, I’d be able to catch her as she was coming out.

There was a nip in the air as I burst out of the building. Winter was well on its way now and it felt like it could be a cold one. I ignored the chill and strode towards the right building, trying to figure out a good place to wait.

I was scanning the area when my body froze.

There she was, walking towards me with her head lowered and her binder hugged tight against her chest.

She glanced up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, coming to an abrupt stop when she saw me. Her blue eyes grew large, a look of delight fluttering across her face before she caught herself. She made a move towards me, but then jerked still.

Her smile evaporated, a look of annoyance taking over her expression. Her eyes quickly glassed with tears. She blinked rapidly, biting on her lip and shaking her head.

“Caity, I just want to talk.” I took a step toward her.

She backed away.

Her lips pinched into a tight line, like she was wrestling a demon on one shoulder and an angel on another.

“Please.”

She shook her head again, punching out a sharp, “No.”

“Caity, come on.”

“No.” It was more of a sobbing whine this time, her face cresting with agony. Closing her eyes, she spun on her heel, her movements sharp and tight.

“Caity, wait!”

“NO!” She shook her head again. “I told you to leave me alone! I don’t want you.” The words punched out of her like machine gun fire...and they killed me.

I couldn’t move for a minute. I just stood there, watching her run away from me, awkwardly holding her folder and pumping her arms, creating a distance between us as fast as she possibly could.

She didn’t want me.

My throat burned, my eyes stung and I was finding it hard to breathe.

I had to get out of there.

My limbs felt like they were made of brittle wood as I turned back for my car.

She wouldn’t even let me talk to her.

She didn’t want me.

Those four words hammered themselves into my brain, like some sick mantra I had heard a million times before.

People didn’t want me.

Sucking in a ragged breath, I picked up my pace and sprinted to my car, wanting to punch, kick, kill.

I had to get out.

I had to get to Gramps before my reckless anger made me do something stupid.

Caitlyn

“Okay, Caity, you need to calm down.” Kaplan’s voice was sharp in my ear.

“Shut up! Shut up!” I sobbed. “I ran, okay. I ran from him.” I seethed out the words, hating her with every fiber of my being. Nestling myself into a small alcove, I doubled over, sucking in lungfuls of air and trying not to relive the broken despair on Eric’s face.

I’d told him I didn’t want him. I knew that’d be the only way to get him to leave me alone...and I hated myself for it.

The second I saw him, I’d wanted to run into his arms, but Kaplan had been yelling in my ear, telling me to back off.

“I am watching you and if you take one more step, I’m heading to the post office and mailing that file to Marchant. Walk away! NOW!”

My lips quivered and I struggled to rein in my emotions. I’d been a ball of nerves all week. If I wasn’t stressing about breaking my boyfriend’s heart, letting down my family and pissing off Nicole, I was freaking out about getting in a car with Quella and traveling to a den of lions.

I couldn’t do this.

I wasn’t capable!

“It’s three-fifteen. You need to start heading back to the dorm to get ready. Quella’s car leaves at four.”

“Just give me a minute.”

“You don’t have a minute! Move your ass.”

“Kaplan,” I snapped. “For the record, I hate your fucking guts!”

There was a long beat of silence. I breathed into it, anxiously awaiting her retaliation. With a frown, I pressed the plastic piece into my ear, making sure it was still working.

“Luckily for you,” she finally quipped, “I don’t give a shit what you think...as long as you do what you're told.”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the cold stone bricks. I didn’t want to move; I wanted to stay frozen to this spot until it was over, but my logical brain kept shouting at me.

It won’t be over unless you move!

With a heavy sigh, I pushed off the wall just as Rhodes’s voice came into my ear.

“You know, I’d normally say language like that from a mouth as cute as yours is really quite ugly, but...” He chuckled. “That was pure poetry, Caity. I’m so glad I was standing in the van to hear it.”

I snickered, comforted by the sound of his voice.

“Where are you guys?”

“On the road, outside your class. We’ll be moving with you as you head back to the dorm.”

“Where’s Kaplan?”

“Ahhh, she’s taking a...break.”

“Oh, man,” I mumbled, trying not to look like a crazy lady talking to herself. “She’s gonna pay me back for that, isn’t she?”

“Nah, I actually think she appreciates it when you show a little fire. But you did piss her off.”

“As long as she’s not going to the post office.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

I closed my eyes, his soft words acting like a balm. “Thank you.”

“You know I’ve got your back.”

I nodded, hoping he meant it. The weight of my upcoming weekend crashed over me again, restricting my chest. I opened my eyes, forcing my body back to my dorm when, for the second time that day, I jerked to a stop.

Dale was walking towards me. He was looking the other way and part of me was tempted to duck my head and keep moving, but I couldn’t.

The idea of a chance flickered inside me. Nerves scuttled through my body like hungry crabs. I clutched the binder to my chest and stepped into his path.

“Hey.” The word punched out of my mouth, sounding sharp and unfriendly. I cringed.

Dale glanced over at the sound of my voice, his stride faltering. “Hi.” His smile was soft and sweet as always. Scratching his curls, he came to a stop beside me, his warm gaze quietly analyzing me before saying anything.

I looked to the ground.

“You okay?”

I bit my lip and nodded.

He was still studying me; I could feel it. My lips twitched as I fought the question, but then I couldn’t help myself. “Did you see Eric, just now?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I was heading to my last class before break.” He pointed at me. “Did you see him?”

I pressed my lips together and went for a lie, shaking my head. “I—I just wanted to know if he was okay.”

“In all honesty, Caity, he’s not great.”

I flinched. I already knew that. I’d seen his face as I made it a million times worse. All his childhood wounds would have been unearthed with my one soul-destroying statement. If only I could take it back, make it better, give him a reason to forgive me.

My face crumpled, worry skirting through me as I entertained my idea. Kaplan would kill me and then head straight to the post office.

But only if she found out.

I had to tell Eric. I couldn’t go away with my
I don’t want you
statement hanging between us. I had to let him in on my lies. I’d be gone in an hour anyway; Kaplan would get what she wanted and Eric would stay safe.

And standing in front of me was my one and only chance to do it.

I flipped open my binder, tearing out a sheet of lined paper.

“What are you doing?” Rhodes voice shot into my ear.

I cleared my throat, forcing my stance to relax. “I hope he’s going to be okay.”

“He’s pretty cut up, Caity.”

“I know.” I stared at the concrete beneath my feet, my mind working overtime as I tried to think how to pass on my message without Kaplan finding out and unleashing some foreign mafia on my boyfriend.

“Look, it’s none of my business.” Dale waved his hand. “I guess we’re just kind of surprised.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it does feel out of the blue, which is totally my fault. The curse of being a people-pleaser, I guess.” I punched out a hollow laugh.

“I thought Eric and you were really great together. I thought he made you happy.”

My nose wrinkled as I fought off a fresh wave of tears.

“Time. I just want a little time.” I cleared my throat. “Hey, listen, um, I’m heading out of town for a couple of days...for Thanksgiving.”

“Yeah, Eric told me. Quella, right?”

I frowned, wondering how Eric knew that.

“Yeah, she invited me, so...” I shrugged.

Dale nodded, obviously not impressed that I was choosing Quella over my original plans.

“I know you probably think it’s weird, but this feels like the right decision for now.”

Dale nodded. “I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.”

“Yeah, uh-huh. That—that’s what I was thinking.”

“Would you wrap this up? You’re leaving in thirty minutes and Kaplan will be back any second.”

It was a real effort not to react to Rhodes’s warning in my ear. My lips pushed into a tight smile before I gazed down at the note of paper I’d ripped from my binder.

There was no way I could get this note to Eric without Rhodes seeing. I gazed across at Dale as a handful of new lies filtered into my head.

I dug into my bag for a pen and yanked one free.

“Hey, can you pass on a message to Nicole for me. We were supposed to get together on Friday to talk wedding plans.”

“Were you?” Dale frowned.

“Yeah, you guys are spending Thanksgiving with your sister this year and since you’re staying in town, we wanted to take advantage of that.” I gave him a wide-eyed stare, nodding my head emphatically and probably being way too obvious.

His eyes narrowed and I looked away from his suspicion with a shaky laugh, clicking on my pen and scribbling out my note.

“After her last phone call, I didn’t think she’d want to, but I checked my phone this morning and she hasn’t cancelled on me yet, so I’m guessing she still thinks it’s on.”

I glanced up at his reluctant expression. “Why don’t you just call her...or text her with the truth. I’m sure she’d be a listening ear if you needed her to be.”

Shaking my head with a quick snigger, I wrote the name on the front of the note and put the pen back into my bag. “She’ll probably spend the whole time telling me off for breaking Eric’s heart and I don’t think I can sit through that again.” I zipped up my bag and looked at him.

He gave in with a small nod and chuckled.

“I don’t want to get into a texting frenzy with her, either. I just
need
to get away and if anyone can talk me out of it, it’s her.” I held out the note to him.

His hands remained in his pockets as he stared reluctantly at the folded piece of paper.

“Please. Give her the note. At least by the time she gets it, I’ll already be gone.”

With a sigh, he took it from my hand. “Chicken.”

I gave him a sheepish grin and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, unable to take my eyes off him as he read the name on the front.

ERIC

His eyes snapped towards mine and I held his gaze, silently pleading for him not to ask.

A wave of understanding washed over his expression, followed by instant concern.

“Thanks for your help, and I hope she doesn’t shoot the messenger.” I chuckled, grateful when he forced a grin of his own.

“I’m sure I can talk her around.” He slid it into his back pocket. “I’ll give it to her as soon as I get home.”

“Thanks.” I nodded, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

“Have a good time away.” Dale’s sincere gaze nearly crushed me. “You take care of yourself.”

“I will. Thanks for understanding.” My smile was watery and I couldn’t help myself. With a sniff, I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed tight. He hugged me back, patting my shoulder a couple of times before letting me go.

“See ya later, Dale.” I raised my hand with a short farewell wave and spun away from him before he could say anything else.

I didn’t want to turn around to see if he was still watching me. Instead, I rested my chin on my binder and scurried away.

“Okay, now that all your gush is behind us,” Kaplan spat. I cringed, hating that she was back in my ear again. “Can we please focus on the job at hand? You’re leaving in twenty minutes, so start running, blondie.”

I did what I was told, picking up my pace and hurrying back to my dorm. A small smile tugged at my lips as I raced up the stairs to my room. I closed the door behind me, checking the room was empty before leaning my head against the wood and letting my smile grow.

I’d gotten a note to Eric.

Thanks to Dale, the truth was now heading straight for my boyfriend. The security in knowing that outweighed the fear of my pending trip.

The fact that I’d managed to do it right under Kaplan’s nose was freaking epic. Insanely, I felt like doing a little happy dance. The relief was intense. Eric would read my letter and finally have a chance to understand my bizarre behavior. It would explain everything...and then he would forgive me.

My job now was to make this Thanksgiving trip count. My brain switched into work mode, snapping off my emotions as I hauled my bag off the bed and checked that I hadn’t forgotten anything.

This trip better work, because when I returned, I was winning my boyfriend back. I didn’t care what it took. As soon as these girls were safe, I was washing my hands of Kaplan and making sure she could never touch me, or Eric, again.

All I had to hope now was that he’d get my note before writing me off for good.