Trust Me When the Sun Goes Down (31 page)
Read Trust Me When the Sun Goes Down Online
Authors: Lisa Olsen
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Horror, #Occult, #Romance, #New Adult & College, #Paranormal, #Vampires
“They didn’t have chocolate explosion, I got you peanut butter cup instead,” Carter called out, setting the bag on the kitchen counter.
My things were packed up by the front door, I was surprised he’d missed them. “I have to go home,” I said softly.
“Relax, I can go back out and get the damn ice cream. You don’t have to make a federal case out of it,” he scowled.
“Carter, I have to go home,” I tried again. It was important to me for him to understand that I wasn’t abandoning our cause on a whim. “I need to talk to Rob.”
He shook his head, ice cream forgotten. “Don’t do this. You deserve better than that.”
“I have to, he’s dying because of me.” I gave him a brief rundown of Bishop’s visit, leaving out the sexy bits and explaining the nature of the revelations in the diary. To my surprise, the facts didn’t lead to the same conclusions for Carter as they had for me.
“That’s all ancient history. You don’t know if he’s dying or not. Call Maggie and have her find out if you’re curious. But don’t abandon what we’ve started. We have so much more to accomplish together.”
“I know, but I owe him at least a face to face conversation about this. Whether he’s sick now or not, he deserves to know.”
“He doesn’t deserve squat after what he did to you. Send him a letter and be done with it.”
“You heard what was in that diary, it’s not all his fault.”
“Don’t you dare make excuses for him,” he growled, more incensed over it than I’d ever seen him. “What he did was a shitty thing, and you can’t seriously be thinking about going back to him.”
Taken aback by the emotion in his voice, I could only blink at him for long seconds until I found my voice again. “I honestly don’t know where this is going to go. I only know I have to see him and I need to know he’s not dying because of Jakob’s curse.”
“Then set him free. You’ve already cut him out of your life, but you haven’t quite let go yet. Enough weepy music and chocolate therapy. It’s time to look to the future.” Carter grabbed hold of my elbows, his face intent. “So move on, here with me.”
“With you?” Was he serious? Apart from playful banter, he’d never made a pass at me, not once. “Carter, you and I, we’re not… we’re friends.”
“I know, but we don’t have to be. We could be more.”
It wasn’t love I saw in his eyes, but a desperate plea to keep the loneliness at bay. I realized then he’d never had a friendship like ours before. He’d been alone since the day he’d broken free and killed his sister. I felt for him, but it wasn’t something to build a future together on. “You don’t love me any more than I love you.”
“Maybe not,” he allowed, and I could see I was right. If he’d loved me, he wouldn’t have accepted my rejection so easily. “We make a good team though. We’d be good together.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to figure this out.”
“Aw, Anja, don’t let it end like this. We’re doing important work here.”
“You can keep doing it without me, it’ll just be a little more difficult without my compulsion. I know you can manage a creative solution on your own,” I smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. “Keep fighting the good fight.”
He let go of me, slouching against the fridge. “You’re not coming back, are you?”
I hadn’t admitted it to myself yet, but the moment he said it, I knew it was true. “I shouldn’t have run away in the first place.”
He nodded, looking away. And then he rolled his shoulders, the emotions disappearing from his face as he cleared his throat. “Alright then. Stay frosty, remember everything I taught you. It’s a dangerous world out there.”
“And I’m glad to have had you in mine today,” I smiled, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. “Take care, Carter. I’ll see you around.”
“G’bye, sunshine. It’s been an honor and a privilege.”
I gathered my things and stepped out into the hall to find Bishop waiting by the elevator.
“All set?” he asked, taking my bag from me.
“Yep,” I replied, taking a last look over my shoulder as I said goodbye to the life I’d started in Chicago.
“Were the two of you, um…?” Bishop seemed to have taken my last look back as a sign of something else. He must not have been watching me for very long.
“No, it was never like that.” I shook my head. “But he was right, we did make a good team. Poor Carter, it’s a solitary world he’s cast himself into, but there was never more than friendship between us. Thank you for not killing him.”
“And risk you taking my head off? I’m not that stupid,” Bishop grinned. When we got to the street, he loaded my bag into the back of a Camry. “I made the arrangements to have the jet take you back to San Francisco. Will you be alright on your own?”
“You’re not coming with me?” I suppose I should’ve expected that, of course he wouldn’t want to stick around for my heart to heart with Rob, but for some reason it caught me off guard.
“No, I’m still trying to find Carys for Jakob.”
“Only for Jakob?” I raised a brow and he gave me an honest shake of the head.
“I don’t know. I thought so. But now, I feel like I owe her at least this much.”
He had as many reasons to find Carys as anyone else now. I could understand that, and it was another reason not to let myself hope for too much of a future together yet. Too many things were up in the air for all of us.
The ride to the airfield was smooth at that time of night, and the private jetway nearly deserted but for the crew prepping my jet. Bishop got me settled in and then turned to me with a bittersweet smile.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” I said and his smile stretched wider.
“That’s my line.”
“Thank you for coming after me, and thank you for stopping before we… you know.”
“I’m still kicking myself over that one.”
“Why
did
you stop me?” I couldn’t help but ask. “You wouldn’t have been forcing me, it was clear I wanted you as much as you wanted me. Why not show me the diary later?”
Whatever reservations I had over the missed opportunity, Bishop didn’t appear to share them. He answered without hesitation. “Because I didn’t want there to be any regrets. And more importantly, I didn’t want it to be about comfort or refuge or rebound. When you choose me, I want it to be forever.”
He sure knew how to make my decision that much harder. I caught him up in a hug, holding tightly while I soaked up enough of his love and support to tide me over for the difficult times ahead. “I do still care about you, Bishop,” I said, pulling back to look at him. “But I need to figure this thing out first. I don’t want to make you any promises.”
“I know, take your time. I’ll be here,” he replied, brushing the hair back over my ear. Perhaps that was the result of immortality? A deeper sense of patience.
I didn’t know what the future would bring. Maybe Carys would crook her finger and he’d come running the instant he found her. Maybe I’d work things out with Rob and we’d find a cure for the curse after all. I knew it was wrong to lead him on, but on the off chance that this was our last time together, I gave in to the desire for one last kiss.
And it was beautiful.
Upside down Spiderman kiss, Scarlett and Rhett against the orange sky, Aragorn and Arwen kissing on the bridge – whatever your vision of a perfect romantic kiss, this blew it out of the water. In that moment, I was his and only his, but that certainty began to cloud when he released me.
“Be safe,” he said gruffly, giving my hands one last squeeze before he released me.
“You too. And tell Jakob he can get his own jet, I’m taking mine back.” Not that it was technically mine anymore since I’d quit being Elder, but I was pretty sure the new one would want it back at some point.
“I will. Any other message?”
“No. If it turns out the only way to destroy this curse is by killing Jakob, I don’t want him on his guard around me. Does that surprise you?” It shocked the hell out of me to have said it out loud, but it was true.
“No. If it turns out that’s the only way, then we’ll figure it out together.”
I followed him to the door of the plane, not quite ready to let him go. “Did you ever wish to be kidnapped by gypsies when you were a boy?” I asked, recalling the dream. I knew it was all in my head, but what he’d said felt more like his history than my imagination.
Bishop thought it was the funniest thing ever, laughing so hard he barely managed to get out, “No.” He laughed some more, reaching up to swipe at his eyes. Any embarrassment I felt was worth it to see him laugh like that. “Gypsies? Where did that come from?”
“Oh, nothing, only a dream I had,” I admitted, waving it off. There wasn’t time to get into what it was about and it probably wasn’t a great idea to let him know I’d had
those
kinds of dreams about him in the first place.
Dream.
The craziest idea came to me then. So obvious, I almost didn’t say anything because why wouldn’t Jakob have already looked there first? “What about that place I saw in my dream? Do you think Carys might be there?”
“What dream?”
“The place where Jakob killed Lodinn’s wife, he showed it to me in a dream. I could see him wanting to keep her there as a kind of revenge. Do you know it?”
“I have no idea where that might be, do you?”
“No, but it’s a cinch Jakob does. What do you think the odds are that he still owns that place? Do you think he could be keeping Carys there?”
“That’s genius!” Bishop’s face lit with excitement and he leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek before starting down the stairs to the tarmac. “I’ll call you and let you know if it pans out.”
“Okay, good luck!” I called out, glad to see him with a bit of direction.
Bishop turned around and blew me a kiss, his voice easily carrying up to my ears despite the drone of the engines kicking on. “I hope we both find what we’re looking for.”
“Me too.” If only I knew what that was.
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Books by Lisa Olsen:
The Company Series:
The Company of Lies (end of 2014)
The Fallen Series:
Forged Bloodlines Series:
Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down
Meet Me When the Sun Goes Down
Find Me When the Sun Goes Down
Miss Me When the Sun Goes Down
Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down
Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down
Release Me When the Sun Goes Down
Trust Me When the Sun Goes Down
Tempt Me When the Sun Goes Down (Early 2015)
The Vampire Diaries:
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Chapter One
West.
“Just keep driving west ‘til you hit water. I’m serious Millie, don’t slow down for more than a pit stop ‘til you get there, or they’ll find you… and they’ll never stop coming...”
Amelia could still hear Luc’s voice, low and urgent in the darkness as he practically pulled her from bed in the dead of night. It took everything she had to keep her concentration on the road and away from the inevitable path it took when she thought back to… how long had it been? Somehow it felt so much longer than the night before. Millie shook herself out of the reverie. She’d do her damnedest to follow Luc’s advice, it was the least she could do after his sacrifice. Her jeep pointed resolutely west, eating up the miles as she went as fast as she dared, given her lack of sleep.
Nearly twenty hours she’d been on the road, stopping only to fill up the little red jeep and her stomach with gas station food. Long past was the time for coffee; Amelia had moved on to energy shot drinks, desperate to keep alert long enough to reach the elusive sanctuary with the grandmother she’d never met.
Though how a grandmother could keep her safe from those animals…
Routinely checking the rearview mirror for signs of pursuit, Amelia spared a moment to wonder how she’d actually spot a tail, since her experience was strictly limited to old reruns of
Charlie’s Angels
. Catching sight of her dark eyes in the mirror, they blinked back at her, red rimmed and puffy from crying. Well, that was to be expected when she’d spent most of the past twenty-four hours blubbering like a little girl. It wasn’t like she normally cried at the drop of a hat. Millie hated showing any weakness in front of others, but if there ever was a good reason to cry… A little surprised she even had tears left, she looked away quickly as they misted over again, focusing on the road.
After a well meaning convenience store clerk offered to call the cops for her if she needed help, she had to take a few minutes to straighten her appearance as best she could in the dingy bathroom. Amelia pulled fingers through wildly tangled hair that normally hung down her back in long chestnut waves. A quick wash of the face made her pale skin less blotchy from crying, and a fevered bit of scrubbing made the few spatters of blood on her shirt look more like old barbecue sauce, though she was keenly aware they were not. If it was unusual for a girl to be out on the road by herself in the middle of the night without a coat or socks, Millie tried to carry it off with deliberate casualness, thankful for the mild weather.
But her eyes – no amount of cool water or cold compresses could remove the haunted look from eyes that had seen more horrors in the past twenty-four hours than anyone had a right to bear.
West. She had to keep going west and find her grandmother in a place called Cutter’s Folly, that was all she could focus on for the moment. Once she got there, well, then she’d have to worry about how to find the woman she’d never laid eyes on. Then she could fall apart and really grieve.
* * *
The wide open expanses of the desert gradually gave way to the mountainous, tree covered terrain once she hit California. Though she had to admit it was pretty in a lush sort of way, Amelia found herself wary at being so surrounded. Especially knowing there were others out there tracking her, if Luc was to be believed.
The closer she got to Cutter’s Folly, she found herself more and more on edge – the lack of sleep and energy drinks making her jump at shadows both real and imagined. It was only by a stroke of luck she managed to see the exit sign that led to Cutter’s Folly. Whether by neglect or design, an ancient pine tree all but obscured the sign, the exit masked by a cover of undergrowth. Almost as though the forest had reclaimed the road for itself.
Tired as she was, Amelia almost missed it, but for the sudden break in the cloud cover and the emergence of the moon, pale and luminous, reflecting the visible corner of the sign. Slamming on the brakes, Amelia guided the sturdy jeep onto the narrow road.
“Not at all creepy…” she murmured to herself as the canopy of surrounding woods instantly swallowed the moon’s pale light.
On and on the twisting road brought her deeper into the pass through the mountains. While the road itself was in good shape, it was slow going with all the leaves and branches obscuring the pavement, straining her already frayed senses. Just about to debate turning back and waiting for morning, the trees parted to give her a view of the town glistening like a hidden jewel in the valley below. Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of lights and civilization, Millie gave a shuddering laugh at herself for being so jumpy.
The trees grew less dense as she neared the town, and Amelia found the oppressive gloom of the forest fading. Of course, that left plenty of room for more mundane worries. Other than her grandmother’s first name, she had no idea whatsoever how to find the woman. No idea what she looked like, or even if she was still alive except for the absolute certainty in her brother’s voice. How hard could it be to find a woman in a town that size? Especially one where she’d lived all her life?
Apparently harder than she’d thought.
At eight p.m. most of the shops lining the main street were dark or locked up tight, as was the gas station. Not that Tres Cruces, New Mexico had been a thriving metropolis. At least they had their share of twenty-four hour gas stations and mini marts, and even a decent bar or two. There were people out strolling on foot in Cutter’s Folly, but Millie was leery of approaching total strangers on the street to ask after her grandmother with Luc’s warning still ringing in her ears.
As she continued to the end of the main thoroughfare, the only place that proved to be a Mecca for the townspeople was a pub called The Muddy Rudder, decorated in a fisherman’s motif. Muted strains of The Grateful Dead punctuated by rowdy laughter drifted on the night breeze as she neared the heavy, wooden door, pulling on it with a soft groan. The moment she stepped into the bar, conversation died as all eyes swung towards her.
Sure a girl likes to be looked at, but this is ridiculous…
Resisting the urge to scowl at the nosiest patrons, Amelia pasted on a tight lipped smile as she made her way to the bar, hoping some of the interest would fade in a minute or two. A thick lipped bartender shuffled over, openly gaping at her as he swabbed the bar with a rag that had seen better days. “Help you, miss?”
“Ah yes, cup of coffee, please?” Amelia gave him a polite smile, noting with dismay that there were no Visa or MasterCard logos anywhere by the ancient cash register. There went more of her precious cash. She could only hope she’d have better luck at the local motel or she’d be sleeping in the back of her jeep.
“Coffee…” he repeated, staring at her as if she’d spoken a foreign language.
“Yeah, coffee? Anything hot really.”
The bartender scratched behind his ear. “I got hot cider, that be alright, miss?”
Hot cider. She hadn’t had hot cider in years. “Sure, that sounds fine,” she nodded, letting him off the hook and he shuffled off to fetch her drink.
Conversation started up again in muted tones, and though not everyone stared so much at her anymore, there were still an inordinate amount of glances in her direction. Refusing to let them cow her, she stared back brazenly at anyone she caught looking. The cider delivered a minute later, Millie savored the warmth of the mug and the spices that tickled her nose. Closing her eyes to the outside world, she allowed herself a moment of liquid comfort.
Feeling decidedly warmer and rapidly losing her inhibitions at talking to complete strangers, Amelia decided to get down to business. “Excuse me, sir?” she called out to the bartender again. “I wonder if you can help me find somebody here in town.”
The bartender’s bushy brows rose a fraction as he set down the carafe. “Who are you looking for?”
“My grandmother, Adele. She’s ah… in her early sixties, I think.” Amelia frowned. She had no idea how old the woman actually was or what she looked like. The bartender reverted back to staring again, and she began to wonder if he was a little slow between the ears. “She ah, she had a son named Remy but he moved away before I was born… Did I say something wrong?” The furrow across her brow deepened as the bartender backed away from her, eyes fixed on a point over her shoulder. “Now what?” she muttered.
“You’ll have to forgive Hugo, he doesn’t get to talk to pretty girls very often. He’s a bit shy,” a low voice offered at her ear.
Startled by the close proximity, Amelia flinched, sloshing a bit of the hot cider onto her lap. With a hiss, she grabbed a cocktail napkin to swab up the mess. “That’s a really good trick, sending a girl to the burn unit. Do you get a lot of dates this way?” She scowled instinctively before her eyes lifted.
To say he was good looking would be an understatement, with his long, lean form and broad shoulders. A dark, intense gaze came from beneath sun-streaked brown hair that reached almost his chin in a dangerous, unkempt look that probably took him the better part of an hour to cultivate. The perfect tilt of his lips proved he was well aware of the whole package he projected, almost predatory in nature. Millie found that even knowing his type didn’t make her immune to the power of his smile.
“To be fair, most girls are drinking something cool, not hot. So… I can’t say I’ve been disappointed in the number of tops removed at a good accidental spill,” he smirked. “But I’m sorry if you were hurt.”
“Yeah well, I’m not stripping down to my panties, so…” she smirked back, tossing the wadded napkin onto the bar. “I’m alright. The cider probably smells better than I do anyway.”
“For the record, I happen to think you smell delicious.” His grin turned wolfish, cementing her image of him as a predator. “Though by the look of things, it’s not your first food related casualty of the day.” He reached out to smooth his finger over the faint brown stain on the edge of her shirt, brows drawing together into a single dark line. “At least this one was without bloodshed.”
“How did you know it was blood?” Now it was time for her brows to rise in confusion and surprise. Ignoring her question, he continued to stare at the stains.
“It’s not your blood is it?”
“No, it’s not.” Millie dropped her gaze, not able to bring herself to offer more details to a total stranger in a bar. The hot cider had muted her pain for a few minutes, but the sight of Luc’s blood spattered on her shirt brought it all back in vivid detail. With an effort, she pushed it back into the private space in her heart to keep for later when she was alone. “Look, I can respect the whole
on the make
thing you’ve got going on, but it’s really not a good time for me right now, okay? I’m looking for my grandmother. Her name is Adele, and she lives here in Cutter’s Folly. Do you happen to know who and where she is?” Her voice raw with emotion, Amelia pleaded with him to drop the smarmy pick up lines for the time being and recognize that she needed a little help. Thankfully, he seemed to grasp her need and nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry, Amelie. Yes, I can take you to your grandmother. She’s…”
The door opened, and all eyes were riveted to the slight figure who stood there, commanding all with her steely gaze, carriage stiff and regal as though they were her subjects. If the room had fallen silent at Millie’s earlier entrance, it was nothing compared to the way everyone went perfectly still, as if not wanting to draw her attention.
What was it with the town?
“She’s right over there,” he finished, backing away.
“My name’s not Amelie…” Millie started to correct him before the door swung open again. It was pretty damn close to her name, and she wondered what made him call her that, but those thoughts were deflected by the sudden appearance of her grandmother. The old woman’s sharp gaze examined her critically, and Amelia simply stared back as the silver haired woman strode towards her.
Pausing directly in front of her, Adele’s haughty expression broke, warmth piercing those grey eyes. “Welcome home, my dear.” She reached out to touch Amelia’s chin, turning her face first one way and then the other. “You’ve been through quite an ordeal I’ll wager, but you’re safe now. You will always be safe in Cutter’s Folly.” Her voice rose at the last, more of a declaration to the room than a private conversation, though her gaze never left her granddaughter’s face.
“Grandmother,” Millie replied uneasily, not sure whether to hug her or genuflect. Not ever having had a grandmother around to bake cookies with, her expectations were uncertain to begin with, but Adele’s manner so far was just plain weird. Her mode of speech sounded oddly formal, as if English might not be her first language, but there wasn’t much of an accent to her voice.
Adele released the hold on her chin and beckoned to the door. “Come, it’s late, we have much to discuss,” she ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.
“Just a sec, I need to pay for my drink,” Millie protested, digging into her purse, but Adele waved away the concern, already leading her to the door.
“It will be taken care of.”
“Ah… okay.” A quick look back to Hugo the bartender confirmed he didn’t seem all that worried about getting paid, so she followed along, wondering what had happened to her admirer. Not so suave now was he?
Afraid of a little old lady…