Gia looked at me. “Funny. She just wants to hang out. Talk.”
“She loves you.”
“No. She needs someone to give her attention. She can’t function alone and without attention. Shit. I better get going.”
“Are you sure about the clothes and shoes?” I asked. “This stuff can’t be cheap.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing we’re rich,” Gia said.
Gia got to her feet and jogged away to get her orange cones and go home.
I sat back on my heels and my fingertips flirted with the sand.
I guess I was a runner now, huh?
I laughed.
My plan was to stick to what I said before… I was only going to run if someone was chasing after me.
Simple as that.
I curled my fingers into the sand and smiled.
At the same time I got that I’m being watched feeling again.
A tingling feeling on the back of my neck that pushed through my body to the front of my chest.
It was like when you watched a scary movie and then had to walk through your house and you were creeped out that something was going to happen.
A feeling of eerie dread.
I licked my lips.
My mouth started to go dry.
Very slowly, I looked to my left.
I squinted my eyes and looked as hard as I could.
There was nothing visible.
I looked the other way.
Nothing.
I carefully stood up, my legs were rubbery and burning.
I stepped back and turned to face my mother’s beach house.
That’s where it was coming from.
Not the house… but somewhere around the house.
I felt watched.
I couldn’t see a thing but I felt… watched…
The horror movie feeling hit me again and hit me hard.
So I put my shoes to use and started to run.
The run to the deck of the beach house could have been ten miles with the way my nerves and heart were racing.
I ran up the steps and ran into the house.
I locked the door but didn’t feel safe at all.
My mother wasn’t coming home tonight, so the beach house was all mine.
I liked it that way… but I didn’t like this feeling.
I went up the steps and into my bedroom, shutting and locking that door too.
After taking a few deep breaths, I told myself to take a shower and relax.
Everything was fine.
I was home.
I was safe at home.
“Safe at home,” I whispered.
Except this wasn’t home.
And being near Noah, Easton, and Xavier… I wasn’t safe.
I took an extra-long hot shower.
It seemed kind of dumb to do, right?
Like if I thought I was being followed, why get into the shower?
Then again, that was just the kind of proof I needed to show myself that I was fine. I was being goofy and paranoid over everything happening.
It was Gia’s fault too.
For making me run.
For talking about my feelings for the guys.
And then taking off on me.
I had no clue how to address any feelings I may or may not have had.
All I needed to do was shut my eyes and remember the feeling of speeding down the road and Tank not being able to turn, or stop. The feeling of trying to get into the backseat, hoping that would save myself.
I didn’t shut my eyes and remember that.
I didn’t want to.
Instead, I shut off the water and climbed out of the shower.
The bathroom was steamed up pretty bad, but it was comforting.
I grabbed a towel and left the bathroom.
I shivered as I walked across the floor to my bed.
I threw on a pair of shorts and a hoodie.
After I dried my hair the best I could with the towel, I threw it into the bathroom and that was that.
I plopped down on my bed and grabbed my phone.
I couldn’t text Gia.
She was busy.
I really had nobody else to text.
It was a bit of a lonely feeling, but it had its purpose.
I stood up and walked outside to the balcony off my bedroom.
I looked out to the ocean.
It was the perfect night for thinking. For being alone and thinking. So I could plan everything else out.
Because I needed…
My eyes moved down.
I leaned against the railing.
I blinked a few times but swore someone was looking up at me.
It was so dark out and I couldn’t tell if my mind was playing tricks on me.
I eased back and took a deep breath.
“Stop it, Winter,” I said.
I moved forward again and looked down.
That’s when I saw movement.
I gasped.
“Hello?” I called out.
The figure moved again.
Whoever it was, they were dressed all in black.
The call of my hello sent them running.
Around to the side of the beach house…
I ran to the end of the balcony and almost fell over the railing as I tried to see.
For a split second, I saw the figure and I swore I saw a vehicle waiting too.
I thought I saw the quick flash of brake lights.
I leaned again but I didn’t have a good view or angle to see anything .
At least not without risking my life by falling off the balcony and probably killing myself.
I pushed back from the railing and ran into my bedroom again.
I ran to the bedroom door and made sure it was locked.
My heart slammed inside my chest.
I backed away from the door.
I needed to do something.
My eyes stopped at my phone on the bed.
I bit my lip.
I knew what I needed to do.
Chapter 8
sweat, fresh, smoke
Where are you?
I stared down at my phone, waiting.
If this didn’t work then I would have to call my mother. If I called her for this, I would never live it down. And if I called the police, what would they do? There was nothing anyone could do. It was my mind messing with me. Maybe.
Or maybe someone was trying to-
I heard the knock at my bedroom door and I let out a yell.
I ran to the door and paused.
“Who is it?”
“Santa Claus,” Talon’s voice said. “Ho-ho-ho…”
I unlocked the door and opened it.
“What are… oh, damn, darling,” Talon said.
“What?”
“You look scared.”
“I am scared,” I said. “Why do you think I texted you?”
“What’s going on?” Talon asked.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy, Talon…”
“You know, you really fucked up my night here,” he said. “So I’m not in the mood to mess around. Talk, or I leave.”
“I think someone is following me.”
“What?”
“I got this feeling before… like someone was watching me. I let it go. Then I thought someone was following me. But tonight, the same thing happened. Gia went home and I was alone on the beach. I got the feeling but I didn’t see anything. So I came inside, took a shower and-”
“I can see that,” Talon said. He touched my wet hair. “I like your hair like this. All wet. You know what it makes me think of?”
“Let me guess… something else getting wet?”