“The store,” he said with a mischievous grin.
“Duh,” I said, trying a brighter smile in return. I failed miserably, though. It’s not an easy task when your heart is heavy.
“You’ll just have to wait and see when you open it,” he said, turning back into the kitchen. “Come and eat.”
As I listened to the crackle of the fast food bag, I tried to push the doubts and reservations from my mind and pull out my most convincing “normal” demeanor. When I felt like I had been moderately successful, I reluctantly got up and went into the kitchen.
Over a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit, I did my best to smile a lot and chat about all the things I might normally chat about. But behind my attentive eyes and easy laugh I was elsewhere, hatching a plan. And though it gave me a modicum of comfort to be in control of something, I could feel my mood growing darker and darker as the day wore on.
By the time the sun had set, I was extremely anxious and my heart felt like lead in my chest. I had let myself care far too much for Derek, especially considering that I hardly knew anything about him. I’d let my emotions have free reign and now that misstep was coming back to bite me. And it had nasty teeth.
I was not to be deterred, however, so that night, true to the habit we’d fallen into, I got ready for bed and laid down, leaving my bedside lamp to shine brightly into the corners. I turned on my side and closed my eyes. I slowed my breathing as much as I could and purposely relaxed my muscles, pretending to fall asleep. But inside, I was a bundle of nerves. I just hoped that if Derek could feel my anxiety, he’d attribute it to something else. It’s not like there was a lack of sources of turmoil in my life.
About two hours after I’d gone to bed, I heard Derek’s footsteps. They padded softly across my bedroom floor and stopped beside the bed. He must’ve been watching me because there was a full minute’s delay before he turned off the light and slid into bed beside me.
As usual, he pulled me into his arms and, as usual, I went willingly. His lips brushed my forehead and he whispered something I couldn’t quite make out before he stilled. I lay perfectly motionless until I heard his breathing become deep and even.
I don’t know how long we lay like that. I must’ve dozed off at some point because I came awake when Derek gently shifted and pulled away. I let him rearrange my limbs, making them as heavy and limp as possible. Then I listened as he quietly made his way from my room.
As soon as I heard the door from the kitchen open and close, I leapt up and threw on the jeans and sweatshirt that I had readied just inside my closet. I pushed my feet into my shoes and hurried to the door.
Derek quietly slid the garage door open and I watched as he pushed his bike down the driveway. I grabbed the Camaro keys from the hook beside the door and stepped out into the garage.
When he fired up the motorcycle’s engine, I ran to the car and started it as well. As soon as he was out of sight, I backed out of the driveway and flew down the street after him.
I reached the stop sign and said a silent prayer that he took a left. That was the direction that most everything was from my house so I figured that’s the way he’d go. I made the turn and sped up, looking for the single tail light of his bike.
Finally, it came into view. I slowed to avoid him paying too much attention to who was behind him. I just needed to keep him barely in sight, just enough to see if and when he turned.
We made several turns. Never did he drive any differently or let on that he knew I was back there. I could only assume that I had remained undetected.
After a few minutes, I found that I was anticipating his moves and that was because the roads were familiar to me. I knew where he was going.
Derek made the final right turn that would take him to the forks. I hung back so that he could drive ahead and not see me stop behind him. I killed the lights, pulled the car onto the shoulder and parked, climbing out quickly and making my way across the road and into the forest. I assumed he was going to the clearing and decided I would take a slightly different path to it so that he wouldn’t hear me following him.
It took me a bit longer to get there from my convoluted approach, but when I reached the small open area in the woods, my suspicion was confirmed. There, standing in the middle of the bare trees, was Derek. He was perfectly still and silent, as if he was waiting, but for what I didn’t know.
After several minutes, he finally turned as if he’d heard something. I looked toward the tree line and my heart sank.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Out of the shadows stepped a woman. I watched, spellbound and heartbroken, as she glided across the clearing to where Derek stood.
She was petite, her tiny but perfectly-formed body wrapped in snug black jeans and a jacket. Her long blonde hair hung in luxurious waves down her back and even from a distance I could see the classically beautiful features that the moon shone down upon.
When she reached Derek, she spoke. Though I couldn’t make out the words, I could hear the delicate tinkling of her voice. His response was unintelligible as well, just a rumble in the cool night air. The woman threw back her head and laughed, a seductive sound that made my stomach clench in misery.
She stepped closer to Derek, laying one hand on his arm and leaning in to his body. It was such an intimate gesture, I had to look away. And, though my heart was breaking, I had to know what they were saying.
As quietly as I could, I made my way through the trees to a position still hidden from view, but hopefully one that was within earshot.
It was.
“…my brother. I’ve done everything you’ve asked, told you everything you wanted to know.”
“What if I agreed to give you what you want most—your brother—for the small price of your…influence over her?”
I watched Derek’s expression, his lips tightening as an internal debate raged within him. “Why do you want her so badly?”
“She’s going to be one of my greatest weapons,” the woman said excitedly.
“How is that?”
“Why don’t you leave the details to me?”
“I want to know what you have planned for her before I turn her over to you.”
“Nothing you need to worry your handsome head over, Derek,” she purred.
The woman took Derek’s arm and led him to the other side of the clearing, away from me, where I could no longer hear their conversation. It didn’t matter. I’d heard enough.
I leaned back against the tree I was hiding behind and pulled my arms up to my chest. It felt as if someone was literally tearing out something from inside me. I felt the sting of tears at the back of my eyes and knew that I had to get moving before I made a complete fool of myself.