~
After only working for an hour, that feeling of being watched hits me again. I keep my eyes open for anything unusual as I carry drinks to a table of four. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary but I know someone is watching me. The chills that are tickling my spine send a harsh shiver over my body.
I take the tables’ orders—the usual burger and fries combo—and return to the window to give it to Jackson. Kelsey is standing there waiting on an order, but she looks a little unnerved. I put my order slip on the clip and spin it around for Jackson.
As I’m filling up drinks for another table, I address Kelsey. “Hey, is everything okay?”
Kelsey’s hands are visually shaking as she flips through her orders. “There’s this jerk sitting over in the corner. I tried taking his order but—”
“But what?” My drinks fill to the top and I place them on the counter. I walk over to Kelsey and grab her hands. “Kelsey tell me what happened.”
“He just said some things that have me a little unnerved. It’s like—like he could read into my soul, and he was getting great pleasure from seeing my discomfort.”
“Where is he at?” I look around the café but see no one suspicious.
“He’s over in the corner, hiding behind the jukebox.”
Of course. The small table is only big enough to occupy one person and even the loneliest of the lonely don’t sit back there because it’s so secluded. The one table I would overlook because no one ever sits there.
My breath catches when I meet the eyes of this crude guy. There’s something menacing about his eyes. My own hands start to shake as my legs become weak. I looked into those eyes last night and the same fear I experienced then is happening now. Falon had similar eyes, the same menacing stare that conveyed the knowledge that he could tear a person apart without even thinking about it. I have to get out of here, right now.
I start to back away from Kelsey and turn to leave the café when I run into Briston.
“Whoa there.” Briston steadies me but once he feels my shaking body, he starts looking around. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I don’t want to say anything in public, but before I can give him another story, he turns to Kelsey. “What happened to her?”
“Nothing. I was just telling her about this guy that freaked me out.” Kelsey looks even more unnerved as she takes in my appearance. “Emma are you okay? Did he say something to you too?”
I shake my head. Although he hasn’t said anything to me, I know who—or rather what—he is. He’s a hell hound. He must be with Falon. Are they watching me? Is this hound what’s been giving me the creeps all morning?
When Briston sees the guy Kelsey is pointing out, he stiffens too. Lowering his head, he whispers in my ear. “Is that one of them?”
I nod my head.
“Can you leave?”
My first reaction when I saw the man in the corner was to run, but now I double think that. Taylor called in sick again today, and that would leave Kelsey to handle the dinner rush hour by herself. Jim would fire me on the spot if I did that. Plus, the hound would know I knew something was up. Then what would happen?
I look up to Briston to explain I can’t leave, when the doorbell chimes. I glance over Briston’s shoulder, fearing I might see another hound. But the familiar heads that come bobbing through the door sends a wave of panic through me. The gang. I steal a glance between my friends and the hound in the corner. Why did they have to show up now?
“Hey girl, quit getting frisky with your boy toy and fetch me some food. I’m starved.” Braylee’s voice carries over the loud thrum of customers, as she walks to a table. I back away from Briston, giving him a ‘what else can we do?’ look and head over to their table. As I make my way over, I glance over at the guy in the corner whose eyes are glued to me. There’s no doubt that he’s watching me.
I’m greeted with smiles I can’t match as I stand before my friends. “Hey guys, what will it be?”
Braylee looks around at our friends with a mocking expression. “What will it be guys? We need to hurry and decide so this stranger can hurry back to work.”
“Ha, ha. I’m sorry guys. It’s been a crazy day.” I plop down in the seat beside Chase. “Seriously guys, how have you been?”
“Oh don’t be concerned on our account. If you’re busy, you’re busy.” Braylee picks up her menu and pretends like she’s looking through it, although I already know what she’s going to order. She orders the same thing every time. A bacon cheeseburger with mayo, fries, and a Dr. Pepper. She never eats the cheeseburger, just the fries. The cheeseburger is just a front for whatever guy she’s trying to impress. She likes coming across as a girl who eats whatever she wants with no fear of becoming fat.
Gaige, never being one to pass on an opportunity to mock Braylee, speaks up. “Cut it, Braylee. Emma has been busy working and going to school. Something you wouldn’t know anything about.”
“Is that supposed to be a stab, Gaige? Tell me, how is living off your parents at home these days?” Normally I’d be surprised that Braylee would hash out such a low blow, but in this case I’m not. Gaige applied for many scholarships and received a couple, but none of them were enough to cover the entire tuition. And Gaige’s family isn’t financially stable after the failure of his father’s car dealership last year, so he couldn’t afford to pay the extra out of pocket expense. He never showed it around us, but I knew it had devastated him. Ever since then, he’s been trying to find a job but has been unable to score a call-back, let alone an interview.
Harper is quick to defend Gaige. “At least he made an effort to go to college. If I recall right, the only steps you made were picking up a college catalog to use as a bookmark in your latest playgirl magazine.” I know Braylee can fire back at Harper if she wants too. Braylee always has a comeback ready. But with Chase here, she won’t. Her failed school life is something she is not proud of. Now that school is over, she is starting to feel the effects of not doing so well. She wasn’t about to embarrass herself in front of Chase.
“Anyway,” Braylee draws out the word like it can fill a whole sentence by itself. “Can you take a break? There’s something we are dying to tell you.”
“I wouldn’t say dying to tell her. If it was between telling Emma our little story and dying, I would choose to keep my mouth shut.” Everyone chuckles at Gaige’s jab. There’s never a dull moment when these two are around. Harper thinks Braylee and Gaige should just quit teasing each other, and vent their frustrations out under the sheets. I’m not so sure about that, but who knows; a relationship with Gaige may be what Braylee needs.
I glance around the café to see if I have time for a break. There are only a few tables full and most of them already have their orders. Kelsey waves me on, giving me the go-ahead. Turning back to my friends with a smile, I say. “Let me hear it.”
Braylee jumps into action. I find myself rather excited to hear her story. Braylee can turn any ordinary story into something out of a fairytale.
“Okay, so we went hiking up the ridge yesterday and you will not believe what we found.”
Here it is. The dramatic pause. Braylee loves dramatic pauses. After I tell her to go on, Braylee continues. “At the top of the ridge, trees were uprooted and thrown all around. It was like a tornado had dropped out of the sky, taking revenge on the small patch of forest.”
Gaige and Harper shake their heads with amusement. Chase gives Braylee a look of total adoration as she tells her story.
“That’s it? A windstorm is your big news?”
I jump when I hear Briston’s voice behind me. I hadn’t realized he joined us. Last I seen him, he was talking to Kelsey and surreptitiously eyeing the hound in the corner.
Gaige shakes his head. “That’s not all. Another really odd thing was the gold liquid all over the ground. It was dried on leaves and some of the fallen trees too. I had thought it was paint or something but there was no fume smell.”
Braylee laughs. “You s
hould have seen the idiot sniffing a leaf.”
“I was only trying to figure out what it was.” Gaige says, with a hurt look.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Weird One.” Braylee gives Gaige a smug smile. “It was strange though. It was like the wicked witch of the west tore out of the sky, picked up Dorothy and her wolf, melting her golden shoes in their wake.”
Gaige shakes his head. “And I’m the idiot?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Braylee asks.
Gaige rolls his eyes, then start tipping his fingers. “For one, Dorothy lived in Kansas. She had a dog not a wolf—that my dear, was Little Red Riding Hood. And three, Dorothy’s shoes were rubies, not gold.”
Braylee narrows her eyes at Gaige. “Well thanks for the corrections, Mr. Technicality.”
“When they’re as off-target as yours, yes.” Gaige picks up his menu again and ignores Braylee’s sour face.
Harper jumps in. “Okay guys, let’s finish the story. Emma probably needs to get back to work.”
Braylee tears her narrowed eyes away from Gaige to focus back on me. “Anyway, we searched the area and you will never believe what we found.”
Briston squeezes my shoulders, so I glance up at him. He keeps his eyes locked on the others but tilts his head slightly to the right, gesturing to where our unwelcome guest is sitting. Trying not to look suspicious, I rub my chin on my right shoulder and take a quick peek at the hound.
He has moved, and is now sitting two tables away. I want to tell Braylee to shut up but she would ask me why, and I doubt I can come up with a story she’ll accept.
Hiding my fear, I turn back to my friends and wait for Braylee to reveal her amazing find.
“There, lying on the ground, was a sword.” Braylee’s eyes widen at the memory as she says it. “It was hidden under some leaves and branches. I wouldn’t have found it if it hadn’t glistened in the sun.”
“Hey now,” Gaige says, putting his menu back down. “Who found the sword?”
Chase steps into the conversation, interrupting Braylee’s retort before she can start. “Gaige actually saw the sword first. Braylee happened to be the closest to it. I’ll tell you what, Em, that sword is like nothing I’ve seen before.”
“Do you know anything about swords?” Briston asks Chase.
Chase nods his head. “Well, you know my dad owns some pawn shops. A guy brought in a medieval crusader long sword a few years back, and I kinda got interested in learning more about them. The sword we found yesterday was similar to a medieval sword, but its hilt was coated in gold, with a pair of wings encrusted in silver on both sides. I’ve done some research, but I have never seen one like it. When I went home last night, I did some more research.” Chase shakes his head. “I still couldn’t find anything that is even close to this weapon.”
There’s no doubt in my mind who this sword belong to. Kayson. If Google expert Chase couldn’t find anything, there’s probably nothing there to find. Kayson didn’t say anything about losing a sword, but the encrusted wings kind of point in his direction.
“So where is the sword now?” I ask.
Chase, Harper, and Gaige all turn to Braylee with accusation. Harper speaks up, “Someone refused to let it go.” Harper turns back to me. “She took it and dashed down the ridge like a crazy woman. She got in her car and took off, without another word. She even left Chase behind. The poor guy had to hitch a ride in the back of my Ranger.”
Braylee shrugs her shoulders innocently. “I wanted the sword.” She bumps her shoulder with Chase’s, giving him a sweet smile. “Besides, I already told Chase I was sorry. He holds no grudges.” Braylee examines her hands before laying them flat on the table. “The point is we have a rare sword that we found in the middle of a disaster zone. Now there’s a story.”
Yeah, that is a great story. And if I didn’t know the story behind the sword and the hell hound and angel that fought to the death with the sword, I would have been amazed, instead of deathly afraid. Problem is, I do know the story. I also know what I am going to have to do. I’m going to have to get that sword from Braylee. Kayson needs the sword, especially with a bunch of bloodthirsty hounds running around.
Briston beats me to the questioning. “Braylee, where is the sword now?”
A wicked smile crosses over Braylee’s lips. “Hidden.”
“Hidden where?” Briston tone is hard. He knows just as well as I do that this sword means something. But no one else at the table knows except for us, so they’re a little surprised at his tone.
Braylee gives Briston a sharp look. “What’s it to you Davis?”
Uh-oh. When Braylee uses a last name, it means she’s starting to get irritated. Braylee likes attention but not when it’s in a negative way. Who likes negative attention? The difference between most and Braylee is that she will fight back. When Braylee fights back, she’s vicious.
Time for me to step in. “Well, I would like to see it. It’s not every day you get to see something so unusual.” Although the last few days are an exception to that rule.
Braylee turns from Briston with a snort, to address me. “I won’t tell you where I’m hiding it, but I will bring it by. Will you be home tonight?”
“I’m going back to my parents place tonight.” I answer.
“That’s great. Saves me the drive.”
The conversation falls flat. The way the others keep glancing at Briston, I’m sure they are wondering what is up with him. He never gets short with the others, or anyone for that matter. It is definitely odd behavior for him.
Kelsey walks over looking apologetic. “I’m sorry Emma, but the café is starting to fill up.” Glancing around the room, I see that six more tables have been seated. I got so lost in the story about the sword, I didn’t even think to pay attention. I stand up, aching. And I still have three hours left in my shift.
“I’m on it.” I turn back to my friends before leaving them to fill orders. “I’ll be back in a minute to get your orders.” I felt like I should apologize for having to get back to work. I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but the neglect I have shown them the past few months makes me feel guilty.
When I turn around to make my way to the window, I glance two tables over, and my breath catches in my chest. The loud noise of the customers chatter disappears. All I can hear is my rapid heartbeat. The hound is gone. Did he hear what Braylee and the others were talking about? Of course, he did.
Now they are all in danger too. Braylee is going to have no choice but to give me the sword. Kayson needs it back. Then once they move out of the shed, the threat that has dropped into our lives will disappear. At least I hope it will.
Chapter Seventeen
Sabrina
When I open my eyes from a fitful day of rest, the room is dark. Night must have fallen. My eyes adjust to the lack of light; everything in the room becomes sharp. Kayson is just lying there with his eyes open, staring through the darkness. I stretch my body like a cat before getting up to turn on the bedside lamp.
I shut my eyes once again from the sting of the light. My eyes have to readjust from the sudden brightness. Once the burn is gone, I open them to meet Kayson’s eyes. He’s staring at me with a fond smile.
“What is it?” I ask nervously. If I had a heartbeat, it would be hammering in my chest right now. Never has anyone looked at me with so much tenderness before.
Kayson smiles. “Nothing.” He shakes his head for a moment, as if to erase a thought, before sliding up into a better sitting position.
“How are you feeling?” He’s looking better. Less like a ghost. His cheeks have a hint of color in them now. When Emma came in here this morning, he was white as a sheet. I’m glad to see the improvement.
“I’m still sore, but better. How are you doing?” I don’t know what to make of his question. I wasn’t the one torn up by a hound and almost dealt death’s card. Was he asking about my health or my thirst?
“I’m well, thank you.” I turn away from him and wal
k back over to the corner chair. Tonight is the night we move Kayson, whether he likes it or not. I’m just waiting for the human girl to return. Even if Kayson is unwilling to put anyone’s life in danger for his own, he still deserves to know what is going to happen.
“Kayson, I need you to listen to me. Really listen. And I don’t want any argument.” I try sounding firm, like my mother used to when I was a girl, so very long ago. Whenever she wanted something done, she would straighten her back, firm her tone, and she’d look me straight in the eye. I knew when she did this not to argue with her.
“All right, but before you even start, there’s something I need to tell you first.” Kayson holds his side as he sits up further in the bed. When he starts to swing his legs over the edge of the bed I start to protest but stop. Kayson needs to move his body some to loosen his muscles. He just looks so fragile, wrapped in all those bandages. Supporting his broken leg, he gently places it over the edge until his heal is resting on the floor. He gasps, and I watch as his muscles contract from the movement and the pain.
“Sabrina?” Kayson’s questioning tone brings me from my reverie. I look away from him, ashamed. I am over a hundred years old. In my time, it was a sin to lust after someone’s body. A nice body could lead to a life of misery, as my mama told me. Once, when my mama caught me staring at one of our farm hands, she made me clean the fireplace, scrub the floor, and shovel manure. Then she made me stay covered in filth for one whole day. At the end of that day she said, ‘Now Sabrina, have you learned anything?’ My instant reply was ‘Yes, mama.’ She continued her speech about the spirit of a person being more important than the shell they wear. That wisdom is sometimes hard to remember.
I clear my throat, taking a sudden interest in the dreadful painting Kayson seems so fond of and get back to the subject. “What did you need to tell me?”
Broken Faith: Spiritual Discord, 1 Page 15
