by Cameo Renae
“Hour and a half,” Emily reminded as Mason walked out of the door.
After washing the dishes, I quickly packed a small bag, wondering what the hell could be eight hours away. I had no sense of direction here. And why the hell would we need jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and a hat?
Maybe we were going hiking. It had to be something outdoors. Just in case, I would throw in an extra set of clothes. Who knew if I’d get wet or muddy on the trail?
I put my cell on the charger while I finished up. For the eight hour drive, I decided to wear something comfortable. I’d probably end up falling asleep anyway, so I opted for black leggings and an oversized gray T-shirt. Taking my things into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and made it hot. I needed to relax a bit. The day had worn me down.
I stood under the hot stream and let it beat on my tired muscles. It was so relaxing, I almost fell asleep on my feet. By the time I finished and had dressed, I was ready to crawl under the blankets and call it a night. But that wasn’t happening. I was on Emily’s schedule, and in a half-hour, I’d be jumping in a car for a road trip.
I took the softest bed pillow, and a throw blanket Emily had laid out on a chair, then I threw my bag over my shoulder and headed downstairs.
The living room was empty, but I could hear Emily talking in her room. We still had twenty-five minutes before we left, so I plopped down on the couch. I was just about to close my eyes for a few minutes when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called.
The knob turned, and Mason walked in. He was wearing a fitted black tank top, black sweats, and looked sexy as hell. His biceps, which I hadn’t seen before, were muscular and well-defined, and through the thick material, I saw a perfect six pack. Those baggy shirts he’d worn previously didn’t do him any justice.
His hair was wet and disorderly, but it added to his overall look.
“Hey,” he said, setting a small duffle on the floor. “Sorry, I’m a little early.”
“No, it’s fine. Better early than late, with Emily at the reins. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m good. But thanks,” he said, standing there.
“Have a seat,” I said, patting the couch.
A sweet grin adorned his lips as he walked over and sat down. He smelled clean, a mixture of soap, shampoo, and cologne. He was so close I felt dizzy. Perhaps it was the smell of his clean body, or it could have been his pheromones making me high. Either way, I was okay with it.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked.
He shrugged, which meant yes.
“I see, she’s sworn you to silence.”
“More like threatened within an inch of my life,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Is it something fun or scary?”
His eyes narrowed on me. “You’re going to start asking me a bunch of random questions to attempt to get to the final answer, aren’t you?”
“Me? No. I was just asking if it was fun. That’s it.”
He tapped his fingers on his knee. “I guess it would be fun if you liked doing that kind of thing. If you didn’t…then it wouldn’t be.”
“Oh my God. Can you be any more vague?”
His head fell back as he let out a deep, throaty chuckle, leaving me entranced with his Adam’s apple. Could I be any more lame?
“Put it this way,” he noted. “I wouldn’t have come if it sucked. It’s something that I would have added to my bucket list if I’d thought about it. So, I’m chalking it up to a new adventure.”
“How many things do you have on your bucket list?”
“I had fifty things I really wanted to do before I die.”
“And how many do you have left?”
“Three,” he said.
“Wow, you’ve been busy. What’s the rush?” I paused, then gasped as a thought entered my mind. “Is there a rush?”
“You are certainly full of questions tonight.” His gaze was heavy, and I felt vulnerable. “To answer your question, I’m just someone who likes to get things done. If it so happens I finish them all before I die, I’ll just start a new list.”
“That actually sounds like a pretty impressive plan. I’ve never really thought about the things I’ve wanted to see or accomplish in this life. For the past three years, I’ve been surviving. That’s it. One day at a time. One breath at a time.”
As the words left my mouth, I realized how true they were. I’d been living each day to survive it, instead of enjoying it. The gift, my friends, my mom, the spirits…I didn’t see them for what they truly were. I saw them as things I needed to overcome, so I could run back into my safe zone. My cave of solitude. But there, I was alone and dying inside. I’d been wasting the life given to me. The life Michael tried so hard to save.
“Maybe you should make a list,” he said, shrugging.
I nodded slowly, my thoughts elsewhere.
“Or not.”
“No, I will,” I said in a hurry, placing my hand on his thigh. The warmth of his thick leg sent a shiver down my arm. He’d been bouncing his knee and it stopped with my touch. I pulled back, breaking the connection. He stared at my profile as I continued, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “I think I’m going to start one as soon as I get home. It’s just been so long since I’ve thought about what I want, I don’t think I’d even know what to put on the list. After my boyfriend died, everything I wanted to do, everything we planned…it all died with him.”
“I’m sorry,” he breathed.
“I believe some people embed themselves into our lives, so much so, they’ll always be a part of us, even when they’re gone.”
I looked into his eyes, and I saw the same sadness I’d seen before.
“Have you lost someone?”
“My mom,” he said. “She poured her life into me, and when she left, she took a part of me with her.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. I could almost feel his heart aching, and it brought tears to my eyes.
“Emily plodded down the stairs. “All right. Looks like everyone’s ready to go. Let’s load up and move on out.”
Mason and I stood at the same time.
When Tyler came down the stairs, Mason asked, “If you need me to help share the driving load, just let me know.”
“Nah, I’ve got it,” Tyler replied. “The damn maps say it takes eight hours. I can get us there in six. Maybe less.”
“I’ve already got reservations made at a nearby hotel,” Em explained. “I reserved two rooms so we can get some rest before the big day.”
“Whatever that is,” I huffed.
“You’ll love it. It’s something you’ve always wanted to do since you were little.”
I squinted my eyes at her. “Really?”
“Yep. You’ll just have to see when we get there.”
I seriously couldn’t think of what it could be. But Emily knew me better than anyone, and right now, she apparently knew me better than I knew myself.
We ended up taking Emily’s Audi. It was a tight squeeze in the back, and Mason wasn’t a small guy. It wasn’t going to be the most comfortable ride.
I sat behind Tyler and Mason sat behind Emily for more leg room.
The first hour was singing along to music on the radio. Then, Tyler cracked open a Red Bull, and Emily turned on her Kindle.
“How can you read in a moving car?” I asked. “I always get carsick.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” she replied, twisting back. “Girl, you look tired. You should close your eyes and get some rest. We have a long way to go.”
“Okay, Mom.” I giggled.
“I know you need to recuperate,” she replied giving me another one of her looks, which meant she knew I was drained from having contact with spirits. “We’ll wake you at our next pit-stop.”
“Deal,” I said. She put on some headphones, and Tyler turned up the radio a bit and started singing.
I went to grab my pillow, but it didn’t bu
dge. Mason had a hand on it.
“Are you confiscating my pillow?”
“I know how terrible it feels to sleep upright. So, here,” he said, pulling it away from me and placing it on his lap. He patted the top of it. “I don’t bite.”
I attempted to swallow the ginormous lump in my throat, my heart skipping a beat. My eyes narrowed, and my entire body tingled with heat. I froze, our eyes locked on each other.
“You’ll thank me when you wake up without a sore neck.”
He was right. I needed a good nap, and it did look tempting…a soft pillow on a hot guy’s lap. How could I refuse?
“Thanks,” I breathed as I lay on my back with my knees bent up, leaning on the back of our seat. It was as comfortable as I would get in the back seat of this car.
I pulled the throw over me, and his arm came down on mine. His body was radiating heat through the blanket, causing my stomach to flutter. Before I closed my eyes, I looked up at him. He was staring out the window, the fading sun highlighting his face. His skin was nearly flawless, aside from the scratches, fading bruises, and kempt five o’clock shadow.
A warm buzz filled me. The air became heavy. Mason propped his right elbow on the window and closed his eyes. I felt bad he had to sleep upright, knowing he mentioned how uncomfortable it was earlier.
My first impression of him had been less than impressive, but over the short time I was with him, I glimpsed something different through his rough exterior. A soft side.
The vibrations of the car made it easy to fall asleep. I was drifting, to somewhere far away.
“Lizzy.” A voice calls from the dark. It sounds like a man.
“Hello?” I call back.
“Lizzy, over here,” he whispers.
A small ball of light glows, and Logan is standing in front of me.
“Logan, what are you doing here? Are you dead?” I gasp.
“No, at least, I don’t think so. I can hear nurses working on me. They say I’m in a coma.”
“How did you find me?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird. It’s like I heard your voice, and was compelled to call out to you. And here you are. Why couldn’t I do this to anyone else? Why only you?”
“I have a special gift. I was born with it, but recently, it’s grown much stronger. I can see and speak to the dead…and I guess now, to people in comas.”
“Well, shit. Thank goodness for that. Have you seen or heard anything about Billy?”
I am a few feet from him now. “I saw Billy. I talked to him a few hours ago.”
“How is he?” His face suddenly falls, putting together the pieces.
“I’m so sorry, Logan. He passed away, and I helped him cross over.”
“No,” he says, eyes pooling with tears. Then his emotions swing from grief to anger, and he grabs my arms and steadies me. “It was Antman. Remember that creepy guy from the beach?”
“Yeah, I remember. Billy told me what happened.”
“Billy saved my life… fuck!” He fists his hair in his hands, his face twisting with pain and regret. “He was the first to shoot up, and as soon as he felt the symptoms, he slapped the syringe out of my arm.” He pauses, breathing heavily. “There is still half a syringe at the house.”
That would be great evidence, but the cops had to have it by now. I shake my head. “The cops were already there. Mason said they trashed the place.”
“No,” he says. “I hid it. I don’t know why, but something urged me to. Before the drugs hit me, I threw the syringe back in the bag and hid it in a loose floorboard in my room. Under the left leg at the foot of my bed. It’s the only real evidence I have.”
Something didn’t add up.
“What do you mean? “Don’t they usually take all the evidence? Shouldn’t they have Billy’s too?”
“They probably do. But Antman has a deal with a couple of the cops, one of which happens to be his cousin. He pays them a commission of whatever he gets, so they keep their mouths shut and eyes closed whenever it concerns his dealings. Because of this arrangement, evidence disappears. Things get overlooked.”
“Do you know which cops?” Maybe Officer Cross can help.
“No. He brags about them but never mentions their names.” He reaches out, as if to grab my arm. “Be careful. Most people around here know not to mess with him.”
“That’s bullshit,” I bite out. “He needs to pay for what he did. Billy said he has a brother named Nick. The same guy whose girlfriend drowned a few months ago.”
“Yeah, that was messed up. They said she was pregnant.”
“I know,” I sigh, taking it all in. This is some heavy stuff. “Okay, I will find the syringe and figure out a way to link it to him.”
“Don’t you leave in a few days?”
“Yes, but I’ll do what I can to make sure he gets what he deserves. For you, for Billy, and that poor girl and her child.”
I feel myself being pulled out of the dream. “I have to go now. I’ll do what I can.”
“Come visit me when I get out of ICU,” he said, wiggling his brow.
“I’ll visit you,” I said, “but only with news.”
He laughs heartily as I’m yanked from the dream.
“Hey,” a soft voice said, a hand shaking me.
My eyes were blurry, and they worked double-time as Mason’s face came into focus.
“I’m sorry,” I gasped, sitting up.
Emily and Tyler were gone, and we were parked in front of a convenience store.
“They went in to grab some food and drinks, and use the bathroom. Not in that order. I thought I’d let you know in case you wanted to, you know, powder your nose or some shit like that.”
I ran my fingers through my ponytail. “Thanks. I think I will…powder my nose.”
When I exited the car, he did too. He opened the door to the convenience store and held it until I walked through.
“Thanks.” I smiled, and he gave me a nod.
I made my way to the bathroom, and right before I stepped inside, Emily stepped out.
“Hey, you,” she chimed. “I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so cozy back there.” She elbowed my side.
“He offered a place to rest my head,” I rebutted. “I couldn’t refuse.”
She leaned closer and whispered, “I wouldn’t have either. Have you seen the body that lap is attached to?
When she pretended to fan herself, I rolled my eyes and dragged her into the bathroom and locked the door. “I have something important to tell you.”
“What’s up?” she asked, concerned.
“Logan came to me, while I was sleeping.”
She looked at me blankly, before she figured it out. “Oh my God. Is he—”
“No,” I interjected. “He’s still in a coma.”
“And he can…”
“Apparently, yes,” I replied. “He said he only shot up half the drugs. The other half is in a syringe hid under the floorboard of his bed.” Then I went on to tell her about Antman’s connections, and how far this whole story really went.
“Oh shit,” she exhaled, pacing the bathroom. “A police car pulled up after all the others left. Two officers went inside their townhouse and came out about twenty minutes later. I heard one of them say, ‘It has to be in there. They only confiscated one.’ Then they got back into the car and sped away. It had to be them.”
“Would you remember what they looked like if you saw them again?”
“Probably. One had a tattoo on his neck. I was too far away to see what it was, but it crawled up his neck and ended below his ear. It looked like a snake.”
“The other guy had a face I’d definitely remember. He had a big nose, a unibrow, and a mustache.”
“A unibrow?”
“Yes, Lizzy. His brows were connected. I seriously had to hold myself back from running at him with some tweezers.”
“Em.”
“That’s what I remembered,” she shrugged, non-apologetic. “You have
to tell Mason. It’s not safe for him there. And he needs to help you get the syringe.”
“He’s going to think I’m crazy.”
“Lizzy. Babe. You are insane,” she threw her arm over my shoulder, “and I still love you.”
“That’s because you’re just as crazy as me.”
“Hey, embrace the crazy. We were born to be different, to add color to this damn gray world.” She walked to the door. “Now do your business and let’s move. I’m pretty sure there’s a cold lap out there, just looking to get warmed.” When she opened the door, another lady was standing there. “I’m sorry. She’ll just be a minute.” She turned back to me and winked. I laughed, then ran over and locked the door.
After buying some snacks and drinks, we all piled back into the car and drove to who-the-hell-knew-where. Everyone except me, that’s who. I had no idea which direction we were even going, and I was too tired to care.
“Hey, Liz. My dad called me and said he should be calling you back within the next day or so,” Tyler said.
“When did he call?” I asked.
“When you were sleeping,” he said. “And what the hell were you dreaming about? You were moaning and carrying on.”
My head snapped to Mason. “Is that true?”
He shrugged. “A bit.”
“A bit?” Tyler jested.
“Tyler, stop it,” Emily said. “She was dreaming about Logan.”
“Em,” I scolded, glaring at her.
Tyler’s wide eyes caught mine in the rear-view mirror.
“About Logan? Why?”
Mason moved next to me like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. His eyes were narrowed on me, awaiting my answer.
“It’s not what you think,” I snapped. “I was visited by him.”
Emily smacked Tyler’s arm again and gave him a look.
“Oh,” Tyler exhaled loudly. “I understand now. Sorry, Lizzy.”
“Am I missing something?” Mason asked, glancing between the three of us.
I closed my eyes, preparing to broach the subject of spirits with the cute guy beside me when Em cracked open the can of crazy for me.
“She’s a medium,” Emily blurted. “She’s not crazy. I promise. She was born with a gift, and it’s grown stronger over the years. She sees spirits and can speak to them. I’ve witnessed it. She’s worked with the police in Wasilla and helped them solve missing persons cases.
