A sliver of guilt twisted in her gut. Evie hated lying to him. Her father had been introduced to Fiona as Parker’s girlfriend a while back, and he’d been impressed with her. He had no objection to the two of them taking the trip, but the four of them would be a different matter. Of course they’d be getting separate rooms–one for the girls, the other for Calvin and Parker–but that would do little in way of easing her father’s mind.
“Well, Parker’s bringing her out, but I said I’d meet them at the gas station, save us all some time.” That part was mostly true. They were supposed to meet her at a gas station nearby, but not for another half-hour. Though she was ahead of schedule, Evie was too anxious to wait any longer; she’d just drive out to Calvin’s instead.
“That makes sense,” he said. Evie had never seen him look so lonely. The wedge of guilt burrowed deeper.
“Will Calvin be with them too? I bet he’ll want to say goodbye.” He came to a stand. “Oh, that reminds me–you’ve got a surprise in the kitchen. Did you see it?”
“What? No.” She tucked the cold water bottle under her arm and spun around.
“They were delivered while you were in the shower,” he said, coming up behind her.
Fluorescent light flooded the room as she hit the switch. There, sitting atop the clean, white counter stood a flower arrangement she hadn’t noticed a moment ago. A shining black vase, sleek and tall, held deep red heart-shaped flowers. She pulled in a tight breath at the sight of them.
Her lips moved soundlessly, “Bleeding Hearts.”
Chapter Thirty-nine
“Who sent these?” Evie breathed, fighting back the panic.
“Didn’t read the card. I’m guessing they’re from Calvin though,” he said. “Probably going to miss you this weekend.”
She knew better; Calvin would be with her over the weekend. Not to mention–that flower haunted him and her both, reminded them of what would come. Yet haunting as it was, she couldn’t pull her gaze from the bold, striking arrangement.
“These are bleeding hearts,” she said.
Her father nodded. “Yeah, beauties. I’ve never seen them in red before, didn’t know there was such a thing. Thought they only came in pink and white.”
Evie took in the dark, ruby petals. The stems were deep plum, almost black, and extended over one side of the ebony vase. Delicate heart-shaped flowers clung to the succulent stems and bled their tender, tiny drops.
This was a message–it had to be. A warning about her fate. Her father had mentioned a card, and it took Evie a moment to place it, nestled amongst the leafy foliage. The poignant flowers slowly slipped into a blur as she focused on the small, white envelope.
“Evie?” her dad prodded.
She blinked, hoping it would free her from the hypnotizing effect of the sight before her. “Yeah, I’m going to read it downstairs while I grab a jacket.” Her voice came out shaky, almost hoarse.
“Everything alright, Eve?”
“Yeah.” She coughed. “Throat’s dry. I think I’m getting a cold.” Evie set down her water bottle and tried to steady her hand as she reached for the envelope. “I’ll be right back.” She turned, headed for the stairs.
It felt like a long way–her flight down the staircase. The small card grew amazingly heavy in her hand as she imagined what it might say. Would it threaten her life, suggest that her heart would bleed, the way the hearts on the flowers did? Would it say that someone was waiting for her now, hidden in the back seat of her car, or waiting for her at the doorstep?
Her mind raced as she made her way into her room, closing the door behind her. She tore into the envelope with fast, shaky hands, sending shreds of paper flittering to the floor. Before opening the fold, Evie peeked just under the corner of the card, read the last word printed at the end of the message. It was a name, actually. She furrowed her brows in confusion and read over the rest.
Evie,
My heart bleeds for you,
Still.
I’m so sorry I missed you at the club.
Give me another chance?
Tyler
Evie forced out one short, hard chuckle and hunched over her knees, panting. “Tyler?” The blood spilled back into her head.
“They’re from Tyler?” With her back against the door, she slid to the ground, weak and off balance. “What an idiot.” Pestering calls and endless texts had followed that creep’s latest insult months ago. Evie thought he’d finally given up.
She couldn’t even think about how ridiculous her ex-boyfriend was right then–too distracted by the lingering threat of doom hovering in the room like a second presence. When would relief swoop in, free her from the gripping fear?
The small card hit the base of her empty trashcan with a hollow thud. The torn pieces of envelope followed. Had she not spotted her jacket wadded up on the floor, Evie would’ve forgotten about it altogether. She sighed, bending down to grab it; no need to let Dad know how distracted she really was. As she wrapped her hand around the doorknob, Evie reminded herself again: it was just Tyler. Innocent, harmless, bone-headed Tyler.
Once upstairs, she passed the lone floral display and felt little in the way of comfort. The sight of the bold flowers made her stomach churn. Yet she continued to reassure herself during her dad’s lecture on drowsy driving, and while he said goodbye with a warm embrace–the flowers were from Tyler, the voice in her head assured, not Jocelyn.
In the yellow glow of the porch light, Evie shrugged into her hoodie and stepped down the creaky stairs. Once in her car, she gripped the cool, leather steering wheel and backed out, filling her lungs with deep, slowly paced breaths. Restless rocks seemed to bounce in her stomach as she worked to shake off the lingering fear.
She needed to call Calvin, let him know she’d headed out a bit sooner than planned. After un-wedging her phone from her pocket and seeing the blank screen, Evie frowned. She’d been listening to an audio book on it all day, and the battery was dead.
“Great.” Balancing the wheel with her forearm, she plugged it into the car charger and thrummed her fingers. Just a few minutes more and she’d be able to call him. He’d want to know about the flowers, though the ones in the vase were nothing like what Calvin had seen. His vision showed the Bleeding Hearts in an outdoor environment, not in an arrangement. Still, the coincidence was too great to ignore.
A thick darkness crept over the empty neighborhood street, the stars and moon somehow hiding in the cloudless sky. Excitement for her weekend getaway had been replaced with an ominous threat looming in the chill that prickled her skin. The eerily empty streets made it hard to feel at ease. Where was everyone?
Even the music blaring from the car radio felt off. The distant voice in the background sounded like the moaning of a young girl in pain. Desperate to end the horrid sound, Evie pressed the knob and let the silence of the night take over.
The brakes gave out a long squeak beneath her foot as she slowed to a stop at the sign. Though the car had already locked automatically, Evie pressed the lever, eyeing the locks on the driver and passenger side doors.
The phone had to have enough juice by now, she decided, securing it in her hand. If she left if plugged in while they spoke, it’d be fine.
“Hi,” Evie said when Calvin picked up the line.
“Hey, Baby.” She could almost hear the smile on his face. That was all she needed–the sound of Calvin’s voice. The deep, warm tenor lent a calming wave that soothed every nerve in her body in an instant.
“Ready for a hot and sunny weekend in Arizona?” she asked, feeling better already.
“You’re early,” he pointed out, spoiling the mood.
Evie cringed. “Well, my house was feeling … oppressive. I wanted to get out of there.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m on my way out to your place. It’d be better for me to leave my car there anyway so my dad doesn’t see it at the station. He thinks I’m driving. I should’ve just said Fiona was–”<
br />
“So you’re in Roy?” he interrupted, his voice tense.
“Yeah, I just left.”
“I don’t like the idea of you driving out here by yourself, Evie.”
She knew exactly what he meant, but countered back just the same. “Why not? No one’s doing fireworks yet. We’re in the clear for another week, at least.”
“Still,” he said firmly. “You should have called me before you left. I would’ve followed you out here if I would have known.”
Evie didn’t bother arguing further, but there was no way she’d be bringing up the flowers now; it would really set him off. “I’m going to be there in a few minutes. You can just talk to me on the way.”
No response came.
“Are you guys almost ready?” she asked.
“Yep. Parker and Fiona just ran for some Red Bulls. You and I are going to take the first shift. They’ll trade us halfway through.”
“Sounds good.” The tension in the air dissipated with her next, slowly released breath. “I picked up a real juicy tabloid at the market,” she said. “Hopefully it can keep our interest.”
“A tabloid?” He sounded wary.
“Yeah. It looks exciting. It says that we have alien babies being born daily, right here in America. You should see the pictures on the cover.” She glanced over at the magazine on the passenger seat.
And that’s when it happened.
She felt the impact before hearing the awful, heavy sound–a loud thud on the hood of her car. Her foot hit the brake, forcing the pedal straight to the floor as the car screeched to a halt.
A large body bounced off the hood and flew into the empty street ahead. The headlights of her car illuminated parts of him as he tumbled over the street’s surface: Brief flashes of a pale green shirt. Faded pockets in light denim. A thick mat of dark brown hair. The man rolled to a stop just outside the headlight’s reach.
“Evie? What the hell was that?” She’d dropped the phone, and Calvin’s voice was distant, but still clear.
The horrifying answer came to her mind–she’d just hit a man, maybe killed him. “Please let him live,” she prayed frantically, paralyzed behind the wheel. She stared ahead at the silhouette of his body lying motionless on the blacktop.
“Evie, answer me! What’s going on?”
Her eyes didn’t leave the sight of him as she patted the floorboard beneath her, searching for the phone. The smooth edge met with her fingers, and she clenched it in her hand.
“Calvin…” His name spilled from her lips before the receiver reached her ear. “I just hit a man.” A forceful breath pushed its way through her lungs. “With my car. I wasn’t watching and he just appeared out of nowhere.” Her breaths came faster, her voice panicked and pleading.
“Please don’t let him die,” she chanted, putting the car in park and prying her foot off the brake. The tips of her fingers went numb as massive volumes of air forced their way in and out of her lungs. She put a shaky hand on the door handle. “Call 911. I’m going to check on him.”
“No Evie, don’t. It could be a trap. Stay in the car and do not hang up the phone. Listen Evie, if that’s Jocelyn’s pawn–”
“It’s not Jocelyn’s pawn,” she said breathlessly.
“You don’t know that. And if it is, the police won’t be able to stop him from taking you. Nobody will. He’ll take you, and we have to be there to follow.”
“Calvin, would you stop it? I just hit the man with my car. He might be dead because of me. We have to call someone.”
“We will, Evie. I swear we will. Just tell me where you are.”
“I’m on 4400.”
“How far east are you, Evie? Hurry and tell me. We’ve got to move quickly.”
“I’m uh, just west of Main Street,” she blurted, “next to the park.”
“Okay, don’t move Evie. I mean it. You need to wait for Parker. I know he’ll be able to teleport to you. Once he’s there you guys can call the police. For now, wait in the car, lock your doors, and stay on the phone. I’ll come right back to you.”
The line fell silent, and suddenly she was afraid. But it was a different kind of fear that gripped her now. It wasn’t simply the fear for this man’s life, for what she may have done. No, she realized, double-checking the locks. She was afraid for herself. Scared of who this man was, what he might do.
But why? The person lying motionless in the darkness ahead, the poor injured man she may have killed was nothing to fear. He was a victim. While focusing on the lump in the fray of the light, Evie saw a hand, illuminated now as if he were reaching toward her. She hadn’t noticed it before.
Was he moving? She watched closer–barely blinking–and saw his fingers twitch. He was alive. And he needed help. Evie knew CPR and had to help him if she could. She was obligated by law, wasn’t she? And what about morally? What was the matter with her that she could sit and watch this man suffer?
She couldn’t. Her eyes kept focused on the man while she pulled the plug on the charger. She put the phone on speaker mode next and began spinning it in her palm with the push and pull of her fingers. The other hand clutched the cool metal latch of her door.
Calvin was being crazy. She couldn’t let this man just lay there, alone. This was somebody’s son. Maybe someone’s husband or father. He could be dying because of her.
The thought caused her to push open the door in an urgent rush.
She stepped out with a little less enthusiasm.
And walked toward the man with slow, hesitant steps, studying the lifeless form every inch of the way.
The night was too still. This was major–life altering–yet the atmosphere around her didn’t seem to show evidence of it. No one to witness, assist, or even care. Only the two of them; strangers brought together in a cruel twist of fate. She let her eyes scan over his tall and bulky frame. The light from her car just grazed the tip of his shoulder, and though his face was turned toward her, it lay in the shadows–just beneath the headlight’s beam.
Who was this man? Was it possible he was trying to trap her, like Calvin suspected? Was his mind possessed by the devious works of Jocelyn Blanch?
She neared him, cautiously, leaving a few feet of distance between them. As she leaned down, Evie noticed a shallow movement in his back. It swelled, ever so slightly, and then dropped. She let out a gust of air, relieved, then held her own breath as his back rose and fell again. Gently. Slowly.
He was alive. It was enough for now–to know he was breathing. Evie turned away to head back to her car when she heard something.
“Help me,” the strained voice came, breaking into the silence.
Her blood turned to ice as she froze in place, standing just a few feet away from the victim. She turned toward him once more, keeping the short space between them. Her eyes were adjusting now and she could almost see the details in his face. His mouth hung open; he was pulling short, labored breaths through it.
“Please, I can’t move my legs.” His weak, pleading voice was muffled, the words distorted due to the pavement pressed against his face.
She clenched her eyes shut. He was paralyzed and afraid, wondering why she hadn’t said anything. Surely he wanted to know if help was on the way.
A furnace of fiery guilt roared inside her as Evie imagined walking back to the car and locking herself inside to wait for Parker. She couldn’t do it. She should just call 911. Call Calvin back afterward. At least get help on the way.
She looked down at the phone just as Calvin came back on the line.
“Evie, are you there?” His voice came through the speaker in a rush.
“Yes, I’m here.” She hoped he’d think she was still in her car.
“I’m on my way out there now, and so are Parker and Fiona. Parker’s already trying to teleport to your location. I’m sure he’ll be there any minute. Just hang tight, Evie.”
She nodded, still staring at the helpless form on the ground.
“Crap, that’s Parker again. Wai
t just a sec and I’ll see what he needs.”
As soon as the line went quiet, a frightening moan sounded from the wounded man. She was heartless, letting this guy suffer, doing nothing to help or comfort. Without letting herself get any closer, Evie leaned over to talk to him.
“It’s okay, Sir. Medical help is on the way.” She could barely get the words out through her own jagged breath, and her voice sounded anything but soothing.
The man said nothing. Maybe he’d passed out. Maybe he was gasping for his last breaths, dying and in need of assistance.
She had to call 911. She’d waited long enough.
Evie pulled the phone up, hovering her shaking fingers over the keys, and heard a distant popping sound in the sky. A loud and thunderous boom bounced down the narrow street and rumbled along the pavement beneath her. Cheers and hollers echoed in the distance. She inched her head, turning toward the park in time to see a splash of red and blue light up the sky in a blazing display.
Fireworks. The sight of the colorful sparks sent a frenzied fear through her entire body. In a crazed panic, Evie tried to force herself to respond. She pictured darting toward the idling car in lightning speed, away from the man as quickly as her legs would carry her. But just as momentum kicked in beneath her heels, strong hands clenched both sides of her unzipped jacket, yanked her forward and seized her in place where she hovered helplessly above him. The jolt knocked the phone from her fingers; it hit the pavement just inches away from her feet.
Frantic energy oozed from the man’s body. A strange, frenzied current, chillingly dark and corrupt.
A terrified cry tore from her throat as she fought to free herself. Pulling against the man’s superior strength, Evie tried to wrestle her way out of the sleeves but she didn’t stand a chance; the man was twice her size.
As quickly as the impulse came, she bit into the clenched fist closest to her mouth. Coarse hairs from his hand grazed her lips as she sunk her teeth in, piercing through his salty flesh until she tasted blood.
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