Illusions (Night Roamers #4)

by Kristen Middleton

  “I don’t care how bored you were, you need to stay hidden,” scoffed Faye. “And you should definitely stay away from the club. If Victor catches you…”

  “Relax. I heard he’s on a plane back to Vegas. So, I think I should take advantage of it and enjoy myself tonight.”

  “Celeste…”

  She pouted. “Please….”

  Faye groaned. “You’re playing with fire. I might not be able to save you again. If Victor finds out you’re still alive…”

  Celeste got up and walked over to Faye. “He won’t. Please, let me play for a while. I’ll even find us a couple of hot guys for later and we’ll devour the hell out of them. Just let me have some fun tonight. It’s been almost two weeks!”

  She shook her head and smiled in amusement. “I don’t know why I let you twist me around that little finger of yours. It just boggles my mind.”

  Celeste threw her arms around Faye. “It’s because you know that I’d do anything for you.”

  Faye relaxed and ran her hand over the back of Celeste’s red curls. “Yes. I know,” she murmured. “You’re the only one I can really trust.” And she meant it. Celeste had never faltered and had always stood behind Faye, no matter what she’d asked of her.

  “I trust you with my life, too,” she whispered back. “You’re all I have now that daddy is gone.”

  “What about your brother?”

  Celeste sighed. She hadn’t seen him in many years. “Martin? What about him?”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Somewhere in Europe. He travels a lot. Daddy knew how to get ahold of him. But now that he’s gone… I have no idea.”

  “Yes, your father told me he was in Italy last. We should try and find him.”

  “If he finds out that Victor murdered daddy, he’ll want revenge,” she replied, her eyes sparkling. “Don’t you think?”

  Faye smiled. “I would think so. I should probably send someone to search for him. He needs to know. It’s only right.”

  Celeste hugged her again. “Would you?”

  “Of course. I want Victor to pay for what he’s done to your father,” she replied. “Caleb served me well for many years.”

  “Until that bitch, Anne, stepped into his life,” said Celeste. Her eyes hardened. “I’m just glad that she’s dead now, too.”

  Faye didn’t say anything.

  “I would do anything for you, Faye. You know that, don’t you?” said Celeste. “I mean, we’re like sisters.”

  “We are much more than sisters,” she replied, smiling.

  Celeste pulled away and stared into Faye’s eyes. “I mean it. Besides Martin, you’re my family, and I’d die for you, Faye.”

  Faye’s smile was brittle. “Let’s just hope you never have to.”

  Chapter Eight

  Nikki

  

  “Duncan’s still not answering his phone,” I muttered, hanging mine up. “Something is wrong. I just know it.”

  “Relax. He probably doesn’t have it on him,” replied Nathan, wiping his mouth with a napkin. I’d just watched him inhale two orders of buffalo wings and a large Caesar salad, reinforcing the fact that he’d never be able to handle giving up real food. It also reminded me that I needed to feed soon. My hunger was beginning to rear its ugly head, especially when I watched him add extra wing sauce to the chicken. The rich color made my stomach growl.

  I licked my lips. “No, he definitely had it on him. I saw it.”

  Nathan leaned back in the booth and frowned. “And he was headed to Victor’s cabin?”

  “Yes. I wonder if he found mom.”

  “We’d have heard by now,” replied Nathan.

  “I’m sure you’re right.” I sighed. “I’m getting hungry, Nathan.”

  We were at Ruth’s Diner, where we’d agreed to meet Duncan after the funeral. It was now almost six, and he still hadn’t shown.

  “You said you could eat vegetables. Why not order a salad?” he asked.

  “It just doesn’t sound good,” I replied. Nothing sounded good. All I could really digest without throwing up was nuts and greens. It was irritating. “And it’s not like I can have any dressing on it. I don’t care who you are, salad without dressing is disgusting.”

  “Sucks to be you,” he teased, holding a forkful of salad drenched in Caesar dressing.

  I grunted. “Thanks.”

  I watched him devour the rest of his food and was relieved when he was finally finished.

  Nathan picked up his strawberry milkshake. “Okay then. Let’s go,” he said before guzzling it down.

  “I should go alone,” I said, lowering my voice. “I can fly there. Be discreet.”

  “Oh, hell no. I don’t need you missing, too. We’ll go together. Don’t try and argue about it either.”

  I groaned inwardly. He was so stubborn. “Okay. Let’s get moving then.”

  As Nathan paid his tab, Marilyn walked into the restaurant. She was Rosie’s cousin and owned half of the diner. I’d met her in the restaurant a couple of times before Rosie had been murdered by Faye. Rosie’s body had never been recovered, and I still wasn’t even sure what had happened to it. After Duncan and I had returned to the cabin, there had been no sign of it anywhere.

  “Wow, it’s really coming down out there,” she said, stomping the snow off of her boots. She was short, rail-thin, and feisty. She reminded me a lot of Rosie, although she wore her bleached blonde hair in a bun and hardly wore any makeup. She turned to me and smiled. “Oh, hey there, Nikki.”

  “Hi.”

  Her eyes softened and she stepped closer, touching my shoulder. “Honey, I’m so sorry about your mother.”

  I nodded. “Thanks. I’m sorry about Rosie, too. Have they found out anything?”

  She shook her head. “No. The FBI is involved with the case, now. Hopefully they’ll come up with something.” She let out a ragged sigh. “I almost want to sell this place and move. There have been far too many deaths in this town. Even that good sheriff, Caleb, gave up on it and moved to Vegas, I hear.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I heard too,” I replied, forcing a smile.

  “What are you going to do now that your mom’s… passed on?” she asked.

  “Probably move,” I said. “Now that mom is gone, there’s really nothing holding us here.”

  “It’s probably for the best. If you ask me, it’s just not safe here,” she replied, lowering her voice. “Especially for young women. That’s why you should never go anywhere alone, Nikki. Fortunately,” she nodded toward Nathan, “you have a strong brother to help protect you.”

  “I agree,” I murmured back, trying to keep a straight face. If she only knew.

  She studied my face and then frowned. “Nikki, are you okay? You look a little gaunt.”

  “My appetite isn’t what it used to be.”

  She sighed “I don’t blame you. Food must be the last thing on your mind right now.”

  “You could say that,” I replied, although I glimpsed an old man drinking a tall glass of tomato juice and my mouth watered.

  “Hi, Marilyn,” said Nathan, now standing next to us. He popped a mint into his mouth and grinned. “Long time no see.”

  “I know. We’ve missed seeing you in here, Nathan. I’m definitely going to have to shut these doors if you two move away. You and your healthy appetite have certainly kept this place going,” she teased. “You were Rosie’s favorite customer.”

  His face fell. “Rosie. Man, I miss her. Have they found out anything yet?”

  She told him what she’d told me.

  Scratching the five o’clock shadow along his chin, he shook his head sadly. “It’s a shame. She was such a nice woman. Always friendly and putting up with Nikki’s whining.”

  I elbowed him in the ribs. “Funny.”

  He smirked. “Wasn’t trying to be funny.”

  “Oh, you two… Did you both get enough to eat?” asked Marilyn.

  “Actually, I think he just
ordered half of your menu.”

  She smiled. “Only half?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, patting his stomach. “I’ve got to watch my girlish figure.”

  She laughed. “Oh, Nathan. There is nothing girlish about you.”

  “You sure about that?” he said, running a hand through his sandy brown hair. “If this grows any longer, I’m going to have to start listening to heavy metal and join a motorcycle gang.”

  I snorted. “Right, hipster. You’d fit right in.”

  “I’m not a hipster,” he protested.

  “Don’t let him fool you,” I said to Marilyn, smirking. “He’s a hipster. I saw him trying on a beanie a few weeks ago.”

  “Whatever,” replied Nathan, shaking his head. “You’re a beanie.”

  Marilyn smiled. “So, where have you two been the last month?”

  “Uh, we were on vacation. In Vegas,” replied my brother.

  “For that long?” she asked. “Normally most people go for a weekend.”

  “No,” I said. “We were in Key West for part of the time. With Duncan, while our parents rekindled their… marriage.”

  We’d decided to tell everyone that our parents had gotten back together in Vegas. So there wouldn’t be too many questions. Nobody else really knew of mom and Caleb’s relationship, which made our story more believable.

  “Oh. I see,” she said, looking a bit perplexed. “Well, looks like you made it back here, and just in time for the snow.”

  Nathan glanced out the window. “Lucky us.”

  “What about school?” she asked. “You going to finish or leave town, like Nikki was saying?”

  “Um, we’re going to do that online school thing,” I said quickly.

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Online? Really?”

  “Can’t go back to the school here in town. I mean, we’re so behind right now,” said Nathan, backing me up. “That we’ve decided to check out that K12 school program.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s where you can take online classes for high school,” I replied. “And still earn your diploma.”

  “Wow, you can even do that now, huh?” she said. “That’s incredible.”

  “It’s crazy what you can do online these days,” replied Nathan.

  “Well, it sounds like a great concept. Especially in your circumstance,” she said.

  I grinned. “Exactly. Thank goodness for the Internet.”

  She nodded and then changed the subject. “Your stepdad seems like a nice enough guy; I met him a few days ago.”

  “He’s a regular peach,” said Nathan, dryly.

  Marilyn chuckled. “He seemed friendly, at least. Anyway, Victor said that if you two ever stopped in, I was to add your bill to his tab. I suppose you already paid, though, huh?”

  “Yep,” said Nathan. “But that’s okay. We can pay for our own food.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Seriously, he offered to do that?”

  “He sure did. Surprised?”

  “Nothing surprises me about Victor,” said Nathan.

  She grinned and shook her head. “So, I take it you won’t be living with him?”

  “No. We were never very close.”

  “That’s a shame,” replied Marilyn. “Well, anyway, I’m so sorry again for your loss. If either of you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”

  “Thanks, Marilyn,” said Nathan.

  I smiled. “Yes, thank you.”

  She put her hand on my shoulder. “Look, Nikki, if you are ever interested in coming back to work here, there will always be an open spot for you. I hope you know that.”

  Her kindness lifted my spirits. “Thanks, Marilyn. I appreciate it.”

  She removed her hand and turned to Nathan. “Before I forget – have you heard from Sonny at all?”

  Nathan looked at me and then he cleared his throat. “Not us, but I believe Duncan may know where he is. The marina is closed for the season and all the boats are winterized and in storage.”

  “Oh. Do you know anything about Randy Fitz’s boat?” she asked. “He was in here complaining a couple of weeks ago. Said he’d been calling and leaving Sonny messages, but not getting any calls back.”

  Nathan scowled. “Randy actually complained to you about it?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Not just to me, to everyone. He was three sheets to the wind, and spouting off a bunch of crap about Sonny to everyone in the diner, one night, after the bar closed. Anyway, I haven’t seen him around since. Was probably pretty embarrassed the next day, I reckon.”

  “Duncan and I did end up replacing the prop on his boat about a week ago. It had been on backorder. Anyway, he has his boat back, so he shouldn’t be complaining anymore.”

  “That’s good. Hey, when you find out where Sonny is, let me know. I get a lot of customers in here asking about him, and I don’t know exactly what to say. I’ve never known him to disappear like this without a word.” She sighed. “We miss seeing him.”

  “Yeah, we do, too,” said Nathan, looking away.

  I knew Nathan had gotten close to Sonny during the summer. He’d taught him a lot about boats and had even given him advice about women, which he’d pretty much ignored, but I knew still appreciated.

  “We’ll let you know if we find out anything,” I said, glancing outside. The snow was coming down even harder, and Nathan’s sporty car wasn’t exactly the ideal winter ride. “We should really get going, Nathan.”

  He pulled his keys out of his black chinos. “Yep. Have a good night, Marilyn.”

  “You both have a good night, too. And be careful out there, the roads are pretty slippery.”

  “We will. Thanks,” I replied as we walked out of the diner.

  “So, what exactly is Duncan telling everyone about Sonny?” I asked. I hadn’t really talked to him about it. The fact was, we didn’t do very much talking when we were alone. Our mouths were usually busy doing other things.

  “I’m not exactly sure. I think he may have mentioned something about Sonny visiting his grandmother to someone over the phone.”

  “Well, eventually he’s going to have to do something about the marina,” I replied. “Maybe even sell it.”

  “Probably. Unless he can find someone to run it during the day.”

  “Honestly, he probably could still keep it running. From what he’s told me, he knows almost as much as Sonny about fixing boats. He’d just have to try and avoid the sun as much as possible,” I replied, as we got into the car.

  “Not easy when you run a boat marina. But, if we decided to stick around Shore Lake, I think between the three of us and the other two mechanics, we could keep Sonny’s Marina afloat.”

  “You’d have to hire someone for the bookkeeping.”

  “What about you?”

  My eyes widened. “I don’t know anything about accounting or running a business. You’ll need to hire an office manager or something.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. In any case, we should talk to Duncan about it.” He frowned. “If we can find him.”

  My face darkened. “Don’t say that. We will find him.”

  He pulled out of the parking lot, turning left, and we slid precariously toward another oncoming car. “Dammit,” he snapped, quickly straightening the car out. “This baby sucks in the snow.”

  “Maybe you should trade it in for a truck or something,” I replied, holding onto the dashboard.

  He turned on the windshield wipers. “Hell no. You know how I feel about my car. I might have to buy me some Blizzaks though.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, gritting my teeth as he attempt to stop at a stop sign and failed miserably. Luckily, there was nobody going the opposite way, or we’d have been kissing someone’s bumper.

  “They’re winter tires. I just don’t have the extra money for them right now.”

  “Maybe Duncan will loan you some.”

  “Or maybe I’ll just see if he’ll let me use one of the w
ork trucks now that the snow is here.”

  “I’m sure he would.”

  Nathan turned on his iPod and Imagine Dragons began singing about demons. I closed my eyes as I tried to quell the hunger of my own inner demon. My stomach was empty and I was beginning to feel agitated. I needed to feed. And soon.

  “You okay?” asked Nathan, turning down the music.

  “I’m fine,” I said, opening up the window. I suddenly felt boxed-in and restless.

  “What are you doing?” he snapped. “You’re going to let all the snow in!”

  “I need some fresh air.” With the warm air blowing and our close proximity, the scent of his humanness was making me uncomfortable. Scratch that, it was making me ravenous. But, there was no way I’d attack my own brother for blood. I’d rather hunt down an animal in the woods.

  “Why?”

  I rubbed my forehead, which was beginning to bead up with sweat. Even the cool air blowing in wasn’t helping. I needed to tell him. To warn him.

  “Nikki? What’s wrong?”

  I leaned back. “Look, I lied. I’m not doing fine.”

  “Shit, I knew it,” he said, tightening his hands on the steering wheel. “You need blood.”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “I’ve waited too long.”

  “Why did you wait in the first place?”

  “We don’t have that many packs of blood left in refrigerator. And, I’m not a hunter. I suck at it.”

  He sighed. “What do you want to do?”

  “Pull over.”

  His eyes widened. “Why? You’re not going to bite me, are you?”

  I chuckled menacingly. “Only if you don’t pull over.”

  He quickly pulled over to the side of the road.

  “Chill out. I’d never bite you, Nathan.” I removed the seatbelt. “So, look, I’m heading back to Duncan’s. Stay right here and I’ll return right after I feed.”

  “Why don’t I just turn around and drive you there?”

  “You know very well that I can fly faster than you can drive. Plus, it’s slippery and you’re running low on gas. Just let me go.”

  “Okay, fine. You’re right,” he answered, staring outside at the large snowflakes landing on the windshield. His eyes returned to me. “Why don’t you just meet me at the cabin?”