The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

  I cupped her chin. “They’re perfect.” I laughed through welling tears.

  She joined me on the bench and I helped her wrap the blanket around the two of us. We nibbled on the goodies and watched the moon shine off the windmill. I immediately let go of some of the anxiety I held since I lashed out at Luca. How could someone so small be so wise?

  She leaned into me, laying her curly top against my shoulder. “Why have you been so sad, Ariel? I know I’m not supposed to ask you about—”

  “It’s okay.” I wanted to talk to someone for so long about things, and as long as I didn’t give too many details I didn’t think she could read into anything. But with Bailey it seemed like she was the secret spy herself with the way she could work through little-to-no information. I couldn’t believe she was only ten-years-old sometimes. “You know that guy that came to my door that day? The spy?” She nodded her head against my shoulder, allowing me to continue. “Well, I’m kind of seeing him I guess.”

  She glanced up at me with a coy smile. “Oh, boy troubles.” She giggled.

  “You’re so silly.” I nudged her. “Anyway, it seems that lately he has been keeping something from me. It hurts my feelings I guess.”

  She stared at me, smiling her sweet smile. “Is that all?”

  I leaned back, surprised by her answer. “What do you mean?”

  “My mom does that to me all the time.”

  I scrunched my eyebrows.

  “All I know is when she does that it means either A, she thinks I won’t understand something or B, she is trying to protect me.”

  My eyes widened, astounded by her intricate answer.

  “Ariel, you’re such an awesome person, so if he sees you as half as cool as I do, that means he is doing it because he cares about you. He is trying to protect you. It must be the reason. There’s no other explanation.”

  I laughed, completely in awe of how cool this little girl was. She said her statement so nonchalantly, like the words weren’t just a theory, but proven to be true. She spoke as if the answer was there all along, and I just needed her help to find it. “Do you really think so?”

  She bumped her shoulder into mine. “I know so. No other explanation.” She sipped her hot chocolate and stared into the night. “Now that you know, you can be happy again.” She smiled at me. “Promise?”

  “I promise,” I said.

  She gazed away and into the direction of the windmill.

  I followed her gaze into the sky and laughed. She was so sure of her answer. I couldn’t believe she understood something so beyond her years. This little girl taught me something already. “Thank you, Bailey.”

  “You’re welcome, Ariel. Us different girls got to stick together, right?” Her sweet smile shined as bright as ever.

  “Right.” I gave her a hug and we continued gazing into the night.

  *

  “Ariel.”

  His fingers stroked my cheek and pulled my hair away from my eyes. My body went warm from the caress.

  I sighed. Things were back to how they used to be between us. Our closeness returned. I fluttered out of sleep and looked into his eyes, expecting to see their beautiful brightness. I witnessed them … but what I also discovered was the hardened expression of the asshole from our original meeting that day outside of Zoology.

  I rose up. “What’s going on, Luca?”

  “We have to go now,” he said, his expression unchanged.

  My bag had already been packed. He didn’t wait for me to ask any more questions before he picked me up in his arms and out of bed. We quickly left out the door of my little home.

  Once we were outside, he set me in his car, and then we drove off into the night. It was then I saw the flashing lights of the police cars formulating in droves behind us through the side mirror. They all pulled to a stop in front of the quiet bed and breakfast, and the establishment shrank as Luca put distance between us.

  Luca barely got us away. I turned to him in alarm. “What’s happened? How did they find me?”

  He reached out and turned off a black box located on the dash I hadn’t noticed before. Voices came from the box before he shut it off, and the words the voices’ spoke sounded like forceful commands. I guessed the device was some kind of a police scanner or something. It was a good thing he had one of those. That was probably how he got to me before the authorities. He sat back, and I thought he was going to speak, but he didn’t. He just stayed unmoved, his gaze locked on the road.

  I watched him hard to see what was wrong. Why wasn’t he speaking to me?

  The futuristic gentle humming of the car was the only sound for a while before he spoke. “I think I should be the one to ask the first question,” he said, his voice clipped.

  I was taken back by the coldness that formulated in his voice. He’d never spoken to me that way before. I wondered what I could have done to make him so angry with me, but then Bailey’s sweet face appeared into my mind.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about your meetings?” His eyes were lidded, and his expression matched the coldness of his speech.

  The guilt filled inside me. I’d done this. “I didn’t think that she meant any harm. We’d been meeting for a while now and nothing happened,” I pleaded, hating that he was upset with me.

  “Well something did happen, Ariel. Her mom saw the two of you tonight. What if I had not gotten to you in time?”

  His tones were so elevated that he was almost shouting at me.

  “That was her in your room that day wasn’t it? You lied to me, didn’t you? Ariel, how could you do something like this? I specifically asked you to keep out of sight. How could you be so … so ….”

  He couldn’t even look at me. The frustration and flustering of his voice said it all about how he felt in that moment. He’d done so much to keep me safe and like an idiot I messed it up again. Just like that night at the house.

  The heat of the tears in my eyes couldn’t be kept away, but I didn’t want him to see me cry. I shifted my body toward the window to hide them. “I’m sorry,” I whispered into the glass.

  I rubbed at the bare spot at the mid-point of my waist. I knew the necklace wouldn’t be there, but I did it anyway. I made myself suffer anyway. I wish I had it ….

  Luca let out a deep sigh and we sat in silence for a while. It took me by surprise when he reached over and put his arm around my body.

  I glanced up at him and could see the struggle in his eyes. His expression softened during the length of our drive, and it seemed, for whatever reason, he couldn’t be upset with me anymore.

  *

  We drove for hours. I grew restless wondering if, and when, we would ever stop. It seemed Luca was determined to get me as far away as possible from the bed and breakfast. I couldn’t help but wonder about Bailey during the drive. I hoped she took heed to all my advice and realized how wonderful she was. I would miss her so much.

  When the car slowed, I gazed out the window and witnessed our arrival at a motel. Finally. We were going to stop somewhere.

  Luca pulled us to a stop outside the motel office. “I will be right back. I am going to check you in.” He left the vehicle and went inside.

  When his arm left my body, I became fully aware of how much I missed his touch. I hoped he would continue to allow himself to give into my need of him. I might have done too much damage already tonight, but I couldn’t stop myself from having a bit of wishful thinking.

  He arrived back shortly, and we drove to the farthest end of the establishment. I didn’t feel it was necessary to go so far out of our way to hide because from the looks of it, our location was reminiscent of a ghost town.

  After we both got out of the car, he grabbed my bag and led me into my new home. The residence wasn’t as big as the other place I’d been staying at, but it wasn’t bad, either. There was a queen-sized bed in the first room, which connected to a small living area with a couch and television. And there was a miniature kitchen to the side with a table and two c
hairs. In the other room there was another queen bed. This room was clearly superior to the first because of the size. The old wooden furniture was a lot nicer as well, and the closet was a walk in.

  I picked up my bag and put it in the bigger room, then walked back into the main room. With the lights completely on for the first time tonight, I finally took in the exhaustion on Luca’s face. He looked so tired, his once beautiful face defeated. His spirit was all but gone.

  “Ariel, may I speak with you for a moment?” he asked.

  I drew in a quick breath, preparing for the worst, and made my way over. I sat down on the red cushion couch next to him, seeing his sullen state even closer now.

  “I think it would be best if I stayed with you from now on. The night’s events have made me realize it was a mistake for me to leave you the way I had before. I apologize.”

  This was definitely not what I thought he’d say. This whole time I thought he was mad at me, but he’d really been mad at himself. Why was he beating himself up so badly?

  “I have checked into a room next door. Once you are settled, I will retire for the evening if that is all right?”

  I didn’t understand why he said this. When he said his statement, I hoped he would stay here with me. Maybe even lay next to me, though I knew he probably wouldn’t. “I was thinking you could stay here. There are two beds. It’s not necessary for you to stay in another room. I don’t mind.”

  His face brightened for the first time since our meeting tonight.

  Wanting to comfort him and cheer him up more, I reached over and cupped his strong chin.

  His eyes closed at my touch, and he joined his hand to mine. After a few moments, he moved my hand to his cheek, and slowly brushed his lips into my palm.

  I held in my breath, closing my eyes as well as his skin caressed my hand. We remained this way for a while, neither of us pulling away from the other.

  I forced myself to open my eyes, though. My selfish need for this contact couldn’t compare to what he actually needed. He was fatigued and needed to sleep. “You must rest now,” I said, mimicking his words, then gave a small laugh.

  He opened his, releasing the light of his gorgeous eyes. “Yes, of course.” He smiled after he said this, that wonderful smile I missed.

  I stood when he did, but before I could clear the area he slipped his shirt off and prepared for bed.

  I wished he’d waited until I left, because this sudden action froze me in my departure. I probably looked like a pervert the way I gawked at the ripples in his perfect body. I had definitely dreamed about what his body would look like a few times, but actually seeing his perfection was another story. His body almost couldn’t be described as human. It was too pristine. Every cut of his abs was detailed, defined in every section. And the vision of a set of strong, broad shoulders rounded out the masterpiece. For about two seconds, I actually wondered if I was in the presence of a god. I was damn-near tempted to flee from embarrassment. I sure as hell didn’t look anything remotely close to that in the female form underneath my clothes and definitely felt a bit inferior.

  Finding some internal strength, I forced my eyes to blink. My brain finally did its job of communicating with my legs, and I stepped toward my room. He grabbed my hand before I could make the journey.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  What he thanked me for I didn’t know, but I was happy to see I brought some light into his beautiful eyes again.

  He tugged my wrist and brought me into his body. His strong arms locked around me and into a hug.

  I wouldn’t let my shock cheat me out of this one this time. My fingertips slid across his smooth skin until my arms were wrapped around his body. I closed my eyes, the intense, cool smell of his skin sending me into a pure euphoria. My heart raced as I held him closer. He held me close as well; nuzzling my hair.

  My thoughts were gone. I couldn’t grasp anything in that moment, only him. I tried, but I couldn’t make myself let go. His body with mine felt much too right, much too natural to disconnect. He broke away first, allowing my lungs to breathe again.

  He held my hand, gazing at me in the warmest of expressions. I’d known him for a while now, and in all that time, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him so happy.

  After a few moments, I unwillingly let go of his hand. I walked back into my room in a trance and closed the door.

  My night was filled with dreams of he and I, our intertwining never ending.

  Chapter Twenty

  “I understand that. Yes, I know. Fine.”

  Luca’s voice came from outside the door. I got up out of bed and stepped to the door. Quietly, I cupped my ear against the wood.

  “I know about the deadline.” His voice was gruff with agitation. There was a brief pause. “You have never had to concern yourself before. I would advise you not to start now.”

  A beep signaled the end of his call. Steps approached my door.

  I ran back to the bed and slipped under the covers, pretending to sleep. A few seconds later, the door creaked open and I heard his steps approach the bed. The bed dipped on the side when he sat down. My eyes fluttered open. “Hi.” I smiled up at him.

  He smiled back in return, but heavy lines of frustration were etched in his face. The person on the phone clearly got under his skin. “I hate to wake you, but I just wanted to know what you would like for breakfast this morning? There is a diner across the street.”

  I raised my eyebrows, giving him a cheeky grin. “Peanut butter brownie?”

  He gave a half smile. “I’ll see what I can do.” He got up and headed back the same way he came.

  After he cleared the door, I let out a gasp. I lay there in silence, wondering who he’d been speaking to and wondering if he was in trouble.

  *

  “What’s all this?” I asked while looking inside the bag Luca brought back with him from the diner.

  The contents of the sack seemed endless with eggs, sausage, toast, and other traditional breakfast foods. And there were at least, three different types of brownies.

  He looked at me with a small smile. “I did not know if you were joking. I figured I should have all my bases covered.”

  He must not have understood my obsession with peanut butter and chocolate yet. I couldn’t help but smile at the kind gesture. I set out the food on our table and we ate. I watched him as I devoured my food, again wondering who he’d been talking to earlier. “So, what’s going on, on campus? Any changes?”

  He stopped chewing his pancakes, lines of consternation furring his brow. After a short pause, he swallowed. “Unfortunately, I have no good news to bring you. Piper’s parents have attempted to increase the search by offering a rather large reward. The community has been reacting accordingly.”

  I found this information particularly odd. Though I knew the Lovelaces were Piper’s parents, I also knew that their relationship with her was all but non-existent. They had always been so cold to her, so unloving. She was always topic fodder at their events. She even told me once they called her their “wild child mistake.” Piper avoided them at all costs and saw them but once a year for Christmas. Half the time the holiday would be spent with just the two of us opening presents with the help. Her parents were just never around. In fact, if I didn’t know she had parents, I would have thought she was an orphan like me. I guessed her death must have triggered an intense guilt for all the time they lost with her. I was glad they were finally standing up and taking responsibility—even if they were out for my head. “What about the media? Are they still all over?”

  Luca didn’t even bother looking up from his food before he spoke. “Their presence has not lessened. The board has decided they are a distraction and have canceled classes until further notice.” The words came out in a rush, and he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  My brownie slipped from my fingers, falling to the carpet. This must have gotten really serious. I guessed with the four deaths that occurred people must really be freaked.


  I broke away from my thoughts and studied Luca, growing increasing aware of how weird he was acting. He looked totally preoccupied, wouldn’t meet my eyes, and ate really fast. Growing suspicious, I removed my napkin from my lap and placed it over my plate. I was done eating and wanted to know what was up with him. “Um, Luca—”

  He stood abruptly and put his napkin on his own plate. Apparently, he was done eating, too. “Ariel, I must excuse myself. I have to go to the store and get some supplies. I will return soon.”

  I watched his eyes closely. They were wandering and wouldn’t completely connect with my own. What had him so nervous that he wouldn’t stick around for me to poke him further about it? “Okay—”

  “Great.” He grabbed his keys off the table and exited without another word.

  I froze, stunned by his hasty departure. There was definitely something up, something serious going on that he was trying to keep from me. The story about campus seemed so extreme for the bit of information he gave me, and if classes really were canceled why didn’t he think this was need-to-know information? And what was that call about this morning?

  I waited half the day for him to come back. When he did, his actions were much of the same from earlier: avoiding my eyes, the jumpy movements, and the preoccupation. I had to figure out a way to discover what he was hiding. I remembered what Bailey said about sometimes people keep the truth from you because they care about you and want to protect you. If he really did care about me, though, shouldn’t he be able to trust me enough to handle whatever it was that had him so antsy, no matter how bad the news? A plan brewed in my mind. He couldn’t protect me forever, and I was no longer going to let him try.