by Lori Wilde
A sickening sound, like a punctured tire filled my ears...then an agonized moan, wheezing for breath.
My eyes struggled open as Darcy’s limp body fell toward me in slow motion. I rolled onto my side, trying to get away, but he landed hard in my lap. Blood pooling on his shirt grew slowly larger. His eyes glazed over, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
I’d lived this scene countless times, and it still terrified me. My whole body trembled as I stared down at him, watching the life seep from his eyes, his face growing paler by the second.
I looked up at Troy, standing behind where Darcy had stood. The kitchen knife hanging by his side dripped fresh blood. I was going to be sick.
Darcy’s body convulsed, and blood vessels ruptured in his bulging milky eyes. His hand gripped mine, and I didn’t pull away.
“I gave you everything, Nora,” he gasped. “I gave you…my…soul.” It was the last word he whispered, before his hand fell away from mine and his eyes slipped closed.
Shaking uncontrollably, my hand flew over my mouth to cut off my scream. But I was too numb to scream. Too numb to react.
Sweat trickled down my back, and I stayed on the floor, gasping shallow breaths.
Grace burst in the open doorway with Kenzie on her heels. She paused, looking from me on the floor cradling Darcy’s lifeless body in my lap, then to Troy and then to Steve, who was just starting to rouse. Kenzie knelt next to him and pressed her hand to the gash on his forehead. Then Grace went to join them, and hovering over Steve, she assessed his wounds, asking him what he remembered. Mercifully, the blow to his head had dulled some of his memory about what went down. But not all. We just had to hope it was enough, and that he’d have the good sense to keep his mouth shut. My vision blurred as I watched them, and my hands started to tremble.
I felt the darkness abate without having to look up, and I didn’t recoil at the soft footsteps that came toward me. Troy’s strong arms lifted me out from under Darcy, letting his body roll onto the floor with a hollow thud that echoed in my bones. Then he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. Keeping the broken pieces of me from falling apart. Tears streamed down my face without control, and it was only his strong, safe embrace that kept me from shattering completely.
Grace lifted Darcy’s limp wrist, feeling for a pulse. I didn’t need to see her expression to know she wouldn’t find one. He was gone. And like that, his body desiccated to a pile of ash on the hardwood floor. My dream had ended a long time ago—and now, my nightmare was finally over.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I spent the night at Troy’s place, awake, with Darcy on my mind. I couldn’t shut off the racing thoughts. How my messed-up childhood caused me to dream him into existence, and how letting go of the past and my fears led to his destruction.
I curled up next to Troy’s side. The bandages wrapped around him concealed the freshly stitched wound from Darcy’s blade.
“You need anything?” he murmured against the top of my head.
“I’m fine.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he insisted.
So many things. “My grandfather loved the Aristotle quote, ‘He who overcomes his fears is truly free.’ He always said to never allow fear to take hold. That it will take root in your subconscious, personifying itself—and a person is much harder to manage than an emotion. I had no idea what he meant by that until now. A little too late.” Darcy had been my fear personified.
“Nora—” Troy said, holding me next to him. His face was pale, and his voice filled with concern.
I’m fine. Really. I’m not hurt. How are you? There was so much I wanted to say. But all that came out was, “Thank you, for breaking your promise.”
He laughed weakly. “You’re welcome,” he said, then touched his lips to mine. I curled my limp fingers into his shirt and pulled him closer.
I knew he was worried about me. I didn’t know how to explain that my deep sadness wasn’t over losing Darcy, but rather losing a part of me. I wasn’t sorry he was gone, and that startled me a little. Before things got bat-crazy, he was my safe place. But I had Troy. He was safer and more real than Darcy would ever be. And while part of me feared clinging on to anything too tightly, the larger part of me held on to him. With all my strength. It was Troy’s fingers, not Darcy’s, that slowly laced through my hair until I eventually fell into a dreamless asleep.
A week passed by, and I welcomed the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the last week of work. Camp bustled with activity as every discipline was in full swing, wrapping up projects and prepping for the season finale performances. Everything seemed to flow without issue, and it was almost as if the past events had never taken place.
I stirred the next morning in Troy’s bed, under a tangle of crisp white linen. For the first time in longer than I could remember, I woke up with a different name on my tongue. Troy.
We’d planned to sleep under the stars, but the rain had other ideas. Now, in the remnants of last evening’s showers, the gray skies swaddled us in clouds of melancholy. What was it about rainy days…they always seemed to hold the promise of bad news. We’d had more than enough for one summer, and now I was finally free. I let myself relax a little as I poured some coffee.
After showering, I padded around the living room, wrapped in his white terry robe and watched the gray sky over the gray lake. Dismal and yet beautiful. I heard his phone ring, a brief conversation, followed by his fist slamming into something hard. That’s when the rain started falling again, right on cue.
Bad news. And rain. They often fell together.
Troy stormed into the room, pausing to drink in the sight of me wrapped in his bathrobe and not much else. The effect was short-lived. He breezed past me, out onto the deck. He paced. And paced. And paced. Cagey reckless steps, a wild ferocity lighting his eyes. It reminded me of the look he had right before he punched Steve in the face.
I stepped outside after him. Rain quickly soaked my hair and robe. It splashed at my feet as I waited for him to talk. “What’s wrong?” It was far too early for more crappy news.
He stopped in front of me, his height shielding me from the rain. I searched his face. His hair was soaked and matted in thick dark waves. The drops slid down his face, over his beautifully carved lips, down his shirt.
I reached up to wipe them from his eyes. “Hey. It’s going to be alright. Whatever it is, we can handle it.” Stretching up on my toes, I took his face in my hands and kissed him.
When he pulled away, ragged torment contorted his beautiful face. He took a step back.
“Just talk to me.” The familiar knots forming in my stomach tightened with his silence.
Rain fell harder, louder, in heavy sheets. He made no move to go back inside, so neither did I.
He looked at me, water streaming down his face. “It’s that…bastard, Steve.” He ground out his name like a curse.
I could hear the expletives he didn’t add.
Troy finally had enough of the rain, because he held the door open for me, and we returned to the kitchen. Neither one of us was concerned with the puddles we were dripping on the floor. I was only concerned about him.
“What about Steve?” The guy was trouble, but Grace had done a pretty good job of patching him up, helping him recover both mentally and physically, and covering up what had happened. None of it was our fault, Troy’s least of all, so I couldn’t sort out what had him so edgy.
Troy’s jaw twitched, and his hands clenched at his sides, ready to hit something else. “He went to the board, and because of the lawsuit, he managed to convince them there was something inappropriate going on between you and me.” He swore under his breath. “Then he proceeded to tell them about Darcy and what he saw me doing to him.”
I straightened. “Well, what did he say, exactly?”
“That I was trying to kill him, and since the guy can no longer be found, I must have succeeded.”
I shook my head. I mean, he
wasn’t wrong, but still…he only had a sliver of the whole story.
I shook my head in disbelief. “He’s such a jerk.” Even Kenzie knew that now. I crossed my arms in front of me as I walked toward him. “Okay, so what—no body, no crime, right? And they don’t have any real authority over you, do they?”
“Nora...” He breathed a heavy sigh and looked briefly down at the floor. “They called for your resignation,” he said. “Mine as well.”
My arms fell to my sides. “They can’t make you resign; you own the place.”
“I do. But they can force me not to teach here. They’re trying to avoid another scandal after the one Steve caused. He abused his dreamwalking gifts when he entered that student’s dreams. And broke a million other decency clauses. If it wasn’t for Steve’s uncle being on the board, he’d have been out on his ass a long time ago.” He shoved back the wet hair on his forehead. “But when I insisted you stay on until the end, they said that they’d pay you for your time served, but that legally they don’t owe you any more since you’re in breach of your contract. We both are. I told them what I thought of that, with a few four-letter words, and the SOBs threatened that I’d lose everything.” He laughed, and it sounded strangled and dark. “They had the nerve to ask me if one girl was worth it.”
I nodded, as the weight of his words settled like cement in my stomach. A massive lump lodged itself in the center of my throat. My eyes seared with anger and hurt. I felt his pain, the guilt over being responsible for him getting ousted from a job in his own company. But another thought, a selfish thought, crept in. This meant no money. There’d be enough for some of Granddad’s bills but not to get him into a facility. And not enough for college and rent. So much for that dream. I decided in that moment it was better not to have them. They’d been nothing but disappointing lately.
“I see. Well, I’m sure you did all you could.” I turned away from him; he’d seen me cry enough over the past few weeks. No time for tears anyway, I needed an exit strategy and a new plan. In a short while I’d be literally homeless. Not exactly the scenario I was planning.
“There’s something more,” he said, taking my arm to make me face him again. “I told them where they could shove their contract. I don’t need to teach here. The school will run just fine without me. Anyway, I’d rather move in with this gorgeous freshman girl who got a sculpting scholarship. Who knows, maybe I’ll teach college level for a while.”
I studied him through confused, watery eyes. “Troy, without the rest of the money, there’s not going to be any college.”
“One more thing,” he said, this hint of a smile growing on the corners of his mouth. “Your grandfather’s medical bills have been paid. Grace received the call from the hospital last week, and I wanted to tell you but—”
“But we were busy trying not to get ourselves killed.” I nodded. “Who paid the bills, Troy?” I was already preparing to insist I couldn’t accept that kind of money from him. I’d find a way to figure things out. I always did.
He shrugged. “Angel donor I hear. He’s also going to be moved to the state-of-the-art facility, a mile from the townhouse I bought next to the campus.”
I stared at him, barely even registering his words. “I don’t…I don’t understand...”
“Understand this. I love you.” He stroked my face. “And I would do anything, and I mean anything, to see even the hint of joy on your beautiful face again.”
There were no words for the depth of what I felt for him. So instead of uttering something lame like thank you, which wouldn’t even touch the amount of gratitude I had for him, I crushed my lips against his, until neither one of us could breathe.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Kenzie came with me to Grace’s office to hand in my keys. Our remaining sessions had been cut short by the unfolding events.
Darcy’s death, plus my termination meant there wasn’t any reason to continue. Steve’s accusations had been ‘handled,’ but the damage was done.
There was actually a small tear in Grace’s eyes as she said goodbye. She hugged me, holding on longer than necessary. When she finally let go, I had to fight back tears of my own.
“Thanks, Grace. For everything.”
She nodded, giving me a genuine smile. “Good luck, Nora. And from now on, sweet dreams.”
Kenzie managed to hold off saying I told you so until we were outside. “See, therapy was just what you needed.” She nudged me.
“Guess the cosmos were right after all,” I said.
Her lips twisted in a sneer. “Sucks that you still have to leave even after that loser’s accusations were thrown out.”
I thought I was over it, but now I realized how attached I was to this place. Still, leaving early meant more free time before college started. At least that was how Troy and Kenzie had spun it.
“This has been quite the summer for two city girls.” I sighed.
“One city girl.” She pointed to herself and then pointed to me. “And one pretty woman living a real-life rags-to-riches fairy tale. Yeah, quite the summer is right. Wouldn’t have traded a moment of it,” she added.
I glanced at her, not sure if she genuinely felt that way, with how things ended. But then Keith, a gorgeous guy from Jamaica with thick dreads hanging down his back, strolled past us, flashing Kenzie a secret smile. He slipped her a note with what I can only assume was his number.
A smile played over her lips, and she shrugged. “Gotta get right back on the horse and keep riding. Best way to get over someone is—”
“To get under someone else.” I nodded. “Think I heard that somewhere. Nietzsche, right?” Yeah. She’s fine, I laughed to myself. “Can we go now?”
“No, wait. There’s just one thing we have to do before we pack.”
I looked at her expectantly.
“Wait for it,” she said. She’d dragged me to the front gates, and we stood waiting for her mystery surprise a few feet from the doors to Troy’s office.
I’d been keeping my distance since the board’s decision, and their insistence that we stay away from each other for the duration of our time here.
It had been hard. I hated being apart from him, but it was temporary, and it was unlikely I’d run into him now, since he was locked in Skype meetings, with his own board trying to kick him out of his own school.
How could one little weasel cause so much trouble? When I had finally told Kenzie everything Steve had done, she was strangely calm. But apparently, she hadn’t taken it all that well after all, judging from the purple bruise around Steve’s eye the next day.
Kenzie folded her arms and seemed to pick up on my thoughts. “I don’t think guys like Steve should get away with the kind of BS he pulled on you.”
“I’m so over it, Kenzie.” I groaned. “I hit him. Troy hit him. Darcy hit him. You hit him—I think we’re good.”
“Well, I wasn’t good. I needed some…closure,” she said.
The word had just slipped past her lips when I heard sirens. We stood in silence as a police cruiser pulled up to the black iron gates of Camp Wanderlust.
I drew in a slow breath. “Kenzie, what did you do?”
She bit back a satisfied smirk. “I might have filed a complaint of my own. And I might have thrown around terms like verbal abuse, attempted sexual assault, and general douche-baggery.”
I stared transfixed as Steve was led out of the office by the campus security and handed over to the police.
“No one does that to my bestie and gets away with it. Plus, you weren’t the only one. A line up of girls stepped forward to file their complaints. A few of them had him in their dreams, but most were in the here and now. And couple of them not quite legal age in some states.”
We watched as he was carted off by the local police, his hands cuffed behind his back as he spewed profanity at us.
Kenzie took great pleasure in spreading the news, whispering the sordid details to everyone who joined the growing crowd.
Arm in
arm, we watched the cruiser pull away from the gates, removing him from Wanderlust Academy. Never to return this time around, no matter who his uncle was. In fact, they’d had him removed from the board as well, conflict of interest or something.
Troy still owned his school, but the decision not to teach there remained. We were moving into his townhouse close to the campus on the weekend, and Granddad would be moved into the state’s most prestigious facility shortly after. I had everything I’d ever dreamed of—and so much more than I never dared let myself dream. And all it took was not having my dreams come true.
Kenzie dusted her hands. “There. One thing off my plate. You ready?”
I nibbled my thumbnail, lost in thought. “Hmmm?”
“God, just go see him already,” she groaned, reading my mind. “You’ll never get a thing done if you don’t.”
That was all the encouragement I needed. I took the steps two at a time, then paused halfway up. Troy was sitting on the top step, watching me.
He stood up.
“Hey,” I raced up the rest of the steps. “Did you see what happened? Boom. There’s your karma,” I said. I was a little breathless, not just from the stairs.
Troy stepped toward me. His hands steadied on my waist, and he pressed me back against the wall. Warmth spread through me as his lips found mine. I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my hands to his back, feeling his muscles flex as he tightened his grip on my waist. His kisses grew deeper, more intense, until we were both breathing heavily in unison. The door opened, and Grace stuck her head out.
Troy pulled back a little, despite my protest. “I have to go,” he groaned.
“Don’t go.”
“Not far, and not for long.”
