Chapter 31
Did you miss me?
The words ring around in my head, pinging off the inside of my skull like a tennis ball. I stare at him, from the aloof grin on his face to his swept back hair. Then I move down his body, to the duffel bag he shifted into his hand.
But I can’t find anything to do other than, well, stare.
Melody is not as troubled. She launches off of my hip and wraps her arms around Kayde, grinning up at him ferociously as he matches her enthusiasm.
And, yeah, okay, it’s definitely looking like there’s some kind of weird, creepy connection between them. Like they recognize the sociopath in one another and love everything about it.
Maybe he’s right about her, and Melody really is going to grow up just like him.
I wonder if her mom knows.
“You came back!” Melody’s voice is full of glee, and she twists to look at me like I’ve personally offended her. “Summer, you lied,” she accuses flatly. “You told me he wasn’t coming back. Even though I told you, Kayde promised to teach me to swim faster.”
“I…” God, I have no idea what to say. The hatred is unfurling, petal by petal, though I clamp a metaphorical hand over the core of it to keep some of that hatred intact.
I’m glad to see him.
I’m horrified to see him.
I’m confused as fuck to see him.
“She didn’t know, Mel.” Kayde chuckles, his eyes leaving mine to flick down to my favorite camper. “I actually wasn’t sure I’d be coming back. I had to work out some shit.”
“Well, that’s crappy of you,” Melody is quick to tell him, a frown touching her lips. “I bet Summer was sad when she thought you weren’t coming back. I bet?—”
“Summer wasn’t sad.” The words are too quick, too slurred together, and from the look in Kayde’s eyes as he glances up at me again, I know for a fact he doesn’t believe me. But why should he? I’m certainly not telling the truth.
“Summer definitely wasn’t sad.” Kinsley sounds a lot more convincing than I do, at least. She takes a step forward, reaching out to grip Melody’s shoulder. “Can you take your duffel to Redtail cabin for us, please?” she asks her, forcing a smile onto her face. “Kayde’s going to help us get finished up here.”
Melody looks between us, her face full of calculation. Whatever she sees in my expression, which she studies the longest, must convince her that Camp Crestview isn’t about to implode, because she shrugs her shoulders and swoops down to pick up her bag. “I suppose,” she sighs heavily. “But you’ll help me this week, right? You promise they aren’t going to chase you off?” Her words are directed at Kayde, but she glances at me as if I’m the threat in this situation.
Frankly, I’m just doing my best not to cry, pass out, or melt into a puddle of ooze under Kayde’s stare. And as I haven’t done any of those things, I’m considering today a success so far.
“Promise,” Kayde tells her, bringing up a hand in the scout’s salute. “I swear, Mel. I’ll teach you whatever you want to know and there’s no way you won’t get on the swim team when you start school this fall.”
That mollifies her, at least somewhat. Melody marches off in the direction of Redtail, though we have to all maintain our smiling faces when she glances back more than once, like she’s afraid Kins and I are going to go on the attack.
But I barely notice. I’m too busy staring at Kayde, my mouth still hanging open as I try to figure out what’s going on and what in the world I’m feeling right now. Surely I’m not relieved to see him.
Not when?—
Oh god.My stomach plummets, and I clench my hands around my elbows where I’m holding onto myself as if I might shatter on the spot.
If he’s back, it has to be. He still wants to?—
“Why’d you leave if you were coming back?” Kinsley, still in front of me, is not having the same internal crisis as me. She looks aggressive, if anything, and steps into his personal space even though I give a soft sound of protest. “Why’d you do that to Summer?”
I’m worried for her.
Especially out here, where no one can really see us unless they purposefully come back to the drop off area for some reason.
Kayde’s eyes meet mine, and he gives a quick, dismissive motion of his hand, as if he’s telling me it’s fine.
But it isn’t fine.
And Kinsley doesn’t know. I force myself not to panic as Kayde focuses on Kinsley, his head tilting to the side as he studies her. “What did I do to Summer, Kins?” he murmurs, and I wince for him.
Kinsley does not like when anyone other than her friends shorten her name, and if she doesn’t punch him, I’ll be surprised.
Her hands ball into fists, and I make another soft noise of dissent. It must register, because she glances back at me, her frown clear and her eyes troubled. “You left her. Worse? You left her to Darcy after you fucking walked out on her and your cabin of kids.”
“Darcy?” Kayde looks between us. “What do you mean ‘left her to Darcy’?” There’s something in his voice that reminds me of that first night in the woods, and I wonder if letting this go on is only to make things worse.
It definitely feels like things are getting worse, not better, with every word that Kinsley gives him.
“She was the first one to know you’d fucked off. And she knew real quick that you hadn’t told Summer. What the fuck, Kayde?” She steps closer until they’re almost pressed together. “What the fuck? You couldn’t tell Summer you were leaving, at the very least? Couldn’t, I don’t know, explain it to someone? She thought you cared about her.”
I flinch at her words, and Kayde is the one who sees it. Something changes in his eyes, though I’m sure I don’t like whatever that means for me.
And I definitely don’t like the way Kinsley is winding up. Kayde may be patient, to a point, but he’s also a murderer. He’s Kayde, the man who had planned on murdering all the kids here at Crestview, and chop Kins up in as many pieces as he could.
I don’t think yelling at him is good for her continued health and wellbeing. My hands clench and unclench around my elbows, and before she can get herself in deeper shit with Kayde, I make myself step forward to push between them.
“Can we talk?” I don’t even look at my best friend. I’m too insistent on getting Kayde’s attention and focus on me, not her. On my face, not the way she’s spitting words of dislike and disapproval.
“Summer…” Kinsley reaches out to touch my arm, but I ignore her with a shake of my head.
“I’m fine. Can we talk?” I ask again, eyes still on Kayde and refusing to go anywhere else. There’s something like the twitch of a grin on his lips, but it;s gone when I blink, and he dips his head in a nod.
“Yeah, Summer,” he murmurs. “Of course we can talk. Figured that was kind of a number one priority?—”
“If it’s such a priority now, why wasn’t it before you left?” There’s Kinsley again, and this time I see the twitch of Kayde’s eyes, and the way his head tips just enough to show he’s paying attention in the worst way.
He’s not thrilled with Kinsley. He’s making that more than clear now.
“It’s fine. We’ll talk about it.” I force myself to reach out, to grip the hem of his shirt to keep his attention on me instead of Kinsley. “Please, Kins,” I add, turning to look at her sidelong.
She hesitates. I see the indecision clear on her face as I silently beg her to just walk away for now. Before Kayde really does turn his attention on her instead of me. “Fine.” She’s very clearly not happy about it and turns to me with worry on her face. “Fine, Summer. But come find me later. Please.” There’s worry in her voice and in her eyes, and she bites her lip as she hesitates with her decision.
“I won’t hurt her, Kinsley,” Kayde purrs under his breath, his smile looking less and less genuine with every word. “We’re just going to talk. That’s all.” But the look he shoots my way tells me that might not be the most true thing in the world, if he has his way.
But I am not inclined to let him have his way.
Kinsley hesitates for one more second before walking in the direction Melody had taken, though I don’t move until she’s looked back at least twice before disappearing behind the cabins as if she’s heading to Otter Hall.
Or, more likely, heading to Liza’s cabin to tell her all about this incident so they can ambush me later.
“We’re not going to stand here, right?” Kayde murmurs, as the Uber he’d taken up here zooms off. “Because this is out in the open, and?—”
I whirl on him, eyes narrowing even though I can feel myself shaking. “Why did you come back?” I demand, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. “Why—why did you—” My words cut off as my throat closes, and I suck in a breath. “You’re right. Anyone could spy on us; like fucking Darcy. She had a goddamn field day with you leaving, you know?” Tears prick hotly at my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
Instead, I drag him away from the pick-up and drop off area, taking him toward the nearest clump of trees where, coincidentally, one of my five favorite trees sits between two huge maples. Kayde follows me, not seeming to mind my hand still in his shirt. Hell, he’s barely said anything, and this is so unlike him, I wonder if this is going to go sideways faster than I can imagine.
I have to do something.
And I have to do it fast.
Once we’re at my tree, I turn on him, letting go of Kayde’s shirt as I open my mouth to launch into a tirade of threats, anger, pleas, or whatever else will get him out of Camp Crestview before he can murder any of my kids. There’s no other reason for him to be here. No other point to his presence except that he’s here to finish what he wanted to start two weeks ago.
I have a plan. I have things I want to say to him, and threats I want to make. It’s a shame I don’t have a knife on me, I think, moments before Kayde grips both of my arms, duffel bag forgotten on the ground.
He jerks me forward, and I have just a moment to panic before his lips slant against mine, hard, pulling a whimper from my throat. Kayde presses me against the tree at my back; the one I could totally climb to get away from him if I could just get a little bit of space.
But it’s hard to want that space, or to focus on anything else, when Kayde is…Kayde. I sigh into the kiss, unconsciously parting my lips for his tongue to slip against mine, begging to taste every part of my mouth he can. A soft whine leaves me, though he swallows it eagerly before pulling away.
“You can’t…be here…” I pant, shaking myself to pieces in his arms. He doesn’t let go of me. He just stands there with his hands gripping my elbows and refusing to let me go anywhere. “You left, you?—”
“Tell me what happened with Darcy.” His friendly facade is gone, and he steps forward, pushing me harder against the broad tree trunk. I really can’t move at all now. “What did she say, sweetheart?”
I haven’t heard the pet name in over a week, and somehow it makes something in me crumble. I feel tears in my eyes again, hot and heavy, but I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to make them go away.
I fail, of course. They fall, sliding down my cheeks in burning streaks, only to leave uncomfortable, sticky coolness in their wake. I reach up to wipe them away, only to be stopped by Kayde as he leans forward, pressing his tongue to my cheek and following the line of one, then the other.
And God, I can’t help but shudder.
“Don’t do that,” I beg, trying to pull away from him. “Fuck, Kayde, I can’t do this again. You left. You were gone?—”
“Which we’re going to talk about,” Kayde promises flatly. “I’ll tell you, Summer. Explain why I left, where I went. I’ll even tell you where I was that morning when you caught me coming back from the lake. But…” His grip tightens on my arms, and he shoves me against the tree firmly, one thigh pressing against mine so that I’m barely balanced on the balls of my feet and he’s supporting a good portion of my weight.
“Tell me what the fuck Darcy said or did. Now.” He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t raise his voice as he leans in to press his lips under my ear. But the way he speaks makes me shudder, and my spine feels like it’s being shocked with a thousand volts as he runs his mouth over my skin.
“N-no.” I close my eyes, reminding myself that while Darcy is absolutely a bitch, she doesn’t deserve the wrath of Kayde. Probably. “No, you’ll do something awful. You’ll hurt her. I know what you’re here for, Kayde.” Putting all the accusation into the words that I can, and my fingers flex in his shirt. “I don’t know how, but I won’t let you. I wouldn’t let you last time?—”
The barking laugh that leaves him as Kayde stands straight cuts me off, but it also surprises me. So does the incredulous look on his face as he stares at me, surveying my expression. “I see,” he chuckles, still grinning like he can’t believe it. “I didn’t think…” He glances away, shaking his head. “Let me see if I’m understanding correctly.” Kayde shifts, though not enough for me to go anywhere. His hands move, one of them pressing to the base of my throat so his fingers can curl around as much of my neck as possible.
The other grabs both of my hands before I can stop him, and he presses them over my head against the roughness of the bark. “Let me be adamantly clear about this, baby girl.” Kayde leans close once more, his eyes on mine. “As clear as I possibly can. I did not come back to Camp Crestview to kill the kids you value way too much.”
I shift, confused, and I find myself unsure if I can believe him or not. “You didn’t?” I ask finally, bewildered. “But then why come back? What else is here that you want?” Surely it isn’t Darcy.
Kayde just stares at me. Emotions flicker across his face before finally a bemused grin crosses his features. “I came back for you, Summer,” he says at last. Slowly, gently, like he’s talking to a frightened animal that might bolt.
And, admittedly, if I could, I definitely would.
But I’m also sure I misheard. I bite down on my lip, watching Kayde’s eyes flick down to my mouth before coming back up to my eyes. “You…what?” I ask at last. “That’s not funny, Kayde. That’s not?—”
“It’s not funny at all,” he agrees savagely, tightening his grip on my hands and my throat to cut off my air. “Baby, it’s not funny because it’s not a fucking joke. I came back here for you?—”
“You came back because of the?—”
“I came back because I’m in love with you, Summer Walsh. And you’d better understand real quick that I’m going to make sure you feel the same before these kids go home. No matter what I have to do to make that happen.”