Chapter 12 #3
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled off the highway, and I glanced around in confusion.
There wasn’t much to see except a one-pump gas station, and nothing but an endless swell of trees.
I knew the Heartbreakers were from the Portland area and wondered if he was taking us to stay with one of his bandmates, but we were still an hour outside the city.
Alec took a left, away from the only sign of civilization.
There was only pavement ahead of us and the blur of nature outside my window.
I kept my gaze focused on the tree line.
Night had swallowed the sun, and while the scenery was probably green and breathtaking during the day, the gloom of dusk made the landscape look dark and foreboding.
Eventually we came upon a side road that broke through the forest wall.
It was so small that if you didn’t already know it was there, you never would.
Alec slowed the car in time to make the turn.
I quickly discovered that the road was not a road at all, but a long driveway that twisted through the foliage and up a hill.
As we neared our destination, light from a distant building flickered between the trunks.
When we reached the top, the woods came to a sudden stop, opening to reveal a house in the clearing.
Only it wasn’t a house. Before us loomed an impressive Tudor-style mansion made of gray brick and dripping in ivy. Every window was lit up, which was a welcoming sight after the suffocating shadows of the pines.
“Whoa.” The word slipped out of my mouth. “Where are we?”
“Oliver’s uncle’s place. We call it Safe House.
It’s where we come when we want to get away from the stress of everything,” Alec answered, and I didn’t need to ask “Oliver who?” to know he was talking about his bandmate.
“Professor Perry is away at a history conference. Poseidon doesn’t do well with strangers, so Oliver offered to watch him. Everyone’s here.”
Huh?
What in the world was a Poseidon? Clearly he wasn’t referring to the Greek god, which made me wonder if Oliver’s uncle kept some sort of finicky sea monster in a backyard pond. But, more importantly, what did Alec mean by everybody? As in the rest of the band?
I didn’t get a chance to ask any clarifying questions, because Asha exploded with chatter. “Oliver’s here? We get to meet him? No freaking way!” And then, gesturing at the beautiful home, “This is his uncle’s house? What kind of professor makes enough dough for all this?”
Alec laughed. “None that I know of. Oliver bought this place for him about a year back. Not sure why, considering they’ve never been close, but Professor Perry did take Oliver in after his grandma…” Alec trailed off when he realized he was spilling somebody else’s story.
The silence didn’t last long, because we’d pulled up alongside a slick, red sports car.
“Holy hell,” Boomer gasped, pressing his hands and face against the window. “That’s a Lotus Evora!” He unbuckled his seat belt and was out the door before Alec turned off the engine.
Asha caught my gaze in the mirror and rolled her eyes. “Here we go…” she muttered, and I allowed myself a small grin. Even though things had changed between the three of us, I took comfort in Boomer’s childlike excitement and Asha’s obvious exasperation. At least some things were still the same.
We all piled out, and while Boomer fluttered around the vehicle in circles, the rest of us unloaded our luggage from the trunk.
“When it was first released, I thought the facelift on the 400 was a good move. More modern, more aggressive. But wow. This”—Boomer shook his head—“this is so much more beautiful in person.” His fingers brushed the hood tenderly.
“Four hundred horsepower. Zero to sixty in four point one seconds. God, the sound of this girl… She’s so sexy. ”
“I don’t know which is more upsetting: that you referred to a car as if it’s a person, or that you think it’s sexy.” Asha sounded angry, but I knew she was only teasing. “Can we please go inside? These woods are giving me the serious creeps. It like a scene straight out of IN.”
Boomer looked like someone would have to drag him away kicking and screaming before he would leave, and I was convinced he’d sleep outside on the driveway so he could stay next to the car.
Thankfully, Alec knew exactly what to say to get Boomer to move.
“I’m sure if we head inside, JJ will let you drive it at some point. ”
Openmouthed, Boomer stared at Alec. “Are you for real?”
Alec shrugged, and that was all it took. Boomer grabbed Asha’s hand and dragged her up the front walk so fast you’d think there really were werewolves and vampires lurking in the woods. I hesitated, staring up at the huge house. It was romantic and age-old in a way that suited a historian.
“Felicity? Is everything okay?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, pulling the skin at my throat. “It’s just… I didn’t realize your friends would be here.” And by friends I meant JJ. Boys like him were intimidating.
Alec’s face softened in understanding. “He’ll behave himself. I promise.”
“You sure?”
His lips quirked into a half smile. “Positive. And if he doesn’t, I’m fairly sure Asha can take him.”