Chapter 9
Nine
Ru
We made it through the night without further incident, though I slept fitfully. I imagine Sully did too if the look of his mangled sheets were anything to go by. Morning passed slowly, us flicking through channels and picking at the food we brought.
It’s afternoon now, and with the sun out, I can stop worrying about any potential vampires on our tail. If they didn’t find us last night, we’re safe.
As long as the sun shines, we’re safe.
They can’t move until sunset, but then again, neither can we.
Sully’s in the room napping with the cat and the rat. Meanwhile, I need some fresh air. And to make a phone call.
I scroll through my contacts all the way to the Zs and tap on Zoe. I feel like a total asshole calling to ask for a favor when I’ve been shit at keeping in touch lately, but I don’t have any better options.
And I really need that favor.
I’m tempted to text, but this is important enough to warrant an actual phone call.
It rings. I pace around the Motel 6’s tiny fenced-in pool, closed for the season. Looks like it’s been closed for much longer. Ferns are growing in the mud at the deep end.
Please pick up. Please pick up. Please pick up.
“Dr. Rupert P. Martin,” she answers, surprise laced in her voice. “To what to I owe the honor?”
“Hey. Zoe. What’s up?” I’m shooting for casual.
But apparently I miss because her voice tightens. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Shit. Whoops. “Yeah, mostly.”
“What do you mean by ‘mostly’? You’re not calling me for bail money, are you?”
“No, nothing like that.” How much of the story can I share? Unfortunately, that answer is very, very little. “I’m in a jam. I’d love to explain it, but I really fucking can’t. Any chance your parents still have that cabin outside of Burlington?”
“Yes,” she says slowly. I can hear her eyebrows arching through the line. “Why?”
“Is it free? Could I drive up and stay there for a bit? I need to disappear for a hot minute.” Yikes, why’d I say that? Disappear? Jesus, Ru, don’t be so dramatic.
“Uh, yes, it’s free, but what the fuck? Are you in trouble?”
“I mean, maybe not? I don’t want to worry you.”
“Consider me worried. What kind of answer is that?”
“The kind that’ll get me the lock box code without any more questions? Please?”
“Fuck. Now I’m definitely worried about you.”
“I’m sorry, Zo. Look, I’ll keep you updated, I swear, but for now you gotta trust me.
It’s best I don’t share.” My thoughts turn to the ten-plus-page nondisclosure agreement I had to sign in order to interview with II Tech, not to mention Sully’s right to privacy, and creepy Voijin who may or may not be onto us.
The last thing I need to do is bring Zoe into this mess.
The less she knows the better.
“Okay. I’ll text you the address and the code. But only if you promise to text me when you get there and let me know you’re safe.”
Relief takes a pounding weight off my chest. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“You owe me ten.”
“Sounds fair.”
“I mean it, text me.”
“I will.” Thank fuck. We have a place to go.
Deep breaths. Review the facts. It’s Saturday now. As soon as the sun sets tonight, I’ll drive us to Burlington. We’ll have all day Sunday to get Sully settled in at Zoe’s family cabin.
On Monday I’ll get up extra early and take my chances at II Tech, feel out the vibe, and put in for a leave of absence.
Then I’ll return.
And that should give us some breathing room to figure out what to do next.
Easy-peasy.
Sully
“I’ll agree to anything that smells better than a Motel 6,” I say after Ru pitches his plan. I’m hoping to make him laugh with that comment.
Ru cracks a small smile, but no laugh. He’s too stressed. Running from a mysterious vampire with questionable intentions will do that to a person.
We pack up our things. I brush my teeth and collect Twenty-Four from where he’s investigating the drain in the yellowed bath tub. Oddly, you’d stay cleaner by not taking a bath in this place.
I’m glad we’re getting out of here. Even their TV sucks. Nothing but news, sports, and infomercials.
Back in the car, listening to Socks complain over soft rock playing lowly on the radio, I stare out the window. Trees zoom by so fast they blur, chunks of gray-brown branches, chunks of deep green pines, chunks of yellowed grasses. The world is so big.
Every new view takes me farther from II Tech, and while that’s fantastic in one sense, how can I destroy them from so far away? My dark streak demands its revenge.
But that’s a thought for another night. I shove it aside. There’s no hurry. Got to get my bearings. Got to stay safe. Got to make sure Ru is safe.
We stop at a grocery store where Ru hands me a credit card and tells me to go wild.
“Just tap it where you see the Wi-Fi signal on the payment machine. That’ll pay for everything.”
“Anything you want me to get for you?”
“Surprise me.” He sets off to get us some take-out Chinese one store over.
A fluttery warmth fizzles under my ribs. I’m delighted to be assigned this task. Grocery shopping. True responsibility. Feels important. Feels fun.
I grab a cart and take off through the aisles.
Things I toss in the cart: bread, different bread, raisin bread, rolls, crackers, chips, other chips, more chips, popcorn, cookies, other cookies, cereal, candy in a pink wrapper, candy in a purple wrapper, cream cheese frosting, something called a “Lunchable” and that’s all before I make it to the drink aisle.
Sparkling water. What even is that? I need it.
Dr. Pepper, two cases because Ru loves this stuff.
Orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, cran-apple-melon juice. Who knew there were so many choices? Which one would Ru want? I grab one of each, just in case.
I’m about to call it done when I find the beer.
I’ve never had beer.
I’ve never had any alcohol of any kind, and suddenly I want very much to learn what being drunk feels like. With Ru. I want to be drunk with Ru. I add four cases to the bottom of my cart. That’s enough, right?
Despite my nerves, checkout goes smoothly. Everything onto the conveyer where the cashier, a lovely woman in a tan apron with her hair pulled back into a bun, makes each item beep before placing it into a white plastic bag.
So freaking cool.
“Your total is one hundred and sixty-seven dollars and thirty cents.”
“Um, okay.” Is that a lot? A little? I have no idea.
She looks at me funny, but I tap Ru’s credit card as if I’ve done this a thousand times before and this isn’t my first trip to a grocery store at all, and she doesn’t seem to know the difference.
Once all the bags are gathered back into the cart, I stuff the credit card into my pocket, and head outside. Though it’s night, the parking lot is brightly lit by dozens of false lights, every oil stain and crack in the pavement on display.
Ru leans against the car, waiting, one leg straight, the other crossed over at the ankle. Casual. Stunning. Gorgeous. Floppy brown hair wind-tousled and feather-soft. Warm brown eyes watching me approach. Tan skin covering the tempting veins along the column of his throat.
He takes my breath away even in the harsh light.
He stares in return and I find I enjoy being noticed in this fashion. Observed but not cornered. My breath shallows. I smile.
We unload the cart together, filling the trunk with white plastic bags. In the car, the savory scent of Chinese overwhelms. Whatever he got for us in those brown paper bags, I can’t wait to eat it.
Town gives way in favor of a dark tunnel of tree cover. With only fifteen minutes left of the drive, according to our GPS, I grow restless. Will this cabin be like Ru’s house? Bigger? Smaller? Will we be safe there? Will Twenty-Four and Socks like it?
Will I have my own room, or will I share with Ru?
I hope to share with Ru, to be close to him.
Every time he touches me, even the lightest, most fleeting touches, my skin flames to life.
A jolt of awareness, my body reacting before my mind cottons on.
The urge to lean in hits after I’m already doing it.
Even after, my flesh hums with his lingering warmth.
Gratitude, vulnerability, and longing, all at once.
And I want more.
“You’ve been here before?” I ask. Conversation will help pass the last few miles.
“During undergrad, yes. A couple of times.”
“With your friend?”
“Not just her. A big group of us from our dorm. Zoe, her boyfriend at the time, Jacob, our friends Nicole and Megan, this guy Ryan. It was great to get off campus for a while and relax and have some fun.”
That list of names means this must be a pretty big place for all of them to fit. Kills my dream of sharing a room. Not like Ru would be interested in me anyway, but I’m not above some platonic snuggling.
I read recently that only ten to fifteen percent of people feel same-sex attraction, so the chance Ru is gay is pretty slim.
Then I wonder, is the only reason I like him because he saved me? But I don’t think that’s true. His kindness goes beyond simply not wanting me to die. It’s innate to his nature. He’s a kind person, and I admire that. He’s smart, and warm, and generous.
And yet, he’s still oddly hesitant around me. Reserved. Though he hides it well, his fear keeps him holding something back. He’s too careful.
“Your destination is on the right,” says the perfectly polite GPS woman, pulling me from my rambling thoughts.
We turn onto a long gravel driveway that crunches under our tires. Evergreens crowd and block the view of the house. A flutter of anticipation rises from my gut.
As we round the bend in the drive, the cabin appears between thinning trees, warm wood against a dark navy sky.
Low and wide, with honey brown timber, a pitched, red metal roof, and a porch that wraps around from the front to both sides, our safe haven beckons with an inviting presence.
I’m enchanted. It looks like a cottage straight out of a storybook. But better. Because it’s real.