7 Fletcher Are You Really Okay?—Sleep Token #2
Acrid desert air swirls in my lungs, carrying poison flames that cook my vocal cords. Phantom screams still echo in my ears. Wailing. Pleading. The beat of rotating chopper blades, bringing help far too late. Desert sky fading as fire licks at my cooked flesh.
No. Not here, not now. I’m in the truck. No desert. No fire. No fuel-filled flames. No deadened nerves demolished by smoke. That hellish landscape is behind me and can’t reach me as long as I stay awake.
“Fletch?”
I nod, stiff as a board. Just breathe. Focus. Don’t let the past take over.
“Come on, Eden. Climb up.”
She clambers into the seat. “Thanks for this. I could use a breather.”
“Anywhere in particular you need to go?”
“Erm, somewhere I can buy some warmer clothing perhaps.” She laughs nervously. “This is Cassidy’s coat.”
“No problem, I know a place.”
“Budget friendly, please.”
“You got it.” Sterling throws the truck into gear. “Buckle up.”
She follows his command, then positions the bouquet in her lap, fingers interlinking to lock her hands together.
Her nails are short, the cuticles raw. She’s chewed them down to the quick.
An anxious habit, perhaps. I’m familiar with that.
It’s taking all my control to hold a veneer of calm in place.
The scent of sweet, decadent vanilla tickles my senses. No, there’s something else. A fragrant slice of pure moonlight. Jasmine? It’s rich and tempting, a whisper of pure sin. Her leg presses against mine, and this time, we both flinch at the contact.
The stench of engine fuel and smoke takes over, invading my nostrils and shoving out her mesmerising vanilla haze. I hiss out a breath when she recoils from me like the faint touch scalded her.
“Sorry,” Eden murmurs.
I’m not.
Heat spreads from hip to quad, making my skin prickle beneath jeans that feel too tight. I’ve got used to the invisible bubble around me that everyone respects. Having someone in such close proximity is unhinging.
My breaths are short and rapid as we leave Hawkthorpe, destined for the nearest city almost two hours away. All my attention is focused on the desolate surroundings of the Lake District. Not the moonlight-scented wraith accidentally pressing her thigh into mine with each turn.
“Getting anywhere around here takes a bit of effort,” Sterling grumbles, navigating each bend in the road. “These little towns weren’t built for traffic.”
“It’s a bit different to grabbing a taxi in London,” she admits.
“I bet.”
“How does everyone get around?”
“Well, people don’t move here looking for a good internet connection or transport links. We’re a power cut away from being totally off grid in Hawkthorpe. It’s a world of its own.”
“Is that what it was like to grow up here?”
Tugging the brim of my stolen Vale Landscaping cap down, I resolutely ignore Sterling’s look.
“We found plenty of trouble to get into,” he answers. “Especially Fletcher here. I was a few years ahead of him at school, but we grew up on the same street. Couldn’t get rid of the motherfucker.”
Hah. Like he ever wanted to.
“You’re younger?” Eden directs the question to me.
Rubbing a hand over my chest, I offer a shrug.
“Four years to be precise,” Sterling intervenes, keeping his voice light. “I’m the oldest at thirty-three, Leo the youngest. My ma adopted him when he was barely a teen. I was already an adult.”
“Wow,” Eden coos. “She must be quite a woman to take that on.”
“Ma sure as hell is. She lives about an hour away in Keswick with a new man now. Left Hawkthorpe before I returned home, but she visits us a lot.”
Damn, I miss that woman. She was the bedrock of my childhood while my father worked three jobs just to cover the bills after Mum passed away. I practically grew up around their dinner table even before Leo arrived.
Under the shield of the cap, I tune out their conversation until the hubbub of Carlisle makes itself known.
It isn’t a big city like Newcastle or Manchester, but this is the closest equivalent to real world living out here.
I’ve seen far too much of it for my monthly check-ups at the specialist burn unit.
“Fletch? You awake?”
Exhaling, I shift to sit upright. We’re almost at the hospital.
“Can I come in with you this time?” Sterling’s knuckles flex on the steering wheel.
I’m acutely aware of Eden pretending like she isn’t listening. Or noting the bright-red, official signs directing us through medical buildings towards the burn unit. So subtle.
“I can park up and point Eden in the right direction of the . . .”
Shaking my head, I ignore the way it pulls at my mottled neck and throat. That’s not happening.
Sterling heaves a sigh. “Worth a shot.”
“I can go,” Eden offers hesitantly. “Just kick me out anywhere.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Really, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
In a place she doesn’t know? Not likely. I don’t have to care to stop her from taking such an unnecessary risk. She’s all alone out here. I won’t have her wandering around while Sterling idles in his truck, hoping I’ll change my mind.
Head twisting to glower at him, I make my thoughts known. Under no circumstances is he to abandon her in an unfamiliar place. When I’m sure he’s got the message, I jab my thumb into the hazard light button, prompting him to curse and pull over.
“Fine, fine.” He gestures for me to exit. “Pick you up later.”
When Eden hops out to free me, our fingertips brush on the door handle. Just a light trail, hard callouses teasing butter-soft skin. Those big hazel eyes flood with disquiet. I pull my hand away to zip up my jacket, concealing my neck from her.
She blinks up at me. “Good luck with your appointment, Fletcher.”
I almost fall right over.
My name should not sound so goddamn delectable rolling off those pert lips. Like each syllable has carved itself out on her tongue and longs to be murmured in that throaty little purr.
Tearing my gaze from her seemingly endless green-flecked orbs, I stomp from the truck before I do something really stupid like decide to give a damn. Least of all about who put those shadows in her eyes. And where they live so I can put my military training to good use one more time.
I’ll dig a shallow grave on her behalf.
Then I can go back to my empty existence knowing she’s safe.