Chapter 27 #2
They joined the other locals standing around the tree, waiting for the announcement.
She could feel Finch at her back, his hand on her shoulder.
Looking around at the people closest to her, she saw their eyes were on them, some knowing, others speculating.
The surge of panic swept over her so fast, it took Nina a moment to realize what it was.
It wasn’t rational, but suddenly she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. All the wonderful warmth she’d felt surrounded by Finch’s family had gone, and she needed desperately to be alone.
Was she having a panic attack? She hadn’t had one of those since she was a teenager.
Get it together.
“I need the bathroom, so I’m heading to the Do Si So. Back soon,” she said as calmly as she could.
“It’s the elderberry wine,” Finch said. “I’ll walk with you.”
“No! …Thank you,” she added quickly in a softer tone before walking away.
He followed her anyway. “Nina, are you all right?”
She turned to look at him. Did she love this man? Could she really be in love with him after such a short time? How could she even contemplate that when her life was hell, just like his? Was her father coming to Lyntacky? The panic was nearly choking her now.
She tried to stomp it down, but it felt like it was choking her.
“Can you please just back off, Finch?”
“What?” He looked confused.
“I-I need some space.”
“From what?”
“You,” she snapped. “This—and what’s going on. I feel like I’m being smothered.” The words weren’t what she meant to say, but they came out in a rush before she could stop them. Panic was making her irrational.
“What the fuck does that mean?” His eyes narrowed as he fired his own words back at her, hard and fast.
“Nothing. Sorry, I just need to be alone. Need to think. It’s all too much at the moment. My life—”
“Fine, but don’t leave this area, and make sure you’re always close to someone.” He walked away from her then, angry and hurt.
She’d lashed out at him because he was the person she was closest to now, and the only fault she could lay at his large feet was that he wanted to keep her safe.
“You’re a bitch,” she muttered to herself, walking up the street. She shouldn’t have spoken like that to him of all people, when all he’d done was protect her and give her orgasms. Plus, he’d been angry, but he’d still taken the time to lecture her on her safety.
Like I said—bitch.
She needed to calm down and get her emotions under control before she found him and apologized, which he absolutely deserved from her. Breathing in and out slowly, Nina calmed herself down. Everything was happening too fast, and it felt like her life was spiraling out of her control.
She headed to the Do Si Do Diner. Someone would be in there, getting ready for when all the locals left the tree lighting and wanted hot chocolate with marshmallows. Nina could sit in the bathroom and get her shit together. Then she’d buy Finch coffee and tell him she was sorry.
Crossing the road, she saw only one car, and it pulled in as she approached.
The driver rolled down his window. “Hey, Nina.”
“Hi, Kurt.” Nina didn’t want to make conversation, so she raised a hand, ready to move on.
“I wanted to show you something,” he said, waving her closer.
It was as she leaned in the window she saw the gun.
“Get in the car, and don’t say a word,” he said, the smile dropping from his face. “Now, Nina, or I’ll shoot randomly at the first person I see.”
She opened the car door.
“What do you want, Kurt?” Nina said, getting in the backseat.
“You’ll see. Now don’t try anything, or I will shoot some idiot from this stupid town.”
“It’s not stupid,” she gritted out. The panic had now morphed into fear and was making her hands shake, but she wouldn’t let him see that.
“Lie down on the seat, Nina.”
She did as he said, and he started driving slowly down the main street. She knew where he was going, since Kurt had to be connected to what had been happening to her. She just wasn’t sure how yet.
“Do you work for my father?”
He didn’t answer.
“You’re a terrible dancer.”
“That’s the best insult you could come up with?” He laughed.
“You looked like a boy next to Ryder Duke and Finch McAllister.”
“I’m all man, sweetheart.”
Nina lay there, wondering what she was supposed to do now, and it was then that she felt her cell phone pressed to her hip. She eased it out, but didn’t get a chance to use it because Kurt slammed on the brakes. He then turned in his seat and grabbed the phone out of her hands.
“Nice try.”
“I already sent a text,” Nina said, holding his gaze.
He tried to search her phone, but it was locked because she hadn’t had a chance to put her code in, though he didn’t know that.
“You’re lying.” He glared down at her.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Nina said with far more bravado than she felt.
He started the car moving again, and on the short drive to her house—which was where she was convinced he was going—Nina realized one very important thing.
Finch may be angry and hurt by what she’d said, but he’d come looking for Nina if she didn’t return because that was the kind of man he was.
Your man. Even as terrified as she was, Nina knew the words felt right.
When the car stopped, Kurt said, “You’ll walk around the back and enter through the rear, acting as if it’s entirely natural for you to be here and not at that stupid tree lighting.”
She did as he said because he had a gun and she was out of options. When she walked into her house, she found two people. One of them was Amber.
“Hello, daughter. I wondered when we’d get the chance to finally meet,” the other said.