"All the time?"
I nod. "It's not like I have anything else to do. I can work seven days a week, any time. The more hours the better, actually. That way I can fix my truck quicker and start saving again then I'll head down the coast."
Then I'll run.
"Well, how about we just start with tomorrow and go from there?" Posey grins. "You never know what can come up that might make you decide to stick around."
Shaking my head I snort. "Not happening. I'm too restless for that." And paranoid as fuck.
Posey shrugs. "Maybe. But sometimes all it takes is one moment in time and your plans, your whole life can change."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Absolutely." She nods to the door. "All it took was one Saturday morning in a coffee shop and my world flipped upside down."
My stomach drops.
My head throbs.
Jesus, that can't be… it wasn't what I saw… no way.
A chill racks my body and Posey's brow arches. "You ok?"
"Yeah… yeah, you're probably right, though. I should go home tonight and try to rest. That way I can hopefully avoid any headaches for my first day on the job."
She opens the office door and smiles when we see Kai leaning against the wall across the way. "Tomorrow is Friday night, honey. If you don't come in with a headache you'll most definitely be leaving with one."
"Are you alright, little one? Feeling better?"
At his words, pain lances through my skull and I quickly see a glimpse of his brother, a different brother, an older brother, his voice the one calling me that but I shake it off, cause how the fuck do I know he has an older brother?
"Much," I lie while looking into eyes I swear I've seen before. "Thank you for catching me."
A dark brow quirks but Kai smiles a little. "I'm afraid I was not quite quick enough to catch you the second time." He searches my eyes, holds them captive. "My brother Henrich is a healer, perhaps you should see him about those…headachesof yours, yes?"
Another stab to my gray matter has my eye twitching. "Maybe." I give a noncommittal shrug. "I'm more of a natural remedy fan but a second opinion never hurts." One I have no intention of getting.
Something is so fucking familiar about Kai and his brothers, like I know him, knowthem,and if I spend more time with them than I have to, I have a feeling the fragile hold I have on reality will slip and I'll finally tip over into that terror-filled fantasy permanently. They've already found their way into my nightmares, ones I'm having while I'mawake, and I don't need to invite anything else to happen.
Saying my goodbyes, I head out the back entrance, pull my sweater a little tighter, and clutch my purse a little closer. I don't like walking alone at night but I have no other option. Not that I'd really give myself one anyway. My truck is rarely unhitched from my house because I want to be ready to go, always ready to leave in casehefinds me.
Hopefully that won't be an immediate concern, though. I feel like I have a little time beforehecomes after me again. I'm not sure why, but Ashland feels safe, and oddly enough, it feels like it could be home.
I just have to keep reminding myself that home is not the city, it's where I feel safe and the minute that changes, home is the next town to take its place.
Home is wherehecan't find me.
God, please don't lethimfind me.
Last Breath
My fingers flex around the chain in my pocket. Caress the tarnished gold. Smooth over the glass, glass that is cracked just like my cold, dead heart.
I swear I can hear the watch ticking. A constant reminder that what once was shall never be.
Tick.Tick.
Love.
