Page 8

Greyson

As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t get into work tonight. Even though I was going through the motions and I was good at hiding it, my mind was stuck thinking about all the things in the box. Each item told me something about Alora, but they still couldn’t tell me where she was living. Everything from a lighter to an award for cross-country running was in the box, but the things that intrigued me the most were the intricately folded origami pieces. Each one was made from a piece of paper with Alora’s deepest fears and dreams written on it. Each one was hidden inside the beautiful artwork in plain sight. I currently had all thirty-two pieces sitting on a shelf in my room. I’d painstakingly unfolded each one and then put them back together. One thing was certain. She’d taken a turn off the path she was on when her sister died, and that detour landed her right in my crosshairs.

Grabbing the bottle of fireball whiskey and golden tequila, I spun them before filling up the two ordered shots and grabbed the money off the bar. I turned to tend to the next customer when I felt a pair of eyes on me. When I looked up, I expected it to be one of the patrons sitting at a table in the front. Instead, I was gripped by the sight of ocean-blue eyes and matching hair staring at me through the window.

Everything around us slowed down at the sight of my doll while every predatory instinct inside me roared to life. I wanted her, and just like a gazelle sensing danger, she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

“Lennox, I’ll be right back.”

“What?”

I didn’t bother to answer as I put a hand on the bar and leaped over it in a single move. I darted around the two new people who were just let inside and pushed open the door into the night. Taking off at a run, I raced down the sidewalk, weaving between pedestrians, trying to catch sight of the blue hair. Reaching the next intersection, I stopped and looked in all directions, but just like a ghost, she’d disappeared.

“Son of a bitch,” I growled, but part of me was excited that the chase wasn’t as easy as usual. Rubbing my bottom lip, I still had one chip to play, and I was going to look into the lead after work. I wandered back to the bar, but the excitement and adrenaline were still soaring through my body, making me antsy to finish my shift. There wasn’t even any of the normal thrill I got when one of the girls walked up with two candles and a necklace to buy.

Alora was proving to be quite elusive, but that was okay. It would make catching her that much more rewarding, and I would catch her.

“Now, where the hell are you going,” Lennox asked as I locked the front door and headed for the stairs.

“I’ll clean when I get back. I have something I need to take care of. Leave everything for me if you want.”

Lennox looked around and then back at me like I’d lost my mind. “Are you feeling well? Do you need me to take your temperature?”

“Fuck off,” I said, dashing up to the apartment to change out of my clothes that smelled like I’d bathed in alcohol all night. Grabbing my leather jacket with the hood, I ran down the stairs and got another What the fuck look from Lennox as I ran out the backdoor to my car.

Like someone was trying to help me find Alora after her ghosting appearance, I received a response to my post about which AA meeting the chip was from. Putting up a bullshit sob story about how it was my brother’s chip and wanting to let people know he passed away had worked. Everyone loved a good sob story…suckers.

I’d been to the rec center before when I was younger but hadn’t been back since high school. It was already twelve-thirty on a Thursday, so the likelihood that there was a meeting going on was slim to none. Still, I wanted to case the place, and if, by some dumb luck, Alora was hanging around the rec center, then all the better.

The lights were still on inside, and a few people were outside mingling when I pulled into the parking lot. My hope rose a little higher, so I drove around back and pulled into the furthest corner, right beside the dumpster, so you’d have to be right on top of the car to notice it.

Slipping out, I grabbed my tools and walked the perimeter. Peering into windows and checking locks as I went, I stopped when I came to a bathroom. I looked up at the open window and the noise of a urinal flushing. They didn’t have the same water flow as a toilet and gave off a distinctive sound. Fucking Perfect. Someone really loved me.

As soon as the thud of a door closing reached my ears, I grabbed the edges of the wall and hoisted myself up onto the ledge. It was still a jump to grab the bottom of the window, but I managed it with ease. Pulling myself up, I looked inside and found the bathroom empty. The aerial view allowed me to see into the three stalls as well as the rest of the room.

After pushing the window open, I gripped the sill and slowly brought my legs through as if I were performing in a Cirque du Soleil show. I dropped to the floor and smirked. Fuck this was fun. The back of the door showed a floor plan and the location of the emergency exits. Yanking the laminated sheet off the door, I studied it closely before slipping it into one of the inside pockets of my coat.

Sticking my head out, I peered in either direction. One way was lit while the other was dark, and that was the way I was going to go. It would take longer to get around, but I needed to know how many people were here and who they were before I made my next moves.

Racing along the hall made me feel like a villain in a movie, blending in with the darkness like it was part of me. The rooms were empty, and other than the glow of an exit sign, the upper floor seemed locked down. That left the front of the building. The closer I got, the louder the low-spoken words coming from an open door grew.

Leaning as close as I dared, I peered into the room and found my doll. She felt almost close enough to touch. Every muscle tightened, and a shudder ran down my spine as I watched her. She was dressed in black pants, sneakers that were in dire need of repair, and a black hoodie. Her blue hair was laying in long waves down her back as she sipped on water. Glancing around the room, it seemed like it was the end of the meeting, and people were standing around in small groups chatting, except Alora, who was staying to herself. She was staring down at her feet, and for whatever reason, I didn’t like her looking so lost.

“Hi there, what’s your name,” a guy asked as he walked up to Alora. She stiffened and my lip pulled up in a snarl as my hand reached back to touch the handle of my blade. “I’m Anthony,” he said, smiling, and I knew what he was thinking. Wrapping my hand around the hilt, I pulled the sharp knife free of its sheath.

Do it. Touch her, and you won’t make it home.

“I’m Alora,” she said, her voice still just as sweet as I remembered. Soft and feathery, it felt like she was trying to hypnotize me. Maybe she had a little witch in her, but whatever it was, I wanted her to scream my name.

“Look at that. We both have A names at an AA meeting. Go figure,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. Alora gave him a small smile, and my hand shook.

“Are you new,” Alora asked.

“Yeah, I used to go to St. Tobin’s Church, but they no longer offer a late meeting. This is the next closest to my house.” So, he lived nearby. Good to know. “Have you been coming to this one long?”

Alora looked around the room, and I smirked as she grabbed a cookie off the table, taking a step further away from Anthony. My eyes were locked on the baked good that she nibbled. She licked her lips, and I bit back a groan.

“Yeah, just over a year now,” she answered.

“I was going to St. Tobin’s for almost two years. It’s tough finding a new one where you feel comfortable. You know what I mean?”

“Um…sure.”

“Do you need a sponsor? I didn’t see you here with anyone.”

“No, I’m fine, but thanks for the offer,” Alora said, and as she took another sip of her water, Anthony stepped a little closer. I almost broke from my hiding spot and ended him right here in front of everyone. My heart was pounding hard, the rage clouding my better judgment.

“Listen, I know it’s difficult to trust someone, but if you change your mind about the sponsor, I think I’d be a perfect fit,” Anthony said and made the grave error of laying his hand on Alora’s shoulder. He touched what was mine, and now he was a dead man.

Nodding, Alora stepped back, and his hand fell away. “Thanks. But like I said, I’m good.” She then turned, looking directly at me, and froze. Even though I wore all black leather and stood in the shadows, it felt like she could still see me as clearly as if it were a bright summer day. Fuck she was beautiful. Her blue eyes, like pools, called to me. She didn’t move or blink, but her hand shook on the water bottle.

“Hey, are you okay?” Anthony touched Alora again, and she jumped and let out a yelp. I used the distraction to race down the hall away from the door.

“There’s someone out there.” That was the last thing I heard before I disappeared around the corner. Glancing around the wall, I watched as the door opened, and Anthony and a few other people stepped out into the hall. I took off for the other side of the building and the men’s bathroom, putting my knife away before taking a running jump. I grabbed the bottom of the window in one try and pulled myself out the same way I’d gotten in.

Running across the grass to the treed fence line, I got into position to watch the front of the rec center. As I suspected, Alora jogged out the door not long after. She turned in a circle, and I loved that she was always so aware of everything around her.

“Alora, come back. I promise there was nothing there,” Anthony said, following her out.

“Maybe, but I need to get going anyway,” she said and walked away from where I was hiding along the sidewalk.

“Well, let me take you home. It’s late.”

Shut the fuck up, Anthony. She is not getting into a car with you.

“I’m fine, but thanks,” she said, and as she took off, I was torn between following her and waiting to see where Anthony lived. Fuck it. I broke from my hiding spot and ran the long way around the building before angling down toward the sidewalk. Alora was almost out of sight. She was quick, and a thrill filled me as I pictured chasing her through the cemetery.

The shadows were better on the unlit side of the street, so I jogged across the road, my footfalls soft. Purposely keeping distance, I followed Alora for fifteen minutes before she slowed to a walk. She was still wary and kept looking over her shoulder. I expected that and stopped moving when she did, but what I wasn’t expecting was to watch her walk into a homeless shelter.

What the hell was she doing at a homeless shelter? She couldn’t be living there. Could she? I waited for another ten minutes, and when she didn’t come back out, I had to assume she was staying there.

I jogged casually back to the rec center to get my car and spotted Anthony outside chatting and using the same body language as he had with Alora on another woman. Oh, Anthony, you really should’ve just gone home.