Page 3 of Marked By Shadows

It didn’t, but sometimes that was the way of things.

We coexisted in silence for a few minutes. Him pacing, me sitting and wishing I had something to do with my hands while a million things raced through my head.

“I hate when you’re quiet like this…”

“Sorry,” I said immediately. Everyone hated it. Well Alex hadn’t commented on it, but maybe he hadn’t experienced it yet. “I’m thinking.”

Lukas let out a long sigh. “Anything you want to share?”

“I wish I’d brought something to work on,” I confessed. My brain needed the focus.

“You’re not worried about Alex?”

“What would worrying change?” Of course, I was worried. But dwelling on it got us nowhere.

“Have you told him you’re leaving yet?” Lukas asked, making it sound like I was abandoning everything and returning to Japan or something. Currently my parents were in Ireland taking care of my mother’s family, but they would be returning home soon. I had no intention of going anywhere.

“It’s a week in Houston. Five hours by car. I’m not even that far away.”

“He’ll have to stay with me. I can see if I can take more time off.”

Alex would not like that. He didn’t want his brother to spend all his time worrying about him. And Lukas was one of the moodiest bastards I’d ever met. Funny, since he came across very polished to people who didn’t know him. Maybe it was me who brought out his inner bastard. Well, me and Alex.

“He could come with me,” I said bracing for the argument, but letting out the one thing I’d been thinking of since I’d walked into his hospital room. I didn’t want to let him out of my sight again.

The argument never came. Lukas sat down in the chair beside me, collapsing like the air had been let out of a balloon.

“I planned this over a year ago,” I reminded him.

“And Sky is looking after your place.”

Ah, so that was part of it too. Lukas would be alone. “You can stay with her at my place. Jet likes you. You enjoy gardening. Maybe put in a new planter or two. It will give you a reason to leave work on time.”

Lukas didn’t look at me, instead staring intently at his lap. After a few minutes of silence, he said, “Sky told me this morning you’d take Alex with you.”

She had probably read some cards. Her knack for determining immediately pending events was uncanny, though a little unnerving. On long term stuff her skills still lacked a lot of clarity. “Yeah?”

“She got very grim…”

Not all sunshine and rainbows, that, too, was normal for Skylar’s readings. I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.Convention with Alex?

S:Yes…

But?

S:I don’t know.

Skylar often answered exactly that way when the cards gave her negative readings she couldn’t quite articulate.

Is he safe?I wrote back.

S:Yes. Discovers new hobby.

I thought about that for a moment, then wrote:Good or bad?

S:Good.

Of course there were a thousand meanings for good in this context. Good he found a new hobby. Good he had something to excite him. Or it could mean he found someone or something better than me. The thought had crossed my mind a hundred times or so since he’d returned. Would he be different? Would I? Time did strange things to people. Either way, I didn’t press her for more answers. Later, while I packed for the week away, I would grill her for details.