Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(119)

“I … I…” If she told him the truth, he’d think she was nuts. “I dropped my phone and I … saw a bug.”

“A bug?” He held out his hand.

She got up without his assistance.

He looked puzzled. Disbelief brightened his eyes. “You don’t seem the type to be afraid of a bug.”

She searched her mind for something more credible, but nope, nothing came, so she stuck with it.

“It was big,” she snapped. “I … gotta go.” She took off.

He called her name, but she ignored him. When she drove off she saw him standing in the same spot, staring as if … as if he didn’t buy her bug excuse.

And right beside him was his sister, waving good-bye, her eye still dangling against her cheek and the front of her sundress stained in blood.

As disturbing as that was, more disturbing was the fact that as she went to turn off Main Street, she recognized the car behind her.

Cary.





Chapter Twelve


After tossing and turning most of the night, Fredericka jolted awake an hour late, Wednesday morning. “Crap!” Bolting out of bed, she realized class had already started. She went to her closet and gathered her clean clothes.

She’d spoken with Holiday when she’d gotten home yesterday and told her that now Brandon’s sister knew she was dead.

Holiday had given her some pointers on how to encourage the spirit to open up. Just talk to her, don’t freak out.

Right! How could one stand there and have a discussion with someone whose eye was dangling out of their socket and not freak?

As a matter of fact, it had been Holiday’s warning that the spirit may come to see Fredericka, versus Fredericka having to go see her that had caused Fredericka’s sleepless night.

Seriously, who could sleep knowing a dead person could just pop in? Well, Fredericka had finally cratered, after about four hours.

Of course, also keeping her awake had been Cary. He hadn’t followed her all the way back to the camp last night. No, he was smarter than that, because someone might have seen him and had she chosen to tell Holiday about his obvious stalking, then the camp leader might have believed her.

Finally dressed, she ran a brush through her hair.

Between Cary’s ire, and the trouble he was causing, and ghosts, you’d think she might just throw in the towel and stop seeing Brandon. But nope. And it wasn’t just about the position at the gallery, either. Or because she was too damn stubborn. Though that was part of it.

But it was mostly … him. How just being with him made her smile. How with him, she didn’t feel so … damaged.

She felt … beautiful. Feminine. And happy.

She glanced at herself in the mirror, noting she even looked happier.

Which meant this afternoon, she’d go back to Brandon’s and … well, try to look a ghost in the eyes. She’d try to help him find the answers he needed.

Holiday’s words echoed in Fredericka’s head. Linda Hart needs to cross over. Usually they stay here for a reason. And her brother needs answers. Everyone needs answers.

Did Fredericka need them?

Pushing that from her mind, because it hurt too much to think about, she slipped on her boots and went back to thinking about this afternoon. Spending time with Brandon.

She’d be extra careful when she left, just to make sure Cary didn’t follow her.

Somehow she was going to have to warn Brandon, too. Not that she really believed Cary would hurt him. Everyone knew that messing with humans could get you in a world of trouble with the Were Council. Cary might be an *, but he wasn’t stupid enough to risk his job and way of life just to get even with her. At least she hoped not.

God, she really hoped not.

Looking at the clock, she just dropped back down on her bed. No use interrupting math class when she’d only attend a few minutes.

She tried to relax for a few minutes and then headed out to attend her second-period class. After English she had lunch, and then, ready to face Cary, or at least telling herself she was, she went to her history class. The second she walked in, he met her eyes, and she got a sense he had something else up his sleeve. There was just something cocky about his smile.

Fifteen minutes later, she’d almost convinced herself that she’d simply imagined it. But then Burnett James, Holiday’s vampire husband, half-owner of the school, and an agent for the Fallen Research Unit—basically the FBI for supernaturals—walked into the class. While everyone here considered the man fair, he had the presence of a hungry pit bull in a meat market.

His gaze shifted around the room and came to rest on Fredericka. And it wasn’t a restful gaze, like a simple hello. Her gut tightened and her instincts said the shit had just hit the fan.

Mr. James spoke to Cary, and then motioned for Fredericka to come with him. Picking up her books, fighting the urge to start screaming: I didn’t do it, she followed Burnett through the door. She looked back over her shoulder and saw that cocky smile touch Cary’s lips again. Fury rose up in her chest.

What the hell had he done this time?

*

Fredericka sat across the desk in Holiday’s office, staring at the evidence placed before her. Supposedly, Miranda, Kylie’s roommate, had found it pinned to their cabin door after lunch.

“I didn’t do it,” Fredericka said, looking down at the picture of Kylie Galen with a doodle of a knife drawn through her chest, the word DIE written across the front. The edges of the photograph were burnt as if someone had used a torch. Probably her torch, too.