Tremble (Denazen #3)(34)
“Well, this is…” I kicked the edge of the bed. It was one of those extra-large round ones with a full ceiling mirror above it and a collection of obnoxiously bright heart-shaped pillows scattered on top. “…creepy.”
“I don’t understand the reasoning for the mirrors. It seems dangerous.”
“Dangerous how? We don’t get many earthquakes in this part of the country so they’re not likely to fall…”
“There’s no privacy. Anyone in the room can see each move you make if one were to simply look up. It’s a flawed design.”
I started to tell him that was the point, but the ring of my cell cut me off. Pulling out the phone, I cringed. I’d known it was coming, but seeing Mom’s number flash across the screen sent chills down my spine. I couldn’t put it off any longer.
Kale leaned closer to see the screen. “Who’s Sue?”
I rolled my eyes and stepped away as he made a swipe for it. “When this is all over you’re going to realize how stupid you just sounded.”
Another swipe. This time he got me. Hand locking around my wrist tight enough to kill the circulation, he asked, “What are you going to say?”
“Nothing unless you let go of me before she hangs up.”
He hesitated, then begrudgingly let his fingers go slack and took a step back. “Don’t tell anyone where we are.”
“Believe me,” I mumbled, lifting my head toward the ceiling, then letting it fall to the gaudy pillows and obnoxious pink walls. If anyone ever found out about this, I’d never live it down. “I wouldn’t risk my carefully crafted reputation.”
He nodded, satisfied. “And put it on speaker.”
The second I hit the call button, I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get back here. Now.” Mom kept going like the Energizer Bunny on speed and I patiently waited for the screaming to stop before holding the phone closer and taking a deep breath.
“Mom,” I said as calmly as I could manage. “Listen to me very carefully, okay? And don’t freak.”
“Dez, do not start a conversation like that. It doesn’t instill me with any amount of confidence—especially when it comes from you.”
“Well, then fair warning. You’re not going to like what I have to say—but you need to listen.”
I couldn’t see her, obviously, but I knew exactly what she was doing. She’d sunk into the nearest chair, eyes squeezed closed with her thumb and pointer pinched tightly across the bridge of her nose. The Sixes at the cabin had dubbed it her What did Dez do now? expression. Before everything in my world turned upside down, I would have been proud to have an expression named after me. Hell, if Dad had done it, I would have considered life a victory.
“First, you should know that I have you on speaker.” Not that there was anything I expected her to say to cause trouble—I had nothing to hide, since what I’d told Kale was the absolute truth—but better safe than sorry. Head trouble off at the pass. That was my new motto in life. Well, one of them.
“Second, I went to find Thom Morris like Ginger asked. He’s been missing for a while. His mother has no clue where he went—but I think he’s still out there.” I glared at Kale, who sat on the bed staring at me. “I’m making a better than average bet that Denazen hasn’t gotten to him yet.”
“And why would you say that?”
“Because Denazen showed up looking for him, too.”
I could practically hear the change in her demeanor. There was a thickness to the air that would require a chainsaw to hack through. “Dez, come home right now.”
And this is where the fun part of the conversation started. “I can’t. I’m—I’m here with Kale.”
There was a few moments of silence, and I couldn’t tell if it was good silence or bad. With Mom, it was usually impossible to tell. I probably would have preferred the screaming. At least I’d know where I stood. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay. I promise. There’s a name on the list, Ben Simmons—”
“How—”
“Did you really think I wasn’t gonna check out the rest of the names? You made it clear Ginger didn’t want me to see the list. What did you expect me to do? Telling me not to do something is pretty much the same thing as waving it back and forth in front of my face like a bright red, coffee-scented flag…”
“Point made,” she said angrily. “And lesson learned. Obviously you know what Ben does…”
A smidge of anger, ugly and sharp, bobbed to the surface. I still hadn’t fully forgiven her for taking Ginger’s side at the cabin, but knowing Ben was on the list and out there—possibly able to help Kale—and ignoring it? Totally different level of wrong. “And so do you. How could you hide something like that from me? If there was a chance this guy could help—”
“Penny Mills needs to be your priority. If you’re dead—or crazy—what will it matter if Ben Simmons can help Kale’s memory? Do you think he’d want that?”
“Right now it’s a nonissue. Priorities have changed whether we like it or not.”
“Changed? What’s that supposed to mean?”