House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(22)

I’d promised myself that I’d give it until nightfall, so I’d have to wait a few more hours before making a decision about what to do. The Finnegans did not like or trust the police, they made that perfectly clear. But I couldn’t think of what else to do. I didn’t have money for a private investigator, and I was terrible at computers. No way could I hack in Michael’s to try to see if there was any record of their plans here in Astoria.

Please just come home.

I was starting to shiver in my damp clothes, so I hurried to my room and switched out my uniform for the same clothes I’d worn to school this morning. I also unpacked my spare uniform, hanging both in the tiny closet. After this, I dragged the blanket off my bed and snuggled it around me on the couch. Dropping my head back to the barely comfortable cushion, I stared out the front window into the rain-drenched street. The quiet settled around me and I thought briefly of switching the TV on. It was ancient and had five channels, but it would be distracting.

I didn’t move. I kept vigilant watch through those windows, hoping the familiar clunker of a car would pull into the driveway. We should have had this discussion as a family, what to do if they didn’t show up from one of their trips away. In my old life I would have just gone to the police, filed a missing person’s report, and let the professionals do their job. But Michael would never forgive me if I did that. He told me all the time we couldn’t trust anyone in council or government, law enforcement as well. They were in the pockets of these supernaturals.

Please just come home.

My eyes got heavy and I decided a little nap might kill some of the afternoon. Stretching out across the couch and wrapping the blanket around me, I drifted off to the pitter-patter of rain. It was one of my favorite sounds, although something told me I could soon become very sick of it living here, and crave the occasional day of sunshine. Quite the opposite from when we lived in Roswell.

A roar of an engine woke me sometime later. I was disoriented for a few moments, finally remembering I was still on the couch waiting for the Finnegans to return. I bolted upright and jumped to my feet, stumbling a few times as the blood rushed around my body. Shaking off the disorientation, I threw a quick glance at the oven to see it was 5:48 P.M. No wonder it was almost dark. The outside was only lit by the pretty streetlights that lined Daelight Crescent.

I scanned our driveway. There was no car, but I was sure an engine had woken me. Grabbing my shoes and coat from the stand near the door, I quickly pulled them all on, lifting my umbrella and opening the front door. Stepping out onto our tiny porch, the icy breezes cut through me. What the hell, Astoria? It felt like it was the middle of winter. I quickly opened the old black umbrella, hoping it would manage to keep me somewhat dry. Then I hurried down the steps and out onto the street. I made sure to stay on the shack side, but it was getting very muddy on the grass, so I walked on the edge of the road.

As I got closer to the front gate, I realized I’d forgotten my ID card, which gave me a moment of worry. What if someone new was on the gate and they kicked me out? I’d be stuck out in the rain. Just when I was trying to decide if I should turn around, Ace’s smiling face popped into view. He was on this side of the fence, looking like he was about to clock off work. He had a jacket and umbrella too.

“Ace!” I shouted into the wind, dashing toward him.

He turned, eyebrows raised as though I had startled him. “Hey there. Is everything okay?”

I huffed a few times as I stopped in front of him, my breath wheezing in and out. Ace chuckled this time. “I’m going to guess you’re not a runner.”

I shook my head, still breathing deeply, managing to huff out, “God no, I prefer leisure activities that include reading, shopping, knitting, lying on the beach, and exploring museums. I’m an indoor activity sort of girl.”

“Good to know.” His dark eyes glittered in the dying light. “With that in mind, I’m guessing you have an important reason for running in this storm, then?”

I nodded, my breath finally back. “Yes … have my guardians come through the gates at all today? They were supposed to be back by now, and … I’m a little worried.”

Understatement of the year. My lowlying panic was starting to really make itself known. I was about an hour off losing my mind completely.

All of the mirth dried up on Ace’s face, his blank expression suddenly unreadable. “I haven’t seen Michael or Sara for a few days … did you want me to report this? I mean, there’s nowhere in Astoria to really get into trouble. But they did say they were just off exploring the backcountry. Maybe their car broke down and they are trying to get home.”

Everything he said was perfectly reasonable, and yet I still felt a shiver of unease trickle down my spine. So many secrets surrounded this street, surrounded the elite. They were up to something here, and I was partly panicking that my guardians had stumbled into a bad situation – sticking their noses into elite business. They were in trouble. I knew it.

I was starting to think that coming to Ace and confessing my worry was a mistake. He could very well be in their pocket. No doubt everyone who worked for them was. What if he was going to “report” it to someone who shouldn’t know about us? I could hear Michael’s voice in my head cautioning me about sharing any more information.

With that in mind, I pasted on a broad smile and nodded a few times in a careless manner. “I’m sure they’re fine. If they aren’t back by tomorrow, then I’ll go in and check with the police. They have done this before, too. Got caught up in whatever they were doing and forgot to let me know.” I winked, which was such a foreign gesture for me that both of my eyes kind of shut at the same time, so it probably appeared I was having a seizure. Still, Ace seemed to have bought my act. He clasped a hand on my shoulder and with his grin back in place, turned me around.