Until We Meet Again(58)

a gourmet dish.

“Who’s up for an epic journey through a land of sweets and

lollies and wonder?” he trumpets.

Eddie cheers. “Me! Me! Me!”

I ruffle his hair. “I’m afraid I’m going to pass. That Molasses

Swamp really freaks me out.”

“Nice try, Cass,” Mom says, wiping her hands dry on a

kitchen towel. “We agreed on some family time tonight.”

“And we just had a nice dinner together.”

“You’re playing a round of Candyland,” she says, calm and

unyielding. “Not another word about it.”

Eddie bounces in his seat. “Sit by me, Cassie!”

My gaze darts to the back door. I envision Lawrence waiting

for me. Resistance boils inside me. But I can’t afford any more

of Mom’s suspicion. I spread a tight smile across my face.

“Candyland it is.”

After three rounds, all of which Eddie magically wins

(because Frank cheats), they finally release me to “go to bed.”

Following last night’s procedure, I wait until I hear the click

of Mom and Frank’s bedroom door before sneaking down the

stairs and out the back.

I sprint toward the beach, certain that gravity will stop working at any second and I’ll take off like a rocket. Ahead, I catch

sight of the path. A sight I’ve come to love. But tonight, I feel

dread. An inexplicable urgency crackles through me. Too much

time has passed without seeing Lawrence. Anything could have

happened in the last twenty-four hours.

My lungs burning in my chest, I slam through the scratchy

branches. The pound of surf and salty taste of ocean rushes

over me.

Lawrence is lying on the wet sand by the shore break. Black

waves tipped in foam wash over his motionless body.

My heart stops. The ground seems to fall out beneath my

feet. I’m propelled forward in shock.

I’m too late. He’s gone.

But then he sits up. His eyes connect with mine, and he

smiles easily. “There you are.”

I skid to a stop. “You’re…not dead.”

He laughs a little. “Not for five days, remember?” Then he

stands. “Are you all right?”

“You scared the crap out of me. Do you have any idea how

worried I’ve been today?”

With a concerned frown, he takes me in his arms. “I’m sorry.

But I’m all right. See?” He hugs me tightly. “Flesh and blood.

Alive as can be.”

I press my face into his neck. The shock of thinking Lawrence

was dead, sends shivers through me. But I won’t talk about it.

I can only imagine what’s going on in his head lately. No need

to add any dark thoughts to the mix.

“Never mind,” I say, hugging him. Only then do I notice he’s

wet. I pull back. “Were you swimming? In your clothes?”

He shrugs, grinning sheepishly. “I got bored waiting for you.”

“I have never met someone so enamored with the ocean.”

“Like I said, it’s good for the soul.” He takes my hands.

“Come on. I’ll show you.”

His skin feels cold. Like dead flesh. A chill runs through me.

“Lawrence—”

“I’ll hold on to you the whole time,” he promises, pulling me

toward the water. “And we won’t go deep.”

“We can’t.”

“Aw, don’t be a scared Susan. The water’s cold but bearable.”

“No,” I say, pulling out of his grip. He stops at the sharpness

in my tone. I close my eyes, my pulse still racing. “It’s not that

I don’t want to. But I just don’t think I can have a good time

until I know you’re going to be okay.”

Lawrence exhales. “Cassandra…”

“No,” I say. “We have to work. Now, tell me what happened today.”

A shadow crosses Lawrence’s face. “What is it?”

“You’re not going to like it,” he says.

His ominous tone makes my stomach twist. “Tell me.”

Lawrence smoothes his wet hair back. “Charles and I did

a little digging around a Cooper Enterprises warehouse. We

saw… things.”

“What things?” I demand, grabbing him.

“I don’t want you to worry any more than you already are.”

“Are you crazy? This is important. Tell me now, Lawrence.”

He scratches the back of his neck. “We saw…a man being

executed. Shot in the a head behind the warehouse.”

Ice spreads through my chest. “Are you serious?”

He nods grimly. “We barely escaped.”

My fingers dig into his arm. “You mean you were noticed?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds—”

“What are you talking about? Of course it’s bad! These people

are dangerous, and you being seen by them…”