INK: Vanishing Point (Book 2) (22 page)

“What? I want to get out of here.”
No way I’m going to actually sleep here.

“I want out too, but I need to
rest.” He lays back flat on the dock and motions for me to join
him. His eyes plead with me in a way that has always been
irresistible.

“Fine, only for a few minutes,
then we have to figure out how to get out of here.” I lie back
reluctantly and lean my head on his chest lightly. His rib bones dig
into my cheek, and I’m fitful at best trying to get
comfortable. His breathing becomes regular and I can hear him snoring
lightly.

Aiden’s scent has always been
soothing, and I’m hoping that tonight will be no exception. I
inhale deeply, but the smell of sulfur and foul death fills my
nostrils with its toxic blend. There is no familiar scent of comfort
for me tonight, even though I’m lying with him.

The roaring of the water and the
tormented hanging from the trees crescendos to decibels of painful
proportions, yet Aiden still sleeps soundly. My ear presses tighter
against his chest in hopes that the sound of his heart will drown out
the rest of the noise.

My eyes close over trying to shut this
world out, until the darkness washes over me in a sensation of
relief.

***

My surroundings have changed
drastically. There is light in this place, and though it’s
completely foreign, there is comfort in the sun kissing my skin with
its warmth. I feel and smell clean, like I’ve just showered,
and there is the sweet scent of Chickasaw plums in the air.
September
,
I think, knowing they only flower in the fall. Last I checked, it was
April. I scan the faces and landscape for a clue whether this is
real, a dream or an extension of my personal Hell courtesy of the
Specter. A reprieve, perhaps? Wouldn’t that be nice? Reaching
up, I run my fingers along where the stitches were on my head and
feel my hair is intact, not the shaved stubble it was. I’m
still not totally ready to accept this as anything other than some
sort of cruel joke designed to lull me into a false sense of
security.

Strong arms encircle my waist from
behind, accompanied by a sexy growl. “I’ve missed you.”

“Gabriel?” I crane my neck
up to confirm that it’s him. There he is with a satisfied smile
on his face.

“In the flesh.” He pushes
his hips into me, tugging me closer, while blazing a trail of hot
kisses up my neck.

As much as I would like to let myself go
and enjoy this while I have it, this isn’t exactly the time.
“Gabriel, not now.” I have to push the words out while I
loosen his grip on me. His expression falls at the lack of enthusiasm
in my voice and the distance I just created between us.

“What’s wrong?” he
asks with not nearly enough concern.

“Everything.” When he asks,
it hits me like a truck that I have no fucking idea what’s
happening. I don’t know where I am; is this the dream, or was
that place I was just in with Aiden? Is any of this real?

“Talk to me.” He bends his
knees to meet my gaze and glides his finger under my chin, softly
stroking my jaw.

“I think I’ve gone to Hell.”
There’s no other way to describe it.

“You think it’s hell being
here with me?” His brows peak at the prospect.

“No.” I’m quick to
respond. “I know this is a dream, and trust me, this is a vast
improvement over where I just came from.” The entire memory
comes flooding back all at once like a scratch-and-sniff horror
story. Wait, I can still smell it.

I study Gabriel with a new scrutiny, and
then my eyes shift, looking for cracks in the scenery exposing the
den of despair.

“Babe, listen, it’s me.
You’re with me in our special place. As long as you are here,
you are safe.” He tries unsuccessfully to comfort me.

His words are all too true, and I parrot
them as a reminder. “Yeah. ‘As long as I’m here.’”
I feel myself breaking. My lungs are greedy for air that is sweet
instead of foul, and I suck in a sharp breath to affirm my safety.

He wraps himself around me as if his
arms alone can keep me here. “I’ve got you.”

“Gabriel, I’m so confused.
I don’t know where I am or what you are.” I pause to
consider whether I want to ask my next question for fear that I
already know the answer. “What is this?” I motion to our
surroundings.

He pulls me in tighter in a comforting
way, like he’s never done before. “I don’t know. I
have no idea what’s happening either. I try not to question it,
because I just can’t bring myself to accept the possibility
that you aren’t really here and that I’m alone.” He
dots the top of my head with a kiss. “Sometimes I wonder if
this is just some sort of torment that I’ve created for myself.
But I can’t stand the thought that I’m hurting you
through my need to be near you.”

Part of me wants to break free from him,
but the scared part wins over. The comfort and safety he offers this
minute goes a long way toward keeping me close to him. “No,
Gabriel, right now you are the only joy I can feel. I can’t let
you go.”

“Things have been very quiet, and
it feels like it’s been months since I saw you last. The
Specter has also been very quiet. I’ve only had one encounter
since that incident with your neighbors.” The memory flashes in
a wave of pain that moves across his features.

“Gabriel…” Wait, that
wasn’t the last encounter he and I had with the Specter. My
vision blurs trying to replay all of our times together
chronologically.

“What is it, babe?” The
concern is growing in his face, but paranoia is seeping in and now
I’m not sure what’s happening or how I can trust my own
eyes.

Taking a step back, breaking free from
his hold, I shoot him a sharp look. “That’s not the last
encounter we had with the Specter.”

With his eyes darting side to side then
up as though the answer is there, he looks bewildered. “Yes,
yes it is. We were together in their garage. Then I saw you on the
beach. That’s it.”

“No, you were there when Taffy was
killed. You were with me.” My voice raises an octave to drive
my point home.

“Who’s Taffy?” He’s
either an amazing liar or he really doesn’t know. Problem is I
don’t know which it is.

“Taffy, with the boobs?” I
motion to my own deficient chest.

Gabriel shakes his head in disbelief. He
could be thinking that I’m crazy. Which, by the way, I haven’t
ruled out. He thinks for a long moment before finally speaking. “I
think we need to come up with some way for us to let the other know
it’s really us.”

“What are you saying?” I’m
pretty sure I do know, but I need to hear it. It never previously
crossed my mind that the Specter could be posing as Gabriel.

“I’m saying we need a
signal, and I can see from the look in your eyes you understand why.”
He puts his hands back on my shoulders.

“So we make up a secret handshake?
This is ridiculous.” I blow out a big puff of air.

“No, it has to be something subtle
that he won’t see. Something that changes every time in case he
does catch on.” His eyes widen for a triumphant moment. “How
about this? Next time we see each other, you wink at me and I’ll
call you ‘Rosebud.’”

“Rosebud? Really?” That’s
even a little too sickly sweet for me.

“Yes.” He’s resolved.

“So I’ll wink at you.”
I give it a practice run.

“Perfect.” He smiles, and
for a moment I stop going through all of my memories trying to figure
out if I’ve held the Specter’s hand or not. He pulls me
into him and holds me close. Now he finally smells like him again,
and I can no longer smell the sulfur of the swamp.

“Let’s go back to my place
where we can be alone.” His hand slides down my arm, and he
tangles his fingers in mine. His haunting gray eyes trouble me. What
I wouldn’t give to see behind them, to see what he’s
thinking. Just know that I really was safe. But since my capacity for
holding onto or even identifying reality is clearly wacked, I’ll
have to fly blind on instinct.

There’s still a general feeling of
safety here in this dream being close to him, but my uncertainty is
growing with each step closer we get to his apartment.

By the time I reach the steps up to his
building, exhaustion has made it nearly impossible for me to lift my
legs up onto the stoop. Gabriel scoops me up into his arms. He
carries me with capable hands, as though I were light as a feather.
He fumbles to open the door and looks down at me with a hopeless
expression in his eyes, a dark storm swirling in them. The sensation
of his touch fades even though his hands are directly on me. His gaze
is defeated. We both know what’s about to happen. He touches
his forehead to mine with his eyes closed. “Next time, my love.
Be careful.” There’s a heavy hesitation when his entire
body tenses as he chokes out, “I love you.”

***

I open my eyes from my slumber to the
nightmare I’m living in. The sound, the smell, the despair
that’s so heavy in the air it’s hard to breathe, but
Aiden is here. Still sleeping pressed against me. I decide it’s
time to walk again and try to figure out how to get out of here.
Aiden isn’t going to be of any help at all, he’s so weak
of both body and mind. I have the distinct feeling, though, this is
more of a mind thing.

“Shay.” My voice rings out
loud around me. I’m perplexed since I didn’t speak.
Looking around I see nothing but darkness and the backdrop of horror.

“Shay.” I hear it again and
spin around toward the sound to find Elise standing before me.
Wearing the clothes she was buried in. Her hair in dark ringlets that
frame her face and accentuate her dark sunken eyes.

“Elise?” I question and stop
myself from moving toward her.

“Yes, Shay, it’s me.”
She hangs her head, letting her curls fall into her face.

“What are you doing here?”

Slowly she lifts her gaze to meet mine.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”

“I don’t know. Things were
bad, and somehow I ended up here.” I’m spurred by a
thought. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

She moves closer to me, causing me to
take a step back. She looks at me with a hurt expression. “You
don’t.”

“No, I refuse to believe that. I’m
not giving up.” I go to move past her to continue searching for
the answer to the puzzle.

She grabs my arm as I’m walking
by. “I told you, there’s no leaving.” She releases
me and moves toward where Aiden is lying. As she walks past me, I see
a gaping hole in the back of her head and there is moist blackness
undulating inside the wound. I take in a sharp breath and try not to
react.

“At least not with him.”
Elise stands above him, gazing like he’s on display at a
funeral.

“What do you mean? I can’t
take Aiden with me?”

“If you do manage to get out of
here, you can’t take him with you. He’s a permanent
resident here.” She looks back at me over her shoulder with a
glimmer of delight. “You can leave him for me.”

“I’m not leaving him
anywhere, Elise.” The meaning of her words sinks in deeper, and
I’m disgusted. “Even if I did leave him, he would never
be yours. Aiden isn’t meant to be anybody’s, least of all
yours.”

With lightning speed she appears in
front of me, uncomfortably close. “He wasn’t meant to be
yours
,
but he will be mine. He was always meant for me.”

My eyes squint in earnest as I hold my
ground. “Elise, thanks for the ghastly visit, but I’m a
little busy to discuss decades of sibling rivalry that were never an
issue.”

My feet move me backward, turning me in
the direction I was heading.

“Shay, what do I have to do to get
your attention?” Her voice is still calm, yet full of malice.
“How about now? Do I have your attention now?”

She’s standing above Aiden with a
knife in hand. “He’ll be mine forever.”

“Elise, I’m not sure where
this is coming from, but even if you had him chained to a bed and
filled him with Viagra he still wouldn’t ever be able to feel
for you. Not after what you did.”

Now there was a painful memory that I
really didn’t want to explore right now. Anger builds in me
that she’s here fucking with me instead of trying to help me.

She hangs her head. I’m not sure
if it’s out of sadness or shame, but either way, I don’t
care. I’m too pissed off to be worried about her fragile state
of mind. Fuck this, she’s dead!

“That was uncalled for, Shay.”
There‘s warning in her voice.

“Whatever.” I wave her off
and leave again.

“You’re making a mistake,
Shay. Leaving me with him. It was always a mistake leaving me with
him.” She’s so desperate, but she sure does know how to
press my buttons.

I go back out onto the dock and gently
shake Aiden’s shoulder while staring Elise right in the eye.
“Aiden, I need you to wake up.”

“That will be even more fun.”
She smiles.

“Aiden.” I call out to him
until he stirs.

“What is it?” He opens his
groggy eyes wide when he sees Elise. “Oh shit.” He scoots
away from her.

“Great, I was hoping she was just
a figment of my sick imagination.” I look her hard in the eye.
She returns the look.

“What the hell?” Aiden is
stunned.

“Listen to me.” I take his
face in my hands to be sure I have his undivided attention. “I
need you to come with me.”

He’s still staring at Elise in
shock. “What is she doing here?”

“It doesn’t matter, just
come on.” I tug at him.

“But–” he starts.

“No buts, let’s go. She’s
going to stab you if I leave you here.” I’ve come to the
conclusion that there’s no time to mess around, I have to just
get to the point.

“I would do no such thing. I love
Aiden.” Elise pouts.

“Seriously? You’ve always
hated Aiden.” I put Aiden’s arm over my shoulder to carry
him along.

“Actually, Shay, I’ve always
loved him. But you on the other hand…” Her words turn my
blood to ice in my veins.