Midnight (McKenna Chronicles Book 1) (35 page)

We
pull up to the back of the school to escape members of the media already set up
in the school courtyard. I’ve yet to make eye contact with Colin as I’m
concentrating on gathering all of my bags. When I do, he’s waiting outside of
the SUV to assist me from the car, his eyes dark and aloof, his frighteningly
good poker face masking all of his emotions. By now I know this expressionless
expression is really meant to camouflage his intensity, and I’m quite certain
I’m directly responsible for it. I beam, my smile widening when our fingers
touch.

“Thank
you,” I whisper breathlessly, and it’s not at all an act.

His
only response is a quick squeeze of my hand before he turns to walk with Evan
into the school, our relationship hidden once more from any prying eyes. That
sobers my mood, upsetting the balance of my perfect plan.

Drawing
my eyes from Colin’s departing figure I focus on our location. It’s an old
schoolhouse maintained to perfection; three stories of windows perfectly line
the red-brick building presumably from of the 1950s. A large, wide awning hangs
over the back entrance, a space where I imagine the students gather before and
after school to meet with friends.

A
campaign advisor welcomes Colin, and he’s whisked off to prepare for his day
and into the room where a light buffet breakfast is set out for everyone to
enjoy.

No
one pays attention to an unknown member of Colin’s campaign team, so I’ve yet
to become engaged in conversion, and in some cases have been denied entrance
into others when I subtly seek them out. For a while I hang back on the
outskirts of the small crowd, listening to the hum of those excited voices
involved in private chatter, documenting a portion of the morning on film and
camera. Boredom is slowly taking over and my mind wanders. A brilliant idea has
me realizing my plan doesn’t have to remain stalled, so I head for the buffet,
picking through an assortment of fruit and the whipped dip that goes along with
it.

Colin
is standing at the far side of the room, facing me, his eyes downcast on a
document he’s reviewing with Evan and the advisor. It only takes a moment
before he glances in my direction, which he does often. I take advantage of his
gaze lifting a heavily dipped whippy strawberry to my lips, lightly licking the
cream frosting off of the fruit with my tongue. His eyes widen noticeably, my
behavior completely out of character. He looks away, reengaging in conversation,
but it’s only a few seconds before his gaze is drawn back to mine. The poker
face in place, but his eyes give him away—dark with heat. This time, I wrap my
lips around the large, ripe strawberry, sucking on it for the shortest moment.
His darkened eyes are riveted. With my inexperience at seduction I bite down
too hard and the berry bursts spectacularly, juice spurting on my chin and
threatening my white blouse. I have to jump back to ensure my clothes are safe,
knocking none-too-gently into the gentleman behind me. I whisper my apologies
before seeking out Colin and his reaction. This is completely Charlie Carter,
seduction turned sitcom.

Our
eyes connect, his moving from dark and sultry to light with laughter. I can’t
help the giggle bubbling up, the hilarity of the situation outweighing any
embarrassment. Colin’s eyes dance; he’s trying desperately not to laugh with
me, his hand rising to grip the bridge of his nose as if he has a headache,
which makes me laugh even harder behind my hand. His shoulders move
ever-so-slightly, and then with the utmost restraint he raises his head. The
only remnant of the moment is the lifted corner of his mouth. Our eyes connect
again, his filled with appreciation and a hint of longing before he turns back
into the conversation. Noticing Colin’s sudden levity, Evan glances in my
direction and smiles. I wave at him as I begin my search for a location to
clean myself up, strawberry juice sticky on my chin.

The
school is empty, the click of my high heels echoing against the stark white
walls as I search for the girl’s restroom. Lockers line both sides of the
hallway, classroom doors breaking up the rectangular monotony of the walls, and
posters advertising the upcoming
Alice in Wonderland
themed prom, hint
at a visit from the Mad Hatter. For a moment I’m taken back in time to my own
school days, getting lost in thought and literally lost in the halls.

Eventually,
I spot the room I need down a short darkened corridor. The door creaks loudly
as it opens. Pushing into the room, I quickly learn the sink and mirror are
behind a secondary stall door. I let the water run to warm before washing my
face free from the strawberry remnants, Colin’s buoyant expression filling my
mind’s eye. Over the rush of the water, the loud screech of the door
reverberates against the high ceiling, silence following it in. Startled by the
noise, my heart pounds fast, thumping to a new beat as I turn the water off to
dry my hands.

I
remain still, unsure of what I’m waiting for while the hushed thrum of my heart
trills in my chest, pumping blood quickly with a nervous energy. Anyone could
have needed the restroom just as I did; the surprise from the door shouldn’t
prevent my exit. With more courage than I feel I open the door, surprised again
when the room is completely empty. I’m alone. Shaking my head to clear it, I
question whether I heard the door open to begin with, but I’m certain I did.
Hanging my head into my hands, I hold it for just a moment, feeling silly.
Lifting my eyes, I take notice of a single long-stemmed red rose lying on a
small table tucked against the wall. It wasn’t there when I came in. I’m sure
of it.

~

Colin’s
speech is outside in the courtyard. The sun is bright, warming the clear
baby-blue sky to seventy-five degrees. He’s on a make-shift platform just in
front of the school, a tall flag pole standing proud to the right with a large
American flag flying high, lapping softly in the breeze. Large oak trees flank
the perimeter of the school, surrounding the scene with a picture-perfect frame
of American life. There is a tremendous amount of people gathered to see him;
it seems every event is larger than the last.

He’s
just finished speaking, taking his time to walk through the crowd shaking
hands, talking to people individually and kissing babies. That makes me laugh
because it’s so typical of a politician, but he looks fabulous doing it.
Colin’s brilliant; he’s extraordinary at everything he does. When he talks to
people he connects with them. He’s interested in what they have to say, and his
responses are heartfelt. He can win over even the most heated enemy.

I’m
standing off to the edge of the crowd, taping the entire event so I can pick it
apart for the website later today. A throng of media is in attendance,
professionally covering Colin’s visit, some interviewing him, others hoping to
get their chance. I’ll connect with one of the stations for a real feed of his
speech and combine it with my homemade tape to create a unique visual for my
audience. I also have my camera at the ready for the constant thread of
pictures needed to show what a day in the life of Colin McKenna looks like.
Well, everything except his alone time with me.  

The
day is so warm Colin has removed his suit jacket and rolled the sleeves of his
shirt up to his elbows, showing off his thickly-muscled forearms. This is one
of my favorite Colin McKenna looks; it takes him from the boardroom to the
workroom in a nanosecond. He’s very patriotic today, with dark navy pants,
white shirt and a tie that’s almost red: he’s a symbol of the stars and
stripes. One look at his tie and I’m flushing while remembering what he said to
me. He’s so very sweet. I’ve fallen even deeper for this man; he’s cemented a
permanent place in my world.

Finally
he works his way back to me, a smile on his face. I snap a sequence of photos
as he approaches; these are for my own personal album because his smile is for
me and no one else. Tilting my head back to look into his beautiful eyes, I
wish I could take his hand and hold it tight. How I wish I could. At this
moment I want to be his girlfriend not an employee. I know he feels it too, his
eyes showing confusion, dueling with what he should do and what he wants to do.

“Did
you finally get something to eat?” His eyes flash a bright blue as he remembers
my strawberry debacle.  

“No,
I missed breakfast this morning.” I try to pout but I can’t help my smile.

“Charlie,”
he doesn’t acknowledge my hint at humor, his tone admonishing, “you have to
eat. You’re wasting away in front of me.” Colin’s voice houses an ounce of
concern as his eyes roam over my body.

Running
my hand over my hips, I tease him again. “As you can see I’m hardly wasting
away. Besides, it’s almost lunchtime. I’m waiting to see what’s on the menu.” I
purr, my early-morning goal still present in my mind.

His
eyes darken. “Why, Miss Carter, what is it you’re . . .”

And
just when things are getting fun Evan approaches, his eyes serious and urgent.

“COLIN,
I NEED
to speak with you a moment
in private
.” He looks to me as he
says the latter half of the sentence. That’s very unusual; Evan doesn’t
normally single me out of their conversations. I smile at Evan but my grin
falters at his distressed expression, the hair on the nape of my neck standing
on end. Colin looks at him and then to me, his gaze hardening. I sense he can’t
decide which direction to take: come to me or move away with Evan. I don’t
understand any of this.  

“Colin?”
I ask, my voice hesitant. I’m slightly scared by both of their expressions.

He
doesn’t answer right away, instead looking to Evan. Evan nods, responding in a
calmer tone, “It’ll just be a minute, and Phil’s men are in position.”  

“Stay
here, Charlie. Don’t move.” His eyes are serious, pleading with me to listen.
“Charlie?” He waits for me to acknowledge him.

“Yes,
but I don’t understand . . .”

Silencing
me with his finger to my lips, he says, “I’ll explain later.” Grabbing my hand,
he squeezes it before turning to walk with Evan a short distance away. I watch
the two of them, Colin standing with squared shoulders, arms crossed in front
of him while he listens. Evan’s mouth moves so fast I can’t make out any words,
he points toward the school house twice, flailing his arm the last time. Colin
leans in as if bracing for a fight. Unleashing his hands, he gestures in a
rapid-fire, staccato beat before running them through his hair. He’s animated,
but not in a good way. His brow is drawn down and together, forming three
vertical lines between his eyes. The full lips I love to kiss are pulled thin,
tense and firm.
Whoa, what the hell is going on?

 Evan
produces a large manila envelope whose contents Colin immediately reviews, his
expression turning to stone. Looking to me first, his gaze is hard and
bewildered as he turns, looking around as if searching for someone.

I
do the same, scanning what remains of the crowd. A man stands off to the side
just outside of the nearby parking lot with a camera similar to mine, allowing
him to take long-range photographs that show great detail. His camera appears
to be pointed directly at me. Continuing to stare through the long-range lens,
he obviously doesn’t care I’ve noticed him taking my picture. The hair on my
arms springs up with the chill brought about by goose-bumps.
 Instinctively I grab my own camera, lifting it to zoom in on him,
clicking photo after photo as I do. I don’t recognize him, though he has on a
baseball hat covering all of his hair, and dark sunglasses hide his eyes and a
large portion of his face. It’s odd that he’s wearing an oversized sweatshirt
on such a warm day; it hangs loosely over his upper body through mid-thigh,
perfectly concealing his musculature or lack there-of. The stranger turns
quickly retreating, walking fast, and then working up to a full out sprint into
the lot of people and cars. I continue snapping until he isn’t visible.

Swinging
around to find Colin, it’s apparent his gaze is focused on the parking lot in
the direction of the man running from the school courtyard. At the same time,
two men in dark suits, that most recently stood behind the stage during Colin’s
speech, dart into the lot, apparently in chase of the same man. Colin shifts to
Evan, re-engaging in a heated but brief discussion. Evan is dialing a number on
his phone as they turn to join me. Colin’s face remains strained as he surveys
our surroundings, eyes darting around in every direction.  

I
rush to pack my video recorder and camera in their respective bags. They’re by
my side as I finish. Colin’s face remains rigid; he’s angry and he won’t make
eye contact, so I look to Evan. He shakes his head, silently indicating I
shouldn’t ask. Colin grabs my bags, swinging them over his shoulder, capturing
and then clenching my hand. His grip is tight and I try to pull away but he
clamps down harder in response. Pulling me hastily toward the car, he
practically pushes me into the back of the SUV and slides in next to me until
our hips touch.

I
can’t comprehend this behavior: holding my hand, dragging me across a very
public lawn and nearly placing me on his lap he’s so close to me in the car.

Something’s
going on. I run my fingers over his thigh, kneading the tight muscle. “What’s
going on?” I whisper it, yet I can hear the fear hovering on the edge of my
voice.

Evan
snatches my camera bag from the backseat while instructing the driver to move
on to our next location. Colin’s chest rises and falls with effort as he
continues to stare straight ahead. Finally his eyes find mine, yet he remains
tense with an underlying air of uneasiness that’s so unlike him.

Grabbing
my chin, he scans over me like he did at the factory so many weeks ago to
search for signs of injury. When he’s reassured of my safety both of his hands
cradle my face gently, yet fiercely, as his eyes hold mine captive. I’m unable
to break free from the desperate passion that’s mounting in the deep pools of
blue. They’re bewildered, tormented with anxiety that has my stomach clenching
with alarm.