Phoenix: Book One of The Stardust Series (10 page)

For all Persephone’s
beauty there was a sorrow to her, creating something both strange and awesome
about her. She was shaped by her time in the Underworld, returning to the earth
transformed by her experiences.”

I was silent, letting
the end of the story hang in the air. My eyelids felt heavy and reality was
blurring into sleep.

Ethan spoke, his
baritone voice almost a whisper. “As E
lisabeth
Kübler-Ross so eloquently said,
‘People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out . . . ’”
He paused and gently brushed my hair away from my forehead. As he did so, my
eyes closed.

He
continued, his fingers gently tracing the curve of my forehead. “‘But when the
darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from
within.’” Ever so softly, he tucked the hair behind my ear.

Flip Flop

Waking up to an empty
bed shouldn’t have been a surprise considering that’s all I’ve ever known. But
when I opened my eyes and the only evidence of Ethan’s presence was a slight
dent in the pillow next to me, I almost felt like something was missing.

I pulled the covers up
over my head in an unsuccessful attempt to hide from my own thoughts. I
couldn’t help it; I felt my lips curve into a smile as I thought of last night.
Ethan had been so sweet, so reassuring.

The gentle touch of his
fingers lingered on my skin before the harsh reality of the morning slapped me
across the face.
What are you doing, Haley? You cannot get attached to these
guys.

Questions raced through
my mind. Had Ethan fallen asleep in here? How long did he stay? I pushed back
the blanket and lightly ran my hand over the pillow. It did seem a little warm.

Thinking back, I
wondered if I had shared too much with Ethan last night. I hoped he appreciated
how personal the constellation myth was to me and tried to reassure myself that
he did. Behind Ethan’s frequent smirks and wicked sense of humor, I recognized
a depth lurking beneath the surface.

Nothing had really
happened, but I wondered what the other guys would think. Maybe Chase and Knox
hadn’t even noticed, asleep the entire time.
Who was I kidding? They would
have to be unconscious to realize that Ethan wasn’t out there.

I sat up, rubbing my
hands over my face before laughing softly at the thought of what Jessica would
think of such a predicament. She was a typical boy-crazy teenage girl, and over
the years I often found myself living vicariously through her experiences. I
could only imagine how she would react to Knox, Ethan, and Chase. I wished I
could talk to her about them.

Finally ready to drag
myself out of bed, I limped across the room and opened the bedroom door. Just
as I took a step forward, the bathroom door opened and Chase stepped out,
nearly crashing into me.

I gasped, startled by
his sudden appearance and by his nakedness. Unable to stop myself, I glanced
down and was relieved to see he was wearing a long peach towel tucked neatly at
his waist. My temperature started rising and not just from the warm, humid air
that slowly flooded the hallway from the bathroom.

Chase laughed, “Oops. I
didn’t mean to almost run you over.”

“It’s fine,” I
stammered, “I was just startled.” I really did try to avert my eyes from his
shirtless body, but it was hopeless. Moisture clung to his glowing skin, the
dew highlighting the contours of his muscles. He had powerful shoulders, toned
biceps, and noticeable six-pack abs. His golden tan brought out the gold tones
of his tousled blond hair. A few drops of water trickled down his chest, and I
watched them disappear below his belly button.

Chase stepped back,
suddenly looking embarrassed, pink filling his cheeks. “Sorry about this,” he
said, gesturing to his body. “My clothes are in the dryer, and I didn’t expect
you to be up yet. I’ll just go get them and get dressed.”

I stood there silently
as he walked away, stunned by what just happened but admiring his form.
Although I had obviously seen guys in their boxers or swimsuits on television,
this was by far the closest I had come to a shirtless guy in real life.

Heading toward the
kitchen, I passed Chase and tried not to stare. When he bent to dig in a
backpack, I could see the clearly defined muscles of his abs flexing. He
hastily grabbed a few items and returned to the bathroom. Glancing around, I
didn’t see Ethan or Knox anywhere and assumed they must have already headed
out.

I busied myself,
debating what to have for breakfast. I quickly opened and closed cabinets,
looking but not seeing their contents. Opening the fridge, I stared for several
seconds, relishing the cool air on my face.
Get it together, Haley.

Breakfast was ready by
the time Chase reemerged, this time fully clothed, from the bathroom. Although
my ankle was feeling significantly better than yesterday, I still had to limp
around, and it made carrying anything awkward and slightly precarious. As I
turned from the counter, Chase automatically picked up the dish for me and
placed it on the table before sitting down.

Trying to remind myself
that Chase was likely more embarrassed than I was, I thanked him and joined him
at the table. He finally looked at me, a note of bashfulness remaining in his
eyes. “Of course.”

Wanting to put him at
ease, I tried to think of something to talk about while I ate breakfast. “So,
what’s the plan for today? More board games?” I had fun hanging out with him
yesterday and was hoping for a repeat.

“I may be going out
later, but I’m sure we could fit in a few games.” He paused. “Actually, I have
something I wanted to talk to you about.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a
gesture I was beginning to associate with nervousness on his part.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
My stomach flip flopped, certain that Chase was about to drop a bomb on me.

“The thing is, we have
been wrapping up all of our business in the area and need to head back to Santa
Cruz soon.”

I tried to keep my
expression blank, but my heart immediately sank. I knew they weren’t going to
stay here forever, but with the craziness of the last few days I hadn’t really
thought about my next move. And now that I was finally getting used to having
the guys around, I wasn’t sure I could stand the thought of them leaving.
What
am I going to do now?

Chase looked at me
earnestly. “Haley, we want you to come with us.”

“What?” My shock was
evident. “What do you mean? Like move there?”

“Yes. We want to help
you, but we can’t stay here indefinitely. We will keep looking for your dad,
and in the meantime, you will have a safe place to stay. And we can even help
you find a job, if you want.” He paused, scanning my face for a reaction. “What
do you think?”

I had no idea how to
respond.
What did I think?
Part of me was ecstatic that it was even a
possibility. But the more realistic part of me thought it was a crazy idea.
I
couldn’t really leave with them, could I?

Perhaps sensing my
hesitation, Chase spoke again, his voice softer now. “I know you want to find
your dad, but what are you going to do if you stay here? Get a hotel room and
wait for him to show back up?” Preferring to see this as a rhetorical question,
I mulled it over in silence.

Finally, I spoke.
“Chase, it’s really nice of you guys to offer. But I don’t see how it could
possibly work. I can’t just move hundreds of miles away while I have no idea
where my dad is. How would he ever find me?”

Even as I said the
words, I knew that they weren’t completely honest. Dad had told me that if the
situation arose, I should run and not worry about him. And going to Santa Cruz
would get me closer to San Francisco where the safe deposit box was located.
While I was sure this wasn’t quite what he had in mind, there was no way he
could have anticipated this situation.

Chase reached across
the table, gently placing his hand on top of mine. “I don’t want to overwhelm
you, but you need us. You already know that we think there might be someone
after you as well, and we can protect you.” He paused, and I sensed that he was
searching for the right words. “Knox, Ethan, and I have looked at this from
every angle, and we think this is the best solution. We
want
you to come
with us.”

He gently squeezed my
hand before rising from the chair. “We will be in and out today. Take some time
to think it over.”

Woodenly, I got up from
the table and made my way to the deck. Chase was right. What was I going to do
if I stayed here? Apart from the meager amount of cash in my purse, I was
pretty much up a creek without a paddle. I didn’t have a place to stay, a
driver’s license, a car, or a cell phone.
I can’t even walk properly
, I
thought. Laughing to myself, the situation seemed utterly ridiculous.

Sitting on the deck
chair, hours passed like minutes, my thoughts a jumble of uncertainty. My
stomach was in knots. There was still a tiny part of me that worried Chase and
the others were working for the bad guys, whoever they were. But the bigger
part felt almost sure they were looking out for my best interests.

I didn’t want to be
naive, but all things considered, going with them was the only thing that made
sense. Dad had always told me to run and take care of myself. At the moment, I
didn’t have the resources to make it on my own. And although I had been
suppressing any worry about my personal safety, it was a definite
consideration.

*  *  *

Before I knew it, the
door slid open and Ethan popped his head out. “Hey there.” My heart did a little
flip, and I grinned at him in response. He smiled, his mouth still closed,
before opening it to speak. “Want some lunch?”

I shrugged. He said,
“Don’t go anywhere,” before his head disappeared. A few minutes later, he
reappeared carrying sandwiches. He handed me one before spreading out on the
chair next to me.

As excited as I was to
see Ethan, I was concerned that things would be awkward between us after last
night. But I shouldn’t have worried; he talked to me like nothing had happened,
asking about my ankle and making small talk.

Polishing off his
sandwich, Ethan breathed a sigh of content. He sipped his drink then spoke. “I
stopped by a few more places today to ask about your dad. Still no luck.”

Trying to reassure
myself that Dad was fine and just staying off the radar, I twirled my hair and
stared at the trees. All arrows seemed to be pointing toward Santa Cruz.

Ethan sighed. “Haley, I
don’t know what’s going on here, but I really think you should come with us.”
Having pretty much already reached that conclusion myself, I felt some of my
tension ease. But I wasn’t ready to tell them yet. Some small part of me clung
to the ridiculous hope that Dad would magically appear.

Ethan got up and
offered me a hand. “Do you want to come in for a while?” I grasped his hand,
and he pulled me up before looking me over. “Hey, isn’t that my shirt?”

I glanced down and
nodded. After showering earlier, I was happy to put back on my bra, panties,
and shorts, but I had to grab the first clean shirt I could find. The patterned
button-down was clearly Ethan’s, and since it stopped about mid-thigh, I rolled
the sleeves to my elbows and tied it at my waist.

“It looks much better
on you than it ever did on me.” I blushed, trying to hide a smile. I felt giddy
at the unexpected compliment.

A short time later,
Ethan went outside to make a few calls. I relaxed on the couch for a few
minutes but started feeling too antsy to sit idly in the silence. Remembering
I’d left a book in the bedroom, I went in there to read.

I sat on the bed but
quickly realized I could hear the faint sound of Ethan’s voice from outside the
window. Lulled by the cadence and rhythm of his voice, it took me a minute to
realize he was talking in Spanish. I was surprised by how fluent he was.

Inching over to the window,
I hid in the shadows, curious about why he switched languages. Ethan was now
directly outside the bedroom, and I was able to clearly make out his words.

At first, his side of
the conversation sounded pretty mundane, like he was providing an update on
what he’d done today. But, then I heard something that froze the blood in my
veins. I covered my mouth in disbelief. Replaying the words in my head, I
translated them again to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake.

“Yes, I think Chase has
convinced her to come with us.” He fell silent, then, “No, she can’t know about
that. She wouldn’t agree if we told her.” More silence. “I know, but we need to
get her to Santa Cruz first.”

Ethan’s words became
unintelligible as he resumed walking. While I only heard one end of the
conversation, it was clear that they were talking about me.
What can’t I
know about?
He said I wouldn’t agree to go to Santa Cruz if I knew.

Worried that Ethan
would come inside and figure out I was eavesdropping, I shut the bedroom door
and climbed under the covers. Suddenly exhausted, I figured a nap would be the
easiest way to get alone time. Ethan checked on me about ten minutes later, and
I told him that I needed to rest after not sleeping well last night.

The certainty I was
feeling just a few minutes before slipped away. I had felt so confident that
the guys were on my side, Ethan’s statements totally threw me for a loop. Even
if they sounded worse out of context than they were, I was now doubting my
decision. I didn’t think I could agree to leave with them when they were
blatantly keeping important information from me. It stung to realize that my
growing trust in them was misplaced.

I could have confronted
Ethan, but the cautious side of me didn’t want the guys to know I was
suspicious of them once again. It seemed like I would be better off if I just
parted ways with them now before things became even more tangled and confusing.
Once they dropped me off in the nearest town, maybe I’d have more luck finding
Dad on my own.