Phoenix: Book One of The Stardust Series (19 page)

Finally, Jackson picked
a film and put it in the DVD; after the previews, the title
The Minority
Report
flashed on the screen
.
Nestled in between Knox and Chase, I
tried to relax and enjoy the movie, but all I could focus on was their legs and
arms brushing against mine. I shook my head in disbelief at the situation.
Was
I really watching a futuristic, sci-fi movie surrounded by six insanely
attractive guys?
Any one of them alone was enough to make my heart flutter,
but all together . . . I wasn’t even sure how to finish
that thought.

The sun had set and
with the doors still open to the pool, I was getting cold in my linen shorts
and V-neck T-shirt. At some point, Knox put his arm on the back of the couch
and encouraged me to lean into him if I needed more space. I resisted at first
but ever so slowly came to rest against him. His body was warm and comforting
despite the hard muscles beneath his soft shirt.

The movie was engaging
and the suspense intensified as it progressed. I could feel my anxiety rising
as the main character dashed through the city, attempting to evade the police
and the eye scans required for everything from entering a mall to making a
purchase. Suddenly, a large, warm hand clapped over my eyes, obscuring my view.
Surprised by the unexpected contact, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

With Knox’s broad chest
behind me and his arm curved around me, it felt like he was giving me a hug.
His voice spoke reassuringly into my ear. “Trust me, Haley. You don’t want to
see this.”

I whispered back. “Why
not? I can handle it.”

I gently nudged him in
the ribs with my elbow, prodding him to let me see the screen. He spread his
fingers slightly, allowing me a limited view.

“Ack! You’re right.” I
clamped my eyes shut beneath his fingers, wishing I could erase even the brief
image from my mind. I felt nauseated at the thought of eye replacement surgery.
Knox patted me on the shoulder, and I could feel the light movement of his
chest while he laughed gently.

At the end of
Minority
Report
, I was left with a number of questions and the need for a quick trip
to the bathroom. A baseball game played on the TV as I headed down the hall.
Finishing up in the bathroom, I dried my hands on the towel before flipping off
the light.

After the bright light
of the bathroom, the hall seemed even darker while my eyes adjusted. I turned
toward the living room, but a large hand grabbed my own and pulled me in the
direction of the bedroom; I was moving so fast my hair whipped through the air.

Startled, I found
myself standing face-to-face with Ethan as he closed the door behind us. Even
in the dim light of the room, I could make out his facial expression, and he
didn’t look pleased. He held onto my hand a moment longer than necessary, and
my heart began to race.

In the Dark

Ethan stood in the
bedroom, his large frame overwhelming in the small room. “What was that about
earlier?” His deep voice rumbled even though he was speaking softly.

Crossing my arms over
my stomach, I took a deep breath and reminded myself to stay strong. I had been
avoiding this confrontation for too long. I had imagined and rehearsed the
conversation in my head for the past week, but he caught me by surprise. Now
that the moment was actually here, I wasn’t sure what to say. And I wasn’t sure
this was the time or place to say it, with the rest of the guys just on the
other side of the wall.

I shrugged my
shoulders.
Did he really not get what this was about?

His eyes narrowed,
assessing me. “Are you upset about what happened in the pool? I didn’t mean to
be so rough.”

I shook my head. “No,
it’s not about the pool.”
Just get it over with, Haley
.

I took a deep breath.
“It’s about trust.” I saw a shift in Ethan’s eyes as I continued speaking. “I
opened up to you and shared things about my past, things that were personal. I
thought I could trust you.”

Ethan adjusted his
glasses, his brown eyes full of concern. “You can trust me, Haley.”

My whisper sounded
harsh, each syllable staccato and over-pronounced. “You keep saying that, but
how am I supposed to believe you when you’re not being honest with me?” Ethan
raised an eyebrow. Either he really didn’t know what I was upset about, or he
had an even better poker face than Knox.

“I heard you talking in
Spanish on the last day at the cabin.” I paused, hoping I could keep my voice
from trembling. “I want you to explain.”

Ethan did not visibly
react to my statement. “You’re going to have to tell me what you heard, because
I don’t remember that entire conversation off the top of my head.”

“Basically, I heard you
say that Chase had convinced me to come with you guys to Santa Cruz and that I
wouldn’t if I knew about something. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to be
make me suspicious.” I crossed my arms over my chest, bracing for the answer.

“First of all, it was
never our intention to keep this from you long-term. But we were worried if you
found out, you would run. And we really are trying to protect you. Please hear
me out.”

I gave a belligerent
nod before he continued. “After days of investigating, we were able to uncover
that our client hired the men who were chasing your dad the day of the fire.”
My breath caught in my chest, and I looked toward the door, fighting an
overwhelming desire to flee.

I hadn't realized how
close I was to the bedroom wall until Ethan raised his arm, placing his hand on
the wall beside my head, effectively blocking my exit. He leaned toward me, the
space between our faces mere inches. I tried to listen to what Ethan was
saying; I needed to know what was going on, but he was making it challenging to
focus.

“We haven’t revealed
that we know this to our client because we are still trying to put the pieces
together. Since he hasn’t let us know that his men were on the scene, he’s
clearly hiding something. But we aren’t sure of his intentions yet, and we
can’t assume that he plans to harm your dad. We need more information.”

I let his words sink
in. They made sense given the part of his conversation that I overheard. It was
true that I probably wouldn’t have agreed if I had known. I wouldn’t have
trusted that they were more concerned with my interests than their client’s.
Ironically, I didn’t agree anyway because I didn’t know the truth. Thus, the
kidnapping.

“I wish you would have
told me. It’s already hard enough to trust all of you without knowing that
you’re keeping important information from me.” I stared into his eyes, urging
him to recognize how frustrated I was. “I’m tired of being kept in the dark.
First my dad and now you. I don’t want to live like that anymore.”

He softened his voice.
“I know, and I’m sorry. You have to understand that we work in a business that
relies on confidentiality and secrecy. It’s difficult to balance that against
what we want to share with you.”

He searched my face
with his piercing gaze. “Forgive me?”

I hesitated a moment
before nodding. His explanation made sense, and the truth was, I had missed
Ethan and didn’t want to hold onto a grudge. But more importantly, I knew the
guys were looking out for me; I just didn’t always agree with their methods.

Still leaning against
the wall, Ethan used his free hand to brush my hair away from my face before
gently trailing it down my cheek. The air between us was charged with
electricity, and I felt breathless.

Embarrassed by how long
I had been “in the bathroom,” I figured it was time to rejoin the group. “We
should probably get back.” Ethan nodded, but I sensed some hesitation, and I
realized that I didn’t want our conversation to end on this note.

Placing my hand on the
door knob, I paused. “You know, there’s still something you haven’t told me.” I
kept my tone serious.

Ethan looked concerned.
“What’s that?”

“Your last name,” I
said with a grin.

His shoulders dropped
and one corner of his mouth turned up. “Wright.” His smile grew. “Feel free to
call me Mr. Wright.”

Unsure whether he was
teasing, I just shook my head with a laugh and turned to go. I had barely
stepped into the short hallway before I was pulled backward, flush against
Ethan’s body. Enveloped in his arms, I felt warm and safe. I hesitantly wrapped
my arms around his back and inwardly gasped at the feeling of his hard body
against mine.

He dipped his head
slightly and whispered into my ear as he held me. “Now that you’re in Santa
Cruz, I was really hoping we could go stargazing.” I grinned from ear to ear,
nodding into his chest, and he gently squeezed me in response.

I heard the sound of a
throat clearing. “Everything okay?” Knox’s rough voice filled the hall, and I
guiltily pulled away from Ethan.

Why do I feel so
uncomfortable? It was just a hug, right?
“Yeah, everything is fine.” I gave Ethan a small smile.

“Good,” Knox said as he
wrapped an arm around my shoulder and ushered me back to the living room.

Despite my desire to
slip on the couch unnoticed, Theo exclaimed, “Haley, you’re back!” His grin
looked even more mischievous than normal, and I wondered what he was holding
behind his back. “Are you ready?”

I furrowed my brow.
“Ready for . . . ?”

Theo pulled a large
plastic gun from behind his back. “Outdoor laser tag!” He said it with such
enthusiasm that I couldn’t help but be a little excited at the idea.

I laughed. “If everyone
else is playing, I guess so.”

“Put this on,” Chase
said, handing me a large vest with plastic spots that I assumed were targets for
the laser gun. The other guys grabbed vests and guns while Chase talked. “We
picked teams; you’re with Jackson, Ethan, and me. Aim for the targets or the
gun. Try to hit them as many times as possible and don’t get hit yourself. If
you do get hit, you have to wait thirty seconds before you can shoot anyone
again. But they can keep shooting you during those thirty seconds, so it’s best
to hide.”

He smiled. “Just stick
near Jackson, Ethan, or me. Don’t worry; it will be fun.”

Heading outdoors, I
could feel the nervous excitement building within me. It was cooler now, and
the grass smelled fresh as the crickets chirped around us. The back of the
house was lit, casting an inviting glow over the lawn.

Walking past the pool,
there was no sign of our adversaries. I hadn’t realized how expansive the
estate was, and I found the treed area beyond the formally landscaped yard
bewitching. The moon shone overhead as the cicadas sang their distinctive song,
beckoning us to join them.

Following close behind
Ethan, I stayed silent while Jackson led us further into the woods. Chase was
behind me, and if I looked back, I could still see the lights of the house.
Large lights placed throughout the grounds provided uplighting in the treetops
and ambient lighting in their immediate surround. But on the path, it was
mostly dark apart from scattered beams of moonlight shining through the trees.

Jackson held up his
hand, motioning us to stop. Based on the plan we had formulated earlier, Ethan
and Jackson were to go one direction while Chase and I headed in another. This
was the signal to split up, and Ethan looked back and winked at me before
walking off with Jackson.

Out of the corner of my
eye, I saw movement and aimed my gun. It beeped, and I had the gratification of
hearing a grunt (which I assumed was Knox) confirming my hit. Chase looked at
me wide-eyed. He probably assumed it was a lucky hit; I had no doubt the guys
would be astonished to discover my shooting prowess. Never underestimate the
lengths a paranoid father will go to keep his daughter safe, even if that means
teaching her to shoot.

But before I could get
too smug, my chest vibrated and my heart jolted. When my vest lit up, I gritted
my teeth.
Crap.

Dashing through the
trees in the moonlight, the high-tech game of cat-and-mouse continued. It was
exhilarating, and I could feel my skin glistening with sweat despite the cool
air. It felt so good to jog and move; I had been aching to run again after my
ankle injury.

Occasional volleys of
fire were exchanged, alerting us of distant skirmishes. And each time one of us
made a hit, Chase and I high-fived. I liked being on Chase’s team; he made me
feel protected while treating me like an equal. It almost felt like he wanted
to see what I was capable of.

After a particularly
strenuous pursuit, Chase and I stopped to catch our breath. A moment later,
shots were fired, and Chase pulled me behind a tree. Leaning in so close our
noses were almost touching, he whispered, “Stay here while I try to distract
them; only run if you have to.” At the feel of his warm breath against my skin,
I shivered, focused just enough to absorb his instructions. If Chase distracted
our enemy as well as he’d just dazed me, we’d win for sure.

Before I had a chance
to respond, Chase raced off into the woods, firing as he ran. Suddenly left
alone, I felt slightly bereft. So used to at least one of the guys around me at
all times, I was surprised at how keenly I felt their absence in that moment.

When Chase didn’t
return after a few minutes, I crouched low and darted from tree to tree, trying
to keep out of sight. Then, without warning, I heard a nearby voice call out,
“Come out, come out, Haley.” Another voice, “We know you’re all alone; we
captured Chase.”
Wait, they could capture people?

As their playful taunts
continued, I realized that the rival team was now circling me. I remained
still, debating what to do. Hearing beeps whiz through the air at some unknown
target, it was a shock when Jackson appeared next to me as if by magic. To say
that I was impressed that he dodged them without getting hit was an
understatement. He must have maneuvered through them with the stealth of a
well-trained soldier.

Holding his gun in his
right hand, Jackson swept me behind him with his left, creating a shield with
his body. Instinctively, I turned my back to his, each of us facing out to meet
the enemy.
I may be a damsel in distress, but I’m not going down without a
fight.

I felt his body shift
and turned my head. A look passed between us as we shared a moment of
camaraderie. For the first time, I felt like Jackson and I were on the same
side.

Finger poised on the
trigger, ready to spring at any sound, I waited for the impending ambush. I was
able to make out a dark figure between the bushes and fired, my gun emitting
the beeping noise I had become accustomed to. We hit two of our rivals before
our vests made a funny noise that almost sounded like they were powering down.

I heard groans from the
trees around us; Theo’s voice rang out as he, Knox, Chase, and Liam emerged
from the bushes. “Seriously? That went by way too fast.”

I shook my head. “It’s
already over?” The ending felt almost anticlimactic after Jackson came to my
rescue, and together, we fought off most of the opposing team.

Ethan appeared then,
laughing as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I guess that means you had
fun.”

After removing our gear
and returning to the pool house, Jackson stood looking at his phone. “Ready for
the run down?”

I wasn’t sure what he
was referring to, but all the guys nodded heads almost in unison. Jackson
resumed talking. “Player hit the most times was Chase.” One of the guys
interjected a “womp womp,” before Jackson said, “Player hit the least times was
Knox.”

Jackson scrolled down
the screen with his finger. “The player with the most successful hits was me,
with . . . ” He paused and I saw his eyebrow raise a hair.
“Haley in second.”

Six distinct sets of
eyes turned to stare at me.

Liam spoke first, his
British accent taking on a slight twang. “Whoa there, Annie Oakley.” I rolled
my eyes and headed toward the kitchen while trying to hide my blush from the
unexpected attention.