Shades of Amber (15 page)

We took the maze of
hallways and stairs in silence. Once we reached the foyer, I
approached the front door with small steps as she used the phone a
few feet away.

“
The cab will be here in a
few minutes,” she said, dusting around the cordless
handset.

I smiled and paced the
floor.

Could I leave him? Yes, I
could. This was my life and I would do a better job of living it,
as well as dodging him.

My gaze sought hers when a
horn blew. “Thanks for your help.” I went to the porch and leaned
back inside. “Tell him you don’t know what happened.”

She tried to smile. “He
won’t believe that.”

I paused with my hand on
the door. “I almost forgot to ask, where are his
parents?”

“
They flew to Paris for a
bit.”

“
That must be nice. Thank
you again.” I waved and hurried toward the cab.

¤¤¤¤

…
Troy…

The sky was black as I
paced back and forth across the dock. Out of the three workers, six
coastguards, my father’s friend Milton, and myself—we still had
absolutely no explanation for the seven-foot gash that stretched
from the bow to the lower deck.

That was how I’d spent the
last hour and a half. I needed to get back to Jade for several
reasons: the top two being that she was alone and mischievous, the
third because I just wanted to hold her in my arms.

I should have locked her
in.

“
I’m out. Let me know when
you find something,” I yelled as I stormed toward the parking
lot.

A sense of pride swept
through me as I sped toward the imposing structure that was my
childhood home. Soaring at four stories, it bested our tallest tree
and submerged the yard in shadow during the day.

Jumping out of the car, I
hurried up the front steps, anxiety eating away at me. I wouldn’t
be able to calm down until I saw her for myself, then everything
would be alright.
I paused at the front
door as pain shot up my right arm. Beneath the porch light, blood
dripped from my fist. I opened my hand and saw the imprint of the
key.

After cleaning up with a
handkerchief, I turned the key in the lock and shoved my way in.
The house was silent once the faucet cut off. I closed the door,
smiling when Miss Maggie came out of the kitchen to greet
me.

We exchanged pleasantries
and then I raced upstairs to find Jade. I paused outside her door
and caught my breath. Something was different.

My blood boiled as I
assessed the empty room. I didn’t have to cross the threshold; I
could feel that she was gone. A piece of paper caught my eye as I
turned to leave. Anger pulsed through me when I snatched the note
from the carpet. I read it twice on the way to the main
floor.

As my shoe hit the last
step, I couldn’t help but laugh. My quarry was nowhere in sight. I
listened for movement and headed for the den, watching in silence
as she dusted the silver candelabra.

“
Where is
Jade?”

Miss Maggie jumped at the
sound of my voice, dropping her feather duster. “Isn’t she in her
room?”

“
No, she isn’t,” I said as
I placed the duster on the mantle. “Did you give her
this?”

She looked down in an
attempt to avoid my gaze.

“
Don’t be afraid to tell
me where she went. It’s dangerous, I don’t want her running around
alone.”

Worry lined her face at my
comment. Sometimes, she was too motherly for her own
good.

“
Tell me where she
is.”

She shook her head and
crossed herself. “She does not want to be with you. She’s afraid of
you.”

“
And she has a reason to
be according to this!” I yelled, waving the paper. “Where did it
come from?”

The housekeeper
straightened her posture and looked me in the eye. “I found it in
the mail slot. No return address. Are you saying the note was all
fiction?”

I sighed and looked at my
watch. “It may not be fiction, but it means that someone followed
us here and has set out to keep us apart. Jade could be in danger
as we speak! Please, tell me where she went.”

She smoothed her apron.
“Jade went home, sir. She took a taxi.”

“
Thanks,” I called as I
dashed out to pack some clothes. I bristled with anger and concern
as I slammed the trunk and sped toward the highway.

She was an hour
ahead.

¤¤¤¤

Denial

What is it you
think

I’ve become?

To call me a
thing

instead of a
person.

If you prick
me…

do I not bleed?

You are so
feisty…

So
exhilarating,

but your denial
is

unnecessary.

For you know

as well as I,

That our love
is

the forever
kind.

You are mine

And I am yours.

There’s no
escaping

from this
storm.

Your fear fuels

my desire

As amber flames
dance

in the fire.

-Troy

Chapter 17

Jade

“
Welcome to
Chattanooga.”

It had been a long,
unbearable ride, but I was finally home; thanks to my very nice and
understanding cab driver who only needed two pit stops on our seven
our trip.

Our eyes met in the
rearview mirror as the older woman asked for the address. I recited
the “1624 Wishing Well Lane” I had scribbled on a napkin. It wasn’t
home exactly, but at least Kayla would be waiting for me. Hers was
one of the only numbers I knew by heart, and she’d insisted I crash
at her place when I called from a rest stop in Alabama.

A weight evaporated from
shoulders when her building came into view. I’d visited several
times, but the large stone facade still reminded me of an enchanted
castle. I set my purse in my lap and dug through my wallet. I’d
have to cancel my phone and get another one before Troy intercepted
too many calls.

What other option did I
have? I couldn’t just call him up and ask for it back.

Once I reached the front
door, my weariness set in as I mashed the button by her name. Kayla
buzzed me in by the third ring and greeted me as soon as I made it
up the two flights of stairs.

She smiled, but I could
see how worried she was. “Thank goodness you’re alright!” she said,
hugging me tight.

“
I’m fine,” I said as she
let go abruptly. “What’s wrong?”

She looked left and right,
pulled me inside, and bolted the door. “He could be out there
somewhere!”

I shook my head and
studied her cozy apartment. “No, I’m pretty sure I’d know if he was
here.”

She pushed me toward the
kitchen. “Want something to eat or drink? He held you captive. Are
you gonna call the cops?”

“
No, I should be good now.
He wouldn’t expect me to stay here.” Kayla and I were friends, but
she worked a lot and rarely got to hang out. Her sanctuary was
bright and fun. All the walls were blue and each room had a beach
theme.

We were sitting on her
baby blue couch watching
Pretty Little
Liars
when she muted the commercial and
looked at me. “What if he comes back for you?”

“
If
he comes back, I’ll tell him that
we can’t be together.”

“
Earth to Jade! He already
came back for you once! Are you really going to risk going home by
yourself?”

“
Look, I’ll hide for a few
days, and if nothing happens, I’ll get back to my life,
okay?”

She turned the sound up
just in time. “Fine, but you’d better not disappear like Alison
does in this TV show!”

“
No worries there, he
doesn’t want to hurt me; he just thinks I’m lying to myself about
how I feel about him.”

She raised an eyebrow.
“Are you?”

I shrugged.
“Maybe.”

We sat back and watched
“A.” haunt Alison’s friends through text messages. I tried to focus
on figuring out who “A.” was, but found myself thinking about
“T.”

What was I going to do
about Troy? He was right, I was his, and he was all I thought
about, but I wasn’t ready to give in.

I couldn’t.

¤¤¤¤

…
Troy…

The stars twinkled as I
paced beneath the balcony. I’d been waiting for a glimpse of Jade
since the sun went down.

Whoever sent that note
must have caused the damage to my father’s boat, but why? In order
to give Jade a chance to escape? No, it had to be more than
that.

I closed my eyes, and
focused on the sound of her steady breathing. Listening to her
thoughts was something I’d grown accustomed to. They were complex
and sporadic.

As I lingered in the
shadows, I tried to imagine exactly what she was doing. I’d waited
a long time for her to confess her feelings, so it was a complete
shock when her friend dragged it out of her. I wanted Jade to tell
me how she felt, but perhaps, I was pushing too hard. When she let
me in, it lowered her defenses whether she realized it or not.
She’d see once I slowed my pursuit.

My lips
twitched.

Who knew what would happen
when we found ourselves together again.

¤¤¤¤

Jade

After a few days at
Kayla’s, I decided to move on with my life and go back to school.
The week flew by before I knew it, and since I hadn’t seen Troy, I
agreed to take my friends up on their invitation to our book
club.

Java Mama’s was a welcome
sight. I smiled as I inhaled the energizing smell of fresh coffee.
It danced in the air, like a candle flame. I walked through the tan
curtain, smiling when I saw ten girls gathered on the plush couches
and chairs in the sitting area. Everyone grinned as I sat
down.

Amelia leaned toward the
edge of her chair and patted my hand. “I’m so glad you’re back! We
thought we’d lost you for good!”

I smiled and leaned toward
Faith. “I know it wasn’t your fault,” I said as the waitress set
down two trays with a variety of pastries.

Shante looked up from her
Caramel Macchiato. “So let’s skip the book discussion and hear
about your time in the Bayou!” The other girls grinned and cheered,
but I couldn’t smile back. I felt like I was being watched, and it
chilled me to the core.

After glancing around the
room, I shuddered at the thought of Troy having tracked me down,
but then, I did go right back to my routine. A part of me ached to
see him. Some nights, I’d even woken up, wishing he’d climb through
my window, but he didn’t, and the sane part of me was beyond
relieved.

Was I a glutton for
punishment or what?

Mariah perched on the arm
of the couch and waved in front of my face.

“
What?”

“
That guy keeps staring at
you.”

I could barely will my
heart to beat as I looked in the direction she was pointing. To my
relief, it wasn’t Troy. This admirer had light, almost pale brown
skin, short hair, and bright green eyes.

I felt too exposed in my
black V-neck shirt and faded jeans, so I pulled on my denim
Vampire Diaries
jacket.

Mariah cleared her throat
“So… what do you think? Is that guy super cute or what?”

I shrugged. “Or what is
definitely one way to describe him.” I patted her arm. “If you like
him, you should talk to him.”

She adjusted her shirt and
frowned. “He’s too busy drooling over you to even
notice!”

I laughed, if she only
knew how much I wasn’t thinking about that guy. I shook my head and
tried to shake away the thoughts of Troy.

Adrienne fired off half a
dozen questions trying to get me to open up about my “misadventure”
before the other girls followed suit. After a few minutes of vague
responses, we finally got on subject.

Elizabeth held her copy in
the air. “This book was so awesome!”

I smiled. They were still
on the book we started before Troy jumped back into my life. I
couldn’t help but appreciate the way they had dropped the club
routine in my absence.

The cover to Lauren
Kate’s
Fallen
was
definitely enough to draw your attention. We all agreed that the
solemn girl in the fancy black dress spoke volumes when compared to
book covers in the past.

“
And the story was so
intriguing! I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel!”
Christen said as she looked up from her phone.