The Moon Rises (19 page)

Sara followed Gigi towards Michael’s office, looking
uneasy being there. Most of the Circle was scared of the enforcer, but Gigi
figured they just hadn’t seen him freak out over something stupid.

Earlier in the week, Gigi watched him lose his
mind over a piece of candy that fell into the garbage disposal, even though
there was a full bag of candy on the counter. Gigi did love when Michael
freaked out though. Mainly because Finn would laugh so hard and she loved his
laugh.

The women found Michael sitting on a desk,
watching a tennis game. Or maybe he was sleeping. His eyes were closed and they
didn’t open when the women entered.

“What’s she doing here?” Michael asked while
keeping his eyes closed.

“Finn said I could bring her.”

“This isn’t his place, is it?”

“Where is Finn?” Gigi asked.

“Fixing my car out back. Go tell him to rescind
his offer.”

Gigi took Sara’s hand and walked out the door and
around the building.

“What’s his problem?”

“I don’t think he likes tennis,” Gigi replied
then stopped when she noticed long legs sticking out from under Michael’s Ford
Explorer. “Why is he under the car?”

Gigi felt a hint of alarm even though Sara didn’t
look worried.

“He’s fixing the car, Gigi.”

Nodding, Gigi felt relieved because a part of her
brain thought the car had fallen on Finn and he was trapped underneath.

The only things keeping her from freaking out were
Sara’s lack of panic and how Finn’s feet were swaying to the music playing from
a radio in the nearby garage. Finn was a calm guy, but even he would get
agitated if a car fell on him.

“Finn?” Gigi said, even though she knew it was
him. She was still worried about the possibility that the car fell on him.

A moment later, Finn appeared from under the SUV,
slightly dirty with his hair a bit messy. Gigi didn’t notice anything except
his shirtless chest though.

“Hey,” he said with a warm smile. “I’m almost
done. Oh good, you brought Sara.”

“Michael says I can’t play,” Sara muttered in her
grumpy voice.

Finn smiled wider, choosing to ignore Sara’s
uneasiness with Weres. “Mike’s full of shit.  Ignore him.”

“Are you okay under there?” Gigi asked, walking
closer.

She didn’t really care anymore about why he was
under the car as much as she wanted a better look at his bare chest. Where
Declan was thick with muscles, Finn’s muscles were long and lean. Gigi had such
an incredible urge to run her hands over his chest and feel the muscles under
her fingertips. Maybe Sara noticed her friend’s horniness because she took
Gigi’s hand and pulled her back.

“What’s wrong with his truck?” Sara asked, trying
to distract Gigi who had no interest in being distracted.

“Nothing. He’s just whiny. If I don’t check it
out, he’ll drive me crazy though.”

Finn was talking to Sara, but his eyes were on
Gigi. For a second, it was just the two of them and Gigi wished once again how
she might have another date with Finn. No brain farts and lots and lots of kissing
and licking and…

“Gigi, let’s go inside and wait.”

Startled from her lustful daydreaming, Gigi
smiled at Finn. “You’re not wearing a shirt.”

Finn laughed, but she thought he looked flattered
by the attention. Gigi never understood why Finn wasn’t more confident,
considering he was gorgeous. Of course Sara was beautiful, yet downplayed her
looks whenever not at the club.

Vanity was a strange quality, Gigi noticed. Some
people were very vain even though they weren’t very pretty. Other people were
very pretty and not vain at all. Gigi figured she was both pretty and vain.

Gigi let Sara pull her away from Finn who was
still smiling at her.

“You might need a bib,” Sara said with a grin.

“How come?”

“For the drooling.”

Gigi didn’t get it at first then smiled. “Yes,
because Finn is so handsome and he isn’t wearing a shirt.”

“I thought you wanted Anton. Or was it Simon?”

“Any of them would be nice.”

Sara smiled. “We need to get you a vibrator.”

Picturing Gigi with a vibrator sent Sara into
hysterics. Gigi wanted to know what a vibrator was, but Sara rarely laughed so
loudly and she didn’t want to interrupt her fun.

Sara finally stopped laughing and wiped her eyes.
“Okay, maybe not a vibrator. Just a nice boyfriend who can help you with your
lust problem.”

Gigi glanced back to where Finn was under the
SUV. “I wish Finn could be my boyfriend.”

“I sensed that, but if he says someone’s made
threats then take his word for it. That guy wouldn’t tell you no, unless he was
genuinely worried. Hell, for a minute, I thought you two were going to go at it
right there in the alley.”

“Go at what?”

“Did you read that sex book I got for you yet?”

Gigi shook her head. “I’ve been reading the
dictionary.”

Sara stopped Gigi before they entered Michael’s
office. Her bright blue eyes were soft as she pulled Gigi into a hug. When she
let her go, Sara was smiling.

“You’re reading a dictionary. How damn adorable
are you?”

Gigi shrugged because she still loved the gesture.
Besides she wasn’t sure what was so adorable about reading. Gigi wanted Sara to
be happy and her friend was beaming when they entered the office.

“You leaving?” Michael asked as he stood on his
head.

“What are you doing?” Sara asked.

“Standing on my head.”

“Why?”

“I would think that’d be obvious.”

“I did hear somewhere how you were nuts,” Sara
said, now sneering at Michael.

Letting his legs fall forward, Michael stood up.
“Big mouth for a little bitch.”

“You won’t hurt me.”

“How you figure?”

“I hear you hate when chicks cry. Just remember
if you lay a hand this direction, Gigi and I will bawl our eyes out. Even chase
you around and wipe snot on your… Man doesn’t anyone wear shirts around here?”

Michael grinned. “Fine, you can stay, but you
better let me win. This bitch refuses to.”

Gigi grinned because she never ever intended to
let Michael win, even if she had to cheat.

“What’s it like?” Sara asked Michael as the
females followed him upstairs.

“What?”

“Watching Gigi and Finn drool over each other.”

“The floor gets wet, so you have to watch your
step. Otherwise, I don’t mind it. Finding out Finn wasn’t gay shocked me a
little, but at least now I don’t have to worry about turning my back on him.”

Sara laughed, but Gigi didn’t get it. She knew
everyone kept saying Finn was gay because he never dated. Except he had dated
her and she wasn’t male.

Once in the apartment, Sara frowned at Michael’s
lack of furnishings. He glared at her, waiting for the comment.

Sara noticed his eyes on her and shrugged. “For a
guy’s apartment, I’ve seen worse.”

Michael nodded. “I really hate humans.”

“If it makes you feel any better, at our last
human meeting, we voted and it turns out we hate you too.”

Smiling, Michael looked in his refrigerator. “I
have eggs or we can order pizza.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Sara laughed. “Eggs
definitely.”

Michael lifted his head out of the frig and eyed
Sara. “You’ll do.”

Sara rolled her eyes and smiled at Gigi who
wanted to enjoy the bitchy banter. Her mind though was on Finn and whether he
would play cards shirtless. When he appeared with his shirt on, Gigi’s
disappointment must have been obvious on her face because Sara snorted.

Maybe it was just lust, but Gigi really wanted to
know Finn and not just during poker games while Michael grew angrier as his
losses increased. She wanted to see Finn in the morning and in the afternoon
and at night. She wanted to cook for him and even had an urge to brush his
hair.

She mostly wanted to feel his lips on her skin
again. Unfortunately no matter how much drooling they did, the answer to
another date remained no.

Finn rushed to Michael’s apartment once he
received the call. He expected to find Gigi in tears, but he was still shocked
by her frantic expression. Michael didn’t wait for Finn to get up to speed. The
enforcer just pulled off his shirt and headed out the door to look for Sara.

Finn thought to stay at the apartment with Gigi,
but the place wasn’t comfortable and Gigi looked exhausted. He helped her to
his truck, trying to calm her. Gigi though just kept saying Sara’s name.

Her friend hadn’t come home the night before.
Somewhere between when Gigi dropped her off and the walk into the apartment
building, Sara disappeared. Finn might have asked about boyfriends, but he knew
Sara was only focused on finishing school.

“Please come inside with me,” Gigi whimpered when
they arrived at her apartment. “I don’t know how to live now that Sara’s dead.”

“She could be okay.”

The look in her dark eyes told him that she was
already mourning her friend.

“Do you not want to come upstairs?” Gigi asked.

Finn opened the car door and walked around to
help her out. “You shouldn’t be alone. Do you want me to call someone to stay
with you?”

“No. I want you to stay.”

Finn was uncertain about being at Gigi’s
apartment and having someone snitch to his mother, but he couldn’t leave her
alone. As they reached her door, Finn felt an exhaustion rushing off Gigi. She
looked wiped out and it was only six in the evening. Once they were inside her
apartment, she flopped onto the couch and stared blankly at the wall. Finn
joined her and took her hand which caused her to focus.

“Sara taught me how to do everything. She was my
big sister. She helped me so much, but I didn’t help her. I didn’t do anything
to be a good friend to her. I just let her die.”

Finn wasn’t sure if what he was about to say
would make Gigi feel any better, but he had to say it anyway.

“Maybe the monster doesn’t kill the girls he
takes? Maybe he wants them for something else?”

“Like sex or experiments?”

“Maybe. They could still be alive.”

A hint of hope awakened in Gigi’s dark eyes. “And
we could still save them.”

Finn figured it was more than an even bet the
humans were targeted solely because they were female. Gigi was certain the
monster would eat the girls because in her human mind the creatures of the Circle
were predators.

Even if the girls were alive, Finn didn’t think they
would be saved. He wasn’t sharing this last part with Gigi whose tears had
stopped.

Gigi stared exhausted at him. “I just asked Sara
to move in because I was lonely and it would have saved her money. I should
have moved her in faster.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“People say those things on TV even when it is
the person’s fault. They say it to be nice, but it’s not true.”

“I’m not lying to you. The Circle is a dangerous
place and it could have easily been you who disappeared. You shouldn’t feel
guilty.”

“But I do.”

“It’s normal to want to do more than is possible.”

Gigi looked at him and yawned widely, so
exhausted her eyes were barely open.

“When I get really upset, I get tired. It’s the
rules in my head or something. I’m not supposed to get angry and maybe I’m not
supposed to get sad either.”

“Maybe you should lie down?”

“I don’t want to go to sleep until we find Sara.”

Sighing, Finn scooted closer. “Michael won’t call
us until he finds something and it could take all night. You should rest.”

“Because you want to leave?”

“If it were up to me, I would never leave you. You
do need to rest though.”

Gigi took his hand and Finn felt heat rush over
his skin. Standing, she pulled him towards her room. Her eyelids were heavy as
she kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the bed.

“Please stay with me,” Gigi sighed as her eyes
finally closed.

Finn slid next to her and pulled a comforter over
her bare legs and up to her shoulder. Her fingers curled around his hand as if
she was still awake, but her eyes never opened. He heard Gigi whisper his name
then her breathing shifted into a deep and steady rhythm.

The night lingered with Finn unable to sleep. He
held Gigi’s hand and caressed her face, even slid his fingers through her soft
blonde hair.

Restless, his thoughts lingered on Sara. The girl
was strong, kind, and funny. She growled at Michael when he growled at her and
flipped him off when she occasionally beat him at poker. She was tough and she
protected Gigi who was easy to manipulate. Sara deserved to be a teacher and
live a long life, but somehow Finn didn’t think she would. Even if the monster
only wanted to play with her or twist her with magic, she wouldn’t make it out
alive. Humans in the grasp of evil rarely survived.