Page 35 of Dare To Take

“Yeah.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t know yet. They’re still discussing it. When I find out, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay.”

“Kellan?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to watch over her when she comes back to school. You’ve seen the social media. They’re not done with her yet.”

“You got it.”

Chapter 24

Arabella

Eli is quiet when he comes back from the bedroom, and it makes me wonder who he talked to. I push the thought aside, and stare down at the menu from my place on the sofa.

Huddled back under the bed sheet, I eye the selection in front of me. “Grilled salmon. Chicken souvlaki, lobster risotto. Don’t they do any normal food?”

Eli laughs. “Define normal.”

“Pizza, burgers, steak?”

He takes a seat beside me and taps the menu in my hands. “Turn it over.”

I flip it over, to run my gaze over what’s on offer. “Cheddar stuffed burger in a brioche bun?”

He lays his arm along the back of the couch and plays with my hair. “Keep going to the bottom, and you’ll find the … less fancy stuff.”

I do as instructed and find what I’m looking for. “I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries, please.”

“Burgers and fries for both of us.” He takes the menu from me and rises smoothly from the couch. I watch him pick up the phone and order our food, with an easy confidence. Something that comes with power and money. I bet he’s never had to struggle to find his next meal and hope his parent left food in the fridge so he could eat.

My attention moves to the TV, and my eyes widen when I see what’s playing across the screen. “Christopher Lee! I love these movies.”

Eli retakes his seat beside me. “You do?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You like horror movies?”

I scrunch up my nose at the disbelieving tone in his voice. “Not modern ones, but these are classics. He’s one of the best Dracula’s ever, in my opinion, followed by Bella Lugosi and, of course, Gary Oldman.”

“You like Bella Lugosi?” The surprise in his voice is clear.

“With that slow, thick accent, his penetrating eyes, and the way he moved. It’s mesmerizing.” I keep my eyes on the TV. “His Dracula is a little more sophisticated than Christopher Lee’s sexy Dracula.”

“So, you’re into vampires?”

I turn my head and find him studying me. “Vampires. Old black-and-white movies. The Maltese Falcon, Singing in the Rain, Some like it Hot. Mrs. Goldmann adored watching them.”

Amusement dances in his eyes. “Who?”

“Our neighbor who lived next door to us back in Michigan. She looked after me when Elena wasn’t there.” I draw my knees up under the sheet and I hug them to my chest.

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