Page 67 of Fractured

Saint looked just as surprised by my comment as I did. “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable with my line of thinking. I really liked him as a person, and I didn’t want him to think I only wanted to be around him because he took care of me.

“Come on, spill. Your cute shrug makes me think this is more interesting of an answer than I would have thought.” He grinned, his white teeth catching my eye and melting me in my spot.

I was a sucker for a great smile.

“I guess…you’re a good guy, Saint. And you love your family. I can’t imagine that you would have made them feel anything less than like princesses, even if you fought. You’re probably the kind of brother to drive by their boyfriend’s house when they start dating someone new, or give the death stare when you met them in person.”

As sad as it was, I wished someone had done that for Lauren when she’d met my dad. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been born. At least not to them.

The grin softened, and he shook his head, turning his attention back to the road. “I’m sure if you asked them, their opinions would be very different. But I love that you think that.”

Not as embarrassed as I thought I’d be, I adjusted my seat for a more comfortable riding position and began peppering him with questions.

Over the next hour or so, we talked about everything. I now knew more inane details about Saint than anyone else ever had, and it made me feel a sense of ownership in a weird kind of way. Granted, he now knew a fair number of safe details about me, but that didn’t feel the same.

When we made it to the state park, he paid for a day’s admission, and soon, we were driving through a quiet marsh. It was beautiful, even under the gray sky of fall with a few cranes along the shore. The grass waved from the strong wind that seemed to come out of nowhere. Wewereby the ocean. It was windy most of the time.

In the fall though, the wind was ominous more than refreshing. At least I thought so.

There were barely any cars passing us, but it was a Wednesday morning in late September. That just meant we’d encounter fewer people, and that worked for me just fine.

We came to a deserted parking lot with a pitifully run-down playground on one side with some bathrooms and an outdoor shower, but on the other side, I froze.

I didn’t like this at all.

“We’re here.” The car rocked as Saint placed it in park, and he slapped his palms on his thighs and looked over at me with smiling eyes. Then his good-natured expression died. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s that?” I pointed to the large structure that looked as if it was made out of straight weathered concrete. That wasn’t even what bothered me the most though. It was the delicate but probably indestructible bars covering the windows.

“That’s Atalaya’s Castle.” His brows pushed together as if my reaction didn’t make any sense.

Maybe most of the time they didn’t, but how could he have fond memories of visiting this place?

“Why does it look like a trap to lock me away forever? What was this? I’d always thought it was someone’s home…” But it looked more like an insane asylum than I cared to think about.

“It was. A man built it for his dying wife.”

I made a face, and he laughed.

“Come on. It’s beautiful and provides a great canvas for your imagination. Let’s go.” He jumped out and came to my side of the car to open the door. At first, it was locked and it didn’t open.

I took one last look at the place through the windshield and steeled myself. It did provide a great space for one’s imagination to run away with them. I just didn’t think mine was running to the same place his did. My heart pounded inside the cage of my chest, but I unlocked the door to allow Saint to collect me.

He tugged me out of my seat and brushed some of the hair away from my face. “If you don’t want to look around, we can leave. I just thought I’d share a bit of my past with you, something my family loved doing.”

The earnest expression made me feel like a jackass. I was the weird one with unfounded fears, and he was trying to do something really sweet. If this meant something to him, I could do it. I wouldn’t let myself be a coward like when I visited the hospital.

Another glimpse of a crowded hallway with nurses in blue scrubs flashed before my eyes. Shaking it off, I threaded my fingers through his.

“Let’s go.” I shivered as the cold breeze kissed the back of my neck. Most would say it was from the chilly weather, but I knew it was from the eerie vibe of the place.

We were completely alone as we approached the entrance. That gave me a small amount of relief. On the off chance I ran away screaming, only Saint would bear witness to my insanity.

Once we passed through the doors, I let out a slow breath. This wasn’t so bad. Our steps might have echoed back to us from every corner and shadows seemed to follow us, but it was empty. That was to be expected. The worsening weather added to the morbid atmosphere, but it was open and I had Saint with me.

“Okay, I can tell this isn’t your scene. What’s up?” He slowly walked me through the castle, each room just as empty and aged as the last.

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