Page 61 of Sundowners
“You guys have recorded albums?”
Cross flicked his hair back. “They don’t call ’em that really anymore, sadly. I miss those days. Although vinyl seems to be popular again. We’re kinda between managers right now so our recording schedule is on hiatus.”
Neither of them seemed too upset about it. In fact, nothing really bothered them much at all, except for the attacks. I sensed we were all furious about what happened, and that somehow these idiots had corrupted what we’d been taught and were putting us at risk.
“Okay. You have a plan as to how we dispose of the individuals?”
Mark and Cross shared a look. “Better you don’t know the details. We’ve had to take care of similar situations before.”
“Yeah, other idiots causing chaos. Put it this way, we should have our own murder mystery podcast where we talk about all the killers we’ve taken out of business.”
My eyes widened. “You’re kidding! That’s…well, you were going to be a Guardian, Cross. It makes sense.”
“You and me both, kid. Mark, too. If you ever decide to follow your true calling and want to join us… Hey, can you play? We could always add you to the lineup of Bloody Brilliant.”
I burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder. “I play piano, man, but no thanks. I’ve got my own gig.”
Cross’s smile faded. “You should tell us how to find you, Creed. You know, if we’re going to be sharing territory for a while.”
Fuck, I wanted to trust them, but then I thought of the folks at Puesta Del Sol, the residents and Lexi and Jamal.
“I’ll think about it. I—”
“I get it,” Cross said, holding up a hand. “You’ve got people.”
“I’m sorry—”
He placed his hands on my shoulders, and I felt a wave of reassurance from him. I closed my eyes and tried to answer it with honesty.
“Let’s get through this mess. If you decide to have an alliance of sorts with us afterward, we would be glad. It gets lonely. We have each other, and we have a few friends in other cities that we can call on in times of need. We’d be opening our network to you as well. Take your time.”
I thanked them both, we exchanged hugs and phone numbers, and then I went for a long, roundabout walk to make sure I wasn’t being followed. By the time I got home, Rhonda was scratching at the door. We spent the day on the beach walking and getting some Vitamin D while I pondered my situation.
I wouldn’t be able to stay here permanently. In fact, there would be no permanence in my life. Ever.
So what did that mean for a future with Roman?
I couldn’t drag him into this world. I didn’t want to stay away from him. Would he become another weakness like Rhonda? Would I be led to a selfish act because of loneliness?
It was with these heavy thoughts weighing on me that I dragged myself to work that evening, dreading what might occur. I should probably quit. If I was going to have to leave anyway, why not now? It would hurt worse the longer I stayed. I could quit, take care of Stephen’s minions, and then hit the road. Maybe I’d find another community on the coast to start over. Maybe—
“Creed, thank goodness.” Lexi met me at the employee entrance. “I’m so glad you’re here. Mr. Fletcher had a rough day and asked for you. Mrs. San Angelo is having an episode, and Jamal called in sick, so—”
“Frances?” I dropped my bag and pulled off my hoodie and started walking toward her room.
“Yes, she didn’t recognize her niece this afternoon, and then she fought with the afternoon-shift staff when they tried to give her a sedative—”
“You should have called me,” I said, running now. Poor Frances, and poor Roman if he arrived and she was upset.
“Creed?” Lexi stopped at the end of the hall and frowned at me as I ran off.
I turned the corner and was about to enter Frances’s room when a wave of negative energy almost knocked me to my knees. It was a combination of her sundowning, Vanessa’s sorrow, and Roman’s helplessness.
“Tita Frances, the medicine will make you feel better.”
“Roman, my son…but you were dead!”
Oh, no.
