Page 58 of Waste
David laughed harder. “Well, I'd better be off. I’ve got to leave town for business. I hope we meet again, Shelley.”
“That’s sudden, isn’t it?” Shelley asked and cursed herself as David brightened.
“You were paying attention to me! Yes, a colleague quit yesterday, and it’s been all hands on deck. My boss has had to do some juggling around, and I drew the short straw. Can’t say I’m happy about it either,” David griped, but Shelley noted the lack of real emotion in his tone.
“That’s a shame. Well, I guess it was nice meeting you.” Shelley put her hand out as David rose. He took it and squeezed gently.
“Take care of yourself, Mystery. By the way, what is your real name?”
Shelley smiled. “If I told you that, then I’d no longer be Mystery.”
“You’re a tease, Mystery. I’ll go through life wondering what your name was.” David smiled and turned away.
“Bye, David,” Shelley said, and he turned and winked before disappearing out the door. A few moments later, a woman got up and followed. Shelley guessed she was off the hook and stared at the book that David had left behind. She didn’t know if it was a ploy for her to chase after him. So, she tucked it in her bag and carried on calmly drinking her coffee and reading her e-book.
Drew/Ghoul
He gritted his teeth together as the smarmy Hunter left Shelley. Marie had alerted him when David had approachedShelley, and they’d both watched for any sign of danger. Drew had been worried when David began showing Shelly pictures of paranormals, guessing where it was heading. He’d been right. The lack of reaction in Shelley convinced them both that Shelley had no idea what a ghoul was.
Marie nodded in approval and satisfaction. “Lilith’s spell worked.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t sound too happy, Drew.”
“I’m not Marie. Shelley could have been my mate, but we’ll never know.”
“Shelley had witnessed too much. She had to be silenced,” Marie insisted.
“Keep telling yourself that.” Drew got to his feet and stared at her. “You made a decision without consulting me. I was the one at risk, not you.”
“Drew, Shelley had seen me!”
“Yeah, but it was Ghoul who fascinated her. It doesn’t matter now. It’s over and done with,” Drew said and left the tower.
He’d been out of sorts for weeks at this point. He knew why; it was because he missed Shelley. As he stomped towards his room, his mind occupied, one of his sisters darted past him, panic all over her face.
Drew snorted as she disappeared and guessed why she was running. A moment later, he was proved correct when Ranson appeared.
“She headed this way?” Ranson demanded.
Drew hesitated. Should he tell on his sibling?
“Drew, man, come on. She can keep moving, but she’s going to run out of hiding places sooner or later!” Ranson stated.
Drew grinned. Ranson was right. “She went that way.”
“Cheers, buddy. Once I pin her feet to the floor, she and I are having a come-to-Jesus talk. And by God, she’s going to listen!” Ranson promised.
Drew smirked as the man strode away. He liked Ranson and his take-no-prisoners attitude. Drew wondered who had the book on how long it would take Ranson to tame his sister. He’d have to ask Archere or Killian. She might be determined to avoid the Human Saviour, who was a leading warrior in Refuge, but he was twice as determined to capture her. Drew was going to bet on Ranson. He’d seen that look in Mac’s eyes, and Mac had tamed Lamia.
A distant squeal bounced off the stone walls, and Drew assumed Ranson had caught his prey. Good luck to him. At least one of his siblings should have her mate. He prayed her stubbornness wouldn’t put Ranson off and that she could bend a little. She could do a lot worse than Ranson.
Drew sighed and changed direction. His thoughts were depressing him. He missed Shelley with a sharp pang, and the pain was tangible. Drew headed outside to the extensive gardens and walked slowly towards the hydrangea garden. As Drew approached, he saw they were a riot of colour, and they made him smile a little. Frankie had separated the grounds into themed gardens, but this was one of Drew’s favourites.
He sat on the bench and let the sun warm his face. Drew was undecided about what to do about Shelley. Everything was a mess in his head. His feelings were at odds with his thoughts, and there was a definite lack of a bond. Drew hated that. He actually did like and care about Shelley a lot. He’d wanted to get to know her better and had to wonder if Lilith had removed all memory of him on purpose.
It wouldn’t be the first time Lilith had acted to protect one of them against their will. Drew leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He kept seeing Shelley’s blank expressionwhen she looked at the picture of him and didn’t recognise him at all. Drew had hated that. As much as he knew Shelley was in danger, it had been nice to have someone outside of family know about him.
