Page 32 of Fall From Grace
If I was someone else, I might be unnerved by her threat. I might be scared away. Then again, if I was someone else, I might not know how serious she was, but the part of me that has spent the last few years numb, the part that had the time of his life when he was drinking and getting high and fucking strangers—that part of me recognized danger when it stared at him in the face, and that girl? She’s dangerous, without a doubt.
Turning away from the house, I begin the walk home as I try to fight thoughts of Wren and her overprotective, semi-murderous roommate. Mostly of Wren, and how badly I wished she would have invited me inside.
I never wanted seconds before. There was never a shortage of girls for someone like me. This isn’t like me at all, I know that, and yet I can’t seem to reach inside myself and switch everything back to the way it was before. The wayIwas before.
Fuck. What’s happening to me?
Chapter Fifteen – Reese
It was a good thing I’m quick at what I do; I was not expecting anyone to come home so soon. I had the cameras and microphones set up, and I was about to leave the house, when I heard voices outside—so I darted up the stairs and found myself a dark window on the second floor of the house. A quick look was all I needed to see that Wren had come home… and Logan had walked with her. She must’ve met him there.
And here I thought tonight I’d have enough time to go through her things, to learn more about her. Alas, I’d have to settle for the microphones and cameras.
I managed to crack it open without making a sound, so I was able to listen to the little conversation Wren and Logan had before she told him goodnight and entered the house. Thankfully he did not come in with her.
I know I should find shadows to cling to until she hides away in her bedroom for the night, but… let’s just say doing the smart thing isn’t in my blood, not when it comes to obsessions. Going too hard, doing too much; it’s what we Scotts do. The lengths my father went in order to make sure he was all my mother had… it’s damn near legendary.
So, no. I don’t do the smart thing. I rush back to Wren’s room—it wasn’t difficult for me to discern which room was hers. The one minus the jewelry boxes filled with diamonds and the closet with designer clothes. Her roommate, Sloane Karnagy, has a bit of a dark side herself. Same with Elias Whitenbaker.
But I’m not here for them, although I will keep an eye on them, only so that I can know more about Wren, so when I make it to Wren’s room, I crawl beneath her bed. She’s neat; she doesn’t store anything beneath her bed, and thankfully it’s high enough off the floor that I have enough room.It must be newly-placed in the room, because the carpet beneath the bed has no dust bunnies to speak of.
Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad. What am I getting myself into? It’s been so long since I had a hunt, too long since I had a good chase. Even though my life could spectacularly blow up because of this, I have to. I simply can’t resist.
Lying in wait is something I’m used to. It’s an innate ability of mine, blending in, sticking to the shadows, being silent all the while. What people don’t look for, they never find. It’s remarkably easy to sneak up on someone when they aren’t anticipating it. Someone who never looks under the bed has no reason to think a person is there.
Wren makes it to her room. When she does, she flicks on the light and closes her door. I turn my head and watch as her bare feet cross the room. I hear her sigh, a soft, feminine sound of pure exasperation and perhaps even a little sadness, and then the sound of a zipper being undone.
She left the house tonight all dolled up, looking gorgeous in a way she never does during the day, for class. As much as I wanted to follow her, it was my only chance to bug the house while everyone was away.
Shortly after that, the dress she wears falls off her body, down around her ankles, and she steps out of it before bending to pick it up. The sound of drawers opening and closing tells me she’s getting out pajamas, then a knock on her door.
Shit. The others must have followed her home and ended their night early, too.
“Wren,” another girl’s voice speaks—must be Sloane. The girl who’s been around one too many murders for it all to have been a coincidence. Oh, no. Call me psychic, but I have the feeling she had a hand in one of them, or even all of them. Death doesn’t follow normal people around like that. I’d know.
“Hold on,” Wren says, as she must hurry to finish changing. She then walks to the door and opens it. “You guys could’ve stayed at the party. You didn’t have to leave just because I did.”
“We were worried about you.” A moment passes. “Okay,Iwas worried. Someone like you shouldn’t walk home alone in the dark.” Huh. Sounds like Sloane is a little protective of Wren, something I’m not expecting, since based on my research, she and Wren didn’t know each other a month ago.
“I didn’t walk alone. Logan came with me.”
A moment before Sloane mutters, “I saw. I’m surprised he didn’t bully his way in.”
Wren sighs. “I know I bash him a lot, but… I don’t know. He’s not so bad.”
“Do you like him?”
I lay there in wait, wondering what Wren’s reply will be, and what I want it to be. A part of me, the instinctive part, wants her to say an emphatic no, but the more realistic side assumes that, whatever is between her and Logan, it’s messy. She might not even know the answer.
And Logan? I’ll bug his place soon enough.
“No,” Wren finally says. “I don’t think so. Don’t you think it’s too soon to like someone else, anyway? I mean, I was with Mike for four years.”
“If you like someone, you like them. There’s nothing you can do about it. Doesn’t matter who you are or who they are, same with timelines. If you like him, you like him, and if you don’t, you don’t.” A moment before she asks, “Did something happen at the party?”
“I saw him,” Wren whispers. “Mike. He… was across the room. I don’t know if he saw me. If he did, he didn’t care, and if he didn’t… it’s like he’s fine. Like he’s not torn in two. It makes me wonder if everything was in my head. Maybe our relationshipwas never as strong as I thought it was.” Softer, barely audible, she adds, “Maybe I’m just stupid.”
My gut twists when I hear her say that. She’s the last person I’d ever call stupid. Hell, she got every single question right on my just-for-fun pre-test, and she did it in record time. The former has never happened before, but to do it so quickly… she’s something special, and she doesn’t seem to know it. I can’t help but wonder what she’d do in one of my hunts.
