Elijah to get them the hell out of this crazy house.
***
Before long, Caelyn mentioned feeling tired, and Trey had immediately insisted on showing them to the spare room. First, he had to lead them back upstairs and through the labyrinth of boxes and trash—yes, it was most definitely trash—and into the small room that was itself mostly covered in boxes.
“Here’s your bed,” Trey said, gesturing to the small, ancient looking mattress sitting on a box spring. “It’s a twin, so you’ll be cozy enough. And there’s really no room on the floor anyway.” He winked at Elijah.
“This is perfect,” Elijah said, slapping him on the back. “I can’t thank you enough, Trey.”
“Sure you can.” He sighed. “Okay, I best go check on the little lady, make sure she’s still breathing.” He walked out and closed the door behind him.
Caelyn sat heavily on the bed and put her head in her hands. “Oh my God.”
Elijah sat next to her and put his arm over her shoulders. “You okay, kid?”
She turned her head and gave him a sidelong glance. “No, I’m not okay.” She lowered her voice. “We need to leave. Now.”
Elijah leaned back and stared at her with surprise. “Leave? Why?”
“You’re not seriously asking me that question. I think it’s pretty obvious why.
Look around.”
He did look around. His face registered nothing but faint amusement. “I mean, it’s not the Museum of Fine Arts but it’ll do in a pinch.”
“Not for me it won’t.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Please, Elijah. I don’t like it here. This place gives me the creeps. And so does your friend.”
“Who, Trey?”
“Yes, the one with the shotgun. And he actually pointed it at us, in case you forgot.”
Elijah laughed a little. He covered her hand with his hand and rubbed her fingers soothingly. “I know this is a different sort of life than what you’re used to. But that doesn’t mean Trey’s a bad guy.”
“I didn’t say he’s bad. I just have a really awful feeling about staying here.
Something’s not right, Elijah.”
“Listen to me, Caelyn. We need to stay here.”
She tried to pull her hand away from his grasp. “Don’t say that. It’s not true and I’m not going to.”
“We have nowhere else to go.” Elijah’s expression had changed.
For the first time since he’d come to get her, Caelyn felt really and truly frightened. “What do you mean? We can stay at a hotel.”
“Do you have that kind of cash on you?” he asked.
“No, I’d use my credit card—“
“And the police would see that you used it, and they’d know exactly where we are. We can’t use credit cards.”
“But they don’t know you’re with me,” she said.
He looked at her like she was the most innocent, naïve person on the face of the earth. “How long do you think it will take the police to put two and two together and go looking to see if I visited my girlfriend?”
“Probably not long.”
“It’s the first place they’ll search for me. Literally.”
“And then they’ll know I’m gone, too.”
“If your parents or sister haven’t already called them.” He looked at her with eyes that were calmly accepting of the dire situation they were in.
Caelyn didn’t bother explaining to him that Deena wasn’t likely to be the one who tattled to the police. It didn’t matter. The cops would find out one way or another.
He was right.
“So how long are we stuck here?” she whispered. “Because I can hardly take an hour of this, let alone a week.”
“I don’t know.” Elijah stroked her hair. “But Trey’s good at finding out the local police gossip. If they’re looking for us, he’ll find out and then we can take it from there.”
“I don’t know,” she said, looking down. Tears were close to the surface. She looked back up at him.
His face was perfect, his eyes were so dark and loving and kind. He saw her completely and loved her completely—she knew that. “I wish I could
***
Before long, Caelyn mentioned feeling tired, and Trey had immediately insisted on showing them to the spare room. First, he had to lead them back upstairs and through the labyrinth of boxes and trash—yes, it was most definitely trash—and into the small room that was itself mostly covered in boxes.
“Here’s your bed,” Trey said, gesturing to the small, ancient looking mattress sitting on a box spring. “It’s a twin, so you’ll be cozy enough. And there’s really no room on the floor anyway.” He winked at Elijah.
“This is perfect,” Elijah said, slapping him on the back. “I can’t thank you enough, Trey.”
“Sure you can.” He sighed. “Okay, I best go check on the little lady, make sure she’s still breathing.” He walked out and closed the door behind him.
Caelyn sat heavily on the bed and put her head in her hands. “Oh my God.”
Elijah sat next to her and put his arm over her shoulders. “You okay, kid?”
She turned her head and gave him a sidelong glance. “No, I’m not okay.” She lowered her voice. “We need to leave. Now.”
Elijah leaned back and stared at her with surprise. “Leave? Why?”
“You’re not seriously asking me that question. I think it’s pretty obvious why.
Look around.”
He did look around. His face registered nothing but faint amusement. “I mean, it’s not the Museum of Fine Arts but it’ll do in a pinch.”
“Not for me it won’t.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Please, Elijah. I don’t like it here. This place gives me the creeps. And so does your friend.”
“Who, Trey?”
“Yes, the one with the shotgun. And he actually pointed it at us, in case you forgot.”
Elijah laughed a little. He covered her hand with his hand and rubbed her fingers soothingly. “I know this is a different sort of life than what you’re used to. But that doesn’t mean Trey’s a bad guy.”
“I didn’t say he’s bad. I just have a really awful feeling about staying here.
Something’s not right, Elijah.”
“Listen to me, Caelyn. We need to stay here.”
She tried to pull her hand away from his grasp. “Don’t say that. It’s not true and I’m not going to.”
“We have nowhere else to go.” Elijah’s expression had changed.
For the first time since he’d come to get her, Caelyn felt really and truly frightened. “What do you mean? We can stay at a hotel.”
“Do you have that kind of cash on you?” he asked.
“No, I’d use my credit card—“
“And the police would see that you used it, and they’d know exactly where we are. We can’t use credit cards.”
“But they don’t know you’re with me,” she said.
He looked at her like she was the most innocent, naïve person on the face of the earth. “How long do you think it will take the police to put two and two together and go looking to see if I visited my girlfriend?”
“Probably not long.”
“It’s the first place they’ll search for me. Literally.”
“And then they’ll know I’m gone, too.”
“If your parents or sister haven’t already called them.” He looked at her with eyes that were calmly accepting of the dire situation they were in.
Caelyn didn’t bother explaining to him that Deena wasn’t likely to be the one who tattled to the police. It didn’t matter. The cops would find out one way or another.
He was right.
“So how long are we stuck here?” she whispered. “Because I can hardly take an hour of this, let alone a week.”
“I don’t know.” Elijah stroked her hair. “But Trey’s good at finding out the local police gossip. If they’re looking for us, he’ll find out and then we can take it from there.”
“I don’t know,” she said, looking down. Tears were close to the surface. She looked back up at him.
His face was perfect, his eyes were so dark and loving and kind. He saw her completely and loved her completely—she knew that. “I wish I could
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