As I look over at her relaxed next to me, it does occur to me that as her best friend, the status of Keir’s condition would be better received from me. I mouth over her head at Matt, “Today. We meet later today.”
Matt says in a lull in the movie, “Blaine, Caleb, and I are meeting up this afternoon.” If she misses him biting the inside of his cheek, she doesn’t say a word.
I trace my hand over her cheek and playfully squeeze her cute face. There’s no reason to tell her my news yet. It’s been a hot minute since I pissed her off and I want to savor it.
“What’s your plans with your new friends today?” Her sweet smirk lights me up inside.
“Well, it’s top secret, but I can tellyou. We’re going to make a circle of salt, light candles, and kill the lights, then chant maniacally to the good weather gods, sacrifice a baby chicken, and then do it all again, because the weather here is crazy.” Every other day is a new severe weather warning. She laughs at me and grabs my hand and Matt’s. This feels right. The three of us, but also explosive.
My mind can’t focus on the rest of the movie. I’m plotting the demise of Jolie Reynolds. Not actual death. The end of her in the graduate program and the exit from our lives forever. I’ve never been more sure of what a waste of a person she is. I’ll hit her where she’s going to feel it first… being struck from the documentary. I can’t wait to see her overly done face when she realizes someone is coming for her.
24. LUKE/MATT
Getting work done at the house is getting tricky. Between the distraction of Eden and Blaine barely covering themselves and flirting, and the cycle of a mess Blaine generates, I had to find somewhere temporary to work. The field office is only an hour away, but that’s out now that I know my suspect’s ties. That’s how I find myself sitting in my rental SUV in the grocery store parking lot. Cramped and sweaty. I start the vehicle back up and my cell phone rings. It’s a Pennsylvania area code.
“Agent Scholl.” I turn the air conditioning vent towards my face and push my sunglasses back.
“This is Mrs. Landwehr, with Sussex County Elementary School. I’m not sure if you remember me?” Her harsh cadence comes through loud and clear.
“Of course. How can I help you?” I get side eye from a passing middle-aged woman, who makes no secret of the fact she’s jotting my license plate number down. I’ve been sitting here for a couple of hours. I sigh. Time to move.
Leaving the lot, I see the woman run into the grocery store to tell on me. As amusing as that is, I’m more interested in Landwehr’s call. “I think I can helpyou.” That sounds even better.
“I’m all ears.” I park in the shade of a dental office and pray I look less like a threat here.
“You’re meeting with staff tomorrow afternoon? A memo was sent out by the principal.” Fuck me. When I asked her to keep it quiet, that didn’t mean announce it to everyone. I was hoping to catch Willa Peterson by surprise, the school counselor/social worker, has evaded me a few times since we first met.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I groan. “Well, so much for the element of surprise.” She laughs, which I wasn’t expecting from her and her usual no nonsense demeanor.
“If you’re looking to speak to a certain school counselor, she plans on leaving before your arrival for a ‘doctor’s appointment’. She has to be here until at least eleven in the morning because of a staff meeting and then an assessment. Get here earlier if possible.” Bless this woman.
“Thank you, you just saved my trip. She’s exclusively the reason for it.” We end our call agreeing that the principal doesn’t have the good sense God gave her.
Leaning back in my seat, I stare at the weeping willow in front of the SUV. My chit chat with Caleb and Blaine yesterday afternoon went well. No one ended up stabbed, maimed, or more bitter. So, win, win. In a twist, Blaine said he’d tell Eden about Keir on our trip. He thinks that the distance will keep her from murdering Jolie. I smile at the thought. Eden angry as a ball of fire. Caleb spent most of the talk quiet until the end. Then he asked if he could be there. I said his calming presence might save Blaine’s life. Jokingly said, but she’s still going to be furious.
Hutton came back early this morning, and I confronted him. All he said is he had ‘business’ to take care of. He wasn’t covered in blood, so I want to believe he didn’t do anything illegal. He didn’t react to me asking him to come with on our trip, I thought he’d say no. “Is Eden going with you?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Fine.” It’ll be a real load of laughs having him along. Blaine and Caleb, I can deal with. Hutton makes me nervous. He’s unpredictable, obsessive about Eden, and hiding… God knows what.
Room arrangements are the point at which contention starts. I made room reservations and payments for the three rooms at the airport Embassy Suites. One of the main business travel hotels near the airport, standing twenty floors tall. It's all modern furniture and no frills function. None of them are happy with me paying for the rooms. When I try to smooth it over telling them it’s on the FBI dime, it only gets worse. Hutton, now able to access more money than anyone his age should ever have, declines and gets his own room. I figured he’d have problems with no identification, but he may have terrified the young clerk so much she paid little attention to the fact he didn’t provide any. Blaine insisted that Eden stay with him, that started a fight between us. Caleb quietly followed Hutton embarrassed by our public dispute. In the end, Eden chose to share a room with Caleb, Blaine and I are in attached rooms on either side. Hutton, well he’s somewhere in the hotel.
I can’t sleep. Wishing Eden was with me. I know that she and Caleb are platonic. He would change that if she was open, but she doesn’t seem ready or maybe her feelings are more of the friend variety. I imagine Blaine using the connected door to sneak her into his room and get hot, bothered, and more sleepless.
I give up before the sun rises. Finding the hotel gym, I run on the treadmill until some of the tension seeps away. An hour and a few miles later, I grab a coffee and head back to my room. Eden is sitting in my desk chair when I open the door. Cracking a smile, she says, “Oh, God, my prayers have been answered.” She gives me a seductive little smile and when she pushes back from the desk, I realize she’s naked. The robe she wore is flung on my bed. Fuck, yes.
“I’m sweaty,” I say lowly.
“Good.” She stands and I drink the sight of her in. To my eyes she’s gorgeous. Her hair is rumpled and hanging at an angle from the top of her head in a knot, her breasts the perfect handful with pert pink nipples, the soft slope of her torso and the curve of her hips. The tuft of blonde hair on her pussy. She’s fucking magnificent. Grabbing ahold of her, I lay her back on the bed. She writhes in front of me as I strip my shorts and underwear off. Then taking my shirt that I hung around my neck and dropping it to the floor.
“What are you going to do?” she whispers in a throaty pant.
“I’m going to devour you.” I hover over her. Her breathing hitches and I slide down slightly, sucking her nipple into my mouth, my dick nudging at her leg in the movement. She leans to the side and pulls it into her hand, running her palm over my precum and sliding it back down. Picking the pace up. Fuck me. That’s right… a little harder. Damn.
I pull out of her reach, and she moans, “No teasing right now… I need you inside of me.” Her back rises from the bed and her breathy moan spurs me on. “Please…”
I kneel between her legs and take in her flushed body again. How did I get this lucky? Placing her legs over my shoulders, I lower and in one swift movement thrust inside of her. Her back arches off the bed and she calls out, “Yes, oh yes, yeeesss…” I cover her mouth with mine and cut off her words.
