Don't Close Your Eyes (Don't Look Series Book 2), page 10
My lips lift, imagining Noah with a bright red stain on the front of his t-shirt. Glasses fogged up from laughing. Wild curls spilling over his eyebrows.
How’s the vineyard?
It was great until the thunderstorm hit.
The little dots appear to let me know he’s typing, stopping, typing again.
A notification flashes red at the top of my screen. I swipe to clear it. Wait. Scrambling to find it again, I read it. CuteAshleeXOXOXO has sent you a message.
My hand shakes as I open my social app and zero in on the mail icon. CuteAshlee 2.0 has been eerily silent since the hit and run. What could have brought her out of hiding?
Pressing my eyes closed, I take a breath. Click on the tiny round 1 that indicates a new message. Dread pours through my veins like molten lava.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Karen must notice my shift in posture, because she moves closer, eyeing me. “What’s wrong?”
Wordlessly, I hand over my phone.
Karen reads it, Justin tucking his chin over her shoulder so he can see it too. Letting out a little huff, her eyes move to mine. “We’re still working on tracing the IP address attached to that account, but whoever it is clearly doesn’t know you’re here.”
Justin adds, “Try not to worry about it. We’ll keep you safe.”
Karen nods in agreement. “Looks like it’s a good thing we’re staying here tonight.”
“A preview of our wedding night, eh?” Justin’s eyebrows lift flirtatiously as he tries to lighten the mood.
Clearing her throat, Karen steps out of his embrace. “Girls, I know this past year has been incredibly difficult on you. Both of you. But I promise you: we’re going to find this person, and we’re going to put them away. They aren’t going to get away with any of this. Okay?”
“If you say so,” Taryn mumbles at the same time as I say simply, “Okay.”
My gaze falls to the phone Karen is holding out for me to take. Jabbing at it with a finger, I open it and re-read the message from CuteAshlee 2.0.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Chapter 15
Later That Night
The B & B guest room where they put me is pitch dark when something startles me awake. Rain plinks against the window, drowning out all other sound. Heart rate picking up a tick, I ease my body to sit up. Eyes roaming over the room from the floor by the bed, to the dresser, the plush reading chair in the corner, and the closet doors shut tight. As I watch, the closet door starts to ease open, shadows swirling out from inside.
Somehow, our attacker got inside the house after we went to sleep, and lurks only feet away from where I was dozing. Maybe the closet door creaked. Woke me up. Or maybe somewhere buried deep inside is an alarm bell ringing against the evil hiding in the empty closet.
The storm has abated while I slept, its fury finally spent, but I don’t dare look away from the closet. Maybe if I’m watching, the ghoul hiding there won’t come out. Which is ridiculous, I know. Although most evil flourishes when it goes uncaught, the person who is after me doesn’t appear to care. Their attacks have gotten increasingly visible and dangerous. My pulse races at the number of deaths they could have caused with each attempt.
The closet door opens the tiniest bit more.
No. Although evil flourishes in the dark, I have the power to turn on the light.
I yank on the cord and the lamp on the nightstand comes blazing to life. The warm glow illuminates an empty room. The closet doors are completely closed. Plucking up my courage, I run across the room and fling them open. It’s empty.
But now that my blood is pumping too quickly in my veins, I have to go to the bathroom. It’s cold inside the B&B, and the low fire in the room’s fireplace has died to a pale amber glow among the coals. In a rush, I pull on the gift shop clothing the host gave us when they took our clothes to be laundered. I’m now the proud owner of an oversized vineyard tee, sweatpants, and hoodie. Tightening the cord so the hood is snug around my face, I creep down the hall toward the bathroom. Eerie shadows loom between the dimmed wall sconces hanging every few feet. The fear licking up my spine reminds me of when I was a kid who ran to the bathroom and back in the night because it made me impervious to the monsters that lurked.
If only.
Shutting the bathroom door as quietly as I can, I lock it. The version of me I see in the mirror is tired and drawn. Messy hair falls around my shoulders and purple half-moons perch under my eyes. I promise you: we’re going to find this person, and we’re going to put them away. Leaning my palms on the counter, I hang my head. I hope with every cell in my body that Karen was telling the truth.
I’m almost back to my room when I pass Taryn’s door. Curling my bare toes into the rug, I stop. Glance up and down the hall, finding nothing. My sister’s door is standing open, which, okay, could be nothing. But I could have sworn her door was closed when I passed by a couple minutes ago. A shiver travels through me as I peer into the dark of Taryn’s room. It’s empty.
A clipped beat of panic starts up in my brain when I scan the room: the window is wide open.
My yelling brings Karen barreling out of her room. A speedy thudding up the stairs reveals Justin, also dressed in vineyard swag, but holding his gun. A small handful of other guests pool out of their rooms to stare. Karen wraps an arm around me while Justin makes the rest go back into their rooms. Flashing his badge does the trick.
Taryn is missing. She’s not where she’s supposed to be. I open my mouth, but no sound comes out after an initial squeak. Wordlessly, I point.
“Stay here.” Karen flips on the light in my twin’s room, and I gasp. A wide, crimson stain slashes across the hotel’s rumpled white sheets. Congealing blood on a pristine backdrop. My hands rise to grip my own throat. If Taryn. . . if she… If she’s…
Karen steps inside, sniffing the air. “Do you smell that?” she asks over her shoulder.
Unbidden, my nose takes a deep whiff of the air in the room. The fresh, cool scent of newly fallen rain. The musk of a dying fire. And the tang of wine. There’s no hint of the sour bite of metal that comes with that much blood. But then— “Is that wine?”
Karen runs a single finger along the stain and brings it to her nose. When satisfied, she turns to me. “It’s wine. But that doesn’t explain where your sister is.”
A gust of wind blows in through the window, pushing a sheet of paper off the nightstand. It swoops through the air and sticks to my legs, pinned by the chilly current. Stooping, I pick it up. My fingers tighten on the paper as I read.
Twenty years ago, you ruined four girls’ lives. Now I’m going to ruin yours. This is for Y, D, T, and L.
My forehead wrinkles in confusion. Twenty years ago I wasn’t even alive. Who are Y, D, T, and L? “This doesn’t make any sense.”
Taking the sheet, Karen looks it over.
Taryn strolls into the room, completely unharmed. “Where’s the fire? And what the heck happened to my bed?”
I throw myself at her and hold on tight. “I thought you were dead. I saw all that red and… Where’d you go?”
Taryn takes a deep breath, eyes skimming over the puddle of wine on her bed. “Needed a glass of water.” Her eyes pass to the window before landing on me. “Please tell me you’re the one who spilled an entire bottle of red wine on my bed.”
When I shake my head, she growls. “Ever-loving daughter of scum.”
As soon as we get home, I toe off my damp shoes and jog up the stairs. Trying to look unhurried. Casual. Like I said earlier tonight, it’s just another day. Bloody sheets and an indecipherable but threatening note? No big deal. I’m used to being surrounded by bloody chaos.
Lies. Every single one.
“Where are you going?” The pall of Karen’s concern trails after me up the stairs.
“To get some sleep,” I lob over my shoulder. No matter that it’s almost five and there’s no way I’ll be shutting my eyes again tonight.
The stark pool of red on Taryn’s bed swims to the front of my vision, but I send it away. Wipe a hand down my face. That was wine. I’ve seen so much worse. Still, no one else is going to bleed. Not if I can help it.
Closing my bedroom door, I shuck off my clothes and toss them at the hamper. Burrow under the pile of quilts on my bed in my underwear.
A creak sounds in the hallway.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Listen.
“Hey, can we talk?” Taryn pokes her head in, cheeks sallow. Sliding in, she closes the door. Leans back against the paneled surface. “I can’t believe that just happened. That note. I thought being run down was bad, but this? Why are they doing this to us? And how did they know where we’d be?”
I’ve thought about that last question. It occurred to me the second my eyes landed on the silver circlet at my wrist as I stood in the B&B waiting to be escorted out to one of the deputy’s cars.
My sister tracks my line of sight. “No way. You think they hacked into the FBI’s tracking app?”
Honestly? I don’t know. At this point I’m so jaded from everything we’ve been through that it wouldn’t surprise me if an evil supervillain was hunting us for sport. “. . .No. But I did wonder if they found out from someone in town. Justin’s been pretty excited about all the wedding planning stuff. What if he told the wrong person?”
“He’s an extrovert, not an idiot.” Taryn’s fingers rap on her arms.
I shrug half-heartedly, out of ideas.
“So what are we gonna do?”
“Stay close. Stay safe. Maybe have Esau come over here to hang out for a while instead of going for those long drives you seem to enjoy so much.”
Taryn’s body slumps. “Nothing like quality time with your boyfriend when there are two FBI agents watching your every move.”
“Think you’ll die from not enough making out?”
A smile hooks her mouth upward. “Hey now. I’m not the only one who’s been lip locking in motor vehicles. When are you guys finally going on a date?”
“He’s been super busy with babysitting lately, but we’re working on it.”
Chewing on her lip, Taryn straightens. “Don’t take too long, okay? You never know how much time you’ll have with him before… well, you know.”
When I call her name, she looks over her shoulder, already halfway out the door. “You and Esau are great together. Take your own advice and try to enjoy it, yeah?”
With a mostly solid chin lift, she’s gone.
Something clangs in the kitchen downstairs. Probably Karen making a cup of coffee.
I open my phone. Pull up the message thread with CuteAshleeXOXOXO.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
The Gemini Killer took our parents from my sister and me. Took our normal and turned it into a twisted game of blood and pain.
I’ve lost enough. I won’t allow the copycat to have any more power over me. Or anyone else in my life. I refuse to put anyone else in danger.
A text comes in from Noah. He must be up super early helping his dad at the dairy. How was the vineyard? Pretty cool?
Huddled under my blankets, shivering with spent adrenaline, my thumbs hover over the illuminated screen. I’ll respond to Noah in a minute. But first.
I’m alone when I send a message I can’t take back.
Chapter 16
Day 313, Friday
Wiping my clammy hands on my jeans, I turn to face the mirror. The subtle green eyeshadow Marisa brushed over my eyelids makes my brown eyes pop. Soft, loopy waves bring my brown hair to life under Taryn’s curling wand.
“Ta-da.” My twin steps back with a flourish. “Your hair is beachy wave perfection.”
“Wow, thanks! I look fancy.”
“Wow is right. Noah is going to howl like a dog when he sees you. Just you wait and see.” Marisa winks at me in the mirror.
“Dariel only did that as a joke.” Fiona uncrosses her legs and slides off my bed, coming in for a closer look. “But girl, she might be right. You look stunning.”
A pleased flush spreads over my cheeks. Eyeing my reflection one more time, I can’t help but be grateful to Marisa for the perfect makeup. Hello, brown-eyed girl. Viv helped pair my Converse and dark wash jeans with a nice blouse that I had previously written off as too much and stuffed into the back of my closet. Fiona cheered me on between bites of her latest snack obsession, popcorn with fizzing candy.
“You guys are awesome.”
“It’s amazing what a little girl power can do.” Plucking a bite of popcorn out of the cellophane wrapper in Fiona’s greedy hands, Taryn tosses it into the air above her mouth. Fiona snatches it out of the air and eats it.
“Hey!”
“My popcorn. You didn’t ask.”
“. . . Can I please have a bite of your popcorn?” Taryn exaggerates fluttering her lashes.
“No. JK, you totally can.” Fiona’s body jiggles with laughter as she holds the bag out.
“So M, how’s the line-learning coming?” Taryn plops down on the bed next to Fiona.
Grinning, Marisa delivers one of the most famous lines her character gives near the end of the play.
The four of us clap and whistle. She absolutely nailed it.
Marisa curtseys in her jeans, beaming.
“This play is going to be the best one our school has ever done,” Taryn declares. “Wait until you see what Esau and I are working on for the final act. Oh, it’s going to be so good.”
“That evil grin you’re sporting is making me a little nervous.” Marisa points at her, who does indeed look like she’s plotting something diabolical.
A ring of the doorbell stops all of our Ooooing and Awwing dead.
“Audrey, Noah is here,” Karen calls from downstairs. Justin’s boisterous voice floats up from the foyer as he asks Noah about how his mom’s work at the nursing home is going.
Four sets of eyes hone in on me, and I freeze up. Anxious feelings push every other thought out of my brain. What am I doing? What if this was a terrible idea? Maybe Noah and I are better off as friends. But that kiss. Blinking, I focus on Taryn.
“Here.” Handing over her gorgeous wool peacoat, she steers me toward my bedroom door. “Have a great time tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“So sneaking around and almost being torched in a corn field are fair play.” Fiona chortles, and I try to go along with it. The sneaking out is something Karen and Justin gave us a Very Stern lecture on the other day after the vineyard. I can honestly say I don’t ever intend to sneak out, and I don’t think Taryn will, either. She’s gotten increasingly withdrawn lately. I know she’s thinking of breaking up with him because of how dangerous it is being around us. Whenever she sees his broken arm in that cast, her teeth clench.
Three days ago, Taryn’s pendulum had swung into Camp Seize the Day, which is when she talked me into jumping off the high dive and asking Noah out. We’ve been texting back and forth a lot, so I did. Over text. We squealed incessantly when he replied right away with an enthusiastic Yes! That togetherness fizzed through my blood like the champagne Justin let us sample at the vineyard. Having my twin sister on my side again is priceless. There’s not much I wouldn’t do to keep her with me.
Including sending a message to CuteAshlee 2.0.
Pick a time and place. I’ll meet you.
They still haven’t gotten back to me.
I thought the monster on the other side of the screen would jump at the chance to talk face-to-face, but there’s been nothing. No messages. No murder notes. The silence has taken up like a scratchy tumbleweed of unease low in my abdomen.
Noah is standing at the foot of the stairs chatting with Justin and Karen, but he stops abruptly when he catches sight of me. A self-conscious flush warms my chest, but thankfully it’s hidden under a silky collar. A few careful steps later, I’m standing right in front of him, beaming a smile to match the one splitting across Noah’s face.
“Wow, you look… You look really pretty, Audrey.” Noah tries to run a hand through his curls, but his fingers get stuck. “Ack. Hair gel. Um.”
Giggling, I take in his forest green button up, neat slim-fit jeans and shiny shoes. “You look really nice too.” There is a lot of looking going on between the two of us, and it makes my breath go shallow. A goldfish is swimming in easy loops in my stomach. One of Noah’s pianist hands runs up his buttons and rests below his collar. His throat bobs. When I meet his eyes, he sends me a look that says, I’m so glad we’re finally doing this. I shoot back an I’m excited too.
A glance at the top of the stairs reveals Taryn, Marisa, Viv, and Fiona all leaning on the railing watching us with giddy grins on their faces. Marisa’s eyes have gone completely moony. When I wave, Taryn gestures for me to go on.
Karen puts a firm hand on my shoulder, a wily gleam in her eye. “Have fun tonight, and remember what we talked about, okay?”
“I solemnly swear I won’t try to lose Justin. Can we go now?”
“Ready when you are.” Shrugging into his coat, Noah opens the door and holds it wide.
Twinkle lights strung across the ceiling give the entire restaurant a soft, cozy glow. A trio of fat, white candles glimmer in the center of the table next to a single rose in a vase. The red and white checked tablecloth reminds me of that scene in Lady and the Tramp when the two dogs share a plate of spaghetti and end up kissing.
Noah grins at me from across the table, and my cheeks go rosy pink. So far, dinner has been nice. The mom-and-pop Italian place Noah picked for our first date is perfect. The old Italian music humming quietly through the room sets the mood. Plus, the food is delicious. My pesto and shrimp ravioli is delicious.
I take my time eating, relieved that after the awkwardness of being picked up at the house in front of an audience, this is Noah I’m out with. My best friend.
The waitress comes by to check on us and see if we’re interested in dessert. Obviously, we are, so Noah orders a piece of tiramisu and some cannolis to share. The waitress stops two tables down to check on Justin, who has all but demolished an entire margherita pizza.
