The Den
Chapter Seventeen

Speechless
Peter and James joined Lucy at the bar. The three of them sat facing the back wall and didn't say anything out loud. They thought in unison, though.
Where is Steve?
They expected him back today, before sunrise, and no one had heard from him. A trip to the plantation in Assumption Parish usually lasted exactly one week. Steve had wanted extra time this visit. He said it would take three weeks. They were told not to contact him unless it was an emergency. Maybe there had been some sort of trouble in the swamp, though. Peter knocked his knuckles on the table. It was meant to close the matter.
James chuckled. "Giving orders?"
Peter just got up and walked behind the bar to grab another beer.
Lucy swiveled in her chair to face Peter. "Maybe something has gone wrong," she said. "It never takes this long. Plus, Steve would want to know that Alex is here. Don't you think we should at least text him the message?"
Peter took a swig from his bottle of beer. "No," he said. "It is too dangerous to contact him. If something has gone wrong, he wouldn't want anyone to know about us. We need to wait it out. I will give it two more days and then head out on the swamp to have a look around. Maybe someone on the route has seen or heard from him."
"I will go with you," James said.
"No, you can't." Peter shook his head.
James did not insist. The other two began to look around.
"It is too dangerous for you alone," James finally said.
"Well, you have to stay here. Things are getting messy. Mara is starting to be very bold in her new life. Also, we need to replenish our bottles. We can't kill every single night. If Steve doesn't return with the stock, then you will have to figure something out while I am gone. We need to get more bottles of blood in here to drink. Also, we need to continue our training. We have not properly worked together on our mind reading since Steve left. If we don't practice, we will lose all of our powers."
Everyone considered Peter's words in silence.
"You know I am right," Peter added.
James chuckled. "Aren't you being a bit dramatic, Peter?" he said.
"I can go," said Lucy. "I hate to leave while Alex is here. I will go, though," she added to cover the excitement in her voice.
"Good idea," James quickly concurred but shot Lucy a questioning look.
Peter thought he should say something more, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he nodded and James and Lucy joined in. It was settled. Lucy and Peter would go together on the evening of Friday, September 3, the start of Labor Day weekend. They would wait until dusk to set off. That gave them time to rest up and prepare.
"We must meditate before we take off," Lucy reminded them.
She got up to go downstairs. Mara would not know how to properly clean up and dispose of her victim. Lucy would have to show her that part now. She stopped halfway down the stairs and sighed. She took a deep breath and found her courage. Somehow this part never got any easier.
Brooke rolled over in the bed and sensed Robert was not there. She felt around on the sheets to make sure. She propped herself up and squinted toward the doorway. She wrapped the sheet around herself and slipped out from under the duvet cover. She roamed around the silent apartment, looking closely at every shadow. She could see the light flickering on the ceiling of the room he called the den. She walked through the dining room and the large kitchen area to peek into the room with the large flat-screen. Sure enough, Robert was on the couch in his den. He was asleep and CNN was on "mute." She leaned against the door frame, guessing he didn't want to be in bed with her anymore. She had been very drunk after dinner. Maybe she had said something wrong. She vaguely remembered him saying, "Now, Brooke Leigh, haven't you talked enough for one evening?" What did that even mean? She thought about how awful he really was. He had mentioned that he had plans for Friday night. The rest of his weekend was booked, too. So Brooke guessed she was to be the "during the week" girl. She had searched for the nerve to say that to him. It stayed on her mind through the entire night. She nodded, smiled, and swallowed the wine. Always, she had the words ready on her tongue but could not spit them out.
Brooke went back to the bedroom and threw the sheet onto the unmade bed. She dressed without hurrying. Rob would not come looking for her. She wondered if he would even realize that she was missing when he woke. Brooke slipped through the door, and she turned the knob so that there was only a soft click as the door closed. She headed west toward Second Avenue to catch a cab that would take her all the way downtown, back home to her lonely apartment.
Robert had heard Brooke dressing. He hadn't opened his eyes, though. He had waited until Brooke was out the door before shuffling back to his bed.
The cabdriver drove from Eighty-sixth toward Sixth Street. He made a left off Second Avenue and onto Sixth Street. He drove across the avenues until reaching the corner of C. Brooke gave him a three-dollar tip to wait until she got into the apartment before driving away. It was still dark out, not yet 4. Brooke climbed the steps and unlocked the two locks. She dropped everything and walked straight into the bathroom.
Brooke took the hottest shower she could stand. When she was finished, she put on the robe that Skyla had left behind and went to the kitchen area to put up a pot of coffee. She would start this day off right. Brooke Leigh was no pushover. She would look Rob right in the eye and tell him so. In high school and college, guys would fall over themselves to just talk with her. This man didn't know with whom he was dealing.
Skyla turned over in her hotel bed to find she was alone. She rolled off to go to the bathroom. She came back thinking she would find Alex in the other bed, by the far wall. He wasn't there, though. Come to think of it, Alex was usually the one to wake her. He was never sleeping next to her when she woke up. He was always dressed. Why did he need only a few hours' sleep after drinking all night long? Where on earth did he get his energy? They had spent two days drinking, eating, and going on tours. Skyla sat up in bed and watched some local news channel. The sun was starting to filter in through the partially obstructed window that faced eastward. The lock to the door began to creak, and there was a snap. Alex slithered through the door and was shocked when he saw Skyla standing in front of him. He turned on the lamp and guiltily waved a weak hello.
"Where were you? It is 6:30 in the morning. You have been gone since the middle of the night."
He placed two coffees down on the nightstand. "Oh, well, I couldn't sleep, so I wandered around the streets for a bit. I walked over to Frenchmen Street to have a drink."
He smirked a little, and again Skyla was reminded that she had no idea what he was thinking. She knew for sure he was hiding something. She tried to remember who she was. She knew how to read minds. She would focus and really try harder to understand what was going on with him. He handed her the coffee and sat down on the bed with his own cup. He kissed her on the cheek and then leaned back on the pillow. He turned the volume up on the TV. Skyla leaned back against his shoulder and tried to tune in to his thoughts. The warm coffee stimulated her senses. It helped her feel more aware of her surroundings.
"I would have come with you. It would be an adventure to wake up in the middle of the night, go listen to some jazz, and get a drink. "
"Fine. From now on I will take you. I think it's time you see what really goes on, after dark, in this place."
"Really? What does that mean? Were you with your friends? Did you see James, Peter, and Lucy?" She couldn't bring herself to ask about Mara.
"I saw them from a distance, but I didn't stop to chat. They seemed to have their own stuff going on tonight. I am more of a loner anyway. I never truly fit in with them. They know that. They miss me, but deep down they know that I am better out on my own."
"On your own? But you aren't on your own. You are with me. Remember me? I was left in your bed?" Skyla was suddenly so mad she felt like crying or screaming. She didn't know which emotion would win. The hand not holding the coffee balled up into a fist and she waited.
Alex leaned in and kissed her. He kissed her very gently on the nape of her neck. He lingered there and breathed deeply. It gave Skyla a shiver. Then he whispered in her ear, "I am falling in love with you, Sky. Don't give up on me now."
She turned and looked him deep in the eyes. She was stunned speechless. Alex kissed her gently on the lips and took her coffee away. He put both cups on the nightstand and took her in his arms. Her fist unclenched. Her body melted into him. Skyla felt she was home. She was right.
Alex held Skyla close, and she longed to hear those words again. She could not get the words out of her own mouth. They stuck in her throat, causing a lump. Her eyes welled and tears ran down her cheeks. Alex wiped them away and hummed Skyla to sleep.
The cell woke Skyla up. She reached over Alex to grab it off the nightstand. It was Brooke. She answered the phone to hear sobs on the other end. "Brooke! What is wrong? What is going on?"
"It is over! My life here is over!" Brooke cried.
"What? I can't understand you? What's that echo? Where are you?"
"I am in the bathroom at work. Robert called me into his office and sat me down. He told me my internship had come to an end. At first I laughed. He had promised me a full-time position just two weeks ago. He just stared right into my eyes without any feeling whatsoever. He said he was 'sorry' but as of today there was nothing available. Then he began shuffling around some papers on his desk and casually told me that this was to be my last day. He said that the day after Labor Day marked the end of the internship anyway. He said he was letting me go early so that I could take a vacation week before I started looking for a job. He gave me a referral letter that had been sitting in my file and everything. He was ready for me, Skyla. Then he answered a phone call and dismissed me with a wave of his hand. Ugh! I am so humiliated!" Brooke sobbed some more.
"Wait! Can he do that?"
"Ahh! Guess so. I went straight to Human Resources. Mary, the HR director, said she would surely keep me in mind. What a fool I am! I knew it! I knew to stay away!"
"What do you mean?" Skyla shouted in a whisper. "You didn't stay away? I thought we discussed this and you were not going to sleep with your boss. You said yourself that it was better to have him wanting you. Better to play the game than to put all your cards on the table. You had used lots of other cliches, too!" Skyla rolled out of the bed and walked to the opposite side of the tiny room.
"I know! I messed up, okay? It was just the last few weeks that things started getting out of control. I walked in this morning ready to tell him that it had to stop."
"Listen. Wash your face. Take your things. Walk out," Skyla said.
"Right. I will. I am going to get out of here. Call you later."
Alex rolled over and propped himself up on his arm. "Well, it sounds like Brooke has gotten herself into quite a situation."
"Well, I knew it was inevitable. She came home one day saying she couldn't stand Robert. He treated her like she was nothing. I knew she would make it some sort of challenge. She can't take not being the most desired person in a place." She climbed back over Alex.
"Really? How did that work out for you two growing up?"
"Oh, just fine. I am usually the strangest person in a room. So that's my thing." Skyla shrugged.
He laughed. Don't I know it? He got up to take a shower.
"What did you say?" Skyla asked.
"I didn't say anything. Let's get ready and enjoy our day. I have another tour planned."
"Really? I thought I heard you say something."
Alex backed into the bathroom. Skyla heard the shower turn on. She was looking forward to another day of strolling around New Orleans. She was falling in love with the quaint cobblestone streets. She was hungry for some more Southern food. Maybe she would try a po' boy today. Brooke would not approve of Skyla's eating deep-fried food, but Alex would be proud of her.
It was late in the afternoon by the time they left the stuffy hotel room. Skyla made sure to roll a little cardigan up and put it in her pocketbook, in case it cooled off when the sun went down. She had the feeling the daytime plans would run right into the night, like they always seemed to do.
Skyla was right. They strolled and ate and drank, and the sky to the west turned pink as the sky to the east turned a hazy gray. They talked in parks and down by the water. They visited bars and drank some more. The sky turned a shade of navy. It grew very dark. Skyla was tripping along the uneven streets and heading toward Steve's Place with Alex by her side. She had no idea what time it was, but they had just left the pocket-size cafe where they had eaten a late supper. Steve's Place had been next on the agenda anyway.