“We were just going to find out why Rory’s worried about her safety,” Krista said as Joaquin leaned his elbows on the counter.
Darcy placed her glass down and cleared her throat.
“Oh,” Tristan said, a shadow passing through his eyes. “That sounds ominous.”
My heart pounded horribly.
And when you get where you’re going, you can’t tell anyone who you really are or where you’re from or why you’re there, Agent Messenger’s voice said in my ear. For your safety and theirs.
“It’s not. I just…I don’t like to run by myself,” I improvised, taking another gulp of water. “It’s always better to go out with a buddy.”
“But you said you liked to be Zen,” Olive told me. “You said that was what you loved about it.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?” I said. I returned the glass to the counter with a clatter. “I just—I don’t know.” My whole body burned as everyone around me stared. God, I hated this. “Um, running around a strange place…not knowing where you’re going…it just seems smarter to have someone with you, right? I just…I…I just—”
“Rory, there’s nothing to worry about.” Out of nowhere, Tristan reached for my hand, placing his fingers on top of mine. I instantly went rigid. Darcy, Olive, Krista, and Joaquin all stared down at our hands, but Tristan didn’t seem to notice. His skin was impossibly warm, his fingertips comfortingly calloused, and his touch sent goose bumps up my arm. “Juniper Landing is practically the safest place in the universe. Honestly. Nothing bad ever happens here.”
I gazed into his eyes, breathless, and believed every word he said. Or at least, I believed that he believed it. My heart rate began to slow. When Tristan broke contact and swiped some lime rinds and napkins into a small garbage can, my fingers tingled where his hand had been. I had a sudden mental image of melting into him and was so startled by it I actually had to shake my head to clear it away.
Tristan grabbed up the garbage can and shoved it back under the counter. I got a clear look inside as he did so and felt a snap in my brain, like whiplash. Even though he’d just tossed debris in there, the garbage can was empty.
Olive narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you okay? Your face is bright red.”
Tristan wiped his hands on his half apron, like nothing was amiss.
“Oh, um. I’m fine. I’m just going to…run to the bathroom,” I fumbled, pushing off my stool. What I needed was a minute to collect myself. Not only was I the worst liar on the planet, but now, it seemed, I couldn’t even trust my own eyes.
I sidestepped a drunken staggerer and was weaving my way through the tables toward the screen wall, when abruptly the music on the jukebox changed. The dance tune that had been playing cut off abruptly, and suddenly a familiar, reedy tune filled the bar. “The Long and Winding Road.” I stopped moving. Stopped breathing.
“Rory Miller,” someone whispered.
My heart turned to stone. I turned around. And around. And around.
“Rory Miller,” the same voice whispered again.
Someone was saying my name. Except no one in Juniper Landing knew that name. To them I was Rory Thayer.
Suddenly, I was running through the woods, my neck wet with sweat, my heart pounding in panic. Darkness everywhere. A snap of a twig. A laugh. A horrible, horrible laugh.
Someone slammed into my shoulder.
“Ow!” I said aloud, crashing back to the present.
“Sorry,” some dude in a flannel shirt said sarcastically, looking me up and down like I was a freak.
My eyes darted across the room. Darcy still sat eyeing Joaquin longingly. Olive was making some kind of artwork on the bar with swizzle sticks and pretzels while Tristan stood with his back to me behind the counter, gazing intently at something I couldn’t see. Fisher and Kevin were leaning into the counter, whispering something to Joaquin. All at once, the three of them turned to look over at me, their expressions blank, and I quickly glanced away. There were kids in baseball caps, girls in tight skirts, a couple arguing near the bathroom. But nowhere, nowhere, nowhere was Steven Nell.
I stood there for a moment longer, listening. There was nothing. Nothing other than shouting, laughter, and that awful music. But when I glanced one last time at the bar, I saw Tristan watching me again as well, his eyes bluer than ever, staring at me like he knew every detail of my life.
Even my real name.
“I think Joaquin is the hottest guy I’ve ever met,” Darcy said as we stepped onto the boardwalk outside the Thirsty Swan. “Way hotter than Christopher, don’t you think?”
I shot her a quick glance, but she was too busy tipping her head back to gaze at the stars. Christopher. I hadn’t thought about him all day. I guess between Aaron and Tristan and Olive and Joaquin, plus all the potentially-losing-my-mind fun, I’d been kind of distracted.
“Sure. I guess,” I said carefully, listening to the sound of the bay water gently lapping against the pylons as we walked. It was a relief to be out of the bar and away from the noise. Away from that crowd and the jukeb
ox with its oddly disconcerting selections.