“Very true,” Edwards agreed, and a silence fell between us.
“Do you … do you think I might be able to talk to him?” I asked hopefully.
“That might not be the best idea just yet. But do call back in a fortnight; he could be up to speaking to you then.”
My gut sank with disappointment, but I tried to keep a brave face. “Okay. I’ll call back in two weeks then.”
“Right you are. Listen, I better get going. I need to administer your father’s medicine for the day.”
“No problem. Please, tell him I called,” I said, hanging up and slipping my phone back in my pocket before sinking to my knees. Being on the other side of the barrier, away from everyone else, I let myself be upset for a minute. Tears filled my eyes, and several sobs escaped me. Not being able to talk to my dad made me realise just how much I missed him and how much I needed to hear his voice.
Finally, I pulled a tissue from my pocket and wiped away the tears. I steeled myself and turned back around, walking through the barrier and returning to the other side.
11.
Finn
Even though I couldn’t see much of Tegan through all that purple shit, I could still tell she was upset. Her blurry form was knelt on the ground, her back turned to us. I hoped she hadn’t gotten bad news about her dad. A few minutes later, she stood, brushed herself off, and walked straight back through the barrier.
“Dad’s still not better yet. Edwards said it’ll be another two weeks at least before he’s up to talking to me,” she said, clearly disappointed.
I threw my arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Two weeks will go by in a flash.”
She nodded quietly, and we walked back to the van. I decided to go for a drive instead of heading straight back to Cristescu’s. There was a deserted old farmer’s field on the outskirts of the city that I liked to go to sometimes when I needed some thinking time.
“By the way, everyone’s invited to a party at Crimson tonight,” Tegan said. “The vampires are throwing it for Ethan to celebrate his new position as their leader.”
“Yeah, no offence, but I’m not going to that,” I scoffed.
“You can count me out, too,” Gabriel added.
“Oh, come on, it might be fun for us to blow off some steam,” Tegan urged.
“I’m not in the habit of blowing off steam in the company of vampires I’ve tried to kill and who’ve tried to kill me. It’s just not a smart idea. And anyway, I know a better way of blowing off steam.”
Tegan raised an eyebrow, assuming I was making an innuendo. “Finn …”
“Ah, now, look where your filthy mind wanders,” I chided. “I didn’t mean sex. I meant something else. You’ll see.”
When we reached the empty field, I parked the van and hopped out, going around to the back, and they all followed suit. Taking out a handgun, I gave it to Tegan.
“You know how to use this?” I asked her.
“I have a fair idea.”
“Good, let’s go.”
At the back of the field, there was a low wall littered with empty cans. I’d set them up the last time I was here.
“What is this place?” Alvie asked.
“It’s sort of like target practice,” I said before I started shooting at the cans. I’d always found it liberating, the sensation of letting the bullets loose, kind of the same way some people loved bursting the bubbles in bubble wrap.
Taking a break, I turned to look at Tegan. “Go on. Have a go.”
Gabriel and Alvie sat on the hood of the van, their arms linked as they watched us. Tegan glanced down at the gun in her hand. A moment passed, and when she finally decided to shoot, she actually wasn’t half bad.
When she saw my impressed expression, she explained, “My dad gave me a lesson on how to shoot, back before he…” she trailed off, her voice catching with emotion.
Ah, crap. I’d been trying to take her mind off her dad but I’d inadvertently done the opposite. “He taught you well,” I said. “He should be proud.”
Tegan silently nodded, lifting the gun again and firing off a few more rounds.
A couple minutes went by, and I saw she’d started to enjoy it.
“Feel better now?” I asked when we’d both run out of bullets.
She smiled. “Strangely, yes.”
“Good. Now, come on. Let’s get back to the house. You have a vamp party to get ready for tonight.”
“Do you really not want to come? Ethan said he’d ensure your safety.”
She obviously didn’t realise how emasculating that sounded. I shook my head. “No, I’m good. I have my heart set on a quiet night in.”
When we got to Cristescu’s, Tegan rounded up the gang and invited them all to the party at Crimson. Delilah and Ira were the only two who agreed to go while everybody else respectfully declined. We might be guests in a vamp house, but that didn’t mean we wanted to be in a club with hundreds of them—me especially.