Refuge(33)

He looked up, a spark of interest in his eyes. “What movie are you going to see?”

“Mark found a zombie marathon playing at Overland Park Cinemas this afternoon.” I beckoned him with a finger. “Come on, you can’t honestly tell me that your computer is more fun than that?”

He made a face. “More fun than hanging out with Jordan for a whole day.”

I snorted softly. “Listen, I’ll be her bosom buddy if it gets me out of this place for a few hours.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” drawled Jordan as she sauntered past the door. “Bus is leaving in five minutes, with or without you losers.”

I pulled on my jacket. “Last chance.”

Michael went back to his laptop. “I’m good here. You have fun.”

I shook my head. If ever there was a boy who needed to get out and have some fun, it was Michael. “Who are you always talking to on that thing anyway?”

“No one,” he said almost defensively. “I play World of Warcraft with a bunch of guys online. We like to talk strategy.”

“Ah.” I had never been one for gaming. There was enough craziness in this world already without having to go look for it in a game. But to each his own.

The bus was actually a large black SUV with tinted windows. As I walked toward it, the front passenger window rolled down, and I groaned when I saw the red-headed warrior grinning at me. Seriously? There wasn’t a single other warrior they could send to chaperone us besides the two of them? Tristan, we are so having a talk when I get back.

Olivia and Mark were in the back seats so I took the middle row with Jordan who promptly popped in a pair of ear buds and ignored me. That was fine by me. I settled back against the headrest, too excited to be going somewhere, anywhere, to let her bother me.

An hour later, Niall pulled up in front of the Boise Town Square mall and Seamus turned in his seat to smile at us. “Okay, kiddies, here is the drill. You have two hours to shop or browse or whatever it is you kids do in these places. Just remember that whatever you buy has to fit in here on the way back and I’m not sharing my leg room. If you behave yourselves and don’t go wandering off ” – his eyes met mine – “then you get to enjoy a movie and dinner. Any questions?”

Jordan opened her door and slid out. “Nope.”

The four of us entered the mall together, but the other three immediately split off, going in their own directions. This obviously wasn’t their first time here. I fingered the Visa card in my back pocket and thought about what I needed: a heavier coat, warmer boots, and some new gloves. Idaho was definitely a lot colder than Maine, and there was no way I was going to stay cooped up inside all winter.

It took me a little over an hour to get everything I was looking for, and I spent the rest of the time wandering around while I waited for the others. It didn’t take me long to spot one of the twins following me at a discreet distance, and I gritted my teeth, doing my best to ignore him. I was pretty sure the others didn’t have a personal bodyguard tailing them. With my track record, I guess I wasn’t surprised they were worried I might give them the slip, but they really had nothing to worry about. I’d promised Nate I would try to lay low and stay out of trouble, and I meant to stay true to my word after what I’d put him through.

I was walking past a jewelry store when an item in the window caught my eye. It was an antique chessboard that looked strikingly similar to the one Desmund and I had played on. The middle-aged salesman eyed me dubiously when I asked to see it, and he watched me like a hawk as I opened the box and examined the playing pieces. It contained a set of checkers and a full chess set.

I reached for my credit card. “I’ll take it.”

“It’s four hundred dollars,” he said in a haughty tone.

“Yes, I know.” I handed him the Visa card, and his eyes narrowed a little when he saw the name on the card.

“What is the Westhorne Institute?” he asked, peering at me over his glasses.

I tapped my fingers on the glass counter and met his gaze squarely. “It’s a special school where they send rich kids with anger management issues and problems with authority.”

“Excuse me?”

I stifled a sigh and pointed over my shoulder to the large warrior I knew was visible through the window. “See that red-haired guy out there? He’s my chaperone. You want to talk to him instead?”

He glanced behind me and swallowed nervously. “That won’t be necessary. Would you like this wrapped?”

I was still smiling when I met the others at the exit. The three of them were lugging multiple shopping bags each, and they eyed my two bags in disbelief.