Page 39 of Heartbeat Girl
So brave, Jayne.
Who was I kidding? I probably looked like I was squinting at the sun.
“Let me carry your bag.” Liam tried to take my crosses and mirrors from me.
“I got it,” I told him, snatching the bag back. “But let’s go pack. I got you guys something.”
He reared back, almost warily. “You bought us something?”
I nodded. “Yes. Since you got me something, I felt bad.” I grasped the golden organ between my breasts and held it out, smiling sweetly.
Have you eaten an actual heart before, Liam? Have you? Is that why you got me this trinket to clue me in on what you planned to do to me?
“So, because you felt bad, you got us a gift?” he asked slowly, arching a single brow.
Absolutely not. I might be delirious. I didn’t like the band. Well, at least not before… And they knew that. Why would I give them a gift? No wonder Liam suspected my chipper attitude, which was likely a defense mechanism to keep me from freaking out.
“Yes. Why?”
Walking beside me, he captured my hand. I jerked away, but he didn’t look shocked. Actually, he seemed to have suspected my reaction. He exhaled and grabbed my arm this time. “If there’s something bothering you… Something you want to ask, you can. Don’t be afraid.”
My breath caught in my lungs.
Don’t be afraid?
The way he uttered those three words so sweetly had to be a trick. I wanted to believe he meant them. The blood rushed to my ears and my hands sweated.
“Anything?” I whispered.
“Anything.”
“No matter what, you’d answer me truthfully?”
“Yes.”He sounded resolute.
This is it.
As if Liam sensed my panic, he kept speaking about all the things I needed to hear.
Would he come clean about himself if I asked? But what happened to someone after they learned the truth? After I discovered the band’s secret? What if I was wrong about them? He could be referring toanything.I fought the urge to rub my head. I was confused and possibly a little insane. Whether it was paranoia or what, I’d rather find out myself than have the band imagine I was a nutcase.
“Are you religious?” I blurted.
His lips flattened. “Religious? My parents were Catholic, so yes I guess you can say I was.”
“So, you’re not anymore?”
“Some souls are beyond redemption, Jayne,” he said as he guided me into the hotel.
Once the elevator shut us in together, I pulled my hand from his grip. But the pesky thing seemed reluctant to let go and snatched my hand again. Finally, after wiggling my fingers, he released them, so I faced him. “What about ghosts? Do you believe in them?”
“Yeah, what about you?”
I shrugged. “It’s easier not to wonder if one of your dead ancestors is following you around.” He laughed, and I continued, “So, you believe in the supernatural, then? All of it?”
He stopped laughing and watched me closely. “As in?”
“Myths. Folklore. Werewolves. Demons.” I looked elsewhere when I said, “Vampires.”