Love Immortal (29 page)

It wasn’t until they had turned onto
Iberville Street, walking back to the car that Collin noticed that
he wasn’t the only one following the two girls. The two middle aged
men from the aquarium were also following Ashley and Jewell. While
he wasn’t completely certain of this, he found it interesting that
they were walking back towards the aquarium from Jackson Square at
the same time as Ashley and Jewell.

Collin followed the girls toward Covington.
It was easy to follow them back since it was rush hour. Besides, on
the Causeway, the cars around you don’t change much, so it would be
difficult to determine whether you were being followed, even if you
were looking. As Collin cruised two cars behind Jewell and Ashley,
listening to the radio, he noticed a black sedan moving quickly
towards them, weaving in and out of traffic. It wasn’t unusual, but
for some reason, this car caught Collin’s notice. As he watched it
move past him, he noticed the two men sitting in the front seat. It
was the same two men from the aquarium.

At first, Collin tried not to be concerned,
though the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. After
all, this was the only way back across Lake Pontchartrain; but as
he watched the car pull into the lane right behind the girls’ car,
he tensed, his hands gripping the steering wheel. He pulled around
the car in front of him so he could be right behind the car with
the two men. It was a long uneventful drive, but when they exited
the Causeway, Collin became alert, watching the car in front of
him.

As they exited the causeway, Jewell turned
towards Ashley’s house. When they turned into the apartment
complex, the car with the two men kept driving. Collin debated
whether to follow them, or follow Jewell. He chose to follow the
sedan. They pulled into a restaurant a couple of miles away. Collin
pulled into a parking lot across the street, and sat watching the
restaurant. After three hours, Collin was getting tired. Nothing
had happened, and though several people had gone into the
restaurant, he didn’t know if any of them had anything to do with
the men at the aquarium. He thought about going inside, but was
concerned that if the two men were Obsidian Knights they may
recognize him.

After waiting for three hours for the men to
leave the restaurant, Collin started thinking that it may have just
been a coincidence that the two men were here. After all, the
Causeway was one of only two ways out of New Orleans, and the only
one that went north, and they hadn’t actually followed Jewell into
the apartment complex. Collin started up his car and drove back
towards Ashley’s apartment. He cruised through the parking lot, but
when he didn’t see Jewell’s car, he drove back to Jewell’s house.
Ashley’s car was parked out front, and Ashley and Jewell were
sitting on the porch swing drinking Cokes. He drove past, going the
speed limit so as not to draw attention. As he passed, he glanced
in the rearview mirror and saw Jewell staring at the car. He
continued around the curve in the street until he was out of view.
He toyed with the idea of driving back around so he could watch the
house, but discounted the idea. Ashley was there, so Jewell wasn’t
alone. He didn’t know if her father would be home, but he assumed
that because they had stopped at Ashley’s house before coming here,
Ashley would probably spend the night. He decided to go get
something to eat and come back later to make sure Jewell wasn’t
alone.

Chapter 34

Jewell waited for Ashley as she picked out
some pajamas and clothes for the next day. Tommy wouldn’t be home
tonight, and Ashley had convinced Jewell that a sleepover would be
fun. Ashley stuffed everything in a bag, and they drove back to
Jewell’s house.

“Do you want a Coke?” Jewell asked, opening
the fridge.

“Sure. Let’s go sit out on the porch. It’s
not too hot with the sun going down.”

They took their Cokes to the porch and sat on
the swing, watching cars drive by. One, a silver Mazda, caught
Jewell’s attention.

“What?” Ashley asked, looking at the car.

“I don’t know. Something about that car…It’s
weird, like, I don’t know. Like I wish it would stop at the
house.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“No, that’s what makes it so weird.” She
watched as the car disappeared out of view. She shrugged, and both
girls went back to their Cokes, and talking about their favorite
fish at the aquarium.

When Ashley left the next morning, she didn’t
notice the silver Mazda that passed her as she turned onto the main
road.

Collin kept his face turned toward the road
but watched the Corolla as it passed. Ashley was the only one in
the car, and she didn’t seem to notice him as she watched for
oncoming traffic before turning onto West 21st St. Collin moved
slowly past the blue ranch house where Jewell lived. He didn’t see
any lights on in the house, but that wasn’t surprising, because the
morning sun was so bright. He pulled to the end of the street, and
turned around parking at the corner where East Saint Mary met West
Saint Mary, partially concealed by the landscaping on the corner.
He watched as Jewell walked to the end of the driveway to collect
the newspaper. She was wearing an old pair of sweatpants, and the
collar on her t-shirt was so stretched out that it fell off one
shoulder. Collin’s heart raced as he watched her. When she turned,
looking in the direction of where Collin was parked, he could
almost see the sun reflecting off the clear blue of her eyes, just
as the light bounces off a mountain lake. For a moment, he thought
that she could see him, but after too brief a moment, she turned
and walked back into the house.

Jewell shrugged as she turned back to the
house. She felt like someone was watching her, but instead of
feeling worried, it made her feel safe. She put the paper on the
couch, then went into her room and saw the book Twilight that she
had started reading before she met Collin. She had never finished,
somehow she had lost interest after Collin entered her life. She
picked it up and flipped to where she had left off.

“But I’m not saying goodbye,” I pointed
out.

“Don’t you see? That’s what proves me right.
I care the most, because if I can do it” - he shook his head,
seeming to struggle with the thought – “if leaving is the right
thing to do, then I’ll hurt myself to keep from hurting you, to
keep you safe.”

Jewell slammed the book shut and dropped it
on the floor. Absolute drivel, she thought kicking the book under
her bed. Or maybe he’d leave because she was cramping his style.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the wall before
grabbing a load of clothes to wash.

“You look like you’re feeling better.” Her
father remarked when he she walked through the living room.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the way you acted with Collin, and
well, the way he acted with you. I really thought…” His voice
trailed off. Jewell knew what he thought. He had met her mother
when he was eighteen and she was seventeen. He always said that it
was love at first sight. He told her that everyone has one true
soul mate, and when you meet each other, your hearts sing and there
is perfect harmony between you. Yeah, she thought, my heart was
singing alright, but apparently I was off key!

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged, swallowing the
lump in her throat. “I guess he wasn’t the one.” She finished in a
choked whisper.

Her father reached out and patted her leg.
“Sometimes honey, it seems right, but the puzzle pieces don’t quite
fit, and no matter how hard you try to make them fit, the picture
is never complete.”

“Thanks for the Zen wisdom there dad.”

“Anytime kiddo.” Her father smiled at her. It
made her think. There were so many people around her that really
truly cared; why couldn’t she stop thinking about this guy who was
obviously too good to hang around?

“I’m going to bed, Dad. I’ve got to work
tonight.”

“Sweet dreams.”

Not likely, she thought bitterly as she
turned toward her room.

Chapter 35

“Hey Jewell,” Ashley called as they walked
toward the locker room. Ashley ran to catch up as Jewell waited by
the door. “A bunch of the nurses and some of the interns are going
to IHOP for breakfast. Can we go?”

“You can, I don’t really want to.” Jewell
responded.

“But no one’s going that lives on the other
side of the pond to take me home. Doug’s going,” Ashley commented
suggestively. Douglas Haim was one of the interns. He had always
shown an interest in Jewell, and until Collin had come along, she
had certainly shown an interest in him; tall, dark, and handsome;
definitely an interest.

Jewell’s heart hurt. She never thought that
having your heart broken would physically hurt. She tried to smile
through the pain, but couldn’t feel anything but the ache in her
chest. “Fine, but only because you want to go, not because anyone
else is going.”

“Cool!” Ashley sounded excitedly. “Ray Baskin
is going too.” Ashley was practically jumping up and down; Ashley
had her eyes set on Ray the first time she saw him. He was another
example of tall, dark and handsome but in a rugged way. Ashley and
Jewell changed quickly and walked out to the car. Security was
starting to loosen up a little since that weirdo hadn’t shown up in
almost two weeks. Jewell was glad that people weren’t watching her
the way they had been.

Jewell didn’t really know where IHOP was so
she let Ashley drive. Jewell was pretty tired anyway; she had had a
really rough night. She leaned her head against the window. In the
rear view mirror, she saw a silver Mazda in the lane a few cars
back. She sat up in her seat and turned around. As she did, the car
slowed, letting several cars move in front of it. There was
something about it; she had the same feeling that she had when she
saw a similar car drive past her house, and the same feeling of
being watched that she had felt this morning when she went to get
the paper. Of course, there had been no Mazda this morning…or maybe
there was and she just hadn’t seen it.

“What’s wrong?” Ashley was looking at Jewell
out of the corner of her eye.

“Nothing. I guess I’m just hungry.”

“Give me a break Jewell. Who do you think
you’re talking to?” Ashley responded indignantly.

“Okay fine. It’s just that, lately I feel
like I’m being watched.”

“What, you mean like that weird guy with the
leg brace?” Ashley sounded worried.

“No, this is different. It doesn’t feel bad.
It’s sort of like…” She paused for a moment, trying to think of how
she could explain it. “Well, have you ever been sleeping, and in
your dream you feel like someone’s watching you, so you wake up but
it’s just your mom watching you sleep?” Jewell paused again “And,
you know, that safe, warm fuzzy feeling you have as you close your
eyes and drift back to sleep, knowing she’s watching you?”

“Yeah, I guess I kind of know what you mean.”
Ashley shrugged.

“That’s what it feels like. It kind of
frightens me, that feeling of being followed, but at the same time,
I feel really safe. I keep wondering if it’s Collin.”

“Jewell, Collin is gone; you need to face
that fact. Maybe we should just go home.” Ashley started to slow
the car, taking her foot off the accelerator.

“No, it’s fine.” She tried to give Ashley a
smile. It was so hard not to let Ashley just take her home, but
Jewell knew how much Ashley liked Ray so she let Ashley drive her
to the IHOP.

* * *

Collin could barely see Jewell in the
passenger seat of the Focus. He saw her lean her head against the
window, but when she suddenly sat up and turned back to look toward
his car, he quickly took his foot off the accelerator and slowed
down so that he was several cars back. Had she seen him? Did she
know it was him? Probably not, she definitely wouldn’t recognize
the car, and he didn’t think she would’ve recognized him so far
back. He had much better eyesight than she did, but he really only
knew it was Jewell in the passenger seat because he knew the car,
and the passenger was blonde, while the driver was brunette;
probably Ashley.

Then Collin started to think about what his
uncle had told him. Someone had been stalking Jewell to get to him.
Was he scaring her? Did she think that he was the stalker? He
watched as the Focus pulled off onto the service road at the
Bullard Avenue exit. If he knew Jewell, they were probably heading
to IHOP. Rather than following them, he drove past the exit. If she
had seen him, when he didn’t follow, maybe she would feel better.
He exited at Paris road instead, and took the service road back
towards Bullard Avenue. He pulled past the IHOP and saw Jewell’s
car parked in front. Pulling around back, he parked his car near
the dumpster where it couldn’t be seen from inside the
restaurant.

He got out of his car and pulled up the hood
on the short sleeved cotton hoodie he was wearing. He knew that he
wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, but he hoped that if Jewell saw him,
she wouldn’t recognize him. Walking into the restaurant, he saw a
large group of doctors and nurses sitting in the rear of the
restaurant in a separate area. He asked to sit near the kitchen
where he could watch, but would not likely be noticed.

Collin sat in the seat that was most obscured
from the group in the back, but with a clear view of the exit. He
asked for pancakes and coffee when the waitress came for his order
then sat with his head down as if inspecting the menu. He
occasionally raised his head to look toward the group. Jewell was
sitting with her back to him, but each time he saw her, his heart
started to pound and his hands began to shake. Watching her with
her friends made him long to join her; to sit next to her, holding
her hand, smelling the subtle scent of honeysuckle. He wondered if
anyone else noticed it. He wanted to look into her blue eyes; he
wanted so badly to tell her how much he loves her.