Secret Worlds (373 page)

Chuy dramatically demonstrated the unwrapping of the tamale.

Lash did the same with his own tamale and bit down into the meaty pastry. “Mmm, this is good.”

“Told you,” Chuy said.

As they ate their meal, Lash wondered how often Rebecca came around. He didn’t notice her while watching over the house during the day. If he could somehow manage to run into her, maybe she could give him more information about what was going on with the Duran family. He shuddered to think that something bad would happen to any of them, even Chuy.

He looked around the small table. It was clear that Chuy and Naomi loved and respected Welita, even if they didn’t hold the same beliefs as she did. As much as Chuy and Naomi pretended to be annoyed with each other, Lash could see the familial love between them.

Bear started to bark, distracting him from his thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Bear?” Naomi asked.

The light above the table flickered and Bear barked again.

“That’s her.” Welita got up from the table and began to gather the dishes.

“What are you talking about?” Chuy handed her his plate.

“The light.” Welita placed the dishes into the sink and turned around. “It flickered.”

“And?” Chuy looked confused.

“It’s a sign.”

“A what?”

“A sign.”

Lash wondered if Raphael was using the light to contact him. He concentrated on the bulb and listened for any sounds that were out of the ordinary.

The light flickered. “See? There it goes again. It’s a sign that Rebecca is here.”

“It’s a sign that it’s time to change the light bulb.” Naomi got up from the table. “I think there’s a pack in the hall closet.”

If it was Raphael, he needed to act fast. He didn’t know how much time Raphael would be available to him. “I need to be going now. Thanks for the meal, Welita,” he said as he watched Naomi disappear around the corner.

Welita shuffled to him and patted his arm. “You come over any time.”

Naomi came back into the kitchen. “Leaving?”

“Yeah, it’s been a long day.” He faked a yawn.

“Let me walk you to the door. Chuy, you wash the dishes.” Welita threw Chuy a dishtowel and took Lash’s arm. “And do them right this time. Last time you left spots,” she said.

Chuy looked over to Naomi. “We need to buy Welita a new car and a dishwasher.”

Naomi unscrewed the light bulb and set it down on the table. “She already has a dishwasher—you.”

Chuckling at their banter, Lash walked with Welita to the front door. He was glad he’d accepted Chuy’s invitation, and he hoped he’d be asked back again soon. As much as he knew it would be painful to leave them when his assignment was completed, it felt good to feel something other than anger and hate after so long.

When Lash stepped out onto the front porch, Welita looked back to make sure that Naomi and Chuy stayed in the kitchen, then she quietly shut the door. “Lash, you look like a good boy. I know you’re in that therapy group with Naomi. She had a hard time trying to deal with losing her father so soon after her mother’s death. I know you can help her.”

Lash was stunned. Did Welita know who he really was? “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Rebecca told me you could help her.” Welita held his gaze for a moment before she continued. “After meeting you, I know she’s right. My Naomi needs someone like you.”

Lash was floored. She knew nothing about him, except what Rebecca had told her. How could she put so much faith in someone she hardly knew? “I’ll do what I can, but I’m not sure how I can help.”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Ever since she started that group, she’s been happier. I thought it was because the psychologist was doing a good job. Now that I’ve met you, I see there’s another reason.”

“I don’t think I’m the reason. I think she just got better with time. You know what they say, ‘time heals all wounds’ and all that shi—uh, I mean, stuff.”

“No, it’s you. I see the way she looks at you. She hides it. But, I know. A grandmother always knows.”

She likes me! Naomi likes me.
For a fleeting second, Lash allowed himself to feel elated with the thought before he shut it out of his mind.

“I like Naomi, and she’s fun to be around. I can definitely see us being great friends.” What was he supposed to say? Sorry, but I’m an angel like Rebecca, and I’m not supposed to fraternize with the people I’m assigned to?

Welita smiled slyly, as if she wasn’t totally buying what he was telling her. “You have that look in your eyes, too, when you’re with her.” She opened the door and stepped inside the house. “You’ll be more than friends. A grandmother knows.”

***

After Welita closed the door, Lash waited until he heard her conversing with Naomi and Chuy before running to the back of the house. There was no sign of Raphael. It’d been a while since he’d last heard from him, and he really wanted to see him. He was so afraid he’d mess up his assignment, and he needed Raphael to give him some direction on what he should be doing.

Lash’s suspicions about Dantan had been confirmed when he’d overheard him talking to Sal during Naomi’s first group therapy session. Dantan had been paid off to keep an eye on Naomi. Lash didn’t know for why or what purpose, but it couldn’t be good. If there was some way Lash could make her stop going to the group, he would. He hated to admit it, but Dantan was a good shrink—too good. He was able to draw out his group members’ secrets. There had been times when Lash almost started to talk about the plane crash and, consequently, reveal himself. He wondered if Dantan knew about Luke and Sal’s real identity. Maybe that was how Dantan got his powerful gift of persuasion.

“Raphael, where are you?” Lash whispered out into the darkness. He peered through the window into the empty kitchen. The light above the table flickered.

“Raphael,” he whispered again

A woman’s voice drifted through the air. “Leave with her soon. You are in danger.”

“Who’s there?” A warm breezed fluttered over him and his head started to pound. Then he remembered. He heard the voice before—a long time ago. An image flashed across his mind: a woman with dark hair, beside a fire, stirring something in a small pot. She turned to him, and a warm smile lit up her face. And then, she said a name he heard from only one other person.

“Lahash.”

As Lash talked, Naomi fingered her necklace and kept her eyes trained on Dantan’s phone at the center of the table.
Don’t do it. Don’t look at Lash.

She looked and found herself being drawn to him again. Over the last few days, she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. She kept replaying the feel of his strong hands on her shoulders; the way his chest had moved when he was out of breath after he and Chuy had pushed the car; the way his eyes sparkled whenever he teased her. But what really got to her, what drew her to him like an ocean to the moon, was when he talked about his family. He tried to brush off the hurt by being cocky, but Dantan used his magic on him and pulled strong emotions out of him whether Lash wanted him to or not.

It was Ellen’s turn to speak in the group this week, but since she was still sick, Lash volunteered. Soon, Dantan had him talking about his past relationships with women. At first, she was both annoyed and relieved by his cavalier remarks. He claimed to be at no loss for female companionship—when he wanted it. It was easier for her to keep her distance from him when he acted that way. The problem was that it wasn’t real—it wasn’t who he really was.

“I still remember the look on her face.” Lash, sitting cross-legged with ankle on knee, twirled and untwirled the lace of his hiking boot, avoiding eye contact.

“You mean, your aunt”—Dantan glanced down at his notes—“Gabie? The look on her face?”

Lash nodded. “It was like she enjoyed seeing me get kicked out of the house. We weren’t always on the best of terms, but I didn’t think she hated me that much.”

Dantan stared intently at Lash. “You previously mentioned that you thought she manipulated your Uncle Ralph by telling him things that were untrue about you, hoping that he would see you as a bad seed.”

“Yeah, she did that. A lot.”

“Then tell me, why would you care what someone like that thinks about you?”

Lash’s head jerked up. An emotion Naomi couldn’t identify flashed across his eyes before he placed that signature smirk on his face and crossed his arms. “I don’t care what she thinks.”

“So, remembering the look on her face for—how many years has it been?”

“Three.”

“For three years, is not considered caring?” Dantan held on to Lash’s gaze.

The energy in the room shifted. She glanced at the others, wondering if they noticed. Dantan had everyone transfixed: Andrew’s mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide with curiosity; Tori had stopped chipping off the black nail polish from her fingers and tilted her head toward Dantan; and Lash’s light eyes darkened as he struggled to keep an appearance of indifference.

Dantan’s voice was hypnotic. “What do you want from her?”

“Respect,” he said softly.

“And as you wait for something that may never happen, you’ll continue to hide behind a wall of your own making. You’re afraid that if you show a woman who you really are, she won’t love you. So you choose to hide your true self behind a mask of arrogance.”

Lash jerked his head up and looked at Dantan, wide-eyed. His eyes flicked to Naomi and locked with hers for a second. One second was all she needed. One look at the raw emotion on his face, and she melted.

Dantan leaned forward. “Tell me, Lash. Who are you really?”

The alarm went off and everyone jumped.

Dantan tensed his jaw and then grabbed the phone. “And that is time,” he said as he turned off the alarm.

“Well, that was intense.” Lash picked up Naomi’s backpack and handed it to her. “I could use a good workout. Do you think Chuy will mind if I crash his class again?”

“I, uh, no, I think he’d be alright with it.” Chuy was covering how to escape when the victim is pinned to the ground. She felt her face grow warm as she thought of Lash’s body pressed against hers.

“Oh brother,” Tori said as she and Andrew passed them on their way out the door.

Why did Tori always seem to catch her gawking at Lash? She berated herself for having such thoughts. Self-defense was serious business and should be treated with respect.

“Lash, I need to speak with you for a few minutes,” Dantan interrupted.

“Next week, doc. I’m going with Naomi to her self-defense class.” Her stomach started doing flip-flops as Lash placed a hand on the small of her back and directed her to the door.

“I’m afraid I must insist you stay a moment. My assistant needs to submit all my financial information to my tax accountant soon and there appears to be a problem with your insurance.”

“I don’t use insurance. I pay cash.”

Dantan looked puzzled and flicked on his smartphone. “Hmm, that’s not what the email from my assistant says.”

“That’s okay, Lash. I’ll tell Chuy that you’ll be a few minutes late,” Naomi said as she opened the door.

Lash had a torn look on his face as he looked at her and glared at Dantan. “Let’s make this quick, doc,” he snapped. Turning to Naomi, he said, “I’ll be right behind you.”

For the first time in weeks, Naomi felt happy—more like her normal self. Being with Lash did have something to do with it, and she debated whether or not it would be wise to take their relationship further than the growing friendship. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to even if he wanted. If Dantan was right, Lash wasn’t capable of being close to someone.

Who am I kidding?
She couldn’t be in a relationship. She had Welita to watch over and needed to get a better paying job to help Chuy with the bills. Her stint in the hospital had only grown their debt.

Half a block from the community center, Naomi saw Deborah and Nathan outside the entrance.

“Tie your shoelaces, dear. We don’t want you tripping over them again.”

Nathan looked down. “Dad-burned laces. These suckers keep getting undone.”

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor,” Naomi said as she neared them.

“Hey there, Naomi. Where’s your boyfriend?” Nathan grunted as he kneeled down.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Deborah patted her arm. “Give it some time, dear.”

“I don’t know about that,” Naomi mumbled.

Nathan looked up and flashed a smile. “If Deborah says it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen.”

In that moment, everything moved in slow motion. Naomi turned at the sound of a loud engine. A black pickup rounded the corner and rolled down the street. She caught a glimpse of a shadow shaped like a cowboy hat, and she blinked curiously. Black metal edged out of dark tinted windows, and she froze as the gun drew closer to them.

Gunshots broke through the still air, one after another, after another.

The first and second bullet hit Deborah in the chest. Nathan leaped up in his attempt to block her from the gunfire. He was a second too late and the third bullet flew through his head.

Naomi screamed and another bullet whistled beside her forehead. A sharp sting followed by warm liquid slid down the side of her face, and she crumpled to the ground.

***

Lash looked at the clock on the wall. He couldn’t believe he was still in Dantan’s office. He’d spent the last five minutes watching Dantan click through Excel files in his computer. Then he’d heard it—a series of cracks coming from the direction of the community center.

“That sounded quite near.” Dantan looked up from his computer at Lash. “I hope no one was injured.”

Lash’s heart fell to the pit of his stomach.
Naomi!

He tore out of the building at full speed, not caring who saw him.
Please don’t let it be her.

From a block away, he saw Chuy yelling into his cell phone. People were lined up and down the street, talking to each other and pointing at the circle of people huddled around three bodies.

No, no, no!
Lash felt as if someone punched him in the gut, and he struggled to breath. He ran as fast as he could to the scene trying not to draw attention.