A Trip Down South 5
And on we go!
LOGAN
I decided to stay in this town a little longer. From here, I could easily investigate a couple of other towns a few hours out. If I was being terribly honest with myself, a lot of that decision was due to the fact Rae was here and she was single. Go for it chief, she clearly is still into you. I ignored him. She practically said that I was the right guy for her now as well as then and the way she had been looking at me over brunch was just so reminiscent and familiar. I would bet money that she was thinking about me right now.
Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink.
Daemíron had been repeating the same phrase over and over in between quips about my thought processes. If he had been a real, solid figure right now I’d be lecturing him about the dangers of alcoholism because he sure as hell wanted to drink a lot. I’m a demon of Hell, dumbass. We get vodka down there instead of water. You’d love it.
It didn’t actually help my willpower that he was inside my head and could influence certain parts of me more than others, generally my vices. I still didn’t have complete control over everything but I wasn’t complaining too loudly because he was essentially keeping me alive. The last time I’d asked him about the tumour he had told me that he had shrunk it down to a pea. I wanted it completely gone and to be cancer-cell free but he couldn’t promise anything like Carter had. I guess Daemíron was a tad more trustworthy ironically.
Don’t beat yourself up about it, chief, we’re cut from the same cloth Carter and I.
I didn’t have the energy to question him and I was getting a headache from his constant chatter. Rae had said that I sounded like I smoked less and probably drank less which was a total lie. I was smoking just as much, if not more and the alcohol consumption had certainly gone up. Ever since the accident and my mother...it just got harder to face reality without a bitter, whisky haze over it. “Do you really need a drink? I’m tired.”
Come on, you’re a young, single man. You should be in that bar trying to seduce those lovely ladies chief!
“Can we keep it t’ like four drinks maximum? I have t’ drive tomorrow,” I reasoned, reaching for my jacket and slinging it on over my hooded, black jumper. “And please just keep the noise t’ a minimum, you’re givin’ me a headache.”
Deal.
I decided to go back to that bar where I had first run into Rae and I walked because it was quite a nice night. Shoving my hands in my jacket pockets, I headed across the street and towards the neon lights that advertised cheap drink beyond the doors. It was busier tonight than it was before, and full of students by the looks of it. A group were perched around the pool tables eagerly watching some guy get destroyed and lose money, no doubt. I tucked that information back into my head in case I was in the mood later for a little wager.
I walked up to the bar and leaned my forearms onto the surface. “What we drinkin’?” I asked under my breath.
Whisky.
“Two shots of Jack and a beer,” I murmured gruffly to the barmaid. She nodded as she headed down the bar to get my drinks. I watched her for a moment. She reminded me of Rae a little; working hard behind a bar full of men and looking effortlessly beautiful doing it. When she returned, I flashed her an interested smile and put down a twenty. She raised her eyebrow and smiled amusedly.
“So you’re back,” she commented with a small smirk as she handed me my change.
“Indeed I am,” I answered. She obviously recognised me from the other night but I didn’t recall seeing her.
“I’m quite glad that blonde chick didn’t scare you away,” she remarked boldly.
“And why is that?” I asked her as I slowly and deliberately downed my first shot whilst keeping my eyes on her the whole time.
She shrugged and leaned towards me. She had lovely hazel eyes that had more green in the depths than brown and were shadowed darkly with black eyeliner. Dark red hair that was casually wavy fell around her shoulders from behind her ear. I liked her. Did I mention that she reminded me of Rae? “Because you might not come back in here and I would’ve missed my chance.”
I grinned and laughed a little. “What if I said I was married?”
“I don’t see a ring on your finger,” she replied quickly.
“Well maybe I’m in a relationship already,” I challenged.
“A guy like you doesn’t sit in here and order two shots if he’s got a girlfriend,” she told me firmly. “He’s either just broken up with her or he’s free to drink all he wants.”
I like her, chief.
I laughed and she looked pleased with her observations. “Well, unfortunately sweetheart, I’m chasin’ after the-one-who-got-away otherwise I’d be askin’ you what time you got off,” I told her honestly. She shrugged.
“Good luck with her,” she winked. “Give me a shout if you want another drink.”
I watched her for a moment because she looked really good and it was at that moment I heard a familiar voice. “Hey there Logan-the-smartass,” Sienna smirked and plonked herself beside me at the bar. “You’re looking charming as always.”
Arching an eyebrow at her, I turned. “I was hopin’ for a quiet drink...”
She waved me off absently. “My friend’s here tonight, she’s in the bathroom.”
“Goodie,” I rolled my eyes sarcastically and finished my second shot. “Is she anythin’ like you?”
“Well considering the eyes you were making at Miss Bartender, I reckon she’s right up your alley,” Sienna promised with a knowing smile.
“Look Sienna, I’m sort of out of the whole woman thing just now,” I told her. “I just came for a quiet drink then I’m goin’ back t’ my motel alone.” I rubbed my forehead tiredly and cursed Daemíron for dragging me out when all I wanted to do was mope about Rae and wish I had her. It was like I was regressing. After she left I was in a rut of feeling sorry for myself and hardly leaving my flat. That was before I went a little crazy and killed my mother in a car accident and then some more passers-by after I’d woken up from the short coma. It was all Daemíron’s fault; he took the tiny gaps of weakness, used them to his advantage and broke through. “So goodnight.”
I lifted my beer and walked to the best available table I could find which had a good view of the whole bar. It wasn’t ideal but it would do. Making myself available for an easy exit was more out of habit than anything else. I hardly ever came across any problems in bars that weren’t purely human.
Suddenly, Daemíron got very angry. He was buzzing around my head violently. “What the fuck is it?” I hissed, bringing the bottle of beer to my lips to disguise the fact I’d spoken to seemingly no one.
There’s a werewolf coming here.
“A werewolf?” I frowned and took a long sip of my beer. I felt like I wanted whisky over the beer because it wasn’t washing down well.
He’s not a proper werewolf.
I smiled brightly and turned my head to face the door, expecting with eager eyes who would walk in. Sure enough, a man stepped in through the twin doors a moment later. He was tall - just an inch or two shy of me - and had shoulder-length black hair with a short, black beard. A horrific scar ran down the left side of his face from the top of his eyebrow down to the corner of his jaw, just under his ear. It certainly had the shock value. I slouched in my chair a little with my arms folded across my chest and I just watched him glance around the place like I had done and head to the bar.
It might take him a little longer to notice me than it had for Daemíron to sense him but I was willing to wait. He stepped into the slot beside Sienna that I had vacated and ordered a drink. I watched Sienna try to talk to him but he remained completely silent until she scoffed and turned her back on him.
Wraith Munroe was the perfect example of strong, silent types but I absolutely loved him. He was one of the best - if not the only man - I’d want on my side. He was a great wing-man; always knew where to go, always knew when to punch and he never, ever shot the wrong person. We’d worked jobs when I had finished my probation with Carter because he had still not trusted me to be out on my own and decided that Wraith was the best partner he could give me. For once, the old man had been right.
He twitched abruptly and I saw his head angle in my direction. There we go, I thought with a grin. Wraith cradled a beer in his hand as he turned and met my gaze. I watched when he laughed a little so I waved at him seductively.
Wraith sauntered over to my table and set his beer down heavily before dragging out a chair to sit on. “Didn’t expect ta see you here stranger.” He sat down, immediately putting his booted feet on the third chair at the table. “What brings you down south? No, don’t tell me, you’re the one who dealt with the Reverand’s infestation.”
“The one and only,” I smirked at him. “Did Hemingway send you?”
Wraith nodded after taking a big gulp of his beer like he needed it. “Yep. They are going absolutely mental about you.”
I chuckled. “Excellent.”
“Seriously Logan, Carter’s about a week away from calling in some elite assassin group of vampires or something,” Wraith shrugged. “Fuckin’ hate vampires,” he shuddered.
You and me both, wolf.
“That’ll be a bundle of laughs,” I remarked, drinking more of my beer and taking a wee chance to scan the room as well as check out Sienna’s friend that apparently was right up my alley. “So you’re not gonna turn me in?”
“’Course not,” Wraith rubbed his nose. “They’ve been givin’ me more money since you decided to go walk-about.” I laughed but stopped as soon as my eyes followed a distinct woman with dark red hair coming out of the bathroom and stalk towards Sienna’s spot at the bar. I nearly started laughing again at the madness of the situation. “What are you staring at?” Wraith asked, twisting round in his chair to see.
“Rae,” I muttered under my breath but I knew he’d hear me.
“Really?” he raised his eyebrows at me as I looked back at him. “The one next to the crazy blonde?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, drowning more of my beer down my throat and cursing the fact I’d need another drink soon. I’d need to go up there, near her and order more drinks. I didn’t really want to go near her. I’d left so quickly after our brunch. It got a bit awkward after she started talking about me being in love with her, or possibly in love as it should be more appropriately known. Of course, I’d loved her but for the last few years there had been an evident, Rae-shaped part of me missing no matter how much I had tried to forget her. It didn’t mean I loved her now...obviously.
“She’s pretty, Chase,” he remarked. “What did you do to even get near her?”
“She’s friends with my brother,” I told him. “I just sort of stalked her for awhile.”
“Very primitive of you,” Wraith belched discretely. “You gonna go over?”
I shook my head. “I spoke t’ her the other day and it was weird. I don’ wanna feel about her the way I do ‘cause she sacked me but she clearly wants something. Anyway, if I say hi t’ her then her pal Sienna might come over and keep you company.”
Wraith gave a very canine grunt of disapproval. “Good point. Best to just hide over here until she leaves then.”
“Yup,” I nodded. “Which means you’ll need t’ go get my drinks,” I grinned and finished my last swig of beer. “Two shots of Jack and another beer, mate.”
Wraith grumbled again but accepted the twenty I gave him as he finished the end of his beer. “Fine but my next two beers are on you.”
We had an absolutely amazing night. Luckily Rae hadn’t noticed me in the bar or she hadn’t made it clear that she had noticed me, because knowing Sienna from the two occasions I had met her, I didn’t put it past her to tell Rae that she had met me yet again.
But anyway, Wraith and I got totally plastered which felt really good to let my hair down so-to-speak for a change. I had convinced Wraith to join me with the whisky shots and they really got him drunk. We ended up in his room with a case of cheap beer and a deck of cards. I couldn’t help but take advantage of his drunkenness when he suggested poker and won at least three hundred off him. I didn’t feel horribly bad either because he was earning a bunch contracting for Hemingway, I discovered. He told me I should do that if they let me come back alive.
We both decided that I was too lucky to have such a beautiful woman as Rae want to be with me so I should jump at a chance to be with her and how Wraith was built for solitude. It was sad in a sense but he actually enjoyed being a lone wolf. He wouldn’t fit into any packs now anyway because of what Hemingway had done to him.
The best part about the night was that I didn’t even wake up with a hangover the next day when I rolled out of my bed. I made a point to phone Wraith when I had some food and coffee in me and thank him for his cash. It had been too long since we’d been out. I should probably invite him to go on my next hunt just for old time’s sake and - if I was being honest - to find out any news on the network I’d missed.
I started the coffee machine beside the T.V. before I reached my arms up over my head and stretched. Anytime I drank a lot, I always woke up really early the next morning and normally with a hangover. Surprisingly today, I slept in until eleven and woke up headache and nausea free. It made the night that much more enjoyable.
My mobile rang on the small table by the window. I leaned over a bit so I could see who was calling on the display. It was Shauna so it sparked my curiosity. “Hello?” I frowned as I poured half a mug of black coffee and took a sip.
“Logan? Where are you? I’ve had your father calling me non-stop this week thinking you’ve been in touch,” she snapped angrily.
“So why are you callin’ me about it?” I asked and scratched at my stomach. I was gratefully injury-free at the moment. Those knife wounds had healed up nicely.
“Because I want him to stop and he’ll only stop if you call him!” she told me sternly. “He called ten minutes ago, pleading with me to phone you and tell you to get in touch. He mentioned something about an anniversary.”
I nearly hit myself in the head with my fist. How could I have possibly forgotten about this? Well, my excuse was that I was in a coma when it happened but it wasn’t a very good one. How could I forget the anniversary of my mother’s death? No wonder my dad wanted to get in touch with me. What was I supposed to do? Last year, I had accepted a call from him for five minutes before I had to hang up on him because he started crying. It sounded harsh but I couldn’t deal with that. “Well you can give him a ring back and tell him that I’m not gonna talk t’ him.”
“Logan, I am not being a middle man to you and your father. I suggest you be an adult and phone him,” she informed me. I lifted a packet of cigarettes to my mouth and took the raised stick in between my lips before I lit it. The smoke felt heavenly as I breathed it in deeply.
“If you don’ tell him that then he’ll keep ringin’ you sweetheart,” I pointed out. I sat down on the rickety chair beside the table, placed my feet on the T.V cabinet and made smoke rings. It was so sad but one afternoon when I was about nineteen, I lay on the grass outside my house and taught myself how to blow smoke rings.
“You are such an insufferable bastard,” she accused. “Why can’t you just dial his number and talk to him?”
“It sort of defeats the purpose of runnin’ away if I got in touch t’ tell him where I was, doesn’ it?” I smirked.
“You are such an ass!” she screamed with frustration and hung up on me. I shrugged and finished both my coffee and my cigarette before I went for a shower. I had three hours worth of driving ahead of me to get to the poltergeist job and preferably before Wraith or anyone else.
.
LOGAN
I decided to stay in this town a little longer. From here, I could easily investigate a couple of other towns a few hours out. If I was being terribly honest with myself, a lot of that decision was due to the fact Rae was here and she was single. Go for it chief, she clearly is still into you. I ignored him. She practically said that I was the right guy for her now as well as then and the way she had been looking at me over brunch was just so reminiscent and familiar. I would bet money that she was thinking about me right now.
Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink.
Daemíron had been repeating the same phrase over and over in between quips about my thought processes. If he had been a real, solid figure right now I’d be lecturing him about the dangers of alcoholism because he sure as hell wanted to drink a lot. I’m a demon of Hell, dumbass. We get vodka down there instead of water. You’d love it.
It didn’t actually help my willpower that he was inside my head and could influence certain parts of me more than others, generally my vices. I still didn’t have complete control over everything but I wasn’t complaining too loudly because he was essentially keeping me alive. The last time I’d asked him about the tumour he had told me that he had shrunk it down to a pea. I wanted it completely gone and to be cancer-cell free but he couldn’t promise anything like Carter had. I guess Daemíron was a tad more trustworthy ironically.
Don’t beat yourself up about it, chief, we’re cut from the same cloth Carter and I.
I didn’t have the energy to question him and I was getting a headache from his constant chatter. Rae had said that I sounded like I smoked less and probably drank less which was a total lie. I was smoking just as much, if not more and the alcohol consumption had certainly gone up. Ever since the accident and my mother...it just got harder to face reality without a bitter, whisky haze over it. “Do you really need a drink? I’m tired.”
Come on, you’re a young, single man. You should be in that bar trying to seduce those lovely ladies chief!
“Can we keep it t’ like four drinks maximum? I have t’ drive tomorrow,” I reasoned, reaching for my jacket and slinging it on over my hooded, black jumper. “And please just keep the noise t’ a minimum, you’re givin’ me a headache.”
Deal.
I decided to go back to that bar where I had first run into Rae and I walked because it was quite a nice night. Shoving my hands in my jacket pockets, I headed across the street and towards the neon lights that advertised cheap drink beyond the doors. It was busier tonight than it was before, and full of students by the looks of it. A group were perched around the pool tables eagerly watching some guy get destroyed and lose money, no doubt. I tucked that information back into my head in case I was in the mood later for a little wager.
I walked up to the bar and leaned my forearms onto the surface. “What we drinkin’?” I asked under my breath.
Whisky.
“Two shots of Jack and a beer,” I murmured gruffly to the barmaid. She nodded as she headed down the bar to get my drinks. I watched her for a moment. She reminded me of Rae a little; working hard behind a bar full of men and looking effortlessly beautiful doing it. When she returned, I flashed her an interested smile and put down a twenty. She raised her eyebrow and smiled amusedly.
“So you’re back,” she commented with a small smirk as she handed me my change.
“Indeed I am,” I answered. She obviously recognised me from the other night but I didn’t recall seeing her.
“I’m quite glad that blonde chick didn’t scare you away,” she remarked boldly.
“And why is that?” I asked her as I slowly and deliberately downed my first shot whilst keeping my eyes on her the whole time.
She shrugged and leaned towards me. She had lovely hazel eyes that had more green in the depths than brown and were shadowed darkly with black eyeliner. Dark red hair that was casually wavy fell around her shoulders from behind her ear. I liked her. Did I mention that she reminded me of Rae? “Because you might not come back in here and I would’ve missed my chance.”
I grinned and laughed a little. “What if I said I was married?”
“I don’t see a ring on your finger,” she replied quickly.
“Well maybe I’m in a relationship already,” I challenged.
“A guy like you doesn’t sit in here and order two shots if he’s got a girlfriend,” she told me firmly. “He’s either just broken up with her or he’s free to drink all he wants.”
I like her, chief.
I laughed and she looked pleased with her observations. “Well, unfortunately sweetheart, I’m chasin’ after the-one-who-got-away otherwise I’d be askin’ you what time you got off,” I told her honestly. She shrugged.
“Good luck with her,” she winked. “Give me a shout if you want another drink.”
I watched her for a moment because she looked really good and it was at that moment I heard a familiar voice. “Hey there Logan-the-smartass,” Sienna smirked and plonked herself beside me at the bar. “You’re looking charming as always.”
Arching an eyebrow at her, I turned. “I was hopin’ for a quiet drink...”
She waved me off absently. “My friend’s here tonight, she’s in the bathroom.”
“Goodie,” I rolled my eyes sarcastically and finished my second shot. “Is she anythin’ like you?”
“Well considering the eyes you were making at Miss Bartender, I reckon she’s right up your alley,” Sienna promised with a knowing smile.
“Look Sienna, I’m sort of out of the whole woman thing just now,” I told her. “I just came for a quiet drink then I’m goin’ back t’ my motel alone.” I rubbed my forehead tiredly and cursed Daemíron for dragging me out when all I wanted to do was mope about Rae and wish I had her. It was like I was regressing. After she left I was in a rut of feeling sorry for myself and hardly leaving my flat. That was before I went a little crazy and killed my mother in a car accident and then some more passers-by after I’d woken up from the short coma. It was all Daemíron’s fault; he took the tiny gaps of weakness, used them to his advantage and broke through. “So goodnight.”
I lifted my beer and walked to the best available table I could find which had a good view of the whole bar. It wasn’t ideal but it would do. Making myself available for an easy exit was more out of habit than anything else. I hardly ever came across any problems in bars that weren’t purely human.
Suddenly, Daemíron got very angry. He was buzzing around my head violently. “What the fuck is it?” I hissed, bringing the bottle of beer to my lips to disguise the fact I’d spoken to seemingly no one.
There’s a werewolf coming here.
“A werewolf?” I frowned and took a long sip of my beer. I felt like I wanted whisky over the beer because it wasn’t washing down well.
He’s not a proper werewolf.
I smiled brightly and turned my head to face the door, expecting with eager eyes who would walk in. Sure enough, a man stepped in through the twin doors a moment later. He was tall - just an inch or two shy of me - and had shoulder-length black hair with a short, black beard. A horrific scar ran down the left side of his face from the top of his eyebrow down to the corner of his jaw, just under his ear. It certainly had the shock value. I slouched in my chair a little with my arms folded across my chest and I just watched him glance around the place like I had done and head to the bar.
It might take him a little longer to notice me than it had for Daemíron to sense him but I was willing to wait. He stepped into the slot beside Sienna that I had vacated and ordered a drink. I watched Sienna try to talk to him but he remained completely silent until she scoffed and turned her back on him.
Wraith Munroe was the perfect example of strong, silent types but I absolutely loved him. He was one of the best - if not the only man - I’d want on my side. He was a great wing-man; always knew where to go, always knew when to punch and he never, ever shot the wrong person. We’d worked jobs when I had finished my probation with Carter because he had still not trusted me to be out on my own and decided that Wraith was the best partner he could give me. For once, the old man had been right.
He twitched abruptly and I saw his head angle in my direction. There we go, I thought with a grin. Wraith cradled a beer in his hand as he turned and met my gaze. I watched when he laughed a little so I waved at him seductively.
Wraith sauntered over to my table and set his beer down heavily before dragging out a chair to sit on. “Didn’t expect ta see you here stranger.” He sat down, immediately putting his booted feet on the third chair at the table. “What brings you down south? No, don’t tell me, you’re the one who dealt with the Reverand’s infestation.”
“The one and only,” I smirked at him. “Did Hemingway send you?”
Wraith nodded after taking a big gulp of his beer like he needed it. “Yep. They are going absolutely mental about you.”
I chuckled. “Excellent.”
“Seriously Logan, Carter’s about a week away from calling in some elite assassin group of vampires or something,” Wraith shrugged. “Fuckin’ hate vampires,” he shuddered.
You and me both, wolf.
“That’ll be a bundle of laughs,” I remarked, drinking more of my beer and taking a wee chance to scan the room as well as check out Sienna’s friend that apparently was right up my alley. “So you’re not gonna turn me in?”
“’Course not,” Wraith rubbed his nose. “They’ve been givin’ me more money since you decided to go walk-about.” I laughed but stopped as soon as my eyes followed a distinct woman with dark red hair coming out of the bathroom and stalk towards Sienna’s spot at the bar. I nearly started laughing again at the madness of the situation. “What are you staring at?” Wraith asked, twisting round in his chair to see.
“Rae,” I muttered under my breath but I knew he’d hear me.
“Really?” he raised his eyebrows at me as I looked back at him. “The one next to the crazy blonde?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, drowning more of my beer down my throat and cursing the fact I’d need another drink soon. I’d need to go up there, near her and order more drinks. I didn’t really want to go near her. I’d left so quickly after our brunch. It got a bit awkward after she started talking about me being in love with her, or possibly in love as it should be more appropriately known. Of course, I’d loved her but for the last few years there had been an evident, Rae-shaped part of me missing no matter how much I had tried to forget her. It didn’t mean I loved her now...obviously.
“She’s pretty, Chase,” he remarked. “What did you do to even get near her?”
“She’s friends with my brother,” I told him. “I just sort of stalked her for awhile.”
“Very primitive of you,” Wraith belched discretely. “You gonna go over?”
I shook my head. “I spoke t’ her the other day and it was weird. I don’ wanna feel about her the way I do ‘cause she sacked me but she clearly wants something. Anyway, if I say hi t’ her then her pal Sienna might come over and keep you company.”
Wraith gave a very canine grunt of disapproval. “Good point. Best to just hide over here until she leaves then.”
“Yup,” I nodded. “Which means you’ll need t’ go get my drinks,” I grinned and finished my last swig of beer. “Two shots of Jack and another beer, mate.”
Wraith grumbled again but accepted the twenty I gave him as he finished the end of his beer. “Fine but my next two beers are on you.”
We had an absolutely amazing night. Luckily Rae hadn’t noticed me in the bar or she hadn’t made it clear that she had noticed me, because knowing Sienna from the two occasions I had met her, I didn’t put it past her to tell Rae that she had met me yet again.
But anyway, Wraith and I got totally plastered which felt really good to let my hair down so-to-speak for a change. I had convinced Wraith to join me with the whisky shots and they really got him drunk. We ended up in his room with a case of cheap beer and a deck of cards. I couldn’t help but take advantage of his drunkenness when he suggested poker and won at least three hundred off him. I didn’t feel horribly bad either because he was earning a bunch contracting for Hemingway, I discovered. He told me I should do that if they let me come back alive.
We both decided that I was too lucky to have such a beautiful woman as Rae want to be with me so I should jump at a chance to be with her and how Wraith was built for solitude. It was sad in a sense but he actually enjoyed being a lone wolf. He wouldn’t fit into any packs now anyway because of what Hemingway had done to him.
The best part about the night was that I didn’t even wake up with a hangover the next day when I rolled out of my bed. I made a point to phone Wraith when I had some food and coffee in me and thank him for his cash. It had been too long since we’d been out. I should probably invite him to go on my next hunt just for old time’s sake and - if I was being honest - to find out any news on the network I’d missed.
I started the coffee machine beside the T.V. before I reached my arms up over my head and stretched. Anytime I drank a lot, I always woke up really early the next morning and normally with a hangover. Surprisingly today, I slept in until eleven and woke up headache and nausea free. It made the night that much more enjoyable.
My mobile rang on the small table by the window. I leaned over a bit so I could see who was calling on the display. It was Shauna so it sparked my curiosity. “Hello?” I frowned as I poured half a mug of black coffee and took a sip.
“Logan? Where are you? I’ve had your father calling me non-stop this week thinking you’ve been in touch,” she snapped angrily.
“So why are you callin’ me about it?” I asked and scratched at my stomach. I was gratefully injury-free at the moment. Those knife wounds had healed up nicely.
“Because I want him to stop and he’ll only stop if you call him!” she told me sternly. “He called ten minutes ago, pleading with me to phone you and tell you to get in touch. He mentioned something about an anniversary.”
I nearly hit myself in the head with my fist. How could I have possibly forgotten about this? Well, my excuse was that I was in a coma when it happened but it wasn’t a very good one. How could I forget the anniversary of my mother’s death? No wonder my dad wanted to get in touch with me. What was I supposed to do? Last year, I had accepted a call from him for five minutes before I had to hang up on him because he started crying. It sounded harsh but I couldn’t deal with that. “Well you can give him a ring back and tell him that I’m not gonna talk t’ him.”
“Logan, I am not being a middle man to you and your father. I suggest you be an adult and phone him,” she informed me. I lifted a packet of cigarettes to my mouth and took the raised stick in between my lips before I lit it. The smoke felt heavenly as I breathed it in deeply.
“If you don’ tell him that then he’ll keep ringin’ you sweetheart,” I pointed out. I sat down on the rickety chair beside the table, placed my feet on the T.V cabinet and made smoke rings. It was so sad but one afternoon when I was about nineteen, I lay on the grass outside my house and taught myself how to blow smoke rings.
“You are such an insufferable bastard,” she accused. “Why can’t you just dial his number and talk to him?”
“It sort of defeats the purpose of runnin’ away if I got in touch t’ tell him where I was, doesn’ it?” I smirked.
“You are such an ass!” she screamed with frustration and hung up on me. I shrugged and finished both my coffee and my cigarette before I went for a shower. I had three hours worth of driving ahead of me to get to the poltergeist job and preferably before Wraith or anyone else.
.