Beneath the Watching

7. Mabel

7

MABEL

He was infuriating. The constant push-pull I felt from him had my head spinning. I leaned against the door gritting my teeth as I listened to the car driving away and waited for the sound of the engine to fade in the distance.

Everything had been under control until him . He’d managed to start chipping away at the protective shield I’d had up for years and years and then after weeks of doing so, complained about how he couldn’t get rid of me. Not once had I ever tried to be his friend or sought him out.

Okay, maybe once. And of all the places he could be found, I’d located him in a church. It was by chance I’d found him, but somehow, I’d known he’d be in there.

I knew I was playing with fire, but I wanted to be around him. Even though several times he’d said he didn’t want me near, he couldn’t have been being honest. What I’d seen in his eyes told a story quite different from the words that spilled from his lips

Okay, he wasn’t being honest about a lot of things.

Normal people didn’t have glowing red eyes or share dreams with other people or whatever was going on with that. Someone had to find Kiara, and it looked like it’d be up to me. Ilya had been covered with blood the last time I saw him, and Stefan didn’t want me around. There was no way she wasn’t in trouble.

After I got into bed, I laid there yet again wishing I’d spoken up.

There was something bad going on around her and I was sure she needed help. Would she want to come back after we got help? I didn’t know what kind of danger she was in and looks could be deceiving. All I’d gathered was some man named Ramone had taken her and she went to a dinner party. I’d heard Ilya say the man’s name before and had started connecting some dots.

Sighing, I rolled over and wondered where Al was. A pang of guilt over my growing attraction to Stefan sounded through me. It wasn’t fair to Al; not when he took care of me and was such a great friend to me.

Lying down, I tried to focus on that other place, willing myself to be transported there. I tried focusing on Kiara, imagining I was next to her and hoping that visualizing her would make it happen. It did not. Frustrated, I rolled over again, trying to get comfortable before I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

When I got up in the morning, I found Al in the kitchen fixing himself a bowl of cereal. “I could’ve made you some eggs,” I said.

He glanced at me before taking the gallon of milk out of the refrigerator. “That’s okay.” He poured the liquid over his sugary cereal and placed the jug on the kitchen island.

I waited at the counter watching as he grabbed a spoon from a drawer and then started consuming his meal. “When did you get home last night?” I asked.

He raised his eyebrows. “I have no idea, I didn’t check.”

Al took another bite of his breakfast. “Where’d you guys go?” I asked.

Chewing, he stared at me. The bristle along his chin moved up and down with his mouth, scratching at his shirt collar. “James’s place. Why?” He asked after swallowing and resting the utensil in the bowl.

Shrugging, I peered at the countertop. “No reason.”

“What are you guys doing today?” Al asked. He was watching me, a strange expression on his face. It was almost like he’d never seen me before, as if he were observing an animal in the wild and wondering what sudden move it would make next.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

The second I answered, I heard the front door open. “Good morning,” Madison’s voice rang out like she was starring in a coffee commercial, all bright and cheery.

She came around the corner and noisily dragged a stool from the opposite end of the counter and sat down, setting her clutch on the quartz surface. “Good morning,” I replied, moving to make myself some tea.

“You’re looking extra grizzly today, Mister Williams,” Madison said. Al raised his hand to scratch his beard and turned, placing his bowl in the sink.

Still picking at his facial hair, he returned to the counter and closed his open laptop before putting it in his bag. “I should probably shave.”

Madison nodded. “You should.”

A thought occurred to me, and I slowly turned my head to check the area around my friend’s mouth. Her skin looked as pristine as usual, but she was a wizard with make-up.

“You ready to go?” she asked, hopping off her seat.

I nodded and grabbed my purse, trailing after her and following her to her car.

After I closed my door, she asked, “Do you have the card?” I dug in my handbag, checking. I did have Al’s credit card. “I do,” I said.

We must’ve been going shopping, I realized, having no recollection of agreeing to the activity. She drove us into the city, chattering about which boutiques she wanted to stop at.

“I want to go to Chanel; they have a really cute new purse I want. James said I can spend twenty K,” she laughed after announcing her budget. “And there’s this black dress with the prettiest flowers on it. I don’t know if he’ll let me get it today, but I think I can convince him.”

High fashion didn’t hold much interest for me, not the way it did my friend. My tastes ran to the less flashy and I favored muted colors and less detailing in my choices. Plain black dresses, black, navy, or grey pants, simple blouses or sweaters, plain shoes. Those were my style. Even my jewelry was simple, with my daily gold stud earrings and a single delicate chain around my neck.

James was rising in the ranks at the company he worked for and the more money he made, the more Madison appeared to spend, and he humored her. Al wasn’t hard up financially either, but he didn’t make quite as much as James, and I didn’t spend nearly as much as my friend.

Madison drove us to an enclosed parking lot, shoving a plastic card into a reader before the metal gate slid away to allow entry. When we reached the sidewalk after parking, I stuck to her side as she continued talking and gossiping while I glanced around.

The usual bustle of cars and city buses droned past us, and the normal number of pedestrians rushed by. The cacophony of noise irritated me, highlighted by my friend’s lengthy description of an island she wanted to visit on her and James’s vacation and her annoyance at and consequent firing of her assistant, Chelsea.

If I were Kiara, I would’ve told her to “shut the fuck up” by now, but I wasn’t and so I didn’t. Upon further reflection, Madison treated her two best friends very differently. Kiara had boundaries set with her whereas I did not and therefore Kiara was respected.

I stopped walking. It took far too long for Madison to notice she’d lost her victim and for a moment I sympathized with the now jobless Chelsea. She’d reached the end of the block before she started turning her head, searching for me. It was hard not to giggle at the dumbfounded look on her face.

I heard her call my name, but I remained where I was, and took out my cellphone, checking for a tea shop I’d heard about and thought sounded cute. Google showed me it wasn’t far from where I stood.

“What are you doing?” Madison finally strolled up to me, grinning ear to ear. It was hard to stay mad at her when she was so completely and utterly clueless and I felt myself softening.

Clicking on the walking directions icon on my phone screen, I answered, “I’m going to check out this tea shop. Are you going to Chanel? I’ll meet you there, okay?”

My friend blinked at me. “Um. Okay? Text when you’re on your way.” Madison appeared confused for a moment and then left me standing alone after doing a double-take when she began strolling away.

Relief rolled through me over the absence of the constant chatter. I loved her, but my brain was tired, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

Double checking the instructions on my phone, I crossed the street and headed down a side road. The architecture changed a bit, moving from the sleek modern to a village-colonial style and I found my destination.

A Tea for Thee looked like a recreated colonial cottage with shiplap and multipaned windows. When I stepped instead, a strong herbal scent surrounded me, and I was immediately charmed by all the cute teapots.

There was no need for a new teapot, but I drooled over them anyway. A white porcelain one with gold filigree drew my eye and I made a mental note to come back for it. A wall of boxed tea lined one side of the shop and I took my time reading the labels undisturbed. Rarely did I go shopping by myself and the peace and quiet was refreshing.

“Do you need any help?” A woman approached me wearing a pretty little embroidered apron with a teapot-shaped name badge. It had her name, Della, imprinted in gold script across the surface. She looked like a fairy princess with her heart-shaped face, tiny mouth with full lips, and thick, dark hair swept up on the sides.

“I’m just looking but I’m going to buy loose leaf,” I replied, trying not to stare. She’d fit in perfectly in Stefan’s world with its fairytale setting.

Della gave me a welcoming smile and I dismissed my judgy thoughts. “A lot of our products are marked way down right now, and you’ll find the loose tea at the back of our shop, by the registers,” she said.

“Thank you.” Della strolled away to another customer, and I made my way to where she’d indicated.

Fascinated, I practically drooled over the gilded sign for Da-Hong Pao tea. The price tag was astronomical, even on clearance, and the product was locked away in a presumably airtight container. Briefly, I considered purchasing some out of spite, thinking unwarranted and maybe unfounded thoughts of Madison and my boyfriend together.

I had Al’s credit card .

Instead, I bought some loose chamomile tea, took the little paper bag from the shop worker, and walked back out into the sunshine remembering that I was the one who’d stepped out on their partner.

I tucked the bag into my purse and brought Google back up on my phone so I could see precisely where the Chanel store was. Not much time had gone by, so I was sure Madison was still there flashing James’s black credit card at shop assistants and buying up everything in sight.

Up to twenty thousand dollars, anyway. I shook my head trying to clear the intrusive thoughts.

I heard rather than saw a car rush up to the curb and I took several steps back, while typing “Chanel” into the search box. The website was doing its thing, searching for the nearest store when I heard footsteps and raised my eyes.

Stefan took a couple quick steps toward me and seized my arm. When I pulled back, my cellphone clattered onto the sidewalk.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I attempted to reach for my phone and failed. “You’re going to break my arm one of these days.” His mouth and eyes were pinched in fury, and an almost visible black cloud seemed to surround him.

I pushed back at him, and he used it to his advantage, grabbing my other arm. “Stefan, let go of me,” I complained, trying to break free.

If he’d wanted to see me, all he had to do was ask. The anger etching his face told me this wasn’t a friendly visit. I had no idea what I could’ve done that necessitated whatever this was. After all, I’d stayed away from him and the casino as he’d demanded.

“Get in the car,” he ordered. He tugged my arms behind my back and pushed me, forcing me to walk to the same black car he’d dropped me off at home with before.

He opened the back door, keeping one hand around both of my wrists. When he tried bundling me in through the opening, I braced my foot against the lower edge of the vehicle. “Stop it. What are you doing?” My voice was raised, and I started to panic, twisting around so I could see him.

It was the last thing I should’ve done because I lost my leverage and he easily pushed me inside, slamming the door behind me. He strode around to the driver’s side while I tried to get out, but both rear doors were locked. By the time I began clambering up front, he got in, sat, and shoved me down.

Stunned, I leaned against the seat and started looking for my phone. I had forgotten I’d dropped it until the entire contents of my purse were spread around me.