CH192

CH192
"Care to share your thoughts with the class?" Isla asked, though she looked like she agreed.
"It's… just a feeling, I guess."
And it was just that.
"I don't think the mirrors are very useful… without the lights," I frowned. The words felt right. I looked at Lukas, who stared at me with a small, knowing smile. "What?"
"I think… You have the gift," he said. "Vigdis' mother had… feelings that turned out to be very accurate. Vigdis tended to know things that she shouldn't, too."
"Well, let's hope I'm right and it stays that way until we can figure out if any of it matters."
Lukas nodded. The odd mirage-like shimmer was completely gone now. He relaxed a little, and I sat beside him.
"I'm not going to let them send you anywhere."
"The Olympic stage would be very empty without me."
I chuckled.
Isla cleared her throat. “Glad we have a plan. Let's back up a sec. Where have you been for most of the day?"
I winced. "At the police station."
She blinked. "Start from the beginning."
I sat back on my heels, letting Lukas’s hand fall from my face, and told them everything. From the arrest to the holding cell to that woman showing. By the time I reached the part about my parents storming the precinct, Isla was vibrating with glee.
“Your mother is going to rip them to shreds,” she cooed. “I'm so excited.”
“Same,” Matteo said with a dark grin. "Nothing like collusion on the books.”
I nodded. “Yes, but I still don’t know who she is and how she's connected.”
“She basically told you, didn't she?" Isla said. "Wedding plans? She's after your man!" Isla snickered. "Apparently has been for a long time." She pouted. "I feel a little left out not having anyone fighting over me."
"Your hockey player not enough?" I ask.
Isla smirked. "Well… he's certainly something, but I'm not entirely convinced he's… involved."
"You think he's involved with all of this?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Sometimes. I'm keeping an eye on it, especially since he's pseudo-buddies with JB."
Ben snickered. "I want to see his face when someone calls him that."
"Bet," Matteo grinned. "I hear I'm a friendly guy."
Isla laughed and I turned to look at Lukas. He looked angry, offended, and a little murderous.
"Lukas?"
He looked at me, and his tone was as gentle as ever, but his expression didn't change.
"Yes, Vandy?"
"Why do you look murderous?"
He reached up and frowned. "I… have no idea." A low, dangerous sound left him, something close to a growl. His hand tightened around mine. “Perhaps it has something to do with that woman… We have memories of past lives, perhaps one of mine is remembering something unpleasant."
“You look like you want to put her head on a pike," Isla said. "Best leave that to Vandy."
They all laughed, but I couldn't. Lukas still looked pale under the warm lamplight. Every time the shadows shifted, my breath caught, waiting for that mirage-like shimmer to come back. I couldn’t shake the idea he might vanish mid-sentence, mid-smile. Like I could physically hold him here again, the way I had before.
Isla stood and stretched, the tension too thick for her to sit still. “Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to my friend in IT about this woman and how she might be connected. I'll have a name. Matteo, Vandy, and Ben should look into any artifacts matching the token’s description. Lukas, you should rest.”
He shook his head. “It is more likely that I have seen it. I should help.”
She cocked an eyebrow. "Have you been sleeping at all?"
He chuckled. "I have slept far less before, but your concern is warming."
Matteo snorted and set his guitar aside. "Food before plotting. Makes mischief easier."
He got to his feet just as a timer went off and headed to the kitchen. Isla headed upstairs with her phone, and Ben went back to doing whatever he'd been trying to do before. It looked like a sketch.
Lukas stood and tugged me gently to my feet.
“Come with me for a moment?”
I nodded and followed. The warmth of his hand spread up mine as I followed him out to the back porch. We came to a stop beneath the golden lamplight of the back porch. It softened the angles of his face and made his eyes almost glow. I found myself staring at the solid curve of his jaw and the faint crease between his brows.
“Tell me you’re alright,” he said quietly.
“I’m better now.”
“Truly?”
I looked at him. “I'm out of there and back where I should be, so yes, truly.”
Something flickered in his eyes. Relief? Affection? Maybe both. Then, softly, he said, “You know, when I first met you, I wasn't sure what to make of you."
"Me?"
He nodded. "I thought you would be far more similar to Vigdis, perhaps a bit discouraged but indefatigable all the same." He chuckled. "Bubbles and sunlight, as my mother used to say.”
I wrinkled my nose. "Maybe if we'd met before Reese dropped me."
He shook his head. "I don't believe you have ever been bubbles and sunlight. Maybe you had a thin veneer of it. Your father is a very warm and humorous person." He chuckled. "I suppose that is just one thing that makes him a good politician."
I snorted. "Dad has always been personable. Too personable sometimes if you ask Mom." I tilted my head. "Why bring up the original V.W.?"
"Because I think she would be jealous that you got to punch Celeste and her minions in the face."
I laughed. "I think she would have no room to. She set Reese on fire."
He burst into laughter. "I am glad she got to fulfill her wish!"
The door opened behind us, and Ben stuck his head out. "Food's done. Are you eating?"
"Never would I turn down Matteo's pot roast." He offered me his arm. "Shall we, Vandelise?"
I took his arm and followed him inside.