Confined (A Tethered Novel, Book 3) (15 page)

My bare feet padded down the cold hardwood stairs as I
quietly made my way to the first floor. I needed to find Theo. I couldn’t just
sit here and wait for him to come to me, because he more than likely never
would. The need for some concrete knowledge of the tether being broken was
essential at this point. At least for me.

Opening the front door as quietly as I could, I slipped out
of the house, praying my absence would go unnoticed until I returned. Everyone
had been sleeping soundly inside when I slipped out the door, their
alcohol-induced comas from last night still in full effect. For whatever
reason, mine wasn’t. I’d never been one who could sleep well while under the
influence of alcohol. In fact, when I’d had more to drink than I should, I
usually tossed and turned horribly through the night.

This morning I’d never been happier to have that issue,
because 7:40 in the morning seemed as good a time as any to search for Theo at
the only place I knew to look for him—Fisherman’s Brew.

Opening the driver’s side door to my Jeep, I turned the
wheel, angling the Jeep just right, and popped it in neutral. Gripping the
frame of the vehicle with both hands, I began pushing. It barely budged on the
first try. After a few more rocking gestures and hard pushes, the Jeep began
coasting out of the driveway at a slow speed backward. Once I got it to the road,
I cranked the engine and headed in the direction of where I prayed Theo would
be this morning.

It was no surprise Fisherman’s Brew was closed when I pulled
into the parking lot. I’d forgotten I hadn’t seen any breakfast dishes on their
menu the one and only time I’d ever eaten there. I cut the engine on my Jeep
and leaned back in the seat, crossing my arms over my chest. I’d wait for Theo
to arrive, and then I’d know if the tether was broken or not based off whether
I felt the telltale warming sensation I always seemed to feel in his presence.

After twenty minutes of waiting, I began to feel like a
stalker.

My eyes closed for a brief moment, at least that’s what I
thought, but popped open when the crunching of gravel from a vehicle entering
the parking lot met my ears. A tan minivan pulled in, and I noticed Stina,
Theo’s mother, and Twila step out. For whatever reason, the sight of them
having such a normal-looking vehicle surprised me. I wasn’t sure what I’d
expected them to drive, but a minivan was surely not it. My throat suddenly
grew dry at the sight of them. I crouched down in my seat, hoping they wouldn’t
notice me.

A stupid wish. Mine was the only vehicle in the parking lot
of their restaurant. Of course they would notice me.

My eyes remained level with the window of my door, allowing
me to see Twila as she stepped out the passenger side of the van. She began
walking without even an inkling of me being here. After three steps, she paused
and spun to face me directly. I held my breath and closed my eyes, as though
doing so would help hide me any better.

A light tapping on my window made my eyes snap open. Twila
was standing at the door, glaring at me with a disapproving look. Her dark eyes
bored into me, causing my insides to quiver from their intensity. I sat up and
rolled the window down all the way.

“What on Earth are you doin’ here?” she asked, the glare
receding from her dark eyes to be replaced by a thick amusement. “Let me guess,
you waitin’ on that grandson a mine. Am I right?”

I swallowed hard. Why was she practically laughing at me?
Shouldn’t she hate me? Shouldn’t she be tossing all kinds of powders and bones
at me in the form of a hex as I tried to leave the parking lot as fast as I
could before one stuck?

“Yes,” I answered. My voice was so small and shaky I sounded
like a mouse. I sat up a little more.

“Well, he ain’t here,” she said, placing one dark hand on
her hip. “That boy has been beside himself lately because a you.”

Dropping my eyes to the bracelets I wore, I began to fiddle
with them, scared to ask her why, but also scared to ask what I needed to know.
“Where is he, then? Could I have directions to his house?”

What I needed to know won out against my fear. The old woman
huffed at my request, and it took everything in me not to start my Jeep and
hightail it out of there.

“I ain’t gonna interfere,” Twila said. Her head lifted to
face the sky, as though she were talking to someone up there instead of me. “I
know you got some plan. Just know that it’s takin’ all I am to not deny this
lil’ girl what she’s askin’.”

She reached into the pocket of the apron she wore and pulled
out a ticket book and pen. I listened to her mutter something I couldn’t make
out under her breath while she wrote, what I presumed to be, directions to
Theo's. My heart kicked up a notch as I waited for her to place the paper in my
hand.

“Here, follow these and it’ll take ya right to him,” she
said with a sigh.

I took the paper from her wrinkled fingers just as she
tipped her head back up to continue the conversation she was having with the
sky.

“There, I done my part…and I pray that’s all I gotta do.”
Twila walked away then, and I let out the breath I’d been holding, thankful the
moment was over and it hadn’t ended nearly as badly as I’d thought it would.

I glanced at the blue and white ticket she’d handed me. Her
handwriting was the most beautiful cursive I’d ever seen, but the directions to
Theo seemed like they would take forever. There was no way I would go unmissed
for much longer at my place. Kace was bound to wake up before I got back for
sure.

I told myself that was something I’d have to deal with
later, that finding Theo was more important right now, and started my Jeep.

After shifting into drive, I pulled out of my parking space
and took one more glance at the first turn written in Twila’s script, making
sure that I got it right. My gaze dropped over the length of the turns again,
and my stomach twisted as I thought of how lost I could potentially get while
trying to find Theo’s place.

At least I’d brought my cell with me just in case.

The drive to Theo’s house was longer than I’d imagined it
would be, but Twila had given me amazingly accurate directions that were
surprisingly easy to follow. Even for me.

As I drove along, the houses grew larger, and I noticed they
were all the same historical Southern theme—large white columns held up the
porches, shutters trimmed the windows, and every home was plantation-looking.
It was then that I realized Soul Harbor had a historical district, which dated
back far more than the house I’d inherited. These homes looked as though they
should still have cotton fields growing in their front yards.

Once I neared the middle of the directions, the houses grew
smaller, and I’d wound my way back to the water. The view of the numerous docks
and boats caught my eye as I continued toward Theo’s place. Soul Harbor was
beautiful. I couldn’t believe I’d been here for nearly a month and a half now
and had yet to explore much of the town.

In that moment, I was glad Twila had given me the directions
today, not just because of my raw need to see Theo and find out about the
tether firsthand, but also because I had been missing the beauty of Soul Harbor
by staying on my side of town.

The final turn brought me to a long stretch of gravel road.
Tall trees stood along both sides, creating a tunnel of green in various
shades. Near the first corner of the road, the trees cleared out a bit, giving
way to a marshy area that looked nothing like the one Kace had taken me to near
the bookstore. This one was dark and murky with twigs and brownish grass
jutting out here and there. Sporadic rocks broke up the area, as did a few
patches of bright green grass growing along the edges the farther along the
road I went. Tall trees leaned into the water, twisting and bending at odd
angles to get closer.

It was a beautiful sight just as much as it was a creepy
one.

Rounding another corner, I got my first glimpse of what had
to be Theo’s family house. Twisting trees dripping with Spanish moss framed my
view of the house. It looked like a forgotten mansion, tucked back into the
thick weeping willows and moss-covered trees. The house was a dingy white with
shutters painted the same blue as the McNeelys new front door—Haint Blue. Tall
gray columns held up the nearly dilapidated front porch, and a set of
crumpled-by-weather-and-age stairs met me when I slowed to a stop in front.