Chapter eleven
Between Wickham's lead foot and Rob navigating, no doubt encouraging his fast pace, the ride to the cabin was relatively short. Lizzy wanted to ask Darcy how he felt doing things like speeding, and for that matter selling drugs, when he was a cop but had a feeling the question would be unwelcome; especially considering she had just slipped and called him by his real name. He would not, she was sure, want to encourage her thinking of him as a cop and not her mechanic, drug-dealing boyfriend.
He indulged her by arguing over the music she picked, and she was happy to see he appeared to be making a real effort to return to their normal, bantering relationship. They should probably talk about the fight, but to be honest, she was wary of making things worse instead of better; with the time quickly passing before they were about to be thrust into close quarters with people who needed to believe they were a happy couple, she feared the risk of making things awkward between them was too high.
She was also debating whether or not to make her fears of being alone with Wickham this weekend known but ultimately decided against it. He already knew she didn't like to be in his presence even in the company of others, he surely didn't need to be told that she would rather not be left alone with him. On top of that, the chances of any of them being alone with each other this weekend were slim to none, unless they were sleeping. Between Rob, Will, and Sherry, she was sure she could avoid Wickham for the weekend.
He was not an open book by any means, but Lizzy had spent enough time with both Darcy and Will to pick up on his moods. To her, it seemed that the fact that he was so stoic meant that any emotion he did show seemed to magnify on his face, and she had begun to decipher his moods more and more easily. Because of this, she had noticed he wasn't exactly looking forward to this trip either. For what reason, she could only guess at.
She knew he felt responsible for her, and although he hadn't reminded her of it in a while, to him Wickham would always be a dangerous psychopath who murdered women. Perhaps just the fact that he was about to spend the weekend in the same cabin with him and three potential victims put him on edge. Or perhaps Lizzy was simply projecting her fears onto him. The thought had certainly crossed her mind that Wickham may take this opportunity, miles away from another person, in the middle of the woods with people he was essentially in charge of and with ample places to do the deed, to off one of them. She knew some killers simply got the urge to kill, an urge that had to be satisfied. Was Wickham this kind of killer?
"You're very quiet," Darcy's soft voice broke her out of her increasingly morbid thoughts. She turned to smile at him, hoping to reassure him.
"Coming from you, that's saying something," she teased him. His brow furred slightly, in what she identified as his concerned face. She mentally berated herself for letting him see she was apprehensive. He had enough on his plate without having to worry about her mental state. "How soon do you think we'll get this place unpacked? I've been daydreaming about burgers on the grill all day."
He hesitated, but finally let her uncharacteristic silence go without comment. "With the six of us, it's shouldn't take long."
"If it is the six of us," she rolled her eyes. "The royal couple might deem it beneath them to sully their hands by unpacking the supplies they'll fully intend on using this weekend."
He gave a combination shrug and nod. "Even so, it shouldn't take long. I'm sure the rest of them will be ready for dinner soon as well."
"Not Rob," she predicted. "He will want to hike to what he refers to as the nearest mountain. It's too cold, but he will also probably jump to the lake below to 'cool off'."
"He's really into taking full advantage of being out here, huh?" Darcy asked with an indulgent smile.
"He is," Lizzy agreed. "He loves it. It's hard not to think he might have his own place out here if he had made it out of the neighborhood on his track scholarship," Darcy frowned at her comment but didn't reply. She felt she had dampened the mood once mood, so made an effort to pull it back.
"What about you?" she asked with a smile, gaining enthusiasm as the idea took hold in her mind. "Are you going to go hiking and jump into the lake, spelunking, fishing?"
"I'll do whatever you're doing," he said simply. A surprised but pleased smile arose on her face.
Not long after that, they arrived at the cabin. It was a welcome sight to Lizzy, and she didn't realize until she saw it how much she truly enjoyed being here. She had a lot of happy memories here, and she found herself becoming as enthusiastic as Rob in all the things that came to mind of what she wanted to do before they left at the end of the weekend.
Despite her comments against them, both Wickham and Jade helped unpack the cars. With all of them helping to unpack the supplies, the task was done in no time. There was still light in the sky when they were done, and Rob enthusiastically turned to the group to see who would come with him on the first hike of the weekend.
"It's dark," Sherry told him, clearly skeptical of how serious he was.
"Not yet," her boyfriend squinted out the window. "Besides, it's tradition, right Liz?"
"Right," she smiled, catching his mood. Will turned to her with a frown, either disapproving or disbelieving.
"I'll go too," he said, far less enthusiastically than his girlfriend and her best friend.
"What? I thought you were about to start dinner?" Jade crossed her arms. Lizzy disliked her attitude and started understanding why Sherry had a problem with her.
"Yeah, I've never worked a grill before, you can't leave us so helplessly," Wickham chimed in. "We'll starve without you."
"It's alright Will," Lizzy assured him. His frown deepened and he tersely told her she should at least bring a jacket, then followed her into the room they would be sharing. To her relief, the bed was a queen size. "I know you said you'd be doing whatever I did, but…"
"Elizabeth, it's not safe to go wandering off alone this weekend, I thought you understood that," he told her as she slipped a light jacket on.
"I do," she sighed. "But Rob will be with me."
"And if Wickham were to show up and tell Rob to leave you two alone?" he asked, voice low but speaking quickly, knowing they didn't have a lot of time.
"What kind of scenario would lead to that happening?" she wanted to know but he was shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter. Rob would leave you alone and I would not, that's the point," he told her.
"Maybe he would, and maybe he wouldn't. Look, don't let Wickham leave the cabin, and I'll be fine, okay?" she purposed. He thought about it, frowning.
"Let's go, Liz, daylights fading fast," Rob called from the other room. She moved to pass Will but paused, squeezing his forearm. "If Wickham showed up and told Rob to leave us alone, I would follow Rob back to the cabin. I promise I won't let myself be alone with him, okay?"
He looked down at her, but nodded stiffly, then followed her back out to the main room.
"Aren't you at least going to bring a flashlight?" Sherry asked. Lizzy noticed Rob had grabbed a jacket as well.
"Please," Rob gave her a cocky grin, then kissed her cheek and headed for the door. Lizzy turned to Will, who still had a sour look on his face, but she stretched up to kiss him on the cheek anyway.
"See you soon," she murmured. "If we get lost we'll just follow the smell of burgers home," she added a little louder. Sherry snorted, shaking her head while Will just gave her an exasperated look.
Lizzy and Rob headed out, Rob leading the way and setting a fast pace. The sun was setting and it was getting dark fast, but she knew his speed had more to do with excitement than with the thought of the fading light. They were silent as they followed the path to their favorite spot, an uphill walk to a large hill, what Rob argued had to be a small mountain. It overlooked a large valley and had a river leading to a lake where over the years they had spotted many animals. It was a great spot, one she was sure the rest of the group would be interesting in seeing once the sun was up. They knew the path intimately, and neither feared making the trek back in the dark; besides Rob was right, it was tradition to start these weekends off with a hike up 'The mountain'.
It wasn't until they made it to the top that Rob finally broke the silence.
"Look at that," he said, awe in his voice. Lizzy took in the picturesque scene below. There was still enough light shining through the trees to reflect off the lake and river below. It was chilly and a bit windy, but not as cold as it had been lately in the city. Down below, there seemed to be a lot of nocturnal animals walking and moving around. Lizzy saw a pair of foxes run from one cluster of bushes to the next, and somewhere nearby she heard several owls hooting.
"Beautiful," she agreed with Rob.
"I should learn how to hunt," he commented. "Take down a deer or two, really live off the land."
"You should," Lizzy agreed, knowing how much he loved this lifestyle. They were silent for a little longer before she tugged on his arm.
"Speaking of food. I'm starving. Are you going to jump in the lake?" she asked, guessing he didn't plan on it.
"Not me. But maybe you," he replied, grabbing her like he meant to toss her.
"Don't you dare!" she told him laughing. She kneed him, landing a hit to his chest. It barely hit, but he doubled over like she had wounded him.
"Baby," she accused him. "Race you," she shoved him a little while he was still bean over, then took off. It was the only way to get an advantage over the former track star. Predictably, he soon flew past her and left her in his dust, taunting her all the while. As well as they knew the trail, neither one of them were running full speed downhill in the dark, but they were jogging at a good place and though she never lost sight of him, Rob was far ahead of her. She knew if she stopped she would be making the rest of the walk back alone and dreaded the talking to Will would give her at the end of it, so she kept up with Rob as best as she could.
They made it back to the cabin in record time, both breathing heavily. Rob had come back to her towards the end and literally ran circles around her just to piss her off, so she ran full tilt in a futile attempt to beat him. As they reached the others, who were all sitting at the picnic table out back while Will stood over the grill, Lizzy practically collapsed next to Sherry at the table while Rob bent over, leaning on his knees to catch his breath.
"What is it?" Sherry asked, eyes wide. "A bear?"
"Giant bear!" Rob gasped out.
"Right behind us," Lizzy added, not skipping a beat. "It looked rabid – I hope we lost it."
Sherry gasped, hand over her mouth. Jade looked just as frightened while Wickham turned to look at the path leading into the woods Lizzy and Rob had just come from. Will, however, studied Lizzy's face until she cracked a smile. Rob joined her, laughing at the expression on his girlfriend's face. Wickham joined in, but Jade just shook her head and Will turned back to the grill.
"You asshole," Sherry directed to Rob but elbowed Lizzy in the side. "That wasn't funny."
"Ow," Lizzy clutched her side, still laughing. Her breath now returned to normal, she stood and joined Will at the grill to block any further attacks. "How's dinner coming?" she asked, an innocent smile on her face.
"Almost done," he replied. "How was the hike?"
"Bear free," she grinned. He gave her a look, but she also saw the side of his mouth raised in amusement.
Dinner passed with a surprisingly pleasant conversation. Wickham talked about his time in Chicago, full of stories that made him sound like a badass gang leader. That led to Will adding a few of his own false tales, though much less remarkable than Wickham's, which prompted Rob to add his own.
Once the sun had fully set, Lizzy directed everyone's attention to the sky.
"Whoa," Sherry commented. Without light pollution, they could see more stars then most of them had ever seen before. They spent some time enjoying the view and looking for shooting stars before it grew colder, and they took the party inside where Will and Rob wrestled with the fireplace for a minute before producing a large fire. As they rearranged themselves around it, the conversation picked up again and led into Rob reciting one of his favorite stories to tell, the time he and Lizzy decided they would steal cars for the Rider's.
"They were the biggest car part dealers in town back then," Rob started. Lizzy knew he was fully aware that they were still the biggest chop shop, but it would be antagonistic to point that out with Wickham here. "Lizzy was at the height of her rebellious stage," he threw a grin to his friend but was too into his story to notice the grimace she sent back.
The height of her rebellious stage was also right before her father revealed her illness to her, and the reminder of how she acted towards him during that time in her life still brought a with it the stab of shame. Will's gaze didn't waver from Rob, nor did his expression change, but he casually put an arm around Lizzy and gave her shoulder a small squeeze. His small act of comfort had her swallowing down a lump in her throat, but she managed to pull herself together and focus on his words rather than the memories.
"So we get the great idea to go out and steal a car. Neither one of us had any experience whatsoever in stealing cars, by the way," he pointed out to the amusement of the table. "We didn't know how to break into one let alone what to do once we had. So Lizzy," he stopped to laugh slightly. "Lizzy goes to the library." The table, predictably, burst into laughter at this statement; even Will was chuckling.
"Okay, but in the end, which one of us was able to hotwire the car?" Lizzy asked in playful defense. Rob waved her off.
"I still say Jimmy Ramon taught you how," he accused, ignoring any protests by talking over her. "So I manage to get this car unlocked, Lizzy managed to hotwire it and we head downtown to get our cash."
"So Rob pulls up to the garage," Lizzy took over the story at this point. "And as we're sitting there talking between ourselves like a couple of idiots about why exactly the garage looks shutdown and where everyone could be, these two cops appear on either side of the car."
"The place had just been raided," Rob informed them. Being one of Rob's favorite tales, Sherry had heard the story several times before. Still, she supportively said "Oh shit," Wickham tsked and added "Rotten luck," Will kept silent, perhaps guessing from Lizzy's lack of record that the story wasn't over.
"So Rob and I are frozen for a minute before he leans back, the epitome of casual, and says 'Officer, thank God you're here, I have reason to believe this garage is full of less than reputable mechanics," Lizzy supplied. Once more the table erupted in laughter. "I mean, here I am thinking of all the charges they have us on and how I'm going to be spending the next few years of my life in jail and he's a cool as can be."
"So they do their thing, you know, license and registration, get out of the car please and all that," Rob jumps back in. "Of course neither of us were dumb enough to bring our IDs, but we're definitely done for."
"Until…" Lizzy smiled at Rob, remembering. They both kept silent until Wickham finally said "Well?" impatiently.
"The garage blew up," Rob grinned, letting it sink in.
"What?" Jade asked, surprised.
"Old Marco was crazy," Lizzy explained. "Rumor was he knew the cops were planning the raid. Something had happened, the warrant had the wrong address or something like that so they were waiting on a new one before going in and the cops had the place locked uptight, but somehow Old Marco got in there and blew the place. All the evidence was gone and the fire department said it was some kind of gas leak. They eventually got him on something else and young Marco took over, but…"
"In the confusion of the fire, Lizzy and I high tailed it out of there," Rob finished. "It was a miracle."
The table all agreed and commented on how lucky they were. That turned the conversation to similar close call stories until eventually they grew tired and decided to retire for the night.
"Sunrise is at 6:30 tomorrow. Who's coming for the morning hike?" Rob asked. Sherry reluctantly agreed, as did Lizzy and Will. Wickham told them they were crazy to get up that early for any reason, and Jade agreed. "Don't forget to set your alarm. If you're not up and ready by six we're leaving without you," Lizzy grimaced at the thought of being up and ready that early when she knew she would probably not sleep very well that night, but nodded none the less.
She followed Will into their room, luckily on the other side of the cabin from Wickham's and the fireplace where Rob and Sherry were sleeping, so they would be able to talk with relative privacy. They were silent as they rearranged their belongings to make the best of the small room. Lizzy went to the closet where she had stashed her overnight bag but after she turned the knob and the door opened a few inches, it stuck. She tugged ineffectively at it for a few seconds before Will materialized behind her and added his own strength to open the door. She pulled on the doorknob with one hand and the frame with the other while he gripped the frame with both hands and tugged. Suddenly, it gave way. Will hadn't expected it to give way so suddenly and before he was able to stop himself or Lizzy was able to get out of the way his hand, with the force of both of their pulling the door, connected with her shoulder.
She cried out in pain and he was immediately stammering an apology.
"It's okay," she assured him, though her shoulder still throbbed in pain. "It was my fault, I should have gotten out of the way."
"Let me get you some ice," he said, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"It's not that bad," she looked down, pulling her shirt to the side slightly to show him her unmarked skin. "See?" he was silent and she felt him tense up. She was looking at her shoulder which didn't show any outward signs of trauma and was confused by his reaction; she looked up with another reassuring statement that died on her lips as she saw the open look on his face. His hand reached up as if by its own accord and he lightly ran his fingers over her exposed skin. Her eyes widened, but she didn't comment or move away.
Suddenly, he pulled his hand back and cleared his throat, asking once more if she was sure she didn't want any ice for her shoulder as he turned his back to her.
"I'm sure," she said shakily, feeling a bit whiplashed.
Getting ready for bed consisted of turning their backs on one another as they changed into warm pajama bottoms and a sleeveless top for him, and sweat pants and a long-sleeved loose-fitting top for her. She threw a few glances over her shoulder while changing, unable to fully accept that his back would remain turned the whole time, but his gaze never wavered from the wall.
The bed was in the corner of the room up against the wall so he let her get in first. She slipped under the covers and turned to face the wall. She felt him get in beside her and wondered how she would ever be able to sleep in the same bed with him.
"Goodnight," he murmured beside her.
"Night," she murmured back.
Despite her skepticism, she must have fallen asleep at some point, because she woke up freezing sometime later. The covers were askew and she was half uncovered. She was too cold and too tired to be shy or awkward. "Will," she pulled at the covers but they didn't come free. He mumbled something that sounded like "Whazit?" and sat up.
"It's freezing and you stole the covers," she explained, pulling them free and redistributing them evenly over the bed once more.
"Sorry," he murmured, his eyes still closed.
"It's ok. Sorry I had to wake you," she slipped back under the covers, curling into a ball to try to regain some warmth.
"Izok" he slurred, laying back down and turning on his side towards her. She smiled at his sleepy persona. "Cold?" he asked, eyes still closed as he reached up and rubbed her shoulder gently. He stopped suddenly, then asked "Shoulder okay?" she smiled more widely, instantly loving this side of him.
"It's fine," she replied. Truthfully it still felt sore when she moved it, but she knew he felt bad enough already and didn't want him feeling worse. His hand had felt warm the brief moment it had been on her shoulder and she couldn't help but reach out and lay a hand on his arm. "How are you so warm?"
"Just hot-blooded," he kind of shrugged.
"Do you have a fever of a hundred and three?" she asked, unable to help herself. Given his state, she had expected some kind of confused reply but to her surprise, he smiled.
"Why don't you come check it and see?" he quipped. Her mouth dropped open.
"Was that a line? Are you flirting with me?" she asked out of pure shock, laughing a little.
"Depends, was it any better than those lines my cousin used on you?" he asked. His eyes were still closed, and he was still smiling a little. She had never seen him so open and she started to wonder if he was fully aware of what he was saying.
"Those corny lines? Loads better," she truthfully replied. His smile widened and he shifted slightly so that his leg was now touching her knee. Somehow he radiated heat and she couldn't help but shift slightly closer herself as a chill caused her to shudder slightly.
He was silent for so long she thought he had fallen back asleep before asking "Time is it, anyway?" Both of their cell phones were plugged in on the side table on the other side of him. The window was covered by a curtain, but she could tell it was still dark out. Not surprising, considering Rob would have woken them up if it were close to sunrise.
"Dunno," she finally answered with a yawn.
"Still cold?" he murmured. She shrugged, though his eyes were still closed. There was not much he could do if she was.
"Not so much," she replied, shifting again until she was more on her stomach than her side, her face turned towards him, and her eyes once more closing. "Do you know how to cook fish?"
"Where did that come from?" he wondered, his voice sounding amused. She felt herself relaxing as she listened to the rumble of his voice.
"If we catch something in the lake tomorrow, I wondered if you knew how to clean and cook it, or..," she trailed off with a yawn.
"Yeah, I can manage that," he replied after a pause.
"We have the knives and stuff for it," she informed him. "My dad taught me how to clean fish when I was younger, but I don't really remember how to."
"It's not too hard," he said. "I can show you again," he was quiet for a few minutes before adding "My dad took Richard and me out camping the first week of summer break," Lizzy opened her eyes once more, but his eyes were still closed. This was one of the rare moments he spoke of his past, his real past. "He taught us how to build fires, which plants were dangerous, and how to survive off the land."
Lizzy closed her eyes once more as he launched into a story about camping with his father and cousin. She replied with the first time her father had taken her out to the cabin, and how much she wished they could live out here all the time. He responded with his first time; how he couldn't wait to return to civilization, how it had taken several trips before he valued living out away from everyday distractions. Lizzy didn't know when they fell back asleep but it seemed like an instant late the alarm was blaring and they were both moving and stretching kinks out of their bodies, the kind of kinks you seem to only get sleeping in an unfamiliar bed.
"Ugh, did we really agree to get up this early?" she wondered, sitting up in bed and rubbing her face, not yet willing to leave the warm bed.
"One of us did," he replied with a sideways glance. She gave a sheepish smile and pushed at his shoulder in response.
"Point taken," she huffed. She pulled the blanket up to her chin. "I should have just slept in my clothes."
"It won't be so bad once we're up moving around," he said but seemed to be as reluctant to leave the warm bed as she was. A moment later there was a knock on their door followed by Rob asking if they were awake.
"Yes, Rob," she replied, daring him to hurry them.
"Sherry made coffee" was his wise reply. With that motivation, Will and Lizzy changed out of their pajamas just as they changed into them: back to back. Lizzy decided to use her lighter jacket, but she also pulled out a hat and gloves. Will donned his typical beat-up leather jacket, and they both emerged the room hoping the fireplace was still lite and the coffee was still warm. They were satisfied in both cases and the foursome enjoyed their coffee sitting on Rob and Sherry's unmade pull out bed in front of the fire.
"Why do we have to be up so early?" Sherry asked, her tone borderline irritated. Rob just smiled and said she would see once they made it to the top of the mountain. Sherry looked horrorstruck, so Lizzy clarified that it wasn't a mountain.
"Says you," Rob waved her off.
Coffee finished, the group made their way outside and onto the same path Rob and Lizzy had taken last night. They barely spoke, between early morning grumpiness and lack of anything worthwhile to say. Once they reached the highest point, the sky was beginning to lighten. They all huddled together for warmth as they sat with their feet hanging off the rock overhang and watched the world wake up. In addition to the sky lightening gradually, birds began to chirp amongst themselves more and more; several animals emerged from their homes and hiding places to begin the day.
"Look," Lizzy pointed, breaking the silence. Four deer had come into the meadow to graze. Though they were a long way away, two of the deer looked up at Lizzy's command. She put her hand down and when no more words or movement came from the friend the deer resumed breakfast.
"Beautiful," Sherry murmured, uncharacteristically quite. Rob put an arm around her with a smile on his face and Lizzy could tell he was happy she was as awed as he was.
"I told you it was worth it," he couldn't help but say; she simply smiled in acquiesce.
"I'm getting stiff sitting here. Let's head back and start breakfast," Lizzy recommended. Rob was reluctant but eventually joined the others in standing.
"I hope it warms up," Rob commented, looking longingly into the lake below.
"I'm sure it will," Lizzy replied supportively.
"Another race?" Rob asked with a sly smile.
"Don't you dare run off and leave me," Sherry warned.
"Don't worry baby, I would never," Rob laughed and impulsively picked her up fireman style. "See you losers at the bottom!" he got out over Sherry's squeal and protests before taking off down the path towards the cabin.
Lizzy held up a hand to Will who was looking at where Rob was disappearing down the path with his screaming girlfriend slung over his shoulder in bemusement. "Don't even think about it."
"And lose a hand? No thanks," Will commented. "Besides, he's going to be sorry when he gets back and realizes I'm the only one who knows how to cook," Lizzy grinned and the pair started on a leisurely stroll back down the hill.
The rest of the day was spent doing all the things Rob suggested. The temperature did rise enough that it was a perfect day to spend outside. After breakfast, the six of them decided to start things off exploring the area a little. They started as one big group but Will, Rob, and Wickham started trying to one-up each other in feats of strength. Lizzy teased they were all still little boys at heart trying to impress the girls, but they paid little heed to her.
It started when Rob had climbed an impressive looking rock wall to pick a flower for Sherry. Amongst the catcalls and teasing, Wickham declared he couldn't be shown up so badly in front of his new girlfriend and climbed even higher to get a flower for Jade. While Lizzy was busy half hoping he'd fall and break his neck, Will said there was no way Lizzy could be the only one without a flower and climbed right after him, despite her protests. Rob jumped back up to join them, and they all climbed to the top of the rock wall to outdo one another.
"Look at our boys," Sherry said next to Lizzy, with a smile on her face and shaking her head.
"They are going to break their necks," Lizzy commented lightly, hiding how worried she felt seeing Will so far up with nothing holding him there but his own hands and feet. She didn't feel much better at Rob being up there either; the only one she was actively hoping might fall was Wickham. Suddenly there was a cheer. The three girls shielded their eyes and looked up to see Will sitting atop the wall holding up an ugly looking flower. Rob and Wickham were up moments later.
"Good for you," Sherry called. "But how are you going to get down?"
"What?" Rob yelled back. Lizzy laughed.
"Come on, I know a path that leads up there," she said pointing towards it and hoping the boys got the message.
"Not very smart, that boyfriend of yours," Jade commented. Lizzy and Sherry both stopped and turned to her.
"Excuse me?" Lizzy asked, surprised.
"You think showing up his boss like that is really going to move him up the ladder?" Jade asked, smirking in a superior manner, her arms crossed. Lizzy could now see how Sherry had a problem with this girl. "Especially with a man like Wickham?" The fact that she had a point made it worse.
"Please," Sherry sneered at her.
"They were just having fun. No one but you sees it as anything else," Lizzy replied, trying to believe it herself.
"Whatever you say." One of Jade's shoulders rose, but the smirk remained firmly in place. "I'm just trying to give some friendly advice."
"Ignore her," Sherry turned and kept walking up the path. "She's obviously never had friends before." This was a bold statement coming from Sherry.
Lizzy was technically dating a member of Wickham's gang too, but she would never feel a part of it, and for her, there was an end in sight. Sherry, however, was in it for life. Her boyfriend was second in command and she had a good life as his girlfriend. Antagonizing the only girl who had more power in the gang than herself was a dangerous move, no matter how temporary Jade's position may be. Nonetheless, Lizzy jogged to catch up, leaving Jade to fall back. The gap wasn't great, she didn't want to be that obvious when they came upon Wickham and the boys, but it was a small protest in itself and Lizzy didn't know whether to be proud of her friend or worry for the repercussion that was no doubt coming.
Once they all grouped up together again, Lizzy was happy to see Wickham and Rob teasing and joking with Will, no animosity present. Once they saw the girls, the men presented their prizes to them.
"My lady," Will said, bowing his head slightly, a smile tugging at his mouth. She took the weed from him, looking down at it critically.
"It's… beautiful. " She smiled, looking back up at him. "Thank you," Sherry and Jade were both exchanging kisses for their respective gifts, so before things got awkward, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.
She meant it to be a brief kiss, but at the touch of his lips, she couldn't help but linger a moment, to enjoy it. She had been waiting for a moment to kiss his since last night; it was surprisingly difficult to find a reason to kiss him, even considering they were supposed to be dating. The reason being, of course, that she also had to justify it in her mind; because, although he never did and possibly never would, she needed an answer in case he asked why she had kissed him when it wasn't strictly necessary. No matter how much she would like to say it was because she felt like it, she couldn't bring herself to make the contact without a good enough reason. Big public displays were not in line with either of their personalities and besides a kiss hello or goodbye, good excuses for a kiss were few and far between.
She didn't realize exactly how long she had been lingering until Rob gave a loud cough and Sherry elbowed him. "He won your little competition, let him enjoy his prize," she scolded her boyfriend. The spell was broken and Lizzy pulled back. She tried to smile nonchalantly but the intense way Will was looking at her made it hard to imitate normalcy.
"Let's take a break and go fishing," Rob suggested, apparently not picking up on any tension between his two friends. "I think there are enough rods for everyone."
"I've never been fishing before," Sherry informed him.
"The secret is the bait you use," Rob informed her, leading the way back to the cabin. "You just find a nice juicy worm for your hook and you're all set."
"Dream on white boy. I ain't touching no worm," Sherry shot back.
The conversation continued about what kind of fish was in the lake, if they were edible, if Will could cook them, and if everyone was on board with fish for lunch. Lizzy joined in as much as was necessary trying her best to snap out of the silence that fell over her at the look on Will's face after that last kiss. Once they returned to the cabin and searched out some fishing poles, of which there were only two working ones, she felt a little better. It was also helping that Will had seemed to bounce back himself and wasn't staring at her every five minutes.
They decided to take turns fishing and spent a few hours out by the lake. Eventually, the girls took advantage of the unseasonable warmth and ran back to get a few blankets and towels for laying out to get some sun, and left the fishing to the boys. Lizzy didn't sleep well the night before and was up so early that morning that she drifted off for a little nap and was only awoken by Will's gentle touch.
"Hey," he murmured.
"Hey," she sat up, taking the scene in. Jade was gone, Wickham and Rob were packing up the cooler they had brought and Will had both the fishing poles. Sherry was on her back where she had been when Lizzy fell asleep. "Are we done?"
"Yeah," he replied, looking at her in that intense way he had been earlier. "We're heading back," she nodded, stretching and standing up, not making eye contact. Sherry bemoaned having to leave when it was still so warm and light out.
"Lizzy and I will stay out here until lunch is ready," she suggested, turning over on the blanket they were sharing.
"Alright it's shouldn't be too long," Rob agreed easily, already following Wickham back to the cabin. Will was clearly not happy about the idea, but couldn't voice his protest in front of Sherry.
Lizzy gave him a reassuring look and said "We'll be back in a bit," he frowned but nodded. Once they were alone Lizzy laid back down, silently agreeing that this was worth prolonging.
"Where'd Jade go off to?" Lizzy wondered.
"To fuck off and fall off a mountain, hopefully," Sherry replied with a snort. "She said something about seeing if the cabin had reception."
"What? We told her there are no cell towers out here," Lizzy reminded her,
"What can I say? You can't argue with stupid," Sherry snickered. Lizzy smiled but let silence fall once more. She had no love for Jade, but encouraging Sherry's obvious disdain for the girl felt dangerous when Jade seemed like the kind of person who would wait and plan out her retaliation. Liked or not, Jade was in a powerful position, however long it would last, and that held a certain weight.
They stayed out probably longer than they should have, especially in Lizzy's case, but did eventually make their way back to the cabin.
"All this exercise, man, if we lived out here we would never have to see a gym again," Sherry joked on the walk back.
"Tell me about it. I think I've been getting lax since Will's been driving me everywhere. My legs are starting to get sore," Lizzy agreed wholeheartedly.
"He a good guy," Sherry commented after a pause. "You two are cute together," Lizzy was surprised but happy to hear this. Sherry had been flirting with Will pretty heavy in the beginning and although it had lessened considerably, she was still prone to putting Lizzy down in front of him, in a subtle, almost teasing sort of way.
"Thanks," she replied, hoping this would be the end of that behavior and not just a cease-fire while they were united against a common enemy this weekend. She wanted to say something about how she admired Sherry and Rob's relationship, but couldn't think of a way that didn't sound unnatural and awkward. Sherry apparently had other things on her mind anyway, because she went on to inform Lizzy how she saw the appeal of country life, but leaving the city, and more importantly, the clubs, would be too much for her. Lizzy conceded that life out here would become stagnant and dull after a time, especially with no cell reception, let alone the internet.
When they finally reached the cabin everyone was sitting at the table eating. Will gave her a look to let her know how worried he had become but kept silent. He made them some plates on which he added fish and corn on the cob. On the table, there were a couple of bags of chips and a container of potato salad as well. Sherry and Lizzy thanked him and joined the others at the table where a discussion on who caught the biggest fish was taking place. Lizzy was noticing a competitive theme happening with the guys and wondered if it was just a natural thing or if someone kept instigating it.
"So what's the plan for after lunch? Caves or back to the lake for some swimming?" Rob asked when there was a lull in the conversation. Sherry groaned.
"Baby some of us are not used to all this outdoorsy stuff. Can't we save some things for tomorrow?" she asked looking up at him with a pleading look. Lizzy could tell he was torn between his making Sherry happy and enjoying his limited time out here.
"Why don't we take a break now and check out the caves before dinner?" Lizzy suggested.
"Yeah, free time. Everyone does what they want to do. Myself, I could go for a nap," Wickham agreed. Rob conceded, asking Sherry what she felt like doing. Jade followed Wickham into the cabin and Will turned to her.
"What do you want to do?" she asked him before he had the chance. He frowned at her but she just smiled.
"I think there's a closet full of board games and stuff," Rob addressed them as well as Sherry. "Let's see if we can find one with all the pieces."
"That sounds like fun," Lizzy said, then frowned. "My God, did I just say that?"
"Yeah what a shock, coming from the bookworm nerd," Sherry replied but softened it with a smile.
"I'm sorry, maybe we should pull out the alcohol so you can show off your karaoke skills," Lizzy shot back with her own grin.
Sherry gasped but couldn't hide her smile. "Bitch," she laughed. Lizzy caught Will shooting Rob an amused look and Rob raising his eyes to the sky as if in reluctant acceptance.
They ended up playing cards; dealers choice. They did end up pulling out some of the alcohol to make the time pass more agreeably. Eventually Wickham and Jade joined them and they encouraged the others to drink more heavily. Will was apparently trying to keep a level head because anytime no one was looking he would refill his glass, adding almost no rum and all coke. Lizzy tried to follow his example, but the sheer amount of time they were drinking left her tipsier than she had planned to be.
This was especially evident when she stood to retrieve the bags of chips and dip for the table and stumbled on her way. Luckily no one but Will noticed. She gave him a sheepish smile to let him know she was fine, or at least aware of her inebriation. After Lizzy brought the snacks back and everyone dug into them, Rob made a halfhearted suggestion to go see the caves before dinner. It was immediately vetoed in favor of finding a scary movie and vegging out for the night. Rob didn't seem too disappointed for which Lizzy was happy; she had promised to go along with whatever he wanted to do this weekend and she was not in any state to go spelunking right now.
Will got it together enough to make dinner for them, steaks and potatoes which everyone pronounced to be the most delicious thing they had ever eaten. They also sobered up enough to start a fire in the fireplace and Lizzy broke out the s'mores ingredients. Will brought in three sticks and cleaned off the tops with a knife to spear the marshmallows on and they took turns roasting marshmallows for their s'mores. After that, they settled in for a scary movie; they voted on Blair Witch Project, hoping that because they were out in the middle of the woods it would freak them out the most.
The alcohol and long day got to Lizzy halfway through the movie and she fell asleep against Will's shoulder. When the movie was over he shook her awake for the second time that day. Sleepily, she followed him to their room and simply removed her jacket before falling into bed. He sounded amused when he bid her goodnight, but she was already half asleep and couldn't be sure.
Sometime later she woke up with the desperate need to use the bathroom. Carefully, she managed to move around Will without waking him and went across the hallway to the bathroom. After using it, clicked off the light so as not to wake Rob and Sherry and opened the door. Wickham was standing on the other side of it. Immediately, she was wide awake, her blood frozen in her vein despite her heart pounding in her chest. She tried not to let her panic show as she sidestepped him but when he raised an arm to block her and she looked to his face in question she couldn't be sure he didn't see the fear in her eyes.
"I was beginning to think we might not ever get a moment alone this weekend," he started. His statement did nothing to calm her. She took a breath, reminding herself that Will was a stone's throw away; not to mention Rob and Sherry, and that he couldn't have planned anything, couldn't have known she would be up in the middle of the night on a random bathroom trip. Unless, of course, he had been waiting all night for the chance. That thought sent a chill down her spine and she tried not to have more thoughts like it.
"Why would you want time alone with me?" she asked, managing to keep her voice even.
"I wanted to talk about your place in the gang," he replied, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the others.
"My place?" Lizzy couldn't help but ask with the tone of incredulity. This could turn out to be a dangerous conversation. Will needed to be close to Wickham but she was not supposed to factor into that, saving the fact that she vouched for him in the first place. She couldn't be too compliant either, or he may get suspicious. She tried to find a safe reply and went with something she would say if Will was real. "My place is with Will."
"Will," Wickham scoffed. "Let's face it; he's not much of a mechanic," he said with a cruel smile. "Whatever fantasy you had of finishing college together and driving off into some suburban dreamland with a white picket fence and decent jobs is never going to happen. The only thing he's good at is selling drugs."
Lizzy bit her lip to keep herself from answering. That was so far from whatever future she had envisioned for herself that it was laughable, but she had to stay in character. If Will were real- if she had met him in school and they had fallen in love, would that really be what she was striving for? Maybe- who knew? Whatever the reality of the situation was, she had to let Wickham think he had the upper hand, that he had it all figured out and he was manipulating them like puppets.
"Well, there is one other thing he's good at," Wickham added, studying her carefully. She furred her brow, not understanding. "He seems to be quick with those fists. Not necessarily quick to anger, but my my…" Wickham trailed off, reaching up to run a finger from her neck to her shoulder, where she knew she was sporting a nasty looking bruise thanks to their little accident with the door. He watched the progress with his eyes and she shuddered at the touch, which left a cold path in its wake and made her want to fling his hand off in disgust. He smiled at her reaction, though she couldn't fathom why. She vowed to only wear tight fighting turtlenecks around him from now own; she never wanted to feel his touch on her again. "It got me wondering what happens when you're the one he's mad at."
Once more, he had it all wrong. He was not as good at reading people as he thought, or at least not she and Darcy. The only way she would be in any kind of danger from Darcy would be if she broke the law and he had to arrest her. She didn't know where he was going with this, but she did know he had already told himself a story about them that she had to make him believe it was true. She lowered her eyes from his and hunched her shoulders slightly as if in shame, trying to imagine how she would behave if Will was turning his violent streak to her. Her first reaction, that she would have seen the back of him at the first sign of him taking his anger out on her, was quickly squashed.
"Only a few things bother him," she replied, thinking fast, hoping this was believable. Her eyes were still downcast and she spoke barely above a whisper. "If I avoid those things, he's fine," she shrugged a little. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Sure," he said sympathetically, leaning half an inch closer. She pushed herself against the wall; she vacillated between praying someone would wake up and praying no one would. She could handle this. "Listen. I know he's been in a foul mood lately, and that can't have been easy for you," he pushed her hair off her shoulder, running his hands through it a few times. As much as she tried, she couldn't help her physical reactions. She was as tense as a tightly drawn wire, wanting nothing more than to push him away and take a deep breath. "I'm going to do you a favor."
"How can you help me?" she asked, trying to add a bit of desperation in her voice. It wasn't hard, she was desperate to get him away from her.
"I'm going to let O'Mara in on the next big score. That should ease the tension a bit," Wickham promised. Lizzy's heart beat a little faster- she somehow knew Wickham was leading her towards this offer, but there was something very important she needed to know.
"What would you want in return?" She asked. He smirked at her and for a moment she realized he could have been handsome if whatever evil he had inside him hadn't twisted his personality and manifested itself in his features.
"I always knew you had some brains. Tell you what, you go out and get me information on The Family's next big shipment, and come by my office on Monday to tell me about it," he replied. She hesitated, thinking that might not be so bad until he felt the need to clarify that she should be alone. "I don't want you telling O'Mara, or Rob, or anyone else that you're helping me out like this, and I'm sure you don't want it to get out that you have to go behind your boyfriends back to make sure he keeps his job, do you?" he asked, sounding reasonable. All she could think of was how vulnerable she would be in his office alone, without anyone knowing she was there. He had killed at least two girls; was this all an elaborate ruse to get her someplace no one would think she would be because he had the urge to kill again? Perhaps worse yet, was it an attempt to get her alone with him for other reasons?
She was walking a dangerous line; suddenly, all those other times in her past when she thought she was balancing between good and evil, she realized she really had no idea what real danger was. A few drunken nights out with her friends when she was young, breaking into places and stealing a car or two; it all seemed so innocent and juvenile compared to the situation she suddenly found herself.
Either Wickham wanted to get her alone to quell an urge inside himself to kill again, or he wanted to get her alone with him to trade sex for helping Will rise in the ranks of his crew. And then maybe kill her anyway. She regretted never asking Darcy for information on how Wickham had killed before; did he lure the girls to him like he was attempting to do with her, or was it in a heated, drugged-out moment? Would the knowledge help her make this decision any easier?
"We can be such good friends," Wickham murmured to her. He apparently didn't know or didn't care that she hesitated, shying away from his touch. "You're so smart, so beautiful. With your contacts and my resources, we could become so powerful," Lizzy's head whirled. She needed time to think, to process, but she knew she would have to make a decision now if only to get him away from her so she could get back to the safety of the group. "And I would never disrespect you, especially not like this," he ran a light touch over the bruise on her shoulder once more.
"You wouldn't?" she asked him to get him talking again, and to distract herself from the urge to elbow him in the face. Did he notice how her hands were clenched at her sides? Did he care?
"Of course not, baby. You put yourself under my protection, and you stay protected," he looked her earnestly in the eye, his face the epitome of sincerity. "You come by my office on Monday, and I promise to keep O'Mara happy."
She hesitated, but she already knew what her answer would be. Darcy had to get close to Wickham, and she knew if she refused his offer now that any chance Darcy had of closing his case and putting Wickham behind bars would be gone. If she refused him now, Will could make all the deals he could to take down any enemy Wickham had, but Wickham would never open the door for him. She bit her lip to make it seem like she was thinking about it, but it was really to give her a moment to take the dive, to go behind Darcy's back and put herself in even more danger than she thought she could get into when this whole thing started.
"Ok. I'll do it."