Jena headed for the bed and lay down on it, staring up at the stars on the ceiling. Cade was off doing god knew what, and she just needed a few minutes to think.
There was a rap at the window, and she shot up to find two magpies there, perched on the sill. They watched her with their dark eyes, and her heart fluttered and then settled, her fear contained.
She tiptoed across the room, hesitating only a moment before unlatching the window. She moved it slowly, but the old sash window snagged at the same place it always had. Muttering a curse word under her breath she pushed harder, startling the birds onto a nearby branch as the window hit the top with a loud thud.
‘Sorry, sorry,’ she whispered, placing her hands on the window sill and leaning out. ‘I didn’t mean to startle you. I ...’ She didn’t know what to say; wasn’t even sure why she was talking to these birds. But they’d knocked on her window so they must have wanted something.
She reached out a hand and the one nearest hopped closer, cocking its head to one side, looking at her with its beady black eye. Bird eyes had always freaked her out, but she could see that this creature meant no harm. Maybe none of them ever had. She felt a bit foolish for having been afraid, but no one had ever explained to her that there was no reason to fear.
The bird moved from foot to foot and then jumped over to the window sill, landing right by Jena’s other hand. Its black and white patches were pristine; the markings could have been the shape of something familiar if she looked long enough. She cautiously raised her hand and stroked the bird from its head down its back; it wriggled, pushed into her palm and made a weird noise that she could only interpret as enjoyment, so she did it again, a smile spreading across her face. She was patting a magpie. Who would have thought?
The breeze from the window and the soft twittering of the bird must have masked the sound of Cade entering the room, because she didn’t know he was there until his hand reached out and grabbed the bird by the neck. He twisted it with his other, the small creature going limp as he tossed it out the window. ‘Piss off you rodent,’ he yelled at the other one, waving his hands at it before slamming the window shut.
Jena’s heart thudded in her chest but she was frozen in place. By the time she came unstuck Cade had crossed the room and flung himself on the bed.
‘What did you do that for?’ she asked, her voice coming out in a whisper.
‘Those things carry disease, Jena. Filthy birds. You shouldn’t encourage them, or touch them. Go get clean.’
‘But—’
‘Go and have a shower. You’re not getting in this bed until you do.’
‘Cade—’
‘Jena. I told you.’ He got up off the bed and moved towards her, the menacing look in his eyes enough to make her take a step back. She grabbed her towel off the hook on the door and left, pulling the door closed after her.
She leaned against it, sucking in a ragged breath. The look on his face ... The way he’d snapped that poor bird’s neck ….
They had to leave this place.
He wasn’t meant to be in the country, that was the only explanation. He was bored and there wasn’t enough to do, and secretly he hated it, despite his weird mentions of wanting to stay. Or maybe dinner hadn’t been cooked well enough? Jena tried to think of anything she might have done to make him act that way.
When her heart was pounding less frantically and she was able to catch her breath, she pushed off the door, heading for the bathroom. She didn’t need a shower, but she did need the time to think, and she sure as hell wasn’t going back into that room without washing off.
Jena had to play her cards right, convince Cade that leaving the farm was the best thing to do. She refused to think that her family madness was somehow contagious, but he wasn’t like this – had never acted so violently before – so it had to be something about this place. Or about her in this place. Maybe just her in general ….
She dried off, slipping into her pyjamas and drying her hair with the towel as she padded back towards the bedroom. She steeled herself as she entered.
Cade was on the bed, gazing out the window. Jena hung the towel on the hook and went to sit down beside him.
‘Hey,’ she said softly, putting her hand on his knee.
‘Hey, I’m sorry about before. I don’t know what got into me.’ He turned to face her, gracing her with a smile. ‘Good shower?’
‘Yeah, yeah it was. Thanks for suggesting it.’ She bit her nail and then forced herself to stop that. ‘It gave me some time to think.’
‘What about?’
‘I think … I think I’m ready to leave. I didn’t know how emotional it would make me, being back here. I don’t think I’m going to get to a place where I feel comfortable in these walls. I just want to go, get back to our life.’
‘We left our life behind. We were starting over, remember?’ He sat up, reaching for her hand and squeezing her fingers gently. She tried not to flinch.
‘Yes, and that’s what I want. Our new life. You and me, on the road, looking for some new destination to make our own.’
‘We were going to stay until the farm sold, until you could get your share of the money. We need that money.’
Jena bit her lip. ‘I’m pretty sure that Rose has money sitting in the bank. I bet if I talk to her, I can convince her to give me what’s mine now, and then we can go. I don’t want to be here any more.’
Cade was silent for a moment. ‘No,’ he said simply.
‘What?’ Jena frowned, pulling her hand away from his. ‘What do you mean, no?’
‘We’re not leaving, not until this is finished.’ His face was stern, but not cruel. She couldn’t understand why he was being like this.
Why he didn’t get it.
‘You can’t make me stay here. I hate this place. It’s like I can see their ghosts everywhere I go. I can see them in the hall and at the table. I can hear their laughter, their screams and yells, and every time I so much as look at the barn I remember what happened that night.’ She gasped, as though the cold air of the night was stinging her again, as though that old fear of how her daddy would react if he noticed her missing still clutched at her chest. Tears springing into her eyes. Cade wrapped his arms gently around her, and she let him, her already tense body giving nothing of her conflicted feelings about him away.
‘All of that is why we need to stay. Rose owes you. If we leave now you won’t get what you deserve, so we have to stick it out. Think of the life we’ll be able to have. This farm is worth a fortune, and land is selling fast at the moment; I looked. Hell, we could just sell it to the Mertenses. We just need to get it on the market.’
Jena pressed her lips together, trying to keep whatever was boiling in her stomach inside. Either he didn’t get her at all, or something really was changing. She couldn’t let him know how afraid she was, though, because she was afraid of him. Of what might be inside him.
‘Jena, I’m serious.’ Cade tilted her chin so that she was looking him in the eye. ‘You’re going to get what you deserve.’ A smile played on his lips. His words should have been comforting, but they sent a chill racing down her spine and she shuddered.
She wasn’t sure she deserved anything good.
‘I might take a little walk around outside, get some fresh air before bed,’ Cade said.
Jena stiffened. ‘You’re not going to talk to Rose, are you?’
He ignored her, pulling on a sweater as he headed for the door.
‘Cade, I’m serious. It’s late and she’s an old woman. And more importantly I don’t need you fighting my battles for me. I can talk to her on my own. You don’t need to strong arm her into making sure she gives me enough money.’
‘Chill out, Jena. I’m honestly just going for a walk. Do you need a drink or something? You’re really tense tonight.’ He said it with a kindness she didn’t expect, and though his face was devoid of emotion she could sense a sneer somewhere. Swore she could see a darkness over his face.
The Dark Man.
‘I’m fine. Good night, Cade.’ Her voice was chilly, and he took the hint, leaving her to it. Did she need a drink? Of course, she needed a drink, but she wasn’t going to have one. Not tonight. Not tomorrow, either. Not until she’d found a way to get them out of this mess. She waited a few minutes to be sure he wasn’t going to come back, and then went over to his bag. She pulled everything out, digging through his clothes to find the watch, but it wasn’t there. He must have it on him.
Shit.
She shoved his clothes back in his bag – he was so messy he wouldn’t notice that she’d gone through them – and then leaned back against the bed, pulling her knees up towards her chest.
Maybe just one drink. Just to unwind her, to help her sleep, because if she didn’t get any sleep, she was going to be no help to anyone.
Jena reached for the bottle.