Chapter 5

FIVE

COLLINS

“COLLINS!” Tallulah screamed my name, but I was lost to the darkness. “COLLINS, DAMN IT. WAKE UP! COLLINS!”

I heard her calling for me. I hated the rasp in her voice because it meant she’d been screaming a while. Warm fingers gripped my shoulders and shook.

“COLLINS!”

Light flashed. I gasped and my eyes flew open.

Tallulah was practically on top of me. Her wild red curls were hanging into her face. Her eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them. “COLLINS, CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

I blinked and licked my lips. “Y-yeah. Yes. Uh-huh.”

She sighed so hard her whole body swayed. “Damn it, bro.”

Bright, neon-blue lights shined down on me. It was at that moment I realized I was on the ground and the glow was the ceiling of the Sapphire Casino. I frowned. Tallulah was still crouched over me like a mama lion ready to pounce on anything that came near. Around me, I heard the musical sounds of the slot machines just in the distance.

“No, for the last time, it was our house vodka. I served the same thing to Tallulah,” Marla snapped from somewhere just out of my sight. “The same vodka I always serve them. The same vodka I’ve served to hundreds of other clients tonight.”

“How much vodka, Miss Maple?”

I scowled. I knew that voice. That was Paulie, head of casino security. What is he doing here?

Marla sighed. “I serve them less than the normal pour for any drink they order.”

“Why?” Paulie growled.

“Because they’re young girls!” she snapped back. “We’re friends, and I watch their back so they don’t end up in a ditch or a hospital bed.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I didn’t drink any of it yet.”

Marla gasped and then suddenly her pretty ebony face was hovering over me next to Tallulah’s. Her amber eyes were dark with worry. “Hey, you. You okay?”

“What happened?”

“You fainted, bro.” Tallulah grimaced and leaned back on her heels. “You’ve been out for a few minutes.”

My eyes widened. “ What? ”

“No, no—” Marla pushed me back down because, apparently, I’d tried to sit up. “Just give it a second. Breathe for me a bit more.”

And then Paulie slid into my view on the other side of Tallulah. His silver buzz cut hair looked sharp as glass from this angle. He had a handlebar mustache I’d never seen on him before, and it was kind of intimidating. “Did you say you didn’t have any of your drink yet?”

“Is your mustache new?”

He frowned and then chuckled and shook his head. “Yes, I’m annoying my wife with it. Now, answer my question.”

Paulie was like our unofficial grandpa. We’d known him for a decade, if not more. He was the one who got us jobs at various places in town once we turned sixteen and then at our current job when we were old enough. Paulie was former military special ops, though I didn’t know the details. He looked scary but was actually a cinnamon roll. His wife, Betty, was the sweetest woman in the world.

“ Collins, ” he growled.

I sighed and scrubbed my face with my hands. “I did not drink it.”

He put his hands on his hips. “Take me through what happened.”

“Is the entire casino watching us?” I frowned and craned my neck around to try and look.

“Nah, the apache boys immediately cleared the high rollers’ section and closed the curtains so no one else can see us.” Tallulah grinned. “Right now, they’re interrogating the guys we were playing with.”

The apache boys were the other guys on the security team—nicknamed because they moved like apache helicopters and because they all used to fly them in the army. They were our friends.

“For the love of . . . Collins.” Paulie pinched the bridge of his nose. “Start talking or I’m calling an ambulance and then your mother.”

I groaned.

“What happened?”

Images of Lilian and that damn penthouse flashed through my mind. I wondered if Paulie would be mad at us or if he could help us out, but that wasn’t the conversation we were having. I sighed and shrugged. “We were playing blackjack. Roger left to meet his wife. A new guy joined the table. Then we decided to go play roulette. Tallulah led the guys to the table, and I went to the bar. Marla made us two bougie martinis with extra low vodka because we ain’t be tryin’ to get sloppy out here. Then I walked to the roulette table. I spilled my drink because I’m clumsy and then I bent over to wipe my leg and noticed my anklet was stuck on my shoe—oh God, am I flashing anyone? Did I?—”

“No, no.” Tallulah shook her head. “I actually caught you. Our drinks are soaked into the carpet by now, but as soon as your eyes rolled back, I knew you were going down and I caught you. Just laid you down as a precaution.”

I sighed and squeezed her hand. “Thanks, bro.”

“I got you, bro.”

“Anyways, I squatted down to fix my shoe and then stood up too fast. That ever happen to you? Like, you stand too fast and everything goes black for a second?”

Marla, Paulie, and Tallulah all scowled.

My stomach tightened into knots. I sat up and braced myself for it to happen again, except it didn’t. I blinked and looked around. Tallulah wasn’t lying. We were separated from the casino by thick sapphire-blue drapes. There was no one else there with us.

“Paulie, they’re kids, ” Marla said with a sigh. “You’ve got them out here five nights a week on top of their school schedule. They’re probably sleep deprived and underfed.”

Tallulah grimaced. “We were having cocktails with friends before we got here.”

My stomach turned just thinking about before here.

Paulie cursed. “All right, girls. Go home.” He held his hand out and lifted me to my feet.

Again, no blackout. Weird.

“Thomas, I’m sending Collins and Tallulah your way. I want you to drive them home, and report back to me once you drop them.” Paulie whistled once and then the curtains were yanked open by one of the apache boys. Paulie turned to Marla. “Miss Maple, you may go back to work now. Thanks.”

She squeezed my hand and winked. “Call me if you need anything. Feel better.” Then she turned and headed to the bar.

I turned to say something—and froze. He was at the bar. Him. Mr. Moonstone. He was sitting right at that same barstool he’d been at before. His eyes met mine. He cocked his head to the side and frowned. My pulse skipped beats. Heat rushed through my body. Wait a second. A memory flashed through my mind. When I’d bent down, I’d seen his shoes. That was why I stood up so fast. I’d seen his face though . . . right before everything went black.

“Collins?”

I jumped and spun at the sound of Tallulah’s voice. “Yeah?”

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah, yeah. For sure. Let’s go.”

I nodded and smiled at her and Paulie, so they turned and headed to the exit. I glanced over my shoulder to the bar and gasped. He was gone. Mr. Moonstone was gone. I looked around, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Bro, you’re killing me here.”

“Where’d he go?” I turned to face her and pointed back at the bar.

Tallulah arched one eyebrow. “Who?”

“The guy . . . the hot one.”

She scowled. “I don’t know. Last place I saw him was at the bar, then you fainted and I stopped caring where he was.”

“Oh . . . okay . . .”

“ Why? ”

“I could have sworn I just saw him sitting there.”

She cocked her head to the side and hooked her arm through mine. “Let’s go home and shake this night off.”

I nodded and let her lead me toward the rest of the casino, but my gaze scanned left and right and back. Mr. Moonstone was nowhere in sight. He was just . . . gone.

Thirty-seven minutes later, Tallulah and I were walking through the door of our tiny little studio apartment. Three feet inside, we both sighed and stopped. This had been the weirdest night ever. I just wanted to sleep it off.

My stomach rolled and my mouth watered. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. “When’s the last time we ate?”

“Umm . . . that is a good question.” She chuckled. “Let me see if we have any snacks left. Take off your shoes. Go lay down.”

I opened my eyes and looked down at my feet. So that’s why they’re killing me right now. I’d forgotten I was wearing stolen Louboutin stilettos. They hadn’t started hurting until shortly before the fainting incident, but now they were like fire wrapped around my feet. I hissed with every step I took toward our giant, black, leather sectional sofa, then practically threw myself down. This couch took up most of the space in our studio, but Paulie had given it to us when we moved in freshman year because his wife wanted a new couch. It was literally the best couch ever. We actually used it as a bed the first week of school until our mothers found out and threw a fit.

We got a bunk bed so we’d have more room for activities. I was little so I had the top bunk, but I didn’t mind. I liked heights. But right now, that bed was way too far away—and I didn’t think climbing was a good idea for someone who’d just fainted. The couch would be my bed for the night. Plus, from here I had a perfect view through the glass balcony door with the sparkling lights of the strip in the distance.

We were broke college girls who insisted on living on campus despite our parents being twenty minutes away, but we cherished our independence and freedom. As a result, a tiny studio apartment with a pathetic little excuse for a kitchenette and one closet was what we had. Though the balcony was nice.

“You dead, bro?” she called from the far wall where our kitchenette was.

“Bro, I don’t know.”

I sighed for the millionth time that night, then reached down to unzip my shoes. It took me a second to peel them off my sweaty feet while lying down, but I finally managed. Tallulah was grumbling and digging through our cabinets for something to eat.

All I wanted was my sweatpants and hoodie, but they were too far away, and I didn’t want to get up. I felt weird. Normal, just slightly . . . off. Sounds weren’t as sharp, lights far less bright. Everything seemed a little hazy, like blurry but not. I rubbed my eyes.

“We’re, like, out of food,” she groaned and slammed a cabinet closed. “We were gonna go grocery shopping tomorrow, remember?”

I cursed. “What do we have?”

“Several pizza delivery apps on our phones?”

“No way. That’s expensive.” I opened my eyes and stared at the lights of the strip. “It’s a Friday night. It’ll take too?—”

Light flashed at the corner of our balcony, then bounced in the air like it was flying. I frowned. The light grew bigger and bigger as it flew closer until it had to be a few feet tall. I blinked and rubbed my eyes and the hazy light sharpened into—wings. Those are wings! But not like bug wings, more like angel wings without feathers and they were attached to a large creature with long pale blue, almost white hair.

I gasped and sat up straight.

Big, pale-blue, white-ish eyes met mine.

It’s YOU.

My heart stopped.

It was him.

Mr. Moonstone had big glowing wings that barely flapped behind his back. Only the upper half of his body was visible over the wall of the balcony— wait a second. We’re ten floors up. He’s FLYING? It was a stupidly delayed thought. My brain was so mushy all of a sudden. My stomach dropped like I was on the rollercoaster at New York, New York.

Mr. Moonstone was flying outside my apartment balcony ten floors up.

No, no. Collins, use your brain. People don’t have wings. People can’t FLY.

Oh, yeah? Then how is he out there right now? Wait, maybe he’s just standing on the balcony below ours? Yeah. Yeah, that’s more plausible.

Wait, did he follow us home?

My mind was spinning and arguing with itself. Logic was trying to rationalize what I was seeing and what was happening in my head. I wonder if he drugged me? I’d heard stories from Paulie about chemicals that could be used to affect someone else’s functions. That had to be it. He had to have drugged me somehow and this was just a hallucination.

He was not flying outside my balcony.

But the heat in that stare felt real. I felt it like a laser on my skin as his gaze traveled down my body.

I tapped the couch beside me. Tallulah. TALLULAH. My mouth wasn’t working.

“Nope. Gross. The Doritos are stale,” Tallulah yelled from the kitchen.

Mr. Moonstone’s eyes narrowed and then he jumped—and landed on my balcony right outside the glass door. I tried to move, but my body was locked in place. This isn’t happening, Collins. Snap out of it.

“Damn it. The potato chips are also stale.” She gagged and then the sink turned on like she was washing her mouth out.

Mr. Moonstone walked forward, moving closer to the door. Those silver shoes of his glistened in the moonlight. He reached out and the crystal bands on his fingers sparkled. His long fingers wrapped around the door handle. He twisted it and pushed, but it was locked.

“Bro, don’t go outside!” Tallulah yelled from halfway inside the fridge. “You faint and drop ten floors, and I’ll kill you.”

“Tallulah . . .”

“I’m serious. Just lay on the couch.”

She wasn’t watching this. Mr. Moonstone’s gaze snapped over to Tallulah, then shot back to me. He smirked and light flashed from between his fingers. My pulse skyrocketed. I gripped the couch and the leather creaked. He twisted the doorknob again and pushed.

The door flew open and crashed into the wall with a bang. Picture frames crashed to the floor.

I leapt to my feet. “TALLU?—”

Everything went black again.

“COLLINS!” Tallulah screamed.

Light flashed and my eyes flew open. I gasped and jumped—and slammed right into Tallulah.

“brO,” she groaned, gripping my shoulders. “Stop!”

I froze. We were on our knees on the fuzzy yellow rug in front of the couch. My pulse was pounding so hard in my ears that I couldn’t hear anything else. I looked up and found the balcony door closed and the deadbolt locked. The picture frames were hanging on the wall right where they belonged. I scanned the apartment, but it was just one big room except for the bathroom, so I knew no one was in here with us.

“Bro, what the fuck?” she groaned and rubbed her forehead.

“Did you hear the balcony door open?”

“Yeah. But I said to stay on the couch.”

“But you heard it open?”

She narrowed her green eyes at me and moved to get in my line of view. “Of course I heard it. You opened it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.” She pointed over her shoulder at it. “I heard it open. When I turned, you were standing here and then you fainted. Again. Hence, why I said to stay off the balcony.”

“Bro, I didn’t open the door.”

She waved her hands in front of my face. “Yes, you did. How else did it get open? Are you okay?”

“I didn’t open it.”

“Then who did?”

I blinked and swallowed the ball of nerves in my throat. My fingers were shaking, so I buried them in the fuzz of the rug. “Mr. Moonstone,” I whispered.

She pursed her lips and nodded. “And who is that?”

“The guy from the casino. With the long pale-blue hair and pale-blue eyes that look like moonstones.” I took a deep breath and shook my head. “The one I gave the condom to at the bar.”

Tallulah’s face fell. “That’s not funny.”

“No shit.”

She scowled and jumped up, then leapt over to the balcony door. With a quick flick of the deadbolt, she opened the door and stepped outside. The balcony was ten feet long and four feet wide, with only two chairs as décor, so it was easy to see it all at once. Her red curls bounced in the wind as she leaned over the edge of the balcony.

My eyes burned. She was checking to see if there was someone out there. She didn’t outright insist I was crazy. That meant more to me than I knew how to process at the moment. But then she spun and hurried back inside. She locked the door and leaned back against it. For some reason, I noticed she’d also taken her shoes off and was barefoot.

“Okay, bro. Break this down for me.” She pursed her lips and eyed me like I was a bomb about to explode. “What just happened?”

I groaned and shook my head . . . then I told her exactly what I saw. Every detail.

Tallulah listened quietly. When I was done, she wrung her hands together. “Not gonna lie, I’m concerned.”

“I’m also concerned.”

She crouched down in front of me. “Maybe we should go home for tonight?”

I opened my mouth to refuse, then shut it. It was a good idea. Independent woman and all, something was happening to me. Even if it was just anxiety, my mom would know what to do. And I knew by the look in my best friend’s eyes that this wasn’t up for negotiation.

“Okay. Right. Good idea.”

“Don’t move.”

I squeezed my eyes shut so I couldn’t see something that wasn’t there. A few seconds later, warm material landed in my lap. I opened my eyes to find my sweatpants and hoodie, and it made me smile despite everything. My bestie understood me. I glanced over and found her already halfway changed. Without standing, I pulled my dress up and over my head and then tugged my hoodie on. The soft warmth of the cotton made me sigh with happiness. I hadn’t realized I was cold until it was gone. Every muscle in my body instantly relaxed.

“Besides, home has real food. Lots of it.”

I chuckled and jumped to my feet—and Mr. Moonstone’s face appeared in the reflection of the glass door. I gasped and spun around, but no one was there. It was just the couch that was backed into a wall. Nothing could be behind it.

“Collins?”

I blinked and stared at the spot where I’d seen his reflection. “I gotta get out of here, bro.”

She gripped my shoulder and squeezed. “What’s going on over there, bro?”

“I . . . I don’t know. I thought I saw . . .” I shuddered and dove for my sweatpants. It took me a second to pull them on. My pink Ugg boots appeared in my line of sight, so I grabbed them and shoved my feet into them. Once I was all bundled, I looked up and met her concerned green stare. “Let’s just go home.”

She narrowed her eyes on me. “Did you see him again?”

I nodded. “In the reflection.”

She nodded once, then took my hand and dragged me to the front door. I didn’t fight her. My feet flew over the fake hardwood floors as she shoved me into the hallway. Something moved in my peripheral vision. I looked toward it and saw him flying on big wings right outside the window. I choked on a scream and half-turned to grab Tallulah’s arm. I spun her around—and he was gone.

Again.

I whined.

Tallulah shivered. “Bro, you’re freaking me out a little.”

“Bro, I’m freaking me out a little.”