Alternate Soul

Chapter 8

They finished up the last 2 shows and were packing up to head back to LA. They had a month off to rest and so Jared could do press for his upcoming movie. A skeleton crew would ride the buses back with all the gear. Doc was going to take her time heading back. Jared had asked to tag along for a few days just to unwind. He liked the mountains and fresh air and hoped to do some hiking and rock climbing if he could talk Doc into stopping at a place he knew of in Colorado.
Tomo was going to meet up with Vicki and go and visit her family and then they would go back home and relax. He was also supposed to meet up with some echelon along the way to exchange info that couldn't go over the internet.
Jared was finishing up packing when Shannon came in.
"Jared does Matt still have that place in the keys?"
"I think so. Why?" Jared continued moving around packing.
"I want to take Haley there. I think it would be safer going there than Hawaii. Everyone knows that I go there all the time. I need to change it up." He seemed excited.
"You have to call him to make sure." Jared sat down on the bed. "Shannon, don't you think that you should slow things down with Haley? I mean we've only known her for 6 weeks."
"Jared, we are going slow. I haven't even been able to kiss her. She's been through a huge loss and she isn't ready for a relationship yet."
"Do you think she may just be telling you that so you don't push her and she can string you along."
"What the fuck Jared! Can't you just trust someone for once? She's not trying to fool anyone. I know more about her than you think. She's not a spy." Shannon said getting angrier.
"I'm just trying to keep us safe. There is something about her. Something different. I just can't figure out what it is and it makes me nervous not knowing." Jared ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at Shannon full of concern. "I don't want you to get caught up in something and end up getting hurt, Shan. I love you."
"Your right she is different. She's not one of the bubble-headed bleach blondes we normally fuck with. She's intelligent and funny. And yes Jared, I know she has secrets. We all do."  He walked to the door and turned back to Jared. "When she speaks again and I know she will. She'll tell us what's going on. If you don't trust her then trust me, Jared." Shannon walked out.

Shannon hoped he hadn't just made a mistake. He was taking a chance and believing that what happened the other night wasn't a dream and that it was real. He was having a hard time believing it was but his gut told him it was. That was one of the reasons he wanted to go to the Keys. The house there was very secluded. She had told that Robert person she thought that was why she finally got through was because it was quiet and calm where she was. He wanted to see if it would happen again and if it did hopefully Haley would start talking.
He knew she could talk. He had heard her singing when she thought no one was around. He thought she didn't talk because she didn't trust them enough. He couldn't blame her.

The next day they flew into Key West International Airport on a plane that Shannon had chartered. He used his credentials as a celebrity to skip security checkpoints in the airport. Security didn't like messing with mobs of people and paparazzi. It made it too easy for criminals and other things to get through when they were distracted. They got in a cab and drove the short distance to the small harbor and found the boat Matt had there to get to the island.

Matt said it was already stocked with can goods and water so they didn't need to go shopping before they left. Which was good, he didn't want any more people than absolutely necessary to see them. Shannon did have several bottles of wine stashed in his suitcase though.
"Do you want a life jacket? It's about a 15-minute ride out to the island." He asked.
Haley shook her head no and smiled. She loved the beach. It had been a really long time since she had been to one. When Shannon told her yesterday they were coming here she almost squealed but remembered just in time. She had hugged him and jumped up and down to show her excitement instead. She had to admit she was nervous about being completely alone with Shannon.
It didn't take long to get there. The island was bigger than she thought. It had some palm trees of varying sizes and sand dunes built up to protect it from storms. The house was small and rustic looking but very solid. Of course, since they were on an island they didn't have mainland power but Shannon told her they did have some solar power. It was enough to power a hot water tank, small stove, and radio. There was firewood stacked at the back of the house that had been brought in by boat at some point. And there was some oil for lamps so they had lights. Plumbing was basically a hole in the ground. The hot water tank was hooked up to some kind of water purifier thing she didn't understand but it used ocean water somehow for bath water. There was also a catch system for rainwater.