Lost in the Shadows

Chapter 24

Santa Carla Boardwalk blazed in tiny lights, illuminating the archway that stretched above the hoards. The pier was busier than usual, even for the summer season, because word had spread quickly that Tim Capello was playing. Michael was suddenly grateful that Sammy had nagged at him to head down to the boardwalk early, because they had a prime spot right at the front. Barrels of fire blazed along the front of the stage, flickering an eerie soft glow over the swaying crowd and making Capello's hard sculpted body appear as though it had been moulded from wax. It would have been impossible for either brother to exchange any words, the blast from Capello's sax was deafening and the roar from the crowd as they clapped and sang along drowned out everything.

At eighteen Michael was super conscious of being 'cool' but even he couldn't supress the appreciative grin from his face as he locked eyes with Sam. This guy was great! Sam was jamming away beside him, his teased blonde hair – totally opposite from the loose dark curls Michael had inherited from their father – bobbed gently as he rocked away. Michael thought it was great to see him so happy, he knew his little brother had been apprehensive about moving here. Being the new kid in school totally sucked. Little did Michael know, being the new kid at school was soon to be the least of their worries. The brothers were so engrossed with the show, swept up by the teeming, pulsing life of the crowd around them, the beat that throbbed deep in their veins, neither one felt the sharp, icy gaze on their backs.

The salty tang of the ocean air mingled with the warmer, headier scent of so many hot and sweaty bodies crammed in one place, along with the sweet undertones of cotton candy from the stall further down the pier. David loved the bass that boomed through the boards and up into his body, taking up so much space in his brain that there was little room for any other thought or feeling. Even on the fringe of the crowd the beat was all-encompassing. He sat back astride his still motorcycle, the smallest of smirks on his cold lips as he tracked Star with his eyes. The girl had begged him to let her come to the boardwalk tonight, wanting to see this Capello guy, she had raved about him ever since she'd come back from Tozier's the other night. David had agreed, on one condition. That tonight she made her first kill.

Star would then truly be one of them, would belong completely to him and would therefore be out of Max's reach. David's maker would no longer be able to control any decision relating to the girl, leaving David free to explain about Laddie, to take her warm, soft flesh in his arms again and caress her silk-soft skin with his lips. He could whisper his love tenderly into her ear and David's eyes closed momentarily at the thought. He took one long, last drag from his cigarette and flung the butt to the floor.

Star had reluctantly agreed to this deal. She felt helpless – stuck in limbo, unable to move forwards with him in any way and barred from going back to her old life. Life before David, if ever there had been one. Still, at least Dwayne would be around, and like Tozier said, even if David didn't want her, someone else might. She knew she was pretty, beautiful even, now eternal blood pumped in her veins. Star had never been particularly vain, but she would had to have been blind or stupid to not see the adoring, lustful glances she drew as her hips swayed to the rhythm with a slow seductiveness. Her tumbled cocoa-brown curls fell over her almost bare shoulders, framing her delicate upturned face and beautifully wide eyes that were currently closed as she lost herself in the music. Bathed in the glow of the barrel fires and the clear moonlight, she was enchanting to the point of ethereality.

Twirling on the spot, fanning her long skirt out around her slender legs, Star opened her eyes and found she was staring directly into two gentle dark blue eyes from across the sea of people between them. Michael was mesmerized by the girl who had climbed up onto a platform at the side of the stage, no doubt to get a better view, pulling a little brown haired boy up after her. The small smile on Star's lips froze as her gaze flickered from the stranger's eyes to the piercing stare of David, sat squat on his bike a little way off from the dancing crowd.