Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

LOMD Chapter 2 - You Can't Go Home Again

Chapter 2

WHEN THEY got to the road, Vivienne was surprised to see a car immediately pull over. There was a man with greasy hair wearing a black suit in the driver seat.

"Lost?" He asked as he lifted his eyebrows at Blake. This was definitely not the type of man Vivienne would get into a car with during the wee hours of the morning but Blake wasn't daunted.

"We're heading to the nearest train station," Blake said. "Will you take us there?"

The man nodded and motioned for them to enter the back seat. Vivienne noticed as she opened the car door, the driver shoved some folders in a glove compartment. She noticed a logo of a hawk on one of the folders. Blake cleared his throat as he noticed her prying eyes.

"Will this cover it?" Blake asked as he took three bills out of his wallet and handed it to the driver. Vivienne rolled her eyes as she saw the handful of one hundred dollar bills. Yes, Blake Thorne was rich, so rich that he had absolutely no concept of how much anything cost. For that amount, the driver could take them two states over, never mind to the nearest town. The driver shook his head.

"No, of course, that's not necessary."

"No, I insist," Blake said. The driver seemed to swallow hard and reluctantly shoved the money into his jacket pocket.

"Train station?" Vivienne asked as he settled down beside her. At least with the black leather interior, there wasn't going to be any concern of Blake bleeding onto the car seats. Judging by how nervous the driver was, she didn't think the man would have any complaints. "Have you taken public transportation ever, Blake?"

"What an unfair question, Vivienne," Blake said as he pretended to be hurt. "Are you insinuating I'm some type of a snob?"

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "I don't think you're going to like it. Actually, I am having second thoughts about taking you home to Lewisville. Frankly, I think you're going to wish I left you on that boat."

"I can take you to Lewisville if you would like," the driver offered. "I'm actually on my way there so it's not out of my way at all."

"See," Blake said with a smile. "Things have a way of working themselves out."

Vivienne sighed and nodded. She had to admit, this was better than bringing a man who was covered in blood onto a crowded train.

~*~

The sun was starting to peer over the horizon, turning the sky cotton-candy pink as the car pulled up the street to her parent's house. Vivienne must have rung the bell twenty times before she allowed herself to acknowledge that there was something sincerely wrong. The mailbox was stuffed full of outdated mail. The windowsill was covered in about an inch of dust. There were leaves all over their front lawn. No one had been there in ages.

With shaking hands, Vivienne found the secret key that her mother hid under a loose brick in the yard. Vivienne used it to open the front door only to find another pile of mail and newspapers jamming the door from being opened completely.

Vivienne burst inside, expecting to see her family watching tv on the living room couch but imagine her surprise when there was nothing there but an outline of dust where the chair used to be. She ran up to her parents' room. Maybe there was an explanation for this. Maybe when she flung open that door, her mother would be on the other side understandably livid that her father had gambled away the furniture.

When Vivienne opened her parents' door, her hope died. There was nothing inside. Their bed was gone as was as all the contents of her mother's closet. All that was left was a pile of her father's old shirts lying in a crumpled mess. A pair of her mother's shoes with broken straps were sitting beside them. Nothing else was left.