“You should know what the strings are before they’re attached, but since the deal is done…” Caleb chewed his bottom lip and shook his head. “But he’ll never hurt you. I know he won’t, J. It’s just that… sometimes he can be impossible.”
Justin already knew this. He’d experienced Demetri’s stubbornness. “Aw, you care about me, Caleb.” He shoved at Caleb’s shoulder.
When Caleb turned, Justin saw the sincerity in the guy’s amber eyes, eyes that reminded Justin of Demetri. “I do, J.” He curled his hand into a fist and tapped his chest. “You’re right here, in my heart. I would go insane if something happened to you.”
Justin furrowed his brows. “Are you declaring your love for me?”
It was a sad attempt at humor. Caleb sighed. “Not like that. I’ve never looked at you like that. But I care for you, a great deal.”
Justin became uncomfortable under Caleb’s gaze. “Okay, if we’re done feeling our feelings, can we get this over with?”
Caleb smiled. “Let’s hit those records, J.”
Justin didn’t hesitate at the Jeep this time. He walked next to Caleb as they climbed the steps. “Huh, still unlocked from the last time,” Caleb said. He swung the door open, and the two stepped inside. Foreboding crawled all over Justin as they entered the reception area. His instincts screamed for him to run from this place, but Justin wanted answers.
“The record room should be down the hall,” Caleb said.
“As long as we don’t have to climb those stairs, I’m good.” Justin followed behind his best friend, his eyes bouncing over everything. Though the sun shone brightly outside and it was a nice, warm spring day, inside the asylum was shadowy and cool. A vague memory surfaced of his foster father telling Justin what a * he was after Justin had confessed to being afraid of the dark. He shook the memory from his mind.
Dick Reed had been just one foster parent in a line of many but had been the last one for Justin. After Dick had beaten Justin to a pulp, Demetri had taken matters into his own hands.
Why am I thinking of this now? I should be concerned about my mother being locked up in this place. Justin blinked away the images in his mind and concentrated on the here and now. But his thoughts flew back to Demetri. Justin felt his breath hitch as the older man’s face surfaced. They hadn’t made love since the night Demetri had taken his virginity, and although Justin had sought the man out, Demetri hadn’t been home. He’d fed a few times from Demetri’s wrist after that, but it always seemed rushed.
Is he repulsed by my need for blood? Justin didn’t think that was the problem, but he couldn’t help but wonder since he didn’t have any answers. That was the crux of the matter. It seemed that everything in Justin’s life held a big question mark. He was sick of the unknown, of guessing and wondering. None of the foster families he’d been with knew anything and neither had any of the social workers. All claimed they had no information surrounding his mother, aside from the fact that she’d died giving birth to him.
Justin passed many dull yellow doors, peering inside. Now that it wasn’t pitch-black, he could see that most of the rooms on the first floor were exam rooms and a few offices. They stood there silently, as if begging someone to come and make use of them. Justin shivered. That eerie feeling hadn’t gone away. Justin never did figure out what that crying noise had been, and to be honest, after passing out the last time he’d been here, he’d forgotten about the mysterious sound.
He wished he hadn’t remembered it. He was stiff with tension, praying he didn’t hear it again.
“Records room.” Caleb pointed to a door on their right. It was a metal door that didn’t have any glass in the frame, and neither man could see inside. All the other doors held a large glass window with chicken wire weaved through. But not this door. “It’s locked,” Caleb said when he tried to twist the knob. He reached into his back pocket and pulled a small case out.
“You carry lock-picking tools with you?” Justin asked. “Just what in the hell are you into?”
“I like to keep my skills sharp,” Caleb replied. “Never know when you’ll need them.”
Justin hoped he never had the need to pick a lock. After Caleb did his thing, he shoved the case into his pocket and gripped the handle, giving it a strangling tug. “Damn thing is stuck.”
Moving next to Caleb, Justin tried to help, but he had only one good hand, and it kept slipping over Caleb’s. He pulled his hand back and watched as the door slowly let loose, creaking loudly and echoing in the empty hall. It opened enough that Caleb and Justin could slide in.