A Luna's heart

HOME SICK

GREY'S POV

I turned to see that the person who had called my name was Trent, my father's friend and business partner. He hurried over to me.

He stared at me in surprise. "It is really you, Grey."

I grunted and nodded curtly. "Hi, Trent. If you don't mind-"

He seemed to know instinctively that I was about to dismiss him.

He quickly said, "Hold on just a minute. I have some urgent news for you."

I hesitated, about to tell him to save it until later. Ever since walking into the cafe, I had felt an irresistible pull to someone or something at the rear of it. Almost inspite of myself, I felt my head turning in that direction again when something Trent said caught my attention.

"...Your mother... really bad" was all I could make of what he had just said, as the cafe was crowded and noisy.

I blinked, focused on him again. "What was that you just said? Something about my mother..."

He sidled closer to me.

"Your mother is really sick," he repeated. I felt my heart contract at the news. Trent tugged on my sleeve. "Come. Let's get out of here so we can talk better."

I hurriedly followed him out. Even though thoughts of my mother filled my mind, I still had the ungovernable urge to see what I was so drawn to. I felt like a puppet on strings and my puppeteer was someone in that cafe. It took all my will power to keep putting one leg in front of the other. As a result, I walked jerkily. At the door, not being able to resist, I looked back one last time and saw a big woman and a waitress blocking my view of one side of the cafe. I shrugged and followed Trent out into the scorching afternoon sun. A middle-aged woman with angry eyes and flaming red hair stormed towards us, staring straight ahead. She muttered imprecations under her breath.

I caught the words. "...Lay my hands on that Leila..."

And then she bumped right into me, stormed past without apologizing and went into the cafe. I shrugged off the incident and hurried towards Trent. It did not take long before I caught up with him.

"Wait a second and answer me," I called out. "What did you say happened to my mother?"

He glanced over at me and shook his head sadly. "It is really bad... a sad situation... It was lucky I found you here. We can talk better in my car which is over there." He jabbed a finger in the direction of a red convertible he had parked around the corner. "I will tell you all about it and drop you off at home so you can see her for yourself. You don't have a car parked around somewhere. Do you?"

For some odd reason, Trent seemed relieved when I said I hadn't. Trent dashed forward, opened the car door and waved me in. I reached out and shut the door. The anger slowly came to the surface.

"I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me exactly what happened," I told him. "You still haven't said anything tangible. What happened to my mother. Speak up, man!"

"It wasn't my intention to hold out on you." He sighed. "Your mother is very sick. She is literally pining away."

I unwittingly stepped close to him. "What- what is the doctor's diagnosis?"

Trent looked around. His eyes lighted on something.

"It's cancer," he spat out.

I followed the direction of his gaze and saw that what he had looked at was a signpost of the cancer research institute. I raised a brow. Somehow, his words did not ring true. I instantly buried that thought as Trent had no reason to lie.

"Let's go now," I said as I got into the car. Trent got in himself, started the car.

He nodded. The car turned the corner and went tearing down the street. I looked out the window. A little way away from the cafe, what my eyes focused on was a tall man. No, not a man. A woman. The woman appeared to be in the man's way. It looked like she was in a hurry to pass and had accidentally bumped into him. The man's body blocked my view of her. All I caught a glimpse of was her long, wavy hair which was a shade of silver. It cascaded down her back. I had never seen such beautiful hair in such an unusual color. I wondered if she was wearing a wig. I wanted to see more of this woman. I instinctively knew that she was the one I had been drawn to in the cafe. I felt she would have the answers as to why I was so attracted to her, even though I had not seen her face yet. I almost forgot to breathe as I wished that the man would shift and at least let me get a clear view of her.

As soon as I thought it, the woman shifted. I still didn't see her face, but I caught a glimpse of her body. I saw a part of her leg encased in tight jeans. The shape of her body in those jeans set my blood on fire. The woman was curvy, no doubt. In a few seconds more, I would see her face. And then Trent stepped on the accelerator and the sleek car zoomed off at the speed of light. The woman became just a speck in the distance.

I slowly turned in my seat, fighting the desire to tell Trent to turn back. My breathing was ragged and I recognized the feeling coursing through me for what it was. I wanted that mystery woman with an intensity that scared even me. Maybe this was because it had been so long since I had had a woman. But I didn't think that was all. I wanted her in more than a physical way too. I laughed shakily. I had at least seen the faces of the women I had in the past. Maybe I was going crazy as well as supernaturally strong.

"Are you okay?" asked Trent, his voice bringing me back to the present. He looked at me uneasily.

"I'm fine," I said.

I closed my eyes and told myself to focus on my ailing mother. The moment I thought of her, I felt a wave of sadness. I had left home not too long ago and now this? Cancer? Though my parents and I were estranged, my life would be more messed up if I lost either of them.

"How come you are in Ashville?" Trent asked after we had been driving for a while. "Your father said you were in some out of the way town and that you told them never to contact you."

"I was just passing through Ashville."

"Oh. So... where are you based now exactly? I literally go round the world on business trips. I could look you up if I passed through where you live. We could just have a friendly chat and maybe drinks."

"That won't be necessary. I still want to keep my location... private."

While Trent spoke, I noticed that he kept glancing at the other scar on the side of my face given to me by those punks in Lair Falls. It seemed he was about to ask about it, but thought better of what he was about to say. It already looked like a year old wound and was already fading in some places. By tomorrow or the next, it would be completely gone. We drove in silence for a while when something Trent had said struck me.

"You said we were going to the house. Why not the hospital? Isn't that where she is supposed to be?"

He cleared his throat before answering. "Uhmm. She is receiving treatment at home. The doctor comes there everyday. She says she can't stand living in the hospital."

I nodded. That sounded like something my mother could do. When I got home, the first thing I would do was to find out if it wouldn't be better for her to be in hospital. If it was, I would make sure she went there. I didn't know how, but I would do it.

"I'm calling your father to let him know we are coming," Trey said.

I frowned. "That is totally unnecessary."

But Trent had already pressed the Bluetooth device in his ear.

"Yes. Connor. I ran into Grey here is Ashville... Yes... We are heading to your house now to see... Lupita. Okay." Connor turned to me. "He is expecting us."

I said nothing, just watched the road unfold before us. A quarter of an hour later, he drove into the estate. The car turned in at the enormous pair of wrought iron gates of my house. The security immediately let Trent pass. The car then set off down a long avenue of tall trees. The house soon loomed into view. I hesitated for a moment before getting out of the car. I had never thought I would be back here so soon. My door was opened by one of the domestic staff. His face was wreathed in smiles as he bowed.

"Welcome home, sir," he said.

I scowled as I got out. Down the stairs came my father, a tall, spare man with grizzled beard. He stared at me as though he could not believe his eyes.

"Grey-" he began.

"Where is my mother?" I interjected.