Green motioned between the smaller footprint and John’s size-13 boots. “At least this will rule you out as the killer.”
John pursed his lips. That wasn’t enough to save Dak, and the kid knew it.
The agents mulling around the bodies talked and glanced in their direction. Their eyes darkened, their movements quick, their hands hovering close to their weapons. They wanted Ambient blood.
Green pushed John toward the front door. “I think we’d better get you out of here.”
But getting him out of there wasn’t going to change anything. They needed to feed those rabid dogs another bone.
“Sean had plenty of time on his hands after he left us last night,” John said.
The kid pursed his lips, nodding. “I can get a warrant within fifteen minutes.”
60
Tracy tugged the hair at her temples and banged her forehead against the cool sliding glass door leading to the backyard. The vision of a hideous gray-purple cloud erupted in her mind.
*I need.*
The words repeated. Adonna had moved from one-word demands like want to nearly complete sentences. I need. I want. Her insistence had grown worse since Tracy’s X-rated conversation with her mother. Leave it to Mom to accidentally start an unstoppable chain reaction and then leave Tracy alone a few hours later with no distractions to keep her Ambient from driving her crazy!
She grabbed a glass from the dish drain beside the sink and drew herself a glass of water. There had to be a way through this. Adonna needed to understand that there was more than one person’s needs and wants involved.
Tracy finished the water and slammed her cup onto the countertop. The glass shattered, slicing her hand.
“Dammit!” She turned to the sink and ran water over the blood. She relaxed her fingers and let the stream cleanse the wound as the being inside her pulsed. “Can this day get any worse?”
She dabbed the laceration with a paper towel and affixed a Band-Aid on the small cut. If she survived a car accident, she could endure this.
Stepping on the bottom of the trash can to open the lid, she tossed the paper towel inside and froze. Her towel lighted atop dozens of others, all stained with blood. Had her mother cut herself while cooking? Laini? Why hadn’t they said anything?
Her stomach rolled—or something inside her stomach rolled. She shivered and leaned her forehead against the cool glass door.
The sun peeked over the trees along the back of her property, shining down on the rabbit hole in the corner of the yard beside the garbage cans. Two brown bunnies chewed on the grass. Such a normal scene. Nothing special. Except for the incessant twitching and pressure jabbing from within.
*Want mine.*
Tracy growled, staring at her reflection in the glass. She needed to take charge. She wasn’t a child anymore. This was her life, and she wasn’t going to let it be run by anyone else. “I told you that the only option on the table is John and Dak. You need to get over this.”
*No over. Mate.*
Well, at least the thoughts were getting easier to comprehend. Then again, it could have been the repetition. “You need to understand that if I give you what you want, it will hurt me, and it will hurt John.”
*No hurt. Hold. Touch. No hurt.*
Tracy rubbed her eyes. If she really believed that, she’d find Sean and take a long stroll in the park holding hands. But she didn’t believe it. Not at all. Yes, Adonna wanted touch, but lots of it. The naked kind. The kind that could end her relationship with John.
The Ambient pulsed within her chest. Tracy could feel the entity getting stronger, as if someone had placed a balloon in her chest and slowly inflated it over the past week. “Are you done healing me? Is that why you can speak?”
*Almost. Done soon.*
That was some consolation at least, but the pressure inside her continued to build. How could John stand it?
*Give. Now you give.*
“Give what?”
The purple cloud returned to her thoughts. A color she’d equate to Sean for the rest of her life. Not like Tracy expected another answer. Adonna pretty much had a one-track mind. One could only hope she’d change her focus.
*No change.*
Tracy flinched. Adonna could read her thoughts, just like John said. So much for privacy. “Why can’t you give Dak a chance? He seems like such a nice guy. And he really likes you.”
The purple cloud changed to a brilliant green, as if that was supposed to mean something.
None of this was fair. This was her body, not Adonna’s. She had the right to be with who she wanted.
*Debt.*
Debt?
Tracy shivered. Maybe she did owe Adonna a debt. The entity had saved Tracy’s life, but in return, she shared her lungs. Wasn’t that enough?
Adonna rolled and shook within her. Apparently, her lungs weren’t enough.
The rabbits outside chased each other across the yard. Did animals have these kinds of problems or did they mate with the nearest possible prospect when the time came? How much easier it would be if she didn’t care?
Could she go to Sean? Give Adonna what she wanted?
*Yes.*
Tracy snorted. Dumb question.
It wasn’t that Sean wasn’t attractive. He was just… She shuddered. How could she even consider letting that seriously disturbed man touch her again?
No. She wanted nothing to do with him.
And the thought of hurting John, of losing her chance with him, it wasn’t worth it. She took slow, steady breaths as the pressure inside her increased.
*Don’t tell.*
There was always that option, but then she’d have a secret. Her relationship with John would be based on a lie. That wasn’t what she wanted.
The essence inside her thickened. John said she’d be able to feel Adonna’s emotions. Was this anger or disappointment? Maybe a mixture of the two. But Tracy had to wonder, with Adonna getting stronger, why hadn’t she taken Tracy over again? She could make Tracy do whatever she wanted. Why not now?
*Trust.*
Trust? Interesting. Okay, yes, she and Adonna would have to live together for a long time. Probably the rest of Tracy’s life. Trust would be good. Is that what Adonna was doing? Trying to gain Tracy’s trust?
*Yes.*
She flinched. Having her mind actually answer her own hypothetical questions was definitely going to take some getting used to.
At least Adonna was making the effort. Maybe Tracy needed to make the effort, too.
The thickening inside her dissipated and became a sparkle, like sipping a freshly opened can of soda.
So, the matter on the table was still Sean. How could Tracy give Adonna what she wanted, but still save herself for John?
The gray cloud returned. *Just touch. Just touch. Please.*
But she’d learned that Adonna lost all sense of reason around Sean. It was stupid to even consider going near him. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
The essence within her swirled and her concerns fizzled, fading to the background. She’d always played it safe. Stuck to harmless, nice guys. Not that this was a bad thing, but there was something intrinsically intense about Sean, and maybe a touch dangerous. What would it be like to be with someone like that? Someone so sure of himself. Direct. Unafraid of taking what he wanted.
*Yes. Yeeeessss.*
Adonna writhed as the mental image flashed in both their minds. Tracy winced at the thought. Adonna sparkled, stroking her from within. A haze grew over Tracy’s thoughts.
Being with Sean would certainly give Adonna what she wanted. But what about Tracy? How could she do such a thing and then face the man that she really cared about the next day?
*Please. Please.*
Adonna would never give up, she was certain of it. Tracy needed to fight her.
A wave of effervescence shimmied through her throat before spinning behind her eyes. Tracy grabbed the edge of the table, steadying herself. The fizzle in her head intensified before sett
ling back into her chest. The tension in her muscles seemed to slacken.
She blinked her eyes and caught her reflection in the picture frame beside the window. Her face skewed before coming back into focus.
Adonna had saved her life. Tracy had a debt to repay.
Her vision blurred again before becoming clear. Crisp. Like looking in a mirror.
Her Ambient wasn’t asking much. Just a few minutes. Maybe she only wanted to say goodbye? How could Tracy deny her that? Her Ambient deserved this.
*Yes! Thank you.*
“Once,” Tracy whispered, touching her reflection in the frame. “Once, and then never again. Do you agree?”
The swirling began to pulse again. Was Adonna thinking? Considering all options? Looking for an exit clause?
*Agreed.*
Tracy released the breath she’d been holding. “And then you give John and Dak a chance?”
*John.*
“Not Dak?”
*John.*
Tracy closed her eyes. At least she was half way there. Hopefully, someday they’d find a way to make Dak right, too.
Turning from the sliding door, she passed the shattered glass and grabbed the broom hung inside the pantry. She’d have to vacuum, too, or one of them were bound to find a stray shard while walking in bare feet.
As she swept the shattered glass, the depression in the countertop caught her attention. She ran her fingertips over the indent: the exact size of the base of her cup. Had she done that—slammed the glass clear through the laminate?
Her gaze carried back over the shards, some of them stained with blood, before drawing back to the indentation.
How was that even possible? She wasn’t that strong.
61
“You’re letting him go? You’ve got to be kidding me!” John threw his hands in the air, nearly knocking over a picture on Sergeant Biggs’s desk. “We haven’t questioned him.”
“Sean’s lawyer was here waiting for him,” Green said. “There’s nothing we can do.”
“What do you mean there’s nothing we can do?”
Biggs rubbed his face. “Peters, did you really assault your suspect in a public restaurant?”
John’s cheeks cooled. “Assault? He’s charging me with assault?”
“And he’s using you as part of his alibi. He says there’s no possible way he could have been at the restaurant with you and abducted last night’s victim in the timeframe her parents said she disappeared.”
John’s eyes widened. “Are her parents sure what time she went missing?”
The sergeant shrugged.
“This is bullshit. We can still question him.”
Biggs shook his head. “His lawyer is using article six of the consolidation code.”
“What the hell is article six?”
“It went into effect two weeks ago as a kneejerk reaction to overcrowding caused by closing so many precincts. It was in your consolidation paperwork.”
“There’s only a handful of cops left. Who the hell has time to read a shitload of paperwork?”
Green folded his arms and leaned against the back of a chair. “That lawyer is certainly well versed. We can’t hold Sean unless we produce concrete evidence. I can’t even overrule it with Federal jurisdiction.”
“But he’s a goddamn host for goodness’ sake.”
“He has the right to remain silent,” Biggs said. “And he’s claiming your warrant is a personal attack since he and your girlfriend…”
Fire burned in John’s chest as he held up his hand. “I got it.”
This wasn’t right. Laws that protected criminals were bullshit. If Sean was keeping his mouth shut, he knew something.
John punched the desk. “Let me talk to him. Just ten minutes.”
“Too late.” Green pointed to the small window overlooking the outside offices. “His attorney has already signed him out.”
Sean and a guy wearing a suit that probably cost more than John’s car walked through the cubicles. John shoved through the door before Biggs could argue.
The bastard had the gall to smile. “John, buddy, nice to see you again.”
“Don’t give me that shit, Sean.”
The little prick turned toward his lawyer. “See what I mean? He was like this last night, too.”
“You little piece of—”
Green gripped John’s arm. “He’s baiting you.”
The attorney pulled off his spotless glasses and pretended to clean them. “Do you intend to assault my client again, Detective Peters?”
“Don’t,” Green whispered.
John took in a deep breath to calm himself, but his pulse continued to pound in his ears.
“I didn’t think so.” The lawyer replaced his spectacles. “We will be on our way, then.”
Sean took two steps before looking over his shoulder. “Oh, by the way, tell Tracy I said hello.”
Son of a…
Green’s grip turned into a vise. “He’s not worth it.”
Maybe not, but pummeling him sure would feel good.
The entrance door shut behind Sean and his lawyer.
John shrugged out of Green’s grip. “I still can’t believe the ACDHS let that guy go. They have to consider him a suspect. You guys are suspicious of everyone.”
Green ushered John in the opposite direction. “Definitely. He’ll have a caseworker nosing up his rear by morning. If he even thinks about doing something illegal, we’ll know about it.”
“But they still could have kept him here.”
“With that lawyer? Unlikely. Besides. They still have their number one suspect under close observation.”
John stopped short. “Me?”
Green nodded. “They’re not giving up on you. They probably think your Ambient has us both under mind control.”
“Dak.”
“Excuse me?”
“His name is Dak.”
“Dak.” Green nodded. “Do you think he’d let me question him? He could provide a unique perspective now that we’re certain we’re looking for a host.”
John steadied himself against the rolling in his chest.
We don’t have a choice, Dak. Your life is on the line.
And to Green: “Yeah. Both he and I will continue to cooperate.”
*My kind didn’t do this. Life is sacred. All life.*
I know. But we have to make them believe that, too, or when we catch this creep—whoever it is—the entity inside him is toast.
“And can Dak help us look over the evidence?” Green asked.
*Does he think I went out for coffee every day? There’s nothing in those pictures.*
“Yes,” John answered. “Dak said he’ll give it his best shot.”
John shifted in his chair and placed his elbows on the table as Agent Green positioned his phone between them and called up the voice recorder. They’d chosen a private room normally reserved for sensitive meetings. No windows and no observation mirrors. Despite the certainty of Dak’s innocence, the walls seemed to press close, unsettling him.
Green tapped on a blank pad with the back of a pen. “What’s it like?”
“Huh?” That wasn’t quite the question he expected.
“What’s it like having an alien inside you? Can you feel him?”
John furrowed his brow. “Sometimes I can feel him. Most of the time I forget he’s there, unless he’s in a chatty mood.”
Green leaned across the desk. “So, he can really talk to you: full conversations in English?”
“Yeah. How is this helping the investigation?”
“I’m sorry.” He pushed back. “That’s just my own curiosity. I’m fascinated by the whole idea.”
John nodded. Green’s fascination was probably the only reason Dak was still alive.
The agent pressed the record button on his phone screen. “We’ve concluded that it is possible for the alien to take over your body without your knowledge. Can you do anything without him knowing?”
*
Only if I fell asleep, but I’m pretty much awake when you are awake. It’s hard to sleep with your host’s eyes open.*
“Dak says no. At least I haven’t found a way to shut him down. He’s always aware of me.”
Green scribbled a note on his pad. “Could the alien stop you from doing something it didn’t like?”
“Well, you know he can take control, so I suppose so.”
“That would mean that the Ambient is an accomplice. He’s letting the perpetrator kill people. Either that, or it is all the alien and the human doesn’t even know.”
John straightened. “Now wait a minute. I’m not prepared to accuse this entity without all the facts.”
“But you said that the alien can take control when it wants.”
*Not really. I couldn’t control you now even if I wanted to.*
John glanced at the desk. “Why not?”
*Your neurons have been shooting off erratically since Biggs said they were letting Sean go. It itches. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate hard enough.*
Sorry. He took a calming breath “Apparently, anger makes it harder for an Ambient to control a human. I don’t know if that little nugget helps at all.”
“You never know.” More scribbling. “But if the suspect went to sleep, the Ambient could take over either way, right?”
John tensed, glancing down at his muddy shoes. “Yeah, he could.”
Green nodded. “So, again, if the Ambient wanted to stop him, it could. The entity could walk its host into a police station while the perpetrator is asleep and confess.”
*Unless the host takes medicine to help him sleep.*
John straightened. “What?”
*I had a host that took Temazepam before he went to bed at night. It was horrible; like being paralyzed.*
“What did he say?” Green asked.
“Some drugs knock them out. The perpetrator might be drugging the Ambient every night as a safety measure.”
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