The Undead Uproar
Page 28
“There.” I pointed toward a dumpster behind a small Creole restaurant.
Jack made a face. “You want me to hide in the dumpster? No way.”
“I want you to get behind the dumpster,” I corrected, refusing to back down. “You don’t have a choice. Things are about to get hot.”
“How so?”
I almost felt sorry for him. “They just are. Move over there. Please. I want you to be safe. That’s the only thing I care about right now.”
“I want you safe, too. I’m not leaving you.”
I heaved out a sigh. “Fine. I ... .” I trailed off when I saw a hint of movement at the far end of the alley. I heard Madame Brenna and her zombies closing behind us. The face at the other side of the alley should’ve been surprising, but it oddly made sense.
“Detective Thibodeaux,” I forced out, shaking my head. “I guess it was too much to hope you weren’t involved.”
He didn’t look upset about being called out. “I told you to stay away from this.”
“I guess now we know why you were so hell-bent on framing Charlie for the zombies,” Jack groused. “You knew your mother was behind it.”
“You should’ve just stayed out of it,” Thibodeaux snapped. “Why couldn’t you mind your own business?”
I pressed my hand to Jack’s chest, resting my fingers above his heart. The steady beat calmed me as I readied myself. “You should leave now, detective. You should run.”
“I’m not going to run.” He was incredulous. “My mother is going to help me get everything I ever wanted, including my father’s spot as chief of police.”
“That’s what you want? You need to surpass your father because she’s convinced you that it’s necessary.”
“My father was a terrible man who kept me from my mother because he had power and enjoyed wielding it over her.”
“I saw what happened,” I countered. “Your mother was bristling under the expectations of your father. She didn’t have to stay. She could’ve left and fought for you. She willingly walked away from both of you. She could’ve stayed in your life, but she chose not to.”
“That’s not true!” Thibodeaux’s face reddened with rage. “You weren’t there. You don’t know.”
He was too far gone to help. The sound of Madame Brenna’s breathing told me I was almost out of time. If I expected to help myself – and Jack – I couldn’t be distracted.
“You killed your ex-husband, didn’t you?” I pinned her with an expectant look. “I know how this works. You earned power from the murder and passed it on to your son. That’s how he saved those kids and became famous.”
Madame Brenna smirked. “You really are smarter than you look. You’re right. I needed to bolster my power. The jolt Harley gave me wasn’t even close to what I expected. I was supposed to be something extraordinary. Harley screwed me, yet she still searches for my soul as payment for an unfulfilled deal.”
“You’re wrong about that,” a voice called from a nearby rooftop. I’d sensed her a split-second before I heard her, so I wasn’t all that surprised to find out we weren’t alone. It was Harley. I could barely see her because of the darkness, but I recognized her. “I don’t need to search for you. I realized right away that Charlie had been in contact with you. I just had to wait for the right moment to make my move.”
The fear that worked across Madame Brenna’s face was legitimate and profound. “What do you intend to do?” Her voice turned squeaky. “You can’t take me. You missed your deadline.”
“I can take you whenever I want.” Harley looked smug. “If I take you now, though, Charlie will still have to take out the zombies and your son. It’s probably best we do it together at the same time.”
I realized what she was suggesting. “How?”
“You know how.” Harley snapped her fingers and conjured an odd lantern out of thin air. It was octagonal and didn’t look as if there was any way for it to sit flat on a table. “The world will end in fire.”
I recognized the words and frowned. “The barker.”
Her smile was kind. “Papa Legba likes playing dress-up.”
I swallowed hard as a multitude of images collided in my mind. He always knew exactly how this would end. He didn’t want my soul, but what was to come would leave a mark on it.
“Is there no other way?” I asked finally.
“I’m sorry.” Harley appeared sincere. “I’m not even supposed to get this involved, but I want to help you. This is a problem partially of our making. We can finish it together. Right now.”
I heaved out a sigh, uncertain. Then I felt warmth rush over the fingers resting against Jack’s chest. He placed his hand over mine and caught my gaze.
“I don’t know what you’re going to do but I have faith in you,” he said quietly. “Do what you have to do. We’ll get through it.”
He sounded so certain. “I ... .”
“It’s okay.” He tightened his grip on my fingers. “Look at me. Keep your eyes on me. I’ll tell you to do it when it’s time ... even though I have no idea what you’re going to do.”
“How can you tell me if you don’t know?”
“I have faith.”
A lone tear slid down my cheek as I gulped.
“It’s time,” Harley announced.
I wasn’t watching, but I knew the moment she released the strange lantern. Jack moved closer and rested his forehead against mine. “Now,” he said on a sigh as I let loose my magic.
It rushed out of me, causing me to press my body against his. Automatically, he wrapped his arms around me as the lantern exploded and the flame ignited.
We were safe in our small alcove, the dumpster serving as a barrier of sorts, but the wall of flames spread along the alleyway faster than I could’ve imagined. The zombies didn’t scream. They didn’t run or flee in panic. They just stood there as the flames absorbed them … and then they were gone. Madame Brenna and Thibodeaux were different stories.
I was certain I would have nightmares about their screams for weeks to come.
Jack kept his arms around me, his forehead against mine, and neither of us watched the mayhem. It was time to look forward.
We still had a mountain to climb, and I wasn’t ready to stop until I reached the peak.
Twenty-Nine
Jack and I were filthy messes when we got back to the hotel. The aftermath of the fireball that swept through the alley drew emergency personnel in the form of paramedics, firefighters and numerous police officers. That was on top of the looky-loos who gathered to watch from a distance.
We lied. We said we’d been walking down the street and had no idea what occurred. We said we’d heard voices, a man and a woman – which would explain Madame Brenna’s body found twenty feet from that of her son. We didn’t mention recognizing Thibodeaux. We played dumb. Jack said that was the smartest move and I was too tired to argue.
I heard the emergency responders talking. They marveled at the number of bodies found, assuming the loss of life was profound. We knew better. Only two lives were lost – evil lives at that – but we couldn’t share information.
The coroner’s office would be busy the next few days. When it came time to identify the bodies, they would find that the deceased had been gone for days … weeks … and months. Heck, given how some of the bodies looked in the glimpse I got before bringing down the fire, there was every possibility some of them had been gone for years.
“They’ll assume it was some sort of hoax,” Jack explained on the elevator. We hadn’t spoken since leaving the scene. It took twice as long to trudge to the hotel as it would’ve under normal circumstances. Our bodies simply wouldn’t let us move faster. “They won’t accept the possibility that it really was zombies.”
“They don’t want to believe, so they won’t believe,” I said dully. “I get it.”
“Charlie … .” He said my name with a mixture of frustration and exhaustion.
“I’m sorry.” I held up my hands, frowning
at the grime I found there. “I’m so sorry.” I broke on the second apology and started crying. Emotion simply overwhelmed me. I’d never put my magic on display like I had this evening, never expended that much power. The fact that I took two human beings out in the process made things worse.
“Oh, Charlie.” He pulled me to him, allowing me to bury my face in his neck as he led me off the elevator. He pulled up short, causing me to prepare myself for another fight. Instead of an enemy, I found Leon and Laura standing outside her door. She was in a T-shirt and nothing else, her bottom barely covered. His hair was a mess and he had a goofy smile on his face. It was obvious what they’d been up to.
“Let me handle this,” Jack whispered into my ear as he gripped me tighter.
I was only too happy to comply. I couldn’t find words anyway.
“What happened?” Leon asked, his smile slipping as he took a step in our direction. “What’s wrong?”
“There was a fire,” Jack replied. “It was a few blocks over. I’m not sure what happened. We were close.”
“Are you okay?”
“We’re dirty but fine. We’re heading to bed.”
“But … .” Leon was obviously perplexed. “Do you want me to head out to see if I can get some information?”
“That would be great.” Jack stroked his hand over the back of my head. “They’re not saying anything yet. There were a lot of … bodies … in the alley. I’m not sure how many people died.”
“Do you think it has something to do with what we’re working on?”
“I don’t know.” Jack sounded strong even though I knew he felt anything but. His weariness tangled with mine. “I don’t know what to think. I only know the paramedics said there were a lot of bodies in the alley.”
“How did the fire start?”
“I don’t know that either. Someone mentioned a possible gas leak, but none of the buildings went up. I just … don’t know.”
“Well … you guys should get cleaned up.” Leon was decisive. “Sleep. I’ll head over there and see what I can sniff out.”
“That would be great.” Jack steered me toward my room, making sure to keep his arm around me as he sheltered my face. “We’re going to put up the ‘Do not disturb’ sign. Charlie needs sleep.”
“I don’t think she’s the only one.”
“No.”
Laura, who had been silent until now, tilted her head to the side. “Do you want me to wake Chris?”
“Why?” Jack challenged. “We don’t know anything yet. Leon will be better at getting information than Chris. There’s nothing to do tonight.”
“I could … help you,” she offered after a beat. “You can drop Charlie off and I’ll help with whatever you need.”
It was a ballsy move given how she was dressed. Despite the worry plaguing me over the imminent discussion Jack and I had in front of us, I knew he wouldn’t take her up on the offer.
“Charlie and I are going to take care of each other.” Jack waved the extra keycard in front of the reader on my door and used his foot to open it. “We’ll come down in the morning when we’re up. Don’t bother us.”
Laura narrowed her eyes. “Whatever. I was just trying to help.”
“I know what you were trying to do. Just … knock it off.” Jack was gentle as he prodded me into the room and allowed the door to swing shut.
Silence greeted us. Part of me wondered if Harley would make another appearance, but the room felt empty.
“I need a shower,” I murmured.
“We both do.” Jack pointed me toward the bathroom. “Strip out of your clothes. We should probably just dump them. They’ll never be the same again.”
“Okay.” I followed his instructions. At a different time I probably would’ve been embarrassed to be naked in front of him like this. Sure, we’d seen each other several times at this point, but this somehow made me feel more vulnerable. I didn’t even bat an eyelash, though.
Jack gathered our clothes, dropped them in a garbage can and slipped it outside the room. He pulled the safety bar into place and double-checked the locks and then strode into the bathroom to start the shower.
We cleaned up together. There was nothing romantic about it, not as much as a flirty glance. We soaped ourselves, washed our hair and then exited the bathroom bundled in robes.
“It’s going to be okay, Charlie,” he said as he lifted the covers. “You need some sleep. We’ll talk about everything in the morning.”
He sounded remote, something that pierced my heart. “I would rather talk about it now.”
“Really?” He seemed surprised. “Don’t you want to sleep?”
“I won’t sleep until I know … .” I left the statement hanging.
“Until you know what?”
“What you’re going to do?”
His hair was damp. The room was almost completely dark, but his eyes flashed with surprise. “What are you asking?”
“Are you done here?”
He let loose a low groan, frustration taking over. Oddly enough, it made me feel better. He wasn’t so defeated that he was done fighting. “Done with you?”
“I guess that’s what I’m asking.”
He rubbed his hand over his chin. He hadn’t shaved in the shower, so he had a bit of stubble going. It only made him more attractive. “I’m not done, Charlie. I told you that as it was going down, but I understand why you’re worried. For the record, you can’t chase me away that easily. We’re just getting started.”
My heart soared … and then settled. “Aren’t you angry?”
“Angry? Not really. I’m sad. I’m sad that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth from the start.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he silenced me with a raised hand.
“No, baby.” He shook his head, firm. “I have a right to my feelings.”
Because that was true, I waited for him to continue. “I know why you didn’t tell me. I get it. I also get what you were trying to do here. Hiding in plain sight makes a lot of sense. Why would Chris ever look at you when you’re supposed to be hunting with him?”
“I don’t like the term ‘hunting,’” I argued. “If you think I’m pretending to be curious about paranormal beings, that’s not true. I want to know.”
“Because you don’t know about yourself,” he surmised. “I can’t imagine how horrible this has been for you. I want to know all of it. I want to know how young you were when you figured it out. I want to hear your feelings. I want to know what you can do.
“I’m not leaving you over this, Charlie, because I get it,” he continued. “I saw the terror on your face when things started tumbling out. Not all of that was about the zombies. And, yes, I recognize what they really were. You’ve changed my entire outlook in the course of one night.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“You’re the best thing in my life right now.” He was earnest as he held my gaze. “That hasn’t changed. I understand that there’s a learning curve ahead of me. We don’t have to do it all tonight.
“You’re magical.” He said the words with a hint of humor. “You’re special. I knew that from the moment we met. I sensed something about you. I have a lot of questions. I suspect you don’t have all the answers. That’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”
I wanted to cry again, this time for an entirely different reason. “Okay. I just … there’s something I need to say to you.”
“All right.”
“I wanted to tell you,” I started, my voice cracking. “I’ve wanted to tell you since … well, since we started getting closer. I was so afraid. Part of me thought that you would leave me because of it. You’re not a believer.”
“I am now.”
“Yeah, but … I thought you would think I was a freak.”
“No. I can’t think that about you.”
“I thought you would be disgusted enough to walk away. Even as I was thinking that, I knew you wouldn’t. Millie ke
pt telling me you wouldn’t. I was still afraid because … you’re the one thing in my life I don’t want to lose.
“You make a lot of noise about me not having anything because I don’t have a lot of money,” I continued. “As far as I’m concerned, I have everything because I have you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean to lie. I try really hard not to lie. I was just … terrified.”
“I know.” He moved around the end of the bed and pulled me into his arms, his lips automatically going to my forehead. “You don’t have to be afraid. I don’t ever want you to be afraid. I also don’t want you lying to me.”
“I won’t.”
“Okay.” He tipped up my chin and brushed his lips against mine before sighing. He looked lighter. I felt lighter, so we made a pair. “We need sleep. Tomorrow will bring a whole new set of problems. But we’ll be working together to keep your secret. It’s going to be okay.”
“I hope so.”
He was gentle as he helped me out of the robe, discarding his own before joining me under the covers. He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled to him, my head resting on his shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, his lips against my ear. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Charlie. We’re a team … and that’s not going to change. Get some rest.”
Even though it had been a horrible night, even though there had been a moment I thought I would lose everything, including my soul, I felt surprisingly happy. Jack knew. Things weren’t perfect, but he wanted to move forward together. I had another ally in this world.
For tonight, that was more than enough. The rest could wait until after sleep. We would come up with a new plan and go from there.
A new adventure was on the horizon, and I couldn’t wait to see where it would lead.
Want more? Sign up for my mailing list. It’s for new releases only, no spam.
http://eepurl.com/Y6bkf
About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.