I shuddered, and hated that I couldn’t stop myself before he saw it.
“He’s a madman,” I answered.
“He is. If it’s any consolation, son, he stepped beyond the limits and won’t be let live much longer.”
It wasn’t, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. He might be Lane’s father, but that didn’t detract from what I now knew about him. Retired or not, he’d once worked for the Faded. It didn’t matter what either of them said, I wasn’t quite ready to trust our government to not take me out, too, once all was done.
Chapter Nineteen
I got off work the next day after a long, painful shift. Carole had hovered most of the time, and Amy, taking cues from her, took over when Carole couldn’t. By the time I was able to leave, all I wanted to do was come home and sleep. Considering I had maybe two hours before Lane and Corey would be closing the shop, I doubted I’d get the chance before we had to talk again.
Joe was out in his yard when I parked in my driveway. He called my name, and I waited while he wandered over.
“I just wanted to drop by and see you for a minute,” he told me, resting a hand on my arm and then motioning towards the veranda. “Mind if we sit a spell? It won’t take but a minute. Lillian is out with her bingo ladies, so it’s just me.”
“Of course,” I answered. Much as I wanted a few minutes of peace, Joe’s presence was a soothing one. I had missed him the last few days. Lillian, too.
I got him a beer, myself a glass of water. There was a warm breeze on the night air, hinting at summer finally edging its way closer.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“Good, son. Good.” He looked up from his bottle, and I could see in his eyes he had something serious to say. Olive wandered out, hopped up into his lap, and it was all I could do not to flinch back and make excuses to get out of the conversation.
I had come from nowhere, causing a mess and making everything so much more complicated than anyone here deserved. Of course, he had something to say. As kind as he was, it was generous for him not to have said anything before this. He probably hadn’t known at first, but now? I was a threat to his family, and to the rest of the community. It hurt, especially since all I wanted now was to be a part of this.
I wanted what they had with a ferocity that choked me. Five, ten years down the road, I wanted to be sitting here with Lane, drinking coffee and playing cards—comfortable, happy, and still together. If I had met Lane before Morgan, maybe that would have been possible.
“Y’know, son,” he spoke up. I steeled myself. “I’m a fairly good listener. Maybe sharing could help.”
Confusion warred with shock, and I met his eyes. Caring, patience, concern—if I touched him, I bet I’d feel those same things coming from him. I wanted to be mad at myself for doubting him, but all I could feel was thankful. I didn’t want him involved, not when he was so kind, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk. I needed to talk this out, and to someone other than Lane.
“My ex,” I sighed. “He followed me here from Calgary.”
I went easy on the details, but explained that he was crazy, and that he had been behind the deaths in the area.
“I’m not sure what to do,” I finished. “I don’t know how to fix this without leaving, but I’m not even sure that is an option.”
“It isn’t,” Joe cut in, voice hard. I’d never heard that sound from him before, but the steel in his eyes was unmistakable. “You’re here, son. The Hunter boys won’t sit back and let you leave, and neither my wife nor I will let that happen, either. Be careful, son. Come stay with us if those two need to go anywhere. We’ll keep an eye on things.”
He squeezed my shoulder again, gave Olive a last scratch to her ears, then stood. He stretched, set his empty bottle on the rickety old table by the entryway, and ambled on over back to his house.
****
Lane’s truck rolled growled from the driveway, letting me know he was home. I was starting to look for something to throw on for supper, but Lane’s yell of my name sent me running.
He had his cell pinned to his ear, and the motor was roaring to life again as I pulled on my shoes and rushed over. “Carole says Corey ran off. JJ wants him to meet at the dump. C’mon!”
****
We could hear Corey yelling from the junkyard parking lot. They were just past where the chain gate hung open, sighing on a lone hinge. Broken tonight, likely, but we had more to worry about than breaking and entering.
"You think I'd have just left her there, dead?” Corey was demanding. “Eve was still my friend, even if you freaks brainwashed her! I’m no coward!"
"She believed in this as much as the rest of us! Eve was my right hand, and you couldn't stand her chasing someone else."
"I dumped her crazy ass!"
I winced as we ran to Corey’s side, wishing he'd stop angering the crazy man.
"Shut up!" Lane hissed, grabbing Corey’s arm. Then, to them both, "Both of you just shut up and let us talk!"
"Great,” JJ growled. “The mediator. No talking this time. I want to face that Casanova brother of yours in a match."
"Oh, it's on, you—" Lane grabbed Corey by the mouth and gave him a shake, glaring him into silence. It was the most violent I'd ever seen him, and my already racing heart jolted, nerves hiking.
Just brothers, I reminded myself. It's Lane, gentle Lane, and Geoff and I had been the same.
"If you could both calm the fuck down," Lane growled, and I stared at him, "we can straighten this out. Neither of you are thinking."
"So the two of you can keep claiming he did nothing to Bennett—a human?" JJ's voice spiked. "Maybe the council can't touch you thanks to your daddy, but we sure the hell can. I'm not scared of Gregory Hunter, or of Avery Lakewell.”
Good for him. I certainly was.
He let out a growl, his hand clenching then opening. Sparks flashed at his fingertips, the start of an attack. “You have five seconds to prove it, and then you’re going to wish you’d never showed your ass here.”
Flame burst into life from an unwatched quadrant, crackling with the force of quick-summoned fire, and all of us flinched as the flare burned our eyes. It burned itself out seconds later, its summoner uncaring now that it achieved its purpose. “I hate being ignored.” A rolling purr sounded, and I took the chance to grab Corey’s arm, Lane doing the same. I didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see who was speaking.
We pulled Corey back with us, my eyes glued to the man walking our way. Corey fought beneath our grips, struggling to surge forward and stick himself in the middle of the crowd. We strained to keep him there, and it took all of our strength, the force of his temper powering his fight.
“Who the fuck are you?” JJ growled.
Nerves closed my throat, making it impossible to breathe. There Morgan was again, in the flesh. It was the Morgan from club back-rooms, rolling gait, sickening grin, and hot for murder.
“I’m the man who killed your little friends. The girl? She was a happy mistake. The boy? He gave my baby a bruise.”
JJ threw himself towards Morgan, growling his attack. Morgan laughed as he side-stepped and raised a hand, the scattered sparks of lightning-energy spiderwebbing out over the invisible shield JJ threw up around between them. It was gone in an instant.
"You want to play, then, you foolish hick? You should thank me. I saved you years of trouble."
JJ was panting, the energy he’d used to create the last spell sapping him, but his fury flared and kept him going.
"You're alone, and we have numbers." The men next to him didn't look so confident after having seen Morgan's little show, but their loyalty—and maybe the memory of Eve—kept them there.
"You pismires all crunch the same under my boot."
He gave them a second to stew at the words, then threw his own curse at them. I knew firsthand the vast stores of energy he contained, and his little flame-spark spell was hardly more than a show. A few took burns, but JJ and the man to his
left managed a second deflection, although JJ gained a searing mark up his bare arm for not being quick enough.
Lane cursed softly, dragging us back and shoving Corey and me both behind an old car. Corey was shaking, furious, but we held him there. Lane and I shared a look over his brother's face, neither of us sure what to do.
Morgan had admitted he was the one who committed both murders, but what did that mean we should do? I wanted to run, but the look on Corey’s face made it clear we’d be fighting him all the way to the truck. Corey looked like he wanted to throw himself at the entire group, Morgan and JJ and all his men. Lane still gripped his arm in a vise, knuckles white from what had to be a bruising hold. My own hand shook too much for my grip to be worth anything.
"Bastard," Corey growled lowly. “Bastards.”
"Big talk. Try us!" The smell of fire and burn of smoke filled the air at JJ’s words, both sides leaping into the attack.
There were screams as the fight continued, none of them Morgan's. We huddled back there, and as a wave of fire swept over us, we ducked low and pulled our shirts up to cover our hair.
"Might as well be home," Corey grumbled. We were trapped and of little use, just forgotten collateral damage if the battle spiraled any more out of control. We kept our heads low, then deflected full-out blasts of flame and energy shooting over our cover.
Finally, blessedly, there was silence. I needed to look over our fire-blackened barrier and see who was standing, but it was the last thing I wanted to do.
"Come on out, baby, and bring your friends."
And let him kill them like he must have JJ's groupies? I held up a hand to stop Lane, glaring a warning at the brothers before I crawled as far from them as I could get while staying behind cover. Only then did I stand.
Morgan was there in an instant.
JJ might have escaped, but many of his cult were not so fortunate. Morgan’s long fingers curled over my arm and held me in place. I shuddered at the feet of his emotions against mine, his possessiveness and anger curling around me in that all too familiar blanket from the life I’d escaped. I could feel his power chasing his emotions, tingling beneath my skin but not yet causing pain. A warning.
“You belong to me.”
“No, Morgan.” I should have said yes, gone with him without question, but even for all of my fear I wasn’t willing to fall back into that old trap.
“You do, though. Still, I think I’ll give you some more time to think about things.”
He squeezed once. A flash of pain tore through me, and I went to my knees, his grip leaving me as he turned his back and left. Lane was there as I came back to myself, his hand on my cheek and his eyes glaring after my ex-lover’s back. He couldn’t have been there that fast if he hadn’t already been on his feet.
Morgan had seen him, then.
Chapter Twenty
Word came the next morning that JJ ended up in the hospital under critical condition, covered in burns and not expected to survive. Corey was held in suspicion. No one had to point out that the madman’s family was keeping their eyes on him, as was his cult. A blood feud could be started by less.
“If they decide he’s guilty, that’s it. The last feud here was over a century ago, and the regulars still bring up conspiracy theories and horror rumors from the old tales. Little places like this have long memories.”
The mayor would be on their doorstep if things went that far. Then all of us would be in danger, forget the blanket warning.
“We need to go see him.” Just saying it made my flesh crawl. Burns like that, I’d be laid out. Anyone saw me, suspected me—I’d be dead.
Small price, after how these two had taken me in.
****
We made it as far as the hospital waiting room, but Avery Lakewell was waiting there for us. He pulled us into an empty room, not taking no for an answer.
“Jim Jason’s little friends already filled me in, and your father had the answers to fill the holes to that mess.” By the look on his face, he was none too happy with any of us at that moment.
“Then you know it wasn’t Corey.”
“So they all said.” He glared at Lane, then shifted his frown my way. "You know who he's looking for, I take it?"
I stiffened, blood thickening to ice in my veins. Of course Lane did; I'd told him myself.
"What does that matter? He killed your niece and will kill again. I doubt that's his first murder, and who knows if they've all been mages. Something has to be done for our town."
"He helped clean up that cult,” the mayor countered. “Isn't that a public service?"
He was a cold man. Gramp had taught us family was everything, the one thing alone I'd found to be true in every community. Here, though, he shrugged off her death like nothing.
"And he murdered regular humans along with your niece! Eve!"
"She cast off her family rights when she started sneaking off in the night to that fanatic's circle. I cut her off in my mind the first time she came in smelling of smoke and spouting that foolish drivel on enslavement of nature."
His phone rang, and he turned his back to us, the black of his suit a cold barrier between us and his attention. Lane was furious, but nowhere near as mad as Corey. I knew he had more to say but caught his arm and pulled him back, shaking my head.
I knew the mayor’s type even if I didn't know the man like my lover did.
When the mayor turned back, his expression was cold. “Someone will take care of him, I’m sure. I can assure you both, however, that the younger Mr. Hunter is no longer tied in with Eve’s death. Don’t bother Mr. Jason unless you want that all stirred up again.”
“Sir,” I dared to stop him.
He sighed, then turned that hard look my way. “Joe came and talked to me, son. He and his wife are fond of you. For their sake, and our friendship, I’m not suggesting you leave. If this situation gets dealt with, well, then I won’t need to change my mind.”
He left us there. There was little for us to do at that point except go home.
****
We went back to my place to lick our wounds, no longer certain which way to go. I got up once to clean, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking so I just sat again. Lane got me some tea, sitting with me quietly. Waiting for me to break down, probably.
"No coffee?" I teased weakly. My voice made me cringe. I should've just kept silent.
"I think we'll have enough trouble sleeping tonight," Lane answered.
Just imaging closing my eyes that night made my skin prickle; I doubted I'd be able to settle.
“Bastard never apologized,” Corey growled. They were the first words he had spoken since Avery had finished his spiel. “He still doesn’t get it’s all JJ’s fault, and that he could have done something about it before it got to where she was sneaking around like that.”
Lane gave him a hard look. I wasn’t sure it wasn’t wasted. “You have to drop it, Corey. For your own sake.”
“Like her uncle did?”
Lane shuffled, his expression chill. “You know better.”
Another argument, as if we hadn’t already been privy to enough of them.
I closed my eyes, tugging the throw closer around myself. The expected argument never came, however. Instead, they both sighed. Corey stood.
“I’m going to bed. You better put the cutie down, too, before he ends up sleeping on that old couch.”
I cracked an eye open to glare at him, and he snorted, the old Corey peeking out.
Olive finally poked her head out after we sat in silence for a time. She even made a point of wrapping herself around Lane's ankles. He smiled, the heavy lines of his face relaxing, and held still while she made her pass and then looked up at him and yowled.
Then he reached down to pat her, and she was off again, backing up and running into the kitchen.
"It's a pretty great start," I offered around a yawn. I just wanted to sleep. "Looks like you might be growing on her."
My eyes drifted closed, a
nd I didn’t bother fighting it. We both ended up sleeping there.
****
Supper that night was an exercise in futility.
"What is it that he wants?" Lane asked, unable to leave the topic of Morgan and the rest of the mess aside. Considering my own mind had hit repeat on the entire situation, I couldn’t really argue. Corey, bless him, was just annoyed.
"Besides him?” A sweeping gesture my way. “Attention. Praise."
“There must be some kind of plan.” He sighed, frowned at me. “And eat, please.”
“I haven’t felt overly hungry this week,” I admitted, spearing a yellow bean with my fork and ignoring the acid rising from my stomach. I tasted only its sourness in my mouth.
“You’ll feel better after you eat,” Lane encouraged me.
Doubtful, but I’d try it anyway. My fingers itched to chase my next bite with some antacids, but Lane worried enough already. The glazed chicken should have been delicious. Lane didn’t look to be enjoying it any more than I, but his finished plate looked better than my half-eaten one.
Lane’s phone rang, and I welcomed the reprieve. He walked into the kitchen, but his voice carried back to where we sat at the table.
“Tomorrow?” Silence. “We’ll be there. Brett has tomorrow off, so it isn’t a problem. Thank you, Da.”
My stomach cramped up, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. When Lane came back to the table, his face was all apologies.
“It was my father. The man, Morgan’s informant, he wants to meet us at your grandfather’s place. He arranged a few days off with Carole, and booked us both plane tickets.”
Corey turned in first, heading in to the guest room and slamming the door behind him. Lane and I made our own way to bed, Lane crawling in first. I looked at him for a moment, standing there and staring at where he stretched out in the bedding, and then I stripped. He watched, eyes burning, but didn’t move, lying there while I stripped to my skin and then crawled over to stretch out against his side. I wanted to feel him, remind myself he was there with me.
I leaned over to press my lips to his, stroking down his chest in a clear offer that was readily accepted. He sat up, pulled off his shirt, and then had me on my back in seconds. I lay beneath him, feeling his fear and need and drinking in the love that swirled around all of it. He needed to feel me as much as I needed the same, and the heat of our clash burned through where we touched.
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