He smiled. "You and my wife would get along."
"Oh, really? What's her name?"
Alex was quiet, and Lisa scoffed.
"C'mon, Alex, not everything I ask is to get you in trouble. You've already done that. We've got it all recorded. Now I'm just trying to get where you're coming from. I don't think you're a bad person. You're looking for Kylie's murderer. I'm sure her mother hired you. I believe that. What I'm having a problem with is…why you? We have a few guys across town who love digging up dirt for money. Half of them would do it for free if it meant just standing in Meagan's living room. You came all the way from Maryland? That's some trip."
Lisa had been checking up on him. They were only a morning removed from his adventure at the station. Did she ever sleep?
"This is going to be a very long car ride, Alex, if you don't want to talk—"
The world exploded around them. The truck ran the red light from the right, tee-boning Lisa's car from the passenger's side. Alex's head slammed into the window next to him, shattering it and sending glass onto the street. The car skidded several feet in a direction they meant to go.
"Ah, shit," Lisa said, checking herself for injuries. "You okay back there?"
Alex didn't answer. He didn't hear her. He didn't hear anything at all happening around him. His head throbbed. He reached a hand to his temple and pulled it back to reveal a palm full of crimson.
The doors to the truck that ran the light opened. Two men stepped out. As confused and disoriented as he was, he realized something was off about them. Their faces were stone, and they walked with purpose.
"Get down!"
He met Lisa's terrified gaze in the rear-view mirror briefly before she disappeared across the seat. Alex did as he was told. He unbuckled the seatbelt and crouched behind the driver's seat just before the shots rang out.
He didn't hear the guns blasting. His hearing kept fading in and out. He did feel the glass. Tiny pebbles of glass and plastic rained on his head as the car was shot to pieces.
Alex placed his hand on the back of the seat and tried to will himself to vanish. He waited for his fingers to push through the vinyl and dip into metal and foam. His thoughts weren't clear. What was happening? Why weren't his powers working? Was it because of the pain in his head? The ringing in his ears? Was he already dead?
His stomach heaved as he suddenly fell backwards. He thought his powers had returned, and he was sliding through the car. It took him a moment to realize he was wrong as the nausea washed over him and he stared up at the sky. Ghosts didn't feel nausea.
Lisa had already pushed the driver's side door open and slid out under the barrage of gunfire. She opened the rear door and hooked Alex under the arms. With one strong pull, he fell on top of her in the middle of the street.
"Are you alright?" she asked. "Get off me!"
Alex only heard half her words. He rolled over to his hands and knees, ready to vomit at any moment. Lisa held a gun with both hands while staying as low as she could.
"Shit, you're bleeding," Lisa said, gingerly touching his head.
"Yeah, wow." Alex's words slurred. "Too bad Victoria isn't here. She likes blood."
A new voice shouted from the other side of the car.
"Hey, Nash! You still alive over there? Chuck says hello!"
A woman left a corner shop to see what was happening in the street. Lisa shouted at her to get back inside. She heard the sounds of an engine and tires squealing behind her. Looking over her shoulder, a car rounded the corner from the block behind them.
"We've got to move." She grabbed Alex's shoulder. "Can you run?"
"I can't even vanish."
She ignored him and grabbed his arm.
"I'll shoot, and we'll head for the alley."
Alex didn't know what alley she was referring to, or even what direction she wanted him to run. Before he could ask or clarify she was peering over the trunk and firing. The two men dropped to the ground. Lisa jumped to her feet and pulled him by the arm. She led the way. They ran past the front of the ruined unmarked car, and he finally saw the alley. He felt as if they were running in slow motion, and thought any moment the men would fire once again, shooting him in the back. The ringing was still terrible in his ears, but he heard another car grinding to a halt behind them. He risked a look over his shoulder to see more men jumping out, guns drawn.
The two men from the first car fired once again. A piece of brick splintered from the wall at the mouth of the alley near Alex's head. He nearly stumbled over an overturned trashcan, but Lisa held him up.
"My goddamn phone's in the car," she said, feeling at her belt.
"And mine's at the motel. Where are we going?"
"Anywhere but back there."
They were halfway down the alley when another truck stopped at the opposite end. Alex thought nothing of it, and nearly kept running until Lisa pulled him back.
"Get down!"
She shoved him to the ground behind a small dumpster. Grabbing two small cans of trash, she set them up side by side, creating a quick, and rather useless, barricade for their blind side. The smell touched Alex's nose for the first time as Lisa squatted next to him, their shoulders touching.
"Sorry for dragging you into this. Didn't think they'd try something like this in the day."
"Who?"
"Nash!" someone called. "Don't be like this. Toss your gun down, and I promise we'll make it quick. For your little friend, too."
Lisa took a deep breath. "Just stay down. Don't get up until I tell you."
Alex realized, as Lisa set two clips on the ground for easy access, that he heard every word she said. He also heard her attackers, threatening to kill the both of them.
His ears were no longer ringing. The throbbing in his skull, at least for the moment, was gone.
He touched his head and pulled back another three fingers full of blood. The sight brought uneasiness, but more than that, an overwhelming sense of anger.
"Those little bastards…."
Lisa didn't hear him. She peered around the dumpster just enough to take aim. Four men were approaching from one side of the alley, while the lone man from the truck approached from the opposite end. Their best chance was to try to fight through the lone man.
She nearly fired when she heard the growling next to her.
Alex's wings were already out. His face was twisting into something that wasn't human when he lunged for Lisa. She screamed in terror, having already forgotten about the armed men trying to kill her. Alex wrapped his arms around her and looked up at the blue afternoon sky.
"What the—?"
That was all she had time to say before Alex flew upward.
He cleared the tops of the buildings into the open air. The gentle breeze ripped through his clothes, bringing a chill. He wanted to climb higher, but his head started to throb once again. His stomach began to dance, and he didn't know how long it would be before he got sick.
He didn't have a direction in mind. He simply flew, oblivious to who might be watching below. In the back of his mind he imagined people snapping pictures and video with their cell phones, but he shoved those thoughts aside.
Lisa was shouting something unintelligible. Or perhaps his brain was too scrambled to interpret. She hung onto Alex with every limb she had. Her back facing the ground, she glimpsed behind her only once and saw the moving earth beneath her. Her legs, which were wrapped around his waist, slipped once, and she hung on with her arms. Alex's own grip was solid, however, and she managed to entwine her legs around him again.
He had his pick of rooftops to land on. Slowly, he settled onto the roof of an office building. As soon as there was a solid surface under them, Lisa released her hold and rolled nimbly away. She rested on one knee and pointed her gun at Alex with trembling hands. There was a roar in his ears, and it took a moment to realize it was a helicopter, slowly passing overhead, and not his brain bouncing around in his skull.
Alex gasped for breath. His knees
buckled from under him, and he reached out with his wings. Bracing them on the roof was the only thing keeping him up. His stomach finally won the battle between them, and he leaned over and vomited. His wings weakened along with the rest of him. He dropped to his knees, two feet away from his own fluids.
"What are you?" Lisa asked.
He placed a palm to the side of his head.
"Was I shot?"
"I don't think so. But you're banged up pretty good."
"Good." Either the world shivered, or Alex did. He wasn't sure which. "Cindy would kill me if I got shot."
He was completely unconscious before hitting the ground.
CHAPTER 12
Alex opened his eyes in yet another unfamiliar bedroom. Memories of the gunfight rushed back to him. Men shouting at Lisa, trying to kill the both of them. He sat up quickly, throwing the thin sheet off him. The motion brought vertigo, and a sharp ache in his head. Clenching his eyes shut, he brought a hand to his face and let out a loud ow.
"Are you awake in there? I put some clothes out on the dresser."
It was those words that made him take stock of himself and wherever he was. He was shirtless, only wearing his jeans. The wound on his head seemed to be fine, just a cut under the hair. He'd been scrubbed clean. He didn't know what time it was. There was no clock in the room, but he could see the setting sun through the window. There were no pictures, no personality. The walls and ceiling were plain white, with matching white curtains.
His wings were still out.
He willed them to flow into his body as he peeked out the window. A half empty parking lot was all he could see. He had no idea where he was, if he was even still in Stewardtown. He was in a third floor apartment. That was all he knew.
Alex eyed the clothes mentioned on the dresser. He ignored the jeans. His were fine as they were, but did slip into the black tee shirt laid out for him, which was a size too small. His shoes awaited him in the corner. It took some effort to put them on. His balance hadn't completely returned to him, and the headache wasn't helping. As he stood carefully, one foot at a time, he heard the sounds of someone using a computer. Keys being pressed on a keyboard, along with the clicking of a mouse. He was familiar with both, as often as Cindy worked.
He left the bedroom and stood in a hallway. A chair leaned back into view, and Lisa watched with concern. She'd taken a shower, her blond hair stringy and wet. She wore sweatpants and a tee shirt, also a size too small. She looked nothing like the police officer Alex had met.
"You're not going to pass out again, are you?"
He smiled, which sent another jolt through his head.
"It's not part of my plan, no."
Lisa turned her attention back to the computer.
"I had to cut away your shirt. Hope you don't mind. It wasn't exactly going over your head with those things sticking out of your back. There's beer in the fridge. And I think maybe a soda, too. But don't get the wrong idea. We're not getting drunk together and rubbing parts in bed."
"I'll try to control myself."
"Good. In that case, get me a beer."
He turned into the kitchen and found the refrigerator. He saw the beer Lisa referred to, and also a bottled water. Handing her a beer over her shoulder, he noticed she was searching Youtube.
"Thanks," she said, scooting her chair over to share the monitor. "Hey, this is you, isn't it?"
He glanced at the video she'd pulled up. It only took him three seconds to realize what it was.
A sigh escaped as the memories flooded back.
Lisa clicked play and turned the volume up, but Alex was no longer watching. He was studying her bare apartment as the sounds of people screaming and vampires attacking filled the air. He'd already experienced the massacre at Camden Yards. He didn't need to relive it via the Internet. The grainy videos that showed a winged creature flying amongst the chaos had lost traction over the years. Most people believed they were fake, and that was fine with him.
"There!" Lisa said, pointing. "That's you, way in the background. I've seen this before. This shit was all over the news after that terrorist attack." She turned to face Alex. "It wasn't a terrorist attack, was it?"
Alex said nothing. He only offered a half smile. He gestured to the living room, rubbing a hand across the couch while glancing at the small TV.
"Is it safe here?" he asked. "You were just attacked by people shouting your name. Do they know where you live?"
"This is my second apartment. People don't even know I stay here, not even the department. And believe me, that's awfully hard to pull off while dragging an unconscious guy with wings through the front door."
"Yeah, thanks. Thanks for not shooting me in the head."
"Thanks for picking me up and flying away. That's something I thought I'd never say. I guess we're even."
Alex took a long drink of cold, delicious water.
"So, what was all that about today?"
Lisa took her own drink of beer and pointed to the only picture frame in the place, hanging on the wall.
"It's about him. Charles Wallace."
Alex read the headline of the newspaper clipping framed in glass. Local Crime Boss Wallace Arrested.
"I was the one who arrested him. I spent a year building the case against him. He's tried to kill me a few times now, even though he's in prison. He still runs the show."
"Holy shit," Alex muttered. "What are you going to do?"
She laughed. "Well, tonight, I think I'll lay low, maybe watch some TV. Maybe I'll set up another apartment. I have to be careful. I'm pretty sure he's got a few cops under his thumb, too."
He waited for the rest, which didn't come.
"That's it?"
"Yeah. I might be able to squeeze a few more months out before he finally nails me. But with stunts like he pulled today, I don't know."
"You aren't going to do anything?"
She sat on the couch and kicked her feet up on the empty coffee table.
"Like what? Arrest him again? Maybe sneak into his cell and assassinate him? Eh, I'd rather drink this beer."
A stab of sadness poked Alex as he watched her. Had she truly given up? She seemed at peace with whatever fate had in mind for her. He understood this was a safe-house, in a sense, but there were no pictures of friends, family, not even a dog.
"And what does your family think about all this?"
She shook the beer bottle at him.
"Oh, you clever private investigator, you. Trying to fish for information. Enough about me and my excitement. Let's talk about you."
"Not much to talk about, really."
"Please. I've felt your wings. I've seen videos of you flying, and just last night at my station, appearing and disappearing. You spent a lot of time at my desk, and left with a stack of papers. Kylie's file, I'm guessing?"
There was no point in denying. Alex nodded and leaned against the wall.
"Yeah."
"Has your finely-tuned mind picked out anything I might have missed?"
"Not yet," he said, hoping he was convincing. "I've only barely looked at it."
"Well, good luck. No witnesses, no known enemies. Her neck was broken, but I'm still waiting on the official word on whether that was the cause of death. People are dragging their feet over this one."
"What do you mean?"
"People in this town didn't like Kylie's mother very much. Because of that, no one's in a big hurry to find out who killed her daughter."
Alex's face twisted in anger. "That's terrible."
"I agree. I was hoping to at least put this one away before Chuck kills me."
He sat on the chair adjacent to her.
"So, you're not taking me to the police station?"
"No. You saved my skin today. It wouldn't be a good thing to do. But, please, do one thing for me. If you do stumble on anything about Kylie, let me know."
He nodded and watched her with curiosity. After obtaining her name and password, he never thought he'd talk to her
again. Now he wondered more about her.
"Do you have family?" he asked.
She held up a hand.
"Alex, stop. I don't want to be rude, but we're not going to become friends. We won't be swapping war stories at the bar while pounding out whiskey. I'm not going to ask you what government lab gave you wings. So don't ask me anything, either."
Alex shrugged. He would have liked to have made an ally, even a friend. But he wasn't going to push. He certainly wouldn't lose any sleep.
"Fair enough."
"I'll tell you what you can do, though," she said, turning on the TV. "You mind getting me another beer?"
He laughed shortly as he stood up. He went to the kitchen and was staring into the refrigerator when a familiar voice surprised him.
"Oh, damn, this is awesome!"
Startled, he turned to see Nate, standing near Lisa's computer desk. Nate glanced around excitedly, full of energy.
"I teleported right to you! Do you know what this means?" He pounded his chest. "It means we're bros. This is some cool shit." A frown crossed his face as he took in the apartment. "This doesn't look like a jail cell. Is that the detective lady? Wow! She's actually pretty, when she dresses normal. Is her hair all wet? Did she take a shower? Did you…?" He trailed off as he grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, man, Alex, you beast. But dude, Cindy is going to kill you. Don't worry, I won't say anything."
"Nothing happened!" he hissed quietly. "What's going on?"
"While you've been here swerving, Kylie and I have been working. Zoey actually left the house. She cleaned up and went to a club. Kylie kind of went quiet on me, so I think it's the club they went to that night. She's there waiting for us."
"Okay. Let's go."
Nate held up a hand to slow Alex.
"Uh, one small problem. I have the address, but I have no clue how to get there."
Alex walked past and handed Lisa another beer. Instead of sitting, he gestured to the computer behind them.
"You mind if I use your computer for a second?"
"Go ahead. Don't mind the porn."
"Oooh," Nate said. "I think I'm in love."
Alex struggled for a moment, but managed to pull up directions to the address Nate gave him. He wished he had his phone, but he'd left it at the motel. It would have made everything much easier. He scribbled the directions on a notepad Lisa kept next to the keyboard.
Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7) Page 21