We'll lose her if she goes through with this.
I considered his words for a moment. Though I didn't want to believe it, I knew he was right. He'd told me before how her dark magic works, even showing me what it had done to the men she'd spelled from the club that night. Each time she used it, it claimed a piece of her soul and if she continued down this path, there would be nothing left of her.
I wanted to dispute this fact, but I'd felt it too only moments before. It nearly had me in its grip. Were it not for Spanky, I may have been lost in the few moments I'd been able to connect with it. But Charley had been connected to it her entire life. How had she been able to control it?
As I thought it, Spanky began running his hand across Charley's cheek. At first, the action seemed innocent enough I wouldn't think twice about it. On closer inspection, however, I could see something that had my jaw dropping. Shadows danced across his tiny hand and seeped into him, as if he were pulling the darkness from her.
From the look in his eyes, I could tell he was doing just that. It was in that moment I realized Spanky was more than a pet to her. He was the only thing that had kept her sane by absorbing the darkness from her. I wondered what effect that had on him but filed that question away for later. Right now, Charley needed me.
"You should hand this information over to the authorities," I said, and the shock of those words from my lips even surprised me.
Charley met my gaze with a fierce one of her own. But it was Knox who spoke first.
"Are you seriously suggesting we go to the police with this information? Are you fucking insane? What's to keep them from putting us in handcuffs the moment we..."
I put up a hand, cutting him off before stepping toward Charley. Pressing a hand against her cheek, I tore down my mental blocks, letting her into my head through the bond as I spoke. "We can find another way to get the information we need, but you need to take a break from this before we lose you."
"What do you mean before we lose her? Brother, none of this make any sense."
I spun toward Knox, thrusting a finger toward Charley. "Look at her," I snarled. "Really look at her. Can't you see what this darkness is doing to her?"
His gaze slid past me and I watched as he studied her. Recognition lit his expression and I knew he could see the same thing I saw. Charley was losing herself.
"There is nothing wrong with me," Charley protested.
I turned to face her, hoping there was something I could say to make her listen to me. But she was determined to see this through, no matter what it cost her.
"Charley, we can't let you go," Knox said, stepping toward her.
Pain filled her expression for a brief moment and in that moment, there was hope. But the moment was fleeting. I felt it through the bond the moment her choice was made and within seconds, a wave of dark magic washed over me.
"I'm sorry," she said, turning away from us and making her way to the exit as Spanky lept from her shoulder and scurried over to me.
I willed my legs to move, to chase after her, but nothing happened. Whatever spell she'd cast had us paralyzed, unable to move as she left. Once she was gone, Spanky pressed a hand to my leg, drawing the magic from me. I raced to the door, threw it open, and sped out of the house. She was gone by the time I got to the street. She hadn't even left a scent behind I could track.
Knox came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Follow her," I demanded, wondering why he wasn't using his vampire speed to chase her down.
He shook his head. "You know, as well as I do, that if she doesn't want to be found, there's nothing we can do."
I can find her, Spanky spoke through the bond. But when you get to her, you can't let her kill him.
I relayed the message to Knox who gave me a tight nod.
"Now we just need to find a way to stop her."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: CHARLEY
"Who are you?" Cynthia asked as I pushed past her to enter her home. "You can't just walk into my house."
Ignoring her protests, I sauntered into the living room. "Where is your daughter?"
"Who are you?"
Fuck, humans were so annoying and if I had time to spare, I'd let her know how truly I was annoyed with her. While she'd found a way to escape the hardships of the abuse, her refusal to leave or report him had enabled him to carry on with his crimes unhindered. Not to mention the fact her own daughter couldn't escape the abuse. For a moment, I thought it might be better to relieve the poor child of both of her parents but that thought was extinguished before I could bring life to it. It wasn't Cynthia's fault she'd failed her child, and she'd paid for her failure to act long enough.
"Your husband will be here in less than thirty minutes, so you and your daughter have fifteen minutes to gather what you can carry and head outside where a detective will take you to safety. I suggest you start packing now."
"I can't leave him. He'll find us and kill us, just like he killed all those women," she cried, dropping down to her knees. Her body shook as she let out of a series of sobs, her tears falling to the carpeted floor beneath her. "We will never be safe."
I crouched down in front of her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "I can promise you, he'll never hurt you again. But to keep that promise, I need you to listen to me. You now have twelve minutes to gather your belongings and get out of here."
"How will you stop him? He has plenty of friends in high enough places he'll never see the inside of a cell."
Dammit, I didn't have time for this. I needed her and her daughter out of there quickly if my plan was going to work. Maybe I should have just killed her and taken her daughter to safety. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about the bumbling mess on the floor before me. I pushed that thought away.
"You're right. He'll never see the inside of a cell, nor will he live long enough to be arrested and stand trial. Now, please..."
She lifted her head to look at me, hope brightening her blue eyes. "You can promise this?"
I raised my hand in the air, allowing the dark tendrils of my magic to light up as they snaked around my hand. "I fucking guarantee it."
As if that was enough to spur her into action, she thanked me before scrambling up the steps and calling for her daughter. Five minutes later, she marched down the steps with her daughter in her arms and a small bag hanging from her shoulder.
"We're ready," she said with a nod.
I walked over to the door, pulling it open enough to see the street. Sion wasn't there yet, but I knew he would be soon. I'd called him on my way to the house, letting him know I had every intention of killing Manuel, but first I needed him to promise me he could ensure the safety of the wife and child. It was a gamble calling Sion but I could hear in his voice he had no intention of stopping me. Hell, he even seemed relieved he'd no longer have to follow the man only to come up with nothing that would stick in the courts.
The sound of a vehicle approaching had relief flooding into me as I ushered the family outside. That relief, however, was short-lived when Manuel pulled into the driveway. He quickly exited the car and stomped towards us.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going? Get your asses back in that house," he commanded.
Cynthia flinched beside me before stepping back into the house.
"Cynthia, cover her eyes please?" I sing-songed as I reached for my magic.
"And who the fuck are you?" Manuel demanded, stomping his foot.
Ignoring his question, I looked behind me to make sure Cynthia had covered the girl's eyes. Once I saw she'd followed my instructions, I returned my attention to Manuel. He stood before me, rage burning deep in his eyes as he waited for me to respond. I had no intentions of introducing myself. Not until had him strung up and at the end of my blade.
I summoned up a touch of magic, not enough to seriously harm him, but enough to keep him semi-conscious as the magic ate away at him. He fell to the ground, just as Sion pulled up to t
he curb. He exited his vehicle, his eyes trained on the man at my feet. Manuel whined as the magic began to work on him.
"Need help getting him inside?" Sion asked.
I shook my head and turned my attention to Cynthia. "Go now. And take care of that little girl. If I find out you've put her in a position to be hurt again, there is nothing to stop me from coming after you."
Cynthia lowered her gaze before shuffling from the house. She tossed back one final thanks as she folded herself in the passenger seat with her daughter on her lap, and closed the door. With a nod, Sion reclaimed his seat and sped away.
A smile tugged my lips. It felt nice to do something good for someone else, without expecting anything in return. With my warning, I knew Cynthia would do everything in her power to keep that little girl safe but I also knew I'd keep my eyes on them for years to come. Right now, however, it was time to play.
~*~
"Wakey, wakey," I called out, my voice bouncing off the brick walls of his basement.
His moved his head slightly, wincing as pain darkened his expression. My magic was still eating away at him from the inside, tearing through his internal organs slow enough he'd be in misery for days. Though I had no intentions of letting him live even that long. No. He wouldn't see another day and I'd make sure of it.
The small basement was dark and damp from years of neglect, and the scent of mold and mildew filled the air. The only light that shone into the room came from a small window at the far end, giving me enough light to see the terror that filled his eyes as he gazed up at me. I'd laid him on the small bed with a mattress so thin I was sure no one would be comfortable sleeping in it. It had been left down there, right in the center of the dark basement and I could only imagine why. I thought of the little girl he'd tossed into the closet for refusing to eat her vegetables and wondered how often she'd slept down here, surrounded by nothing but darkness and fear as he slept comfortably in his bed. That thought alone had my magic whipping around me, ready to lay waste to anything or anyone it touched.
Terror. I could feel it tainting the air around me, the rich pungent scent of it stirring the darkness inside me. It smelled good coming from a creature so vile I could barely call him human.
I watched as his eyes gained focus, his expression turning oddly somber as he regarded me with disinterest.
"So, you'll be my executioner?" His voice was deep and void of all emotion, giving his words an almost monotone feel. His tongue snaked out to swipe across his top lip. "Well, at least I'll have something beautiful to look at while I meet my maker."
He tugged at his arms and legs, testing the restraints. I'd only managed to find a roll of duct tape to secure him to the bed, but bound by magic, there would be no escape for him.
"So, which of my victims brought you to my doorstep?"
"Anne Miles," I responded with a smile. "Do you remember her?"
Recognition lit his eyes. "How could I forget my first kill? She will always hold a special place in my heart." His eyes scanned my face before his lips tugged up into a smile. "Let me guess. You're her daughter? Where were you that night? We searched all over for you."
That was news to me, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I picked up the knife I'd laid beside him and showed it to him.
He feigned disinterest, even letting out an exasperated yawn as he rolled his eyes. "So, you're going to stab me to death. That's original."
"Actually," I said, lowering the knife to his shirt. "I have other plans. But, first, I need to give you a reason to talk to me."
Immediately, I cut his shirt from him, discarding the fabric, before bringing the knife to rest above his chest. Whispering out a spell, I let my magic seep into him, amplifying the spell I'd already cast. He grimaced as pain flooded into him, but gave no other indication it affected him besides the tension in his jaw.
I couldn't help but frown as disappointment crept its way in. I expected him to be screaming by now.
"Why did you go after my mother?"
"It was a job," he responded, his voice strained. "And that's all you'll get out of me. Do your worst."
So the spell was working after all. I had to admit, I was actually impressed.
"We'll see about that."
I spent the next hour using my magic to torture and interrogate him, but true to his word, he didn't offer anything more than screams and whimpers as his resolve was broken. Still, he refused to give me the answers I sought. It wasn't much longer before I realized it was all and exercise in futility.
"Guess there's no use for you after all."
Before I could summon my magic to kill him, a few things happened all at once. The basement door swung open, pulling my attention from Manuel as Blue and Knox stormed in. Spanky screeched through the bond long enough to distract me.
"Charley, please don't do this," Blue begged, reaching through the bond to offer up more pleas as Knox tried to reason with me.
I knew why they were there, but I refused to let them stop me. I reached out for Manuel's life force with my magic to snuff it out, but nothing was there. Instead, there was nothing but an empty shell. Confusion tumbled through me as I glanced down at the now broken, mangled body of Manuel. Knox had stolen my kill.
Rage seared me as my magic lashed out at Knox, knocking him back.
"Charley, stop," Blue yelled, rushing across the room and kneeling beside Knox. He helped his friend up before pleading through the bond for me to understand.
I couldn't. I couldn't for the life of me understand why they'd taken this from me, but they will pay for their betrayal the moment I no longer had use for them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: UNKNOWN
It looks like she doesn't want to disappoint me anymore today.
I watched the rainbow haired girl as she prowled in front of her victim. There was an untamed, ready to go off at any moment energy to her and I loved it. After watching her play the good Samaritan for the better part of a day, this was what I wanted to see.
The maniac.
The killer.
The girl I was targeting.
Typically, good people didn't end up on my list, though I guessed there were plenty who slipped through the cracks. But I knew enough about the rainbow haired girl to know she wasn't one of those people. I'd seen her murder after all, seen her manipulated the vampire and the shifter to do her bidding.
No she wasn't a good person and I liked that.
The girl who went around helping her victim's family and offering them resources, that's the side I didn't like. The side that made me want to blow her brains out to put me out of my misery. But it seemed that she'd left that part of herself a few blocks back because the monster was out and she was hunting.
She paced in front of her victim, yelling at him as she used her magic to manipulate his body, to make him want to tell her everything she needed to know, and yet he didn't crack. It was surprising, especially since he was a fucking investment banker of all things. Yeah, he was in the life a little, a hit man, or we wouldn't have been there. But there was still a softness to the man that couldn't be ignored. After all, anyone who hit on their helpless wife had to be weak.
But the man didn't break, no matter how much of her magic she used on him. And with every question that went unanswered, she slipped a little, and then a little more, and just a little more... until I knew I was about to witness a beautiful execution.
I was on the edge of my seat just as she raised her hand about to go in for the killing blow when they showed up. The shifter and the vampire burst through the doors following that pesky little monkey, concern in their eyes as they found her.
They begged, pleaded for her to stop but the girl was beyond reason. She was going to kill the man who wouldn't give her answers and no one could stop her... but they could get in the way. The rainbow haired girl's eyes had darkened, any human it in her eyes gone, her hand in the air when the vampire jumped in the way. Before she could make the kill
, he did it himself, ripping out the man's throat, blood squirting all over the place in a red shower.
Disappointment filled me as I watched, rubbing at the bridge of my nose. I'd waited for hours for this to be the final play, the kill taken from the rainbow-haired girl. My finger twitched on trigger of my riffle and I quickly set it to the side, knowing I'd shoot the vampire in the head out of anger if I didn't.
I didn't pay much attention as they argued, yelling at each other before they managed to get her to leave the scene. I thought about following them, but frankly I didn't want to hear more of their childish argument and plus my job wasn't done.
I still had one more thing to do.
I left from my perch in the rafters of the warehouse, not bothering to be careful. I always wore gloves on jobs and there were so many footprints in the track of the dirt on the floor of the warehouse that I didn't expect anyone to pay much attention to them when the crime scene was finally found.
I did step around the blood on the floor though, not wanting to mess up my new boots. Walking up the corpse, I studied it before whipping out my phone and snapping a couple of pictures. I said a silent prayer, hoping this would be the final straw for my employer as I hit send on my phone.
I marched out of the warehouse, sinking into the shadows of the night as I made my way down the street. My body thrummed with anticipation as I waited for a reply. By the time that ten minutes passed without a reply, a frown had formed on my face and I tried to piece together what the hold up was. Usually my jobs moved quicker, my contact's always ready and waiting for a message from me and promptly removing. And yet, this one seemed to move slow. I couldn't kill her, I couldn't approach her, I couldn't break into her house.
I couldn't do a damn thing without waiting. And I was growing tired of it, the only thing keeping me committed being the payout. It'd be better than any I'd ever had in all the years I'd been doing the work.
It'd be worth it.
I checked my phone again, thinking maybe I missed it vibrating but there were no responses. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and pursed my lips. The scene was perfect, the kill perfect. There was no way my client could know that it wasn't her that actually did the killing. All they should have gotten from the message was that Manuel was now dead and that she was getting closer.
Nowhere to Run: A Dark Paranormal Villain Romance (Midnight Renegades Book 1) Page 13