"What are you talking about?" Samuel asked. He grabbed her wrists and held her hands tight so she couldn't clench them.
"The chartered bus that was supposed to be bringing the demons to Phoenix," Sarah said. "It never made it because it exploded on the way. It was halfway between here and Las Vegas."
Samuel let out a low curse. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I know how much it meant to you to help them get here."
"It did mean a lot," Sarah said. "And I'm so sad for them, Samuel, but I'm also angry. I'm so angry that I'm afraid that I'm going to turn into a fury again."
"You won't," Samuel said.
"How can you know that?" Sarah asked.
"Because you're with me," Samuel said. "Come on, let's get you back to Serendipity. I"ll make you a cup of coffee -- two creams and a sugar, right? -- and we can talk this through with the others. We'll stop you from doing anything rash. You're among friends."
"Thank you," Sarah said.
"You're welcome," Samuel said. He slid an arm around her shoulders and the two of them slowly walked off towards Serendipity.
TWENTY-TWO
Alec felt another wave of disgust fill him. "She knew," he said for what felt like the hundredth time.
"How could she know?" Harper asked.
"I don't know," Alec said. "But she knew. She planned this whole thing. She must have. There's no way that a gas tank just mysteriously exploded. She knew we were trying to get the demons out of town, and she made sure it didn't happen. I'm sure of it. She could have just let them go, but she had to have them killed. Dozens dead, just to prove that she could."
Harper sighed. They'd been over the same conversation at least a dozen times since Sarah had called and told them to turn on the news. Conner had already gotten tired of it and had headed home for the day. Chloe and Brittney had cried off as well. Night had fallen, and Alec was angry.
"I don't know what you want me to say," Harper finally said. "It's done, it's over with."
"Dozens are dead, Harper."
"I know that," Harper said. "But we can't just go marching up to Rebecca Stanley and tell her we know what she did. You know she's too powerful for that. She'll come after us. We have to let this go -- at least for now. No, don't look at me like that. The others agree too. She's just got too many people and demons backing her right now for us to do anything but get ourselves killed."
Alec knew that Harper was right but it didn't make him feel any better. He grabbed his jacket and slid it on.
"Where are you going?" Harper demanded. "You're not going to see her, are you? Alec, if you piss her off, she'll have you killed. She almost did before."
"I'm going for a walk to clear my head," Alec said. "I'll be back in a few hours. Just stay inside, alright?"
"Fine," Harper said. "But be careful, Alec. Don't do anything stupid."
Alec nodded and left the club. He walked down the street, feeling his anger and indignation rise with every step he took. Like Sarah, he had wanted nothing more than to see those demons get a fresh start somewhere new. Somewhere Rebecca Stanley didn't have any power.
Part of him wanted to ignore Harper's warning and go straight to her home. He didn't, though. There were too many people who could be caught in the crossfire if he did something stupid.
After an hour or so of walking, he didn't feel any better. His phone rang in his pocket, briefly distracting him from his thoughts. He was sure it would be Harper, calling to check on him.
"I'm fine. I'm just walking."
"That's nice." Rebecca's voice came from the other end of the phone. "It's a good night for a walk, Alec."
"Stanley," Alec growled into the phone. "What did you do?"
"I did what you wouldn't," Rebecca said sweetly. "I cleaned up some of the scum from Las Vegas. You should be thanking me."
"Why the hell should I thank you?" Alec demanded.
"Because I've decided not to retaliate after your little stunt of trying to move the demons to where I couldn't find them. I'm not going to be sending my men after your families. That's very kind of me, isn't it?"
Alec gripped his phone tightly in his hand.
"Aren't you wondering why I'm being so generous?" Rebecca asked. "Ask me why, Alec."
"Why?" he asked woodenly.
"Because you did me a huge favor," Rebecca said. "You sent my man to the police, proclaiming his own guilt for the world to hear."
"What are you talking about now?" Alec asked.
"You mean, you never checked Fred's wrist?" Rebecca said. "What a shame. It matters little either way. He did exactly what he was told. Now, thanks to your help with the FBI, Ivan Berkes is out of the picture, and his investigation of me dies with him in that little jail cell. Oh, I bet you didn't even know about that."
Alec thought back to Fred, trying to remember if he had seen a red star on his wrist. He realized, with a sinking feeling, that he'd never bothered to check. "You set Berkes up. He's not guilty."
"In the eyes of the public, he is," Rebecca said. "After all, dear Fred had a recording of him talking about the zig zag scam."
Alec closed his eyes.
"So now we're even," Rebecca said.
"I wouldn't call this even," Alec said. "And I wouldn't be so confident if I were you."
Rebecca just laughed and hung up the phone.
Alec nearly threw his phone in rage. In the end, he just slipped it back into his pocket and started for home. In the morning, he'd have to get the team together. He'd have to tell them how they'd been manipulated and used. He'd have to tell them how an innocent man would now be serving prison time for a crime he hadn't committed -- because of them.
But for now, he was going to go back to his apartment and enjoy some alone time with Harper. There would be time for everything else later. Because no matter what the others said about her being too powerful, Rebecca Stanley would have to be stopped. He would make sure of it, or he would die trying.
About the Author
Kaitlyn Meyers lives in the western United States near Lake Tahoe, CA. You can find her on the shores of the lake anytime of the year.
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The Zig Zag Scam (Afterlife Book 12) Page 13