Court the Fire (Son of Rain #3)

by Michelle Irwin

  She whispered soundless words, but I could guess at their meaning even if I couldn’t hear them. A lament for Zarita. I fell to my knees to comfort her. Holding her against my body, I let her cry out her grief as I tried to coax the information I needed out of her. I had a suspicion over what might have happened, but I needed to know for sure.

  When she told me the man from the airport had made an appearance out of nowhere in the apartment to attack Zarita, it all but confirmed for me that Evie had a shadow person stalking her.

  It made me wonder whether it was possible Lou hadn’t been the one endangering Evie. Maybe she hadn’t been hunting Evie. Or at least, maybe she wasn’t the only one. Shadow people were masters at both tracking and instilling paranoia in their victims. Which one was responsible for the trail of deaths that had followed Evie?

  Escape now. Analyze later.

  The thought was enough to get me moving. I tried to warn Evie of the danger, to tell her about the shadow, but she didn’t understand.

  “We need to go,” I said, pulling myself to my feet and trying to guide Evie up as well. “If it’s a shadow, he could be anywhere. He could be watching right now.”

  I didn’t voice it, but it was likely that if he was nearby, watching and maybe even enjoying what he saw, it was possible we were both in danger.

  “We can’t leave her like this. She helped you! She helped both of us! You can’t leave her this way!” What had started as a low murmur escalated quickly into hysterical screams.

  More than anything, I wanted to help her, but I couldn’t. I had to look at the situation from a cold, heartless place or I would risk repercussions that would come back to haunt both Evie and myself.

  My instincts were already screaming at me to leave immediately, but first I needed to fix things so that nothing could place Evie at the scene of the crime.

  I knelt back down and wrapped my palms around her cheeks. “We can’t stay. The neighbors will have heard the screaming. For all we know, the police are already right around the corner. Now think, what did you touch?”

  As Evie gathered her thoughts as best as she could and listed everything that might bear her fingerprint, the Rain’s motto for leaving a crime scene the way we wanted it found ran through my mind: clean, corrupt, contaminate. When we couldn’t be certain that someone with insider knowledge of the world we existed within would be the first on the scene, the first priority was always to make sure there was no evidence of paranormal activity to be found.

  In this case, it would be impossible to hide all traces of our presence—after all, I had called Zarita a few weeks ago, she’d arranged to come to Paris for me, and I had no doubt there was information about my itinerary somewhere around the apartment that I wouldn’t have time to search for. Zarita wasn’t stupid though, and she knew the risks. She would’ve covered her own tracks with her research, but that didn’t mean the police—or more importantly the Rain—wouldn’t discover her link to me somehow. If they had to search too deeply to find the link, it was likely the connection could be made back to Evie’s file.

  With the trail of evidence impossible to remove completely, there simply needed to be a redirect. If the police and Rain had a ready-made suspect, they would be less likely to look deep enough into Zarita’s past to discover the link to Evie’s mother. There was only one thing for it: I had to make myself the murderer—a ready-made suspect they could blame.

  While Evie washed up, I grabbed the items she’d said she held and wiped them down.

  Next, I cleaned off every surface of the room she’d been in. Only after the other evidence was contained did I do the one thing I’d been dreading. Kneeling beside Zarita’s body, I closed my eyes and reached for the knife that had killed her. Holding the weapon in my hand, I could almost feel her pain within my own body—like an echo from the past—and the sensation made my stomach churn. The grief that I’d been barely holding at bay bubbled to the surface, but I pushed it all down to keep Evie safe. Letting it overwhelm me could wait until later, when we were both far away.

  After I’d ensured my prints were on the murder weapon, I dropped it back into the pool of blood. Swallowing as often as I could to stop myself from being sick, I used the residue of the blood on my hands to make some clear prints in not too obvious places, under the lip of the table, on the edge of a chair—places I might have reached for if I’d actually been a desperate murderer trying to flee.

  They were places the police would naturally stumble across in an investigation, but would still congratulate themselves on finding. In my experience, nothing made people more likely to overlook inconsistencies than being too busy patting themselves on the back.

  To the police, Zarita’s death would appear as nothing more than a random act of violence. They might be able to link it back to the Interpol notice issued by Charles, but it would eventually be swept away from the civil system, and her death would become just another cold case.

  Within a few weeks, my name, fingerprints, and photographs would disappear from the investigation. The Rain dealt out their own justice and wouldn’t want just anyone stumbling across me, especially if I could make it seem like the crime was revenge for the “fae-inspired” robbery I’d performed in Oxford. If they believed that, I was likely to escape any penalty.

  It would be easy enough to get Eth to cover for me on that front.

  I hoped.

  Grabbing Zarita’s phone, I called his official mobile, knowing that the police would check the calls but also that the Rain would be able to trace it back and it could get their interest in the case that much quicker. Before he’d even had a chance to say hello, I spoke over him, “I killed the bitch who set me up with the fae.” The words felt dirty in my mouth, speaking them was a betrayal. It had to be done though. To keep Evie safe.

  “Clay?”

  “Who else would it be, Eth?”

  “And you killed who?”

  “I found out who set me up in London and I killed her.”

  “Okay. Good?” The confusion in his tone indicated I’d have to call him again sooner rather than later to explain, but he played along, confirming his understanding of what I’d said and telling me to be safe.

  When the Rain came to him for information, he’d be able to tell them I was on a personal mission for vengeance. Knowing his propensity for embellishment and embarrassing me, I had no doubt he’d make up some excuses about how Evie’s death pushed me over the edge. Providing he didn’t mention Evie still being alive, it should give them an open and shut case. I could only hope that would leave the link between Zarita and Evie’s parents undiscovered.

  After I hung up the phone, I grabbed Zarita’s car keys from the bench. It wasn’t ideal to take her vehicle, but it was the easiest option available just then. It would just mean we had to dump it that much sooner than I’d ideally like.

  Satisfied I’d done what I could, I went in search of Evie. I found her in the bathroom, dry-heaving in the sink. My heart broke for her. She’d had to bear so much more than should ever be expected of anyone. We both had.

  Wrapping my hands around her shoulders, I guided her away from the bathroom. She’d done a decent enough job cleaning herself off, but it was clear she was obviously so far beyond okay. I wanted to hold her, to let her break down in my arms, and to finally let myself fall to pieces at the same time, but it still had to wait. I led her down to the car.

  Once she was safely in the car, I returned to the apartment to wipe down the bathroom, grab our bags, and jimmy the lock so that it looked like I’d forced my way into the house.

  When I came back to find Evie curled on the passenger seat with her knees tucked up against her chest and her face buried, I stopped and assessed her. Despite the ache in my heart, I promised myself I would find a way to make her smile again eventually.

  Our bright future together might have been tarnished, but it wasn’t yet completely dimmed.

  THE RUSH from Zarita’s house was one of the worst drives of my life.


  After a while, I worried that I’d left too many obvious clues and that someone would dig deeper simply because the case was too open and shut. On top of those worries, my mind raced with concern for Evie’s sanity. Although she was talking again and her tears had dried up, it was clear she still wasn’t handling Zarita’s death very well. Added to all of that was the thought that Eth might take matters into his own hands if I didn’t contact him soon to explain the phone call I’d made, and that only heightened my already stressed state.

  The quiet that had settled over the car was heavy with grief, but eventually, Evie asked me more about how I’d met Zarita and I was forced to choose between telling her of the database that held information about her mother’s death and lying to her. After everything we’d been through, I wanted Evie’s trust more than anything else, so I chose the truth, even though it would be the most painful in the short term. As I’d expected, she was angry at first, but it soon fizzled as she dissolved into tears once more.

  When we stopped for gas, I grabbed a cheap pre-paid cell to contact Eth. The instant we were back on the highway, I called him on his other number—the one he kept for his other network and that couldn’t be traced by the Rain.

  “You’d better have a damn good explanation for what happened before because I am seconds away from telling Dad where you are and who you’re with before coming over there to kick your ass myself.”

  “I don’t have long, but Evie’s definitely being tracked by a shadow,” I said in response. Evie didn’t need to know about his rant—which was more about him needing to know I was safe rather than any real desire to reveal my secrets to Dad and Lou.

  “No shit?” He blew out a breath. “Wow. Is she there?”

  “She is.” I was a little guarded in my response; I couldn’t be sure of his reaction or hers.

  “Can I talk to her?”

  Even though I wanted to say no, it was a positive sign that he wanted to speak to her. God, I hope I’m not making a mistake. “Sure.”

  Holding out the cell phone, I offered it to Evie who shrunk away from it as though it might bite. Certain she just needed a moment to calm herself, I held it steady. After a moment, she reached for the handset and raised it to greet my brother.

  I listened to the one-sided conversation and guessed what Eth was asking based on her answers. If I guessed right, he was thorough in his investigations, as he would for anyone else. Breathing a sigh of relief, I allowed myself to relax for the moment.

  “He could have tonight, but he didn’t,” Evie said into the phone before pausing. “He was right next to me. H-He had a knife, but he . . .”

  Her breathing sped and the smell of singed plastic filled the car. I rested my hand on her knee to calm her. Unfortunately, Eth needed to know everything if he was going to help us. Drawing my eyes off the road, I turned to her, anxious to let her know I was there for her.

  The devastation I saw when I met her gaze, and the guilt it sparked in me, forced me to look away.

  When she continued to panic and the heat rose further, I grabbed the phone back from her. We’d get nowhere if she destroyed the phone before we could get the information I needed.

  “He killed someone else instead of Evie.”

  “So you saw it? Was it—”

  “No, I wasn’t there. I didn’t see.”

  He paused, and when he spoke again, it was with a cautious tone—whatever was coming, I wasn’t going to like it. “Okay, I know I’m supposed to be Team Evie now, but how do you know it wasn’t her who—”

  “Of course I know it wasn’t,” I said to cut him off. How could he even ask that after what he’d seen her do? After she’d saved his life? I should’ve known better. I should’ve guessed he’d be straight back on the “she’s evil” bandwagon.

  “But how can you be sure?”

  “Because it wasn’t.”

  “You have to admit; first the nurse, now this death. Maybe there’s—”

  I cut him off. “Just trust me, will you?”

  Risking a sideways glance at Evie, I saw her clenched fists and her squared jaw. She’d gone from sorrow to anger in a heartbeat, and I couldn’t blame her one bit.

  “Okay,” he conceded. “Well, I did a little more digging about shadow people after our earlier conversation. Just in case, you know.”

  Whatever he’d dug up might help Evie, so I put him on speaker phone. Before he’d had a chance to tell us how we could kill the shadow stalking Evie though, the phone cut out.

  Maybe I should have bought one with more included minutes, but I hadn’t been expecting a long conversation. Of course, if Eth hadn’t spent so much time trying to blame Evie for Zarita’s death, we might have had time to talk about the more important things. I clenched my fists. Blood surged through my body, and the tide of grief grew harder to hold back. The only way I could was to allow anger to take its place. As the bubble of irritation grew, I hurled the phone out of the window. At first, Evie was shocked, but she understood when I explained that we didn’t want the Rain tracking the number back to us.

  After a moment of stifling silence, Evie asked the obvious question—had Eth thought she’d committed murder. To my surprise, she followed up by asking why I hadn’t doubted her. The thought that she might have been the one to hurt Zarita had never even entered my mind.

  Once more, she proved what a terrible impression I must have left her with over the years. I wasn’t stupid after all. There were dangerous things in the world; I knew that better than most. But I also knew the look of a killer. Not only from monsters, but I'd also seen it on the faces of my family often enough.

  There hadn’t been a doubt in my head that Evie was innocent, because when I’d seen her, she hadn’t worn that look. She’d been a crumpled, bloody heap sobbing over Zarita’s body; monsters didn’t do that. Hers were tears of grief, not remorse or regret. Either Evie was innocent or a fucking award-winning actress.

  After a while, I was able to convince her to try to get some rest. She’d already been exhausted, and it was clear crying over Zarita’s death had to have taken the last reserves out of her.

  Once she was asleep, I rested my arm against the window and cradled my head. Even though I was beyond tired, I was used to dealing with it. I had a few more good hours left in me before I would be completely wasted and utterly useless. What kept me going was the knowledge that it wouldn’t be long before Zarita’s body was found, and I wanted to be as far from her apartment as possible before that happened.

  While Evie slept, my mind turned and my stomach roiled. Thoughts danced through my head, diving in and out of the darkness before I could fully address each one. I was worried over Toni and what might happen when there were no new translations arriving.

  Would she connect the dots and see Zarita was my translator? Would she believe I’d murdered Zarita to keep some dark secret she’d discovered hidden? If so, would she tell her grandfather about our deal? About Evie?

  Blind panic rushed through me, but I tried to breathe through it. There was nothing I could do about it now, possibly ever. I didn’t want to risk stopping for more calls. I especially didn’t want to call the Dove while I was so close to the UK.

  Other questions followed. Why hadn’t the shadow taken the opportunity to destroy Evie? Had he been responsible for the nurse in Detroit? For the boy and his mother? For every death that Lou and Eth had both been so eager to pin on Evie?

  Turning to glance at Evie, a small ray of light pierced through the darkness and illuminated me from within. Zarita’s death was certainly nothing to celebrate, but it occurred to me that it could have been so much worse. I could’ve returned a few minutes later and found two bodies with matching wounds as they were consumed by the fires that would follow Evie’s death. As I drove, I made a promise to myself to never let Evie out of my sight until the threat of the shadow had passed.

  With me at her side, she at least stood a chance of surviving an encounter. Eventually, my head began to dip
, and my eyes were closed more frequently than they were open. When that happened, I gave up the fight to keep driving and was ready to give in to sleep. There was one last task I needed to do first—secure a place for us to sleep.

  By the time I was ready to stop, we were somewhere in Germany, but I had no idea exactly where. There were mountains and darkened forests nearby, which looked like they might be accommodating if we needed to get off the beaten track, but what I needed most—what Evie needed too—was a bed and a bathroom.

  I drove through a small town and saw a building that looked like it might have rentals available. German wasn’t one of the languages I knew, so I had to blunder my way through as best as I could. Although the people in the office weren’t able to help me with short-term accommodation, they pointed me in the direction of someone who could.

  A little over half an hour later, I had keys and the directions to a small cottage in the middle of the black forest.

  Pulling up to the house, all I could see at first was the red tile roof nestled among a sea of green. It would definitely suit us for as long as we stayed. We couldn’t count on anything more than a few days, but those few days would be heaven.

  “Hey there, sleeping beauty,” I murmured to Evie after I’d turned off the car. “It’s time to get up.”

  When Evie woke, she seemed disorientated at first, but the situation settled back over her too fast. In almost no time, she admonished me for not sleeping. I would have smiled if I wasn’t so bone-tired. Even as she ordered me to sleep, she tried to convince me that she should go find somewhere to dump the car, but I couldn’t risk her leaving me.

  After everything I’d faced to return to her and then to get her out of the country, I couldn’t be apart from her. Maybe it was needy and codependent, but I didn’t give a shit.