‘Sam didn’t know you were watching us. How could he?’
‘Are you sure?’
I rubbed my face with both hands. I couldn’t deal with this, not now. The idea of Sam having an ulterior motive in kissing me sent jagged needles of ice into the pit of my stomach.
‘I have to go. I’ll come back after I’ve made my statement. Okay?
Chris strode over to the door and opened it. Then, as I brushed by him he caught my arm. ‘Be careful.’
‘It’s a statement, not exactly life threatening.’
‘I’m talking about Grimm. There are no limits to what he’s capable of doing. I don’t want anything to happen to you.’
I smiled up at him. ‘I’ll be careful.’
I entered the elevator and the doors closed, blocking my view of his handsome face. My smile died.
The Grim Reaper had my mother’s soul and his master was a being many people associated with the Devil. They’d had centuries to devise a plan to conquer the Earth and continue a war with a godlike figure whereas we had a mere two days to come up with a way to stop them.
But first I had to face Sam.
Was Chris right? Had Sam known Chris was watching when he’d kissed me?
I exited the elevator and made my way to where I’d parked my car. I might need something stronger than migraine tablets to get through the upcoming interview.
I drove home, my brain whirling. How could I make a pack of lies sound like the truth? Sam would see right through any attempts at subterfuge, already suspicious about Sarah’s death.
I got back to the flat, leaving my car unlocked as I raced inside and went straight to the bathroom to get my medication. I took three tablets with a swallow of water from the tap, then brushed my teeth to get rid of the aftertaste, coughing when some of the toothpaste ran down the back of my throat.
‘That’ll teach you to take on more than you can chew.’
I spun around and my heart stopped beating. Connor stood in the doorway, arms folded in front of his chest, a disturbing glint in his eye. My mind flicked back to Chris’s words when I’d first got to his penthouse. Sam now considered my half-brother the prime suspect for the murders of Sarah and the other women who looked like me.
I dropped my toothbrush in the sink, and then rinsed my mouth, gaining precious seconds to compose myself. I didn’t want him to see how desperately scared I was. A shiver swept over my body as I wiped my face on my towel. We were alone in the flat and at this time of day none of my neighbours would be home to hear me scream.
‘Haven’t you heard of knocking?’ I glared at Connor, head held high, hands gripping my towel so he wouldn’t see them shake.
‘We’re family, Sis. We don’t knock.’ He moved forward, one arm coming up, the hand pointed at my face.
I froze as his finger grazed the side of my mouth. ‘You missed a bit,’ he said. ‘Can’t have you going around with toothpaste all over your face.’
‘Thanks for your concern, but I’m sure I can manage.’ I walked forward, forcing Connor to back up, hiding my relief when he didn’t try to stop me. I led him into the lounge and scooped up my car keys from where I’d tossed them on the coffee table, glad I’d left my car unlocked. If I could get into my car and lock the doors I’d be okay.
‘Going somewhere?’ Connor pointed at my keys.
‘I have an appointment at two o’clock,’ I said, leaving out the details in case the mention of the police set him off. I’d left my phone in the car, with my bag, so I glanced over at the clock beside the television. Quarter to two.
‘I’m running late. Can we talk later?’
Connor moved forward. ‘There’s not going to be a later for you and I. It all ends now.’
I grabbed my necklace with one hand, the other held palm out in front of me. ‘Don’t come any closer,’ I said, welcoming the warmth as my necklace came to life. I didn’t shake; ready to do this, ready to take control back.
The warmth beneath my hands disappeared in an instant, chased away by a frigid blast from the black skull. My body dropped to the floor as my astral form emerged from within and I was out of the flat before I could see Connor’s response to my sudden collapse.
Silent screams poured out of my mouth as I flew through the sky and though I contorted all I could my ethereal form did not deviate from its path. I was on the way to reap the soul of someone dying, not sure if I would live long enough to complete my task.
Chapter 33
Diamond tears scattered around me and for the first time during a daytime reap I became conscious of shadows flitting around out of sight. Were they Tr’lirians come to witness the end of Malia’s line or dark reapers like the one who’d stolen Sarah’s soul and given it to Grimm? Either way I knew they were the enemy and stifled my tears. I might be about to die by my own half-brother’s hands, but I would not let those who railed against me see me weaken.
Grimm would not get his hands on this new soul or any of the others I carried in my necklace. I would find a way to set them free, if not while I lived, then from the Underworld.
I floated to a stop above a man slumped behind the wheel of a car. It had collided with the back of a truck on a roundabout, causing traffic chaos. But I ignored the commotion and reaped the man’s soul, then prepared myself to face whatever horror awaited me back at the flat. Only, as I followed the draw of my body my path took me away from home. I flew over a new housing estate on the outskirts of Easton, dreading my arrival.
I passed over Easton University before meeting up with the road leading to Capricorn Bay, a small coastal town half an hour from Easton. I crossed over the road, bushland below me as I travelled further away from town. I skimmed over scattered properties, the dirt roads leading to them barely visible between the trees, before I dropped lower.
My path followed one of the dirt roads, heading towards a large structure. A shed, built in the middle of the bush, with no neighbours in shouting distance, Connor’s car parked outside. I floated through the roof, head swivelling as I searched for my brother.
Darkness shrouded the interior of the shed, small rays of daylight working their way through gaps to illuminate a white van directly below me. I had no time to see anything more before my astral form connected with flesh and I stifled a gasp as I melted into my body.
I wanted to sit up but couldn’t move my limbs; it was like a large blanket muffled my body even though nothing weighed me down.
I’d felt like this before, at times when I’d been woken from such a deep sleep I couldn’t move or speak. On those occasions I’d fought to open my eyes, only to find it an impossible task and had instead given in as my slumber pulled me back down. This time I had the added bonus of dizziness so strong it felt like my body was rolling, flipping, flying. A wave of purest black crested over me, carrying me away as full unconsciousness took me.
When I again woke my head spun and a smell reminding me of a dental surgery clung to my nostrils. I could taste something bitter on my lips. I forced my eyelids up and blinked several times before I could convince myself my eyes were open. Absolute darkness surrounded me, not even a sliver of light available to prove I was awake, or even alive.
Was I in the Underworld, at Grimm’s mercy?
I hunched my shoulders, the familiar weight of my necklace settling against my collar bones. I closed my eyes and wriggled each of my limbs, whimpering when none of them responded to my commands. I flexed my fingers, relieved when the muscles in my arms twitched sluggishly, like they hadn’t moved for some time. I tested the rest of my body, starting with my toes and working my way up. I lay on my side on a soft surface, my movements accompanied by the creak of springs. My hands were behind me, an ache in the shoulder pressed into the mattress by the weight of my body. I flexed my fingers and found I couldn’t pull my hands apart. They were tied together at the wrist. Further wriggling revealed my ankles were also strapped together.
My breathing quickened. Where was Connor? He must have drugged me to
keep me unconscious after I’d passed out in front of him, giving him plenty of time to make the drive to the shed. I had no idea how much time had passed since I’d come back from reaping.
No light shone through the cracks. Night had fallen while I was unconscious and the thud of my heart filled the silence around me. How many other women had been in this shed, tied up and helpless in the dark, not knowing when the man who’d kidnapped them would return? No one would find me out here. No one would hear me scream.
I thrashed from side to side, rubbing my wrists and ankles against the rope. I stopped, panting heavily, and closed my eyes, on the verge of tears, the noise I made magnified by bouncing off the shed walls. Unrelenting darkness pressed down on me and it became hard to breathe.
I forced myself to take even breaths, determined not to think about running out of air. Instead I focused on Chris and Sam. They would both be searching for me. Sam would want to know why I hadn’t turned up at the station to give him my statement, and I’d promised Chris I would return to his penthouse. I had been missing for hours, long enough for both men to realise something had gone wrong.
I couldn’t rely on them to save me. They would have no idea where I was. Would Chris even realise that Connor had motive to kidnap me? Considering our situation, he’d probably think Grimm had masterminded my disappearance. Sam wouldn’t though. He’d thought the killer had been after me all along and with Connor as his prime suspect he’d know who to blame. But knowing and saving me were two very different things.
I swung my legs off the bed, and then used an elbow to push myself into a sitting position. With my hands bound behind me I found it hard to balance, and my shoulders ached from being pulled back. I rolled them to relieve the discomfort before I stood. I would hobble slowly across the shed until I hit a wall, then I would go around the side, searching for a door or anything I could use to free myself.
I distilled the air around me, hoping a sixth sense would alert me to the best way to go. The darkness proved disorientating so I closed my eyes to aid my concentration but got a wave of claustrophobia. I opened my eyes and sniffed back tears, retching when a sour taste filled the back of my throat. I swallowed hard, breathing heavily through my mouth. My nose started to tickle, and I wriggled it, wishing I had my hands free to pinch it to ward off a sneeze.
The sneeze burst out of me, the sound explosive in the silence, followed in quick succession by three more. I froze. I had heard a noise.
The sound came again, a moan. Someone shared the darkness with me.
My heart rate picked up. Was it Connor?
I could hear movement accompanying the moan, a rubbing noise like something heavy scraping on a rough surface or a person rolling around. Then I heard a thump and a muffled cry of pain. I lowered myself to my knees and shuffled across the concrete floor towards where I thought the noise had come from.
‘Is someone there?’ I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
I would have only travelled a few feet before I lost my balance and toppled over. With my arms tied behind me I couldn’t stop my head from banging painfully into the ground. I cried out and then lay there for a moment, catching my breath. My knees were sore, but they’d be in worse condition if I hadn’t been wearing jeans. My thighs were quivering and the rest of my body shuddered in sympathy.
I couldn’t keep moving like this. I had to get my hands in front of me. I wriggled onto my side, stretching my arms to the limit, forcing my hands under by butt. Finally, I got my hands in front of me.
I heard another moan from nearby. I forced myself to get back up and continue on.
‘Hello,’ I said, keeping my voice low in case Connor lurked nearby.
I didn’t want him to know I’d regained consciousness until I was ready to face him, and that would only be when I knew more about the situation I and the other prisoner were in. Sore head, shoulders and knees were my only complaint, but from the painful moans they were making my companion had not been so lucky. The women Connor had killed had all been violently beaten. Bound and with no access to first aid supplies, I had nothing to offer other than compassion and company and could only hope it would be enough.
My next shuffle forward met resistance. A body, dressed in a t shirt and shorts. I ran my hands down the length of the body, freezing when I encountered leg hair below the shorts. I moved back up to the chest to confirm my findings.
I was locked up with a man, not a woman. I sagged at his side, choking back a sob of relief before pressing lightly on his chest. He moaned in pain.
‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘but I need to feel how badly injured you are.’ I continued my examination, hampered by the total darkness, discovering a sticky substance coating the back of his head. When I leaned in close I caught a whiff of a coppery tang. Blood.
I checked the rest of him over but could find no sign of other injuries, though I did ascertain that his hands and feet were tied like mine. I tugged on his bonds but did not have the strength to untie him. Hopefully he would have better luck with untying me. I would need my hands free to protect us both from Connor.
The man groaned. ‘Tyler, is that you?’
I froze, my hands still resting on his legs where I’d been probing for injuries.
‘Connor?’
‘Damn my head hurts. Can you turn on a light, for god’s sake? I can’t see a thing.’
I collapsed to the ground beside him, unable to speak.
‘What the hell is going on? Who tied me up? Is this your idea of a joke?’ Connor’s voice got louder and stronger as he talked.
‘Shush,’ I said, leaning over him, feeling my way to his face to place my hands over his mouth. ‘He might hear you.’
‘Who?’
‘What’s the last thing you remember?’
‘You flaking out on me. Are you pregnant? Logan is going to shit balls if you are. Or is the baby daddy the other guy you’ve been screwing around with?’
‘What are you talking about? Of course I’m not pregnant and I sure as hell have not been screwing around.’
‘Then why’ve you been passing out lately? Sarah told me you flaked out at work on Friday, and again Saturday night. She used it as an excuse for why you ruined my date with Monique, thought you had a brain tumour or something.’
‘I do not have a brain tumour, and I am definitely not pregnant.’
‘If you are, you better not try to pin it on Logan if the other guy’s responsible.’
‘Will you shut up? I’m not pregnant. End of story. And we have a lot more to worry about even if I were. What else do you remember after I … passed out?’
‘I don’t know. It’s all kind of fuzzy. My head hurts bad, like the time some bitch at Remy’s threw her stiletto at me.’
‘Just focus, okay. I collapsed, so what happened next?’
‘Perhaps I can help.’
Light flared, its brilliance hammering into my eyes. I slammed them shut, disorientated by the afterimage staining the insides of my eyelids. A dark figure surrounded by a nimbus of light.
I opened my eyes, blinking away the urge to keep them closed as I focused on the man standing in front of me with a gun in his hand.
‘Andrew,’ I said, a shudder overtaking me.
He grinned, his blue eyes shining. ‘Hello, Sis.’
I closed my eyes, wishing I could block out the memories so easily. Andrew telling me he suspected Connor was a killer. Andrew, face red, ready to strike Connor at the dinner table. Andrew’s aftershave …
The familiar scent when I’d reaped Monique’s soul. My stomach clenched. I opened my eyes. ‘It was you all along.’
‘Had you guessing, didn’t I?’
‘Bloody hell, Andrew,’ said Connor. ‘Don’t stand there yapping. Get us untied before whoever did this comes back.’
I turned to Connor, shaking my head, shoving him in the ribs with my bound hands when he made to rise. He froze, his gaze darting to Andrew and back to me.
Andrew barked ou
t a laugh. ‘You’re so stupid, Connor. Maybe that’s why Dad favours you. You’re so much like him. I should have smothered you when you were born.’
Under my hands, Connor’s muscles tensed and I cautioned him with a hard squeeze. He glared at me, but made no move other than to look around the shed. ‘Where the hell are we?’
‘Don’t you remember? You called me from Tyler’s place this afternoon; said she’d fainted and you didn’t know what to do. I got you to bring her here and then I whacked you on the head with a hammer.’ Andrew grinned. ‘The sound you made when you hit the ground, I’ve been waiting to hear it all my life. I also have to thank you for solving a huge problem for me. I’ve been struggling to come up with a way to get Tyler here without leaving any trace of myself and putting all the blame on you. Then you do all the hard work for me. Now I can kill you both and make it look like a murder/suicide.’
‘You’re crazy,’ I said.
Andrew shook a finger at me. ‘I’m not the crazy one here. I’m not the one who killed her own mother because of jealousy.’
I recoiled, stunned by the hate in Andrew’s eyes. ‘That’s not true.’
‘I was there, remember? I saw what you were doing. From the moment you were born you were trying to take Grace away from me. Anytime she paid me attention you’d start crying, demanding to be fed or have your nappy changed or screaming for the hell of it. But your plan didn’t work, did it? She loved me more than you and you couldn’t handle it, so you made sure I couldn’t have her anymore. You screamed and screamed when we were in the car and you didn’t stop until you got what you wanted. You made her crash the car. You killed her.’ Spittle sprayed from Andrew’s mouth and I stared at him, horrified by his reasoning.
He nodded. ‘It was me who was supposed to die, wasn’t it? You wanted to get rid of me but you killed her instead, and now I’m going to make you pay.’
‘Andrew, no. I was a baby, I had no idea Mum would take her eyes off the road and lose control of the car. How could I? I was only three months old.’
‘You knew what you were doing. She was the only person who ever cared about me, we were soul mates, meant to be together, and you took her from me.’
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