“Don’t listen to him,” Alex snarls. “He’s just messing with you.”
“Am I?” The bocor laughs. “Then why don’t you tell her how you really feel about her, Monsieur Remington? She is, after all, the reason your beloved brother is in this mess in the first place.”
Jaw clenched, I face Alex. “What the hell is he talking about?” I haven’t seen Jesse in ages, so how on earth could I be responsible for his zombie state?
“I don’t know,” Alex snaps. His pink aura says something else though.
The bocor, aka Francoise, points to the watch around his wrist. “I’m a very busy man. I need your answer, chéri. Will you fall with him or stand with me?”
I have no idea what the hell is going on, but no way will I stand with a man who kills little girls. “You can shove your offer up your ass, pal. I’d rather be killed by him than pardoned by you,” I snap and mean it. Being killed by a witch hunter sucks, but at least it’s an honorable death.
Francoise arches his brows. “Mademoiselle Bishop, is that love I sense?”
Alex studies me. Although he keeps quiet, I can’t shake the feeling he’s eager for an answer to this question.
I gather my chi and force my spine into a straighter position. “Nope,” I say, shaking my head. “You sense my desire to rip out your heart and feed it to the hellhounds.”
Still hiding behind Jesse, he shrugs. “As you wish, chéri.” He faces Jesse. “Get the gun,” he orders.
Without blinking, Jesse stalks toward his brother like a freaking robot.
Alex stumbles back. “Stop, Jesse,” he begs, but it’s pointless.
Jesse seizes hold of the Berretta. Alex moves his left elbow, placing an uppercut to his little brother’s jaw, but the boy doesn’t even flinch. Pain obviously doesn’t affect zombies.
Now or never. Taking a chance, I pull the syringe out of my pocket and aim for Jesse’s carotid artery. I’m seconds away from penetrating his skin when a metallic clicking resonates through the damp dungeon.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” someone new croaks.
Alex freezes like a deer in headlights and let’s go of his gun.
The needle still pointed at Jesse’s neck, I peek over my shoulder to where Walter Griffin pushes a goddamn rifle against Alex’s head. I didn’t even hear him coming down the stairs.
Fan-freaking-tastic. At least a million thoughts bolt through my mind. What the fuck am I supposed to do, drop the cure and lose Jesse forever? Ignore Walter and get Alex killed? And when the hell did my life become so complicated?
I lock eyes with Alex, my thumb trembling against the syringe.
“Do it,” he begs.
“Drop it,” Walter yells.
“Think about it,” Francoise says. “Do you really want lover boy’s blood on your hands?”
My gaze glides from Jesse to Alex. “Fuck!”
“Amanda, look at me,” Alex pleads. “You’ve gotta save Jesse.”
Call me selfish, but there’s only one thing I can do. “I’m sorry,” I mouth as I drop the cure. “I can’t.”
Alex’s aura lights up like a freaking traffic light. It’s a weird mixture of disappointment, surprise, and confusion. “Why did you do that?”
Before I get a chance to explain my decision, French Connection folds a hand over Jesse’s shoulder. “Pick up the needle and give it to me,” he commands, and zombie boy obeys.
A knot in my belly, I watch as the bocor empties the syringe. Gone is every hope to get Jesse back.
“Thanks, Manda,” Alex bitches. “You just killed my brother.”
The bocor was right about one thing; Alex has melodramatic tendencies.
“Move!” Walter presses the rifle harder against the back of Alex’s head, pushing him forward.
Alex curls his hands into fists. He wants to fight, but one look at Jesse is enough to change his mind. Reluctantly, he walks toward the bocor.
“Get her,” Francoise instructs Jesse.
Hands up in defense, I try to tell zombie-boy I can walk by myself, but he doesn’t give a shit. He grabs me by the hair and drags me down the hallway like a piece of trash.
“Let the fuck go!” I dig my nails into his skin, but he’s numb. “Jesse, you’re scalping me,” I scream as the pain in my chest becomes unbearable. “Let go!”
“I’m afraid, chéri,” Francoise says, “he doesn’t take orders from you.”
Chapter 24
Jesse pushes me down on the filthy mattress of my vision. The scent of body liquids and rotten meat stings my nostrils. I try not to think about all the gross things that have happened here, but with Scarlet’s picture hanging on the wall behind me, the omnipresent evil is hard to ignore.
On the other side of the room, Walter forces Alex into a chair. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he warns, not taking the gun off his chest.
We’re officially screwed. The cure is gone. Alex has a rifle pointed at his heart. I’m badly hurt and, let’s be honest, don’t stand a freaking chance against all three of them. Long story short, I have no clue how to get out of this mess.
Considering our options, I study the room. Maybe Alex could take Walter down, but there’d still be psycho bocor and Jesse, aka zombie slave. The best thing I can do right now is buy us some time. Eyeballing the bocor, I clear my throat. “So, Francoise. I can call you Francoise, right?”
“I’d prefer Baron Samedi,” he says, pulling the edges of his mouth down.
“Sure, Francoise.” Straightening, I rub my scalp to ease the pain. “Now that we no longer pose a threat to you, how about telling us why the fuck you killed James McKenzie? I mean, he was the founder of your child pornography ring, wasn’t he?”
Walter spins around. “How does she know?” he asks, his eyes almost popping out.
Francoise rolls his shoulders back and grins. “She’s a witch, Walter.” Amusement flickers across his face. “I told you she’d get to the bottom of this.”
Kneeling next to me, Francoise looks me in the eye. “The second you unlocked Jamie’s memory, I sensed you. After that, I had no choice but to eliminate the mayor. He posed a threat to the whole organization.”
“And Isobelle? Was she a threat, too?” Alex asks.
“Yes,” Francoise says, holding my gaze. “I never intended to kill her, but your little witch here gave me little choice.” He leans closer, his breath raising the hair on my neck. “All you had to do was dig a little deeper.” He grins. “You were so close to finding our location. Who knows, the girl might still be alive if you had been strong enough to endure her pain.”
Rage runs through my veins like melting lava. The asshole knows how to play the guilt card.
“Bullshit,” Alex hisses. “Don’t put this on her. She didn’t kill Isobelle. You’re the evil bastard who preys on helpless kids.”
“This is ridiculous,” Walter shouts, his finger moving back and forth from the trigger. “Let’s just kill them and be done with it.”
Alex looks at me, a silent message in his eyes as he tilts his chin toward Walter. “Distract him,” I read from his lips.
Assuming hunter-heroic has a plan, I do as he asks. “Killing us won’t solve your problems, Walter.” I press a hand against my broken ribs and get on my knees. “C’mon, do you really think we came here without backup?”
His face hardens. “What?” Pale, he glares at Francoise. “You said we’d be safe here.”
Francoise is about to say something, but I cut him off. “And you believed him? He’s a bocor, Walter. All he cares about is saving his own skin. I bet he didn’t even tell you the guy you’re holding at gunpoint works for the Feds.”
Fear swirls around him, changing his aura into a dark mess. “The Feds?” He steps aside, the rifle still pointed at Alex, but his eyes on Francoise. “What is she talking about?”
Francoise waves his hands. “Oh, for the love of death, she’s just messing with you, Walter. That’s what witches do.”
“Am I?�
�� I challenge him, brows raised. “Think about it, Walter. He said it himself: the second the mayor of Harpers Ferry posed a threat, he killed him. He’ll do the same to you. It’s just a matter of time.”
Dark blue taints Walter’s aura. His doubt grows like a nasty cancer. “She has a point, Francoise. How do I know you won’t sacrifice me to save yourself?”
The bocor jumps to his feet. “Stop this nonsense, or did you forget who undid the curse your ex-wife put on you?” He lets out a sharp breath. “You’d still be popping Viagra if it wasn’t for me.”
And here I wondered why Walter had waited over thirty years to get back to his dirty business. “Hedwig put a no-sex hex on you?” I burst into laughter. “Damn, I hope heaven has a best spell award. She totally deserves it.”
Walter stalks toward me with squinted eyes.
Mission accomplished.
“You think this is funny, witch?” With crazy written all over his face, he slaps the back of his hand across my face, sending my head flying to the side. “That bitch destroyed my whole life.” He looks at the picture of Scarlet. “My little girl would still be alive if it wasn’t for that goddamn mambo.”
Francoise makes a calming gesture. “Easy, my friend. This isn’t the time to…how do you Americans say? Lose your shit?”
Rubbing my jaw, I glance at Alex, who’s slowly rising from his chair. I gotta buy him more time. “Are you serious?” I bark. “You blame Hedwig for Scarlet’s death?” Shaking my head, I grin. “Dude, your granddaughter drowned herself because she couldn’t stand you.”
BAM. The butt of the rifle connects with my temple. “Shut the fuck up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Blood runs down my forehead, blurring my peripheral vision. “I know enough to be certain she hated you with all her heart,” I say, wiping the crimson liquid off my cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt.
“Walter, stop. She’s playing you,” Francoise shouts as the pedophile douchebag kicks me in the stomach.
Damn, my brain feels like pudding, the seizures in my stomach are worse than PMS, and don’t even get me started on my ribs. But if I want to get out of here, I have to pull it together. Rubbing my belly, I straighten. “What’s wrong, Walter? Am I upsetting you?” I try to smile, but the muscles in my face won’t move. “Little girls are easier to control, right? Hey,” I say, batting my thick lashes at him. “Can you even get a boner when they fight back?”
I shouldn’t have said that.
Walter’s pale gray eyes turn midnight blue, and his facial expression reminds me of the Evil Dead chick who split her tongue with the bread cutter. Sweat drips down his forehead as he pushes the rifle against my temple. “I’m going to kill you,” he yells like a lunatic who just escaped the loony bin.
Alex ambushes him from behind, tackling him to the ground before he can pull the trigger. The old man puts up quite a fight, but Alex is faster and stronger. He disarms him in no time, then beats the fucking crap out of him. After several punches, Walter loses consciousness, and Alex turns his focus on the bocor, who stands there dumbstruck.
“Jesus,” Francois hisses as he realizes what’s happening. “Kill him,” he commands Jesse.
Zombie-boy rushes to Alex and grabs him by the collar of his shirt.
Using my last strength, I get on my feet. It’s all or nothing. I reach in my pocket, grab the belladonna root powder meant to subdue Jesse, and throw it in Francoise’s face.
Coughing, he falls on his knees. “What,” he wraps his hands around his neck, “have you done?” Gasping for air, he tries to fight the poison, but it’s useless. Belladonna is ruthless and quick. Within seconds, Francoise lies on the floor, jerking violently.
A victorious smile on my bruised lips, I stand over the asshole. Two down, one to go. My gaze glides to Alex, and all of a sudden, I’m not so optimistic. Jesse is sitting on top of him, delivering punch after punch. Alex’s face is a canvas of blood. Instead of defending himself, he takes the beating.
“Alex, you’ve gotta fight him,” I shout, but he’s paralyzed. Shit, Jesse’s going to kill him. I have to do something. Question is what? The cure is gone, and unless I turn into a superhero, I doubt I can take on super-zombie-boy.
Alex looks at me, his eyelids flickering. “Save him,” he whispers as Jesse’s fist connects with his jaw. Once, twice.
Save him? How? The real Jesse would never do this to his brother. If only he could remember. Wait, that’s it. I just have to remind him who he really is. I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to break through the drug, but it’s worth a shot.
I attack Jesse from behind. Pressing my forefinger against his third eye, I wrap my legs around his waist. “I know you’re still in there.” I close my eyes. “You just have to remember.” Concentrating on memories of brighter days, I force him to feel and see what the bocor has taken away from him.
The first time we met.
The night we laughed our asses off because Alex got so wasted, he started imitating Taylor Swift.
The day he saved me from getting shot.
It all flickers across his mind’s eye, but doesn’t affect him at all. He reaches over his shoulder, seizes hold of my shirt, and tries to get me off his back.
“Hold him,” I order.
Alex grabs Jesse’s hands, securing them at his sides.
“C’mon, Jess. Remember.” I focus all my energy on one memory, hoping beneath the brainless slave is still a part of the pre-zombie Jesse.
****
We had been sitting for quite some time, enjoying the calmness of the deserted piece of land while Alex tried to fix his beloved Mustang. A faint breeze carried the distinct scent of summer rain. I took a deep breath, wondering why Jesse had grown so silent all of a sudden. One second he told me all about his dream to travel the world. The next, his eyes had grown distant, and he glared at the sunset that cast a beautiful, coral light on the blossoming flowers.
I sipped my soda and studied him. “Why don’t you just do it?”
He ran a hand through his styled hair and laughed. “You mean buy a ticket and travel the world?”
I nodded. “Hell, yeah. What’s holding you back?”
Jesse’s warm chocolate eyes found Alex. “It ain’t that easy, Manda.”
“It sure is,” I said matter-of-factly. “Alex loves you. He’ll understand.”
The saddest, yet proudest smile crossed his lips. “I know. But he’s my brother, Manda. We swore we’d never leave each other.”
“Hey!” Alex waved Jesse over with the screwdriver he held. “How about you give me a hand, little brother?”
“See?” Jesse said as he got up. “The boy’s helpless without me.”
****
The weighty atmosphere in the room lifts, and Jesse relaxes. I did it. I don’t know how, but I got through to him. I get off his back, and he rolls to the ground.
Alex pushes up on his elbows. Eyes wide, he stares at his brother. “Manda, is he—”
Bang!
What the—
Something hits me hard in the chest. The scent of copper wafts through the air, turning my stomach as I tremble. Next thing I know, I’m lying on the floor, glaring at Walter with the rifle in his hand.
“You should have accepted his offer,” he says with a scary-as-hell grin.
“Manda!” Alex is next to me in an instant. Raw fear colors his aura the deepest blue. “Shit!” He presses his hand against the hole in my chest. “You’re gonna be okay. Do you hear me?”
I doubt that.
“My—” I try to inhale, but blood bubbles into my lungs.
“Shhh. Don’t talk,” Alex says, resting my head in his lap.
“Pocket. Pennies,” I choke out, feeling the crimson liquid crawling up my throat.
Alex gives me a weird look, but reaches in my pocket and pulls out the ferryman coins. Better safe than sorry, Grams used to say. I couldn’t agree more.
“Here.” He places the coins in the palm of my hand.
From the corner of my eye, I watch Walter approach us. His left eye is swollen and bruises cover his face.
I try to speak, but my voice is barely a whisper. Alex leans closer. My lips brush his ear. “Keep,” I gasp for air, “one. Throw…” I cough blood, and Alex goes white. “When over.”
Confusion paints his face. “What?”
Pointing the rifle at Alex, Walter grins. “Enough. I’m sure you guys can talk all you want in hell.”
It takes all the strength I’ve got left, but I manage to throw the ferryman’s coin to the ground and start chanting, “Ancients gods, I call upon thee.” I cough more blood. “Set these tormented spirits free.” I pant for air, choking on the coppery liquid. “Let justice be done and revenge come undone.”
Violent winds blow. Static voices float through the room.
“Father?”
“My name’s Isobelle! It’s Isobelle.”
“I hate you, Grandpa.”
“What did you do?” Walter screams as the ghosts of his past surround him: Scarlet, Isobelle, John. They’re all here.
“Karma serves what you deserve,” I whisper as Scarlet’s grateful eyes lock with mine.
“No. Please,” Walter begs.
Man, I wish I could see his face, but the world around me grows darker.
“Manda, open your eyes.”
I try. I really do. But my eyelids are so damn heavy.
“Don’t you dare die on me, Amanda.” I love the sound of Alex’s voice. I’m glad he’s the one singing me down.
Chapter 25
Beep…Beep…Beep… The goddamn sound drives me nuts. I wish I could throw a pillow over my head or press my hands against my ears. The thing is, I can’t move. Can’t even open my eyes. Surrounded by an eerie darkness, I try to remember how I got here, but the past is a blur. One minute I saw Jesse lying on the floor, the next I heard a loud bang, and now I’m floating through some kind of in between world, tormented by a centrifugal force that wants me to let go.
Is this the after-Limbo, where souls wait for heaven or hell?
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