by Jenny Allen
When Lilith didn’t respond, she decided to change tactics. “She gave you no choice.” Very gently, Nicci reached for the gun and slowly pulled it out of Lilith’s hand. “Chance left his mic on. I heard everything.” When Lilith’s eyes rose to Nicci’s face, she saw tears in her muddy brown eyes.
Chance…Lilith swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and slowly turned. She was petrified of what she’d see and even more afraid of what she’d feel. Would he judge her? Would she judge him? Her mind went racing in a million directions and then her eyes fell on Chance, kneeling on the floor.
“Lily…” His voice was just the ghost of a whisper as he stared down at his own hands. “I…I couldn’t…” He choked on the tears in his throat as his shoulders sunk in defeat. His warm hazel eyes slowly rose to meet hers and then immediately fell back to the floor.
Lilith rushed over to him, skidding to the ground and wrapping her arms around him without even a flicker of fear. Her hands softly gripped his face and forced him to look at her. “I know.” Her eyes searched his frantically. Some part of her was scared of seeing that vacant look, but her doubts were quelled the moment she saw the torment in his eyes.
She could sit there and tell him how it wasn’t his fault, how Peisinoe was controlling him, but he knew that better than anyone. Instead she pulled him closer, her lips crashing against his in a hungry kiss that burned away every doubt. Finally, Lilith broke the kiss, panting for breath as she leaned her forehead against his.
“I love you, Chance, for who you are in here.” Her finger tapped softly against his chest. “She could never touch that, only imprison it.” His warm arms circled around her as a soft sigh escaped his lips. She could feel a tiny bit weight slipping off his shoulders as her warmth started to thaw the icy fear in his gut. It would take time, but they just might make it out the other side of this mess. Assuming the council didn’t execute them all.
“Um, can we please get the hell out of crazy town before something else knocks me out?” Lilith peeked over Chance’s shoulder to see Timothy mopping the blood from his broken nose.
“Sorry about your nose, Tim.”
Timothy’s broad face frowned in genuine confusion. “What…” He stopped, his jaw clenching in sudden frustration. “You know what? I don’t want to know. I just want to get the hell out of here.” Apparently Peisinoe hadn’t cared if Timothy remembered anything. He was just a convenient tool.
Lilith reluctantly pulled away, got to her feet and held a hand out to Chance. His hazel eyes stared at her hand and like it was a lifeline from the mire of guilt and failure back into the light. In a way, maybe he was right. After the nightmare in New Haven, she couldn’t even be near him much less touch him. Now that nightmare had vividly, violently come to life and she was right there, offering to pull him up. She couldn’t really explain why this was so different, but somehow her mind and her heart both knew that the man that had his hand around her throat wasn’t Chance no matter how much he looked like him.
When Lilith didn’t pull her hand back, a soft smile pulled at the corner of his lips and gripped her hand. He didn’t need the help, but it was the thought that counted. Lilith raised up on her tip toes and nudged his lips in a quick kiss as her fingers interlaced with his. “Let’s go home.” He flashed a lopsided smile as he dragged his fingers through his chestnut hair. The combination was classic Chance and she was so relieved to see it that her eyes misted with tears.
“We really should go.” It was evident in Nicci’s tone that she was trying hard to be patient.
Chance wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Nicci lead the way back down the hall, Timothy trailing behind them. When they rounded the second corner, they saw Cohen on the floor, leaning against the wall. The slices on his face were now puckering red scars, but the deeper cuts to his torso still weren’t completely closed. He’d definitely fought his way back from death’s door, but he still needed medical attention.
Tim and Nicci rushed over and helped Cohen to his feet, supporting his weight between them. His sky grey eyes immediately scanned the group until he saw Lilith. He released a sigh of relief and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ before Nicci and Tim turned toward the closest exit.
As they walked the now silent halls, Lilith glanced at the dead guards on the ground, counting at least six. They passed by the morgue torture chamber which was dark now, all the candles had finally sputtered out. Lilith couldn’t help giving the door a wide berth, half expecting something to leap out of the dark and grab her. Or maybe she was just scared that this was all a dream and that if she looked inside she’d see herself still strapped to the table.
Chance tightened his arm around her, sensing the cold seeping into her bones. For a moment, she closed her eyes as they continued to walk, breathing in his warm earthy scent, drinking in the warmth of his arm. This was definitely real.
Nicci shoved a door open to half a dozen flashing lights that temporarily blinded them. Lilith held up her arm, blocking some of the light as EMT’s rushed over to them. Suddenly, she was tugged away from Chance and she started to struggle. “We just need to check you out.” Lilith blinked in the blinding red, white and blue flashes to see a young EMT as he threw a blanket around her shoulders.
“I’m fine. I don’t need…” Her voice faltered as they passed the alley which was engulfed in flames. The black skeleton of a car sat at the epicenter of the fire and the first think Lilith thought of was the explosion that rocked the building. Something dark on the ground caught her eye. She started to wander closer, but the EMT gripped her shoulders firmly and tried to steer her back toward the ambulance.
Lilith whipped around angrily. “I said I’m fine, now fuck off!” She had zero patience left and the last thing she wanted was to be poked and prodded. She shook off his grip while the man stood there shell-shocked and stormed toward the alley.
The bright orange light from the fire flickered off a mound of black that Lilith’s sensitive eyes couldn’t seem to make sense of. She bent down, grabbing what felt like a shoulder and turned the thing over. Isadora’s lifeless face stared wide-eyed up at the sky, smeared with blood. There were several bullet holes in her chest and one in the center of her forehead. Lilith followed the line of her outstretched arm to see her little fern lying on the ground near the flames. The bottom of it was still a vibrant green, but the brown top was burning away.
Lilith reached out and scooped up the burning plant and blew out the flames. It really did look like a miniature tumbleweed. Without any real idea why, she placed the odd plant into Isadora’s palm and ran her fingers over her eyes, closing them. Somehow her body looked more at peace now. She deserved a little piece. Like Cohen, she’d simply put her faith and trust in the wrong person and realized it far too late. Why do people bother to trust at all?
Lilith’s eyes scanned the crowd, finally catching on Chance as he tried to dodge the same over-eager EMT and she knew her answer. People trust because they want to prove that they can, that deep down inside is a good person that just needs to be understood. They trust because they are scared of never experiencing something beautiful or missing their chance at happiness. They trust because life is a continuing leap of faith and if we just stand still everything will pass us by.
Chapter 35
The full moon covered the winding path in cool light, leaching the colors to muted shades of blue. Lilith’s eyes roamed over the trees, their branches swaying and creaking in a crisp breeze that was tinged with the smell of snow. It was so quiet, so peaceful as she tugged her black coat firmly around her. It was hard to believe this tranquil place could exist amidst the hustle and bustle of New York City.
She turned off the path, glancing down at her armful of red roses stained purple by the moonlight. Her black flats crunched against the frost covered grass as she walked up to a recent grave. For a moment, she just stood there, staring at the gravestone, as her mind stumbled through all the things she wanted to say.
Lilith bent down and br
ushed a few bits of dirt from the marble headstone, her fingers tracing over the carved letters. She pulled a single red rose from the bunch and placed it on top of the bare ground with a soft sigh that escaped her lips in a small cloud of vapor.
“I miss you.” A tear streaked down her cheek as her hand caressed the cold marble. “I’m sorry for everything that happened. I should have come here sooner to visit you, but…” She faltered as every reason sounded like a weak excuse, even in her own mind.
“Gloria and the kids are good.” She flashed at tear-stained smile at the words carved into the headstone. Philippe Alvarez, Loving Husband and Father. An unearthly silence settled over her shoulders as if he was here, waiting for her to say what was really on her mind.
“I should have listened to you…when I was a rookie. If I had… maybe I wouldn’t have made the same mistake. I was too focused, I didn’t see the big picture until it was too late…” She hesitated again, trying to force her thoughts into sentences. “That first night, when Gregor asked me to go to Tennessee, to find Duncan…I knew, beyond any doubt, that there were things he wasn’t telling me. I knew it, Philippe, but I trusted him. I trusted his judgment and I shouldn’t have. If I’d confronted him, forced him to tell me everything, we could have ended this whole thing before it began and you wouldn’t be…here.”
Lilith swallowed hard as she wiped the cold tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She gave the headstone one last caress and then rose to her feet. “I’ll look after Gloria and the girls for you.” With a reluctant sigh, she turned back to the path, still cradling her armful of roses. She glanced down at her watch, checking her time. She still had a few more minutes before people began arriving.
On her way up the hill, Lilith stopped and placed a rose at the graves of Duncan, Miriah, Malachi and finally Spencer. He hadn’t always been a psychopath. There had been a time when Spencer was just a wide-eyed boy that loved to uncover the history behind anything he found. With a small smile, Lilith recalled the boring afternoons when he’d corner her and tell her all about his collection of antique teaspoons.
She checked her watch again and released a somewhat pained sigh. It was time. If she took any longer they’d send out a search party. Lilith reluctantly crested to hill to see a small group of people huddled around a heater beside a gleaming grey coffin topped with bright white lilies. Some distant part of her mind was hoping she’d reach the top and just see more peaceful trees and tranquil gravestones. She didn’t want to say goodbye to her father, but at least she could give him a proper burial. Something she hadn’t thought possible two weeks ago.
Lilith watched from her private spot as a long line of cars began to pull up, each pausing long enough for people to spill out before pulling away. They were coming from all over the country, even some from overseas. She’d wanted a small, quiet funeral. Just Chance, Gloria and the girls, maybe some of the family from California, but the board of his company insisted on a public, almost political funeral to minimize the stock impact. It gnawed at her insides, watching all these strangers here to mourn a man they never truly knew and probably had never even met face to face.
One tall figure moved away from the growing crowd, following the path toward her at an easy stroll. Relief washed over her, easing the tension from her muscles as she walked down the curving path to meet him.
“Everything okay, Cherie?” The soft rumble of his deep, Cajun-flecked voice felt like a warm blanket she could just wrap herself up in. Lilith nodded softly, as he slid his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. She nestled her cheek against his black suit jacket and closed her eyes, wishing they were curled up on the couch back at her apartment. He’d been there ever since that night they’d escaped the medical building on Homelawn Street.
Chance claimed he didn’t want to leave her alone until they heard from the Council. Two weeks and she the only time she’d heard from Cohen or anyone else from his “family” was when he’d made arrangements for Gregor’s body to be returned. Of course, Chance was also concerned that Luminita had managed to escape with the book and the cipher. She was out there somewhere, plotting while licking her wounds and one day she would try to create her legacy again.
“Ignore them.” Lilith glanced up to see Chance staring down at the now large crowd gathered around her father’s casket. “You don’t have to shake hands with strangers or put on some performance. Just say goodbye to your father and we’ll go stay at my place tonight, avoid the reporters.”
“Reporters?” Lilith frowned suddenly.
“They started to arrive outside your building just after you left. They’re setting up camp, trying to get an interview about the secret life of one of New York’s most powerful and most reclusive business men.” Chance rolled his eyes, but she could see the frustration pulling at his jaw. “They won’t look for you at my place.” He chuckled as a grin replaced his grimace. “They wouldn’t look for anyone at my place.”
Lilith shook her head, grinning as she thought about his carefully disguised loft. The outside and the bottom floor looked like any of the other hundred abandoned warehouses around the city. The perfect security system.
“And…” His hazel eyes glinted proudly, but there was a mischievous pull to his lips. “I even packed you a bag before I left.”
Lilith quirked an eyebrow as she fixed him with a pointed look. “Chance Deveraux, please tell me you packed some actual clothes in that bag…” His impish grin only broadened, lighting up his handsome face. “Really?”
“What?” The innocent smile really didn’t suit him one bit. Lilith shoved playfully at his chest and started down the path toward the waiting crowd.
They were more than halfway to the gravesite when a man emerged from a car that stopped Lilith dead in her tracks. Moonlight shimmered off his sandy blonde hair as he stood tall, straightening his suit with one hand, the other clutching what looked like a thick leather bound packet of papers. The man searched the crowd anxiously until his sky blue eyes finally rested on Lilith and Chance with a slight sigh of relief.
“What is he doing here?” The hesitant animosity in Chance’s voice was understandable, but not entirely welcome. Lilith quickly turned to face Chance as Cohen started up the path toward them.
“Chance.” He didn’t take his eyes off the demon, his jaw already clenching tight. She reached up and lightly grabbed his stubbled chin, pulling it down until his eyes finally met hers. “Just this once, please. Don’t get into a fight with him. He’s the only reason we aren’t burying an empty coffin.” Lilith took his reluctant sigh as an agreement, pressed a kiss against his cheek and turned to meet Cohen on the path.
“I know this isn’t the best time…” Everything about Cohen seemed different, even his voice which was now soft and quiet. His shoulders hunched forward slightly, a humble sort of sadness lingering in his eyes. It seemed so surreal, so far away from the arrogant aristocrat or even the charming southern cop. Being horribly tortured by the one and only person they care about has a way of completely transforming a person, even after the scars fade to pale lines.
Lilith pulled on a soft smile that she hoped looked more welcoming than nervous. She was glad to see Cohen, but scared of why he was here. “Thank you, for letting me bury my father.”
Cohen’s eyes fell to the ground, guilt clear as day all over his lightly scarred face. “It was the least I could do.” He took a deep breath, calming his own nerves and stared at the bundle in his hands. “I won’t take up much of your time…” When his sky grey eyes rose again to meet hers they were filled with a million things that he couldn’t seem to voice.
“I wanted you to know that I was given Farren’s seat on the Council. I have a team out tracking down Luminita and I’ve convinced the rest of the council members that a cooperative relationship with you…”
“Cooperative?” There was a palpable skepticism in Chance’s voice as he stepped up behind Lilith. Cohen’s eyes shot up at the sound of his voice and he swallowed hard on
his words. “What exactly does that mean?”
“Just that in the future we may need each other’s help. The world is becoming a smaller place, a harder place to hide…”
“So, basically you’re council isn’t going to hunt us down, but in return we get to help them when they need it like eager little lap dogs…”
Cohen bristled at the words, and for a moment Lilith thought they were going to resort to yet another pissing contest. “Cooperative. If you ever need our assistance…”
“We don’t need anything from your damn council.” Lilith turned and shoved Chance backward with an aggravated scowl. It wasn’t that she disagreed with him. He was completely right, but what choice did they have?
“Chance, just stop.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she pressed a finger against his lips. “I know, believe me, I know, but not tonight. Okay? Just give me a couple minutes. I’ll talk to him, he’ll go on his way, we’ll bury my father and then hide out in your apartment. As long as we don’t get attacked by homeless drunks before you can unlock your freight elevator.”
Chance dragged his hand through his chestnut hair and looked over her shoulder at Cohen with a calculated stare. “I’ll go check on Gloria and Tim.” His hazel eyes fell to hers as he tenderly brushed a stray auburn curl from her face. “Be careful.”
“I’m just going to talk to him. I seriously doubt he’s going to attack me in front of two hundred witnesses at my father’s funeral.” She leaned up, nudging her lips against his. Even that small kiss sent warm thrills racing down her spine as the bouquet of roses fell to her side. Chance wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close for a moment before reluctantly pulling away.
His eyes fixed on Cohen as he passed by him toward the crowd below. Andrew immediately found the gravel path immensely fascinating. His sky grey eyes didn’t rise until Lilith approached, repositioning the roses in her arms.