Dark Redemption

by Angie Sandro

“Don’t blame this on me,” Jonjovi snaps. “It sounded like you were being killed. You should’ve opened the door. We didn’t know Landry was in here. The rev’s gonna kill him when he finds out you two slept in the same bed.”

  Axle nods. “Yup, kill you dead.”

  On a roll venting his annoyance, Jonjovi points a finger right between my crossing eyes. “Now Mrs. Moulton knows all our business too, and it’s your fault. She said she’s here to take us to our real mom.”

  “I don’t want to go,” Axle wails, throwing his arms around my neck. I fall backward, wrapping my uninjured arm around his waist as he buries his face into the side of my neck and sobs.

  Jonjovi crawls off the bed. “You’re gonna stop her, right?” His red face and eyes focus on me, and I read the hope written in them. He expects me to save them, but I don’t think I can. Still, that doesn’t mean I won’t try.

  “Go back into the living room with Landry while I clean up this cut. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “No!” Axle’s grip on me tightens. I don’t want to pry him off.

  Jonjovi grabs his brother’s arm and yanks him backward. “Let her go.”

  “I don’t wanna.” He twists from his brother, lunging toward me again.

  I hold up my bleeding arm. “Please, Axle. I need a bandage.”

  His eyes widen, and he sniffs. Jonjovi drags him from the room and shuts the door behind them.

  I heave a huge sigh. What a crappy way to start the day—terrorized in my dream only to wake up to an even bigger nightmare. What the hell?

  I climb from the bed, woozy and nauseous from a combination of shock, blood loss, and stinking morning sickness, and race for the bathroom. After completing what has become my morning routine of making friends with the toilet, I pull the fully stocked first-aid kit from the cabinet. A quick dab of antiseptic and a bandage later, I head for the living room. Mrs. Moulton paces around the room like a caged tiger. And worse, George stands in the doorway with his arms folded. His frazzled hair sticks up in copper spikes from running his fingers through it. I seem to bring this nervous habit out in him.

  “Great! You’re here too,” I say, then stifle my groan. Duh, statement of the obvious. Blood loss has obviously affected my reasoning skills. “Let me rephrase…”

  “Don’t bother.” He holds out a stack of paperwork. “I’m here to do a stand-by while Mrs. Moulton picks up the kids. They’re court-ordered to return to their custodial parent.”

  Landry slams his hand against the wall, and I jump. “Not like this, George.” He takes a step forward. “Look, man, we get that Pepper has the legal right to her kids, but come on. She abandoned them for four years and then shows up with a new boyfriend and the first thing he does is takes a swing at Carl. You know this isn’t right.”

  Mrs. Moulton’s head swivels from Landry to George, and the folds between her eyebrows deepen with each word. “No, it’s not an ideal situation, but Mrs. Acker has assured me that she’ll call the police if Judd Helmert tries to contact her or the children.”

  Landry turns his glare in her direction. “And you believe her? What do you know about that guy? And have you even asked the boys if they want to go with their mom? Don’t they get a choice?”

  “Typically children don’t get to decide who they live with, although in the twins’ case I’ve made an exception.” Mrs. Moulton shrugs. “Legally my hands are tied when it comes to Jonjovi and Axle. I promise I’ll closely monitor the situation to ensure that Mrs. Acker follows through with keeping Mr. Helmert out of the home.”

  I collapse against the back of the sofa. Maybe my ability to imagine the worst possible scenario for every situation that might arise involving the boys’ safety is a curse. “You did a background check on him, right? Anyone with a temper like his must have something to hide.” Oh, bad thought…“What if he’s a sex offender?”

  Or a murderer. His car’s identical to the one in my vision.

  “The criminal-history check came up clean,” George says.

  Mrs. Moulton clutches her briefcase to her chest. “I know how to do my job, Ms. LaCroix, and while I’m not happy about Mrs. Acker’s choices, my more immediate concern is what I witnessed this morning. I heard the screams coming from your room. The boys were terrified you were being murdered, and you’ve obviously been injured in some sort of domestic incident.”

  Landry rises to his full height. He stares from the woman to George. “What the hell? Are you accusing me of beating up my pregnant girlfriend? I’d never hurt Mala. George, tell her.”

  My brother stares at him intently. “How am I supposed to know what happened behind closed doors? I bet if you think on it hard enough, you’ll admit you’re of two minds about this whole situation.”

  Landry surges forward with a low growl. I slip between them and slap a hand on each of their puffed-up chests. “Low blow, Georgie. That’s totally uncalled-for.”

  His gaze doesn’t drop from Landry’s. “Tell me you don’t think it would be safer for the kids if they were as far from him as possible.”

  All the breath rushes from my body, and I stagger back to lean against Landry’s chest. His muscular arms form a cocoon of strength to hold me up, and his warm fingers wrap around my clenched fists. Red spots flash before my eyes, and I struggle to regain control.

  How could George even utter that out loud for Mrs. Moulton or the kids who huddle in the corner with their arms around each other to hear? A hollow feeling settles within my chest, growing wider and wider. I can’t even comprehend what’s going on. My lips feel numb as I beg, “Don’t do this, Georgie.”

  George steps so close that I’m squished between them. The elevated levels of testosterone makes my head swim. “Be honest”—he stabs me with his eyes and then refocuses on Landry—“both of you. With everything going on, do you really think the kids are safe in your care?”

  I want to spit out the word “Yes!” but my throat constricts.

  Landry’s hands tighten on my arms, and a throbbing ache radiates from my wound. “Mala…” He breathes my name softly.

  I blink the burn from my eyes. “I promised…” I whisper. But there’s a guy out there murdering kids. He knows who I am, and he has the ability to hurt me. I couldn’t protect myself and I barely escaped death, because obviously, if he could slash open my arm with that damn knife, he could’ve gotten my throat. The only reason I’m alive is due to the demon possessing my boyfriend. A damned creature that refuses to kill without Landry’s permission. Way to keep an inconvenient promise. I told Dena I would keep her brothers safe. I already let one kid die tonight through inaction. What if he uses the boys to get to me? I want to say this out loud, but too many ears are listening. “I can’t be selfish. Not again.”

  “This is wrong.” Landry’s arms drop from around me. “You know I’d never let anything happen to you or the boys.”

  “Don’t you get it, Landry?” George says. “You’re the danger.”

  I don’t think he is, but I can’t say the same about the demon. I don’t know why it helped me. Or what it is. Landry’s a fighter. A protector. He won’t let the boys go without a fight, unless he thinks it’s in their best interests. The hurt in his eye almost breaks me. “George is right. And if safe means their mother, then I’ve got to let them go.”

  “No, stupid head,” Axle cries. “I’m not goin’ and you can’t make me.” He lunges toward the door. George blocks him and lifts him into his arms. The kid’s on fire. Kicking and screaming. “Put me down.”

  Jonjovi bites his lip, staring from face to face. His eyes harden when he sees the decision has been made. “Shut up, Axle.”

  His brother stops in midscream.

  “You’re the biggest liar of them all, Mala. You said you wouldn’t give us up without a fight. But now you say you’ll let us go. Well fine, we don’t want to stay here if you don’t want us.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want—”

  “Let’s go pack, Axle.” He grabs his broth
er’s hand and drags him to the bedroom.

  I want to shout that I don’t want him to go, but I know it will only make the situation worse. Better to have the boys leave without a fight. It’ll be less traumatizing this way, I hope. I don’t know. None of this feels right. I feel like pieces are being carved out of my heart and set on fire. Yet I know it’s the best choice.

  Landry shoves past George. “This is wrong, Mala. You’re going to regret this decision. You should’ve trusted me.” He exits the house and runs down the stairs without a backward look. It takes all of my strength not to chase after him, but I do watch to see that he heads in the direction of the Ackers’ property. Maybe the rev can calm him down enough that I can explain later why I made this decision.

  The kids pack up their belongings in silence and then file outside. I’m shocked to see Daryl in the front seat of Mrs. Moulton’s car. He gives me a wave and shrug. They must’ve stopped off at the Acker place first. I try to give Axle and Jonjovi a hug and kiss good-bye, but they turn away and climb into the backseat. The tears I’ve been trying to hold back release, as I watch them pull down the lane.

  A hand falls on my shoulder, and I shrug away from George’s touch. I’m still not sure if I can hold a civil conversation. All I want to do is punch him in the face. “What about Carl?”

  George rakes his fingers through his short hair. “He refused to go. I didn’t feel like forcing the issue. Daryl says he wants to talk to his mom before making a decision. Plus, once he found out we’d be taking his little brothers, Carl said one of them needed to go to protect them from Judd, and it couldn’t be him since there’s already bad blood between them.”

  “Where are they staying?” I ask.

  “Robicheaux’s Bed and Breakfast.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t drop in and mess up their reunion. I wanted to facilitate this differently. It would’ve been better to introduce them to Pepper so they got to know her before being ripped away from me. I’m not sure how long it’ll take before I can forgive you for this.”

  George’s eyes go flat as he buries what he feels behind an emotionless façade, but his words flay me. “You say you want to be a cop, but then act surprised when I do my job. Being a cop sometimes sucks. Besides, you know getting those kids out of here is the right thing to do. How do you expect to raise four boys, a baby, and go to college? You’re twenty-one.”

  “So is Dena. She would’ve done it.”

  “Only because she didn’t have a choice. Her mom’s back. Those kids are her responsibility. Not yours. She birthed them. It’s about time she took responsibility for them.”

  Chapter 16

  Landry

  Hard Choices

  I barrel down the staircase and sprint for the woods as if the hounds of Hades are chomping at my ass, so pissed that I’m seconds from exploding. I can’t believe how that jackass played on Mala’s fears. He manipulated her as if her brain’s a soft, doughy pretzel, weaving his words until he convinced her to hand the kids over to Pepper without a fight.

  Spots flash before my eye, making my vision wonky. I slow down once I hit the dirt path, not willing to crash into a tree simply because I’m too fired up to see where I’m heading. Which raises the question…where do I think I’m going? Not to dad. Sure, he’ll say all the right things, like Pepper’s their mom and she’s got the right to parent them. That it’s her property, and she can decide whether or not to keep it. Blah, blah, fucking holier-than-thou bullshit. But I’ve had my fill of moms. Mine destroyed my bright and shiny image of motherhood—set her halo on fire. Now it feels like Mala’s doing the same.

  It scares the hell out of me that she thinks she’d do a poorer job of raising those boys than the woman who abandoned them. And what about our kid? Is she gonna give our baby up when it gets too tough? Like after I’m gone.

  This is what really shakes me. Her lack of trust in me or our relationship. The fact that she thinks I can’t protect my family. And then George goes and deliberately feeds into her fears by bringing up the uncommonly quiet parasite in my head.

  “Why aren’t you chiming in?” I ask the thing lurking behind my eyeball. “Not like you to hold back the sarcastic quip. I know you’ve been listening in this whole time. I can sense when you’re awake.”

  “My presence has caused enough chaos in your life.”

  “Never stopped you before,” I mumble, shoving aside a vine. The path forks up ahead and rather than heading left to reach the Acker property, I head to the right. I shove my hand into my pocket to search for my phone, but come up empty. Even if I wanted to call Mala to see how she’s doing, I can’t.

  “If you weren’t concerned, why bother searching for your cellular phone?”

  “Shut it.”

  “You would not be angry unless some part of you did not acknowledge the truth in Mala LaCroix’s actions. Her reasoning was sound. The children are in danger so long as the evil one hunts her.”

  A chill runs through my body. “What does that mean? She said he sensed her in the dream. That he would be coming for her. That wasn’t just paranoia talking?”

  “He drew her mind to him. He wanted her to witness his sacrifice. He tapped into her magic to form a bond with her when she was trapped in his circle. Now he can manipulate her at will. We must break the bond between them before it’s too late.”

  “How do you know all of this? And why do you care?”

  “The strength of her fear sucked me into her nightmare. I saw what she faced. He is not a simple man, but the essence of evil. The very creature who drew me to this plane of existence. The one I have fought against for eons. He who takes many faces and has many names. Who seeks to consume and destroy.”

  “Kind of dramatic, aren’t you?”

  “I tried to keep it simple so your puny brain could understand.”

  “Yeah, big words hurt brain.” I shudder. The overcast sky coupled with the water-saturated air presses heavily around my body. No matter how crazy his words come across as, I sense how serious the situation has become. “So dumb it down even further for me, ’cause I seriously don’t understand what the hell’s going on.”

  “Demon. This is what you call me. Why, I do not know. The definition of such an entity more closely resembles that which Mala faced this morning. I am its adversary. Drawn from the dawn of time to combat that which infects and feeds on the horrors perpetrated by mankind.”

  “So, what…” I laugh at the ridiculousness of my thought. “Are you some kind of angel?”

  “I’m no angel.” I feel its mental shrug. “But if it eases your mind to think of me this way, so be it.”

  “God, you’re hurting my brain.”

  “That is another name by which I’ve been called throughout time immemorial. God, with a little g, of course.” The angel/god thing in my head laughs. Not funny.

  “I need to speak with someone who understands this more than I do.” But who? Sophia or Ferdinand. Even Magnolia calls this creature a demon. If they don’t know the truth of its origins, who would? “Why did Magnolia say you were a demon?”

  “Why did you believe her?”

  That’s a fantastic question. Mala’s been screaming about Magnolia being evil since we met. Her great-grandmother even cut ties with her twin sister because she practiced the dark arts. There’s a reason why Magnolia’s the Hoodoo Queen of New Orleans. A woman who raised zombies and tried to convince Mala to do the same. We believed what she said because we didn’t know any better.

  “Ah, so you work through to the truth of the matter.”

  “Huh?”

  “The fact that you place your trust in those who are the least trustworthy.”

  My feet continue to move down the path. I know where I’m heading now. The place where Mala’s ancestors gather.

  “Gaston, I need you,” I yell, bursting into the empty clearing. “Gaston!”

  One minute I’m alone, and then I’m not.

  As soon as I lay eyes on him, I get heated
again. He’s supposed to be her protector, but he didn’t show up when she needed him. “Were you in the house when all that went down this morning?”

  Gaston squints. “Is there a reason you’re acting like a jackass on loco weed?”

  “The murderer entered Mala’s dream, cut her with a knife, and almost killed her. She brought the knife he used out of the dream and into the real world.”

  “And this all happened in a dream? She didn’t slip her skin?”

  “Yeah, that’s what my rider says. Oh, and he also says he’s not a demon but also not an angel, unless I want to think of him that way…” I squeeze my eye shut. “Ah, I’m so confused.”

  The cheek flap stretches, showing Gaston’s gums when he starts to laugh, which is disturbing since I’ve rarely seen Mala’s uncle so much as crack a smile. “An angel. Like the winged variety? Harps and cherubs.”

  “You say that like it’s impossible. But why couldn’t it be true if demons exist? Something to fight against the forces of darkness, like Magnolia?”

  “My aunt hasn’t done anything suspicious lately.”

  “Shows how much you know.” I point my finger in his direction and then snatch it out of reach when he gives it the evil eye. “You’ve dropped the ball. Let her minions get a stranglehold over us. What happened to the guy who threw a hissy fit when Magnolia first came into the house? Did Sophia work her sex magic on your ass? Got you pussy whipped so you can’t see the truth.”

  Gaston’s hand clenches around the barrel of his ever-present rifle. Once again I’m thinking I should’ve kept my mouth shut. ’Cause if Mala can be hurt in a dream, could I get shot by a ghost if Gaston gets pissy enough?

  Calm down. “Look, I don’t mean to disrespect you, Gaston. I’m frustrated. And worried. We’ve got no idea who this guy is or why he’s killing those kids and making those power circles. Somehow, Mala’s tied to him. She thinks he’s coming after her. If it’s a supernatural attack, then you’re the one who’s in charge of defending her. Problem is, he’s also got a foot in the real world. He’s really kidnapping and hacking up those boys.”