“You’re scaring me, Kate,” John said. “Answer me.” She wasn’t a killer. She was his little girl. He’d find a way to protect her.
She turned to him, surprised at how protective she felt towards him. “Dad, do you want Mom to come home to find a man shot up and dead in her bathtub?”
“What?” He paused. “What do you mean? Of course she’s going to know,” he stammered. “We have to call the police.”
Kate realized that she needed to let him know that she was the alpha now. “We most certainly are not calling the police. First, we need to hide the body. Alex will take care of that.”
“What does Alex have to do with it?” John snapped, looking at the dead body floating in the tub. “We can’t involve him in this! He’d be an accessory after the fact.”
“Trust me,” Kate said. “He’s already involved. And thankfully he’d do anything for me.” Kate went to her room and grabbed her phone. She texted Alex and gave him the 911 signal. Then she rejoined her father in the bathroom. “We need to start cleaning this up. Dad, go to your workshop and get some of your plastic sheeting. We’ll wrap his body in it so his blood doesn’t leave a trail through the house. Get the duct tape too.”
“Kate,” John gripped her shoulders. His his breath came in ragged bursts. “This is not a Dexter episode.”
“You’re right. It’s The Exorcist.”
He flinched and loosened his grip. “You’re not serious.”
“I will explain everything, but we have to get rid of the body and blood.” Kate reached into the tub and lifted Appius’s body. “Can you hold him up? Like this?”
John wrapped his hands around Appius’s shoulders and supported his body above the water. “What are you doing? Are you checking to see if he’s dead?” He studied Kate. Her nonchalance towards everything scared him. Was she in shock?
“Just confirming,” Kate said. She threaded her fingers through Appius’s hair and gripped his scalp. She looked up at her dad. “You got him?”
“Yeah, he’s not going anywhere.” Guilt pressed heavy on John’s heart. No matter how hard he’d tried, he hadn’t been able to protect Kate. He was completely confused, but he wasn’t going to fail her now. He would get the answers from her or from Alex. Whatever trouble she was in, he would get her out of it. She was too young to have her life ruined by whatever mess was swallowing her.
“Don’t let him move,” Kate said and twisted Appius’s head with a mighty jerk. His neck broke and his jaw hung down awkwardly while his eyes looked up at the ceiling.
John’s stomach roiled. He dropped Appius back into the tub and pressed his arm against his mouth. He ran to the toilet and emptied his stomach.
Kate listened as her father heaved. She remembered the night she discovered this world, the night her life was forever changed. Now her father’s life would be forever changed. She’d never wanted this for him. She’d never wanted any of her family members to know this wickedness. It was too upsetting. It was too overwhelming. She had to contain the fallout from this.
She lifted the stopper on the tub, and the bloody water circled down the drain.
The toilet flushed, and John went to the sink and washed his hands. He looked at Kate through the mirror, unsure of what was happening, and then he splashed cold water on his face.
She looked at dual images of both of them in the mirror. Now her father would have a dual life too. She’d just have to help him reconcile his knowledge with what was best for his family. He’d do what was best for them. He always had.
“You just snapped a man’s neck,” John groaned and slowly shook his head in disbelief.
“He wasn’t a man.”
John’s eyebrows twitched. “Breaking necks takes an enormous amount of strength.”
“I’m stronger than I look.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. John couldn’t explain how she’d done what she’d done. Her arms were thin but defined. She certainly didn’t look like she could snap a man’s neck. And he had no explanation for how she carried the intruder to the bathtub without touching him. John pushed that thought aside. It was impossible. He had to be mistaken. “I’ll get the sheeting and tape,” he said flatly and walked out of the room.
Kate nodded. She knelt and opened the cupboard under the sink. She looked through the bottles and pulled out the hydrogen peroxide and paper towels. She walked into her parent’s bedroom. The iridescent blood stained the carpet by the armoire and splattered the curtains. Bloody tissue was stuck in the artistic details of the armoire where she’d smashed Appius’s head.
She exhaled loudly. “What a mess,” she whispered to herself. “Blood. Of all things.” She knelt and poured the hydrogen peroxide on the carpet. It bubbled white as it mixed with the blood. She blotted the spot with the paper towels and repeated the process.
“Is it helping?” Her dad stood behind her holding a roll of plastic sheeting and duct tape.
“A little.” She sat on her heels and examined the mess. “You keep at this.” She stood and handed the peroxide to her dad and took the sheeting and tape. “I’ll take care of the body.”
“Can you lift him?”
She cocked her head and smiled. “Don’t underestimate me.” She walked into the bathroom and stared at the morbid sight of Appius’s body. “There is no glory in death,” Kate mumbled. His head and torso fell into the tub with his butt high on the edge while his legs dangled over of the side of the tub. He died the death he deserved.
She spread the sheeting on the tile floor and taped the edges to the tile. Then she grabbed Appius’s legs and pulled. His head gracelessly clonked against the side of the tub and then smacked against the tile floor as she pulled his body onto the plastic sheeting. His iridescent blood leaked onto the sheeting from his bullet wounds. She straightened his body and then rolled him up in the sheeting. She wrapped and taped the edges around like a present so that his blood wouldn’t leak from the sides when she carried it. She chuckled as she thought back to the cartoons she watched as a child of animals hiding from villains in rolled up rugs. “May you stay well hidden,” she said, patting the dead body. She picked him up, tossed him over a shoulder and walked into the bedroom.
John looked over his shoulder at Kate. She stood there, holding that man like a giant cigarette on her shoulder. She was so beautiful, so young. How did she get to this? How could she be so calm? What was she involved in? His thoughts screamed at him. Tears flooded his eyes.
Sorrow and anger overwhelmed Kate as the tears ran down her father’s face. If she could kill Appius again, she would. He’d destroyed her father’s innocence. He’d destroyed the façade she’d created that allowed her to live her normal life. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered as tears filled her own eyes.
“Kate!” Alex called out as he rushed into her house. “Kate!” His heart calmed when he stood in the doorway and saw for himself that she was safe. When he’d received her text, he panicked. His heart wouldn’t stop throwing curses at his mind for being stupid enough to leave her. What if she’d been outnumbered? What if she’d been lost to him forever? He knew better than to leave her.
Within seconds he eliminated the distance between them. “Here, I’ll take that.” He gripped the plastic sheeting bundle and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Then he took a moment to evaluate Mr. Archer’s condition. Mr. Archer appeared unharmed but emotional, which was reasonable considering the circumstances.
Mr. Archer stood. “Alex, what is going on?” His eye twitched and his breathing sped up. “What is Kate involved in? Is this your doing? Nick’s?” he accused.
“Dad,” Kate said softly as she placed her hand on his arm to calm him. “This is not their fault. They’re here to help.” She glanced at Alex and the bulky bundle.
“You can’t just throw away a body and expect it not to be found,” John said. “What happens when he’s discovered? Your DNA, my DNA is on him. We have to report this.” John ran his hands through his hair and tried to collect
his thoughts. “We have to get ahead of this. It was self-defense.”
“You’re right,” Alex said. “It was self-defense. And normally I’d agree with you. But this is an exceptional situation.” He patted the bundle propped on his shoulder. “We can’t let the police find this body. We can’t let them run tests.”
“Why? What are you hiding?” John asked.
“The miraculous,” Alex replied. “Follow me.” He motioned with his head and turned towards the bedroom door. Alex strode through the hallway and entered Kate’s bedroom. The window was still open from where he’d entered. “Please,” he motioned to Mr. Archer, “sit on the bed.”
“Go ahead, Dad,” Kate encouraged, gently pressing against his back. Nerves prickled all through Kate. She remembered her reaction to this reality, and she feared her father’s response. But most importantly, they needed him focused and in the game before her mother’s or Reese’s return, so this had to be done.
The mattress curved slightly under John’s weight. He looked at the open window and wondered how many times Alex or Nick had snuck in without his knowledge. What else had Kate done that he didn’t want to know about? The weight of Kate’s deceit was suffocating. His breathing stuttered.
Alex faced John and said, “We do not need to fear the police ever finding this body. I’m going to take it to a place where they cannot go.”
John rubbed his temples and shook his head. “Kids… you are foolish to think you can hide this from the cops. It will catch up with you.”
“That may be true,” Alex said. “I believe that one day all of this will catch up to me. The final sands in my glass will fall, and I will meet my maker. But until that day comes, I will serve the weak with compassion and honor.”
John stared at Alex in confusion. His words didn’t make sense. They were being foolish. He was the adult, and he needed to take charge of the situation. He started to stand. “Kate, you really…”
“Dad,” Kate interrupted and pressed her father back onto the bed. “I know you have questions, and we’ll get to those. But for now, just watch.” Kate nodded to Alex. “Show him.”
John had seen some weird stuff that night, but nothing prepared him for this. He’d never thought it possible. One moment Alex stood before him, holding the rolled up sheeting and dead body. The next moment, he was gone.
John sprang up from the bed and cried, “What? Where?” He wandered around the room. “Kate, explain!” Anxiety, fear, and anger threatened to consume him. None of this made any sense.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Kate said. “But you have to calm down.” She watched her father wander aimlessly as he searched the room for Alex.
John didn’t know how Alex had done it, but there had to be a reasonable explanation for this. People don’t just disappear into thin air. He opened the closet doors, pulling back the clothes to search the corners. He looked in the bathroom, pushing aside the shower curtain to look into the tub. “Where is he?” John asked when he stepped back into Kate’s bedroom.
Alex reappeared without the bundle of sheeting. “I’ll work on the blood stain while you talk with your dad.” Alex pitied Kate. She shouldn’t have to have this conversation. They’d have to fix this. Her father shouldn’t be in on their secret, but he was, and they needed his silence. Their existence needed to remain hidden.
Kate nodded and motioned for her dad to sit on the bed again. She watched Alex walk out of her bedroom. Her heart ached for a simple touch from him, a touch that would put everything back into perspective, that even though the relationship with her father was forever changed, she still had him. She knew she could count on Alex. His goodness and love for others was one of his qualities that she most respected about him, but the traits she most treasured in him were honor and integrity.
Kate sat beside her father on her bed. She took his hand in hers. It was clammy, and his heart hammered a racing staccato. “Let’s start at the beginning,” she said, and she explained everything to her dad.
4. Revisiting the Past
Justin watched Gabriella tighten her walking boots. Her delicate fingers quickly worked the laces. It had been a long time since he’d taken such notice of a lady. To call her beautiful would be as lame as saying that the sun is bright. He felt guilty for having such thoughts on so important a mission. Hayden awaited rescue. Who knew what shape she’d be in when they found her? And here he was, ogling a beautiful woman. Gabriella raised her head and smiled. His heart stuttered.
Nick divided their provisions between the backpacks and placed them on the ground. He closed the back door of his SUV and headed inside. He’d noticed Justin’s reaction to Gabriella the moment she appeared in the doorway, and he couldn’t blame him. She was beautiful, and then the way she oozed personality as they talked, Justin hadn’t stood a chance against her. He watched them now from the doorway. She was grabbing last minute items, adding a few weapons to her stash, and Justin was doing his best not to look like he was staring. He was failing.
She straightened, looked at the bags at her feet and let out a sigh. “We’ll cross over and see what awaits us on the other side. I’ll lead you to his home, but there’s no way of knowing if Daevas will be there.” She shrugged, wishing she had more answers for them. “At least we can question whoever remains at his home.”
Nick looked at her bags, wishing she hadn’t packed so much. “Do you really need all that stuff?” he asked. “All I need are a few weapons.”
Gabriella couldn’t restrain her smile. “That may be true for you,” Gabriella said. “But travelling in the other side without provisions is unwise. We may cross paths with others. Plus, we don’t know how long we will be. It will be wise to take some extra food and clothes. We’ll probably travel on from Daevas’s house. There’s no telling how long we’ll be gone.”
Nick could wear the same clothes for an eternity if it meant he’d get to Hayden faster, but he recognized the wisdom in Gabriella’s argument. He crossed his arms and slowly nodded. They would need food, and they didn’t know how long they’d be gone. He took a slow, deep breath and finally said, “Okay.”
“Are you sure you want to join us?” Justin asked. “It may get dangerous. Could you give us a map instead?” Justin didn’t want to see anyone get hurt. He knew he was good in fight and Nick was even better, but he didn’t know about Gabriella’s experience. She may have rescued Li a long time ago, but had she bothered to keep up her skills?
“Oh, no, I’m going,” Gabriella replied defiantly. “It feels good to be back in the fight again. I’ve been gone too long.” She’d restored the mansion to a glory that far outshone its original status, and in so doing, she felt that she’d honored her mother and recaptured her freedom in a symbolic way. She’d broken the ties that the mansion used to enslave her. With the ugly cords of the past broken, she could transcend the past and soar onto new beginnings.
Nick had wondered about the wisdom in bringing Gabriella and Li along. What did they do with their time? How did they not have responsibilities they needed to fulfill? Asteri worked. They had a purpose. They didn’t set down roots. They didn’t lounge around redecorating homes.
“Come.” Gabriella hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders. She armed the alarm and led Justin and Nick out the front door. The men stopped by their car, grabbed their supplies and then headed to the barn.
“The horses are taken care of,” Li said, his face beaming. “I made the calls. The others will attend to their needs until we return.” The horses were a source of pride for Li. He loved these animals. They reminded him of home. Caring for the magnificent beasts kept his treasured memories of the past in the present.
Nick hadn’t seen such fine beasts for centuries. These specimens were perfect: strong, calm, and without flaw. “Hey,” he whispered as he ran his hand down the neck of the one closest to him. He relished the earthy smell and texture of the mane between his fingers. The innocence of his childhood flashed before his eyes. The horse sniffed his head and brok
e his revelry.
“He likes you,” Li said.
“I like him.” Nick gave him one final stroke and adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. “What’s his name?”
“Ghost,” Li said.
“Ah, perfect name for him.” Nick ran his fingers over the white body of the horse.
“He almost disappears in the snow,” Gabriella added. “And he is surprisingly quiet.” She picked up an apple and held it to the horse in front of her. He snatched it from her hands and chomped on the juicy flesh of the fruit. “Pride loves apples. I do believe they are his favorite.” The apple crunched as Pride demolished it.
“Pride,” Justin said. “Is that one your favorite? Is that why you chose that name?”
A look of sadness washed over Gabriella’s face. “I love all my horses, but Pride is one I hold close to my heart,” she said. “Pride was bred from the horses of beloved friends of mine. Sadly, they are no longer with us, but I think of them whenever I see Pride.” She stroked the horse and nuzzled her face into his mane.
“May they rest in peace,” Li said. He hated to see Gabriella in pain, but she still hadn’t recovered from the loss of John and Clara. When she’d discovered their bodies in the barn, she’d changed. Li could almost see the burden weighing her down.
Nick noticed the difference in Li’s appearance. The gray hair and faint lines in his face were gone. He now appeared to be in his twenties. He no longer looked the part of a butler. He’d changed into convertible trail pants and a hiking shirt.
Nick looked at the group before him. Justin was a faithful companion and would fight to the death, but he was no Avenger. And then there were Li and Gabriella, two out of practice Asteri. Could he even consider them warriors? How long had they been out of the fray? Nick needed information on Hayden, but if Daevas was at his mountain home and protected by Vires, then they could have trouble defeating him. For the first time since he started his hunt for Hayden, he realized that he was vulnerable. Holding Hayden in his arms again was not a sure thing. He would have to defend himself and the ones that he relied on for help if he wanted to free her. The feeling of powerlessness tried to creep into Nick’s mind, but he quickly brushed that notion aside. Thinking that way could destroy any rescue attempt. Attitude and perseverance are keys to success.
Synchronicity (Scintillate Series Book 3) Page 6