Fading Amber

by Jaime Reed

  When she opened the door, we all spilled into the foyer. Both Caleb and I held a body in our arms. “Call the police!” I ordered then dragged Michael to the living room and dropped him on the couch like old luggage.

  Caleb didn’t make it as far—Haden collapsed in the middle of the foyer floor. “We need to get you to the hospital.” Caleb lifted Haden’s shirt to assess the damage. “No exit wound. Looks nasty. I need something to stop the bleeding.”

  Olivia’s head bounced back and forth as she looked in horror at the living room and the foyer, and being completely useless. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

  “Gunner’s got a gun!” Michael sang, shooting finger guns at the ceiling.

  “Gunner?” Olivia stepped back, shaking her head frantically. “Impossible.”

  “Believe it. Your guard’s gone trigger happy,” I looked around the sitting area and spotted champagne, an ice bucket, and some folded dinner cloths. A little fancy, but they would serve the purpose. I snatched the cloths, brushed passed Olivia and joined Caleb back on the floor.

  Caleb took a cloth and placed it over the dark gash on Haden’s chest. Then and only then did I notice the thick trail of blood on the floor. Against the white of the marble it looked like barbecue sauce. “That’s a lot of blood. He needs help now. Olivia, would you stop staring and call the police?” I yelled at her.

  “I’ve got you. You’re gonna be fine. You’ll be fine,” Caleb chanted over and over, more to comfort himself than Haden. I could see the tension in his arms as he pressed down, I saw the strain in his face, but worst of all I could feel every twist of pain coursing through his body. This was his brother, biologically and spiritually, and another family member he could lose.

  “Here, hold this. Press down as hard as you can.” Caleb and I switched positions, while he pulled out his cell.

  His hands, slippery with blood, were shaking so bad he almost dropped the phone, but now was not the time to go into shock. He seemed to agree and worked up enough strength to dial. Meanwhile, I placed my full weight over the wound. The muscles in my arms burned as Haden’s heartbeat thumped against my hand. Blood soaked through the cloth and I quickly replaced it with another.

  “Operator says the police are on their way now. Someone must’ve heard the shots downstairs and called already. Might take longer for the ambulance to come,” Caleb reported quickly then continued his call. “Yeah, I’m still here.”

  Haden was turning pale. His lips were almost white and dark circles were shadowing his eyes. I kept pressing down, not really seeing him anymore, not paying attention to Caleb’s panicky voice on the phone, but focusing on the task at hand. This wasn’t the first, second, or the third time I stood over a person who was dying. But if this one had a chance at a better ending, I had to pull myself together, fast. If Caleb couldn’t wig out right now, neither could I.

  “What on earth is going on?” Angie raced downstairs in a silk nightgown, gawking at the entire scene. Szymon and Mishka tumbled behind in their pajamas and rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Just looking at them reminded me of enchanted forests, breadcrumbs and gingerbread houses. My first instinct was to shield their eyes from all the blood, but Angie beat me to it and ordered them back upstairs.

  More questions flew at us as the panic grew, and I had no idea which one to answer first. Olivia was dead weight, Caleb was screaming to the operator, and Haden was bleeding all over the marble floor.

  From the couch, Michael had felt the situation needed a jazzy soundtrack. Snapping his fingers, he sang into his fist Sinatra style. “Gunner’s got a gun, pow, pow, pow. Gunner’s got a gun.”

  “Gunner did this? Why?” Angie shook her head, dislodging the confusion from her brain. “He’s been our loyal guard since Olivia was a child. Why would he do such a thing?”

  “They did something to him.” Olivia accused as Angie held her.

  Caleb ended the call and looked up at Olivia, rage blazing in his eyes. “Yes, because that would explain why Haden is bleeding all over the place. We didn’t do anything.”

  Olivia ripped from her mother’s hold and rounded on Caleb. “You always do something. Everything you touch, you destroy. I’ll kill you before you hurt my friend.” Her eyes lifted to something over Caleb’s shoulder. “Gunner!” She leapt over Haden’s body and raced to the door.

  “Nooo!” was the unified cry in the room.

  I snatched my bag off the floor and dug inside for the tiny spray bottle of olive oil. I wasn’t sure what good it would do, but it was the only weapon I could find. Maybe if we tackled Gunner, I could force him to drink it. A long shot, but it was worth a try.

  Everything seemed to be suspended in time, making it impossible to move fast enough. Olivia slipped through the door, her hair a long tangled mess trailing behind her as she dashed out into the hallway. Through the glass doors, I saw Gunner step out of the elevator. With pistol still in hand, he spotted Olivia.

  I couldn’t see her face, but I could almost feel the transition in her moods: relief, confusion, and as she planted her feet to stop, fear.

  I was at the door and Caleb was right behind me. Gunner studied the girl in front of him. Through his new demon eyes, his reaction was no different than others who looked at Olivia. He stood in the presence of a ghost, one that had come back to haunt him. For a brief second, his expression softened and as if enchanted by the vision, he reached out to touch her.

  “Olivia, run!” Caleb warned.

  Gunner saw our advance, then yanked Olivia by the arm. When he spun her around, I could now see her face, and the terror there was just as I imagined. Gunner pointed the pistol at us with one hand while holding Olivia’s fighting body by the throat with the other. And thus began the hostage negotiations.

  “What do you want?” I asked, choosing my words carefully. I couldn’t say Tobias’s name in front of Olivia. That would only compound the problem.

  “I already told you and you’re going to help me.” He held tight to Olivia’s throat. She gasped and choked while her bare feet dangled in the air.

  I hid the bottle of oil in my bra, then stepped from behind Caleb and held out my hand in surrender. Maybe he would agree to a swap—me for Olivia. If I could get close enough, I could hose him down. “Fine, whatever you want—just don’t hurt her,” I said.

  “Let my daughter go!” Angie cried from the doorway.

  “Mama!” Olivia croaked.

  “Ah, the great queen of the demon hunters. You sure have beautiful daughters.” Gunner looked down at Olivia’s tear stained face. “It’s remarkable. She looks just like her.” Thick, bloody fingers reached out and brushed the hair off her face. “Only there’s one little difference.” His eyes lifted to meet mine. “Isn’t there, Lilith?”

  He was toying with me, and I hated it. I also hated how close his mouth was to Olivia’s. I recalled the black cloud in my room, that swirling storm system with the gold light in its center, and the voices that came out of it. I wouldn’t let Olivia join that chorus, and judging from the light green filter over my vision, I knew Lilith had my back.

  “Fine, you’ve made your point. Let her go and I’ll go with you. Anywhere you want.” I stepped forward, but the steel bar of Caleb’s arm blocked me.

  Gunner snickered. “It’s a little late for that. I want my body. Those demon mutts stole it.”

  “What?” I turned my head to Caleb who looked just as confused as I was.

  Caleb shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Think real long and hard. I’m sure it’ll come to you what you did to me and Lilith.”

  “Again, what are you talking about?” Caleb yelled.

  “I swear if you hurt my child, I will rip your heart out!” Angie cried.

  “I’m sorry, what was that?” His hand squeezed Olivia’s neck. She yelped in pain, still wiggling in the air.

  “Let her go!” I demanded.

  With the gun pointed at us, he took a s
tep back and then another toward the elevator. “I want what’s mine, and you get what’s yours.”

  “No, no! Olivia!” Angie rushed to the elevator doors. “I’ll find you. No matter where you go, I’ll find you,” Angie promised as the elevator doors began to close. “And when I do, I’ll kill you. You hear me, demon!”

  “Mama!” Olivia shook her head wildly, terrified that we would leave her, but we had to do what he said for her sake. The elevator door slid closed and her screams could be heard from several floors down.

  “Olivia!” Angie desperately pushed at the button on the wall.

  “Come on.” Caleb tugged my arm, leading me to the twin elevator to our right. The doors wouldn’t open and the number at the top had gone black, indicating it was out of service.

  “Stay here and watch Haden! Stop the bleeding until the medics arrive,” he ordered Angie as we dashed to the service stairs.

  The twelve-story descent was a slow and dizzying spiral to the lobby where complete pandemonium met us at the bottom. Guests stood by the main doors as security raced toward the elevator.

  “Everyone stay calm. Everything is under control. The elevators are currently out of service. If you need to get to your rooms, the emergency stairs are down the hall. We appreciate your patience. Please remain calm,” the security officer ordered. He then alerted the front desk over his radio that he needed backup for crowd control.

  I shouldered through the masses, my eyes glued to the revolving doors. Guests in the lounge filled into the lobby inquiring about the commotion. Walkie-talkies crackled static. Cell phones were out and in use. Fingers pointed at the entrance. Witnesses watched in horror, demanding police assistance but offering no help themselves. Voices mingled in a steady rumble of noise.

  “Oh my God, look at them! Why is he covered in blood?”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the police are on their way. Please remain calm—”

  “There were shots heard on the eighth floor—”

  “. . . blood all over the floor. Bullet holes in the wall and—”

  “Dammit! I can’t get a signal. Let me use your phone—”

  “He had a gun, so I couldn’t do anything. I feel bad—someone needs to help that poor girl—”

  “Did you get a good look at the guy? Big son-of-a-bitch too—”

  “. . . thin, blond girl, maybe eighteen—didn’t get a good look—”

  “Yes, a girl’s just been abducted at the Charlotte Hotel. Charlotte. C-H-A-R—”

  “. . . stole my car! Someone call the police! God, I think my nose is broken!”

  We finally made it outside then raced to the grassy patch in the middle of the driveway. We stopped by the fountain and allowed the helplessness to seep into our skin with the cold. My nerves were fried. Old phantoms stared me square in the face. Images flashed in my head, featuring a blond girl lying dead on the floor, broken and cast aside as collateral damage in a senseless war.

  Olivia would not join her sister, not on my watch. But there was too much commotion, too much confusion, and not enough time. The odds were against us especially since Olivia and Gunner had completely vanished from sight in a matter of seconds.

  We could go after them, patrol the streets all night, but what would that accomplish? We had no weapons to stop him and we didn’t even know what kind of car Gunner took. No, we would need help with the search, and I could only pray that Tobias would keep her alive until then.

  Plus the rough hands on our shoulders made it clear that we weren’t going anywhere.

  We turned around to find Detective Ruiz standing behind us wearing a black suit and tie. He appeared to have been enjoying the New Year’s celebration like we had before the world came to an end. “I think it’s best that you come back inside before you make a scene,” he said and tipped his head toward the crowd.

  We soon noticed we had an audience. Guests kept their distance as they looked directly at us, noting our attire, which was comprised of sweat and a lot of blood. I stared out to the black night and the spinning flash of the police lights. Five squad cars charged up the paved strip toward the hotel. One thing about Williamsburg, when wealthy people are in trouble, the cops come a runnin’.

  Not knowing what else to do, I looked to Caleb. His eyes had cooled to their normal shade. Despite the tremor of rage coursing through his body, he managed to have enough sense to understand that we were in for a long night.

  13

  What a way to bring in the new year, but then why would this be different from any other celebration?

  It seems no holiday could go by without some mishap that had to be explained to the authorities. Seriously, why did we keep going out? The very definition of crazy was to repeat the same pattern in hopes of a different result. But if I was crazy, I wasn’t the only lunatic in the Petrovsky suite.

  The past three hours had been absolute madness. The police took statements from everyone, and it was only by Evangeline’s “powers of persuasion” that they didn’t call my parents. Ruiz had escorted Mom home only moments before we arrived to the hotel, which was inconvenient because we carpooled to the hotel earlier tonight and she was my ride. I called and informed her that I was spending the night with Angie, and covered the phone to block out the three-ring circus performing in the background. With that done, I tucked my phone in my bra, shook my limbs loose and dove back into the fray.

  The paramedics took Haden to the hospital. He’d lost a lot of blood and he was going into shock. It took three police officers to restrain Caleb, insisting that he had to stay until he finished the interview. It required twice as many men to keep Angie from destroying the room.

  I’d never seen her so distraught and rightfully so. Her hair was flying everywhere, her makeup was smudged, and she couldn’t care less who saw her sleepwear or the otherworldly glow in her eyes. She was putting out some serious homicidal vibes and making eye contact was not conducive to one’s survival.

  For the most part Caleb and I just sat on the couch eating chocolate after-dinner mints while Angie and Ruiz discussed arcane Cambion politics. Michael was passed out on the couch across from us and people walked by like he was part of the décor.

  I could tell by the reddened faces in the room that somebody was going to swing, and I had my money riding on Angie. I figured it was best to stay out of grown folks’ business. We were already in enough hot water for not telling Ruiz that there was a body-snatching demon parading around Williamsburg. Again I adhered to the policy of keeping my mouth shut when dealing with otherworldly creatures. It was just safer.

  Between the failed attempts to get to the door, Angie sought the comfort of her cancer sticks and parked in front of her laptop, monitoring Olivia’s location from her bracelet. According to the tiny dot on the digital map, Olivia hadn’t changed locations in twenty minutes. Since Tobias knew well about the bracelet’s tracking device, I hoped he hadn’t had time to remove it like he had done with mine.

  Equipped with this information along with extra photographs of Olivia, the police left vowing to exhaust all their resources to begin the search. Considering Angie’s affluence and Cambion allure, I believed them, but this kind of missing persons case was well out of their jurisdiction. In any case, we needed supernatural backup posthaste.

  During Angie’s fifth effort to get to the door, Ruiz blocked her path. “No. Let us handle this. We can’t afford to have you hurt.”

  “He has my daughter!” she screamed.

  “I understand that but you’ll create an incident—” Ruiz barely got the words out before a white hand wrapped around his throat.

  The movement was too fast for sight. The flow of black silk that trailed behind her was the only evidence to prove that she hadn’t teleported five feet to get to the detective. She might as well have, because in a blink she held the man who was twice her weight by the neck and a good foot off the ground. Caleb broke from his thoughts to watch the scene while I moved in to intercede. I wasn’t sure what Angie was capable
of in her current state, but things didn’t look good. In fact, it was downright fugly.

  “I lost one daughter and you allow another to be taken from me on behalf of protocol?” She hissed and if she had fangs, they would’ve been on full display and planted in Ruiz’s jugular. It amazed me how someone could look graceful and gruesome at the same time.

  “Evangeline.” I placed a hand on her very tense shoulder. “Don’t kill him. Please.”

  “I say have at him,” Caleb muttered.

  My head whipped in his direction. “Caleb, so not helping.”

  “You forget your place, David. I told you what would happen if any of my progeny were harmed. I warned you,” she growled.

  The look on Ruiz’s face was priceless. I had to hand it to him, he didn’t seem scared and didn’t back down, and I was sure that was one of the reasons he was called the Cuban Necktie. But he couldn’t look directly into Angie’s eyes, and he winced whenever he tried. The piercing green light bounced off his olive skin like a laser pointer on a sniper rifle, and was just as deadly a weapon.

  She must not have been holding him too tight because he was able to speak. “If you kill me, you will wage war against every Cambion this side of the world. Do you really want that? I’m not in the habit of striking women, so don’t make me start now. Put. Me. Down.”

  A notable pause engulfed the room. Finally, Angie released Ruiz’s neck one finger at a time. He slipped from her fingers and plummeted to the floor.

  Towering over him, she said, “Alert your people and call for reinforcements. Cambions, none who can be persuaded or possessed. If the family objects, I will declare war, if they interfere in any way, I will declare war. I will burn this city to the ground before another demon hurts my child. In the meantime, make yourself useful and take Samara home and guard her house. She and her mother are in danger.”

  I stepped between the two of them. “No. I wanna stay. I can help you.”

  “You will not get involved with this, little one. You will stay safe,” Angie said.

  “Then let me at least stay here. I already told Mom I was spending the night anyway. I don’t want to be left in the dark.”