“I just didn’t—”
“Think? No, you never did think. If you did, you would’ve convinced Dino not to do such a damned stupid thing. Jesus. Stay here. I need to get a hold of Faye. The four of us need to speak.”
Bentley bounded from the ring, jogging through the factory while he barked out orders. His words chilled her, shrunk her so small she felt like she could hide inside a thimble. There she stood, in the boxing ring and under its bright light, as the hundreds of glittering eyes glared at her with the knowledge she had a part to play in the brutal violence happening beyond the factory walls.
After a few tense, quiet moments. Bentley raced back into the ring. His furious features had relaxed somewhat, the scornful look furrowing his brow now much smoother. He padded his sweaty temples with a towel and took a deep breath. “Listen, this is on him, not you. I get a little hot-headed sometimes, and Dino’s been known to go rogue like this on more than one occasion. If he wasn’t the best phantom in Afterlife, I’m pretty sure Faye would’ve let him loose or dusted him a long time ago. You want some water or anything? Maybe bourbon?”
“No.” Amber forced a smile, rocking on her heels. “But thank you.”
The factory doors flung open, and Dino marched inside. All the tension knotted up inside Amber flowed away on her sigh. “You made it!”
He beamed a smile as he wove through the crowd and hopped into the boxing ring, throwing his arms wide. “What, you doubted the great Dino Cardona?”
“Dino, will the archduke dust thousands of souls tonight for what just happened? Would he really do that just to prove a point?”
“Of course he would,” Dino laughed. He slapped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “But it’s not like they matter. Only you matter, Amber.”
“What?” Amber grabbed his hand and threw it down. “How could you say that? Those people matter. We have to find a way to stop it!”
“Stop it?” Dino snorted and turned to Bentley. “Stop it! Can you believe it?” He faced her again and shook his head. “There’s no stopping the archduke tonight. He needs his pound of flesh for what’s happened. But it was worth it, wasn’t it? We’re a step closer to finding your brother, right? That’s all that matters. That’s all that’s always mattered, Amber. It’s the only thing you’ve ever cared about. Let the streets pile up with dust, as long as we can get an inch closer to Toby. Am I right or what?”
“How could you say something like that? I care about these people. I … I want to find Toby, but I don’t want innocents to die for it!”
“Oh please, you’ve never cared about an innocent life in your entire fucking time here. You’ve done what it takes to find him, and damn anyone else who might get in the way of it.”
“No. That’s not true!”
“Oh, it’s true, Amber. It’s the truest thing about you. You’re nothing but a selfish, spoiled brat who’s chasing a fantasy so she can feel better about herself, maybe even feel like a true hero for once. Truth is, you’re not a hero. You’re no better than the archduke. Two peas in a pod if you ask me. I doubt you even care about me, isn’t that right? Maybe now that I’ve gotten you what you wanted, you’ll toss me aside like everybody else. As long as you’re just a little closer to your brother. Right? Right?”
Tears weighed her lashes. Her stomach twisted as her arms began to shake. “I … I … It’s not true! I didn’t want them to die….”
“If you didn’t want them to die, you wouldn’t have let me do this. You’re not that stupid. You should’ve spoken up. You should’ve said killing Ian West was wrong. Did you? Did you ever say a word? Did you ever tell me no? Did you? Did you!”
Amber choked down a sob and looked to her feet. Dino grabbed her chin and wrenched it up until their eyes met. “You never once thought about what doing this might do to the city. The Fool’s Errand might end tonight. The dust of innocent souls will pile high in the streets. But did you ever care once? Even once?”
The tears rolled down her cheeks. “Why are you doing this?”
“Save the tears for someone who cares. I’m a killer, remember? Oh, and if your brother was in Afterlife, you would’ve found him by now. He’s not. He’s gone. He’s dust, just like so many others.”
“No….”
“Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands. Can you hear their screams?”
“No….”
“This night will live on forever. Afterlife is burning, Amber, and you lit the match.”
“No!”
A seed of rage exploded in her heart, filling her veins with painful fire. Amber’s mind slipped into a deep, boiling black. A force engulfed her, a raging heat of wrath and ruin and unbridled power. She opened her mouth wide, and her scream exploded outward.
Dino and Bentley rocketed out of the ring. Any fool standing crashed onto their backs. Lights burst and rained the floor with shards of glass. The ceiling shuddered, the walls shook. The windows exploded in plumes of glittering diamonds.
And then, silence settled. A once raging soup of power roaring through her blood cooled, and she stood alone in the darkness, a field of unconscious souls radiating around her.
Her body faded into mist, her sobs echoing on the building’s quiet walls. She soared out a shattered window and floated into the night. The Smoke Quarter shrank as she raced for Angel Park, heading for the mirror tucked into the secret hall of La Couronne.
Forgive me, Toby. I can’t do this. I thought I was strong. I thought I could save you. But I can’t. I just can’t.
Dino watched as the warehouse’s windows burst, spewing shards of glass over the dark street. The shockwave hit him, and although he flew toward Bentley’s as a phantom, even then the power of the blast forced him back. It set a chill in his heart, a deep, dark dread that stole all the warmth from his thoughts.
He tore through a gaping hole in a window and reformed amongst a mass of souls slowly regaining consciousness. He spotted Bentley crawling into the center ring and made his way toward his friend. “Bentley? What happened here? Where’s Amber?”
“Amber?” He looked at him and blinked. “Amber….”
“Yes, Amber. Where is she?”
He caught movement in the crowd. Dino frowned at a man crawling into the ring. The soldier looked up and smiled. It was him, but not him, and as the realization sunk in, his fear twisted into rage. “Faye! Where is she? What have you done with her!”
“You just missed her,” she said, her disguise as Dino shifting into the familiar Faye LaBelle.
“I’ll dust you if you’ve hurt her!” he roared.
Dino charged her, but Bentley latched onto his jacket and jerked him to a stop. “It wasn’t smart to go against her, Dino,” he whispered. “You knew there would be a price to pay.”
“Let go of me, Bentley!” He tried shifting into his phantom form, but his body stubbornly stayed solid. A lance of fear shot up his spine. He looked down at his fists and tried again, but the phantom curse wouldn’t come.
“Amber is gone now.” Faye smoothed her hair, lifting her chin. “I wanted to kill her myself, but she pulled some stunt with her curses I hadn’t expected and slipped away. But don’t worry, I made sure she’ll never come looking for you again.”
“You’ll pay for this,” Dino rasped. “I’ll make you pay!”
Faye laughed and licked her lips. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a familiar scarab relic. Once, it kept her base of operations safe from phantoms. Now, it prevented him from fleeing or fighting.
“The Errand is dying,” she said, “our numbers have dwindled to little more than who you see here before you. You were supposed to make her my weapon, Dino. You were supposed to help me save Afterlife. Now look what you’ve done. So many souls dusted. So many loved ones torn apart. You’re no hero, Dino. You’re nothing like one. You’re a murderer, and Zoe would hate you for everything you’ve done.”
Dino lunged, but Bentley’s strong grip pulled him back and slammed him against the mat. Dino s
aw stars. His skull ached. His vision blurred.
“Poor Dino Cardona,” Faye cooed. “You thought Amber was your ticket to redemption. You thought you two would be heroes, go face the archduke yourselves and live happily ever after. I’m sorry, darling, but this is Afterlife, and there are no happy endings.” She pocketed the scarab and turned to Bentley. “I want him imprisoned. Make sure it’s airtight. Once I’m through with him, he’ll be wishing he’d never heard the name Amber Blackwood.”
“Sorry about this, buddy,” Bentley murmured. A dark, knuckled brick of a fist smashed into Dino’s temple, and the world went black.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Welcome Home
Amber stumbled into Ms. Flannery’s basement, trembling, sobbing. She pressed her hand to her lips and looked out the narrow window just above the ground to a world cloaked in shadows.
Not a single step she took creaked on the basement stairs. She opened the door as gingerly as she could. Its hinges groused, but only a little, and when it was wide enough, she slipped through the gap and let it glide closed behind her.
Through the kitchen she padded, and then to the front door. She paused there, staring at the stairwell leading to Ms. Flannery’s room. Amber twisted the knob. The door clicked. She grimaced. Still, nothing moved upstairs.
Amber darted through the front door and into the crisp, cloudy night. A light winter’s mist coalesced in her hair in glittering, glimmering beads. In the distance, Portsmouth’s lights shimmered like wet gems.
She took a deep breath. Air. Real air, free of any dust. Amber exhaled. Rumbling thunder pulled her mind back to where she stood, the threat of a storm enough to overcome her rattled nerves and weary bones.
Her boots clicked on the asphalt as she headed down the lane. Her drive melted into view, the great elm’s branches now leafless and trembling in the biting winds. When she passed beneath the tree, she paused to glance at the place where she had fallen, where Dino had saved her.
Amber closed her eyes. She couldn’t stuff his memories away. The smell of his leather jacket. His sweat. His stupid, smug smile.
“No,” she said, stepping away from the tree. “He wanted this. You deserved this.”
The front door didn’t budge when she tried it. Amber sighed, jerking the knob again, but the deadbolt held fast.
“Fine.” Her will lashed out and unbolted the door, swinging it wide. Amber stumbled into the foyer. Her brows knitted together as she surveyed the sparkling, polished interior of her home. Not a single hint of Bone Man’s attack remained. The kitchen smelled of bleach and lemons. Not a single cabinet was bent or broken.
Amber ran her hand along the cool marble countertop. She turned to a cabinet and pressed her brow onto the wood, feeling the imperfect grains against her skin. No matter how much she hated Portsmouth, nothing in Afterlife compared to the touch and feel of home.
It took all her strength to stumble upstairs. She found her room better than when she left it. The bed was made, pillows fluffed, and a light scent of vanilla wafted through the air. Amber pulled off her dress and threw it in her closet. She plowed into the downy comforter and closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly, and she embraced it.
Dreams swirled in her chaotic mind. Flashes of a world of dust, a city of souls steeped in chaos and cries. Toby called her name, screamed it. She answered, she called his, but he didn’t hear. No, he couldn’t hear.
“Amber?”
Amber’s dreams vanished like water down a drain. She blinked, her eyes taking in the world of downy Egyptian cotton in the space buried in her blankets.
“Amber?”
She recognized her mother’s voice, and her heart twisted. Amber swallowed and grabbed the comforter, slowly peeling it off her head. Her mother stood in the doorway, short, curly hair streaked with wiry grey. Red rimmed the dark bags of her grey eyes. Tears wet the tanned freckles of her cheeks. When she saw Amber, she squinted, and the deep cracks of her skin fanned across her temples. “Oh my God, Amber!”
“Mom? You’re back from Borneo?”
Amber’s mom lurched into the room and slapped her arms around her daughter, her body wracked with deep sobs. Her tears plopped on the blanket as she squeezed the air from Amber’s lungs.
“Mom … Mom … It’s … Mom! It’s okay. What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath and leaned back, hands clamped on Amber’s shoulders as her eyes searched her daughter’s. “I … We … We thought the worst. The police couldn’t find anything, not a single thing! It was like you just vanished. I knew you were alive. I knew it! Mothers know these things.”
“Of course I’m alive. I was just….” Amber’s words died on her tongue. She clenched her jaw and forced a smile. “I just needed to get away for a little bit.”
“When Ms. Flannery saw you stumble into the house last night I almost didn’t believe it. But it was you! She was right. What happened, Amber? Where have you been? Why did you run away?”
“It’s complicated.” She hugged her mom, savoring the scent of her hair. “But it’s good to be back. How was Borneo?”
Her mother leaned back, cupping Amber’s jaw in her hand. “You know I love you. I always want what’s best for you. I’m so sorry. I should’ve been here. I never should’ve gone. I won’t. Not ever again.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll be okay. I swear.”
“I know.” She flashed a smile weighed with her tears. “Can you put some clothes on? I need you to come downstairs.”
Amber frowned. “Right now?”
“Please, Amber. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“Okay.”
Amber blinked the last of the sleep from her eyes and rolled out of bed. She slipped into some pajamas and yawned, following her mother into the hall. “The whole town’s been looking for you,” her mother said. “It’s been weeks since anyone saw you. We thought the worst. So did the police. But now that you’re here, things will be better. They’ll be much better.”
For some reason, her mother’s tone did little to ease Amber’s rankled nerves. She gripped the bannister as they entered the first floor and walked into the living room.
Amber paused in the doorway. A policeman stood by the couch. Beside him sat Ms. Flannery, gripping the wrinkled sheet of skin of her liver-spotted hand. Amber’s school counselor Ms. Tinsley sat in another chair, holding a legal pad flattened on her pleated pantsuit. Beside them sat a man wearing a navy blue suit and bright smile. Two big nurses in pale scrubs flanked him, smiling, but watching her intently.
“What is this?” Amber asked.
Her brother Chris padded into the room from the kitchen, arms folded. “We’re all here for you, Amber.”
“Chris? Glad to see something finally brought you home.”
The man in the blue suit cleared his throat, flashing his eyes. “Why don’t you have a seat so we can talk, Amber?”
She looked to her mother. “Who is this guy? What’s going on?”
“He’s here to help. Please, just have a seat.”
Groggy, confused, and increasingly frightened, Amber plopped onto the couch. Chris slid next to her and placed a hand on hers, squeezing lightly. “You don’t know how good it is to see you. I’m sorry. I should’ve come. It was stupid of me not to.”
She pulled her hand from his. “What’s going on? I don’t understand.”
“Amber?” The man in the suit maneuvered his chair until he faced her with his wide smile and sparkling eyes. Ms. Tinsley and Ms. Flannery watched from their seats, two wrinkled sentinels with pursed lips and opinions waiting in the wings. The officer lingered inconspicuously in the corner like a coat on a rack with a pistol peeking from his hip.
“Yes?” she asked.
The man’s smile widened, and when he spoke it was rich, smooth honey. “My name is Dr. Ellis, but I’d love it if you called me Hunter. Is that okay?”
“Okay, Hunter. Will you or somebody please tell me what the hell’s going on?”
Her mother slid beside her and wrapped her arm around Amber’s waist. “Everything is going to be okay,” she whispered.
Hunter nodded reassuringly. “Of course it is. Now Amber, you’ve been gone for a long while. Do you know how long?”
Amber shook her head.
“Well, it’s been long enough to make most of us pretty scared,” he chuckled. “Long enough for the police to call off the search. Did you know they were looking for you?”
“I had an idea,” she murmured.
“Can you tell us where you’ve been?” he asked.
She shook her head again. What was she supposed to say? That she spent her days in the City of Souls, running from fools and sinners and blackjackets?
His smile flattened, if only a little. “That’s too bad. So tell me, Amber, have you had any dark thoughts lately? Thoughts of harming others?”
Amber leaned back. She’d only just come from practically turning a warehouse full of people inside out, but she knew that wasn’t an answer that would satisfy him. And besides, the way he asked the question implied he meant a different sort of harm, a dark kind violence that stems from wanting to hurt someone, not from having hurt someone. “Of course not.”
“Bursts of anger?”
“No. I’m fine. I don’t have a bad temper. Never have.”
“And yet you argued with your brother and threw your phone against the wall so hard it shattered.”
Amber swallowed, her gaze darting to the wall where she had destroyed her phone in a fit. “That was different.”
“And when you screamed at Mr. Engel for displaying your art without your permission?”
Heat rose in Amber’s throat. “That was different too.”
“And when you threatened Tiffany and got into a fight with her boyfriend Ryder?”
Amber tightened her fists as the walls closed around her. “That was—”
“Different?” Hunter asked.
“Yes.”
She looked to Ms. Tinsley. The counselor smiled like someone might smile at a puppy that can’t quite learn a simple trick.
Afterlife (Second Eden #1) Page 29