“I’ve arranged for you to be left alone,” she explained as they neared the visitors’ room. “Johnson will be cuffed, and there will be a one-way mirror behind you. My colleagues will watch him and observe when he’s lying.”
“Okay.” Peter set his jaw and marched through the door.
Kimmy slipped into the adjacent room as Peter sat across from Nathan. His back was to the one-way mirror. Nathan faced it.
The former leader of Assassin’s Honor had a tall, burly build like an athlete a few years after his prime. Kimmy tried to sum him up in as few words as possible. Prickly fit him well. His spiky russet hair and horribly maintained facial stubble gave her nightmares of guys she had made out with during her online dating phase, and the jagged scar running the length of his right cheek simultaneously intrigued her and freaked her out. Nathan was the definition of an elementary school creeper.
“Must be nice bein’ on the other side of the table for once,” Nathan drawled in a thick Tennessee accent.
Peter placed his hands on the tabletop and spoke in a tone saturated with hate. “Have you heard Alex escaped?” Kimmy nodded with approval. He had taken control of the conversation right from the get-go.
“You staying with the Evans sisters? Susan must be wearing bras now. You’d like that. You always did have a way with little girls.”
Peter’s shoulders were rigid with tension. “She should have filed a harassment suit. Your sentence should have been longer than Alex’s.” Kimmy rolled her eyes. She had spoken too soon.
Nathan barked a harsh laugh. “Longer than life in prison? Lil Susan’s fine. I’m sure she enjoyed her time with us.” His dark eyes glinted with hate. “Has your dad caught up with you yet? What does he do to traitors? You think you’ll get a family discount, or will that make it worse?”
Kimmy exchanged an uneasy glance with the blond detective on her left. Peter had let the conversation veer far, far off course, and Nathan was trying to manipulate him into corroborating a fictional crime. Her muscles tensed with the urge to pull him out.
“So, you and lil Susan gettin’ it on?” Nathan laughed at Peter’s twitch of shock. “Guess it’s only been a few days since you got released. But I know you, man. You work fast.”
Peter slammed his fists onto the table. “Enough!” He shoved to his feet and towered over Nathan. “We both know it’s you with the guilt about Susan Evans, but she’s not why I’m here. Alex escaped a few days ago. He’s holding a class of sixth graders ransom. We’re gonna brainstorm everything we know about him and figure out how to take him down.”
Nathan gaped, thrown by his outburst. “What’s in it for me?”
“We’ll discuss that after I see how helpful you are.”
Nathan’s lower lip trembled, and his voice grew whiny and weak. “He made me do it, man! I’m not sick! I didn’t want to any more than she did!”
“Stop, talking, about it.” Peter shook with rage, his self-control near breaking point.
“But it’s about Alex. He uses mind control, I swear. I’d decide somethin’, and then his voice would be in my head tellin’ me to do somethin’ else.”
“You seriously expect people to believe that?”
Kimmy made a note on her pad. Darks with mind control powers were Joseph Stalin dangerous. They were fearless crime lords who operated without a thought of being caught. They never were because they never personally participated in the criminal activities they ordered. She saw Peter’s point, though. A human babbling about mind control did sound crazy.
“I remember him being very charismatic,” Peter conceded.
“He’s afraid of needles.” Nathan smirked.
Peter chuckled. “That’s right! Alex would look at Ash like a paranoid freak whenever he took drugs.” Peter drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Alex was super against drugs.”
The blond detective nodded in approval. “He’s not bad once he gets going.”
Kimmy glowed with pride. “I pick ‘em well.”
Peter and Nathan brainstormed Alex facts for the better part of an hour. They learned he had a conduct disorder and enjoyed harming animals. He had had an endless parade of girls, but only one or two had been serious relationships. He abused his younger sister, emotionally and physically. The final sliver of insanity was Nathan wondering if Alex had murdered his own parents to inherit the family fortune.
“Charming guy,” the detective quipped.
Kimmy gave a noncommittal shrug. Sarcasm went right over her head.
“Can you remember anything else?” Peter asked after both youths had been silent for a full five minutes.
“Don’t think so. Alex was full of secrets, Ash was a druggy, and you…”
“I questioned everything you said.” Peter chuckled.
The detective shot Peter a suspicious frown. “He’s getting a bit friendly.”
“He’s solid,” Kimmy retorted in a tone that barred all argument.
“Maybe you should try talking to Nova,” Nathan suggested as Peter stood to leave. “And by you, I mean only you, not your cop friends out there. Yeah, I know that’s a window.” He waved at the mirror.
Peter gazed up to the ceiling. “Why me?”
“You’d stop Alex from hitting her when you were around. She trusts you. Plus, she had that massive crush on you. Bet she’d turn in her brother for a kiss.”
“Not funny.” Peter strode from the room and joined Kimmy on the other side of the glass.
“Well done.” She gave him a light pat on the arm.
Peter rubbed the back of his neck. “I feel like we wasted an entire hour. How will any of that info help arrest Alex?”
“You found out everything he knew. You did well.” The detective stuffed his notes into a shiny black briefcase. “I’m off to ask Cardelle’s old neighbors a few questions.”
Peter fell into step with Kimmy as they strolled from the prison into brilliant morning sunshine. “What now?”
“Now, you contact Nova.”
Twenty
SUSAN CLOSED HER eyes and willed the gun to go off. Alex’s life hung in the balance, along with the lives of everyone else in the room. It was just her versus him in a power struggle for control. The ticking of the clock beat against her eardrums. Every muscle in her body was taut, every particle of her being braced for a bang. She imagined a bullet hole in Alex’s chest and felt nothing but numb relief. Alex was sadistic and messed up. Better he died than any of her friends.
Her heart slowly sank into the pit of her roiling stomach. The silence had stretched on for far too long. Alex plucked the gun from her hands and bashed it into her face. “Stupid, stupid girl! You should know better than to take things that don’t belong to you.”
“You told me to take it.” Susan ducked another blow to the head.
He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her into a wall. She fought to break his grip, red-hot rage blazing straight from her core. She longed for him to hurt as much as he had hurt everyone else.
“Okay, new game.” Alex pinned her against the wall and duct taped her mouth shut. She struggled to breathe and tried to scream as claustrophobic memories of a dark closet filled her head. Alex taped her wrists and ankles to the wall and tied a blindfold over her eyes. “Since sweet, little Susan here has refused to play nice, I’ve observed her objection and created an alternative game.” Alex’s mocking words were saturated with fury. “The rest of you, line up along the wall to her right.” Voices murmured. Feet shuffled into place. “Each of you will make her bleed. I don’t care how you do it. I just wanna see lots of blood.”
“He sounds like a vampire,” someone stage-whispered to Susan’s immediate right.
“Michaela.” Alex barked her name like the crack of a whip. “You want to go first?”
“I-I guess.” Hesitant footsteps signaled Michaela’s approach.
Susan shrank back against the wall, her breathing sharp and her heart in her throat. Murmuring voices filled her ears, a muffled mutterin
g of suspicion and fear. Frantic fingers of panic scrabbled at her mind. Were her classmates discussing the best ways to cut her? She squeezed her eyes shut, every muscle in her body rigid with fear.
A sharp something pricked Susan’s arm. Michaela leapt back with a frightened squeak of alarm. Alex inspected the damage. “One drop of blood isn’t going to cut it. Do better, or we’ll tape you to the wall beside her.”
Michaela whimpered.
“She’s afraid of blood,” another girl murmured, sympathy soaking her tone.
Scissors closed around Susan’s right index finger, and the blades bit into her skin. She fought the panic invading her mind. She had been plunged into the middle of her worst, most-horrifying nightmare. Alex laughed softly. Terror had been his goal. He knew her history and the best ways to scare her. She shuttered with the effort of holding back tears.
Her classmates filed past her, sticking her with scissors and ball-point pens. Susan held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut behind her blindfold. It would all be over soon. It would all be over soon. It quickly escalated into a scuffling free-for-all of desperate eleven-year-olds trying to win favor with Alex. Some, like Michaela, were reluctant to do serious damage. Most were much less kind. A mob soon surrounded her. She cowered against the wall, a trembling mess of terrorized pain. Someone grabbed a handful of her shirt and slit her stomach with a pocketknife.
“You already cut her!” Susan jumped. Chris had spoken close by her side.
A scuffle broke out. Someone backed into Susan and took a protective stance in front of her.
Alex cackled with glee. “There’s no rule saying people can’t go back for seconds. Move out of the way.”
“This needs to stop.” Ryan’s soft South African accent made everyone pause. Susan’s heart gave a fluttering jolt. Warmth spread through her body and heated her cheeks. Ryan was the person standing in front of her, protecting her from the mob. “What do you gain from recording this?”
“Donations,” Alex barked. “Parents don’t want their kids ending up like her.” Susan hid a smile. It must be driving Alex crazy that the one person opposing him was a kid protected by his own rules.
Someone lunged past Ryan and swiped at Susan’s face. The knife caught in the blindfold, its point a millimeter from her eye. Ryan shoved her attacker.
“I said stop it!” Chris’s voice was flooded with uncharacteristic rage.
A hand plucked the knife free, and a tiny sliver of light shown through the tear. Susan squinted through the gap. Her classmates were crowded in front of her, a variety of sharp objects clutched in their hands. Chris and Jake were restraining a tall brunette with a switchblade in her fist. Some kids shoved their way out of the crowd. Others mobbed Ryan in a desperate attempt to stab her before Alex punished them. José fought his way to Ryan’s side and pushed a chunky blond boy into two dark-haired girls. The trio toppled to the floor. Other kids stepped over and onto them to complete Alex’s violent idea of homework.
“That’s enough!” Nova was screeching from somewhere across the room. Everyone ignored her. “Alex, do something! This is wasting our time. I can’t even get Susan on camera.”
Alex raised a hand and bellowed over the din. “All of you, shut up!” Everyone froze. The stillness was nearly as alarming as Alex’s raised voice. “Form a line. We’re starting over. Each of you will take a single turn, and you better be smart enough to stay off camera after you go.” Alex secured a new blindfold over Susan’s eyes and stepped aside to watch.
Her torture began anew, even worse than before. The agony had been constant during the first round. Susan hadn’t had time to anticipate the pain. Now she was forced to wait, tense and on edge, while people decided where to stab her. She shrank away from everyone who approached and flinched at the slightest of movements. Nervous laughter rippled through the crowd when she startled, adding to her humiliation.
Someone gently took her hand. “They’re almost done. Only a few more people to go.”
She melted. It was Ryan saving her. She clung to him like a drowning girl, her skin ice-cold against the warmth of his touch. He laced his fingers with hers. Gentle strength poured into her, dousing her fear and soothing her racing heart.
The pain stopped. The scuffling went quiet. Alex removed the blindfold and tape. “You ready to play nice?” He shoved her back toward the center of the classroom. She shuttered. His touch felt like acid against her skin. Alex herded the six he had chosen for Russian Roulette into a tight-knit circle. He pressed the gun to Sam’s head. “Guess I’ll have to pull the trigger. I can’t trust any of you with the gun after Susan’s little stunt. Any last words, Sam?”
He pulled the trigger before she could answer him. The gun clicked harmlessly. Alex’s shoulders slumped. Susan’s insides went cold. He was genuinely disappointed Sam was still alive. “Oh well. There are still four of you left, and your odds are not improving.”
“Why does Susan get out of this? It’s like you’re rewarding her for trying to shoot you,” Brett whined.
Susan leveled him with a look. Brett Armstrong was a tall, chunky guy with straggly sandy-brown hair and moody hazel eyes. The arrogant way he carried himself reminded her of an angry bull. He had been a jerk for as long as she could remember.
“Why don’t you worry about yourself, Brett?” Alex speared him with a steely glare.
Brett visibly flinched and dropped the subject with a harried shrug.
Alex moved on to José. Again, there was no bang, no bullet fired. He clenched his jaw and turned the gun on Caleb Maxwell.
Girls all around the room gasped and covered their eyes. Caleb was an athletic blond who was always in competition with Chris. He was exceptionally handsome, even at eleven, with his baby blue eyes and irresistible smile. He had an extensive, all female, fan club.
“Bro! You’re gonna wanna see this!” Nova squealed, excitement flooding her voice.
“I’m kind of in the middle of something.” Alex’s eyes stayed locked on Caleb’s face.
Caleb’s mouth was slack, his eyes huge and bulging. He looked about to wet his pants. Susan couldn’t blame him. Alex was right in his face with his lips pulled back in a feral grin.
“It’s an email from Caleb’s grandmother,” Nova rushed out. “You need to see what she sent us.”
“This better be good.” Alex stomped to his sister and snatched his phone. A tense few seconds passed, Caleb’s ragged breathing loud in the quiet. A dozen girls looked on in horror. Alex scribbled something on a nametag and slapped it to Caleb’s shirt. “You’re exempt. Join the rest of the class over there.”
Caleb scurried to the opposite side of the room. Two girls embraced him, the shorter one sobbing with relief.
Alex shot Susan a gleeful sneer. “We have an opening in our game. Guess you’ll get another shot at death.” He addressed the quaking trio. “Who should I pick next? Any volunteers? It’s a one in three chance for all of you now. Those odds are better than one in two.”
“I’ll go next,” Brett blurted.
Alex smiled as he pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. “Okay, ladies. One of you has scored a free trip to heaven. Or hell in your case.” He leered at Susan.
“What do we do!” Sarah’s gentle spring green eyes were flooded with fear. “I don’t want to go last. The bullet will be last.” Her breathing was sharp and fast like someone about to hyperventilate.
Susan squeezed her friend’s hand. “We don’t know anything. Maybe he’s psyching everyone out and there isn’t even a bullet in his gun.” Sarah took a shuttering breath. Susan cupped her trembling hand between both of hers. “You choose which spot you want, and I’ll take the other.”
Susan was convinced Alex would murder her tonight, no matter what order they went. He had promised to kill someone, and he hated her the most. At least she had gone out fighting. Amy would be proud. She cradled the memory of her brave big sister close to her heart and prepared to die.
“Okay.” Sarah crossed her
fingers for courage. “I’ll go first. Thanks, Sue.”
“Don’t worry.” Susan hugged Sarah tight as Alex pressed the gun to her head.
Bang. Students jumped out of their skins and scrambled away. A wave of screams drowned Alex’s whoop of joy. Sarah’s body slumped into Susan’s lap. Her head came to rest on her shoulder, her golden blonde ponytail brushing Susan’s cheek. Susan gazed down, her body seizing with horror. Her oldest friend lay dead in her arms. She screamed and screamed and could not stop.
Twenty-one
CHARLES WOKE WITH a start and had no idea where he was. He fumbled for his glasses and nearly knocked them off his bedside table. He caught a plastic arm between two fingers and slipped them onto his face. His new dorm swam into focus. Max’s side of the room was deserted, his bed untouched. Had Lindsay and April kidnapped him for good?
Charles showered and dressed with his thoughts fixed on Damien. From his multiple crimes to his repeated escapes, there was enough incriminating information out there to get him arrested twice over. But Damien had a knack for escaping human prisons. Having him arrested might just make him mad. Charles frowned into the mirror as he shaved. If only the supernatural world would design a Dark-proof prison. He wasn’t holding his breath. Since the entire community of supers was governed by Darks, it was unlikely such a facility would ever be built.
Charles locked eyes with his reflection and squared his shoulders for battle. He had to take matters into his own hands. He gathered his notes on Damien and sent them as an email attachment to his mother. He planned to use the information as blackmail and confront Damien in person. The leverage would stop the Dark from killing him right away…hopefully.
Blackmailing Damien was the best way to make him leave Amy and Zack alone. His presence had been a red flag even before Alex’s escape. Now it was a biohazard sign predicting doom and disaster. Damien was especially interested in Amy, which was creepy at best, psychopathic at worst. He had ripped her character to shreds in his suicide note and suddenly wanted to be all buddy-buddy. No one changed their opinion of someone they hated that much. Charles would know.
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