Amy turned off the water. “Could you pass me a towel?” Max tossed one over the curtain rod. She wrapped it around herself with a self-conscious swish. “Now please leave.”
“You never stop ordering me around.” Max trudged out the door with a longsuffering sigh and closed it obediently behind him.
Amy laughed. “I said please.” She toweled off and dressed in her mother’s old clothes. She had outgrown everything in her own closet.
“Nice outfit,” Max snorted as she joined him in the kitchen.
Amy twirled to give him the full effect of her ill-fitting dress pants and blouse. She turned back to face him and caught him staring. “Stop looking at me like that.” She scowled, her humor gone in an instant. This was not a happy reunion. This was a twisted parody of normal.
“Sorry.” He busied himself removing toast from the toaster.
She plopped into a chair at the kitchen table. “How did this happen, Max?” It was painfully obvious he was in way over his head.
His shoulders slumped. “Alex and I met at Psychopath Camp. He’s paying me a lot, but it’s not enough. I don’t know what I was thinking when I thought I could do this to you.”
“So, why are you?” She gazed across the table into crystal blue eyes eerily similar to Zack’s.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here, but it was the only quiet place I could think to go. It’s bringing it all back. I hate it.” His voice broke. He turned away as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I miss Buddy and Katie, and I still love you.”
Thirty-four
ZACK WAS PERCHED on the edge of his seat on a bench outside McDonalds. It was 1:59, and Max was due at any moment. He drummed his fingers against the bench’s wooden backrest and darted a nervous look over his shoulder. A bird chirped, and he whipped back around. Zack fixed his gaze on the street and brushed flecks of peeling paint from his fingertips. He stopped his nervous drumming with a conscious effort.
The last time Zack had taken on Assassin’s Honor, he had teamed up with Justin, Amy’s espionage trained brother. They had had police officers and spy gear coming out their ears, and everyone involved had still wound up in the hospital. Zack bit his lip. This time, all he had was Damien. The guy had better be trustworthy. Amy and Peter liked him. Charles, not so much, and he was the best judge of character out of the three. Zack’s gut told him the group newcomer was sketchy. He raked a hand through his hair as frustration clenched his insides. Why had Damien made it impossible for him to turn down his help? He skated his gaze over the congested street corner. Damien was nowhere to be seen.
Zack gazed down at his watch and stared at the seconds ticking closer to 2 P.M. His muscles clenched with pent up adrenaline. Was Max crazy enough to put a bullet in his chest in broad daylight? He was a sitting duck out here in the open. He felt eyes on him and prayed it was Damien keeping guard.
A black van with tinted windows cruised up the street. It rolled to a stop ten feet from Zack. He got to his feet with his heart pounding in his ears and his stomach a wriggling mass of nerves.
The driver-side window rolled down to reveal Max’s frowning face. “Get in.”
A wave of relief swept through Zack. It was only Max in the car. He had been expecting Alex and the barrel of a .44. He climbed into the van and searched up and down the street for Damien. His ally was nowhere to be seen. Cold sweat trickled down Zack’s back. Charles had been right about him. They had been stupid, stupid, stupid to trust him. “Where’s Amy?” He blurted in an attempt to hide his horror.
“Yeah, Max, where’s Amy?” Max and Zack leapt out of their skins. Damien was chilling in the van’s spacious back seat with Amy’s pistol to Max’s head. Zack exhaled with the second tidal wave of relief he had experienced in thirty seconds.
“How did you, where did you?” The van lurched as Max released the brake. He fumbled for the door handle.
Zack grabbed his arm. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re going to show us where you’re keeping her, and then we’re gonna take a little stroll downtown.” Beating Max at his own game was sweet, sweet victory. The knowledge that he was Amy’s douche bag ex-boyfriend made the victory that much sweeter.
“Drive, Max.” Damien tapped a warning finger against the pistol.
Max chugged into the busy intersection and began driving east.
“That was awesome!” Zack turned in his seat to congratulate Damien. “I didn’t even notice you get into the car.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Damien dipped his shoulders in a mock bow without taking his eyes off Max.
Zack leaned back in his seat on yet another rush of sweeping relief. Sometimes it paid to gamble, though he doubted he would set the stakes that high again anytime soon. But he had made the right choice this time, no question. Damien was an excellent ally. Zack would have enjoyed getting to know him if Damien hadn’t been so tight with Peter.
Max turned into a shabby neighborhood. Old, rundown houses and ramshackle businesses lined the narrow streets. Several homes sported broken fences and overgrown lawns. One or two had smashed front windows covered over with plywood. It looked like the purge was about to get underway at any moment.
“Do people actually live in these homes?” Zack gaped out his window as though he had entered another world. His parents had never exposed him to such poverty.
“Some of them are lived in, but it’s safe to assume ones like that are empty.” Max nodded to a house so decrepit it ought to be haunted. Cobwebs decorated the rickety porch railings and several roof shutters hung loose. Part of the roof had caved in to reveal what must have once been a second-floor bedroom.
Max parked on the street and raised his hands in the air. “She’s in there.” He nodded to a house with a lawn so overgrown it might as well have been an African jungle. The place was nicer looking than some of the dilapidated shacks crumbling around it but had clearly been abandoned some time ago.
Zack scrambled from the car and tossed Damien a hopeful glance. “Go ahead.” He shrugged. “We’ll be right in.”
Zack sprinted through the grass jungle and raced up a few steps to a tiny, rotting porch. He hurtled through the door and found himself in a small but cozy kitchen. A loaf of bread rested on the counter, and dishes air-dried on a drain rack. Amy was nowhere to be found. Fear clenched his gut. Had Max lied to him? Had Alex stolen her away?
He dashed around a corner, and there she was. Amy was tied to a sturdy armchair, upright and unhurt. Happiness exploded within him like a river breaking free of its banks.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. “Zack!” He rushed to her and hugged her. “What the? Where’s Max?”
Zack snatched his pocketknife from a belt loop and cut her loose. “He’ll be in jail soon.” He pulled her to her feet and embraced her again. “I was going crazy worrying about you,” he murmured, his words warm with tenderness. The last few days had proven just how much it would kill him if he lost her.
“I’ve been worried about you, too. But you shouldn’t have come. Max is working with Alex, and you’re his target, Zack.”
“I know. But he won’t be reporting to Alex anytime soon.”
She looked adorably confused, so he kissed her full on the mouth. Her lips tasted like cherry Chapstick. She smelled all sexy and sweet, like lilacs and coconut. He ran his fingers through her hair, and she deepened the kiss.
Someone cleared their throat. Amy let out a startled squeak and pulled back. “Damien? What?”
Damien stood in the doorway with Max at gunpoint. Max shuffled into the room and threw Zack a hate-filled scowl.
“Surprise.” Damien waved a hand in greeting.
“Hey, that’s my pistol.”
“Blame Zack.” Damien chuckled. “Using it was his idea.”
“But you hate guns.” Amy shot him a look, shock in her voice.
“Yeah. But according to Damien, he’s an excellent marksman.” Zack smirked at Max, who flopped dejectedly into an armchair.
Damien gazed around th
e cramped living space. “I haven’t been here in ages.”
“When were you here before?” Zack sat beside Amy.
She leaned against him with a contented sigh. “I used to live here.”
Zack felt his mouth part. “No way! This is where you grew up?”
She nodded. Zack eagerly studied his surroundings. This was the best glimpse he had ever gotten into his girlfriend’s past. Amy buried her secrets deep within her soul like explosive landmines that went off without warning.
“We should call the police.” Damien’s words hummed with urgency.
“Right.” Amy had lost her phone, and Damien was busy keeping watch over Max. He, Zack, had been elected by default to make the call.
He reached for his phone and picked it up as it rang. Kimmy’s picture appeared on the screen. He swiftly accepted the call.
“Hey Zack.” She spoke the second he put the phone to his ear.
“Hey! You’ll never guess what happened!” He was dying to brag about Amy’s glorious rescue.
“There’s no time.” Kimmy was out of breath as if she were calling him in the middle of an on-foot police chase.
“But this is crazy important. Damien and I…”
Kimmy cut him off. “I disabled Alex’s website a few hours ago. That’s why people have stopped receiving his updates.”
“Nice job!” Zack held the phone away from his ear to relay the information to Amy and Damien.
“Zack! Listen to me!”
“You won’t listen to me,” he grumbled but shut his mouth. His friend, Kimmy, was chill and easygoing. Officer Kimmy Wolf commanded respectful attention at all times.
“It’s your brother,” Kimmy said, and a chill ran down his spine. The fear in her voice had finally registered. In the full two years Zack had known the brave, brilliant cop, she had never once lost her cool.
Thirty-five
CHRIS HUDDLED WITH Sam, Susan, Ryan, and Jake in the corner opposite the bathroom bucket. His class had been split in half, his group versus the six students who had voted to kill Sam. They were two warring factions fighting each other for the right to live.
Alex had started feeding the three exempt students. Ryan was splitting everything he received with Chris’s group, and Caleb and Rebecca were supporting the rest. The tiny scraps just made Chris hungrier.
Hours and hours had passed since José had been killed. Brett had been crying since the moment he pulled the trigger, curled up in a corner with his back to the room. When Caleb had tried rolling him a water bottle, Brett had batted it away as if he wanted to die.
Chris gazed across the room at Nova. She was slumped against the wall with her face a mask of misery. He threw Alex a furious glare. He treated his sister like crap. Why was she still helping him? Was she too scared to stand up to him? Had he tricked her into following along? Whatever the reason, she wanted out as much as the rest of them. He only wished he had the power to save her.
Chris put an arm around Sam on his left and Susan on his right. Susan and Ryan were holding hands. Jealousy sparked within him, hot and uncomfortable. He tugged Susan a little closer and narrowed his eyes at Ryan. Everyone knew Susan was pretty much his girl. Everyone but Ryan, apparently.
Alex got to his feet and all heads swiveled to look. Some kids gazed at him with slightly parted lips and hope in their eyes, like dogs begging for food. Others shifted closer to their friends and hunched into themselves as if waiting to be kicked. “Chris Donnellson!” Alex’s voice rang off the walls. “Where are you?”
Chris winced and darted his eyes around the room. He met Nova’s startled gaze and focused on her face. His heart pounded in his ears. He couldn’t look at Alex. He would see the truth in his eyes. His hands began to sweat, and he let go of the girls.
“I know you’re here.” Alex’s cold, penetrating gaze swept over the quaking class. “One of your loving relatives just made a donation in your name. Wasn’t that sweet of them?”
Chris struggled to swallow. He had a chunk of cement lodged in his throat. His own fear was reflected in Nova’s ocean blue eyes.
Susan spoke up before Chris could stop her. “Fine, you win. I lied to you before. Chris was here, but he escaped with the others.”
“Chris escaped, huh?” Alex stalked to their group and yanked Susan to her feet. “Then why would his Ireland cousins make a donation to keep him safe?” Susan’s lips moved soundlessly. Alex slapped her. “Little, lying bitch. I’ll deal with you later.” He flung her to the floor.
Alex paced around the room, staring intently into each student’s face. He paused in front of Jake. “You look like Zack’s brother.”
Chris’s stomach lurched in a plummeting freefall. Jake had red hair and blue eyes, just like Zack. He looked more like Zack’s brother than Chris, himself. Alex grabbed a handful of Jake’s shirt and yanked him away from the huddle. Jake stared back at Chris, his eyes wide and panicked.
“Wait!” Chris pushed himself to his feet and stepped up to Alex. “I’m Chris.”
Alex scowled, frustration simmering in his eyes. “Why should I believe you?”
“Our teacher started calling attendance before you walked in. We already knew Daniel Abbot was sick, so I told you I was him. I didn’t want you to recognize my last name.” He was careful to leave Susan out of it in the hope Alex wouldn’t blame her for trying to protect him.
“Well, well.” Alex released Jake and turned on him. “Chris, it’s an honor to meet you. We’ll have to get acquainted before I kill you.”
“Alex.” Nova waved her phone with over-the-top dismay. “The website is down.”
“It’s been down for a while, actually. But the donations just keep coming. Families hate not knowing what’s going on even more than watching it unfold on their big screen TVs.”
“We have what we came for. Why don’t we call it quits and get out while we still can?”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Alex gave Chris a lopsided smirk. “You’ll join us, won’t you?”
Nova shifted her gaze, an anxious flicker in her eyes. “Why does he have to come? I meant it’s time for us to go to Brazil. The beaches are calling, remember?”
“We’ll get there, don’t worry. We just have a few stops to make along the way.” Alex tugged Chris toward the window and turned to address the class. “It’s been a slice, it truly has. But now, it’s time for me to take my leave. I hope you’ll always remember me. I know I’ll always remember you.” He flashed a wolfish grin and pulled Chris forward, straight through the solid wall.
Chris blinked rapidly in the dazzling sunlight. They were standing near the edge of the soccer field. He goggled at his surroundings. “We walked through a wall.”
“Come on.” Alex yanked him toward an alleyway that bordered school grounds. A sleek, black car was idling in the shadows. Chris threw a badly aimed punch. Alex blocked it with ease. “I suggest you cooperate, you sniveling little punk, or I’m gonna shoot you sooner than even I planned.”
“Oh, Alex, you won’t be shooting anyone anytime soon.” Officer Kimmy Wolf stepped from behind a rosebush a mere five feet in front of them. She trained her gun on Alex’s chest. He released Chris and put his hands in the air.
Chris sagged with relief. The nightmare was over. And Kimmy was about to arrest Alex for the third straight time. A smile split his face.
Nova charged Kimmy with a wild screech of rage. An insanely tall dude materialized like a ninja bodyguard and grabbed Nova from behind. He clasped her arms behind her back. “Peter!” Nova squealed with joy. “You came!”
Alex dove for Kimmy in a neat football tackle. A bullet skimmed his mocha hair. Kimmy collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. Something dark had ensnared her ankles and was dragging her face-first through the dirt. She screamed bloody murder as if it was burning her skin. Chris moved to help.
Nova slipped free of Peter and yanked him back by his shirt collar. “Don’t touch it! It’s darkness.”
Alex wa
s also being dragged across the grass. His arms were wrapped in something bright and glowing. Chris gaped. “What happens if we touch that?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t wanna find out!”
Peter sprinted after Alex and punched him in the face. The two grappled on the ground. Peter had Alex in a chokehold. Alex was inching the gun up toward Peter’s chest. Nova stared at them both with a frozen expression of horror. Alex was struck by a lightning bolt that shot from Kimmy’s hands.
The field shuttered and crumbled beneath Chris. He thought wildly of earthquakes before the ground opened up and swallowed him whole.
Thirty-six
SUSAN REELED BACKWARD, shockwave after shockwave slamming into her, each one rocking her world with greater intensity than the last. Alex had taken Chris. He had dragged him through solid wood and plaster. It was impossible. How could they just be gone? Panic flooded her mind and blocked out the world like static on a TV screen.
A hoard of students tore through the desk barricade and pried open the classroom door. Police officers, EMTs, and firefighters lined the school hall. Desperate students mobbed them, crying out for safety. Susan trailed after them with her eyes still locked on the wall Alex and Nova had dragged Chris through. She stumbled as she crossed the threshold. How had Alex done it? When had they fallen into Narnia?
A female EMT pressed a bottle of water into her shaking hands. Susan unscrewed the cap and gulped it down, nearly choking in her haste. She followed her classmates outside, the last student to leave the school. She shivered as she crossed the threshold. She had never expected to leave it alive.
Blood Moon's Servant: A Paranormal Thriller Page 22