by D. N. Hoxa
But she didn’t. Not really. I had no idea about anything that went on in her life. We only spoke because of Haworth—because she wanted him dead and thought I was her only chance at stopping him.
“I want you to focus, damn it! Are you in on this or not?!” she shouted.
As angry as I was, all I wanted was to fight with her. But I couldn’t. Her mother had died at the hands of Haworth. I understood where she came from.
“I’m not,” I said halfheartedly.
As if I’d slapped her, Amara fell back. “What?”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t do it anymore. My sister, she…I don’t want to believe it, but she doesn’t want to be saved. She wanted to work with Haworth, and I just don’t know how to make her change her mind because everything I can tell her about Haworth, she already knows. She’s in on it with him.” I could no longer meet Amara’s eyes.
“So you’re just going to sit back and watch as he becomes stronger and stronger until there really is nothing left to do?”
“The ECU is handling it. They’re going to find him, Amara. I think you should let them do their job, too. Step back from all of this. Live your life.”
I knew what I was asking her, and I wanted to cringe at my own words, too, but I also believed them. Going after a man like Haworth required an army, one we didn’t have. But the ECU did. They were going to come through.
“Live my life?” Amara asked in half a whisper, a strange smile on her face.
I thought she was going to start shouting in my face, but instead, she just stood up and went for the door.
“Amara, wait!” I called, but when she slammed the door behind her, I didn’t have it in me to follow. It was done.
We were too different, me and her. We were never going to be friends. And now, she hated my guts. Couldn’t blame her. I hated my guts, too. But for once, my wolf stayed quiet and didn’t try to warn me with her growls. She wasn’t happy, but she was content. Just like she used to be back when I found animals for a living and was clueless to what went on in the world around me.
Now, I didn’t even have the energy left to hate her for it. I just accepted.
10
Two weeks later, I still hadn’t heard from Amara. I texted her, apologized, tried to explain where I was coming from countless times but no response. I didn’t think I would but I missed her. In such a short time she’d had a great impact on my life.
After witnessing my wolf and knowing that a lot of people had seen me—a lot of people who could be working with Haworth, or tell the ECU about me—Finn kept me in his headquarters all day long, never allowing me to even eat lunch without someone nearby. It made him feel safer, like, if his guards were there, Haworth had no chance to hurt me if he wanted to, but that was just because he hadn’t seen that man in person. If he had, he’d have known that no amount of guards would stop him. It was a miracle he hadn’t found me yet. The only thing that made sense was that he wasn’t looking for me; otherwise I’d have been in his clutches by now.
There were no friendly faces in these offices. Nobody talked to me. They hardly even looked at me. I wasn’t sure if that was for the better, but I was glad I wouldn’t have to tell anybody else about anything again. Moore came to Finn’s office on the fourth floor, a huge room with everything from floor-to-ceiling TV to fancy leather furniture and fresh flowers on the coffee table every single day. He trained me for three hours, just like he had at the research offices, and after the first few days, I was actually starting to notice the difference. I was starting to recognize the layers he spoke so fondly of, and I was starting to be able to pick them apart, slowly, and get to the very base. I could even catch emotions every now and then when I was really focused. I could only smell the basic ones still—sweet for happiness, bitter for fear, sour for anger, salty for sadness, and spicy for fear mixed with guilt, which, according to Moore happened when people told lies. A neat trick to have, I figured. In just another three days, our training together would be over, and from then on, I was going to have to pick it up on my own. Train and teach myself until picking scents apart became as natural as breathing to me, Moore said. I could only hope I’d see the day.
When Finn entered his office with a thick folder under his arm and his phone stuck between his ear and shoulder, I jumped to my feet. I’d spent my time reading the books he had lying around; otherwise I’d have gone crazy being alone with my thoughts.
“Yes, yes, sure—do it,” Finn said, and after he dropped the folder on his desk, he practically threw the phone on top of it and sighed.
“Trouble in paradise?” I said, but my tone was dull. There was no emotion behind my words.
“Eh, just the usual,” he said and dragged his wooden leg around the desk to sit.
“What do you have in there?” I asked, eyeing the juicy folder. It had to be a case—maybe even one I could work on.
But Finn put his huge hand on top of it. “Not for you.”
He did this to me every single day. Usually, I just stormed out of the room, too angry to have a conversation, or I just tried to make him change his mind. Not today. “I don’t think you realize that one day, I’m going to wake up and decide that whatever you’re doing keeping me here isn’t worth it.”
Grinning, Finn shook his head. “We have a deal, remember?”
“I do, but do you? Because it’s been more than two weeks and you haven’t found my sister. You haven’t kept your end of the bargain, and nothing’s stopping me from walking away right now.”
He suddenly became pale as a ghost. “You know we’re working on it.”
“But you haven’t found her,” I pointed out. It wasn’t fair to hold this over his head because I already knew my sister didn’t want to be found. She wanted to stay with Haworth, wanted to work with him, but Finn didn’t know that. It was the only leverage I had.
I’d thought about leaving before, but the truth was, I didn’t know how to get back to my old life. I’d talked this over with Mandy more than a few times, and I didn’t know how to unsee all the things I’d already seen or erase everything I’d witnessed from my mind. I had no idea how to pretend anymore, and Finn was the only one who’d have me. As pathetic as that might sound, I was better off here than all alone, chasing ghosts. Amara wanted nothing to do with me. Red was gone. My sister was gone. I had yet to allow myself to even think about going to meet my mother, so here I was.
“Look, kid, I know you hate being here all day,” Finn started.
I laughed. “Hate is a very mild word.” I detested every second of it.
“But we don’t have a lot of options. Right now, nothing’s safe,” he said like he hadn’t even heard me. “I can’t risk you, Victoria. If anybody catches you—”
“So, what, you’re just going to keep me here forever?” My voice rose against my will, but I couldn’t control it.
“No, not forever. Just until you know what you’re doing out there.”
Exasperated, I slammed my hands on the desk. “It’s not going to work.”
I knew myself. It was only a matter of time before I gave up, and when I gave up, nothing was going to change my mind anymore. Neither of us wanted that. It was only fair I warned Finn.
For a second he stayed silent. “I’ve got something you can work on, but I’m going to be very clear with you—you are not going to do anything alone.”
The hair on the back of my neck rose. Yes!
“What kind of work?” I kept my tone neutral, no matter that I was doing a happy dance in my head.
“The ECU has been looking for something for some time now, but they haven’t been able to track it. It’s a thing,” Finn repeated. “So you won’t be dealing with other people.”
“I’m in,” I said, no longer able to hide my grin.
“Like I said, you will be with someone at all times. I will appoint someone from the team to work with you on this, and if you make one wrong move—” he warned, but I didn’t let him finish.
“I w
on’t.”
With a sigh, Finn put his head in his hands. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he mumbled.
“Can I start right now? I’m free, in case you didn’t notice.” It was only two p.m., so plenty of time left to get started.
“Of course not,” Finn said with a fake laugh. “I’d have to check in with the ECU first, see if they’re still interested in finding it. Then, I’d have to make an offer, and we’d get the green light only after they accepted it.”
“Sounds…boring.”
“Paperwork is boring.” He shrugged. “I’ll get Nancy right on it. We should be ready to go tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. The word sounded like heaven to my ears. “Tomorrow,” I said with a nod.
“Now, I have work to do. Go sit and read,” he said with a wave of his hand.
“Yes, sir.”
For the first time since I’d come here, I left the man alone.
I couldn’t believe it. The last two times Finn had promised me jobs, something had happened and he’d changed his mind, but not anymore. An actual job—something to do except sit in the office all day long! The heavens opened up for me for a second, and I could hear the sweet song of the angels. I wondered whom Finn would partner me with. Was it the guy from the second floor with the strange tattoo on his left cheek, or maybe the short girl who wore impossibly high heels every day she was at the office? I wouldn’t even complain if I’d have to work with the IT guys from the first floor. Anything at all would do, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
My wolf was excited, too. She hadn’t been very present the past couple weeks. Everything was almost like before, except now I knew her name, and every now and then when I whispered it, I felt her joy. She liked it. She liked to remember.
I picked up the book, intending to read until five p.m., and then see if Mandy had time to grab a drink with me before going home to sleep. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
But he did.
I’d just lost myself in the story when I heard something explode in the street right outside Finn’s windows.
My first thought was an earthquake, but a breath later, another explosion, this one much closer to the building, shook us.
I was on my feet, sniffing the air like mad, but all I could smell was fire. Finn had already left the office, and when I opened the door, I saw that his secretary wasn’t behind her desk either.
And people on the floors below were screaming.
I didn’t know what to think, so I didn’t. I just ran.
Another explosion shook the building, and I fell down the stairs on my face. My nose cracked and my forehead felt like it was torn open, and I slid on my stomach all the way to the third floor. Nobody noticed me holding onto to the railing to stand up. Everybody was rushing toward the stairway, trying to find their way down. Ignoring the pain on my face and ribs, I pushed my way through, searching their faces for Finn’s. What the hell was going on?
The first gunshot pierced the air two floors below us and made everybody freeze. I took the opportunity and used my elbows to make way for myself. The second floor was almost completely empty, and the people there weren’t trying to run away. No, they were counting the weapons strapped to their bodies, and almost all of them were already chanting spells. The girl with the high heels was there, too. They all looked dead serious—and they looked unafraid. When the first two men made for the stairs with two guns raised each, and the other six followed close behind, I realized what was happening: we were under attack and these eight people were Finn’s line of defense.
I should have stayed up on the second floor together with the people who worked in the office. I should have stayed back until Finn came to find me, but I couldn’t. Because there was a voice in my head, an ugly voice that insisted that this was my fault. Somehow, in some way, I’d done this. And the people responsible for the gunshots didn’t intend to stop. So I made my way down the stairs as the others from the floor above just watched the first eight make their way to the entrance, terrified. I had no real weapons, but I had the Reaper String that I carried around at all times ever since the night I went after Izzy. Not that I’d intended to use it, but I figured it would be safer with me than at the apartment where Haworth could easily find it. Now, I was glad I had it because when I reached the first floor and saw the main hallway, I knew that there was no way I was getting out of there without a fight.
The first person I saw was my sister. She wore a mask over her head, but I’d recognize her anywhere. I’d recognize her scent.
That was all the confirmation I needed. I had indeed caused this. These were Haworth’s people, all twenty of them that I could see, and they were here for me.
My wolf was wide-awake, watching through my eyes, her mind clear and calculating. How well did she know the building? Was there a back door?
No, I thought. I wasn’t going to run away like a coward. Those people were here for me, and together with Finn’s team, I was going to try to stop them. The hallway had quickly turned into a battlefield. The front door was gone, and in its place was a massive hole in the wall. Finn’s people, guards and other employees who could fight, tried to keep Haworth’s men back, but we’d been all caught by surprise. The smell of spells made my stomach turn, but I didn’t care. Just another set of stairs and I’d be in the hallway, fighting alongside Finn’s men. With the Reaper String around my middle finger, I ran forward.
Something grabbed me from behind and spun me. The next second, I slammed into Finn’s chest.
“What the hell are you doing? Leave, now!” he demanded, his eyes red with anger, his gun raised as he shot at Haworth’s men blind.
“It’s them,” I told him.
“I know! Go, go, go!” he shouted, pushing me up the stairs to the second floor again, but I wasn’t having it. This was my fight. I wasn’t going to back away.
Unfortunately, before I could say so, something fell on the floor right next to our feet. Even before I looked down and saw that it was a spell stone, I put my hands on Finn’s chest and pushed him back as hard as I could.
The spell stone exploded, making a hole in the ground big enough to fit two people. I fell to the side and my head hit the glass door of an office, breaking it to pieces. Glass shards and pieces of broken concrete rained upon me. I held my arms around my head until I was sure that I could move again. The adrenaline erased the pain from the shards buried in my body. I was alive and that was all that mattered.
Getting back to my feet, I searched for Finn on the other side of the hallway and saw him struggling to get to his feet. He was alive. Good enough for me. I turned to the stairs, only to realize that half of them were destroyed. That spell stone had been powerful. It had taken at least four people down. They were either dead or unconscious, but Haworth’s people were still standing and running forward.
I met Izzy’s eyes as I contemplated the best way to get down there, but she pretended she didn’t know me. Was it for my sake or for hers?
Did it make any difference?
No, it didn’t. My wolf howled, warning me, but I ignored her and barely made my way down the ruined stairs and to the main floor. Behind me, Finn called my name at the top of his voice, but I couldn’t answer. I was looking for a way to use the Reaper String, and I found the perfect opportunity to do so when a witch began to chant loudly against one of Finn’s people—also a witch. Hiding behind him was not the best move I’d ever made, but it was a chance to make myself useful. Throwing the Reaper forward wasn’t any different from throwing a toy, but I had no aim whatsoever, so when the string actually wrapped around one of the witch’s legs, I was surprised.
Just like with Amara, the ball of air that left her body and followed the string to my hand was small, very different from Haworth’s. A second before her spell reached me, my wolf growled and made an attempt to push me back. She didn’t want me anywhere near the string, and she knew I wouldn’t listen, so she wanted to take over. Just like she had last time. She wante
d to take me far away from the offices. She wanted to protect me.
But I couldn’t leave these people behind. When the spell of the witch reached me, I pulled the Reaper back and accidentally pulled her leg with. She fell back onto one of her friends, another masked woman, and a bullet caught her right in her forehead. Something inside me broke. My wolf cheered.
Then I saw the gun barrel pointed at my head just three feet away.
I have no idea how I spun around on my knees, and ended up on top of one of Finn’s men who was still unconscious from the explosion. Holding my breath, I rolled onto my side and out of sheer panic, I threw the Reaper to the side without even looking. It felt it touch something, and the spell of the witch that had gathered in my hand was released. Maybe I’d hit my mark. Maybe I’d hit one of Finn’s men.
Focusing was hard. I could hardly hear my own thoughts, especially with so many mixed smells in one place. Gunpowder, blood, dust, spells, body odors. The chanting and the gunshots, the hand-to-hand combat of a few people who’d gone past weapons and were now using their bodies to prove who was stronger—it was all too much to handle, so I had to tune it out. If I could get up, I could grab the gun of the unconscious guy and shoot until I was close enough to a witch to throw the Reaper String again.
Before I could even reach for the gun on the floor, something hard fell on my back, knocking the breath off me. Blood dripped down the back of my neck, making me shiver. My wolf howled and her anger slipped under my skin, becoming mine. The guy who’d fallen on me was too heavy to move, but I tried. And when somebody grabbed me by my ankles, I screamed in frustration. The gunshots had eased, but the chanting had only grown more violent, and when my left ankle began to slowly freeze, I realized that at least one of those spells were directed at me. Whoever had grabbed me was going to freeze me and then carry me out of here like a freaking bag while I watched.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I wondered if it was better that way. People had died already, but maybe I could save others. By going with Haworth’s men, maybe I could get them off Finn’s back, and everybody else would be okay.