I’d just unlocked my car when someone called out to me.
“Abel!”
It was Lizzie. She jogged the rest of the way, joining me by my car.
“You actually came back before I left,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea how much time passes while I’m in Koven. The shade who wanted to see me apparently has a love for dad jokes.”
“Dad jokes? What are those?”
“Lame jokes that dads love to tell.” She smiled, a faraway expression on her face.
I pushed away the urge to ask her what she was remembering, instead saying, “Ready to go?”
She nodded. “Yes. Let me lock up and get my things.”
She dashed inside her house, and I leaned against my car, putting my face in my hands and pressing hard against my eyes. My exhaustion wasn’t just because of the tattoo getting depleted. It ran bone deep, penetrating every cell in my body. I was tired of my line of work. Tired of the negative thoughts that always filled my mind. Tired of thinking about murder on a constant basis.
And I was especially tired of pushing my feelings away to be dealt with later. I’d tamped down my emotions far too much—any psychiatrist would tell me it wasn’t healthy.
But it definitely had been necessary. And now I needed to keep them under control yet again. Hopefully, for not too much longer.
And hopefully, we’d find all of the hounds in the storage unit and would be able to take care of them today.
Lizzie came running down her sidewalk and sent me a little smile. A sliver of pain wedged its way into my heart. If today was going to be my last day with her, I’d make the most of it. Without her noticing that anything was different, of course. I didn’t want her to suspect something and be on edge.
We decided to take my car—it was less recognizable than hers, just in case anyone was watching for us.
I realized, after we’d been in my car for less than five minutes, that I wasn’t sure how to make the most of something. How to enjoy my day with Lizzie or even how to enjoy myself.
Man, my life was bland. No hobbies, no friends, nothing. I hadn’t even had a proper girlfriend probably ever. I thought back, trying to remember if I’d had one while in high school, but couldn’t remember. Obviously, if nothing came to mind immediately, I hadn’t.
Too bad I wouldn’t get the chance to change that before landing myself in prison.
I hated that the cheerfulness that had followed me that morning had left already. It was such a rare visitor.
Lizzie seemed to catch on immediately to my more sober mood. She quieted as soon as we pulled away from her house, turning and looking out the window, her expression unguarded and contemplative. What was on her mind? I didn’t ask—I didn’t want to know enough to risk any sort of open conversation.
When we pulled up to the first storage facility, I reached back and grabbed a duffel from the seat behind me, then plopped it in Lizzie’s lap.
“Take your pick. You’ll need something to fight with.”
She slid the zipper, gasping at the multitude of short swords, knives, and other fancy weapons. “What am I supposed to do with these? I’m not trained. I barely know which end goes into an enemy.”
Funny. She’d tried to make a joke. “The amulet will help you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? It didn’t help me last night.”
“Look, Lizzie. It’s part of the job. The amulet helps give you power to defeat the hounds. How else are you supposed to do it on your own? Just because I’m here now doesn’t mean I always will be. Besides, you’re the one the prophecy is about. Do you really think the amulet’s creator wouldn’t have put in it abilities and powers to help you truly fight?”
She stared at me. “You’ve thought about this more than I have.”
No, not really. That had all come to me just then. It made sense, though. “Pick.”
With a sigh, she shifted through the swords and knives, occasionally pulling them out of their sheaths and taking a look at the blades. All of them were sharp, ready. Well cared for and properly used.
She hesitated a couple of times while holding weapons, a surprised expression on her face. I sensed a little bit of magic swirling around her when she touched those weapons. They reacted to her. Interesting. Was that because of the amulet or the prophecy or because of her?
Lizzie didn’t share exactly what was happening, and I knew better than to ask. With how open she normally was, if she didn’t bring it up herself, she probably didn’t want to talk about it, and I’d respect that wish. She continued sifting through them, going back to the ones that had responded to her a couple of times.
In the end, she picked two knives that were six inches long, neither of which had reacted to her in any way. She put them in her purse.
“You’re seriously bringing that?” I asked, motioning to the bright pink leather bag.
“Women always have purses with them. If I didn’t bring mine, it would probably draw more attention. Besides, how am I supposed to hide the knives?”
“With the holsters.” I pointed out several knife sheaths that were meant to be worn around the thighs and one that went around the upper arm.
“Maybe later. Thank you for these.”
I grunted a “you’re welcome” before zipping up the duffle and tossing it in the back seat. We hopped out of the car.
“Where are your weapons?” Lizzie whispered.
I held open the side of my jacket, and she gasped when she saw it was lined with knives. I had guns in shoulder holsters, and the butt of a gun poked out from the waist of my jeans on the side closest to her. An identical one was on the other side that she couldn’t see.
She gave me an expression that clearly said she thought I was insane.
“You think I’m crazy,” I said. “After everything I’ve been through, I’ve learned to be prepared.”
“Just don’t take me to a courthouse or the airport,” she said. “I’d hate to see what would happen if you were ever confronted by a metal detector.”
We entered the office, and Lizzie began applying for a unit and chatting with the manager while I examined the different padlocks that were available for purchase.
Finally, the guy gave Lizzie a key and instructions for how to enter the facility.
We were ready to get started.
14
Once we exited the office, she turned to me. “Now what?”
This was her job, and she was asking me? I appreciated that she wanted my input, but if anything happened to me and she was left on her own, she’d need to take charge quickly and efficiently, and I wasn’t sure she’d be able to do that.
“We enter, and you use the amulet.”
“Okay, okay.”
She punched in the code, and we walked in on foot.
We hadn’t gone very far when the owner poked his head out the door. “I would drive—it’ll take you five minutes to walk to the unit.”
Lizzie and I glanced at each other. We could tell the man we were fine and to mind his own business . . . although technically, this was his business . . . or we could continue the ruse that we needed a unit and go grab the car. There was the third option of bringing him in on the secret, but that was a very bad idea.
Almost as if she’d heard my thoughts, Lizzie whispered, “Why can’t we tell him? It’d make things a whole lot easier.”
I shook my head and turned, leading the way back to my car. She knew how dangerous these hounds were. Alerting anyone to their existence really went against the rules of the job. It wasn’t just unwise, it was downright foolish. The lives that surrounded us were innocent, and I’d prefer as few as possible get caught in the crossfire.
We waved at the man as we drove past, then turned toward the unit we’d rented, driving slowly down each little road.
After only a couple of minutes, Lizzie threw her hands in the air. “This is pointless. We should have told him why we’re here.�
��
“Fine. Have it your way. Next time, we will. It’ll save us money anyway.” I glanced over at her, hands still on the wheel, unwilling to give up my argument just yet. “What about the dangers of alerting them to the existence of hounds?”
Lizzie scowled. “We wouldn’t tell them about the hounds, Abel. They don’t need to know the full truth—just that dangerous, lawbreaking people might be renting a unit from them.”
I didn’t realize Lizzie was willing to lie. That changed a lot of things. But still . . . “Didn’t you tell me we’d need a warrant first?”
“If the owners or managers are willing, we can get in. If they’re unwilling, we have to use the legal system.”
“Okay, fine.” I shook my head, then took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. I glanced at her, hoping she could see my sincerity. “I’m sorry I wasted our time.”
It had been her idea to be open with the managers in the first place, and I’d been the one to balk at it. I wished she’d mentioned the part about not telling the owners about the hounds, though.
“Hey, we’re doing the best we can. I wasn’t exactly given a manual for this job.”
She had a point, but was she forgetting the tools she had at her disposal? “You’ve got access to the knowledge base.”
And it was a literal knowledge base—the location where all knowledge was stored. Only good hounds, ghosts, and Lizzie had access to it.
“Yes, that’s true. But it’s not exactly conveniently located. At this point—until I learn more about how to use the amulet or until I wait for a ghost to find me—if I want to learn something, I have to be willing to fly to Alaska, take a three-hour drive from the airport to Petersville, find some random old dead woman, walk down a tunnel, get my hand stung by a million little needles, and then wander around thousands of ghosts until I find one that has the info I need. And that’s only until I actually learn what I’m there for. I have to go through all that again, but in reverse, to get back. It’s not exactly a quick jaunt to the store. It takes a minimum of three days, sometimes more.”
I didn’t respond for a moment. I didn’t think she’d sensed the sincerity behind my earlier apology. And if she had, it hadn’t exactly smoothed things over. I didn’t want my last day with her to be one spent at odds with each other. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to take out my frustrations on you.”
She folded her arms, looking out the window. “I appreciate it.”
We were silent for a moment as we pulled up to the unit we’d rented.
“Is the amulet telling you anything?” I asked.
She grabbed it, rolling it over in her hand. “No. I’m not entirely sure what the range is on it, but I haven’t gotten any readings whatsoever.”
Unfortunate. Of course, we couldn’t expect to get lucky our first try. “Okay. Let’s go check out the next company.”
She nodded. “All right. I’ll do the talking when we get there, if that’s okay with you.”
I agreed to that, but I couldn’t help wondering if she realized how good I’d gotten—out of necessity—at lying. My purpose for being with her was a complete sham, and not once had she suspected anything. She’d noticed I’d been cranky and ill mannered, sure, but if she suspected anything about my contract, she would have run.
I turned the car around, punched in the code, and drove out of the facility.
We were quiet the entire way to the next place. I didn’t mind the silence.
At the next location, Lizzie had me stay in the car while she went to the manager and explained who she was and what we needed.
“How’d it go?” I asked when she came back.
“He was completely eager to be of assistance. Especially when he heard what might be happening in one of his units. He’s going to grab his son to help monitor the office, then he’ll let us in.”
I nodded, put the car into reverse, and pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward the gate. “What did you tell him?”
“Not the full truth, of course. Just that we had reason to believe terrorists were storing explosive devices that were going to be used at the masquerade ball this weekend. I showed him my ID, and he recognized me from the news and sent me on my way.”
I had to give it to her—that had been very easy. “Masquerade? What masquerade?”
“Oh, that’s right—I need to talk to you about it. The governor is throwing a ball on Saturday, and his personnel asked me to attend as backup duty. To help keep him safe. You know, because I’m the local Fire Impeder.”
“Makes total sense.” Fire Impeders frequently helped keep local politicians safe at events like that. Something about being able to stop bombs and guns made them key staff to have on hand.
“They asked me to bring a partner—someone competent, who I trust to get the job done.”
I stilled. “Who are you taking?” My mouth went dry. She’d asked Detective Cole, hadn’t she? So much for her not being interested in him.
“I hoped you’d be willing to do it, actually.”
Oh. Well, that wasn’t what I’d expected. “Sure.”
The word was out of my mouth before I’d had a chance to think things through. Today was supposed to be Lizzie’s last day alive. I was supposed to finish my contract with her that evening, head off to Target Number Seven, and be on a plane to Kansas before midnight. Could I still do all of that after committing to help her with this job? Did it make a difference? Was I searching—yet again—for a way out?
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
The manager let us in, and we drove up and down the rows, staying as quiet as we could.
It wasn’t hard not to talk. I had far too much on my mind.
Had I somehow opened up my emotions to Lizzie? Did I need to see my mom get tortured yet again? Had I really not learned anything from that experience?
But what was I supposed to do? Lie to her?
Of course I was—I’d been bragging to myself only an hour earlier about my ability to get people to believe pretty much anything I said. Why was this any different? Why was I struggling with not helping her at the ball when I’d been lying to her all along? Did it even matter that she wouldn’t be there?
Should she be there? Would I be causing all sorts of problems by preventing her from helping out?
Or would they just get another Fire Impeder to do the job instead?
I shook my head to myself the moment that question formed in my mind. Fire Impeders were rare—very rare. She was only one of three in the western half of the United States, and the odds that another one would be able to cover for her were slim.
We’d only gone through maybe a quarter of the facility before Lizzie requested that we get out of the car and walk the rest of the time.
“I still don’t know what the range on this thing is, and I don’t want to have to come back if we don’t find what we’re looking for elsewhere.”
I agreed with her, and we started out on foot.
15
It took a lot of self-control, but I kept my eyes mostly off of Lizzie. I tried not to notice how serious she got once we began working, how she seemed to enter a different plane, one where I didn’t exist. I failed, though. Her concentration allowed me to study her without her noticing, and I realized I liked what I found.
I wasn’t just noticing the physical attributes that had drawn me to her in the first place. No, the things I noticed now were her dedication and diligence. She hadn’t chosen this “calling.” The one to destroy hounds. It had been thrust upon her. I knew it had to complicate things where her regular job was concerned. And yet, she took it just as seriously as she might the preventable death of a good friend. All joviality left, and not even a smile graced her face.
It was attractive.
Don’t get me wrong—I loved Lizzie’s smile and cheerful attitude. Especially now that she wasn’t flighty and flirtatious. But I appreciated seeing a side of her I’d not been privy to before.
I could tell she was
nervous. She glanced over her shoulder frequently, and I kept my hand close to a gun just in case. She didn’t say anything, so I wasn’t sure if she was sensing hounds or not.
Nothing ever happened. It was long, tedious work that consisted of a lot of walking, pausing near all the locked doors to give the amulet a chance to tell us if it found anything, and moving on.
Finally, we finished and returned to the office, thanked the manager, and asked him to let us know if he noticed any unusual behavior. He promised he would, and we left.
The next company was on the opposite end of town, and again, we were silent the entire drive. Luckily, this facility was much smaller than the first two had been, and it didn’t take nearly as long to search.
“I’m ready for some food,” I said when we’d finished.
I’d been ready hours ago, but hadn’t wanted to be the first to say something. So much for that plan.
“I’m hungry too. Should we head back to my place?” she asked.
“No. Let’s grab a bite at a local burger joint, then eat on the drive to Alpine.”
I needed to fill up on gas, so we decided to stop by the Wendy’s in Lehi, since it doubled as a gas station. While I was pumping, Lizzie ran inside to buy the food. I leaned against my car, eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the sun on my face.
“Hi there,” a woman said.
I looked at her. She was middle-aged and had blond hair and big hoop earrings. The expression on her face was one of adulation.
“Hi,” I said, glancing at Wendy’s to see if Lizzie was on her way back yet. I couldn’t see a line—thank goodness. She wouldn’t take long.
“I couldn’t help but notice you were with the local Fire Impeder.” She leaned up toward me, her eyes bright with excitement. “Are you and Miss Ashton a thing? I know it’s none of my business, but I couldn’t help it—I have to know.”
Oh, great. The neighborhood gossip. How to answer? The truth, of course. It would work best in this situation. “No.”
Her eyes danced even more. “Does she want to go on a date with my son? They’re about the same age—I think they’d really hit it off.”
Evening Storm (Midnight Chronicles Book 2) Page 5
