“No, I don’t think so.”
The doorbell chimed again and then incessantly until it turned into one long melody. I stomped toward the door, annoyance nipping at my heels. “Hold your freaking horses,” I mumbled.
Daemon stayed closed behind in case it was a psycho killer with the patience of a four-year-old. My hand yanked the door open and I was about to give the person a piece of my mind, but the long-winded speech about manners died in my throat when I saw whom it was.
Lucy’s rainbow-colored Mohawk was like a flash of blinding color amongst the clouds. She was decked out in black leather pants, a wife beater, and combat boots. What caught my attention though was the meat cleaver gripped in her hand.
“Uh…hi?” I said.
“You are gonna help us rescue Emily and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Confounded on all levels, I had no idea what to say to Lucy’s announcement. And why did she think she had to bring a meat cleaver to my house? Light bounced off the metal blade, highlighting red flecks of….blood? Oh God, Lucy must have taken the weapon from her father’s butcher shop. Queasiness rolled over me.
She waved her free hand in front of my face. “Hello? Did you hear me?”
“Yes, I heard you,” I stammered. “But I was kind of distracted by that giant weapon you’re holding.”
“See, I told you, Lucy, you shouldn’t have brought it.”
My gaze settled over her shoulder and onto one of the twin’s faces. I was so distracted; I hadn’t noticed Jacob and Logan standing off to the side. To my relief though, they were weaponless.
Jacob gave me a shy smile and waved. “Hey, really sorry about this. If it makes you feel any better Lucy showed up at our house with the meat cleaver, too. We felt like we couldn’t really say no when she asked if we’d go with her to your house.”
Lucy had been walking around Castor with that thing. I was astonished nobody had called the cops. “It’s fine,” I reassured Jacob.
“Can we come in or not?” Lucy asked, irritated.
It was as if the gods above had heard my pleas for help and sent down a rock ’n’roll angel and her two henchmen. Except, they were my friends, my only friends really. I wasn’t comfortable sending them into the ring of fire as well.
Lucy saw my apprehension and swung the meat cleaver in the air as a vague threat. My gut told me she wouldn’t harm an ant, let alone a human, but her best friend had been kidnapped and she probably wasn’t in the right mindset for rational decisions. Hence the cleaver she stole from her dad’s shop.
“Yes you can come in, but two things first.” I held up my index finger. “One, you need to leave the meat cleaver at the door.” I held up a second finger. “Two, how do you know Emily is in danger?”
Lucy’s eyes darkened and I saw the same expression I wore when Melissa was taken away from me. Hopelessness and inconsolable darkness mixed into a deadly cocktail. “Because when I woke up this morning, there was a text from her with the numbers 113.”
“Your code for life and death,” I breathed.
“Yes, so I grabbed a meat cleaver and came over here to recruit your help.” Lucy leaned her weapon against the house. “She is my best friend, I have to help her no matter where she is.”
“Us two,” the twins piped in.
Lucy’s and the twins’ forlorn expressions tugged at my heartstrings. If Melissa was still alive somewhere, I would do the exact same thing Lucy had done. Gathered the troops to get my best friend back.
Daemon touched my lower back. “Sky? Can we talk real quick?” he asked in a low whisper.
I’d forgotten he was behind me. “Yes, of course.” My gaze settled on Lucy and the twins. “One second.”
We walked further inside, out of hearing range. As soon as we entered the hallway, Daemon crossed his arms over his chest, displeased. “It’s not a good idea to bring them with us.”
“How do you know I was leaning that way?”
“Because I know you and the way you think.”
It was pretty scary how well he knew me after a short week. Then again, when you’re thrust into life and death situations together, you get acquainted fast.
I shrugged. “Fine, you’re right. I was going to allow them to come but we need more people. The two of us won’t be enough.”
His eyebrows knitted together in anger. “I made a promise to protect you until my dying breath and I will keep that promise.”
I loved Daemon’s warrior nature but right now he needed to put his pride aside and see the big picture. “How many zombies do you think will be at the warehouse?”
“I don’t know? Ten? Maybe more. Part of our job was to recruit new members so I’m not quite sure how many the voodoo priest has acquired since I left.”
“And you really think you can kill ten, fifteen, TWENTY zombies by yourself?”
Daemon’s chest puffed up. “Yes. I could kill fifty.”
My eyes almost rolled skyward at his arrogant statement. Nonetheless, I posed the wrong question and tried again. “Fine but what if while you’re killing these FIFTY zombies, something goes wrong, and I need back up? Wouldn’t you want somebody else around to step in and help?”
“I guess but your little friends out there aren’t the people we need.”
“How do you know that?”
“Yeah? How do you know that?” Lucy’s voice spoke up behind us and I spun around. She was in the entryway, hip cocked. Daemon’s eyes flashed in annoyance as she sauntered over to where we stood. “You know nothing about me,” she said to Daemon. “Since I was five years old, I have taken self defense classes and can butcher a meat carcass in under sixty seconds. I will be able to hold my own.”
Daemon looked over her shoulder to where the twins were. “And how bout them?”
She followed his gaze and shrugged. “If anything, they are my responsibility. Not yours.”“We are right here,” Jacob said, waving his hands in the air. “And we aren’t idiots. If you haven’t noticed, we are twins and twins confuse people.”
Daemon’s eyebrows knitted together. “You’re going to play a game of fun house mirrors?”
“The voodoo priest does love to play games,” I reminded him.
Lucy, Jacob, and Logan spoke at once. “Voodoo priest?”
Right. I forgot they were in the dark about who kidnapped Emily and why. It was going to be a long morning and my pancakes were getting cold. “Let’s all go into the kitchen and eat. I’ll explain.”
They shuffled out of the room into the kitchen while Daemon and I lagged behind.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Daemon asked.
“If you’re thinking we should be selective with our information with a few lies thrown in, then yes I am.”
His nod told me we were on the same page. Things like zombies, voodoo priests, and magic belonged in storybooks. Unraveling that mystic would shatter a person’s perspective on reality. Trust me, I would know.
“Just tell them a deranged person who thinks he is a voodoo priest has kidnapped Emily because he wants to drain your blood,” Daemon instructed.
“Sounds good.”
As I was heading into the kitchen, he tugged on my dress and I turned around. An adorable smile stretched across his face. “I like being in cahoots with you.”
My stomach did a somersault. “Cahoots? Huh? Where did you learn that word?”
“I watched a lot of old crime movies when I was living at Mrs. Ruth’s house.” Daemon pulled me closer to his chest. “And do you know what else it taught me?”
I looked up at him, breathless. “Hm?”
“This.”
Daemon placed his arm firmly across my lower back as he gently tipped me backwards into his arms. He leaned in until our faces were mere inches from each other. My nerves jumbled in anticipation. Daemon pressed his lips against mine and I fell into a cloud of bliss. As quickly as it was started, our kiss ended and I was back on my feet.
I cleared my throat. “Well tha
t was…”
“Amazing, mind blowing, out of this world good?”
Laughing, my hand smacked him playfully on the chest. “Your ego is getting out of hand.”
He grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Come on, gorgeous. Let’s not keep everybody waiting.”
Lucy and the twins were sitting around the table, digging into a pile of pancakes. They were too busy stuffing their faces to notice we entered. I resumed my seat and picked up a fork. While the pancakes were cold, they were delicious. My mom leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee in hand. I wondered what she thought about our guests. Namely though, how she would react when she find out they were joining our fight. In the entryway, I heard the front door shut and footsteps approach.
Laura entered around the corner clad in a rain jacket. She shook out the water from her hair. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but there is a meat cleaver resting outside your front door.”
I should have told Lucy to hide the stupid weapon. Lucy looked at my mom apologetically and spoke around a mouthful of pancakes. “Sorry. My dad is the town butcher and I was on the way to get the blade sharpened when I remembered I had to pick up a homework assignment from Sky.”
Damn. Her lying skills were as impressive as mine. Nonetheless, my mom had heard enough lies to last her a lifetime this past week and she had quickly become an expert on them. “Right,” she said unconvinced. “I’m going to take a nap.” She rinsed out her mug and set it in the sink. “Clean up after yourselves when you’re done.”
We watched her stumble out of the kitchen, already half-asleep. I guess I wouldn’t have to explain why Lucy and the twins were here after all.
Laura looked awkwardly at us and got the message she wasn’t welcome. She held up her hands as she backed out of the room. “I’m gonna go read a book or something.”
I felt bad we had run her out but we had to discuss our plan for tonight and we couldn’t do that with Laura breathing down our necks. Daemon suggested we step outside so we had more privacy. We followed him through the sliding glass doors onto the patio. The rain had stopped and glorious rays of sun were peeking through the clouds.
Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, meaning business. “You obviously know more to the story about Emily’s disappearance, so spill.”
For the second time that day, Daemon and I relayed a modified version of the story. Thankfully, they took it at face value and didn’t ask any questions when we were done except for one: How were we going to get Emily back?
Daemon switched off the car and stared out into the darkness. Lucy, the twins, and I sat glued to our seats afraid to move, let alone breathe. We had spent the last six hours going over the plan until it was etched into our minds. Nonetheless, I felt like I would never be ready for this moment. My mom had woken up from her nap, as we were about to walk out the door. She noticed our all black outfits along with our expressions of fear and fit together the pieces. Instead, of trying to stop us, she had handed me a necklace. A tree was etched into a gold coin to signify long life.
“Come back to me,” she murmured as she secured it around my neck.
I reached up and rubbed my thumb against the coin, channeling my mom’s love into strength. The warehouse was in the middle of an abandoned parking lot. Its gray exterior was devoid of any windows and the garage door was sprayed with graffiti. The words ‘Cherish this World’ stood out amongst the unreadable phrases surrounding it, which was how we knew we were in the right location. The voodoo priest had texted me from Emily’s phone an hour ago, giving us directions to the “hippy” warehouse. He said the garage door would open at a quarter to nine. If I was late or brought anyone, Emily would suffer the consequences. I was starting to realize amongst the voodoo priest’s love for games, he was also bossy and threats were his MO. Everything I hated.
“What time is it?” I asked with unease.
Daemon glanced at his cell phone. “9:30.”
“Fifteen minutes to go,” Lucy said.
Exacting revenge on the voodoo priest seemed so close yet so far away. Daemon turned the car back on and with the lights off, and cruised to an area where the truck was out of view. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. The twins had remained mute since we climbed into the vehicle, their anxiety palpable. Daemon and Lucy however seemed calm and collected compared to us. Death didn’t scare Daemon that I knew. Lucy though…Lucy was an enigma.
I rotated in my seat and looked at her. “Are you doing ok?”
She tore her gaze away from the window and fixated on me. Her voice came out dead, as if her emotions were non-existent. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Fine,” she repeated.
In history class, I learned that before they went into battle, warriors removed their inner selves from their bodies. It seemed as if Lucy was doing exactly that. As long as she got out alive, I didn’t care what methods she practiced. Leaving Lucy alone, I dug into my bag for my cell phone to check for any new messages. The screen was blank with the numbers 9:35 glowing in neon green. The tension in the car escalated as the minutes passed. By the time 9:45 had arrived, everybody was holding their breath. In the distance, a light clicked on above the garage door, once….then twice. It was show time.
Daemon looked over at me. His eyes held reluctance. “I wish we didn’t have to do this. I wish we were a normal couple out on a Friday night.”
“I know but I stopped wishing for normal a long time ago.” I closed the distance between us and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Be safe.”
“I will. Back at ya.”
My hand clamped around the door handle and taking a deep breath, I pushed it open. Before my feet hit the gravel, I spun around. “I’ll see you guys on the other side.”
Lucy, the twins, and Daemon gave me encouraging smiles even if they didn’t believe the words I spoke. The cool night air welcomed me into its embrace. Gripping the coin in my palm, I squared my shoulders back and went to go meet my fate.
As I drew closer to the warehouse, the garage door squeaked open and a man dressed in a business suit stood on the other side. Gold chains hung heavy around his neck while the smell of Gucci cologne wafted in the breeze. Please don’t tell me this was the voodoo priest, or should I say wannabe Mafia boss? My legs wavered but the reason why I was there propelled me forward. The overhead lights illuminated the man’s face and I stopped in my tracks. He didn’t have a nose or eyebrows. Rivets of scars marked his pale white skin. Nausea turned my stomach. It was as if I had stepped into a bad nightmare and couldn’t wake up.
“Welcome,” he said distantly. “The boss is waiting for you.”
Well, that answered my question. The faceless man wasn’t the voodoo priest but they were all morons if they thought I would step foot into the warehouse unless there was proof Emily was alive.
“No,” I said abruptly.
The man’s cool expression registered a flash of surprise.
“Where’s Emily?”
“Once second, please.” His fingers flew over the keyboard of a cell phone then pocketed the device. “The boss will be with you in one moment.”
Triumph zapped through my veins. “That’s what I thought.” Except now I was stuck with the faceless man.
I tapped my foot against the cement floors as I did my best not to stare at his appearance. How do you live without a nose?
The man met my gaze without shame. “It was a fire.”
“What?”
The man gestured to his face and spoke again. “I lost my nose in a fire. My family perished along with my looks.”
Ashamed at my quick judgment that the man wasn’t a human being with emotions, my cheeks heated. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. Just thought you should know.”
“Why?”
His eyes churned with inky blackness and I felt a chill go down my spine. I took what I said back, my judgment still stood. There was a monster hidden inside him. “Because nobody sh
ould die with questions fresh in their mind.”
I did what anybody would do when a witty comeback wouldn’t come to mind. I very maturely stuck out my tongue. The sound of heels clipping against the floors saved me from this heart-warming conversation.
A woman dressed in a form fitting pair of jeans and white top came up behind the faceless man and dismissed him. “You can leave, Corence.”
He bowed and skittered off. Once again, this woman wasn’t the voodoo priest either. I was starting to become incredibly annoyed he was sending out his zombies and wouldn’t face me himself.
“It’s starting to look as if the voodoo priest doesn’t have a pair of balls,” I mocked.
“I’m Magenta, the voodoo priest’s mistress and I can assure you he has a pair of balls.”
Mistress? A man as cold hearted and ruthless as the voodoo priest actually had somebody who warmed his bed at night? My mind was officially blown. Magenta flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, flashing an armful of diamond bracelets.
“So where’s Emily?” I asked, getting back on topic. “Because like I said to the last dude, I’m not stepping into the warehouse unless I see her.”
She centered her scrutinizing gaze on my figure with a displeased smirk. “I thought you would look different for somebody who is the chosen one. Not so plump.”
After I killed the voodoo priest, this bitch would get her own as well. I wasn’t plump. I was curvy. There was a difference and as a woman, Magenta should understand that.
She sighed as if she had grown bored with our exchange and clapped her hands together. “Bring in the girl.”
I looked around to figure out whom the hell she was talking to because the warehouse was empty except for us. Sure enough though, a discreet door opened off to the side. My pulse thrummed. A man walked into the warehouse holding a girl’s hand. A burlap sack obscured her face and she stumbled blindly after him. The sound of metal clinking together rang out into the night air. With revulsion, I saw her ankles were bound together by metal cuffs.
Oh, Emily. What have I gotten you into?
The Accidental Kiss Page 20
