Wanted

by Ho, Jo

  I found myself in the kitchen next, setting the table while Gideon cooked assisted by Sam. People were hungry and it seemed natural for us to eat together. Chase sat with Bandit on the floor. She hadn’t left his side since his return, and I couldn’t really blame her. The two had been conversing furiously since Forbes’s death as Chase explained everything that had happened following his capture.

  Sam’s laughter suddenly cut through my thoughts. It was warm and bubbly, and I wanted to hear that sound over and over.

  “Soup’s up,” Gideon called out, carrying a pan of meatballs in tomato sauce to the table. I headed to the cooker, where Sam lifted the lid off a pot of spaghetti.

  “Here, let me,” I offered and drained the water into the sink as Sam held back the spaghetti with a wooden fork.

  “It’s all about the teamwork,” she said as she winked. I found myself noticing her dimples for the first time. Cute, I thought to myself. Very cute. As we sat around the table, I saw how happy Chase looked. Surrounded by people who cared about her, Chase looked like the kid who’d woken up on Christmas morning and found the tree surrounded by presents. It brought a lump to my throat when I realized she’d likely never experienced that before.

  I made a mental note to get the biggest Christmas tree I could find that year, and to flood it with presents.

  CHAPTER 143

  CHASE

  Sitting around that table, stuffing our faces with the best spaghetti and meatballs I’d ever tasted in my life, I was feeling pretty amazing. Everyone was laughing and joking, and I noticed the way Sully kept sneaking looks at Sam. It made me feel warm inside. He’d been in such a bad way over Emma when I’d met him, but now it looked like he was finally coming out of it. And you know, Bandit’s just the best judge of character, and he liked her a ton.

  I had a feeling we’d be seeing a lot more of Sam in the future.

  Since we’d arrived back, Gideon seemed different too. He wasn’t argumentative or angry anymore. In fact, it seemed like he had something he wanted to say to me, because I kept catching him watching me with this serious look on his face. Course, it could’ve been the way I was stuffing those meatballs into my face, but I’m telling you, they were so good!

  When we were done eating, Zeb took off for a nap. His body had gone through a war and he needed rest in order to recover. Sully’s leg had been patched up by the paramedics. Apparently, he’d been lucky as no major damage was done. It would hurt like crazy for a while though. And he’d likely need further checkups and maybe some rehabilitation.

  Sully and Sam went outside for a beer on the porch while Gideon and I cleaned up the kitchen. I didn’t mind in the least. Here’s a little known secret: I like housework. I know, that’s not exactly exciting is it? But housework is calming, and you get to see instant results. I don’t know, guess I’m just weird. Don’t tell anyone, ok?

  I was washing up while Gideon took up drying duty since he knew where everything lived (although the place was still pretty shot up, so it’d need a heap more work to get it resembling anything like normal again). I caught Gideon looking at me strangely again, but this time I decided to call him out on it.

  “What?” I demanded, throwing the sponge into the sink. “Why do you keep looking at me funny?”

  He blinked, taken aback by my question, then a slow flush crept onto his cheeks and down his neck. It was quite adorable to be honest, not that I’d ever admit it.

  “I just er… wanted to apologize. For my behavior before,” he began. I don’t know what I expected him to say, but that wasn’t it. I stared at him blankly, as he continued.

  “When you first got here, I was pretty rude. And then the thing with the shooting. I’d put two and two together about Sully and came up with five. You were just collateral damage.”

  “Collateral damage?” I said. “Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel special.” It was a few beats before my words sank in. I sighed, exasperated. “I already knew all of that on account of me not being brain-damaged, but thanks for the apology.”

  He shrugged awkwardly, shuffling on his feet. I could see his embarrassment as clearly as if he had a neon sign flashing over his head.

  “I’m not a jerk, that’s all,” he finished.

  Two barks sounded below us.

  We both looked down to find Bandit at our feet, watching us. We burst out laughing as Bandit asked, what is so funny?

  CHAPTER 144

  CHASE

  The days following Forbes’s death went past in a blur.

  Using her influence, Sam had spun the truth until it became a simple story of how one billionaire, who had lost his mind to dementia, had attacked an innocent family in their home. She kept my name out of it (to protect the child witnesses), and of course, there was no mention of super-intelligent dogs, which suited us just fine. The report also detailed how Forbes had burnt down his own building in an effort to hide the cruel experiments he had been performing on animals. That last bit of information had hit a little too close for comfort, but Sam had said it was there to dissuade any of Forbes’s former employees from continuing with the work, if they should decide to do so.

  While he recovered, Sully had received word from Doc Robins, who had managed to round up the escaped dogs, but now needed help removing the tumors. The Doc turned up with a team of people who fixed up the barn overnight, converting it into a giant operating theatre. They did such a great job that it looked better now than it had originally. With Sully’s help, they worked tirelessly to remove the tumors as the dogs were then ferried away to a secret location where they could rehabilitate. Apparently, the Doc had found many loving families willing to adopt the dogs. I was thrilled for them.

  When they’d worked their magic on the last dog, Sully and the Doc came out of the barn. They found us on the porch swing, watching the sunset. This had become a ritual for Bandit and me. He loved the peace and quiet, while I just loved being with my best friend. At their approach, we looked up at them.

  “All done?” I asked.

  Sully nodded, rubbing red-rimmed eyes, tired, but happy.

  “That’s it. That’s the last one,” Sully said.

  Bandit jumped off the swing onto the ground, tail wagging, as he licked Sully’s hand. The Doc bent down to look Bandit in the eyes. Sensing she wanted to speak with him, Bandit forced himself to sit, waiting.

  “I’m so sorry for everything you went through. I never wanted that for you. I should’ve done something sooner. I hope you can forgive me,” she said tearfully. Bandit stared at her solemnly then barked once. Woof. Her face broke into a smile as she stroked him on the head.

  “Now that we’re done here, what’s next for you, Elora?” Sully asked.

  She straightened up, turning to face him.

  “I’m going travelling. Somewhere I can do some actual good for a change. I’m thinking Africa. They need all the help they can get with the crisis over there,” she replied. “Of course, it won’t be the same. I’ll miss this little guy here, for one.”

  “He’ll be fine,” I said. “He has us now.”

  The Doc smiled. “Yes, he does.”

  CHAPTER 145

  SULLY

  I saw Elora off, wishing her well on her future travels, and went to talk to Zeb. I’d been doing this for several days now, working on the dogs then popping in to spend time with the old man.

  Entering his room, I found Zeb in a recliner, engrossed in the latest James Patterson thriller. My brow raised of its own accord.

  “Never thought I’d catch you reading something so mainstream.”

  “There’s only so much Shakespeare one can stomach. Besides, this is good, solid fun,” Zeb replied as he stared at me critically.

  “How’s the wound today?” he asked, already leaning forward to examine it. I turned to give him better access, knowing from experience any refusal would just be ignored.

  “Itchy, but it doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

  “Good. That means it’s heali
ng,” Zeb leaned back, satisfied with my progress. Folding my arms across my chest, I went to study the titles on a stocked bookshelf. “Wow. You’ve certainly gotten through a lot of his books. Must be what, several hundred of them here?”

  “I was stuck in bed for a while after the accident. Amazing how literary one can get when they can’t move from their bed,” came Zeb’s reply. There wasn’t a hint of bitterness in his voice, only sadness. I caught it, and for the first time, braved the question that had been praying on my mind now for a while.

  “What happened, Dad? How did you end up in a wheelchair?”

  Zeb stared out of the window, mind deep in his thoughts. I thought the old coot would ignore the subject as he had so many times before, but then Zeb continued.

  “I was drunk. I was furious and broken, and one night, I drowned myself in my sorrows. It was shortly after you left, back in our old townhouse, after many heated words were said. I was so angry at you, but I was also crushed. When I came to my senses, I decided to come after you, but a bottle of vodka and two rums later… Funny how I’d been running up and down those stairs with no trouble at all for some twenty years, except for that one night. I missed the top few steps and fell. When I woke up, I was paralyzed.”

  I was stunned, having never imagined I was the cause of Zeb’s accident. And now things fell into place.

  “This is why Gideon hated me. He blamed me,” I said.

  Zeb nodded. “I told him it wasn’t your fault, but he never saw it that way. Kid’s loyal to the bone. He didn’t mean nothing by it.”

  A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind. All that time I’d spent hating my father when, truth was, we were both as stubborn as each other.

  “I’m just glad you’re home now, son,” Zeb said finally.

  I smiled. “I’m glad to be back.”

  CHAPTER 146

  SULLY

  The sky shone like a dark sapphire.

  I lay on my bed, staring out at the sky, thoughts tumbling through my head but at long last, feeling the peace.

  Hearing nothing but crickets, I thought about how much my life had changed this past year. Yes, losing Emma was the most bitter blow and something that would probably take years to fully recover from, but being here now, back under my father’s roof, knowing both Chase and Bandit were safe, I felt a calm that I hadn’t felt since Emma was lying by my side.

  I pictured her now, twirling in our yellow living room, paint splattered on her nose and laughing as she chased me with the loaded brush. And for the first time since her death, instead of gnawing grief I felt only a deep sense of love.

  I was still feeling this love when I fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 147

  CHASE

  It was a bright and sunny fall day.

  Zeb sat on the porch swing, a blanket covering his lap, playing chess with Sully. It looked serious, both of them focused with furrowed foreheads. They’d been at it an hour already. Sully had promised he’d teach me how to play in due course, but seeing how much concentration was needed, I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to try. I’d had just about all the excitement I could take.

  Earlier, I overheard Sully make a phone call. And before you say anything, I wasn’t snooping. I was getting something from my room when I heard his voice. He was talking to a buddy named Mark. Sounded like they’d had a falling out, but they were patching things up. I was relieved. Sully can’t have had that many friends to begin with or he wouldn’t have thrown everything away for us. Sully had told his friend that he was happy now that he was with his family. Isn’t it funny how one small word can make you feel so many things? He promised Mark he’d get to meet us all one day. I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, as I’d already headed back outside, feeling guilty at what I’d overheard.

  Gideon was tossing a frisbee with Bandit, whose wounds were healing nicely. Ever since our chat, Bandit had taken Gideon under his wing, so to speak. It was like he was waiting for Gideon to come to his senses about me before he would be his friend. It wasn’t the same as us however — Bandit and I were inseparable -- but the two were definitely buddies. I appeared on the porch carrying a tray of cookies I’d just baked. The delicious smell of chocolatey goodness wafted over to them as they all turned to stare at me, astonished.

  Annoyingly, I could feel my cheeks turning pink.

  “What? They’re just cookies. No need to make a big deal out of it,” I said, embarrassed. Gideon jogged over and grabbed one off the plate. Sniffing it suspiciously, he took a tentative bite.

  “It’s good. Really good,” he confirmed, and suddenly Sully and Zeb wanted one. Men right? Jeez.

  “Not you fella,” I said to Bandit, sniffing around me hopefully. “You get these special non-chocolate ones,” I said, sliding a plate of plain cookies under his nose. Note to reader: in case you didn’t know, chocolate is super poisonous to dogs, so don’t ever give them any. Bandit took one delicately into his mouth, reminding me again of that fateful first day when we met. I sat on the floor beside him, munching away, admiring my own baking skills.

  “So buddy, now that we can do anything we want, what do you want to do next? We have the whole world in front of us, so go crazy.” I asked him.

  He cocked his head at me, and typed into the iPad.

  A quiz!!! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

  Anything in the world and that’s what he wanted to do?

  Stupid Muttface.

  Thank you for reading WANTED.

  Keep reading for a sneak preview of Jo’s next book,

  WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU —

  Book 1 of the upcoming supernatural YA series, TWISTED.

  WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU

  “Once you go black…”

  Book 1 of the upcoming YA series, TWISTED, by Jo Ho

  Greenwich, South East London. Home to time itself -- and just as mystical, four outcast girls who will soon discover that they command some pretty dark powers.

  TYLER JONES - A troubled orphan desperate to be reunited with younger sister, Ally.

  MARLEY GRAY - Newly arrived at college, only to find her worst fear realized -- in addition to becoming a murderer.

  CASSIE CUTHBERT - The ugly rich girl who can buy everything except a new face.

  And EVE RICHARDS - The goth loner with a sinister secret she's desperate to keep buried.

  When the four girls find themselves witness to an attack, they rush to help, where they discover they have some rather unique skills. Using their new-found powers, they dispose of the attacker, but to their horror, the "victim" proves to be the real monster here -- and they have just vanquished the only person who can help them.

  Worse still, Tyler’s ten year old sister is taken by mysterious bad boy, Michael, to be used as a pawn in some evil plan which only he knows, and it seems the girls are our only hope of stopping him.

  But saving the world is problematic when you’re a teen. There’s the pain, caused by anything from unhealthy addictions for diet pills, to being stalked by a psycho killer who has already tried to kill you once before. Then there’s the daily grind. As any superhero worth their rock salt knows, you gotta balance the real life - in this case: college, parents, even a part-time job at Waitrose. Did I mention boys? And let’s not forget the demons. Lots of ‘em. Even some with hankerings for deep fried girl meat.

  With their college and families coming under attack by all manner of grisly beings, the girls must defeat their personal demons including the normal horrors that come with being bullied outcasts…all while they hurtle towards a showdown with the baddest mofo this side of hell.

  Read the first chapter for free! —>

  THE BELL TOWER CHIMED EIGHT.

  The sun had set a half hour ago, and the sky was now a purple-pink haze. London wasn’t used to the recent sweltering heat, and this was no better evidenced than by the sheen of sweat on Lisa’s face as she exited the main building.

  Lisa was one of the popular girls. Blessed with good looks that she di
splayed to full advantage; a pretty face, great body, and a pair of tanned legs that seemed to go on forever, which were assisted in that illusion by the five-inch spike heels she wore. On others, they would seem a little tacky, but Lisa was a trendsetter. Who cared if her feet were blistering and they made balancing an Olympic art form? Everyone knew this was the price of beauty.

  She pressed a tissue against her forehead and grimaced at the moistness there. Nice. No doubt her hair had frizzed out too. So much for the hour spent with the straighteners this morning. Gary would have a field day when he saw her.

  She stared out over the glistening blackness of the famed River Thames, only metres away. Usually the water offered some semblance of a breeze, but tonight, the air was sticky and had a metallic taste. Maybe rain was coming after all. God knows they needed it; this had been the driest summer since ’98.

  Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, Lisa tucked the heavy science book under her arm and descended the stone steps from the baroque monolith that was St Michael’s College.

  Built in 1873, St Michael’s was adjacent to the historical Royal Navy College, which was the pride of Greenwich. Decreed a Royal Borough in 2012, Greenwich was full of rich banker types who worked in nearby Canary Wharf, and for their yuppy offspring, St Michael’s was the number one college of choice.