by Amy Cross
“So when are you leaving?” he asks.
“Leaving?”
“You've been about to head home for a while now,” he points out. “I'm sure the city's missing you.”
“Well, I...”
For a moment, I'm not quite sure what to say. Ever since the madness last night, I've been feeling as if maybe I could stick around for a little while longer, but now in the cold light of day I'm starting to realize that there's no real reason. My car's fixed, I can hobble around just fine, and there really isn't anything for me here in Ridge Falls. Given all of that, however, I have to admit that I suddenly feel as if leaving would be wrong.
“There's a lot to go through,” Malone says. “I guess I was hoping you might stick around to help out, but it's fine. I've got some people who can get it all done.”
“Actually,” I reply, “I'd be happy to be -”
Before I can finish, my phone starts ringing and I see that Daryl's trying to get through. I briefly consider ignoring the call, but then I remember that I sent him on a little mission, so I get to my feet.
“Hold that thought,” I tell Malone.
“But are you -”
“Just hold it right there,” I add as I limp over to the door. “Trust me.”
Without waiting for him to ask any more questions, I head out into the corridor and then along toward the double-doors at the far end, where Daryl is already waiting. As I get closer, I see that for once he's managed to come through with something, and sure enough he's holding two big bowls of sundae.
“This is quite possibly the weirdest request I've ever had from you,” he says as I reach him. “And you've asked me for a lot over the years.”
“It'd take too long to explain,” I tell him, as I manage to take both bowls in one hand. “Thanks. See you around.”
With that, I turn to go back to Malone's room. I promised to have dessert with him some time, and this feels like as good a moment as ever.
“You can have your old job back,” Daryl says suddenly.
Stopping, I turn back to look at him.
“Culhoun's desperate,” he continues. “He's going to call you later today to make a formal offer. After Rolinda's fall from grace, he's under serious pressure. From what I hear, he's going to offer you everything you could ever want. Full control, editorial independence, freedom to cover whatever stories you want... I mean, that's your dream, right? You've got him over a barrel. So I guess it's not really getting your job back, it's more of a massive promotion.”
I stare at Daryl for a moment, as I try to work out what to say.
“Huh,” I manage finally.
He stares at me.
“Huh?” he says after a few seconds.
“Huh.”
“What does that mean?” he asks.
“It means... I have to think about it.”
“You have to think about it? Are you serious? Maggie, you always talked about a job like this. It could be the biggest break in history. You don't think about offers like this. You take them! You grab them with both hands and you thank the world for helping you out.”
“Sure,” I reply, feeling a little dazed by this news. “Well, I'll definitely think about it.”
“Are you insane?”
“If I want to stay in journalism,” I tell him, “it sounds like a good offer.”
“If you want to stay in...”
His voice trails off, and for a moment his mouth hangs open.
“He's supposed to be calling you any time now,” he says finally, taking a step back. “Take some advice from me, Maggie. Have your answer ready. 'Cause as much as he wants you back onboard, he's not gonna like it if you're uncertain.”
“I'm sure he's not,” I reply. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
He opens his mouth to say something else, but then he sighs, waves me away, and turns to leave.
I watch as he heads out of view, and then for a moment I'm left standing all alone in the corridor. I'm just about managing to balance these two sundaes, but my one-handed grip isn't too secure and I guess I need to get back to Malone's room before I drop everything. For a few seconds, however, I can't help but think about the possibilities. If Calhoun really made me an offer, and if turned out to be anything remotely similar to Dylan's suggestion, and if Calhoun actually kept to his word...
That really would be a chance to go back to work on my old terms.
I pause for a moment, before starting to make my way back to Malone's room. There'll be time to think about job offers if and when Calhoun calls, but for now -
Suddenly I stop as a little boy races across the corridor and hurries in to see Malone, followed almost immediately by a tall, dark-haired woman.
“Daddy!” the boy yells.
Standing completely still, holding the sundaes, I listen to the sound of rushed, anxious voices. Malone's talking to these new arrivals, and finally I realize that they must be his wife and son. I sort of recognized them from the photo that was on Malone's desk.
I hesitate, before stepping forward, and then I stop again as I begin to hear what they're all saying.
“I'm fine,” Malone explains. “It looks worse than it is.”
“They told me you got hacked with an ax,” his wife replies. “Aiden, I was so scared, I came straight down here.”
“There's no reason to -”
“You're moving back in,” she continues. “I'm not taking no for an answer, do you understand? There was a moment this morning, when Charlie called me, when I actually thought...”
She pauses, and it sounds as if she's in tears.
“I thought I'd lost you,” she adds finally. “The whole world just seemed to freeze on its axis. I really thought you were gone, and all I could think about was how stupid everything's been. The thought of losing you, Aiden, was too much. Please, we can work through everything, but you have to come home.”
Taking a step back, I suddenly feel completely stupid. Malone's a married man, with a son, and I'm pretty sure his wife isn't going to be too happy if some random woman wanders in with dessert. What in the name of all that's holy was I thinking?
“Can I help you?” a voice asks, and I turn to see that a nurse has come over from the desk.
“Yes,” I reply, before holding the sundae bowls out to her. “Could you deliver these to my friend in room 901, please? Mr. Malone.”
“Well, he's right there and -”
“I know,” I add, cutting her off as I very carefully force the bowls into her hands, “but something's just come up and I have to run. Don't worry, he'll be very grateful. He's a big fan of ice cream.”
With that, I turn to hurry away.
“Do you want me to give him a message?” the nurse calls after me.
“Tell him his friend said goodbye,” I reply. “Tell him good luck, and maybe I'll see him around some day!”
Making my way out of the ward, I start walking toward the elevators. I don't know why, but my heart is racing and I feel as if my head is spinning. Sure, I might have a mild concussion, but I think I'll risk that and take a slow drive home. After all, I've done what I set out to do here at Ridge Falls, and there's really no reason to stay. As an added bonus, it looks like Aiden Malone's life is going to get back to normal, and I don't want to interrupt the happy reunion with his wife and son.
As I reach the elevators and hit the button, I feel my phone starting to vibrate. Pulling it out, I see that Culhoun's trying to reach me. For a moment, I consider just rejecting the call, but then I realize that I need to give him an answer, one way or the other. I finally need to make a decision.
“Hey,” I say as I accept the call and put the phone next to my mouth. “Maggie Carter. Sorry, new phone. Who's this?”
BOOKS BY AMY CROSS
1. Dark Season: The Complete First Series (2011)
2. Werewolves of Soho (Lupine Howl book 1) (2012)
3. Werewolves of the Other London (Lupine Howl book 2) (2012)
4. Ghosts: The Comple
te Series (2012)
5. Dark Season: The Complete Second Series (2012)
6. The Children of Black Annis (Lupine Howl book 3) (2012)
7. Destiny of the Last Wolf (Lupine Howl book 4) (2012)
8. Asylum (The Asylum Trilogy book 1) (2012)
9. Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (2013)
10. Devil's Briar (2013)
11. Broken Blue (The Broken Trilogy book 1) (2013)
12. The Night Girl (2013)
13. Days 1 to 4 (Mass Extinction Event book 1) (2013)
14. Days 5 to 8 (Mass Extinction Event book 2) (2013)
15. The Library (The Library Chronicles book 1) (2013)
16. American Coven (2013)
17. Werewolves of Sangreth (Lupine Howl book 5) (2013)
18. Broken White (The Broken Trilogy book 2) (2013)
19. Grave Girl (Grave Girl book 1) (2013)
20. Other People's Bodies (2013)
21. The Shades (2013)
22. The Vampire's Grave and Other Stories (2013)
23. Darper Danver: The Complete First Series (2013)
24. The Hollow Church (2013)
25. The Dead and the Dying (2013)
26. Days 9 to 16 (Mass Extinction Event book 3) (2013)
27. The Girl Who Never Came Back (2013)
28. Ward Z (The Ward Z Series book 1) (2013)
29. Journey to the Library (The Library Chronicles book 2) (2014)
30. The Vampires of Tor Cliff Asylum (2014)
31. The Family Man (2014)
32. The Devil's Blade (2014)
33. The Immortal Wolf (Lupine Howl book 6) (2014)
34. The Dying Streets (Detective Laura Foster book 1) (2014)
35. The Stars My Home (2014)
36. The Ghost in the Rain and Other Stories (2014)
37. Ghosts of the River Thames (The Robinson Chronicles book 1) (2014)
38. The Wolves of Cur'eath (2014)
39. Days 46 to 53 (Mass Extinction Event book 4) (2014)
40. The Man Who Saw the Face of the World (2014)
41. The Art of Dying (Detective Laura Foster book 2) (2014)
42. Raven Revivals (Grave Girl book 2) (2014)
43. Arrival on Thaxos (Dead Souls book 1) (2014)
44. Birthright (Dead Souls book 2) (2014)
45. A Man of Ghosts (Dead Souls book 3) (2014)
46. The Haunting of Hardstone Jail (2014)
47. A Very Respectable Woman (2015)
48. Better the Devil (2015)
49. The Haunting of Marshall Heights (2015)
50. Terror at Camp Everbee (The Ward Z Series book 2) (2015)
51. Guided by Evil (Dead Souls book 4) (2015)
52. Child of a Bloodied Hand (Dead Souls book 5) (2015)
53. Promises of the Dead (Dead Souls book 6) (2015)
54. Days 54 to 61 (Mass Extinction Event book 5) (2015)
55. Angels in the Machine (The Robinson Chronicles book 2) (2015)
56. The Curse of Ah-Qal's Tomb (2015)
57. Broken Red (The Broken Trilogy book 3) (2015)
58. The Farm (2015)
59. Fallen Heroes (Detective Laura Foster book 3) (2015)
60. The Haunting of Emily Stone (2015)
61. Cursed Across Time (Dead Souls book 7) (2015)
62. Destiny of the Dead (Dead Souls book 8) (2015)
63. The Death of Jennifer Kazakos (Dead Souls book 9) (2015)
64. Alice Isn't Well (Death Herself book 1) (2015)
65. Annie's Room (2015)
66. The House on Everley Street (Death Herself book 2) (2015)
67. Meds (The Asylum Trilogy book 2) (2015)
68. Take Me to Church (2015)
69. Ascension (Demon's Grail book 1) (2015)
70. The Priest Hole (Nykolas Freeman book 1) (2015)
71. Eli's Town (2015)
72. The Horror of Raven's Briar Orphanage (Dead Souls book 10) (2015)
73. The Witch of Thaxos (Dead Souls book 11) (2015)
74. The Rise of Ashalla (Dead Souls book 12) (2015)
75. Evolution (Demon's Grail book 2) (2015)
76. The Island (The Island book 1) (2015)
77. The Lighthouse (2015)
78. The Cabin (The Cabin Trilogy book 1) (2015)
79. At the Edge of the Forest (2015)
80. The Devil's Hand (2015)
81. The 13th Demon (Demon's Grail book 3) (2016)
82. After the Cabin (The Cabin Trilogy book 2) (2016)
83. The Border: The Complete Series (2016)
84. The Dead Ones (Death Herself book 3) (2016)
85. A House in London (2016)
86. Persona (The Island book 2) (2016)
87. Battlefield (Nykolas Freeman book 2) (2016)
88. Perfect Little Monsters and Other Stories (2016)
89. The Ghost of Shapley Hall (2016)
90. The Blood House (2016)
91. The Death of Addie Gray (2016)
92. The Girl With Crooked Fangs (2016)
93. Last Wrong Turn (2016)
94. The Body at Auercliff (2016)
95. The Printer From Hell (2016)
96. The Dog (2016)
97. The Nurse (2016)
98. The Haunting of Blackwych Grange (2016)
99. Twisted Little Things and Other Stories (2016)
100. The Horror of Devil's Root Lake (2016)
101. The Disappearance of Katie Wren (2016)
102. B&B (2016)
103. The Bride of Ashbyrn House (2016)
104. The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal Trilogy book 1) (2016)
105. The Ghosts of Lakeforth Hotel (2016)
106. The Ghost of Longthorn Manor and Other Stories (2016)
107. Laura (2017)
108. The Murder at Skellin Cottage (Jo Mason book 1) (2017)
109. The Curse of Wetherley House (2017)
110. The Ghosts of Hexley Airport (2017)
111. The Return of Rachel Stone (Jo Mason book 2) (2017)
112. Haunted (2017)
113. The Vampire of Downing Street and Other Stories (2017)
114. The Ash House (2017)
115. The Ghost of Molly Holt (2017)
116. The Camera Man (2017)
117. The Soul Auction (2017)
118. The Abyss (The Island book 3) (2017)
119. Broken Window (The House of Jack the Ripper book 1) (2017)
120. In Darkness Dwell (The House of Jack the Ripper book 2) (2017)
121. Cradle to Grave (The House of Jack the Ripper book 3) (2017)
122. The Lady Screams (The House of Jack the Ripper book 4) (2017)
123. A Beast Well Tamed (The House of Jack the Ripper book 5) (2017)
124. Doctor Charles Grazier (The House of Jack the Ripper book 6) (2017)
125. The Raven Watcher (The House of Jack the Ripper book 7) (2017)
126. The Final Act (The House of Jack the Ripper book 8) (2017)
127. Stephen (2017)
128. The Spider (2017)
129. The Mermaid's Revenge (2017)
130. The Girl Who Threw Rocks at the Devil (2018)
131. Friend From the Internet (2018)
132. Beautiful Familiar (2018)
133. One Night at a Soul Auction (2018)
134. 16 Frames of the Devil's Face (2018)
135. The Haunting of Caldgrave House (2018)
136. Like Stones on a Crow's Back (The Deal Trilogy book 2) (2018)
137. Room 9 and Other Stories (2018)
138. The Gravest Girl of All (Grave Girl book 3) (2018)
139. Return to Thaxos (Dead Souls book 13) (2018)
140. The Madness of Annie Radford (The Asylum Trilogy book 3) (2018)
141. The Haunting of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 1) (2018)
142. I Just Want You To Be Happy (2018)
143. Day 100 (Mass Extinction Event book 6) (2018)
144. The Horror of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 2) (2018)
&nbs
p; 145. The Ghost of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 3) (2018)
146. Lights Out (2019)
147. Apocalypse (The Ward Z Series book 3) (2019)
148. Days 101 to 108 (Mass Extinction Event book 7) (2019)
149. The Haunting of Daniel Bayliss (2019)
150. The Purchase (2019)
151. Harper's Hotel Ghost Girl (Death Herself book 4) (2019)
152. The Haunting of Aldburn House (2019)
153. Days 109 to 116 (Mass Extinction Event book 8) (2019)
