by L M Preston
“Let me in.”
“At this hour? Some people need their sleep ya know.” Demi put her hand on her hip and opened the door wider to let EmVee enter.
EmVee rarely minded Demi’s sauciness, but tonight it irritated her, and she didn’t want to play along. The fact that Demi didn’t resemble Fenom came to mind since she remembered her father mentioning that Fenom and his wife had adopted Demi as a baby before the woman died.
“Fenom? Have you seen him?” EmVee dropped her backpack to the floor.
“No, but you know he doesn’t stay here. Not really. He checks on me every night—doesn’t even show himself. Gifts me food stuffed with money in the urn out front and leaves notes telling me to stay out of trouble. You know, typical Dad stuff.”
EmVee shrugged. “I don’t think he is coming back.”
Demi stepped around EmVee to slam the door. “What do you mean?”
EmVee’s hand shook as she reached out to Demi but placed her hand on her shaking leg instead.
“Someone killed my father.”
Demi shook her head as if trying to wake up out of a dream. “At the fight?”
EmVee rubbed her arms with her hands. “No, after the fight. It happened when we left. Your dad. Fenom gave me the run signal. I didn’t. I went with my father.”
Demi dropped to the floor in a slump, rocking herself. “He said he would never leave me again. What am I gonna do now?”
“Can…can I stay here?” EmVee sniffed, forcing herself not to fall over into a fit of tears again. “I have to find a way to hunt that woman that did this to my dad.” EmVee bent and opened her backpack. She pulled out a notepad she used for doodling while waiting on her father when he negotiated money for his fights. She’d actually become good at doodling, but that didn’t make a difference now.
“Wait a minute.” Demi bolted up and grabbed EmVee’s shoulder. “Your father, bad ass MMA fighter, strong, muscular giant, got killed by a woman?”
EmVee sighed. “Women don’t fight fair. She shot him in the head. Okay.”
“Figures, the trick would do that.” Demi shrugged. She grabbed a discarded sleeping bag from the corner and tossed it at EmVee.
“Thanks.” EmVee went to an empty corner of the room.
“Watch out for spiders, I had to kill a bunch of them over there.” Demi nervously rubbed her neck above her Pokemon T-shirt. “Fenom did it for me. I hate the things.”
EmVee nodded. Her head was pounding; her nose tickled at the faint smell of incense and rotten fruit. She was out of gum, which meant she wouldn’t be able to shake the odor. EmVee didn’t bother taking off her jacket or shoes as she lay down and wrapped the covers around herself. She sat up, reached for her backpack, and slid it over to her. Plopping it under her neck, she laid back and stared at the ceiling.
The tears started flowing again. EmVee sniffled, and wiped under her nose with the sleeve of her jacket. She had no idea where to start.
They remained quiet for some time. Then Demi cut off the dim light next to her bed. “Tell me what happened. Everything, because I think I know someone who can help us.”
EmVee remained quiet. Demi was her friend, but they’d rarely spoke except with an occasional text here and there since EmVee stayed with her father, and Demi… Well, Demi did her own thing while her father managed underground fighters. After what happened when they lived in The Void, EmVee didn’t know whom she could trust. She obviously was horrible at reading people.
Now though, EmVee realized she needed help, so asking for it meant trusting Demi. “The fight was set up for my dad to lose. Then he was given the signal to turn it around and win since the bets came in on the other guy.”
“My father gave the signal?”
“Yes, then I…I saw someone.”
Demi sat up. “The woman?”
“No, I thought I saw a boy I used to know. It couldn’t be though. He would have no reason to follow me at all.”
“A boy? Young? Like a kid?”
“No, I guess now he’d be a man. At least nineteen years old like me. He had hair on his face. His eyes, I…there was something about his eyes.”
“Did he see you? Did you get a good look at him?”
“I thought I did, but he disappeared in the crush. He was best friends with—” EmVee covered her face with her hands. Tears burned her eyes. “—a guy I dated who tried to kill me.”
“What? Wait, a minute! Kill you?”
“Yes, kill me. But he got what he deserved. This guy, Kayson…I only remember seeing him once after the incident. I could swear I dreamt it though.”
“Dreamt about the boyfriend’s friend, Kayson? Ooh, a love triangle dream. What kind?”
“I dreamed of kissing him. Then I was in a hospital.”
“You were hurt? Or committed to a psych ward?”
EmVee dropped her hand from her eyes and twisted in the covers to glare at Demi. “I wasn’t committed.” She rolled her eyes. “I was in a car accident. I think I was in a coma or something. I remember my dad putting something that smelled horrible under my nose then shaking me awake. Then, I was over his back when he ran from the hospital.”
“Why was he running?”
“I don’t know, but as soon as we got out, the place exploded.”
“Thank God you made it out.”
EmVee’s eyes watered. “We did, but my mom and siblings were still inside.” Her voice came out shaking, “He planned on going back to get them. He didn’t make it.”
“Oh, EmVee, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“The guy, Kayson? Maybe it wasn’t him. Just some boy that looked like him?”
“It was him.” EmVee knew because the scent matched what she remembered about him.
“Okay, so it was him. Did you follow him?”
“No, but someone else was there. I got something from him, and I need to find his house to search for information on the woman. I think he was trying to warn me about her.”
“I definitely know someone who can help.”
“Who?”
Demi laughed. “My boyfriend, Sax, of course.”
Instead of replying, EmVee slipped into an exhausted sleep as the memory of Kayson’s kiss played in her mind.
EmVee rode her skateboard beside Demi, who was casually riding her bike. EmVee adjusted the knitted cap that hung low on her head. She scratched beneath it and pushed in her thick curly auburn hair. The street was not too busy but had a good number of people around. EmVee didn’t feel as though she needed to be too cautious. Besides, none of her father’s attackers survived except the woman who shot him.
“Did you hear the news about last night?” Demi pursed her thick red lips as she cut a glance at EmVee.
“You know I don’t watch the news. It messes with my wavering level of happy thoughts.” EmVee poked her lip up at Demi.
“I guess you’re right about that. Who needs to know about dead bodies that were incinerated found in an alley?”
EmVee frowned at Demi’s news recap. Then she decided not to ponder on it. If she did, it would steal her hope. One thing that seemed odd was: who would destroy the bodies and why?
Demi must have picked up on EmVee’s mood because she changed the subject. “Anyway, I don’t think you have smiled since last I saw you. Remember when our fathers were hanging out and they let us go to the mall with $200 each to splurge on?”
“Well, that would make any girl happy, right?” EmVee slowed her skateboard and slid closer to Demi.
“Well, my guy Sax makes me happy. You know, he has a friend your age who can help us.”
“You say it like I’m older than you. We are the same age.”
Demi shrugged. “Well, you act older.”
EmVee rolled her eyes. “Less wild, you mean.”
“I’m not wild. Well, not all the time.” Demi stopped her bike in front of the pawn shop.
“No, I’m not interested in a relationship with anyone now or for a long time. I’m
not a good picker.”
“Maybe you should let them pick you?” Demi smirked and leaned her bike against the brick front of the shop. “That could be the problem.”
“That never worked either. I draw the dangerous, disturbing ones.” EmVee tapped the back of her board and flipped it up to her hand. She tucked it under her arm and followed Demi into the shop. “At least when I ask a guy out and he’s a creep, I’ve only got myself to blame for not looking beyond a gorgeous face.”
The guy behind the counter was tall with fair skin, freckles, and short brown hair. Taller than most boys EmVee knew, he reminded her of the guys she’d seen when her family lived in that place between reality and the real world. EmVee realized that now. The place she and her father escaped from—it was otherworldly, and so were the beautifully haunted kids she’d met there.
She herself was tall for a girl and looked down on most. Demi was petite, barely coming up to EmVee’s chest, like her younger sister, Rei, she’d never see again. EmVee popped the gum in her mouth. Demi stood on her tiptoes to hug Sax. The long braids EmVee had put in Demi’s hair swung side to side as Sax rocked her. Why tall guys loved short women she’d never know. It seemed oddly mismatched, but it was the case most times. It didn’t stop her from dating short guys; she’d give anyone a chance who seemed nice and wasn’t intimidated by her. Most of her high school years, she did fine until the guy found out what her father did for a living. They got intimidated by her family of fighters and always tried to challenge her in a play wrestle match. She usually faked it and lost to the guys she dated, but they knew it and then usually stopped calling. Then, she’d thought she found her place when they’d moved to The Void, until she’d realized that where they were was a prison in itself.
EmVee walked around the store while Demi and Sax were kissing between hushed whispers. EmVee heard everything they said, clear and crisp since there weren’t other noises to distract her. The strangeness of her new abilities was still unsettling. Especially since she tried to act normal and hide them.
“EmVee! Sax said he can help us. But there is a catch.”
“What’s the catch?” She turned around and forced a light smile on her face. “Help how?”
“Take me with you. I got a car, time, and supplies to break into the dead guy’s house if you want. Not to mention skills that pay the bills.” Sax crossed his arms in front of his well-formed slender frame.
EmVee held back a grin at Demi’s possessive arms that snaked around him. “I told you he was the best.”
“Okay, since I can’t be picky, I’ll take whatever help you can give me. I need to break into a cell phone.” EmVee stepped up to the counter and slid her backpack off her shoulder.
“There’s a guy I know who can really go deep on these things.” He glanced downward at EmVee. “You’re his type; he’d give you all the information you want for a smile and some time.”
“No and no. I’m not interested in your friends if they aren’t helping you just to help. I’m done with hookups and guys with agendas.” She handed him the cell phone.
Sax shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’ll take me awhile to work on this. Pretend you work here. The place has surveillance that my father or his staff watches. All. The. Time. My father is going to be pissed enough when he finds out I closed the store early.”
Demi smiled and pointed to Sax’s back then crossed her arms over her chest, sighing dreamily. EmVee held in a snort and smiled, shaking her head. The girl was in love for sure. EmVee almost felt sorry for her.
Demi stretched. “So, tell me more about what we are trying to do. He’s one of the killers, right?” She frowned then moved behind the counter to work on the laptop.
“No, I don’t think so. He died before the attack. The guy’s name is Rocky. He was a bouncer at this club where we escaped, but he also worked behind the scenes deals between my father and one of his investors.”
“Right. You think he’s got something in his phone that could be a clue.” Demi bit her lip.
EmVee nodded. “I hope so. Do you think if you tried to contact your dad, he’d answer?”
Demi shook her head. “No, he won’t. He always seems to know when I need him. Well, I think he bugged my home.” She tapped her finger on the glass case. “If I am gone for more than a few days, he may come looking for me. That is if he isn’t held up.”
“He’s held up. Your father’s symbol meant to disappear. That means he is ghosted. My father even tried to leave me behind.”
“I never thought he’d use the symbol.”
“I mean, he was into some crazy dealings, you know. He set up all of my father’s fights, and I also met this kid whose father was working with him on a job, trying to locate a criminal.”
Demi plopped down on the floor, crossing her legs. “It’s got to be connected. Like, how your father and my father were such good friends. He never told me why.”
“My father only said he’d known yours forever. They were like brothers. Brothers that have been through a lot together.”
“But that doesn’t tell us who could want them both dead. From what we know, the fights, all the ones they won, they made so many enemies.” Demi hopped up and sat at the end of the case.
“Maybe, but trust me, the woman who killed my father and the men who were fighting him, they didn’t seem normal. Not even human.” EmVee put her hand over her mouth, holding back the flash memory of the bullet hitting her father’s head and slamming him backward against the wet ground.
Sax burst into the room. “I got his address and a shitload of crazy pictures and notes on his phone.” He tossed it to EmVee.
She caught it on reflex. “I’ll dig into this while we drive to his house.”
Sax helped Demi down and wrapped his arm around her. “It’ll be a long ride, and I got the car for it.”
“Are you sure you both want to do this with me? I don’t want you hurt. It seems like I have a spell of bad luck.”
Demi grabbed her into a hug. “You’re my best friend. We are in this together.”
Sax laughed. “I am a sucker for trouble. Don’t worry about me. Where my love is, I am.”
EmVee held back tears as she followed them to the car. It had been so long since she trusted friends. The last time didn’t end well. She hoped this time she’d get it right.
Sax slowed the car. EmVee leaned up and removed her seatbelt. She had to admit she was impressed. It had been a while since her father drove a new and expensive car. The Tesla’s sleek black form with soft seats.
Rocky slowed the car as they got closer to the home.
“Nice car,” EmVee slid back and put on her seat belt on.
“I know, my father got it at a steal. You’d be surprised what people bring to the pawn shop when they are desperate for a cash loan.”
“Sax’s brother is a good negotiator. He usually does the big trades for their family.” Demi winked at EmVee. “He’s single too.”
“I think you missed your calling as a matchmaker.” EmVee slid her hands down her face.
“Stop picking at her. She’s the chip on your shoulder, single type. It’s an attractive trait since guys like the hunt.” Sax laughed.
“I guess I was like her—before you.” Demi gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Sax put his arm around her, moving Demi closer. “You sure were. I never worked so hard to get a bit of someone’s time like I did you. You’re worth it though.”
“Thanks for helping us, Sax.” She shook her head and smirked at Demi. “Are we almost there?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you drive?” Demi twisted around to talk to EmVee.
“I can. Lately I haven’t since we moved. My father bought the beater car we go to his fights in, and we slept in it when we were moving to the next location. He always had to stop and fix something on it, so he didn’t feel safe with me driving it.”
“When’s the last time you drove?”
“Almost a year. I drove when we lived in, uh�
��Rhode Island.” She didn’t want to call it by the name she’d heard her father mention when they escaped. EmVee had thought they were moving to Rhode Island. Her father revealed later that Rhode Island was a doorway to the town where he thought he’d find a way to stop looking over his shoulder. EmVee guessed he was wrong. Definitely, he was wrong about that.
“How you like it here?” Sax peeked at her from the rearview mirror.
“Here? I don’t care about feeling anything for a place I am passing through. That’s all we’ve done for the last year, and it seems like that’s all I will do until I find who killed my father.”
They fell into a silence as they drove on the dark road.
“This the place?” Sax cut the lights off on his car and stopped it in front of a wrought iron gate.
“I think so. It’s on his cell phone. There is a…” EmVee remembered the small sim card Rocky insisted she take. She put it in the phone.
EmVee frowned at their surroundings. Rocky’s house was in the suburbs. The car fit the neighborhood and shouldn’t bring attention to them. The community seemed to be a family’s dream. Why Rocky would live here, she didn’t know. A nightclub bouncer who lived like a rich family man was a mystery.
EmVee tapped the phone’s screen. An app loaded in seconds then activated with a picture of the house glowing on the surface and the fence locked as words flashed on the screen. “Name a place that is here, there, and nowhere.”
“What’s wrong? You need me to pick the lock?” Sax asked.
“No, I can get it.” She entered her father’s real name, Ptolemy, then the name of the place she’d met Rocky, The Void.
The gate opened, and dimmed lights on the pathway ahead lit the trail to the driveway in front of the house.
“Park on the grass in case someone passes by.” EmVee bit her lip. This was it, one step closer to finding the answer to who killed her father, hunted her family, and murdered them in a blaze that sent EmVee and her father on the run.
“You sound like you have experience breaking into places.” Demi giggled. “I knew you were mysterious.”
