“You need to get him to your house and wait for us to arrive. If you try anything, I will shoot her. I will not hesitate.”
“If you shoot her, you will die next. I need you to know that.”
“I need his power.” She sounds like a junkie. “I don’t care about dying. I don’t!” A strung-out junkie. “It might even be a blessing at this point. I have nothing to lose. I will shoot her in the head. You can kill me, but you’d have to live with her death. Her blood would be on your hands. I’m giving you this one-time warning.”
The scary thing is that I fully believe her.
“Your friend will still be able to live a long life. He doesn’t need his power. I do!” She sounds crazed, half out of her mind. “Make sure he’s there and don’t try anything stupid. I’ll give you an hour. Don’t make me wait.” Desperate and strung-out. For the first time in my life, I feel real fear.
“What if I can’t make this happen within an hour?” It’s a real possibility. “My friend is a busy guy.”
“You are an intelligent person, make it happen or else!” She disconnects the phone. I want to throw mine against the wall. I want to tear my house down.
Fuck!
I go inside. I ignore whatever it is that Bart says to me and go down the stairs. I have a desk in my bedroom. My laptop is on it. I open the device. I log onto my internet banking and pay the rest of the money. I click the ‘pay and release now’ tab. I put Tom’s number as a reference. Then I put my head in my hands and take a couple of deep breaths.
There’s a part of me that wants to lie to Bolt. That wants to get him here by telling him some bullshit story. I need him here. I have to save Morgan. It’s what I desperately want. I need to give Bolt more credit. I owe him that much. I need to be honest and hope that he does the right thing. The honorable thing. If it doesn’t work out, I will contact each of my friends in turn. Surely, one of them will be willing to step forward? I contemplate calling Stephan right off the bat. Of leaving Bolt out of it altogether. He was adamant about not wanting his powers. Doing that could backfire. What if the harpy specifically wants Bolt? I could sign Morgan’s death warrant if I make a misstep. Gabby is crazy. I could hear it in her voice. It might be this hunger that has driven her to this point, but there it is. She’s out of her mind. Like a junkie needing a fix. She’s willing to do anything to get it. Risk anything.
My phone rings. I jump. I see the caller ID and calm down.
“I don’t understand,” the other person says as soon as I answer.
“I changed my mind. I don’t need your help,” I say.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Tom says.
“I disagree. Morgan is coming back. She’s staying a few more days. Andy’s mom has changed her mind about pulling the plug.” We told Tom that was the reason for calling him. The reason why Morgan had decided to leave. I’m hoping he follows up. I’m hoping he realizes I’m lying. That he’ll figure something is up. I don’t bet on it. I’m sure we’re alone in this.
He makes a grunting noise. “Why the money? You’ve paid in full.”
“As a down-payment. Give Morgan and me a few more days, if the harpy doesn’t turn up, then you send your guys back in. I think she might get spooked if she knows the Order is taking this seriously. She might end up in the wind again.” It is a thought I had, so I know it makes sense.
Tom makes a noise of agreement. “I’ll pull Bart and Cooper at the end of shift.”
“Now,” I say, a little too forcefully. “Thanks for the offer,” I quickly add. “But we’ll be okay.”
“You sure?” Tom sounds skeptical.
“Very.”
“Okay, then. I’ll let Bart know right away.” He pushes out a breath. “You let me know when you want me to send them back in.”
“Will do. Thanks.” I end the call and immediately dial Bolt.
A weight lifts when he picks up. “Everything okay?” he asks.
“No. I need to talk to you about something important.”
“I’m listening.”
22
Morgan
I’m in the trunk of Lilith’s car. After being tasered, it took a good few minutes before I could move again. Even then, I was weak. Lilith put my gun to my side, under my jacket and marched me to a quieter part of the underground parking. To her car. She told me she would shoot me if I tried anything and I could see she meant it. The harpy made me get into the trunk and tased me again as soon as I did. I hate being tasered. The second one knocked me out cold. I came to, tied and gagged. I can see light streaming in through the bullet hole I put in her car. Seems like a lifetime ago since that incident happened. I consider kicking out one of her taillights. I’m pretty sure I could do it, but then what? I flag down some poor unsuspecting person. Lilith is just as deadly as she is persuasive. The harpy is a delicate, pretty lady. She would be underestimated at every turn. She wouldn’t hesitate to kill a good Samaritan if she had to. I can’t put someone at risk like that. Also, if I pulled something like that, she might just put a bullet in my head. Then she’d go after Lyre and his friends anyway.
I need to bide my time. I need to keep a cool head and act when the opportunity presents itself. Lyre is strong. So is Bolt. I have to hope that between the three of us, we will be able to stop her.
The car hits a rough patch of road, and we slow right down. I frown. I don’t remember this on the trip to the airport. I heard Lilith on the phone to Lyre in the bathroom. I know what she is planning. She should be on her way to him now, except I think we’re on dirt. It certainly feels that way.
I have to try to brace myself to keep from bashing my body against the unforgiving sides of the trunk. I’m thankful there isn’t anything else in here, or it might have been worse for me.
The car slows further and then comes to a stop. Lilith cuts the engine. I don’t like this. I hear her get out of the car. She opens the trunk. I’m blinded for a few moments by the light that suddenly streams in. My eyes slowly focus on her peering in at me from above. She has a small smile on her face. Her eyes are… They have this crazy look I don’t like.
“My dear, dear friend,” she says, her smile growing.
I try to curse around the gag.
“Here,” she says, “let me help you.” It takes her a few beats to loosen the fabric. “Don’t scream. You would just irritate me. We’re in the middle of nowhere, so no one would hear you.”
There’s always a chance that someone would hear, but again, it’s not worth the risk. I don’t want to get anyone killed.
“We’re not friends!” I throw the words at her.
“Don’t be like that.”
“Cut the bull, Lilith…if that’s even your real name.”
“We’re not doing names.” She shakes her head. “If all goes well, you’ll get to live, and we can all go on our merry way.”
“Until you get hungry again.”
“You don’t understand. I need the power. I don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”