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“Right, but if it’s the beginning of the end and you’re both right,“ I say, my gaze flitting from Malon to Luke, “then that means we’re going to have moments of reprieve, which should be enough to get back to Orlando. I mean, clearly my mom has weapons.“
“It’s not a long term plan, but it’s certainly better than nothing,“ she replies. “You all know how to use a gun, right?“
“I don’t,“ I say.
“I guess now it’s a good time to teach you,“ she says. Her gaze scans around the room until it settles on Rei. “Can you handle them, doctor?“
“Yes,“ Rei says. I’m sure he doesn’t miss the irony in her voice, but it doesn’t matter right now. There are other things we need to take care of.
My mom wraps her hand around Ash’s’s bicep, an indication that he needs to go with us wherever it is that we’re going. We leave the guys in the living room as we walk toward the house’s garage.
When she opens the door, I suck in a breath.
I always knew my mom used this place for storage. I thought the storage was books, but it isn’t; weapons of all sizes line the walls, hanging like we’re in some sort of military museum with displays of varying force.
“What is this?“ I ask, my voice catching in my throat.
My mom puts her hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes as she does. “I’m never going to keep anything else from you, so this is something you need to know,“ she says. “Malon is right. Bad things are going to happen, things that are much worse than you realize, and you need to be prepared for them.“
“I don’t understand,“ I say. “How can you trust him?“
“I don’t trust him,“ she says. “But…well, I’ve been there before.“
“You’ve…been where before?“ I ask.
“Do you know how Ash and I met?“ she asks.
This really seems like a weird time to start filling me in on how she met her second husband, but my mom’s always been a little strange. I guess if she’s going to teach me how to use a gun and she’s going to let us use her house as a safehouse for whatever the fuck is coming, I should force myself not to roll my eyes. “I don’t, but can you tell me while we get a gun?“
“No, I think I should tell you now,“ my mom says. “Baby, this is Ash. The man from the hotel.“
It takes me a second to process what she has just said. If this is Ash, the man she talked about when I first saw her again, then he’s also the man who ruined our lives. The one who didn’t let her sleep.
The demon.
“Hi,“ he says with a smile, wrinkles around his eyes. “It’s nice to finally meet you.“
My gaze darts between the two of them, my heart beating fast in my chest as I take a step back into the darkness of the garage, the stifling heat and the smell of fish suffocating.
“Wait,“ my mom says. “Trine, I can explain.“
TRINE
When it comes to fight or flight, I’ve always been the fight type.
Even then, it takes me a second to realize that my fist is flying toward the man my mom married. I’m not a violent person normally and it seems like everything is happening in slow motion, but there’s no way for me to stop myself.
This is happening, whether I want it to or not.
I’ve never punched a person before. I’ve never had any desire to. But now I can’t help myself. There’s nothing in this world I want more than to get this guy square in the fucking face.
I think it’s going to happen, but my hand stops halfway there.
Ash has quick reflexes, so his hand darts up and his fingers circle over my closed fist. He doesn’t swat me away, he holds me in place; his gaze boring into mine.
“Let her explain,“ he says. He doesn’t hurt me, pushing my hand down toward my side instead. I look at the door, wondering if I should scream and call for the exorcists, but I don’t know how that’s going to help.
Even if they wanted to, we’re surrounded by weapons, and I don’t want anyone to hurt my mom.
