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Emily’s head whipped toward her new friend, her eyes were wide. Clearly, Ember filled her in on her backstory and what her parents did to her.
“Would you be okay though? If it's too much, you don’t have to go. I’ll come up with some bullshit story,” I asked, genuinely concerned.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Ember said and forced a sad smile. “On the bright side, if they do know my dad then they’ll tell him about me and maybe he’ll feel like a dick.”
“If you’re sure… I’ll have one of the guys take you, and he’ll wait out of sight to bring you back again,” I stated. I’d make sure she was safe.
Ember nodded, stood, and walked swiftly to the door.
“I’ll take her,” Griffin said as he followed on her heels.
Emily’s head whipped between the two of them. I could tell she wanted to argue but they were already out the door.
We followed them to his motorcycle, and I held Ember’s hand as she swung her leg over the seat. “Do you know what to look for?” I asked.
“Anything that might indicate which pack they belonged to. I’ll use my powers too. I might be able to pick up on something that I might not be able to physically see.” She pulled the helmet on and Griffin gunned the engine.
I nodded and thanked them, but I didn’t think they heard over the sound of the motorcycle as Griffin pulled away.
“Why did you let Ember go?” Emily demanded.
“She offered, Em. She’ll probably be more useful than any of us. I know it’ll be hard, but she’s stronger than you think,” I explained gently. “She’ll be safe, Griffin is with her.”
Emily pursed her lips but the fight faded from her eyes.
Emily nodded and leaned against my shoulder. I put my arm around her and savored the feeling. We stared in the direction that Griffin and Ember had rode off into before turning back to wait in the warehouse.
“Train me.”
“What?” I must’ve heard wrong. “What do you mean?”
“I want to learn how to fight, to defend myself. I’ve seen you train, and you know me better than most. Griffin was going to but that changed. I’d like you to do it, but if not, I’ll ask Gus or Tiny,” Emily said, determination in her voice.
I shrugged, there was no harm in it. “Okay, let’s go then.”
“Don’t go easy on me. I’ll know if you do, and I’ll kick you where it hurts.”
I chuckled; the air felt a little lighter around us as Emily smiled. “Violent much,” I said with mock horror, and she nodded once.
* * *
Ember
So many feelings were warring inside my mind. My dad worked for the NYPD, and it would be the first time that I’d come close to anything that he was associated with since they kicked me out. I just hoped that he wouldn’t be there. On top of that, I knew the effect this would have on my mind, people’s consciousness often lingered after death. My psychic powers would still be able to pick up on them, and when people died so horrifically, it was always bad.
I steeled myself as Griffin came to a stop next to a building. There was a crowd, but clearly the scene was around the corner. People were trying to push their way to the front, to glimpse what had happened. I was reminded that sometimes people could be so bloodthirsty. I noticed it when you’re driving on the highway and drivers crane their necks and slow their speeds to witness an accident. If only they could feel what I felt, they would keep their distance.
The stench hit me first. It was the smell of meat and the iron tang of blood. A thin layer of rot filled the air, and I scrunched my nose at it. Griffin walked with me to the corner of the building, people parted easily for him, and I could chalk that up to the expression on his face. It was serious, menacing, and threatening all at the same time. His energy gave off an intimidating vibe. He was good looking, but he’d perfected the loner persona.
“I’ll be here. As soon as you have what you need, we’ll leave. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, shout and I’ll come running,” Griffin said in a low gravelly voice. I squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly.
“Thanks, I won’t be long, hopefully…”
I started walking toward the uniformed police. Their heads bobbed in front of the crowd, and they had put up a barrier and a screen to prevent the public from being exposed to the crime scene. The smell grew stronger as I approached. It had been a sunny day, so in the hour or two between the attack and us getting here, it had started to cook whatever was left behind.
There was a team of cops, an ambulance, and a medical examiner just beyond the barrier. I looked at each of the officers that I could see, none of them resembled my dad. It had been years, what if he’d changed, and I just didn’t recognize him. He wouldn’t recognize me, I looked nothing like the innocent brunette from back then.
I reached the barrier and signaled the closest cop. “Excuse me, officer.” He glanced at me but didn’t move. “Excuse me!”
