AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He sets the laptop between me and Hex so we can see what’s on the screen. Multiple windows are open, each with a different image of a rival gang’s hideout, each vandalized in some way.
“When did this happen?” I ask, recognizing at least three different gang-affiliated locations.
“The same night as ours,” Snake answers ominously. “I missed it before because their security footage had been scrubbed too. These images have been uploaded into the police database.”
“Why did it take so long?” I ask, though we both know the answer to that. The police only give a shit about us when the public is in danger. They don’t care if someone is attacking us.
“They only found them because each location called in a dead body. Every gang in the city lost someone that night.”
“Even the Cuatro Locos?” I ask, my interest piqued.
“Believe it or not, no. They’re being blamed for all of it.”
It doesn’t make any sense. We have no beef with them, and as far as I know, neither do any of the other gangs. If they do, it’s a recent development. But then it hits me. Of course, the Cuatro Locos had nothing to do with it.
I look over the screen at Hex, who’s staring back at me with the same expression. Could this all be because of the poltergeist? There’s no reason for it to be targeting the gangs of the city, unless it was a cop when it was alive.
“Is that all?” I ask Snake.
He eyes my hand curiously and I look down to see that I’m bleeding from where I broke the glass earlier. I hadn’t even noticed.
“Should I call Graveyard?” he asks, looking between us carefully.
I shake my head and walk behind the bar to wash my hand off in the sink. I know Buffy keeps a first-aid kit somewhere back here. Snake still watches me, waiting to be dismissed.
“Don’t call Graveyard,” I tell him. “He has enough on his plate.”
“We all do,” Hex interjects. “You especially.”
Snake agrees, and they both tell me I should take a break.
“You could go see Abigail,” Hex suggests. “I think a little nookie would calm you down.”
I glare at him, but he knows there’s nothing I’ll do to him with Snake in the room. I could tell him to leave and deal with Hex the way I want to, but I don’t. Part of me knows that even if I murder Hex with my bare hands, it won’t take away any of my anxiety. And I’d lose one of my closest friends.
“I’m not leaving New Orleans until this is settled,” I tell them both, and my word is final.
Tory’s been preoccupied all week, out of bed before I wake up and not returning until I’m long asleep. When I manage to glimpse her, she looks better. Radiant in some way I can’t put my finger on. But she doesn’t sit still long enough to let me near her.
I walk up the stairs to the attic to find her doing just that—sitting still—but she’s in the middle of a salt circle. She meditating and I’m not allowed to go near her until she’s out of her trance.
Her back is to the door, so I walk carefully around the room until I can see her face. She looks serene, peaceful for the first time in days. Every now in then she’ll flinch or mutter something, but it’s almost as if she’s dreaming. She probably hasn’t sensed that I’m in the room.
My thoughts swirl as I watch her, wondering what’s caused her to come up here. There are a million places she could meditate in this house, but this is where she goes to reach darker places. Where is she now, that I can’t reach her?
I sit on an old trunk and wait patiently until she’s finished. Several minutes go by, and I almost give up, but then I see her put her finger up to tell me to wait. Another moment goes by, and she opens her eyes, smiling at me.
“Hello, mon coeur,” she whispers sweetly. “Have you been here long?”
I smile and walk to her, holding out my hands for her to grab. She stands up gracefully and shakes out her skirt. The attic is notoriously full of dust bunnies. Among other creatures.
“Only a few minutes,” I tell her, pulling her into a tight embrace and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’ve missed you.”
“Aren’t you sweet?” She giggles, reaching up on her toes to kiss me firmly on the lips. “But I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m right here.”
“Are you though?” I ask her seriously. We descend the stairs together, arm in arm. “I’ve barely seen you in days.”
A look clouds her face, but she shakes it away. Not fast enough for me to miss it. She’s been hiding something from me. I can’t help but wonder if she’s still punishing me for not telling her about the shooting right away.
