Chapter 24
“You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”
—KENNY ROGERS, THE GAMBLER
T urns out Shem had a car, and it was a black Jaguar. I couldn’t understand how he could afford a car like that on a host’s salary. It was a slow-moving drive through the city, considering it was relatively early on a Friday night.
He tried to talk to me several times throughout the ride, but I ignored him. My mind was reeling from the night’s events; something was not right.
Reaver’s reaction to those assholes grabbing me had been entirely over the top. He had shut down an entire buyout over it. I didn’t know what he had said to that man, but the look on his face made me think he feared for his life. The potential for violence he had shown tonight had shaken me to my core.
Reaver had punched Mike for helping me through a panic attack, and then Shem had threatened to hurt me to control me! Something was fishy, and I didn’t like it. What I couldn’t wrap my head around was how I seemed to be in the middle of all of it. My mind was running a mile a minute, and I made the decision right then and there that I was done with it all.
I was done with Reaver, I was done with Voodoo, and I sure as fuck was done with Shem. Fucking traitor .
Shem rolled up and stopped in front of my place. He looked over at me, his expression tight.
“Lilith,” he said, and I looked at him, letting him see the hatred in my eyes. We weren’t friends. He had been lying to me this whole time. I had worked with him at Voodoo for four years, and now he was showing me who he really was.
“Fuck you, Shem,” I spat and got out of the car. He dropped his head into his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose as I left.
“Lilith, just don’t do anything stupid,” he warned, but I slammed the car door in his face and turned on my heel. I stalked up the wooden steps to my little haunted apartment, seething with rage and smarting from Shem’s betrayal.
There was a tiny package waiting for me on the porch, and I frowned at it.
Shit. It was the little spoon I had ordered for Mike… Fuck! Why couldn’t this have arrived two days ago?
Growling in frustration, I snatched up the package and walked into my apartment.
With a start, I realized I didn’t have any of my shit. I had left my coat and my bag behind. All I had was my pouch, which thankfully had my phone in it. I groaned, dropping my face into my hand. There was no way I was going back for any of that. I glanced down at the little package I still had clutched in my hand and sighed. I couldn’t go back to give the spoon to Mike either. Maybe I could mail it to him somehow…
Thankfully, I had hooked my credit card up to my phone, so I could just use that for money for the time being because, let’s be serious, I was getting the fuck out of here. I knew I couldn’t outrun Death, but I never wanted to see Reaver or fucking Shem again.
I knew there was no way Reaver would leave me alone; he knew where I lived. His behavior had been over the top and possessive as fuck. I knew the warning signs. I needed to get far away from him as soon as possible. Normally, I would just wait for Death to kill him, but I was getting increasingly more suspicious. Death hadn’t killed him and had let him get away with way more shit than anyone else ever had in my life. What if Reaver was someone I should truly fear? Was he someone I should fear more than Death himself? I shuddered at the thought but forced down the panic. I needed to focus, and I needed to work quickly if I was going to make it out of town tonight.
“Chaos!” I called, making a psst psst psst sound to call him, but he wasn’t home. I let out an irritated huff. Of course he wasn’t here when I needed him. I reminded myself that it was okay; he always found me. Even the few times while I had been in the system and needed to be placed outside of Gravestone, Chaos had always turned up eventually. This would be no different.
I ran to my bedroom and pulled out a duffle from under my bed. I tossed in the little Etsy package and some clothes as quickly as I could. Peeling off the pictures of Chaos I had taped over my bed, I added those too. I looked at my bedding with regret, wishing I could pack my pillows and bed sheets, but knowing that wasn’t realistic. I was going to have to replace all of these little luxuries that I had worked so hard for, and I would never forgive either of those assholes for it.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at it, feeling an immediate rush of irritation and fear when I saw who it was.
Reaver:
You forgot all your shit.
I narrowed my eyes at the screen and bit my lip, mulling over how I should handle this. I didn’t want him to know I was running. I had to act like everything was normal.
Lilith:
It’s fine. I’ll just grab it when I come in tomorrow.
Reaver:
You’re not coming in tomorrow, Lilith.
Lilith:
What do you mean? I open.
Reaver:
You’re done working at Voodoo. I’ll bring your shit by in a bit.
Rage erupted through me. FUCK HIM! I had already decided that, and here he was, acting like he had made the choice for me. What an entitled, cocky, self-obsessed PRICK!
I blocked his number and rushed to the bathroom to finish packing. I threw in my toiletries and googled trains that would take me out of Gravestone. If I left now, I could catch the next one in twenty minutes.
I rushed out of my apartment, waving goodbye to my ghost girl. She gave me a sad, ghostly hug on my way out, and I could tell she knew I was in trouble.
“Thanks for keeping me company,” I whispered, though I could barely see her.
She gave me a heart-wrenching smile. ‘Thanks for not being afraid of me.’ It was the first time she had spoken to me, and her voice rang like tiny little bells through the living room. I sniffed and bit back the tears that threatened to spill.
“If you see Chaos, let him know I’m heading west,” I said, and then I locked up my little home for the last time.