19. Ember
EMBER
REDEMPTION – JEVON
Smack. Smack. Smack.
My feet beat a rhythmic pattern on London’s cracked concrete. Even in our illustrious neighbourhood, weeds and potholes run riot. It’s the one recognisable feature you’ll find across the entirety of the UK.
It took a lot of convincing to get Hyland to loosely follow my jog in his company car. The overbearing grump didn’t want to let me out to exercise, let alone in peace. But after a few days’ rest, I’ve gotten my strength back.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
During that time, the news coverage in response to Sabre’s press release has been relentless. After six years with no results, many had labelled Gracie’s disappearance as a cold case. Now that it’s been reignited, the criticism is flooding in fast.
Autumn leaves paint the road as I dodge past distracted commuters drinking in the crisp November air. In all this unruly chaos, it dawns on me that next month will be my first Christmas at home. The first time I’ve celebrated the holidays in years, in fact.
Nobody knows what will happen between now and then. From the meagre information that Blaine has received from his contacts so far, we have a vast search radius spanning from Estonia to Belarus. Gracie could be anywhere.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Gael got those images from somewhere. He paid off whatever person or criminal organisation purchased Gracie years ago. All to taunt me, to unhinge me, to reassert his power. The message is simple and unchanged.
Return or pay the price.
Like we haven’t already paid dearly.
Plunging into the hubbub of Mile End, I push past the weakness in my legs. When the time comes to face Gael, I need to be ready. My body can’t fail me then. No one else gets the honour of taking him down.
Hyland doesn’t disturb my thinking time when I pause to stretch and swig water. The SUV idles at a distance, granting me some semblance of normalcy. I blow him a kiss then take off again to keep working out.
At the end of my sixth mile, I feel my energy fading. The greyscale streets are growing hazy, indicating the end of my tolerance. I begin to slow, letting my muscles cool down after such a gruelling pace.
I’ve got a couple of hours until visiting time with Tom. Long enough to head back to get cleaned up. Perhaps I could even take Blaine up on that date offer later. He’s been patiently waiting since he extended the invite, letting me rest post-seizure.
“Excuse me, miss? You seem to have dropped something.”
I’m bent over with my hands braced on my knees, but I quickly straighten at the approaching voice. A man is crossing the road to reach me, young and attractive in his form-fitting, athletic clothing. Another jogger.
“Are you talking to me?” I pant.
“Yes.” He stops a metre or so away. “You dropped this.”
My hair stands on end when he outstretches a phone, still wearing a friendly smile that’s meant to set me at ease. But I know for a fact that I left mine safely in the car with Hyland. I take a big step backwards, my hackles rising.
“You’ve got the wrong person.”
“It’s definitely yours.”
“No. What do you want?”
His smile drops, a dangerous edge taking over his features. “Take it, Ember.”
“Who are you?” My stomach twists then plummets.
“Just a concerned party here to take you home.”
In a rush of panic, I leap into action to bolt past him. “I’ll pass!”
The SUV is idling just down the street. Hyland must know that something’s up with this freak approaching me. The tyres soon speed up as he careens towards my position, bringing help within reach.
“For his sake, don’t move a muscle!” The man barks after me. “Final warning!”
Racing away from the stranger shouldn’t be so easy. He doesn’t even attempt to block my path or trip my feet when I dodge him to flee. It’s a faint realisation that doesn’t quite sink in as I focus on reaching my getaway car.
We’re on a quieter street, more residential than commercial. With little more than a couple of corner shops and a closed restaurant nearby, there aren’t any witnesses around. No bystanders. No collateral damage.
Only Hyland.
A single target.
He squeals to a halt, almost bumping the curb in his haste to brake. I launch myself towards him, watching Hyland climb from the car with his gun half-drawn. His mouth opens to shout my name.
An engine roars, and brakes scream. The once-calm air fills with the sound of a howling approach. Tyres protesting. Music raging. Hyland yells in my direction as he fully draws his service weapon.
“EM! MOVE!”
Behind me, a large transit van rapidly gains on us. It’s racing at breakneck speed down the street, chasing after me. Before I’m run down in the middle of the road, I hurtle to the side, hitting the pavement in a fast roll.
Bones howl in protest at the hard impact with solid ground. I swallow a cry, focused on slowing my momentum across the filthy concrete. The street distorts all around me, adrenaline crackling through my veins while a rush of air fills my ears.
THUD.
My hands and arms flail until I crash into a nearby building. Smashing into the solid brick creates a sickening, bone-grinding crack that cuts off my panting. Air shoots from my lungs as bruising whiplash consumes my entire world.
I whimper in shock, blinking through my wavering vision, waiting for the heavy, storm-carrying clouds to settle above me. I’m inelegantly sprawled out on my back in an aching heap.
“EMBER!”
I can’t decide if I’ve blacked out or lost the ability to understand what pain is supposed to feel like. Confusion lays me out, forming a numb haze until sensation sluggishly returns. With it, Hyland’s shouting finally registers.
“Em! Ember!”
My whole body feels like one massive bruise, battered pain receptors wailing louder than I can comprehend. It’s like torture to roll onto my side, giving me a horrifically perfect view of the van speeding past.
Not towards me.
It’s headed straight for Hyland’s position.
“Hy,” I wheeze.
Not even the round of gunfire he unloads into the quickly shattering front window halts the van’s advance. Glass flies, and exhaust fumes billow as reality slows to a petrifying crawl.
“Hyland!”
He tries to jump aside, but the collision hits faster than Hyland can react. I scream like a banshee when the van’s bonnet smashes into him. He flies over the windscreen, toppling down the other side of the vehicle and out of sight.
“HY!”
Metal twists and screeches where it crashes into the abandoned SUV, warping the beast into a tangle of battered machinery. Thick, black smoke spurts from the wreckage, an ear-shattering bang accompanying the destruction.
Flames lick at the misshapen wreckage, hiding Hyland from sight. I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to hold in a cry, commanding my body to obey. It takes great effort to draw myself back up.
My feet can barely hold my body weight, vibrating violently as I stagger towards the car wreck. I’ve stumbled a few feet when a solid weight smashes into me, the freight truck of muscle and bone sending me straight back down to the ground.
“Should’ve taken it,” the weight crushing into me spits.
“Get the fuck off!”
“You’re coming with me, 768. I want that bounty.”
Mr Friendly himself straddles my waist, attempting to pin my wrists above my head so he can subjugate me. I buck and struggle, pushing against his attack. He’s toned but nowhere near as strong as he seems to think he is.
Wrestling on the hard ground, we both vie to control the other. He wrenches my arms upwards as I use my knee to slam him in the back, attempting to shake the asshole off.
We’re a seething, grappling tangle in the midst of billowing black smoke. Neither comes out on top. It’s an even match. While he’s taller, our muscle tone matches, preventing him from overpowering me.
“Fucking bitch!” His spittle coats my heated face.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I shriek back. “Let me go, and I’ll think about sparing your pathetic, cowardly life.”
As he crumples to one side, groaning in pain from my hard kicking, I take the chance to roll us over. Mr Friendly hits the ground, allowing me the chance to boot him right between the legs. Seeing his eyes bulge is a sweet reward.
The victory doesn’t slow me down. My straining muscles lament but comply, letting me manhandle myself on top of him this time. I wrap my hands around his throat then start wringing.
“Who do you work for? Where is Gael?”
His skin mottles and grows even more purple with each second that I control his oxygen. When I briefly release his throat to bark the same questions, there’s no answer so I resume choking the bastard out.
“How did you find me?” I yell in his face.
Still he refuses to cave. Not even when I grant him a breath. My fingers clench and tighten, contorting his windpipe with nothing but barbaric determination. It doesn’t take long for Mr Friendly to pass the fuck out.
Climbing off his limp form awakens the injuries my fall has earned me, but I stuff it all down while staggering over to the car wreck. Behind the wheel of the transit van, a male driver is slumped over, unconscious or dead. I don’t care to check.
Flames lick at the twisted vehicles, the acrid smoke charring my lungs. I cough and splutter, eyes streaming liquid acid. The route around the wreckage blurs, making it nearly impossible to search.
“Hyland!”
There’s not a single shout or cry for help in response to my howl. Putting one foot in front of the other, I circle the back of the crashed van, crunching through smashed glass. My wobbling vision sharpens into clear focus when I spot a sprawled-out body.
“Hy!”
Several feet from the two burning vehicles, a colossal lump of muscle lies discarded in the street. The puddle of rapidly spreading blood around his still limbs spikes the adrenaline flooding my body.