Chapter 38
“NOWHERE TO RUN” BY STEGOSAURUS REX
When I reached Coven, the air felt heavy with my inner grief.
It was thirty minutes after I had last heard from Quinntessa.
Besides a few quick messages in the parking lot on my way out of Memorial’s parking tower, I hadn’t received a single message after she confirmed she had gone to Erica’s for dinner.
For all I knew, she was already dead.
God, I hope Camila talked her ear off long enough for me to get there.
The fading sunlight cast a warm glow over the old highway as I hurried toward the Dawson house. I didn’t worry about disturbing the nightly cricket or chirping bird as I revved my engine and flew past Erica’s house.
I noted her bedroom light was on, and I’d probably receive a message or two from her wondering what the hell I thought I was doing at this time of night on a quiet street with two cops.
My motorcycle was lucky enough to find its kickstand in the gravel alley as I threw myself off. I didn’t bother investigating if Quinntessa was home or not. Her car was in the back parking spot, and Sebastian’s white pickup was missing.
I shoved the iron gate open with a protesting shriek of rusted metal.
My sneakers carried me across the mossy bricks to the back door, and I threw my shoulder into the flimsy frame.
It caved in quickly, slamming against the wall and welcoming me to vicious barks on the second floor.
It was a cacophony of sound, an intense symphony of pure aggression reverberating through my bones.
A cold dread seeped into my bones as I saw the shovel lying on the cold, dark kitchen floor; my breath hitched in my throat. I clung to the worn banister, the moonlight a stark contrast to the bleak emptiness that settled in my soul.
Now that I was here, my stomach curdled. I had to decide. She was feet away from me, begging the dog to spare her life.
If I stayed right here and let that dog finish, Estelle would be safe. I could tell my father I let it kill her, and all this would be over. Sally wouldn’t know a damn thing about me being the one who let her die.
I wouldn’t have to hurt her, only myself.
I closed my eyes and gripped the banister, remembering Quinntessa’s tears as she thought of Scrabble accidentally biting her, the dog fights she had been in that shook the poor girl so much, her sweet face drowned with sorrows.
Let her die.
I listened to the voice in the back of my mind and stared at the eerie stained glass window. The moon’s light shifted, and the rainbow pattern kissed my face.
Let her die.
Let the beast destroy her.
“No,” I growled.
My nostrils flared, and I flew up the steps and around the sharp, narrow corner. In the darkness of the hallway, I could see Yuri digging at the door. Her sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight, flashes of whale eye and sharp claws coming into sight.
Underneath it all, I could hear her. My sweet girl. She was obviously holding the door closed from the way it continued to thud against the frame, the handle useless.
“Bad dog!” she sobbed. “Bad dog!”
Even looking into the eyes of death, an angel couldn’t curse. “Ko mne!” I snapped, slamming my left foot against the stairs and holding my left arm out to my side.
Yuri drew back in seconds. She panted loudly and circled before she rushed down the steps to find me. I exhaled heavily as she fell in line with my thigh, remaining still as she waited for further direction.
“Go-Good girl,” I whispered, my voice shaky as I reached down and ruffled her ears. Mishka had taken a bite out of one of them.
I waited a moment, wondering if Quinntessa had died from fear. My eyes closed, and I waited, ignoring the eager sounds of Yuri’s nails over the hardwood.
Finally, a loud thud came from the small room, and I opened my eyes when I heard panicked breathing, wincing at the thought of her having a panic attack all alone.
My foot stepped up a single step.
I stopped. I had to. If I went up there to comfort her, she’d know the horrors of the true me. I didn’t want that. I wanted her to know something about me before she made her assumptions, like the rest of this awful town.
“I’m sorry, Honeybee,” I whispered, dragging my foot off the narrow step and turning to leave the house.
I left through the front door. It was easier that way with Yuri. I could search for Victor later and get my bike out of Miss Angie’s pebbled yard after grabbing an old leash from Erica’s house.
Victor was watching us from somewhere. He always had an angle. Everyone would know what I had done within hours. From here on out, I couldn’t trust anyone. If they had any tie to my father, I had to approach any conversation with caution.