East Ten #2
I now stared at the bowl, daring to believe I could taste her specialty again. “When I had to leave, I took all her frozen meals with me to the Weathers’, believing I’d never have her food again.”
Letti filled my bowl. “As Healer said, all connected. Even to those who we thought we lost. Never gone.”
A bowl was placed in front of me. Trying not to go into shock, I asked, “Who is Healer?”
Styx grinned. “They think that should be Gage’s road name.”
This multi-layered full-circle moment was a tough one.
My shoulders caved. I fought to breathe.
I was about to taste part of my beloved past, and now had confirmation that my extended family would someday be with me again.
“A once forced fighter to a now compassionate healer.” I shook as I grabbed my fork.
“Thank you, all of you, for being the best protectors of the underworld.” Then, my heart on fire with the saddest joy, I scooped some food and put it in my mouth.
Instantly, the flavor of her handmade meatballs and sauce sang to my taste buds. Sang to my soul.
Chewing through tears, I appreciated every pat on the back and shoulder. Most of all, I appreciated the kiss to the top of my head. “The bravest. Our Baby Boy.”
With a wonderful meal in my belly, I had the strength to see a certain individual to Hell. We walked as one, through the night, toward the shed. I told them, “He’s the devil to me. I’d like him to look disfigured as a deity from Hell by the time we are done with him.”
“You just cried over your grandmother’s spaghetti, and now want to recreate the devil so you can kill him?” Peacemaker gawked at Styx. “Your blood is thick in his veins!”
“And Saleeni’s not even in danger,” Styx pffted.
A collection of audible shivers went through the men.
Outside the shed, I said, “Definitely need a split tongue. Even devil cartoons have that. I’m still trying to figure out how to recreate horns.”
“Big ones or small ones?” asked Cocky.
I tilted my head.
“Well, we could super glue his fingers or shin bones to his head.”
One must step into the dark side to reply as I did. “Big.”
Letti mentioned, “We need tourniquets, so he doesn’t bleed out.”
“Good thinking,” said Styx, as if getting a suggestion of a new meatball ingredient.
Peacemaker said, “I packed superglue somewhere. I’m sure of it.”
Adrenaline kicking in, my fangs appeared. “Let’s do this.” I reached for the shed’s handle, noticing no one was following me. Peering back at them, everyone but Styx was staring at my mouth.
He teased, “Hearing about it over the phone is way different than seeing it in the flesh.”
Letti’s cell phone pinged in his hand. The sound startled him, and he threw it in the air. Fumbling to catch it, he griped, “I’m not usually such a puss!” Then he studied his phone. Then he brought it closer to his face.
“Talk,” demanded Styx, no longer playful and happy to cause pain.
“Got an alert from the camera down the street from the Weathers’.” He was still examining an image. “Unfamiliar car parking.”
Styx already had his phone in his hand, tapping on the screen.
Cocky told me, “Weapon check,” as he started patting his side pockets for guns and whatever else he was carrying.
I ran to the SUV, feeling like a rookie. I’d left mine there when getting the slug removed.
Peacemaker double-checked the shed, then locked Noma’s door, while Styx barked into this phone, “Possible security breach at Weathers’. Dump Sugar and roll.” Then he directed, “Kid, the back.”
Grabbing my holster, knuckles, and the knife Styx had used on me, I jumped in and made my way to the back row.
“Letti,” barked Styx.
“Heard.” He got in the front passenger seat, while Cocky and Peacemaker got in the second row.
Tires threw rocks and grass as Styx punched the gas. “Veng is fifteen out.”
Cocky vowed, “He’ll be there in eight.”
Scared for my family, I had to ask. “No nine-one-one?”
“Letti?” asked Styx as we took a corner on two wheels.
Letti was glued to his phone. “Possible false alarm, but two male shadows are walking down the street toward the Weathers’.”
From over the back of his seat, Peacemaker explained, “To save lives, yes, nine-one-one, if no other choice, but the Weathers’ is a livewire of illegal shit. A boy buried in the backyard—”
I crossed my arms and sat back, so frustrated. “And a no-identity little girl.”
Trying to do right by loved ones, we’d trapped ourselves with the law.
Peacemaker nodded. “And of-age kids who are old enough to be charged for involvement. We call? Except for Bluebell being rehomed, the rest of them are facing hard time. And Dale knows it.”
Fuck!
I felt like I was on a merry-go-round. For the second time this night and into the early morning, we were racing to help this certain group of very important people. “Can we at least text Dale for a heads-up?”
Styx delivered a quick nod. “Approved. Peacemaker?”
“Heard.”
While Peacemaker texted Dale, Letti kept giving updates. “Snooping around front yard. Triggered security lights. Now scurrying.”
“Still only two?”
“Correct.”
Peacemaker informed me, “Avenger, ex-Seal, can handle any two with his eyes closed.”
Letti said, “On side of house. Still a pair.”
“Enemies haven’t separated.” Peacemaker wanted me to learn their lingo, and I appreciated it.
“I think they have cutters,” warned Letti.
“Goddamnit!” roared Styx. “Cocky.”
Peacemaker did scissors with his hand. “Taking out power.”
Cocky was already pulling his phone to his ear. “Veng, about to be blind.”
Peacemaker opened his mouth, but I nodded. He’s giving Avenger an update.
Letti hit the dashboard. “Feed dead.”
Cocky told Avenger, “Dead feed, brother. Watch your back.”
Styx found me in his rearview mirror. “See the need for solar and generators?”
I felt sick to my stomach while I nodded.
“Peace?” asked Styx.
“At this speed, fifteen minutes out.”
“Cocky?”
He answered Styx, “Venge is three minutes out.”
Styx throttled the steering wheel. “No threats until now? After all these years?”
Letti confirmed, “Only the pastor scoping the Weathers’.”
Styx practically had smoke coming out of his ears from thinking so hard. “Hence you casing his joint, coming up with no true threat.” After a pause, he yelled, “Damnit!” at the windshield, then said, “Cock, tell Venge to split when lights roll up.” He growled, “Letti, make the call.”
Letti dialed nine-one-one on speaker, then waited.
The town the Weathers lived in was rather small, but I’d never heard of that emergency number going down. Instead of reaching a dispatcher, there was only a failed busy signal screeching through the line.
Letti hung up, and the SUV went deathly silent. Then the engine was pushed even harder.
Finally, still driving like mad, Styx said, “We’re missing the bigger picture. The connection. Pastor. The kids. There’s something there.”
My heart was squeezing so tight, imagining what was happening inside that house at this very second. “Only one I can see is Kristen.”
Styx’s foot slipped off the pedal. He quickly recovered as Letti gripped his armrest. “Ah shit. Two cops stopped by the house.”
“What?” Styx was livid.
Letti nodded. “They were investigating the pissed-on tires and stolen portrait. Dale ate both of them for lunch, threatening to contact their superior, whom he knows.”
Peacemaker slapped his forehead. “Her connection felt we should leave Bluebell out of the system—”
“Jesus Christ.” Styx blew through a red light. “They’re in with the pastor.”
The rest of the men cursed: “Fucking hell… And it sounds like the dirty cops may also have bruised egos… But Kristen’s connection wanted to protect kids.”
“Or fuck them,” I sneered, feeling so double-crossed by someone who helped Kristen do right by us.
Cocky got on his phone. Into it, he said, “Venge. Think we got dirty cops.” After a moment, he hung up, whistling low and long. “He. Is. Pissed.”
“And rolling up now.” Letti was watching his phone again.
When we got there, the house was still very dark.
We unloaded the SUV like a SWAT team and entered the house the same way, with guns drawn and ready to deploy.
My ski mask was in place, and I was ready to battle to my own death.
Not witness an array of bodies. Two men had been stabbed in various places and tied to furniture.
Another body lay on her side. No beautiful brown eyes to see.
They were closed, but I knew it was her because of her greying blonde hair spread out behind her.
I knew it was her because of who was holding her hand.
And I knew she was dead because her blood had drained from the slice across her neck.
“You must save her.”
Hitting my knees, I realized I had saved the wrong one. Sarah had so many around her at the pastor’s. This dear woman only had Dale.
When I woke at the pastor’s, I felt as if I had failed Sarah. I hadn’t. I’d failed Harmony.
I grabbed her other hand and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
Three mothers. I had now lost three mothers. And I felt the blame for them all.
“Brass?”
I looked up to see Dale on his back. “You’re here?”
Avenger, putting pressure to Dale’s stomach, was shaking his head at me. He was buying me time. These would be my last moments with one of the best father figures I’d ever have.
“I’m here.” I scooted to Dale, staying on the floor to be with him. I lifted my mask, letting it rest on my forehead so he could see me. Then I grabbed his arm and hand, thumbs locked. Repeating words I had been told. “I’m here. I’m with you.”
It was surreal. I was reliving what I had just experienced myself. Now I knew I had been stuck between realms. One of them was now coming true.
Dale was smiling. Blood dripped from his mouth. The courageous man was dying yet fucking smiling at me as if this wasn’t all my fault. “Your skin. You’re made of dancing stars, Brass.”
I burst into sobs. He was being given Death’s Gift.
Then I thought of the fog Styx and I had floated in when on the invisible conveyor belt. Death’s Gift is a transformation. Dale is… shifting.