Her feet touched the floor and kicked something hard, sending it clattering across the hardwoods. Kali fumbled until she found the dial for the lights. The object was an empty pill bottle. The label indicated painkillers, prescribed to someone named Wilfred Harvey. Tossing it aside, she went down the dark hall. Passing door after door, she wondered if she should have already reached the stairwell. Next to a small closet, she heard Rhane. His voice called softly from within. Her worry became confusion. Kali pressed her ear to the door and listened.
“
Kalista.
”
Her fingers trembled as she reached for the knob. The closet creaked open.
Only a couple of brooms and a few cleaning supplies occupied the tiny space. Kali started to shut the closet but stopped when she heard Rhane’s voice again. Feeling like she had awoken into some sort of spy movie, Kali groped around the seal of the door and was surprised when she heard the faint click of a hidden lever. The back wall of the closet slid open to reveal a very dark, very narrow passageway. She stepped inside without hesitating, inexplicably pleading for the darkness to remain. Torches lined the walls but did not light as she edged deeper into the tunnel.
Kali soon realized she didn’t need the light anymore. Borders of shapes and objects stood out clearly, contrasting starkly in a dozen or so hues of gray and black. She spied a stairwell that extended down to another level and descended it quietly. She heard Rhane again. And his voice joined by several others. York and Warren, she recognized easily. The other two she had never heard before. They seemed to be in the middle of some kind of meeting.
“What’s the status of that college kid?” Rhane asked.
A gentle voice replied, “We have not found him.”
Rhane didn’t sound happy. “It’s been a week.”
“Tracking him was weird,” Warren explained. “Whatever happened didn’t leave much of a trail to follow.”
“I called War away from the search to catch the flight to China. Orrin couldn’t cover as much ground without him,” York added.
“Right.” Rhane sounded less annoyed. “Gabriel is going to make another play for Kalista soon. Next time, he’ll lead the charge.”
“What are your orders?”
“Stop the search. I need every one of you here tomorrow. I can’t be here…at least not initially. Rion may have found River. I need to go see whose side he’s on.”
“Let one of us come with you,” York said.
“No. I’m going alone.” His tone left no room for further objection. “Rion, look after Bailen for me.”
“Sure thing.”
“Everyone else, eyes on Kalista. I’ll return by nightfall.”
After all voiced their agreement, Rhane dismissed them but asked York to hang back. Kali crouched lower into the shadows, afraid someone might exit through the stairwell that was currently her hiding place. But no one did. She exhaled softly. Rhane was talking again.
“I spoke to one of them.”
“Who was it?” York asked.
“Someone close to her…” Rhane’s voice trailed off. A lengthy pause followed. Kali hadn’t made any noise to betray her position but took Rhane’s silence as her cue for a speedy exit. Up the stairs and back through the passageway she ran, listening for any sound of being followed. She stopped at the doorway, heard nothing, and eased the closet door shut.
She was tucked safely back in Rhane’s bed, but her mind raced with questions. Too many secrets were piling up. It wasn’t long until Rhane returned. Kali really didn’t know him. And it’d been foolish to think otherwise. She pretended to be asleep.
Stupid. Stupid girl. Why did I trust him? He’s a stranger.
Kali felt his eyes on her face. “I have to go someplace in the morning. But I’ll be back as soon as I can. Promise me you’ll stay close to the manor.”
She thought of Gabriel and the Reapers, remembered the way Mack and Shannon had been so willing to barter her life for a stupid artifact, and questioned if Wesley played a role in any of it. She recalled Tsai’s warning and wondered why both he and the vision in the mirror had called her Darkesong. Most of all, she remembered it was only a week ago that she had met Rhane in a darkened theater. Everything had started then. Kali was certain the answers started with him too. And if he wouldn’t tell her, she would have to find them on her own.
“I need answers, Rhane.”
“Please trust me a little longer.” He kissed her hair. “I will tell you everything soon.”
She sighed but said nothing else. After what seemed like forever, he settled back into his side of the bed.
#
It was barely daylight, but Rhane had already gone. A change of her clothes were folded at the foot of the bed. Kali wasn’t sure how or when, he had managed to break into her house to retrieve them, but she was grateful. There was even a toothbrush.
She showered and dressed as fast as possible. The mission of the day was answers. Kali was going to find them no matter what. She was at the front door before it dawned on her that she was forty miles from town without transportation. Then she saw a set of keys hanging by the front door and the navy blue pickup parked outside. Kali grabbed the keys and dashed down the drive. A huge figure appeared out of nowhere. Hitting him midstride, it felt like she had crashed into a wall. The impact threw her with such force; she would have landed squarely on her butt if not for the swift hands that grabbed her. Once steadied, she turned to confront the roadblock and gasped.
It was War. Only it wasn’t. This guy was taller and more muscled. His hair wasn’t red. It was black. But the same brown eyes, the same face stared back at her.
“Who the heck are you?”
He dipped his head as if bowing to a proper lady. “I am Orrin.”
“Okay. Orrin, get out of my way.”
“It was not my intent to make you fall. I apologize.” The soft voice belied his rugged appearance and added to the sincerity of the apology.
Kali glared at him skeptically. She had heard his orders last night. “I’m leaving. I dare you to try and stop me.”
“I assure you that I will not.”
“Alrighty then.” She moved to go around him, but Orrin immediately began to follow. Kali spun around. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You do.”
“No.” She bit the words out. “I don’t.”
“You do.” He smiled. It wasn’t an all out idiotic grin like York’s. Orrin’s smile was gentle like his voice. And it was surrounded with an air of easy confidence that reminded her of Rhane.
Kali folded her arms. She knew she was giving the wrong guy a hard time, but Rhane wasn’t around to take her frustrations out on. “Fine. I don’t want a babysitter. Tell the guy who you’re for some reason taking orders from that I told you to leave me alone.”
“It is not that simple.”
Kali exhaled. “You sound just like him, you know that?”
Orrin stood quietly.
She shrugged. “Suit yourself. But I’m driving.”
Chapter 54
Despite his clenched jaw and white-knuckled grip on the doorframe, Orrin was the epitome of rigid calm. Kali was certain he regretted pulling the short straw of nanny duty as she barreled down the highway like a madwoman. Rounding corners at near rollover velocity, the tires squealed but stuck stubbornly to the asphalt. The traction was superb. She fumbled with the radio and swerved with the effort. Finding the sappiest station of love songs, she sang along at the top her lungs. Orrin dared to look away from the road, staring at Kali in tense disbelief.
She took it as an invitation to start a conversation. “So, you and War are brothers. Warren and Orrin, that’s kind of cute.”
“We are twins,” he said tightly.
“Cool.” Kali spared a glance for the highway. “Who’s the oldest?”
“I am.”
“Why do you call him War? It’s a bit strange, don’t you think?”
“It suits him.”
She thought of Warren’s gentle brown eyes peering from beneath the baseball cap and shook her head. “You should call him Red.”
Orrin grunted, turning back to watch the road.
“You come off a bit formal, Orrin. Do you ever say more than a few words?”
“Car.”
“See. That is exactly what I’m talking about.”
He tensed even more and pointed out the windshield. “Kali,
look out.”
Heeding his warning in time to see the beat-up brown station wagon pull out in front of them, Kali stood on the brakes. Black tread marks burned into the pavement as the pickup battled forward against the momentum. The anti-lock system kicked in, sending a trail of light gray smoke up on all sides. They stopped mere inches from crushing the metal frame of the old car, with the pickup’s grill at window level of the other vehicle.
The elderly driver leisurely completed the illegal turn. Kali assumed the woman had been oblivious to the near collision, until the old bird extended her middle finger in passing.
Kali briefly considered making a u-turn. It would have been easy enough to catch up to the station wagon and give its bumper a sorry-I-didn’t-kill-you nudge. But Orrin looked as if he was on the verge of having a serious conniption, and she was reluctant to push him over the edge. She didn’t slow down, but abandoned the small talk, giving more attention to the road. Eventually, Orrin relaxed a little.
She pulled into her driveway. Orrin was out of the truck before she had the gear in park. In the next moment, he was at the driver’s door. Kali blinked. She didn’t understand how he’d gotten there so fast. He opened the door and waited. She slid out.
“We should not remain here,” he said.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I didn’t come home last night, and left my cell at the park. My sister probably called it a dozen times. I need to let her know I’m okay.”
“Talk to your sister. Then we must go.”
“I just noticed something,” Kali said, pouring false honey into a sarcastic tone. “You are way too young to be my father.”
“It is not safe for you to be here. We must stand together if we are to have a chance against him.”
“Gabriel?” She searched his face. “I heard you guys last night. Why does he want me?”
Orrin met her eyes momentarily. “I cannot say.” He looked away.
“Right.” She was getting annoyed again. Orrin was following orders. Orders given by a guy she barely knew. A guy who had a lot of secrets. And who insisted on keeping her in the dark despite the fact it was her life in danger. “If you won’t tell me anything, I will have to find out for myself.” She spun on her heel and marched away from him but didn’t make it three steps before he caught her elbow, bringing her to a gentle but abrupt halt.
“Wait. Allow me to go first.”
“Whatever.” She waved him forward impatiently. “Like I really have a choice.”
Orrin eased past her but instead of going for the front door, he circled around the house. He reappeared later, face carefully lacking any expression. Again, he reminded her of Rhane. At the front, the door was already unlocked, but that was no surprise. Rozzy forgot all the time. Orrin stepped inside and signaled for her to follow. His eyes swept the living room in every direction. Kali thought she even saw him sniff the air a couple of times. “Wait here,” he said and left.
She closed the door and leaned against it. Orrin came back dragging behind him someone with a very big mouth.
“Yo, player, what’s the deal? This is private property! Hey man, get your hands off me!”
Though she had only met him once, Kali would’ve recognized that lingo anywhere. “Max?”
The kid looked at her and grinned. “Hey, shorty!” Today, Max was dressed in all black. His nails were painted slate grey to match the studded leather collar around his neck.
“Are you here alone? Where’s Rozzy?”
“She bounced last night when you didn’t come home from your run. Man, your sister is
fine
when she’s angry.” He shrugged. “She didn’t come back either. But I’m used to taking care of me. My parents forget sitters all the time.”
Kali genuinely felt sorry for the kid. “I’m sorry. I should have called.”
“It’s whatever.” He jerked his head at Orrin who still held onto the boy’s collar. Max’s toes barely touched the floor. “When did you start to roll like this?”
She looked from Max to Orrin. They were an odd sight. Orrin was flannel ruggedness but regal in manner, while dangling at his side and dwarfed by his size was the ultimate gothic and urban mesh up. “You can put him down. Max is okay.”
Orrin released the boy on the spot, and Max stumbled to the floor. He craned his neck, adjusting the studded accessory. “Next time, it’s you and me, player.”
The absurdity of the challenge made her laugh. “Take it easy, tough guy. I think this one bites.”
Max turned his full attention on Kali. “Dang. You should always wear your hair like that. Curls do it for me.”
The grossed-out feeling she usually ended up getting when around Max for more than five minutes started to rear its ugly head. “Max, you have got to stop being such a creeper.” She touched her hair absently. “Orrin is a friend. Be nice. Okay?”