Authors: Wendy Higgins
Whoops. I was officially eavesdropping, but I didn’t feel guilty. I was too desperate for insight into Kaidan’s mind. They spoke in low tones, hard to hear with the rush of rainwater.
“Do not be upset, Kai. I feel only concern for her.”
“I’ll bet you do.”
Kaidan’s clipped, harsh response was in direct contrast to Kopano’s tranquil words.
“Even you are willing to risk yourself for her, brother.”
“That’s because I actually know her. What’s your reason? I suppose you’d like to get to know her, too?”
“You have made it very clear that she is not available in that way. Be reasonable. There is plainly more at stake here. I only wished to help.”
“There’s nothing you can do, Kope!”
They got quiet and I could hear Kaidan’s ragged breaths through his nose.
“Please trust me, brother,” Kopano said. “There is no stronger weapon for Pharzuph to use than your concern for each other. If he learns that you were here to console her, you will lose all leverage with him. Do not fool yourself into thinking he will not discard you.”
“Yes, some of us have to worry about such things. Thank you for the reminder.”
The sounds that came next iced my blood: heavy footfalls crashing into puddles, and the metallic zing of a switchblade. I stood up with a hand to my heart. Then there was a deep, gruff chuckle. My father’s.
“Put it away, boy. Sorry to break up the testosterone party.”
I jumped off the couch and ran from the apartment, down the cement stairs, until I nearly crashed into the three of them at the bottom. My father was absolutely soaked, beads of water covering his skull as he glowered at Kaidan.
“Dad!” I slapped a hand over my mouth. As he dragged his eyes from Kaidan to me, I experienced a punch of knowledge.
“It was you,” I said, heart pounding. “You sent them.”
He made no attempt to deny it.
I sagged back on my heels. The demons weren’t sent by someone who wanted to hurt me. It had been my father, showing some serious tough love.
A light sound of shuffling came from the landing. Patti surveyed us from the top of the steps in her robe and slippers.
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “I’ll be in soon.” She nodded, staring hard at my dad for a second before she went back up. He turned his attention back to Kopano and Kaidan, who kept their eyes trained at his feet.
“This little thing”—he made a triangle in the air, pointing between Kopano, Kaidan, and me—“isn’t gonna fly. Don’t worry yourselves about Anna anymore. You hear?” They both gave single nods. “Then get on out of here. And keep your heads in the game.”
There was only the sound of rain now, then their cars starting and tires sloshing away too fast. Before my father could apologize or give me another sad look, I wrapped my arms around him. He let out a deep breath.
“Will you come in?” I asked, against his chest.
“I’d better not, after that look from Patti.” He ran a hand down my hair. “Does she know about those two boys fighting over you?”
“They weren’t fighting over me. And she cares about Kaidan.”
“Hmph. Well, I’ll be here at three o’clock this afternoon. Warn Patti, ’cause I’ll need to come in and talk to you both first. Now go get some shut-eye. You’re gonna need it. And don’t worry. No more spirits will bother you tonight.”
A giant bolt of lightning lit up the night sky. My father kissed the top of my head and disappeared into the rain as a roar of thunder shook the foundation under my feet.
M
y dad was going to be here any minute, and Patti was a nervous wreck. Disobedient red curls had popped out of her hair clip and now framed her sleep-deprived face. She’d spent the morning deep-cleaning the apartment with a frown, shooing me away when I tried to help.
I hadn’t been able to go back to sleep right away the night before. Patti sat with me in our living room, and I realized that after I found out what I was, I had become the one withholding information to protect her. Now I finally broke down and told her everything I’d been holding back. She’d understood that the Neph were seen as property, but she hadn’t known about us being forced to work, or the fact that we had “specialties.” She stared heavenward and shook her head after finding out she’d sent me on a long-distance trip with the son of Lust.
But the detail that sent her over the edge was the fact that my father had me haunted by those demons. No matter how much I tried to explain that it was necessary for me to be able to see the spirits, she was livid. When three o’clock approached and her mood hadn’t lightened, I started to worry.
When my dad arrived, Patti stood by the counter with her arms crossed. He appeared as large and frightening as ever. The kind of man nobody would dare to mess with.
Patti walked right up and smacked him across the face.
I jolted. He blinked. She stayed right in front of him and stabbed a finger at his chest, her other hand on her hip.
“How
dare
you do that to her? I don’t care what your reasons were. Did you hear her screaming? She was terrified! Don’t you ever sic those monsters on her again. Ever!”
He watched her with an even expression, allowing her to get it all out of her system. Her pointing hand went on her other hip and she stared up at him, breathing hard. She wore the steel gray of fury.
“I swear to you,” my father said with care, “I will spend the rest of Anna’s life trying to keep those spirits away from her.”
“Then why does she have to
train
with you today? If you’re going to protect her, then why is it necessary? Why can’t you keep her out of danger?” Patti’s voice cracked and she brought a hand up to clutch her mouth as fury turned to rolling fear. My father watched her, and when he spoke he shocked us both with what he said.
“You remind me so much of Mariantha. Not the way you look, but the way your soul feels to me. Loving, but full of that same righteous stubbornness. Yeah, Mariantha would approve, and so do I. You’ve done a good job. More than good. And I want to thank you.”
A sob escaped through Patti’s hand. He’d hit her soft spot. Not only did he compliment her mothering, but he’d compared her to an angel.
“But I failed her,” Patti said, her freckled face streaked with tears. “I didn’t get her to Sister Ruth in time.”
“Let go of that guilt; it’s all part of the plan.”
“What if I messed up the plan?”
He broke into a knowing grin.
“The plan’s always changing and rearranging. You can’t mess it up.”
She wiped her face, and the darkness of fear faded. I still hadn’t moved. I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Patti had gone from wanting to kill him to being comforted by him.
“Would you like some sweet tea?” she asked.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Patti Whitt.
“Yes, ma’am, I’d appreciate it.”
And my father, the fear-provoking gentleman.
As she went to the kitchen, he gave my shoulder a hard pat. I shook my head in wonder. We went over and sat down at the small table.
“So, where do you wanna do this thing, kiddo?” he asked.
Patti was busy with the drinks, but I knew she’d heard by the way her colors went haywire. I shrugged. I didn’t want to do “this thing” in front of Patti. She brought the glasses of tea over and set them on the table.
“You know,” she said, “I’m real tired, and I got a new book from the library yesterday, so I’ll just be in my room this afternoon. Why don’t y’all stay here, and I’ll be nearby if you need me. I can come out and make dinner later when you’re ready to take a break.”
I nodded my agreement. As long as she stayed back there, I could do it. Patti leaned down to kiss my cheek, and then headed back to her room.
“Stuff’s in the car.” He hitched a thumb toward the door.
I went out with him to help, even though he insisted he could get it himself. My eyeballs popped when I saw the layout in the backseat. All sorts of snack foods, along with bags and bags of bottles: beer, wine, liquor, juices, sodas, condiments like cherries and limes and olives. We hefted everything up the stairs.
I can’t believe I’m about to drink with my father.
This was wrong on so many levels.
The drinks and ingredients that needed to be chilled were put in the fridge, and the rest were set out on the counters. I rubbed my arms, feeling jumpy inside. At least it wasn’t a buffet of drugs, because I would be a harried, frantic mess by now.
“Nothing wrong with having a drink, Anna.” He set out two shot glasses and I sat down in front of one while he poured something clear. I looked at the bottle. Rum. “We’re never told not to drink. Just warned against drunkenness. There’s a fine line between the two, and all we’re doing is trying to find yours. You’ll be drinking a lot of water and eating as we go. Should help you some.” He pushed my shot glass forward. Mine was not as full as his.
“I’ll need to see your colors to help me gauge your intoxication.”
I assumed it would be a relief to let down my mental guard, but I felt exposed and didn’t like the way my dad’s eyes squinched up when he saw my colors. I’d been trying not to think about Kaidan, but that only made me think of him more. My dad pinched the bridge of his nose. I was guessing he didn’t think dark pink passionate love had any business being in his little girl’s wardrobe of emotions. But he didn’t say anything about it—only let out a jagged sigh and began.
“Note the time. You’ll need to pay close attention to the time when you drink. You got a watch?” I shook my head, and he took his off, tossing it at me. “Use this one tonight, but get yourself one right away. It’s three twenty-five. Pick it up.” We both lifted our tiny glasses. “Drink the whole thing at once. Don’t try to sip it or take multiple swallows. And don’t you dare spit it out.”
Got it. No problem. I could do this. The liquid was clear, like water. A bubble of giddiness rose up inside me as I followed his lead, bringing it to my lips and tilting back my head.
Gah!
My entire face, mouth, and throat lit on fire as the gulp made its way down. I coughed and sputtered and smacked the table. My father laughed and clapped me on the back. I let out a sputtering breath and could not wipe the disgust from my face.
“Good job not spitting it out,” he said.
“That was terrible! Why would anyone purposely drink that?”
And then the warmth hit. It started in my chest, went down into my belly, and bloomed throughout my limbs.
“
Oh
.”
“Nice, huh?” he asked, but he wasn’t smiling anymore. He was studying me as I ran my eyes over the bottle of rum, then up to the counter where the other bottles stood in line, waiting for me.
“By the end of the night, you won’t flinch anymore. You’re gonna get mad at me at some point when I tell you no more, but I need you to learn to recognize that moment in yourself when one more drink will put you over the edge. Only you can control yourself, baby girl. For tonight I’m gonna whistle when you need to slow down and rein it in. Got it?”
“Got it. But I was wondering. Um, are we going to train with drugs, too?”
“You’re not gonna do drugs, Anna, ever.” Deadly conviction was in his voice. “There won’t be any buzz with drugs when it comes to you—you’ll pass Go and head straight to the equivalent of drunkenness. Only worse. I don’t plan for you to work at all, but you need to have some basic knowledge in case of some unforeseen circumstance. Now, are you ready to drink?”
I nodded my head and he frowned. It would appear I’d nodded with too much enthusiasm.
Nine hours, two pizzas, one fight, three instances of vomiting, a million whistles, tons of snacks, and countless drinks later, we learned that I could have one drink every eighteen minutes, or three in one hour. Absolutely no more. Even with my body’s ability to burn the alcohol, I was what my father deemed a “lightweight” or “cheap date.” If I were to drink on a regular basis my tolerance would increase, but for now we’d be conservative with our estimates.
I’d learned the recipes for the most popular cocktails. I knew I hated straight shots of anything except tequila. I was definitely a tequila girl. Wine soured my stomach. Beer was my safest bet.
There’d been another little scuffle between Patti and John Gray when she came out to make dinner. She’d been upset when he insisted we order pizza rather than making her cook. The kitchen was a disaster. But pizza was a luxury we never splurged on. When he pointed out that she was being proud, she crossed her arms and pouted, telling him to go ahead and order the “stinkin’ pizza” then.
I had a good buzz going at that point, but when I started giggling at their silly spat, Patti’s narrowed glare cleared my head pretty fast.
Throughout the night my dad asked a lot of questions about my life. He wanted to know every detail about Jay and the four Neph I’d met. He was especially interested in Kopano’s story.
“I never would’ve guessed Alocer had a soft spot. Makes you wonder...”
“Kind of funny, huh?” I’d said in a slur. “Most people try to hide bad stuff they do, but the Dukes have to try to hide good stuff.”
During my last bathroom break of the night, he brought in a purple-and-black book bag from the trunk of the rental car. It still had the tags on it.
“For you girls.” He set the bag on the couch between Patti and me. “Please take it with no arguing. And listen up. Anna, you need a watch, and you need to change your look. I expect you to get on that right away.”
I nodded, barely able to keep my eyes open.
“One last thing. I don’t think you gals should go to church anymore.”
I’d never thought about that. There was so much about my normal, daily life that reeked of nondemon.
“We can just do our own little thing here together,” Patti assured me, rubbing my back. The whole night had been an eye-opener for the two of us. We needed to make changes in order to keep up my facade and fly under the demons’ radar.
“Open it.” He crossed his arms and assumed the bouncer pose, nodding down to the book bag.
I unzipped it and Patti and I bonked heads trying to see what was inside. Then we stared up at each other, our faces inches apart. It was filled with stacks of cash. I knew Patti’s thoughts when her aura grayed. This was drug money. Dirty money. Blood money. My father knew our thoughts, too.
“Regardless of where it came from, that money’s in your possession now, and all you can do is be good stewards with what you’ve been given. For starters, I recommend getting a fireproof safe. You’ll find a new cell phone in the side pouch. It’s got my number in it. Call me if you need me. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer, but if I don’t, and it’s an emergency, just text me A-nine-one-one. It means ‘Anna emergency.’ Don’t leave a voice message or any detailed texts.”
I stood up and hugged his solid body, resting my cheek on the soft leather of his jacket. He ran his hand down my hair like he had the night before.
“When will I see you again?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll be on the go. Do me another favor?”
I pulled away and looked up at him.
“Check out the other side pouch of your bag,” he said.
I dug my hand into the small spot and pulled out a key attached to a big black key chain with buttons for locking and unlocking doors. My head jerked up to see his serious expression. Patti covered her mouth, saying nothing.
“No more boys taking you on trips, you hear?” His voice was gravelly. “You can take your own self from now on. Last thing you need is some boy distracting you and making this whole situation even more complicated. Promise me you’ll stay away from that son of Pharzuph.”
I opened my mouth but the words stuck in my dry throat. Hot sweat beaded up on my forehead.
“I tried that once, John,” Patti warned him. “It didn’t work out so well for me.”
“Have you seen the way he looks at her?” He focused on Patti, but pointed at me.
“Yes, and I’ve seen the way she looks at him. Truthfully, I think they need each other.”
“Those two need each other like a bullet needs a target. Trust me. I’ve seen Nephilim kids killed for falling in love and letting it get in the way of their work.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry, because we’re not in love,” I chimed in. “He doesn’t like me like that.”
Dad puffed out a breath of air. “Well, he must feel something, ’cause he sure doesn’t want that other kid near you.”
“Is there someone else you’re interested in?” Patti asked.
I rolled my colors back up, tucked them inside, and yanked the barrier back into place. Then I entertained the image of Kopano’s sweet dimple for a brief second before pushing it away.
“I’m not ready to think about that,” I answered.
My father tilted his head up to the ceiling and pressed his giant hands to his face, muffling his speech. “I’m way too old for this.”