The Revenger (6 page)

“I’d prefer to stay quiet about the whole thing, if that’s okay. I mean, if anyone deserves thanks, it’s you guys.” Savvy looked at her feet. She wanted to find a way to be alone, to see if she could still feel Kal and Sara.

“Well, I’ve never seen anyone move that fast in my whole life. You must be a mom running on pure adrenaline.” They arrived at Savvy’s car.

Savvy didn’t want to cry, not now, but the word
mom
started her sanity disintegrating. She whispered as she looked over the roof of her car. “I used to be.”

Savvy opened her door and got in. She started the car and rolled down the window. The female cop was even gentler now, seeming to have read the deeper meaning in Savvy’s words. She patted her on the shoulder.

As the cop turned away, Savvy stopped her. “Could I drop by the station a little later?” she asked softly.

“Yeah, that’s okay. Go home, relax a bit, then come on down.” The cop nodded her permission.

“And also? When your little boy comes home from school? You hug him. Hug him so hard.” Savvy felt a tear slip through her tight grasp on her emotions.

“Will do. I promise.”

Savvy drove away, counting the moments until she could be home and able to focus on feeling her reward. She swiped the flood that always followed the first tear. At the stoplight she leaned forward and pointed at the sky. “That one was for you, Sara.”

*~*~*~*

Silas sat for a while before he gave in to the temptation to look at Bugs’s drawing more closely. He finally flipped the page over and couldn’t stop the rush of excitement. She would be an excellent acquisition. Everything about her face belied her clearly violent tendencies. She had full lips and large eyes. Her hair was thick and hung in dark, curling waves with hints of red. Bugs was excellent at many things, and Silas was pleased to see that his portrait skills were extraordinary. He’d even managed to capture the essence of the woman, as described by her victim: her picture radiated truth, rightness, and bliss.

I want her so much.

Just Like Saturday Morning

Swerving into the driveway, Savvy parked her car and ran upstairs to her bedroom. She could feel them coming, the tangible memories that were her oxygen. She crawled into her bed and closed her eyes. It seemed more real when she couldn’t see the empty room.

She held her breath and waited. It took all her energy to keep her eyes closed when she heard the familiar pitter-pat of Sara’s feet.

“Can I get in, Mommy?”

Savvy nodded, but kept her eyes closed. And then her arms were full of her baby. Sara’s hair tickled her nose. Her warm body molded so perfectly to her side. Savvy had always laughed at how completely her girl could snuggle in, like Sara still had claim to some of her womb’s real estate. Savvy hummed her daughter’s lullaby and after a moment had the complete satisfaction of hearing her girl’s deep, contented sleep noises.

She knew her tears would drench her pillowcase, but this was the most intense memory yet. It felt so good it hurt.

And then there was more. She thought she might not be able to take it when she felt the mattress give under Kal’s weight.

Oh, please, yes. Him too.

She couldn’t make out the mumbles he whispered into her hair, but she could feel his arm finding its perfect home in the curve of her hip. He, too, was soon sleeping. And she was wrapped in them, like they’d never been taken. Like God knew that this, just this, was the only thing her heart understood. Savvy began to feel the security of bliss, like she could slip into dreams with them.
Please, let me go like this, in my sleep. Don’t make me wake up without them again. Never again.

Then Tobias slammed the front door, and she could feel the connection with her family evaporating.
Don’t go! No, you’re not leaving.
She tried to hang onto them, but her hands found only balled-up sheets when she searched.

She could hear Tobias bounding up the stairs, looking for her.

Go away, Tobias. Let them stay.

When he tossed open her door, she kept her eyes shut tight. But they were gone. Like smoke. Like fog. Like a dream.

“Sav, are you okay? What’s wrong? Look at me. Look at me!”

Rage.

She slapped the empty space in her bed. “They were here. You ruined it! You ruined it for me. Goddamn it, Tobias!” She launched herself from the bed.

She made her fists into tight testaments of her anger. Tobias’s aura was faintly gold so she knew she wouldn’t be strong enough. And even in her horrific rage, she knew he wasn’t evil. He barely even tried to hold her arms as she rained punches on his shoulders, his chest, and finally, connected with his jaw. He gritted his teeth and turned his head, offering her his other cheek as well.

Her fists dropped to her sides, and she waited. Tobias was a wonderful man, but he wasn’t beyond his own anger.

His voice was quiet but sharp. “Never have you ever laid a hand on me, Savvy. Not even when we were kids.”

She wanted to hug him. She wanted to comfort him, but she turned to face her empty bed instead. “I think it would be best if you left.”

If he was gone, she could lay with them for hours, for days, if they would just stay.

“I’m not leaving you like this. Something’s so wrong. I made a mistake when I took you home. I see that now. You need the hospital.” Tobias stepped toward her.

Make him leave.

She turned and made her face cold, uncaring. “You’re here to watch the show? To pretend you’re the one who lost your family? Because you didn’t. You can’t have them. You can’t claim my grief as yours anymore. Maybe you’re between girlfriends. Maybe you’re just like Dad and you’re selfish, living on my property, getting a free ride.”

She could tell he didn’t buy it.

“This isn’t you. This isn’t who you are, Savvy.”

She grabbed the lamp and tossed it against the wall. It shattered. “Yes, this is me now. Your Savvy? She died in that accident. I’m throwing you out. Now. Leave or I’ll call the police and have you removed as a trespasser.” She looked at her feet.

He was quiet. He was angry. “You’re my only family.”

Pretending to hate him wouldn’t get her very far; she was a terrible liar. She tried another approach. “I know one thing for sure: I’m not going to stop. I have to see them. Just now, when you came in? They were in the bed with me. Just like a Saturday morning. I’ll kill for that. I will die for that. I don’t want to bring you down with me to where I have to go. Does that make any sense? Let me save you from me. I couldn’t save them from me. Please, just let me save you.”

“What do you want?” Tobias waited.

“I need time by myself. To figure this out. I need to face that they’re gone. With the house empty, I’ll know I’m alone.” She hugged her middle.

“I want to trust you. I’m scared shitless, but I’ll go. For tonight anyway.” He held his arms open.

She walked into his embrace and patted his back. Her mind should have been on this, her brother, but it was on her bed.
Maybe I can get them back.

*~*~*~*

Bugs’s computer didn’t look like much, but as he tapped the keys, other people’s secret information was revealed to his hungry, worried eyes. When the officer typed her report on her bugged computer at the station, her description of the Good Samaritan’s sprint and restraint of the convicted pedophile had triggered his web of alarms. He’d saved it to his own computer and prepared to move. He now put the laptop on the passenger seat and started to drive.

The officer kept impeccable records, and her description of the woman—who was to come in to give her statement—was very close to the sketch he’d drawn for Mr. Sagan. He had to make it to the station to intercept her.

*~*~*~*

Savvy couldn’t get them back, no matter how still she stayed. She’d received her reward and would have to earn another. Sitting up, she found her phone, called down to the station, and told them she would be in soon.

The only thing motivating her to keep her word was the prospect of red auras. Criminals go to the police station all the time. She’d been stupid not to consider it as a source before.

She parked her car in the lot and tucked her keys in her pocket. She’d left her purse and phone at home in a calculated move; Savvy was reluctant to let the cops have her information on file.

She moved toward the building, but an aura across the parking lot drew her in immediately. The man leaned against a sports car, watching her.

Red. Yes.

She almost ran as she felt herself growing powerful. Kal and Sara would in be her arms again tonight, and she couldn’t wait.

His words stopped her. “Your brother’s name is Toby, right? I ran your plates so I have your address and, after some hacking, his place of business.”

“What do you want?” Savvy had to bite her tongue. Her fingers wanted to tear him apart.

“My boss would like to meet you.” Bugs looked above her head, rather than at her, like he really didn’t want to do what he was doing. “Your brother is being followed as we speak. If you want to keep him alive, you’ll get in my car and refrain from snapping me in half.”

Savvy was quite certain she would crack his skull against the steering wheel before they even got out of the parking lot, but she got in when he held open the passenger door.

Cracked

Sitting in a car had never been this tough before. God, it was so hard. That red aura demanded a pounding, with or without the reward she hoped would follow. Savvy sat on her hands and tried counting the trees that passed. This failed to calm her. She peeked at the driver. He seemed pretty shaky too. When he spoke, she jumped.

“My name’s Bugs. I handle the computers and surveillance cameras at the house.”

Savvy was afraid to talk. She didn’t want him to talk. She was so very close to losing control. Any insult, any tidbit of evil-doing would tip her over the edge.

The clock ticked off twenty painful, but silent, minutes on the dashboard. They were heading toward the beach; she could smell the change in the air coming through the vents.

Bugs pulled out this phone and hit send. With her currently enhanced senses, Savvy could hear everything coming from the device. Thanks, red aura. The ringing stopped, but the person on the other end of the call said nothing.

Bugs filled the silence with hurried words. “Yes, I have her right here. She came peacefully. Do you want her delivered straight to your bedroom?” Bugs’s hand clenched and unclenched around the phone.

Savvy heard the silky reply as if the man speaking was whispering in her ear. “No. Put her in the Blue Room. Bring her through the back entrance.” The phone clicked as Bugs’s boss hung up.

Another ten minutes passed before Bugs pulled up in front of a gated entrance. He lowered both their windows, and a screen appeared from the ground on each side of the car. Bugs put his hand out and a laser tasted his fingerprints. Savvy imagined tearing the screen from its pole and beating him with it.

Steady, girl.

“Put your hand up to the screen, please.” Bugs waved in the direction of the technology.

Savvy turned her head slowly and met his eyes. “Kiss my ass. I’m not putting my hand on that thing.”

Bugs looked from the clock to his phone, seeming to run through his options. “Look, if you don’t put your hand out soon, this car will be lit up with gunfire. It’s programmed to kill us.”

Savvy smiled at the thought of Bugs being physically separated from his evil aura.

“Okay, I get it. You don’t care if I die. You don’t care if
you
die, but my boss? If he doesn’t talk to you because you’re dead? He’ll kill your brother.” Bugs pointed to the screen again.

He could very well be lying, but the sweat on his forehead told her he was at least scared. She shook her head. She’d already lost two battles: getting in the car and now this. She placed her hand on the square. The laser engaged, and it felt like a butterfly’s wings were tickling her palm. She was marked in their system now. Who knew what they could do with her fingerprints.

The gates slid open, and Bugs gunned the engine. Even before opening fully, the doors were closing again. The driveway was insanely long, and the landscape grew more and more sandy as they got closer to the house, which nestled next to the water. Bugs was talking again—warning her with rules and etiquette that she guessed she should listen to, but she couldn’t. The mansion in front of her called her name and enflamed her enhanced sense of righteousness. With the compass she now had for evil, she could tell there were many, many red auras inside. So many. She looked at her knees and tried to breathe.

Bugs was opening his door. He had parked the car on a huge circular driveway with a spouting fountain in the center of it.

“We need to go in the back entrance, so you’re not seen.” He had come around to her side of the car.

Savvy got out and walked past him. He hurried alongside, begging her to follow him, though he was too smart to put his hands on her when she didn’t. Savvy’s high heels clicked loudly on the marble stairs that led to the two-story front doors. When she was close enough, she kicked the doors and smiled when they smashed wide open.