Darker Days (20 page)

The light collected at his middle, then moved up slowly, settling at the base of his throat. Pulsing several times like it had with Envy, it burst from his mouth, accompanied by an almost deafening bang, right before it crashed into the box.

The large man Gluttony had been wearing like a bad toupee collapsed.

Mom ripped the box from my hands. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I—” I looked from her to Lukas. What wouldn’t sound stupid? The truth? That listening to Gluttony fling threats about what they were going to do to Lukas once he was beyond our reach was driving me cow-shit-crazy? “He wasn’t going to tell us crap.”

“Little lady’s right,” Tony said. “Glutt isn’t a snitch.”

Mom sighed. “If I open it again, will he get out?”

I rolled my eyes. “As if he’s gonna tell you the truth!”

Tony sighed. “Believe what ya want, but no. He can’t escape unless you let him out. Think of it like a one-way traffic jam. When there’s incomin’ traffic, outgoin’ can’t get past. As long as you don’t pop that puppy for any reason other than to stick one of us back in, you’re safe.”

Mom looked from him to Ava. “I don’t suppose either of you would like to tell us where the others are?”

The child sat in the corner, silently sticking her tongue out, but Tony answered, “My lot in life is live and let live. I’ve got nuthin’ against you guys, but I won’t betray my own.”

“Fair enough.” Mom nodded and raised the box. “I apologize in advance—especially if this is painful.”

Again, Tony shrugged. “It’s uncomfortable, but it doesn’t last long. Besides, it’ll give me some time to myself. We all try to keep our distance from each other, but it gets a little crowded in there.” He turned to Lukas. “Good luck, kid. I really don’t have anything against ya. Far as I’m concerned, ya did what ya hadda do.”

And with that, Mom opened the box again. Tony’s reaction was a little different. Maybe because he didn’t fight like Gluttony. Arms spread wide, he leaned his head back and smiled. The light that collected and glowed beneath his clothing was blue. It pulsed several times before rocketing the length of his torso and out his open mouth.

Tony—the real one—fell to his knees, gasping for air. Snapping the box closed and setting it down on the steps, Mom rushed forward to help him, but he waved her off. “I’m okay,” he choked out after a few tries. He climbed to his feet and smiled. Extending his hand, he said, “Tony Vitola—the real deal. Attorney. Nice ta meet ya.”

“What do you remember?” Mom helped him to the cot, then motioned for Lukas to help her pick the other man off the floor. They managed to get him on the other cot, but I wondered how long he’d stay that way. The guy was huge. That little cot wasn’t going to hold him long.

Tony pulled off his suit jacket and said, “Everythin’. From the moment it took me up until it left. I could feel it. Squirmin’ inside. I felt it leave—” He shuddered and sank back onto the cot. With a not so discreet sniff of his shirt, he cringed. “I need a showah.”

“I don’t suppose you could share anything useful?” Mom asked. She didn’t look hopeful, though. “Something that might help us find the others?”

Tony frowned. “Sorry. The one that was in me—Sloth—kept his distance from the others. He wasn’t lyin’ when he said he wouldn’t nark on em, but he didn’t know anyways.”

Lukas came up behind me. “What was it like?”

Tony rubbed a hand across his face and sighed. “I was in town on business. Needin’ a coffee fix, I head down to this town’s sorry excuse of a Starbucks. I make it to the front door and
BAM
.” He clapped his hands together and I jumped. “Suddenly, I was ridin’ shotgun in my own skin suit. Is that how ya feel?”

Lukas shook his head. “It’s much different for me. How much damage did he do?”

“Not a lot. He was a little like you, I guess. Not really interested in the carnage and chaos the others wanted. Mostly went around turnin’ people into slackers. Didn’t really hurt no one—then again, who knows? Not like he had the chance thanks to you.”

“Well, that’s a relief at least.” Mom sagged against the wall.

“Am I—can I go home? My wife Marie and the kid’ve probably got me dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“Of course,” Mom said. Pushing off the wall, she started for the stairs and motioned for him to follow. “This way.”

“Wait a sec,” I called. “Can I ask what you did? To become viable? I mean, there must’ve been a reason you were infected.”

An odd look crossed his face. He looked away for a moment, and just when I was sure he’d ascend the stairs and say nothing, he spoke. “I was fifteen. My parents went out most Fridays. Usually, they hired this chick Melissa to watch my younger brother Cody, but that night, she wasn’t available. I didn’t wanna do it—I had better things to do.”

Tony tilted his head up, lost in the memory. “I heard him callin’ for me—I heard the splashin’—but I ignored him. Thought he was just tryin’ to bug me. I didn’t
feel
like gettin’ off the couch to check.” He stared at me. “My parents came home just after midnight and found him in the pool. He drowned because I was too lazy to bother.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lukas grow pale. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, silent. I knew how he felt. What could you say to a confession like that?

But Mom knew what to say. She always did. Stepping close, she put a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle nod. “I’m sorry.”

Tony gave her a thin smile. “It was my fault, and I’ve learned to live with it. Actions—or lack thereof—have their consequences.”

He climbed a few steps and stopped.

“I could feel it, ya know. That box is startin’ to call ’em back.”

“There’s not much time left,” Mom confirmed.

Tony turned to Lukas. “You’re not like me. You’re goin’ back in, aren’t ya?”

Face impassive, Lukas squared his shoulders and nodded.

Tony frowned and gave him a sad smile. Turning to me, he said, “Enjoy what time ya got left. That box? It’s startin’ to hum like the subway durin’ rush hour.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

After Mom sent Greed back to the box and found out where Ava—an eight-year-old girl reported missing by a family in The Ledges—belonged, she’d gone to take the little girl home, giving me the rest of the day off. I figured it had something to do with what Tony said, but I didn’t care. I’d made my choice—to make what little time we had left count—and that’s what I intended to do.

I’d taken Lukas to see the latest paranormal action flick—
Time Turners
—at the Cineplex. He had his first tub of greasy movie theater popcorn, sat in his first gum-infested movie seat, and made his first trip to second base.

Both of us did.

He pulled away as the lights flickered back on, leaving a chill where his hand had been. Just under the edge of my shirt, above the waist of my jeans. I’d purposely sat us in the back row, determined to get him to kiss me again. After how hot things got in the office, and how ashamed he’d looked afterwards, I was sure it would be a fight. But all it took was my hand resting just above his knee and a simple nuzzle of his neck, and he was hooked. We’d barely seen half the movie.

Around us, moviegoers were rushing the aisle, determined to be the first out of the theater. We stood and joined the back of the line. The credits were still running, and an explosion rocked the screen, catching Lukas’ attention. He jumped, caught off guard by the action, but smiled despite it. “And it’s all fake?”

“Yep,” I said, taking the empty popcorn tub from him and tossing it into the trash as we passed. “They get paid crazy cash to pretend. We get pennies to do the real thing. Go figure.”

“That seems…backward.”

“It’s a crazy world.” I looped my arm around his. “We should hit the ice cream place down the road. They have this frozen cappuccino slushy thing—you haven’t lived ’til you’ve tried it.”

“That sounds great,” a deceptively delicate voice said behind us. “Are you buying? ’Cause I find myself a little short on cash these days…”

Lukas’ expression morphed from
happy
to
holy hell
in an instant. “Meredith?” he breathed, whirling around.

“Lookin’
good
, Lukas. Real good.” She took a step forward, eyes appraising. “This century’s clothing accentuates your…assets.”

He didn’t answer. Then again, she didn’t give him time. Blowing a kiss, she turned on her heel and bolted in the opposite direction.

Lukas didn’t hesitate. He took off after her.

And I took off after him. I called out several times for him to stop. This was exactly what she wanted us to do. But Lukas ignored me.

Down the street and around the corner, Meredith ran like a cheetah on crack. Either the chick was rocking some serious training, or she’d mojoed herself into channeling a professional sprinter. I managed to catch up to Lukas with little trouble, but catching Meredith was another story. She kept her generous lead, seeming to slow only when we were in danger of losing sight. She
really
wanted us to follow. Knowing that, I should have stopped. Should have grabbed Lukas by the back of the shirt and hauled his ass back to the office. That was what the logic bird perched on my shoulder chirped in my ear, anyway.

Of course, it wasn’t what I did.

We followed her into the new real estate development at the edge of The Ledges. A cheerful billboard showing off a very PC interracial couple lounging on their front lawn at sunset greeted us as we approached. The picture showed swanky houses sitting on perfect, plastic looking lawns, and behind them, fluffy white cloud-lettering read
Heaven’s Gates
. Sometimes, the people of Penance took the whole biblical thing just a little too far.

Most of the homes were still empty. They’d only finished the first round and had just broken ground on the second set.

“You think she went inside one?” We stopped running to get our bearings and scan the area. There were several squawking black birds on the lawn to our right, but other than that, everything was still.

Lukas bent over, trying to catch his breath. “I lost sight of her just after she turned the corner.”

I glanced down the street. Six houses. Three on each side. It was getting dark, and there weren’t as many streetlights out this way—not yet—but the white house on the end caught my eye. The door was open. A big
walk this way
sign. Meredith obviously wasn’t one for subtlety. “That one.”

We raced over the lawn and stepped across the threshold. At first, everything was quiet. The white marble entryway spilled seamlessly into a sprawling living room, carpeted in lush royal blue. The walls were accented with gold trimming, and the baseboards had thin strips of delicate, blue-flowered wall borders that went around the entire room.

Empty.

Cautiously—and to Lukas’ irritation—I took the lead and steered us toward the kitchen. A few take-out bags on the floor in the middle of the room, half a six-pack of Pepsi, but no Meredith.

The rest of the first floor played out the same. Each room was empty but with small signs that someone had been there. An empty soda cup. A handful of dirty napkins. Half a cheeseburger…

“Let’s check upstairs,” I whispered. Stupid, really. The whispering. She’d left the door open on purpose. She already knew we were there. Trying to be stealthy had no advantage, but it was habit. Mom had ingrained it on my soul at an early age. Besides, I needed the practice.

Up the spiral stairs, we finally found Meredith in the master bedroom. She was all smiles, wearing tight black jeans and a blue shirt that looked like she’d painted it on—and she wasn’t alone.

Against the far corner of the room, a guy—probably in his early twenties—sat bound to a rickety looking chair. He struggled against his bonds, eyes darting from Lukas to me like he was trying to decide if we were there to help—or make things worse.

“It certainly took you long enough,” she said, patting her friend on the head like a good puppy.

I gave her a casual shrug. “We stopped for Chinese on the way. I never deal with crazy on an empty stomach.”

“Aren’t you sassy?” Meredith grinned. “So how are you enjoying the shore leave, Lukas? Life out of the box all you remember?”

He crossed the room and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back against the wall. For a second, I thought he was going to hit her. I knew that expression. The twitch of his lip, the flash of red-hot rage in his eyes, all signs that control was slipping. But he reined it in. “What are you doing here?”

“At the moment? Getting assaulted.” She wiggled under his grasp, never losing her smile. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind
you
assaulting me, but if you’ll kindly let me breathe, I can fill you in.”

It took a moment, but surprisingly, Lukas released her and stepped back to where I was. “Talk,” he commanded.

“I can understand that you’re not happy to see me. After all, the last time we met I wasn’t very…friendly.” Her smile widened. “But what’s done is done. I have an offer for you.”

“’Cause we’d want whatever
you’re
selling,” I said.

“You’re very rude,” she said, eyes narrowing in my direction. Lukas was right. She was beautiful. Meredith had that kind of dark, sensual look that guys went crazy for. Too bad all the rocks in her head were loose and rattling around. “I don’t much care for your attitude.”

I smiled. “I don’t have an attitude—I’m just spunky.”

“I’ll warn you once more.
Don’t
interrupt me.” She began to pace. “I don’t take kindly to it. They always interrupted me. Like the things I had to say were of no importance.” Sugarcoated smile back in place, she turned to Lukas. “I miss you and want to make up for what I did. Now that some time has passed, I can admit I was a bit rash.”

“Rash?” Lukas repeated, eyes wide.

Mom and I had gone up against some winners, but this chick took the cake. “You trapped him in the box with the Seven Deadly Sins and slaughtered your entire family. That’s a little past rash, don’t you think?”

Meredith sighed. She stopped pacing, head swiveling toward me, and frowned. “I
asked
you not to interrupt me.”

I met her gaze and smiled sweetly. “And last year, I
asked
for a puppy. Didn’t get it, though.”

She sighed and snapped her fingers. “On top of rude, you’re very disrespectful. I’ve wiped my ass with bigger, badder things.”

I bit back a laugh. “And that’s supposed to—”

At first, it was a tickle blooming deep in the pit of my stomach. In seconds, it turned into a sort of falling sensation. The feeling that comes as the roller coaster crests the hill and starts its downward plunge. My mouth went dry and the surface of my tongue started to itch. Suddenly, it was impossible to swallow.

Meredith giggled and waved her hand. It was like an invisible boxer walked up and sucker punched me in the gut. The air expelled from my lungs and I shot backward, crashing into the wall.

Head cracking hard against the plaster, everything swam for a minute. A muddy mix of colors swirled and danced as I struggled to fill my empty lungs. I tried to step away but found I couldn’t move my legs. Or my arms. My mouth opened to protest—at least it tried to—but that didn’t work, either.

Meredith winked at me and turned back to Lukas.

“What did you do?” he demanded, rushing to my side. I could feel his fingers clamp down around my arms, could feel their warmth and the pressure as he tugged, but he had as much luck as I did.

“Oh, relax. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll let the bitch go.” She snapped her fingers twice. “Now pay attention because I’m only going to say this once.”

He let go of my arm and gave her his full attention.

“As I said before I was so
rudely
interrupted—” She glared at me. “I realize I may have acted a bit rash when we saw each other last.”

“You condemned me to an eternity in hell—all for a man you’d just met.”

She laughed. It was an insane sound that reminded me of a cross between a witch’s Halloween cackle and shattering glass. “You think I locked you in that box because of Wrath? Silly, simple Lukas.”

“I did nothing to you,” he growled. “If not because I threatened to tell your father of your affairs, then why?”

“I’ll admit—your threats made me angry.” She reached out and stroked his cheek. “Very angry. You were trying to control me. Telling me what to do. Everyone was
always
telling me what to do. Poor, feeble Meredith. A simple woman. She needs to be coddled and controlled. It grew tiresome.”

The man bound to the chair was thrashing. Back and forth and side-to-side. Even plastered to the wall, unable to move, I could feel it. Lukas’ rage was starting to bleed into the room. Either Meredith was immune—or she was just too nuts to be affected.

“But that wasn’t what earned you the reservation. I
did
stick you in that box because of another man—but it wasn’t who you think. It wasn’t Wrath. He was merely a tool used to get my plan from point A to point B.”

This sucked. Not only was I stuck to the wall like a fly on paper, but I had to listen to this whack-job ramble about her skanky, multiple affairs? I was never going to complain about one of Mom’s punishments again.

Lukas was angry, but he was also confused. I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t get it either.

“
He
found me outside church that Sunday morning in 1882. I could smell the power long before I laid eyes on him. He made me an offer. Unimaginable power and a chance to win my freedom in exchange for a favor in the future.” She winked at me, then smiled at Lukas. “He saw how trapped I was and offered me a spell. He told me where to find Wrath and said if I accepted his offer, I could not only set myself free, but also make you pay for threatening me. It was the perfect solution.”

“Solution to what?”

“So we could be together, silly.”

“If it wasn’t Wrath you wanted to be with, then who?
Who
was this all about?”

“Lukas, you silly, silly boy. I’m referring to your father, of course.”