Soul Thief (Blue Light Series) (40 page)

He
did not mention the incident to Lucy.

It is time for you to go. It is time for you to
save me.

The voice was becoming stronger and more urgent.
Doug knew that it would not be long before he made his escape. He wasn’t a prisoner exactly; he was free to go whenever he wished, or so Lucy had professed on that day in the hospital weeks ago following his return to consciousness. Even so, he sometimes felt like a prisoner. Lucy was a strong force in this new life of his and he sensed that she was enjoying her control over him. Doug soon began to realize, however, that in most cases the worst prisons were those imposed upon oneself.

In recent days h
is relationship with Lucy had become increasingly disjointed, the atmosphere cool and uncomfortable. There were a number of reasons for the change, he surmised: his sense that Lucy was aware of his eagerness to be away from this place, for one thing; his belief that Lucy wasn’t being entirely honest with him for another; and yes, a sort of sexual tension had been building between them that made Doug uncomfortable. Recently she’d been careless, leaving her hand-washed undergarments drying on racks in the bathroom as if in invitation, and at night going from her bedroom to the kitchen wearing only a filmy nightgown. How much did she think a man could endure? It occurred to Doug on more than one occasion that perhaps these incidents weren’t carelessness at all but something more contrived.

Doug
was a vital man in his prime and his needs were powerful. Lucy was a beautiful woman and Doug found that his dreams were increasingly populated with images of her, naked and alluring; of the two of them coupled together as desperate lovers. Whenever these dreams intruded Doug would wake feeling shame, as though through his dreams he was somehow betraying Annie.

In the days that followed
he found himself avoiding Lucy whenever possible; when he wasn’t working out he passed the time in the estate’s library reading or in his bedroom with the door closed. This brought on an uncomfortable tension between them that made Doug feel terrible. Lucy had sacrificed so much for his well being. He certainly owed her something. She was kind and intelligent, and he knew that she was keenly aware of the distance he was putting between them. But even as Doug resisted an emotional attachment he knew deep down that he was fighting a losing battle. So the only solution he could come up with was the one he knew would be best for them both.  He needed to leave this place, and soon.

It was night and h
e was in the library pursuing the pages of a book he wasn’t much interested in as all of these thoughts intruded. Would he tell Lucy he was leaving or just disappear? He decided that leaving without telling her would be cowardly. She would understand. She knew better than anyone that he had to go. Once he left he knew he could not go directly to Annie or even try to contact her. That would invite more grief than he needed. If De Roché found out he was alive he wouldn’t have a chance. And there were others hunting him; the government; rogue agents of the Order; God knows who else. If he went to the police and tried to explain his situation, they’d turn him over to higher authorities and he’d disappear into a black hole. Every law enforcement agency in the country was hunting him. They thought he was a terrorist. They believed he’d brought down an airliner full of people. No, he needed a creative solution. He needed someone he could trust, and that someone was his best friend in the world, the man who had helped to raise him to adulthood. Strangely, this house did not contain a telephone or a computer with an internet connection. He had to get out of here and find one fast. It was time to contact Jennings.

It is time for you to go. It is time for you to
save me.

In the midst of these thoughts the library door opened and Lucy entered carrying a tray with two cups and a teapot.

“Thought you might like some tea before bed
,” she said.

Doug was clearly agitated at the interruption of his thoughts. “No thanks,” he said.

Lucy stopped short, staring at Doug as her face fell. “You mean I went to all this bother for nothing?” She feigned exasperation then smiled. “Just kidding. Sorry I bothered you.” She observed the book in his lap, gave a small astute nod and headed for the door.

“Wait,” Doug said
, sensing it was a mistake. Lucy stopped and turned around. “Please stay,” he said, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. “Tea sounds good.”

Lucy
set the tray down onto the library table. She hesitated. “Listen, I don’t have to . . . “

“Really, it’s okay,” he said.
“Sorry I’ve been such a jerk lately.”

Lucy poured two cups of the steaming
amber liquid. She and Doug sat side by side on the sofa. Doug picked up his cup and sipped the hot liquid, his eyes distant and unfocussed.

“You’ve
made a decision, haven’t you?” Lucy said.

“
You know I have to go,” Doug said.

Lucy nodded.
“Of course.”

“
I’m sorry, Lucy.”

“Don’t be.
”

“
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. It seems to me that you’ve accomplished everything here that you set out to accomplish. You brought me back from the dead. You fed me and cared for me and made me strong again. I don’t know if I can ever repay you for all that.”

“
No need,” Lucy said. Her eyes were downcast.

“Tell me again why you risked your life to help me.”

“Because I believed you were worth helping. Because I honestly believe you were chosen. For what, I’m not entirely certain. I’m not entirely certain the Order knows exactly.”

“But you said
—”

“
I know what I said. I told you everything about them, their history, their beliefs, their hopes for the future. But there’s still so much that isn’t known.”

“Where does that leave you?” Doug said. “What was it all for?”

Lucy’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m a little confused right now,” she said. “I’m not sure I can ever go back. I broke a lot of rules. Maybe there’s a chance for you. Maybe now you can do whatever it is you were meant to do; save your wife and child, save the world. I don’t know. The odds seem enormous. But I have faith in you. I know that whatever you’re meant for you’ll succeed.”

“I’m not quite so sure.”

“You will. Trust me.”

“What about you
, Lucy?”

“
Truth is, I feel sort of lost. You still have the love of your life. I have nothing.”

“Lucy?”

“What?”

“Is there anything else I need to know? Is there something you haven’t told me?” He stared at the woman and
again his head and heart both filled with an overwhelming sense of melancholy, as if by leaving he was somehow betraying an unspoken promise. Why did he feel such a strong attachment to this woman and at the same time such a keen distrust of her?

Lucy’s eyes were downcast.
“No,” she said. “I’ve told you everything.”

“I
’m not sure I believe that,” Doug said. “The moment I saw you I felt this strange familiarity. Like I knew you. Not because of the way you looked. I was sure I’d never
seen
you before.” He paused shaking his head in confusion. “Just the same, there are things about you that are familiar; your voice, the way you move. The way you act around me. Tell me something, how did you get assigned the job of protecting me? Why you, of all the people in the Order
?”

Lucy was silent for a long moment staring at Doug. Finally she heaved a deep sigh
and said, “Because I asked for the assignment.”

“Why?”

Another long moment of silence followed as Doug felt the walls come crashing down around him.

“Because I was in love with you,” Lucy said.
“Because I’ve always been in love with you.”

It was nearing the end for Joe Remy. Don Savage had told him that as soon as the old man found another dog handler he was out. The incident on the night the woman was killed had been the last straw. You only screwed up once with De Roché and after that you were history.

Remy wasn’t going to go quietly, though. He was aware of the rituals that involved that creepy old house on the back property. He was aware of the entity that roamed the grounds at night
, and he thought he knew where the entity lived. His parting shot to the old man would be legendary. He knew about the old man’s presidential aspirations and he wasn’t about to just walk away without a fight.

Over the course of the past
couple of months he had been planning his strategy. Remy had been more than a dog handler in the military; he’d also been a demolitions expert. He knew a lot about plastic explosive and how to set shaped charges for the maximum amount of effect.

He’d been stockpiling for quite some time
, and very carefully, under the cover of darkness, he’d been wiring that old house to blow. This was the night that place would go boom, and hopefully, along with it, the evil presence that occupied it. But first he would make the call to the FBI, and then he would just stand back and watch. 

Doug moved over close to Annie and kissed her on the mouth.  “
Hey there, sweet cheeks
,” he said and gave her that winning smile of his. Annie was totally blown away to see him, even more blown away that they were in bed together. It seemed like it had been such a long . . . long . . . time . . .

No!

This was all wrong.

Something had happened but she could
not remember what.

Something terrible . . .

. . . that made her feel all weepy and lost.

Annie rose out of her drugged sleep as if she w
as being dragged up from the depths of a lake. She resisted consciousness. She did not want this dream to end.

Let me drown! Just don’t take Doug away from me again.

Annie . . .? Annie . . .?

Someone was calling her name,
but it wasn’t Doug.

Who then?

Annie?
 

Oh God, no, it can’t be. Is that you,
mama?

Yes
, it’s me, Annie.

Go away.

Annie, please, you have
got to listen to me—

No, mama, I don’t have to
do anything. You’re dead and I need to put you to rest. Please go away. I want Doug, not you.

You need to see the truth, Annie.

What happened to me in this room, mama? Why can’t I remember?

You’re not supposed to remember, Annie. Some things are too terrible to remember. I’m so sorry for everything that happened.

I’m sorry too, mama.

You don’t have to be sorry, Annie. You did nothing wrong. Now you
must listen to me before it’s too late. You cannot stay here. You’re in danger. Your father can no longer protect you or the baby.

How do you know about the baby,
mama?

I’ve always known the child would come. And I’ve dreaded it. But I’ve always loved you, Annie. Even when you thought I didn’t. It’s just that I could never . . . comfort you
.” The voice broke
. “But I did love you, little one. More than you will ever know.

Did
daddy do something to me—?

No! He did not harm you.

Then why do I feel this way?

It’s because he’s desperate.

Did he kill you, mama?

I know that’s what you think, child, but it’s not true. You’re father would never have hurt me.

It’s what Doug thought.

He was wrong.

Who then?

Not who. What! Something evil. Something from hell! Your father’s been trying to run away from it his whole life. And he’s still running. But he can never escape it.

Because it’s here, isn’t it, mama? It always has been.

I don’t understand it,
child. It’s something your father brought with him into our marriage. It’s something that’s been with him since the beginning.

It lives inside him, doesn’t it?

In a way, yes.

It lives inside me too, doesn’t it,
mama?

S
ilence.

Tell me!

It’s more complicated than that, darling.

I need to know.

I told you I don’t know any particulars. There is something, though. There’s an old house on the property.

Yes, I know the place, the old stone house
with the boarded up windows out on the back property by the woods. There are thousands of tiny bones in the mortar holding the stones in place.

How do you know that?

I used to go there when you and
daddy weren’t watching me. And I would stand close and try to count the bones. It’s where I felt him the strongest. And it’s where I heard the children crying. Why, mama?

Years ago there was a massive bird die off. Millions of birds fell from the sky. No one knows why. His
followers gathered them up and used their bones in the mortar. Somehow those bones protect him. It is where he stores the souls he steals. Somehow the bones are important.

But why do I hear children?

He needs their souls.

He steals children?
Oh, God, he wants my baby, doesn’t he?

It’s
not for what you think, Annie. Your baby will be special. He has waited all these years for it to come. But it’s not him who wants your child, it’s your father. It is why you must run and why you must hide.

Doug knew, didn’t he,
mama?

The
Collector needed the right father, Annie. Douglas was chosen just like you were chosen. Both before you were born. The baby needed to be part you, and part Douglas.

Why didn’t Doug tell me?

He didn’t know.

He knew
daddy wanted the baby.

He was just trying to protect you.

I’m so tired of people trying to protect me.

Your father threatened Doug’s life.

That’s why he was so afraid.

He was afraid for you, Annie.

But that would mean me marrying Doug was something more than chance, and I’m not willing to accept that.

He didn’t count on you loving Doug so much, child.
Your father doesn’t really understand love because love is something he’s incapable of.

I’m just dreaming this,
mama. You’re not real. None of this is real. I was dreaming about Doug too and he’s not real either. Doug’s dead. I feel so terrible. I loved him so much. But I betrayed him.

Doug’s not dead, Annie!

Annie gasped and began to come awake.

Oh, please,
mama, don’t toy with me.

You must leave this place at once. Go out and find him. He’s waiting for you.

But he died in a plane crash—

No, Annie. That’s what they
want you to believe.

Oh God,
mama. If this is some sort of trick—

Get up, child.

I don’t want to. I want to dream about Doug some more.

Get up out of bed and go into the hallway, Annie. There’s something there
that you need to see. Go now before it’s too late.

Why should I?

Because you’ve been lied to and you need to see the truth.

Annie felt the pressure on her lessen as she was slowly but surely being dragged up out of that deep, dark lake, like a fish attached to a very long line.

Get away from this place, Annie. It’s not safe here. And whatever you do, DON’T EVER COME BACK. AND DON’T LET ANYONE HAVE THE BABY!

Suddenly Annie was awake and sitting bolt upright in bed
, her ears literally ringing from her mother’s shouting voice. The terror inside her was pure, as only terror can be. Oily sweat slicked her body as tears coursed down her cheeks. She put her hands on the soft swell of her abdomen feeling the vital child within.

He’s made a bargain with the devil.
He wants what’s inside you.

Annie breathed a sigh of relief even as panic tried to capture her. But it was okay. The baby was still safe inside her, its heartbeat strong and comforting.

Such a terrible dream.

Annie looked toward the window
. Although it was mostly dark outside, she could see that the light of dawn had begun gathering in the east.

A sudden and massive explosion rocked the world. A blinding flash lit the sky.
Annie pushed the covers aside and placed her feet down onto the floor, stood up, slipped her robe around her and went to the window. The echoes of the explosion were now diminishing and Annie was unable to pinpoint its location, nevertheless she knew something significant had happened.

A noise
somewhere in the house put her on guard. She could not identify it or pinpoint its position, but it spurred her into action. She went to the door, opened it and stepped out into the hallway. Her mother hung on a wire suspended from a ceiling light fixture, a human-sized fishhook piercing her trunk. Her eyes were glazed with shock and her bloody tongue hung crookedly from her mouth. Blood ran from her wounds and dripped from her nightgown, pooling on the carpet beneath her. Annie backed away in horror, knowing immediately that this was the real truth of her mother’s demise. Rachael had wanted her to know everything, including the deceit she’d had to endure. Annie closed her eyes and reopened them again. The image had vanished. The hallway was empty. What she’d seen hadn’t been real. Not in the literal sense. Nevertheless she now knew that it was the
truth:
the Collector had murdered her mother. He’d done it as a warning to her father because daddy had somehow betrayed him. Annie fell back against the door sobbing, vowing that she would defeat the monster if it was with her last breath.

I did it for you and your child, love,
The Collector said inside her head.
It was the only way to make your father keep his bargain. My sanctuary has been destroyed. Now I must leave this place. I will never bother you again.

From somewhere down the hallway, near the top of the stairs, a confusing mix of ruby-colored light
-beams stabbed back and forth in the darkness. Annie recognized them as the laser sight pointers that belonged on weapons.

Hurry, Annie, you have to get out of the house
now.
It was her mother’s urgent voice. The shock of realization struck Annie like ice water. She backed into her bedroom, closed and locked the door. Running for the closet she pulled out a shirt and a pair of jeans, dressing hastily, never taking her eyes off the door. Socks and sneakers were next, lacing quickly and going to the chest of drawers where she extracted and pocketed a substantial sum of cash. She put her hand on Doug’s nine millimeter, wondering if she should take it. Raised and angry voices from somewhere within the house followed by a series of muffled pops that could only be silenced gunshots made her decide. She grabbed the gun and tucked it in the waistband of her jeans.

Not wishing to know the details of events transpiring mere feet from where she stood, Annie opened the window and stepped out onto the ledge, inching along
, her back pressed against the building’s cold stone.

The thought struck her that if she fell she would most probably kill her unborn child. But she would not fall.
She was familiar with this particular drill. Being a sneaky little bitch was the only way she’d attained any freedom as a child. And just as she’d done back in those days, she deftly dropped from the ledge to the porch roof, and from there she eased herself down to the ground, trying to ignore the fact that there were cameras everywhere, not to mention dogs, and that it would only be a matter of moments before somebody realized what she was up to.

Something had gone terribly wrong inside the mansion, she was sure of it. And as she moved stealthily
across the estate’s lawn her thoughts ran a gamut. Perhaps assassins were attempting to kill her father. Perhaps it was she that they wanted, or the child she carried inside her. No matter. Annie knew that she could not waver in her resolve to put distance between her and her father. She knew things about the man now that she’d never known before. There was something supernatural—perhaps even inhuman—about him. How was he even alive? He was born hundreds of years ago. How was that possible? And what did it make her? What implications did it have for her unborn child?

In the distance, somewhere out behind the mansion, the sky was lit by a massive fire.

Movement up ahead made her hesitate, then stop. Squinting through the pre-dawn half-light she caught sight of a figure. A few more tentative steps forward and she identified the interloper.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Greta said.

“Wherever the hell I please.”

“
No way. You need to come with me.”

“
I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You need to get to a safe location.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“
I’m only concerned with the baby,” Greta said.

“
You’ll never touch this child,” Annie said. “Now get the hell out of my way before I run you over.” Annie tried to go around the woman, but Greta leapt at her like a cat. Her arm came up and Annie saw the glint of a hypodermic needle. Annie easily sidestepped the woman. Greta tore past her, lost her balance, staggered and went down. She clawed her way to her feet and began moving slowing toward Annie, stalking her like a predator, the needle fisted like a weapon.

“You’ve caused me nothing but trouble, you little bitch,” Greta growled. “I’m done with it.
I’m done with
you.”

Annie
laughed in the woman’s face. “How come they sent you?”

“No one sent me. I
know your every move. My job is to keep you in line.”