The Empath (The Above and Beyond Series Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter 66

ELI WALKED OUT of city hall and wandered toward the oak tree. His head throbbed with a mammoth headache. Jenny was at her mother’s with the girls and not only wasn’t she talking to him, it was all his fault. He slumped down in the shade, pulled his meds out of his pocket, and smiled at them. Aeron’s voice called out in his memory. “Take your damn tablets.” She was some kid that one.

He had wanted all day to go and see Aeron in the hospital. He’d called and been told she was fine but there was so much he hadn’t said to her. So much he wanted to explain, but she’d told him, in no uncertain terms, to stay away. He’d run roughshod over her feelings her entire life, it was the least he could do to honor that.

The sight of her lying helpless in a heap on the ground tore at his heart. Why did they all hate her so much? She never did a damn thing to them. He scowled. He’d charged every damn one of the cowards, backed up by the Feds each step of the way. Mary was the only one who had wriggled out of the loop because, like always, she hadn’t done a thing. All he’d had on her was inciting violence. Even the thought of her crocodile tears made his chest ache. She’d always been the same. Stir the pot and watch it boil. Witch.

He rubbed his stinging eyes and tried to blink back the tears. He could have lost Aeron today, he could have lost her and never told her the truth. He needed to right that. He needed to tell her, even if she never talked to him again. No more lies. 

“Chief?” Skip ran up to him.

Eli pulled out his hanky and wiped his tears away. “What now?” What the hell else could they throw at him?

Skip bounced from one foot to the other on the sidewalk as if he didn’t want to get too close. “Jenny called.” He thumbed to the city hall. “She’s gone back to the house, get her things.”

“Good riddance,” Eli muttered. “Anything else?”

Skip shook his head then nodded, then shrugged. “You know about the Feds skipping town, so pretty much nothing.”

With nothing useful to offer Skip, he pocketed his meds. “No news is good news.”

He looked up and saw Aeron hobbling down the street. Was it Aeron? He blinked a few times, it had to be. Without thinking he hurried to her, forgetting his vow to stay away, forgetting everything.

“What are you doing out?” His voice shrill to his own ears. It wasn’t meant to sound like an accusation.

Aeron looked at him, then looked through him and started to walk past.

Eli’s heart crumbled, and he gripped hold of his chest. Her cheek was swollen, her forehead sported a Band-Aid. He couldn’t bear it, her indifference, he had to make it right. “Please . . . Aeron, let me explain.”

Aeron kept walking and he caught hold of her hand.

“Please.”

Aeron turned to yell, to scream at him. He could see the explosion ready to erupt but instead her eyes rolled back and she dropped to the ground.

He caught and cradled her. “Get a medic. Now!” he called to Skip, who ran into city hall.

“Aeron, sweetheart.” Her body was limp. “Oh, God . . . please . . . please.” He brushed her hair from her face, his fingers trembling. “What’s happening?”

Aeron started to spasm and twitch, her body writhing like she was being hit by electric shocks.

Eli clung onto her, praying help would come quickly. “Aeron!”
 

WELL HELLO, JENNY . . . must have thought that little scar on your face stopped me seeing you . . . but it’s all right, I’m watching. I see you. I’ve been waiting, waiting for just the right moment. Do you remember the fun we used to have? Do you? Before you got so ugly? Oh yes, Jenny . . . You even thought I cared, didn’t you?

I’m going to show you some fun now. I’m going to give you just what you deserve. Oh, yes . . . Marrying an old man, how pathetic. Did you really think anyone could love you? With a face like yours? Come now, even before you got all sliced up, you were always so dull, so tight, narrow, so . . . ugly.

I’ll change that for you right now. You can be special now, you can help me to achieve greatness. Yes, it’s the least you could do, Jenny. You owe me so much . . . you do, for taking the time out to collect you. Yes, we can have some fun . . . you can even bring the girls.
 

ELI TOOK OFF his belt and fed it in between Aeron’s teeth, hoping like hell it would stop her biting off her tongue. The hospital must have missed something.

“Aeron!” Renee shouted. She ran down the sidewalk and slid to her knees on the other side of Aeron. “What happened?”

Eli shook his head, helpless. “I wanted to explain, I told her. I grabbed her hand and she went to yell.” What had he done, what had happened to her? “Her eyes rolled.”

Renee pulled off her jacket and tucked it under Aeron’s head. Eli looked up to see folks pour out of the caf
é
, the shops and the hairdressers as Aeron lay having an epileptic fit on the street.

“Don’t you have something better to do?” he shouted. These people were sick. Were they just going to stand and watch?

His tears pulsed down his cheeks. She was getting worse. He stroked her forehead and kissed it softly. His baby girl, his beautiful baby girl. He’d failed her, failed her so bad.

Abe sauntered across the street to them, and the smile on his face tore at Eli’s heart. “Let’s hope she doesn’t make it. Safer for us all.”

Eli shot to his feet and hit his brother so hard that his own knuckles cracked. “You sick son-of-a—”

“Eli, she’s . . . I don’t know . . . she’s getting worse,” Renee called to him.

Eli looked down at Abe sprawled on the sidewalk. He’d been obedient and silent when the family turned their backs. He’d listened to everyone. How could Abe say that about Aeron? How?

“God, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I listened to them,” he said, returning to Aeron’s side.

He only prayed that one day he could tell her that, tell her everything.
 

JENNY OPENED THE door. The last person she expected to see. “What the hell do you want? Eli send you?” She looked down at the gun. “What are you doing?”

The trigger squeezed, the flash from the barrel. Agony ripped through her stomach, agony and panic. The girls, not the girls, no.

“Run . . . Run!”

Crack, the gun fires. Scream, the pain spread. “Run!”

The girls run, oh no . . . No! Ropes around their arms and legs, squeals and screams, sobbing and wailing. The vase on the table . . . reach . . . reach . . . bloody fingers . . . you will not take them . . .

“What are you doing, Jenny?”

“
No
!”

Crack
, the gun fired again. Breathe . . . no . . . the girls . . . no
. . . The vase so far away . . . in the dark . . . the pain . . . the pain . . . it’s so . . . it’s too . . .
 

RENEE GRIPPED HOLD of Aeron, trying to show her, through her fit, that someone was there, that she wasn’t alone in this. The crowd was around them, blocking out the last rays of sun. A morbid fascination. As if they were willing Aeron to lose her fight.

“Jenny, Jenny in trouble . . . girls . . . trouble . . . now . . .” Aeron mumbled and thrashed about.

“What?” Eli ducked Aeron’s flailing arm..

“It’s a vision.” Renee only hoped it wouldn’t kill her. It was worse than it had been on the roof, so much worse. “She can see.” Last time she’d had a vision . . . Renee’s heart hammered. “Where’s Jenny?”

“She’s in the house,” Eli answered.

“Why? She was meant to stay—”

Eli sighed. “I know . . . she went back for her things.”

Renee held Aeron’s hand tighter as she twitched. Was it calming? “Maybe you should go . . . Go to her?”

Eli shook his head. “I’m not leaving her, not here.” He glanced at city hall. “Where the hell is Skip?”

“Run . . . no . . . run!” Aeron spasmed, her back arched, and Renee tried to shove the coat back underneath. If she’d not gone to the cabin first, if she’d not walked into town, she could have been here sooner, maybe stopped it.

The crowd moved back in fear. Renee glared up at them. Why weren’t any of them running for help? Why weren’t they doing something?

“Eli!” Skip barged his way through the crowd. “Eli! First response is at your house.”

Eli looked up at Skip, then down to Aeron. “It’s a vision? It’s really a vision?”

“You need to go,” Renee said again.

The crowd rumbled with the realization that Aeron
was
seeing something, but what?

Aeron opened her eyes, just the whites showing. “
No
!”

Eli fell back onto his knees as Renee tried to restrain Aeron. Her heart pounded with every agonizing scream. It was horrific.

Aeron sobbed, wailed, and screamed. “No . . . please . . . no . . . reach the vase . . . please!”

Skip went to Eli’s side. “Eli, you gotta come. Come quick.” He yanked at Eli’s arm. “It’s Jenny. The response couldn’t get there in time.”

Eli’s face drained of color. “Jenny?”

“Yeah.” Skip’s chin wobbled as he took a breath. “Gun man, there were shots.”

Eli stumbled to his feet. “Skip, help Renee get Aeron back home.” He rubbed a hand over his chest. “Get her home, away from here.”

Skip nodded, and Renee felt Aeron shiver underneath her. She fell limp.

“Go,” Renee whispered to Eli.

He nodded and staggered through the crowd.

“Help me get her up,” Renee told Skip.

“Course—”

“Let me help.” Bill pushed his way through the crowd. “Let me help her.”

Renee nodded, rubbing away her tears as he took Aeron into his arms.

Bill glared at the crowd. “What the hell’s the matter with y’all? She saved my son!” He stormed at the people and they stumbled out of his way.

Skip took Renee’s arm and guided her past the shocked crowd. Her whole body shuddered with sobs and worry so intense it hurt to breathe, to move, to think.

“My truck’s on the corner. Hospital?” Bill asked.

Renee shook her head. “There’s nothing they can do. All we can do is pray that she makes it.”

Bill nodded and headed down the street. The distant sirens rang out in the evening air.

“Jenny. She didn’t make it.” Skip’s eyes filled with tears. “She fought.” He cleared his throat. “Same van spotted.”

“If you tell me Aeron was driving—”

“She was.” He shook his head and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, ma’am, but she didn’t shoot nobody.”

Renee touched Skip’s arm. She could see the depth of mourning in his eyes. Every death was like a nail in their hope and safety. Every victim taken like a rip in their souls.

“What about the girls?” Renee held Aeron’s head as Bill placed her into his truck.

“Unless they’re with Jenny’s mom . . .”

Renee looked down at Aeron, who was crying and whimpering like a child.

Fear rippled down her arms, through her body, churning in her stomach. “Come on.” She climbed into the back and lifted Aeron’s head onto her lap. “Wake up.” She brushed the hair from Aeron’s face and stroked her forehead. “We need you. We need to know.”