11
RYDER
I’d almost confessed everything. The words had been hard to dredge up, but once they’d reached my tongue, I’d had to hold back the worst of it. Thankfully, Ness had changed the subject and given me the opportunity to shut my mouth. The plan we’d come up with had been agreeable.
Night had fallen while we’d discussed our options. I’d offered to let her stay. At least I would know she was safe if she stayed. Instead, she declined. My beast snarled when she left. The creature told me to follow her because she would inevitably find herself in the middle of another fight again.
I declined, much to my beast’s frustration. I couldn’t babysit her at all times. Eventually, Morgan would catch up to me. I didn’t want to be in the middle of an altercation with Ness’s enemies when my brother arrived. That wouldn’t be fair to Ness.
Glancing at my burner phone, I wondered if Morgan had noticed that my other phone had stopped moving. I’d turned it off days ago, but Morgan had always been better with technology than me.
For reasons beyond my understanding, I hadn’t been able to get rid of my phone. I’d clung to the photos and old voice recordings. It was all I had left of a life I would never get back.
Dad, telling me he was proud of me.
My brother, wishing me a happy birthday.
Mom, complaining that I’d forgotten to take the trash out again.
I missed them all more than I wanted to admit. They meant everything to me. I’d done it all for them.
I had to remind myself of that. Though there was blood on my hands, I’d done it to protect those I loved—both the living and the memories of the now-dead.
“Fuck,” I whispered into the dark room.
I pressed my hand to my eyes and tried to blot out the memories rising there. I could almost see Dad’s face right before…
Thunder cracked overhead.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Could that dog not stay out of trouble for more than an hour?
I rolled off the couch. The moment my boots hit the floor, the burner phone lit up. I grabbed it, thinking that Ness had called for help. Of course, had I been thinking, I would have remembered that the storms only appeared while she was in her hound form.
I would have stopped and looked at the number on the screen, instead of answering the call and holding it to my ear.
The voice that said my name made my stomach hit the floor.
Morgan snarled. “I don’t know where you are right this minute, brother, but I’m going to find you soon. You’re going to pay for what you did, traitor.”
I could have explained myself, but my tongue twisted. The words were caught behind the knot in my mouth. Nothing came out. Silence crackled over the line, occasionally broken by Morgan’s growl.
I almost wished Ness had stayed the night. Then I could have handed the phone over to her and had her lie for me. That would have raised a million questions, but it would have given me a little more time. Now, I would have to destroy this phone and hope that Morgan hadn’t tracked it to Syracuse.
Unable to speak, I hung up on Morgan. I stared at the cell phone in my hand for a long while before crushing it in my grasp. Small pieces of plastic crumpled and clattered on the floor. Glass from the screen pierced the mound of my thumb. I blew out a breath to steady myself and slowly pulled it out.
The wound closed while I tossed the blood-covered glass onto the coffee table. If it stained, I would find a way to pay the rental owner for the damages. Right now, I was more concerned with my brother.
How had he found me so quickly? I knew technology had made hiding difficult, but I never thought he would work that fast. I should have known better. After what I did? Of course, Morgan would use everything at his disposal to find me.
I cursed and stood so I could throw away the remnants of the phone. Though I wanted to fling it into the lake, I wasn’t about to pollute Beryl’s waters. I already had enough trouble on my plate.
Ness
I sprinted through Lakesedge.The top of my house appeared ahead, sending hope fluttering through me. I just had to make it to the back door. If I could get inside, then I would be safe. Harvey wouldn’t bother my parents.
Just as the rush of hope appeared, Harvey leapt out in front of me. His claws made a horrendous scraping sound as he landed and spun toward me. He went in for a bite. I dodged out of the way of his snapping jaws at the last second.
Small and agile, I dropped and flung myself under his body. I slid past him and jumped back to my feet. Harvey wasted no time in spinning. He pounced on me and shoved me into the ground.