Pocket Lint the Third, Esquire scoots into action, racing after me until I scoop her up and hurry out the door, only to narrowly dodge Valerie.
“Your siren screeches will not work on my ears, devil!” I shout as I smack an invoice to her forehead, tape and all, before I scurry on my way.
The only issue is Ellison must know a sneaky, sneaky way out of here because by the time I make it to the surface he’s long gone, and I’m forced to hijack some man’s car as he’s pulling into the parking lot.
He even gives me a little money for some reason… maybe for gas.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ELLISON
I stare at my mother and find that even though I came here to tell her, I can’t get myself to say anything. I was going to tell her everything, tell her that he’s back in my life, but instead, I end up staring at her while no words reach my lips.
“Do you not realize how busy I am? I left work to meet you here,” she says.
“I know.”
“You think I have all day to sit and look at you?”
My head is fuzzy, blurry… it aches… I need to tell her. I need to tell her that the reason our life went to hell has returned. I need to tell her everything. I need to…
“I need a moment.”
She’s staring at me but says nothing when I get up and rush for the bathroom. Someone’s in it, so I take the stairs up to the second floor, up to where my bathroom is that I used growing up. I hurry inside and claw at my neck until I can get the fucking scarf off and toss it. I stick my head under the faucet and let cold water pour over my face as I close my eyes and try to regain thecomposure I’ve always held. It was always best that way because no one would get close to me.
Everyone always assumed I was an asshole and had no interest in getting to know me. They took it upon themselves to stay away from me, and it was honestly for the best. But now…
I look up at the mirror and run my fingers over the bruise around my neck from the hand that’d been wrapped around it. It’s already turning dark, and I know if Asmodeus saw it, he would lose his mind.
What if this happened to Asmodeus or Landon or anyone else? I need to part ways with them. Maybe Valerie will transfer me to another city, far away from the people in this one. Will that monster leave them alone then?
My finger stops when I realize that one of the marks wasn’t left by him… it was left by Asmodeus when he’d bitten and sucked on my neck. My finger trails over it.
“Fuck.”
I drop my head in my hands and then push away from the sink, grabbing the scarf as I go. Quickly, I wind it around my throat before moving down the hallway, but partway down, I stop outside a closed door.
I press my hand against it and slowly swing it open before looking inside. Everything is perfectly arranged, just like my brother is going to walk though this door at any minute. My hand is on the doorframe, prepared to step inside, but it feels wrong to do so. It feels like I don’t deserve it.
I shut the door and hurry down the stairs and out the back door. I’m not sure if my mother is still waiting for me in the living room, but I can’t face her right now. Instead, I start walking away from the house, away from my car, just away from everything. She lives far from any neighbors, so the area around the house is wooded, and a creek runs not too far from it. So Ikeep walking, having no idea where I’m going, but needing to get away from it all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
DEUS
I lower my scope.
“Target acquired,” I say as I hop out of the car and scurry off in the direction Ellison just went. Pocket Lint is tucked in my shirt, peeking out and ready to fuck up the first thing that looks at us wrong.
Honestly, I assume the first person who will try to stop me will be one of Beatrice’s irritations, but instead, it’s Ellison’s illusion.
“Well, hello, handsome,” I purr.
The illusion stares at me, already unimpressed. Ellison does like to play hard to get, after all.
“You left without me, so I had to steal some man’s car to follow you. I think he cried a little, but it should be fine as long as I don’t end up in some cross fire on the way back to headquarters.”
“Why would you end up in cross fire?”
