“I shot Will before I left. They’ll find two bodies, your house, a plane ticket in Brody’s name that’s heading to Mexico tonight, and Brody’s gun.” Garett smirks, looking pleased. His arms snake around me again to pull me close. The cool rain continues to fall around us but it doesn’t deter the raging flames consuming the house. “Should lead them to believe Brody killed us and fled.” He looks at Luke. “Hope you saved that alternate passport and identification that I had you buy.”
“So,” I begin, pulling my savior’s attention back down to me. “We’re ghosts is what you’re saying?”
His lips pull into a smirk. He leans down, placing his forehead against mine. “We can be whoever you want and do whatever you want, my love. We’re finally free.”
My heart swells at his words.Free. In death we’ve finally found the opportunity to shed the demons keeping us in the darkness. Born from fire and ashes of the past we burned to the ground—we’ve found the ability to fly.
“What if someone comes looking for Will or Erika?” Luke counters, breaking our bubble.
Garett rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Liv replies.
“Daddy is used to Erika running off,” she says, her tone filled with disgust. “Everyone will probably assume she and Will got themselves involved in something they shouldn’t have.”
“They did,” Luke grumbles but he seems satisfied.
“So, that’s it?” Celeste asks, almost in disbelief. “This is really it? The end?”
“No,” Garett says before laying a chaste kiss against my lips. “This is just the beginning.”
Epilogue
Detective Kaitlin Pierce
This airport is much bigger than the smaller ones I’m used to flying out of. People are running every which way. Anxiety and the fear of missing their flight forcing them to throw decency and kindness out the window. I get elbowed by a man speed walking in the opposite direction, his phone glued to his ear.
“Watch where you’re going,” Keith—Officer Tennyson, shouts over his shoulder at the man who turns to scowl before hurrying on his way.
“It’s fine,” I mumble, grabbing him…well, I’m not quite surewhat Office Tennyson is to me or why I asked him to come with me today, by the arm and leading him away. “We have more important things to worry about.”
My eyes scan the crowd of people rushing through the wide open space of the departure floor. It’s a sea of faces, and among them is the one person I want—no—needto find.
“You sure she’ll be here?” my partner asks beside me as his eyes also scan the crowd.
“Positive,” I say, though I’m feeling a lot less certain than I sound.
And then, something catches my eye—a flash of bright red hair. My eyes hone in and follow the small head weaving through the crowds. It’s her. I know it.
“Ten o’clock,” I tell Tennyson, nodding toward the glimpse of red hair in the crowd.
His eyes narrow as he notices her as well. We both take off in opposite directions, moving swiftly but carefully through the crowd in order to corner her without spooking her. A lost looking lady with a large wheely bag crosses my path, cutting me off.
“Damn it,” I mumble under my breath as I cut through people to go around her.
I’m closing in, getting closer and closer with each moment. Until she turns, her wide hazel eyes finding me in the crowd. Allison Clarke’s face is dotted with fear. She tries to push forward toward escape, but it’s no use, I’m on her in mere moments.
“Allison,” I whisper quietly when I get close enough so as not to alert others around us. “I need you to come with me.”
“You must have me confused with someone else,” she says as her eyes frantically look anywhere but at my gaze. “I need to catch my flight.”
“Allison, if you walk away right now, I’ll have no choice but toreveal that you faked your death and ask for an arrest warrant.”
A flicker of defiance flashes across her eyes. I catch a glimpse of the woman beneath, the one who would let a monster lead her into the darkness of the abyss.
“You’d have a strong case for battered woman syndrome, Allison,” I plead with her. “We could probably get you off with minimal time.”
She scoffs. “I am not weak, Detective. And for the first time in a long time, I’m in control.”
Her eyes flick to the security line behind us. A tall man with dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and swirling tattoos is watching us intently. A ghost brought back from the dead, standing in the fucking airport of all place.
