Page 16 of Death Wish

Laurence swiped at the air in warning, like an animal might with another encroaching predator.

A gunshot rang out, but in a blur of speed, Laurence had leapt onto the counter. Cole’s bullet missed. When Laurence snarled again, the hideous face was back with a purplish tongue slithering out. More shots but Laurence bounced from the counter to the display case to the floor to one of the small customer tables. He moved so fast, he appeared to be little more than a blur of color and speed. Cole kept trying to shoot him, but his bullets weren’t landing.

I glanced around for something I could use to help then cursed. I couldn’t grab anything on this plane. There was a table behind us, and I ushered Kay behind it to keep her hidden from the beast.

“Stay here,” I whispered to her. “Don’t move.”

She nodded frantically. I didn’t need to tell her twice.

Fingers dug into my wounded shoulder, and I yelled as fresh pain shot through every nerve. Another animalistic sound before I was thrown across the room and then slid on the tile. A round of clicks sounded and then a string of angry curses. Cole was out of bullets.

Kay’s screams filled my ears as the creature leaned forward, his hand reaching for her. She kicked and clawed at him. I scrambled to my feet and ran at him, then quickly slapped my ungloved hand against the exposed skin on his upper arm. There was a bright white light and a strange sizzling sound. The smell of burned flesh and singed hair hit my nose, making my stomach roil.

Laurence bellowed. As the light consumed the room, blinding me, I felt him jerk away. The loss of contact extinguished the light.

Immediately, a sharp pain spiked through my temples, and my world swayed. I locked my knees to prevent myself from spilling over.

Now wasn’t the time to pass out.

By the time it took my eyes to adjust again, Laurence’s distinct figure disappeared through the broken front door.

Cole rubbed his eyes to refocus them. Once he realized Laurence was gone, he ran to the door and leaned out. A flurry of curses escaped his mouth, and he punched the wall hard enough to dent the plaster.

“Fuck!” he shouted one last time for good measure and shook out his wrist. There was a glint of blood on his knuckles.

The severity of what had just happened socked me in the gut. I had touched Laurence, expecting to kill him, or whatever beast had taken him over. Not shoot white light from my fingertips. And the burning skin? That was new.

And terrifying, quite frankly.

I looked at my bare palm, expecting it to look different, but the same pale skin I was used to was there. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Kay crawled out from behind the table. “Is he gone?” she asked, her voice shaking.

When Cole marched back inside, I finally got a proper chance to look at him. Even with his expression heavy with raw anger, he was strikingly handsome. Blond hair, crusted with mud, was mussed as if he had styled it beforehand with some kind of gel. A growing beard and mustache shadowed his strong jawline and full mouth, and a new cut across his cheek, just above another faded scar. Even with the oversized jacket on, his wide shoulders and muscular build were obvious.

If it wasn’t for the cuts and bruises, I would have guessed he had a career in modeling or TV. Not mercenary work. He reminded me of a college pretty boy, not a ruthless killer.

But I had seen him shoot that gun, and he definitely was familiar with it.

“Yes. He’s gone.” Cole’s voice was as surprising as the rest of him. A deep sound that was a bit too gravelly and severe to match his golden-boy exterior.

His blue-eyed gaze shifted to me. “What was that?”

I held up my hand and wiggled my fingers. “Oh, the old emitting lights from my fingers thing?” A too-fake laugh spilled out without my control. In that moment, I wanted to laugh and cry, and I had no idea why. But I reined my hysterical fit in as much as I could and said as calmly as I could manage, “I have no idea.”

Cole’s stare told me he didn’t believe me, but I ignored it. It was my turn to ask questions.

“What was that thing? Laurence—”

“That wasn’t Laurence,” Cole interrupted. “Not entirely, at least.”

Kay moved to my side, rubbing her arms. She was shaking, and every so often, she glanced at the door, as if the thing that had attacked us was due to return at any moment.

“So, you saw the weird creature face underneath Laurence’s, too?” I asked.

Cole cocked his head.

I glanced at Kay, who looked just as confused.

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