Page 40 of Death Wish

I didn’t have time to ponder the question long enough because the hot barrel of a gun singed the skin on the back of my neck. At the same time, Wyatt’s gruff voice barked, “Don’t move or I’ll blow your head off your shoulders.”

The sting of the overused gun—I felt it. It hurt, like someone stabbing my neck with a poker that had been lying in a burning fire.

It was real, and I felt it.

But again, I didn’t have time to revel in it because then came the sudden severity of the situation crashing down on me. Wyatt could see me. He thought I was a threat because he didn’t know who I was. And he was about to blow my head off.

“Wyatt… I know this all seems weird now, but I’m not one of those Halflings.”

He jabbed me again with the barrel, making me wince. “How do you know my name? Who the fuck are you?”

“Whoa.” Cole pushed himself off the Jeep, hands up. “Put the gun down, Wyatt. She’s a friend of mine.”

The gun left my skin, and from the corner of my eye, I could see it now hovering over my shoulder, pointed at Cole. “And who the fuck are you? Or what are you, I should say.”

Oh shit. He must have seen Cole use his Hellfire.

“All this time you’ve been one—one of those things? A demon?”

“Yes and no. Wyatt, please. You have to let me explain.” Cole’s calm voice and demeanor were way better than my own. My body was shaking, and I couldn’t seem to make it stop.

“All this time…” A bit of disappointment leached into Wyatt’s tone, but it was quickly replaced with anger. “All this time! I let you in my home! You played me!”

The gun’s safety clicked off.

Would I be able to disarm him faster than he could fire the thing? Time to check my skills.

I whipped my elbow up, hitting the gun’s barrel into the air at the same time the loud boom sounded and a plume of smoke exploded from the end. Startled, he let go of the weapon—better for me because I didn’t want to hit him to make him drop it. He was still an old man after all. A ruthless and persistent old man, but one nonetheless.

When I snatched the gun before it reached the floor and dispelled the empty shells in one swift motion, Wyatt stumbled back, eyes wide. I could hear Cole’s “Wow” from behind me.

I grinned. Whoever I was while alive, I must have been interesting. Maybe I was part of the S.W.A.T. team or a ninja.

Glancing over my shoulder at Cole, I said, “I told you I could fight. But no, you wanted to leave it to the boys, right?”

A smile lifted his mouth. “Feel free to prove me wrong again in the future.”

I’d have to remember that.

The clatter of the trailer’s door opening had us all turning that way.

“Pop!” Sean was on the porch, looking relieved to see us all alive and the Halfling creatures gone. “Jesus Christ, Pop! I can’t keep doing this! I’ll have a heart attack before I’m thirty.”

I held out the shotgun for Wyatt to take. “Let’s go back inside, and we can talk this out. Figure out what’s going on.”

Wyatt’s gaze danced between me, Cole, and the gun, as if he were debating which would be the best option. He did nothing else for a long moment, but then, he reached out hesitantly and wrapped his fingers around the barrel.

“I would suggest not trying to shoot me again,” I said with a smile, but it fell the moment I realized how intimidating I may have looked. I quickly added, “Let’s just go inside before those things come back.”

Wyatt nodded, and to my surprise, made no move to reload the gun or shoot us. We all walked up the porch and went back inside. Immediately, Wyatt pointed to the armchair and gave Cole a hard look.

“Sit,” he said. “You owe me answers.”

Cole threw me a sympathetic look and then stepped over the many boxes and papers to the armchair in front of the desk.

Behind me, Sean locked the door. “Pop, what’s going on?”

“Shut it, Sean. It seems our old friend hasn’t been completely honest with us all these years.”

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