Page 41 of Dead End

“Posy Martell.”

“That horrible siren?”

I nodded. That horrible siren had been unsuccessful in her rebellion, not that I was surprised. Although she’d had a few advantages in her favor, she’d still been one supernatural against a host of deities on their home turf. Even with Apep as a distraction, the odds were against her.

“I should’ve stayed and fought alongside her,” I said.

Ray pondered me. “Why would you have done that? She was the reason you ended up there in the first place.”

“She was a symptom of a larger problem.”

“Why send her head to you?”

“This is The Corporation’s warning shot.”

“They sure picked a gruesome one.”

“Yep.” Ziz hadn’t simply come to tear up my yard in retribution. He was acting as a harbinger of doom,delivering a message direct from The Corporation’s headquarters.

“What should we do with it?”

My gaze drifted to the cemetery. “We have space for her. I’ll get the shovel.”

“No,” Ray said. “I can do that for you.”

“I appreciate the offer, but this is my mess. I need to be the one to clean it up.”

“What should I tell Ingrid? I don’t want to freak her out.”

“Tell her the bad guys are closing in.”

“I said Idon’twant to freak her out.”

“There’s no way to tiptoe around it. They’re coming, and we can’t pretend otherwise.”

I buried the head in the cemetery and said a few words in her honor. I knew the siren would’ve preferred a burial at sea, but I didn’t have the luxury of travel right now. Once I finished the unwelcome task, I tugged my phone from my pocket and sent an alert to the group chat.

Chief Garcia was the first to call. I gave her a brief overview of the situation.

“You’re sure this bird will come back?”

“Maybe not Ziz, but I’m sure something will be next for an encore.”

“Okay. How am I supposed to keep people indoors? I only just lifted the curfew.”

“Say whatever you have to. A chemical spill. Noxious fumes. Dozens of infected primates escaped from a nearby lab.”

“Sadly, that last one is the most believable these days.” She sighed. “I appreciate the update, Lorelei. It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back.”

“I understand Kane is with you.”

“Yes, he’s sleeping. The more he rests, the faster he heals.”

“Tell him… Tell him we’re sorry we couldn’t do more.”

It seemed that guilt was in ample supply in Fairhaven. “He knows, but thank you for saying it.”

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