Page 114 of Behind the Shadows
The Pied Piper stepped past me, and for a moment, I caught his scent—a mix of expensive cigars and leather. He paused, glancing over his shoulder, gaze sharp enough to pin me in place, lips curled into a semblance of a smile so fucking creepy my skin crawled.
“Xavier says hello, and he’s doing well. I’m quite proud of the progress he’s made.”
His words—that name—dropped like a blade. Not a message but a warning.
Without another glance, he opened the door and snapped it shut behind him.
My breath caught, and my hands shook as I lowered myself to the floor, the cracked hardwood biting at my palms.
“I have a message for Xavier too,” I whispered to the empty room. “Fucking die.”
We never talked about Xavier. Not about who he is. Not after what happened. Not after Death let him go.
Breath sawed in and out of me, every inhale stinging like a dry cough. All the other betrayals in my life—my mother, Uncle Vinny—they paled in comparison to what I’d done to Death. Fury flared to life inside my chest at the Pied Piper. At the same time, I admired the scope of his cruelty. It was genius in its comprehensiveness, an elegant calculus that accounted for every possible outcome before it ever began.
I thought of Holland—her frantic, generous mouth, her hands on either side of my face, the way she’d always looked at me like I was about to perform some miracle. She deserved someone better. But she was one of the few people who understood my darkness, which made sense since her father was beyond a monster. He was pure evil.
When I looked down, the cross caught a ray of light filtering in from the window. The camera. The tracker. The gift that wasn’t a gift. I wondered if Dope could remove what the Pied Piper had planted in it. It wouldn’t matter if I went to Dope’s and the Pied Piper tracked me; he already knew where Dope lived and all our conversations. I would give him this last one. I stood, grabbed my cross from the kitchen counter, and walked out the door. I pulled out my cell and laughed when I saw therewas no signal. It would be a long fucking walk before I got any, but it would give me time to figure out what the fuck I was going to tell my best friends … and the love of my life. How would I tell someone I helped destroy them? That I was the weapon they never saw coming?
50
KIP
After almost three hours of walking, my phone was finally in range. The only person I wanted to see was Holland. I couldn’t handle facing Death and Dope yet. Even with the long walk, my mind was spinning out. Guilt, anger, then depression cycled through me like a hurricane, dragging me out to sea after every horrible cycle. I needed my little ghost. I needed to hold her, feel her warmth against me as I searched for any good in my dark, fucked-up world.
When I tracked her car, the map showed she was almost there, and I looked around my surroundings. I was in the middle of fucking nowhere with open fields and no landmarks. I added a pin to the map to find the cross later. I tugged on my necklace, releasing the catch, then found a safe place about ten steps off the road. I kicked at the dirt until I’d dug a shallow hole with my shoe. I placed the cross in the ground, then covered it back up. Hopefully, it would be safe until I could return and have Dope help me remove any tracking and video equipment.
It was another ten minutes before she pulled up on the country road next to me. Exhausted, I climbed into the car.
“Kip.” She grabbed me and kissed my mouth. “Are you okay? What happened?” She rubbed my arm, her gaze scanning me from head to toe, worry clouding her expression.
“It’s a long story, but your father said hello.” I rubbed my face, my hands and body covered in dirt from walking through the woods.
“Shit. You were with him?” The muscles in her shoulders visibly tensed as she shifted into drive and made a U-turn.
“Yeah. I would love a shower and some food before we talk. I’m okay. You’re safe. I’m safe, so please don’t worry.” I reached out and stroked the back of her head, red strands feeling like silk beneath my fingertips. “I love you, Holland. And if it matters to you, we have your father’s blessing.”
Her jaw clenched for a second. “He found you because of me?”
“No, babe. He found you because ofme.” I leaned back in the seat, sinking into the soft leather of her rental car. Did she realize she could return it now that Cooper and Draco were dead? At least those fuckers wouldn’t mess with her again. Her father and I had made sure of that. My stomach rolled with the looming conversation.
“I know it’s a big favor to ask you to wait, but I need to wrap my head around what happened. It was only a conversation, but it was a big one.”
“Okay. But you promise you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you?”
“No. He didn’t touch me. His goons did, but … fuck. They ran me off the road and I’m pretty sure my car is totaled. Not to mention they knocked me out, so I have a killer headache.”
“Kip! You could have died.” She dared a quick glance at me, tears welling in her eyes.
“I love that my little ghost worries about me, but baby, I’ve lived through a helluva lot worse. I’m fine.”
She nodded and followed with a little sniffle.
“Here’s what I’m super clear on. I love you. I hope like hell you can say the same after I tell you everything.”
“Why would that change? You know I love you. We’ve walked through hell and back, and we’re still here for each other. Don’t doubt me now. I love my monster.” She flashed me a sweet smile, and my heart melted in my chest.
Holland had no idea how much good was in her. The darkness too, but she genuinely cared about most people. She wanted to help. She was a much better person than I was. Reaching for her hand, I leaned my head against the seat, willing the cold reality to stop fucking with me for just a little bit.
