Page 120 of A Step You Shouldn't Take

Katia’s phone pinged, and she glanced at the screen.

“Your car’s waiting outside. You promise you’ll both come over for dinner on Sunday?”

I gave her a quick hug. “We promise. No pizza, no sandwiches.”

“Got it. The chef’s promised to create something special.”

Reed helped me out to the elevator, and I smiled as the doors closed. I’d done better than I ever thought possible out of this ordeal. Peter was dead, and I was alive, properly alive, whereas before I’d just been going through the motions. In the past, I’d only had a handful of friends—Annie, Kayla, and perhaps Maria—but now I’d more than doubled my little circle. Yes, I’d always hate Peter for what he was and what he did, but a tiny part of me wanted to thank him too.

I pulled Reed down to my level so I could kiss him on the cheek.

“I love you, Mr. Jennings.”

“Love you too, Mrs. Cullen.”

***

Three weeks had passed since we left the hotel, and at times, I’d thought today would never end. Only my third full day back at work, and I’d had a budget meeting with a new client, gone venue hunting for Bridezilla’s fiercer cousin, undertaken a tense negotiation with a DJ who also happened to be the groom’s nephew and thought the entire wedding revolved around his set, then drawn up a minute-by-minute timeline for Maria’s wedding day. But now everything was finished, and I couldn’t wait to get home, not least so I could take my shoes off. My feet still hurt, but the swelling had gone down enough for me to wear pumps again.

“Are you almost done?” I called out to Emma.

“Five minutes. I promised this guy I’d get back to him today.”

As predicted, Emma had moved back in with Wyatt, but when he went to work, she hated being home alone. Reed and I couldn’t take time off either, not when our phones were ringing off the hook after all the press coverage, so we’d come up with a different solution. A week ago, I’d promoted Kayla from receptionist to wedding planner to help deal with the extra work, and Emma came to work at Just Imagine. We had Reed’s calls diverted through our switchboard so she could do his admin too. A perfect solution, even if she didn’t share my love of pastels.

I should have been happy, but today I was struggling to smile because after extending their trip, Will and Rania were finally flying home tomorrow morning. Saying goodbye would be hard, even with Skype and email and the fact that Reed and I had promised to take a trip to England soon. Somehow, I’d get myself onto that airplane.

On the surface, Rania and I couldn’t have been more different. She’d grown up in Syria, a victim of the civil war that had torn the country apart, and when she told me a bit about her teenage years, I’d wept along with her. And now I knew why she was so tough. Out there, shehadtried to fulfil her Electi duties, even though she hated the curse, as she called it. While I agonised over what shoes went best with which dress, she’d been fighting for her own survival and the freedom of spirits. Now she still fought, but in a different way—by helping Will to get justice by more legal means.

And it made me think… Perhaps I could do the same with Reed? Not by becoming an actual investigator, but surely I’d be able to manage the occasional interview of an other-worldly witness? He’d confessed that he sometimes found working solo frustrating, especially the loneliness aspect, and maybe I could ease that a little, along with Wyatt now that they were friends again.

And I could help the spirits in other ways—start bringing the Electi into the twenty-first century, if you like. With Reed and Wyatt’s help, I’d found that Kamal Kabede’s sister had indeed left town, and relayed the news that she was living happily in West Virginia. And Lil Shawn was thrilled to hear we’d caught the man responsible for Emma’s abduction. Said he’d be able to sleep easier now, metaphorically speaking.

Yes, I’d talk to Reed about my ideas later, but for now, I was determined to enjoy the time I had left with Rania.

That evening, we sat at the table with our gold necklaces side by side, the curved edges slotted perfectly against each other. Two pieces missing. Two more girls out there somewhere.

“Have you ever thought about trying to find the others?” I asked Rania.

“A few times, but I always wondered what the point would be. I never wanted to do my duty, so I figured they wouldn’t either. But now I’ve met you, I know there’s something else there. A deeper connection.”

“An energy? As if the four of us were once one soul and then we were split? Oh, listen to me. I sound like one of those late-night weirdos off the TV.”

“No, I get it. I do. And at least now we know we can recognise the other Electi if we ever see them.”

“Yes, because they’ll glow, right? And it’s also good to understand why I was always drawn to the colour pink.”

“Will’s probably thanking his lucky stars that I got the white aura. We bought a new house last year, and I went minimalist. Grey and white. It’s okay apart from when it rains, then we get muddy footprints all over the tiles. You promise you’ll come and visit?”

“In April. I’ve already got two weeks blocked out in my schedule. Reed wants to visit Windsor Castle and the Tower of London while we’re there.”

“You’re going to the Tower of London? Do you know how many people died there?”

“No, I’m going to Harvey Nichols instead. And the Tate Galleries.”

“I’d love to see the art, so I’ll play tourist with you. And you can meet Shannon and RJ.”

Ah, yes. RJ, the friendly computer hacker who was dating Rania’s best friend. At least, when they weren’t trying to kill each other. According to Will, they had a weird love/hate relationship, but somehow it worked for them.

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