The Better Part of Darkness

help me, got it?”

He rubbed the back of his head as he straightened. “You didn’t have to shoot me. Look, I’m a decent spirit. Did everything legal-like. No need to go all ballistic on me.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. Get up. You take Will’s body, then you take his responsibilities.”

“Says who?”

“Says this.” I waved the gun. “And the little part of the soul-bartering contract where it says you must complete any unfinished business of the mortal’s life before going about your own.”

“You read that part?”

I walked to the front door. “Standard operating procedure. Let’s go.”

I slid into the driver’s seat of the Mustang as the Revenant fumbled with the passenger door handle. Grief swelled my chest. I slid the gear into reverse as Will got in, just catching the flash of blue and white as a patrol car turned down the street.

“What’s your name?” I asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as I drove off in the opposite direction. Better to separate this being as far from the real Will as I could. As it was, it was near impossible to look at him without wanting to weep.

“Rex.”

“Rex?”

He straightened Will’s shirt. “It’s short for something you could never pronounce.”

“Right. Did you or Will hear where they were taking Emma?” I knew he still held enough of Will’s last memories to answer for both of them.

“No, they didn’t say. Pretty much just beat the piss out of him while a female came in and took out your daughter.”

Swift rage flared up again, but this time I absorbed it, biting my cheek hard, and forced it into something I could handle: cold, calculating vengeance. This bitch, whoever she was, would pay for touching my kid. “Did you know her?”

“No. She was Abaddon, though.” He snorted. “No mistaking their cold, bitchy demeanor.”

The rhythmic sound of the engine became loud in the ensuing silence. I operated the Mustang on autopilot, not really seeing the cars passing by or the traffic lights, just driving with my fingers in a death grip on the steering wheel, and my heart shriveling beneath my ribs.

Rex chuckled softly, the sound so much like Will that I could almost pretend it was him sitting beside me and not this parasitic spirit.

“What?”

“That kid of yours is as tough as nails,” he said, staring out the window. “She bit the bitch and drew blood, said her mom was going to kick her ass.”

The thought of Emma having to fight made me sick inside and more fearful than I’d ever been in my life, but that she’d stood up for herself—I was proud of her. Cursing, not so much. Tears sprung to the surface. I didn’t know whether to be proud or horrified.

“They weren’t going to hurt her, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He lifted the shirt and smelled a spot that was free of blood. “I like this cologne.”

I ignored that last comment. “How would you know?”

“Abaddon bitches are brutal. If she didn’t rip your kid’s head off for biting her, that means she was ordered not to. Simple deduction.”

A tiny kernel of hope sprouted in my heart. I nodded without looking at Rex, and we drove for several minutes in silence.

Will had sold his soul because he thought he didn’t have a chance with me. I wanted to scream. Same old Will. There might have been a chance for us in the future, but it had been too soon. He was always so impatient, always so ready to turn to otherworldly means. The betrayal and guilt nestled deep in my gut like burning sulfur.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Rex said suddenly. “You can’t bring him back.”

“Oh, Rex.” I shot him a candid look. “There are always loopholes. You more than anyone should know that.”

I’d dealt with a few spirits from the demon family tree before: Revenants, and their evil cousins, Wraiths. But I was far from an expert. The one thing I did know: nothing was permanent except death, and even that could be overcome. I was a perfect example of that.

“Yeah,” he said, sounding unconvinced. “Good luck with that.”

I shot him a cynical smile and then focused on the road.

“Where are we going?”

“You know how to use a gun?”

“No.”

I tossed him my Nitro-gun. I had a backup in the waistband of the jeans. “Well, you better figure it out because we’re going to Abaddon headquarters.”

I dialed Hank’s number repeatedly and still got no answer while Rex studied every inch of Will’s face in the visor mirror, making muttered comments here and there, but overall pleased with his new appearance. When he lifted the waistbands of Will’s khakis and boxers and took a look at the equipment, I’d had enough and swatted him hard on the arm.

“Ow!” He rubbed the spot. “You didn’t have to hit me.”

“Just shut up and sit still.”

My thumbs tapped on the steering wheel, my whole body revved and ready to blow. CPP headquarters was housed in a mid-sized glass office building in Five Points, not far from the deli where Hank had picked me up earlier.

When this was all over I was going to sleep for at least a week. In the last two days I’d been beaten, shot at, possibly seen enough naked men to last a lifetime, been beaten again, and torn two of Bryn’s outfits. And now my worst fears had come to pass. My family was in jeopardy. My insane ex-husband had sold his body and soul. And my little girl was gone.

As I drove the car into the underground parking deck below the office building, my heart rate kicked into overdrive. The guard at the gate stopped us, but flashing my badge was all it took to get us in.

Once parked, Rex and I headed to the elevator. Our steps echoed loudly in the vast concrete emptiness. The extra ammo rubbed against my ankle bone, but it only fueled my focus and rage, which I considered good things at the moment.

In the elevator, we were treated to an orchestral version of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.” Yeah, I thought, it’s going to be another long-ass night, indeed.

“She’s going to be fine, you know,” Rex assured me, his shoulder brushing against mine.

“Shut up and don’t talk about her.” I stepped forward as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Gun drawn, I marched straight down the hallway, passing large glass-fronted rooms on either side where day workers folded flyers and answered phones. Farther down, the glass ended and a few office doors lined the hallway. At the end, a light spilled underneath one of the doors. Someone was working after hours.

Who needed to use the knob when kicking the damn door felt so much better?

Releasing my frustration, and without halting my stride, I kicked out. The door flew back on its hinges and knocked a hole in the drywall behind it. My gun pointed chest level, straight ahead, I continued into the room without missing a beat.

Otorius jumped up from his leather chair, pants down and penis bouncing. The horror on his face deepened to a scarlet red as he fumbled to cover himself. A human female’s head appeared, turning to look curiously over the top of the polished desk as Otorius cursed in Charbydon and grabbed the waistband of his boxers and pants.

“Put your hands up,” I commanded. God, I was going to be evil, but I couldn’t help myself. Much like the jinn, when I saw an opportunity, I took it.

His hands stilled.

“Put your hands up … now.”

My innuendo was clear. Promising revenge in his coal-black eyes, he dropped his boxers and pants and then