Blood.
It was enough to snap me out of this fog, and I shoved my hands against her hard and threw her to the ground. For a moment, she rolled in the snow, and then she sat up and began cackling. “You stay away from me!” I yelled.
It suddenly hit me that if Veronica were out here messing with me, that someone was most likely trying to mess with Max inside. “Max!” I screamed. “Max!” I went running toward the shop entrance, and even though I left Veronica far behind me, I could still hear her insane laughter echoing against the winter breeze.
Chapter Twenty-Four
MAX
I wasn’t gonna sit there and pretend I’d never stolen anything in my life, but shoving a duffle bag full of parts and equipment that was worth more than my month’s rent felt a bit shitty. But that shitty feeling wasn’t strong enough to override my drive to survive. Cora was back in that apartment, and the more time I wasted feeling guilty, the higher the chances were that something bad would happen to her in the meantime. To all of them.
A loud bang and the clanking sound of a metal object startled me from behind. It sounded like someone had dropped a wrench to the concrete floor. I turned around and looked, but saw nothing out of place. I stood in a wide-open garage with shelves and racks on the walls, and two cars parked in the center with their hoods popped open. I contemplated stealing one of them, but I had no idea why they weren’t running. It was best to deal with my own car since I knew its issues.
I went back to filling up my bag and then zipped it shut tight, but my senses were going crazy the entire time. The hairs on the back of my neck raised and I felt—no, I knew—that someone was watching me. And it sure as hell wasn’t Daggett.
I slowly turned back around and felt the pit of my stomach go sour. The hood to one of the cars was now closed, and she was seated on the roof with her feet planted on the hood. Her purple skirt was speckled with blood and fanned out over the windshield.
I’d prepared myself to see her, but it was still surreal as fuck to have her in front of me.
“Surprised to see me, Maxwell?” she asked as she leaned back and crossed her legs at the ankle.
We were really about to have a normal conversation like we both weren’t these wicked ass creatures, and like I wasn’t here because she tore my car to shreds and sought to kill Melanie and Cora. I knew Molly, though. She always had to drag shit out.
I took a deep breath and answered, “Yes and no.”
“Your lack of surprise means someone’s told you about me. Your girlfriend, maybe?” She said it so spitefully. Even in death, she still had that resentment. “Speaking of your girlfriend, where might she be?”
That was the confirmation I needed. They hadn’t found Cora yet.
I nonchalantly shrugged. “Beats me. Hawaii, maybe.”
Molly threw her head back and smiled, her fangs on full display. “What kind of idiot do you take me for? Do you really not remember how I am? It’s like you forgot all about me.”
“Believe me, I haven’t.”
“I’m touched. Does my brother get the same treatment or was he swept under the rug like the filth that you always saw him as?” This time, she wasn’t smiling.
“I never had beef with your brother. I just couldn’t say the same for his side.”
“Because he protected me from the trash that wanted to hurt me. He’d do anything for me. He loved me. You certainly didn’t.” With a casual chuckle, she added, “I suppose it makes sense now with you exposing how basic your taste is.”
I could defend Cora’s honor, or I could try to talk Molly down so no one got hurt. I knew which one I wanted to do, but I also knew which one I needed to do.
“Why are you here, Molly? You come here to kill me?”
Her mouth twisted into a side smirk. “Not you.”
“You’re not getting your hands on Melanie.”
“Why do you even care, Max? She’s nobody to you. Oh, no, that’s right, she's somebody to Cora. And how could I forget how noble and wonderful Max Reid is? Rescuing the damsels and fighting the bad guys! You’re such a goddamn charmer, aren’t you?”
“I charmed you once, didn’t I?”
Molly’s face fell and her eyes blackened. “That was a long time ago. I was a whole other person. You have no idea who I am now.”
“I know you’re out there killing people for the sheer fun of it. What happened to the good Catholic girl who wanted to raise money for churches? She’s not inside you at all?”
“She died.”
“So did Melanie. But she’s choosing a different path.”
“You gonna try to sleep with her too, Max? Is that why you’re so protective?”
“You gotta let that shit between us go, Molly. It’s done. It sucks that you got hurt and I’m sorry you’re the way that you are now, but you’re batshit crazy if you think that justifies what you’re doing now.”
She laughed. “Typical Max. Your ego always was your biggest asset. As much as I can’t stand the sight of you, this isn’t about you. It’s about something much grander.”
“Right. Your master. He comes and kills Melanie, gets to walk in the sun, and…what exactly do you get out of it?”
“Don’t worry about what I get.”
“Maybe you should.”
“He’s going to be the most powerful predator on this planet. More powerful than your empty-headed species. And I’ll be at his side, reaping the benefits. No woman or man can hurt
