Dark City

65.

Nathan had washed the blood of Jacob's mother off his hands and face. Ghost woods had a new trinket, the head of a troll witch mounted on one of the spears in the old barracks.

All that remained was the dragon. But how would he find him? Only through that same dark angel who had spawned all these demons into existence. He followed Lacey closer than her own shadow. He watched her stick a syringe through the corks of the champagne at the country club. He could be invisible when he needed to be. The trick was giving her lots of time and space to feel safe.

Nathan had been in the parking lot on the night of Alex's party. He saw Lacey go in wearing the kitchen staff uniform. She had dyed her hair dark brown and worn it in a cleanly parted bun. That, with the absence of makeup, had changed her appearance severely.

He couldn't leave his car. Too many people there would recognize him. He'd seen Alex and Tom go in together. He'd seen Carl too, the Lieutenant he'd been avoiding for weeks.

Later that evening, Nathan saw the very target he'd been hunting. Liam exited the building with Tom close in front of him. He opened his car's trunk and Tom got inside.

"The fuck..."

Nathan got out of his car. He started toward Liam's silver Ford, but stopped short as a hand clutched his shoulder from behind.

Nathan turned and met the gaze of the demon with the face of a fairy queen.

"Don't make a move," said Lacey.

Liam went back inside. He came out carrying an unconscious girl.

Guenevere with golden hair.

Nathan ignored Lacey's command and continued toward the Ford. Then he heard her priming a handgun.

"Tom needs help," he said.

"Tom will be fine."

"And Alex?" Nathan turned to face her. "You think she'll ever be normal again after what that monster did to her. And you've been helping him."

"You've been following me," she said. "Like a psycho stalker."

"Why did you lie to me? You said you wanted to steal the flash drive... and what I hear is you destroyed it."

"I can explain everything. But right now we need to get out of here. I've got money. Passports. A full tank of gas. While Liam's working his shit out with Tom, you and I are gonna run."

Nathan whirled around and disarmed her. She might have been the coldblooded bride of Satan but she was still a civilian. He pressed the gun shaft to her skull. "I don't run," he hissed, perilously close to squeezing that trigger. He took a breath, compressing his rage into something he could swallow. "Get in the car. Put your hands on the wheel."

He knocked her head into the car roof before shoving her in his Buick. She cried out, but the hit wasn't bad enough to leave a mark.

Nathan got in on the passenger side, holding the gun low, aimed just over the center console.

"Drive."

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Chapters are short his week. I'm moving and I have a project deadline. Yikes! But I am true to my word and will keep updating.