Infamous

CHAPTER 16

Nick couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being stalked. But other than his gut, nothing corroborated it. Neither Kody nor Caleb sensed it, which meant they thought he was out of his gourd.

Not the first time anyone ever accused him of being loco. Still …

“Would you focus, Nick?”

He blinked at the sound of Ash’s voice. “Sorry. I just have a creepy, edgy feeling.”

“Believe it or not, it could be the electromagnetic waves put off by your anklet.”

Great. That was all he needed. Probably give him leg or foot cancer one day, too. Just for good measure.

“Nick…”

All of a sudden the car slammed on its brakes. “Hey!” he snapped at Ash. “I was going to stop, you know.”

“When? After you ran the light?”

“Maybe.”

Ash shook his head. When the light turned green, Nick eased onto the gas and took the right that would lead him to Kyrian’s house. For the last two weeks while his mother fought the principal and Nick waited for trial, Ash, in an effort to cheer him up, was allowing him to drive to and from work. Especially since it was the only time Nick could leave the house.

At this point, Nick was going stir crazy. He couldn’t imagine being stuck in jail given how miserable his life had been while confined to his apartment.

He pulled into Kyrian’s driveway and waited for the gates to open. The only upside to everything that had happened was that his mother, since finding out he was a virgin, was relaxing her strict rules for dating. She was even allowing Kody to come over and keep him company while she was at work.

“Ash?” he asked as he pulled up to the front of Kyrian’s house. “Have you seen the video the cops have of me?”

“Yeah.”

Virgil had shown it to Nick two days ago. “It looks just like me.”

“I know.”

Nick turned the car off. “I don’t know if it’s doctored or what. But you can’t imagine how terrifying it is to think that there’s someone out there who looks just like you. That if he does something, you’re going to get blamed for it.”

“Yeah, I have no idea.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“What was that?” Nick asked as Ash got out of the car.

Ash didn’t answer until Nick had come around to his side and handed him his keys. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Me and Tupperware, baby. We seal tight. Ain’t nothing going to get out. Why?”

Ash tucked his hands into the pockets of his motorcycle jacket that had a skull and crossbones painted in red across the back. “When I was human, I had a twin brother.”

Nick gaped. “No way. Are you serious?”

Ash gave a subtle nod.

“That must have been an awesome sight. The two of you, at your height, together? Wow.”

“It wasn’t the joy you’re thinking. I only mention it to let you know that I know exactly how it feels. And I hated it.”

“Yeah, but you loved your brother, right?”

Ash didn’t respond as he walked up the stairs that led to the front door. Which told Nick everything. Whoever his brother had been, they must not have gotten along. Sad, really. He’d always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. His mother was the closest thing to that he’d ever know.

Nick took the steps two at a time. He’d just stepped onto the porch when Rosa opened the door for them. Even though she was in her forties, she was still incredibly beautiful. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders and she was dressed in a pink top and jeans.

“Hola, Rosa,” Nick said, offering her a smile.

She returned his smile with one that was as warm as a mother’s. “Hola, m’ijos. ¿Cómo está?”

“Bien, gracias. Y tú?”

“Muy bien.” She closed the door behind him. “Nick, your Spanish is getting so good. Soon we no longer speak English together.” Her smile widened at Acheron. “And how are you, Aqueron?”

“Bien. Is Kyrian up in his office?”

“He is.”

Ash headed for the ornate curving staircase.

“So, Nick, ¿quieres tú comer?”

He hesitated. “Wait, you threw in a new word.” Then his memory kicked. “Food. No, eat! Do I want to eat. Absolutely. What we got today?”

She laughed at him. “I hope you marry a woman who cooks well. Otherwise, m’ijo, I think you will have a short marriage.”

“That’s what my mom says.” As they neared the kitchen, he caught a whiff of what was cooking. “Oh no you din’t! Is that—”

“Si, pollo cacciatore, your favorite.”

“Only when you make it.” His mouth was already watering for a taste. No one cooked better than Rosa.

“I will make your plate while you take the trash.”

“Yes, ma’am.” But he did pause by the pan to inhale a good whiff of it. Man, he could live on that for days.…

Forcing himself away from it, he pulled the trash liner out and headed out the back door to where the cans were located.

As he was putting the lid back on the can, he heard something click. At first he didn’t pay any attention to it. Not until a chill went down his spine, and in his mind, he saw himself being attacked.

Shaking his head, he’d just convinced himself he was being paranoid when all of a sudden someone tackled him to the ground.

“You little punk!” The man slammed a baseball bat down across his arm.

Nick cursed as he felt bones shatter under the blow. He moved to roll over and escape. But the man hit him with three more furious strikes, then started kicking him. Nick tried to crawl toward the house, but blow after blow alternated with kick after kick.

I’m going to die.…

He knew it. He couldn’t even defend himself.

All of a sudden, someone grabbed the man and hauled him off Nick.

Kyrian knelt by his side. “Nick? Can you hear me?”

“That little bastard raped my daughter! I hope he’s dead!”

“Rosa! Call an ambulance! Pronto!” Kyrian pulled his jacket off and draped it over Nick’s body. “Stay with me, Nick. Please don’t make me have to tell your mother you’re dead. She’ll kill me.”

Nick couldn’t respond. He was so cold that his teeth were chattering. Behind him, he could hear Acheron on his phone, reporting the attack to the police.

Crying and praying, Rosa knelt down next to Kyrian and pressed her rosary into Nick’s hand.

“How can you protect scum like that? What’s wrong with you people?”

“He didn’t do it,” Acheron growled in the man’s face. “You just assaulted an innocent boy.”

“You think I don’t know that little punk? I’ve seen him around the school. He’s been in classes with my daughter for years. And I hope they lock him up for the rest of his life.”

Nick was finally able to move his head enough so that he could see who it was.

Mr. Quattlebaum. Dina’s father. His head swam from pain, but he tried to focus. He needed to think through this. Dina was one of Brynna’s tight friends. He barely knew her. Quiet and shy, she seldom spoke to anyone. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen her.

Sirens rang out, drawing closer. Don’t pass out.… Nick kept that thought foremost in his mind. He didn’t want to go back to the Nether Realm. Not right now.

Kyrian left him to open the gate for the ambulance and police.

Nick tried to return Rosa’s rosary. It’d been her First Communion present from her father, who had died of a heart attack not long after he’d given it to her. She counted it among her most precious possessions.

“No, m’ijo. You keep it for now so that God will watch over you. You can return it later.”

As the EMTs started working on him, Nick heard the sound of laughter. Low and coming from the ether. At first, he thought he was crazy.

Until the police handcuffed Dina’s father. The moment they hauled him toward the front of the house, Nick saw a demon shimmer out of Mr. Quattlebaum’s body.

It was a demon he knew.

Where had he seen it? He had to remember, but the pain made it impossible. As he struggled to stay conscious, the ether voices screamed louder.

He saw his classmates as they read the lies and awful truths that had been posted about each other online. For weeks now, Brynna and the other girls had been harassed and accused of all kinds of vice. Fights had broken out constantly, even after the school meetings.

Trexian …

That was the demon he’d seen.

The EMT put an oxygen mask over his face. Nick tried to call out to Caleb or Kody with his thoughts to let them know what he suspected and what had happened. But before he could, the EMTs knocked him out.

Grim sighed as he watched Nick being placed inside an ambulance. Disgusted, he set his crystal ball aside to meet Bane’s dark gaze.

“He’s slipped out of your clutches again, huh?” Bane asked drily.

“Of course he did. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s worse than a cat.”

Bane glanced to the crystal ball. “He’s not out of danger yet. Could still get a nasty infection in the hospital. Maybe some kind of flesh-eating virus?”

“Don’t tease me, Bane. I wish.” He couldn’t kill Nick. Stupid bargain.

All he could do was continue to hammer Nick’s self-esteem and wear him down until he killed himself. But Nick was stronger than he looked. It was why they couldn’t allow him to mature. Adarian was hard enough to deal with.

Ambrosius …

He would be the most dangerous Malachai ever born.

And Bane was right. Sooner or later, Grim would find the right person to influence. And then Nick would be nothing more than a bad memory.

A slow smile spread across his face as a new plan formed. And he knew just the entity to finish Nick off.

“I know that look. What are you going to do?” Bane asked.

“I’m going to give us the heart of a Malachai.”