Scott clambered up the fire escape, taking the rungs two at a time. In his hurry, the camera slipped from his hand, sailing down to the all ey, where it shattered. He gave it one brief glance of disbelief before resuming his rushed ascent. At the fourth-story landing, he hauled himself up the ladder that hooked onto the rooftop and disappeared above.
I ran down my options in a hurry. The Nephil guard was only a flight behind Scott, moments away from cornering him on the roof. Would he rough up Scott? Haul him back down for questioning? My stomach lurched. Would he call Hank here, to deal with Scott directly?
I hustled out to the front of the building and craned my neck, trying to locate Scott. As I did, a shadow streaked overhead. Not along the edge of the rooftop, but in the air between this building and the one across the street. I blinked, clearing my vision just in time to see a second comet race across the sky, arms and legs pinwheeling athletically.
My jaw dropped. Scott and the Nephil were jumping buildings. I didn’t know how they were doing it, and there wasn’t time to dwel on the impossibility of what I was seeing. I sprinted toward the Charger, trying to anticipate Scott’s mind. If we could both beat the Nephil to the car, we stood a chance of getting away. Pumping my arms harder, I followed the sound of their shoes ringing and scuffing far overhead.
Halfway to the car, Scott veered suddenly to the right, and the Nephil followed. I heard the last of their impossibly fast footsteps sprint into the darkness. As they did, a metal ic chime rang out on the sidewalk just ahead. I scooped up the car key. I knew what Scott was doing: diverting the Nephil long enough to give me a chance to get to the car before they did. They were faster—much faster—
and without an extra few minutes, I’d never make it. Still, Scott couldn’t take the Nephil on a wild-goose chase forever. I had to hurry.
At Front Street, I put on one final burst of speed and sprinted the last block to the Charger. I was light-headed, blackness crowding my vision. Clutching my side, I leaned against the car, catching my breath. I scanned the rooftops intently, hunting for any sign of Scott or the Nephil.
A figure streaked off the side of the building straight ahead, legs and arms revolving through air as he dead-dropped. At the bottom of four stories, Scott hit the ground, stumbled, and rolled. The Nephil was right on his tail, but nailed the landing. He yanked Scott off the ground and delivered a fierce blow to the side of his head. Scott staggered, but remained conscious. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to manage as much with a second well-aimed punch.
With no time to think, I threw myself into the Charger. I shoved Scott’s key into the ignition.
Flipping on the headlights, I floored it straight for Scott and the Nephil. My hands gripped the steering wheel, bloodless. Please let this work.
Both Scott and the Nephil spun to face me, their complexions washed out in the headlights. Scott shouted at me, but I couldn’t make out the words. The Nephil shouted too. At the last moment, he released Scott and dodged away from the car’s bumper. Scott wasn’t as lucky; he flew up and over the hood. I didn’t have time to wonder if he’d been injured before he hurled himself into the seat beside me.
“Go!”
I stomped the gas. “What was that back there?” I shrieked. “You were jumping buildings like they were hurdles!”
“I told you I’m stronger than your average guy.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t mention flying! And you told me you didn’t like using those strengths!”
“Maybe you changed my outlook.” A cocky smile. “So you were impressed?”
“That Nephil back there nearly captured you and that’s all you care about?”
“Thought so.” He sounded self-satisfied, clenching and unclenching his hand, where the Black Hand’s ring fit snugly around his middle finger. I didn’t think now was the time to press for an explanation. Especially given the relief I felt over his decision to start wearing it again. With it, Scott stood a chance against Hank. And I did as well, by association.
“Thought what?” I said, frazzled.
“You’re blushing.”
“I’m sweating.” When I realized what he was getting at, I rushed on, “I am not impressed! What you did back there—What could have happened—” I shoved some stray hairs off my face and collected myself. “I think you’re reckless and careless, and you’ve got some nerve making this all sound like a big joke!”
His smile turned into a full-on grin. “No further questions. I have my answer.”
CHAPTER 17
SCOTT DROVE ME HOME AND WAS FAR MORE LIBERAL with the speed limit than I’d ever been. He parked a distance from the farmhouse, at my insistence. The entire ride home, I’d juggled two kinds of fear. First, that the Nephil guard had somehow followed us, despite Scott’s careful measures, and second, that my mom would beat us home. Chances were, she would have speed-dialed my cell the moment she found my bed empty, but then again, maybe her seething rage at my second count of reckless disobedience in less than a week had rendered her speechless.
“Well, that was exciting,” I told Scott, my voice pale.
He thumped his hand on the steering wheel. “Thirty more seconds. That’s all I needed. If I hadn’t dropped the camera, we’d have pictures of the warehouse.” He wagged his head in disbelief.
I was about to tell him that if he had thoughts of going back, he should find another sidekick, when he said soberly, “If the guard got a good look at me, he’s going to tell Hank. Even if he didn’t see my face, he could have seen my brand. Hank will know it was me. He’ll send a team out to search the area.” His eyes flicked to mine. “I’ve heard rumors of Nephilim being locked away in reinforced prisons for life. Underground chambers in the woods, or beneath buildings. You can’t kill a Nephil, but you can torture him. I’m going to have to lie low for a while.”
“What brand?”
Scott stretched the collar of his shirt down, revealing a small circle of skin that had been seared with the mark of a clenched fist identical to the one on his ring. The flesh had healed, but I could only imagine how raw and painful it had once been. “The Black Hand’s mark. It’s how he forced me into his army. On the bright side, he wasn’t smart enough to embed a tracking device.” I wasn’t in the mood to joke, and didn’t return his half smile. “Do you think the guard saw your brand?”
“Can’t say.”
“Do you think he saw me?”
Scott shook his head. “We couldn’t see anything through the headlights. I only knew it was you because I recognized the Charger.”
This should have made me breathe easier, but I was wound so tight, a sigh of relief was out of the question.
“Hank could drop your mom off at any minute.” Scott jerked his thumb at the road. “I’ve got to roll.
I’m going to keep my head down for a few weeks. Hopefully the guard didn’t see my mark. Hopefully he thinks I’m a common thug.”
“Either way, he knows you’re Nephilim. Last I checked, humans don’t jump buildings. When Hank finds out, I don’t think he’s going to brush this off as a coincidence.”
“All the more reason to back off. If I disappear off the grid, Hank might think I got scared and left town. When this blows over, I’ll find you. We’ll draft a different plan and take him down from a new angle.”
I felt my patience shredding. “What about me? You’re the one who put this whole idea into my head. You can’t bail now. He’s dating my mom. I don’t get the luxury of lying low. If he was involved in my kidnapping, I want him to pay. If he’s planning even worse things, I want him stopped. Not in a few weeks or months but now.”
“And who is going to get rid of him?” His voice was gentle, but there was an underlying firmness.
“The police? He’s got half of them on his payroll. And the other half he could mind-trick into
submission. Listen to me, Nora. Our plan is to ride this out. We have to let the dust settle and make the Black Hand think he’s in charge again. Then we’ll regroup and try a different attack when he’s least expecting it.”
“He is in charge. It’s not a coincidence he’s suddenly dating my mom. She isn’t his top priority—
building his Nephilim army is. Cheshvan starts next month, in October. So why her, why now? How does she fit into his plans? I have to figure this out before it’s too late!” Scott tugged on his ear irritably. “I shouldn’t have told you anything. You’re going to crumble. The Black Hand is going to call you out from a mile away. You’re going to talk. You’re going to tell him about me and the cave.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I snapped. I pushed out of the Charger and gave him one parting shot before slamming the door. “Lie low, fine. But you’re not the one whose mom is falling more in love with that monster by the day. I’m going to out him with or without you.” Of course, I had no idea how. Hank had embedded himself so deeply in this town, he was at its very core. He had friends, all ies, and employees. He had money, resources, and his own private army. Most worrisome of all, he had my mom clenched in his fist.
Two days passed with little excitement. True to his word, Scott vanished. In hindsight, I regretted blowing up at him. He was doing what he had to, and I couldn’t blame him for that. I’d accused him of bailing, but that wasn’t the case at all. He knew when to push and when to pull back. He was smarter than I’d given him credit for. And patient.
And then there was me. I didn’t like Hank Mill ar, trusted him even less, and the sooner I figured out his endgame, the better. Cheshvan hung like a black cloud at the back of my thoughts, a constant reminder that Hank was planning something. I didn’t have hard proof that my mom was part of that plan, but there were red flags. Given everything Hank was trying to accomplish before Cheshvan, including building and training an entire Nephilim army to win back possession of their bodies from fall en angels, why was he devoting so much time to my mom? Why did he need her trust? Why did he need her, period?
It wasn’t until I was sitting in AP history, listening halfheartedly to my teacher describe the events leading up to the English Protestant Reformation, that a lightbulb blazed on. Hank knew Scott. Why hadn’t I thought of it before? If Hank suspected that Scott was the Nephil responsible for snooping around his building two nights ago, he knew Scott wouldn’t risk a second pass so soon after getting caught. In fact, Hank probably assumed Scott had scrambled straight into hiding, which he had.
Never in a million years would Hank expect another trespasser as early as tonight.
Never in a million years …
Evening came and went. At ten Mom kissed me good night and retreated to her bedroom. An hour later her light clicked off. I waited an extra minute or two to be sure, then flung off my covers.
Fully dressed, I grabbed a duffel packed with a flashlight, a camera, and my car keys from under my bed.
As I pushed the Volkswagen soundlessly down Hawthorne Lane, I inwardly thanked Scott for buying me a light vehicle. I never could have done this with a truck. It wasn’t until I was a good quarter mile from the farmhouse, and far out of my mom’s hearing range, that I started the engine.
