After Moonrise: Possessed\Haunted (25 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Against Levi’s better judgment, he decided to phone
Bright later that evening and set up a meeting with Topper before he’d had a
chance to check things out. What he quickly learned? All the times he’d thought
he called the man he’d actually popped in and out of Bright’s office (and home).
His mind had simply reworked the details.

This time, Bright had been home, alone, in bed. The man had
nearly had a heart attack when Levi shook him awake.

With a few conditions tacked on, Bright had done him a solid
and arranged for Topper to be brought into the station early the next morning
for questioning about Clifford. At least, that was the official statement. Levi
and Harper were testing Topper to discover whether or not he could see the dead.
If he could…the real interrogation would begin.

Levi and Harper didn’t get much sleep. They arrived at the
station hours early, and waited in the interview room. Within thirty minutes of
their arrival, Peterson and Harrowitz entered the room behind the two-way
window. He couldn’t see them, but he could
feel
Harrowitz, some kind of energy pulsing off him. If either Levi or Harper became
upset, they were to leave the room. If they failed to leave, Harrowitz was to
vaporize them before they could harm anyone in the building.

Levi was not happy about the threat to Harper, and was
determined to keep her calm no matter the course of action he had to take.
Already she was shaking, pacing and mumbling about everything that could go
wrong. He reached out, latched on to the base of her neck and tugged her into
his side.

“Don’t talk like that. Why invite trouble? Why worry when
everything could go right?”

“I don’t like the word
could.
”

“Because you’re looking at it through negative glasses. Try
positive.”

A pause, a sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” she said, and up
went her finger to her mouth. “I know better.”

He breathed in the cinnamon of her scent. All night he’d held
her in his arms. They’d talked, shared things about their pasts. He’d told her
about waking up one day to discover his parents were gone forever and he had no
place to live, the nightmare of some of his foster families and how the military
had given him a purpose, a goal for the future.

She’d told him about the formal gowns her mother made her wear
to dinner to practice for her pageants, even when her friends were over, as if
every evening at their house was a high-society party. She’d told him about the
many classes in deportment she’d had to take, the singing lessons and the bird
training—because yes, her mother had wanted her to sing Disney songs while a
bird perched on her finger—and about how Lana had taught her how to laugh and
stand up for herself.

He’d promised to send Lana a thank-you card. He’d also promised
to protect the girl with his (after)life. And he would. Somehow, someway, he was
going to end Cory Topper’s reign of terror once and for all.

“So…everyone’s pretty locked on the no-killing-him idea?” she
asked.

How wistful she sounded. He almost laughed. When a
delicate-looking female talked about the destruction of evil, it was odd—and
maybe kind of wonderful. “Yeah. Pretty locked. Otherwise, I’d be all over him
the moment he stepped through the door.”

“Darn.”

See? She couldn’t even cuss properly. “If I have to behave, you
have to behave.”

“Deal. I guess.”

The door opened and a chained Topper finally shuffled inside,
his orange jumpsuit so bright it was almost blinding. Tensing, Levi looked him
over. The chains stretched from between his wrists, which were in front of him,
to his ankles, which were only allowed a few inches of movement at a time.

Harper straightened with a jolt. Levi had been with victims
facing their attacker for the first time before. He knew it could be traumatic
and cathartic all at once. But he himself was a victim just then. In more ways
than one. Yes, Topper had killed him, but that hardly seemed to matter in light
of what Harper had suffered.

What were you supposed to do when you faced your
girlfriend’s
killer?

End him
…

“You know the drill, Topper. Sit down facing the window. I’ll
be back in a bit.”

Bright met Levi’s gaze, gave a stiff nod and closed the door,
leaving Topper inside.

End him now. He’s trapped
…

The chains rattled as Topper obeyed, easing into one of only
two chairs in the room. A small table stretched out in front of him. His bound
wrists remained in his lap as he peered around the room. His gaze swept over
Harper, then Levi, without pause.

Levi forced his arms to drop to his sides, severing contact
with Harper. It was taking every ounce of his control to behave, as he’d
promised Harper.
Not here. Not now.

Not ever,
he thought next,
surprising himself. Not just because he would have destroyed something, and
could possibly move on to a not so wonderful place, but also because he was…had
been…a cop. He wouldn’t take the law into his own hands. He just wouldn’t. He’d
done that before, reacting on emotions, and he’d gotten himself killed. Plus,
doing so now would make him no better than the people he’d locked away.

Yes, Topper deserved to suffer. Yes, Topper was evil incarnate.
And yes, giving in to the urge to end him would be easy.
Resisting
would be difficult. But he would do it, Levi decided.
Topper had earned a punishment, and he would just have to live with it.

His fellow inmates wouldn’t treat him well. He was blond and as
handsome as a movie star, tanned, with a straight, white smile. He was the kind
of man women dreamed of dating. But his eyes…his eyes gave him away. They were
bottomless pits of wicked.

Bright had certainly nailed it with his fruit comment. Topper
produced pretty disgusting fruit.

“He can’t see you, sweetheart, and that means he can’t hear
you. You’ll get no answers here. We should go.”
Before I
forget my good intentions and get us into trouble.
“Bright will find
out if he’s working with anyone else.”

“The abuse wasn’t sexual, you know,” she said, her voice
trembling. As though in a trance, she wrapped her arms around her middle. “As
much as he loved dominating, humiliating and hurting, that would have fit his
personality.”

A small blessing, considering everything else she’d endured,
but one that relieved him. Last night, he’d tried to replace her memory of being
bound and helpless with one of being bound and pleasured. A subtle transition,
yes, but he hadn’t wanted her scared of anything ever again.

“So why did he take us?” she asked. “Why did he do what he
did?”

“Maybe he’s impotent, and was lashing out. Maybe he’s just a
twisted, warped little man who enjoys other people’s pain. There could be a
thousand different reasons, but none of them matter. He did it.”

“Well, I think…I think he has mommy issues.”

The cop in him switched on. “I know you think there’s someone
else involved. Did he ever bring another person into his, uh, workshop?” He’d
almost said little shop of horrors, but had caught himself just in time.

“No. He took pictures, though. Lots and lots of pictures.”
Steps slow and measured, Harper moved in front of her tormentor.

Topper continued his study of the room.

“Look at me,” she commanded.

His head fell back, and he closed his eyes. In and out he
breathed, deep and even, as if savoring something sweet. The corners of his lips
lifted into a smug smile, then he straightened, lashing fluttering apart, gaze
suddenly alert.

“Well, well,” he said in a smooth voice. “Who do we have here,
hmm?”

Harper straightened. Levi rushed to her side.

After another deep breath, Topper laughed with apparent glee.
“I think my favorite little blonde, Aurora Harper, has finally found me. I can’t
see you but I can smell the hint of turpentine you carry on your skin.”

A tremor moved through her, her hands clenching and
unclenching.

A hard knock sounded on the window.

Levi wrapped an arm around her waist. “Calm down, okay?” He
wasn’t sure whether the words were for her—or himself.

“You stayed here, after all,” Topper said, then gave another
laugh. “I should have known you’d keep your word. Where are you, darling? Give
me a hint.”

Her muscles knotted, as if she was preparing to launch over the
table and choke the life out of him. Levi tightened his hold. A second later, he
felt fingers of electricity stroke through the entire room. Topper didn’t seem
to notice, but Harper released another gasp.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, as did the
hairs on his arms and legs. His skin suddenly felt sensitized, his nerve endings
raw.

“Harrowitz,” he muttered. “And my guess is, that was just a
warning.”

Harper licked her lips, squared her shoulders. “I’m fine,” she
said, and he caught the threads of her determination.

“I liked you best, you know,” Topper whispered, as though
sharing a scandalous secret. “I saw you and I just had to have you. Had to add
you to my collection. And I’m so glad I did. Your screams…” He closed his eyes
again, smiling softly. “Beautiful. A true symphony. And your skin, so smooth and
perfect…at first.”

Okay. That was it.
Levi’s
resolve
cracked. This was evil in its purest form, the worst of the worst, the devil
made manifest. “Come on, princess,” he said, tugging her away. “We’re not going
to stoop to his level.”

“Your scent is fading,” Topper said with a pout. “Are you
leaving me? But, darling, there’s so much more I have to tell you.”

Levi gritted his teeth when Harper pulled from his grip.

“Let him talk,” she said. “He might reveal something
useful.”

“Or he might lie and confuse things that much more.”

Topper frowned, sniffed. “And what’s the scent mingled with
yours, hmm? Mint, I think.” Another sniff. “Oh, yes. Mint. I remember a certain
detective carrying that scent on his skin just prior to his untimely demise.
Detective Reid, is that you? Have you decided to join us?”

Levi curled his hands into fists.
Control
yourself.

Harper swiped out her arm, attempting to punch Topper in the
nose, driving cartilage into his brain. Her fist simply misted through him,
causing no damage.

He shivered, and his grin widened. “Whatever you did, I liked
it. Do it again.”

Levi’s fists tightened so forcefully his knuckles could have
ripped through his skin.
Control.

Another knock on the window, another graze of those electric
fingers. A second warning. Probably the last.

Topper said, “You’ve pleased me so much, I’ll tell you a little
truth, Harper darling. I’m glad you succeeded. I
want
you to kill me. There’s a chance I’ll end up just like you. If
that happens, if I stick around, we can be together again…for eternity.”

Harper backed away. Levi continued to struggle with his
rage.

“But even if you decide not to deliver my killing blow, I’ll be
happy,” Topper continued blithely. “I have someone on the outside. Someone other
than Clifford. And yes, I know you caught him. The guards bragged about it on
the drive over, and to be honest, I confess I’m glad he’s going away. He’s the
reason I’m here. He loves his art, his statements, you know, which is why he
left that woman out in the open, for the world to see. I tried to warn him, but
he wouldn’t listen.” He leaned forward, whispering, “He’s changed his name, but
he was a foster child in my mother’s house. That’s how we met.”

A pause. Both Harper and Levi stiffened. He wasn’t done, had
more to tell.

“Speaking of childhood friends, don’t think I’ve forgotten
about yours. The sweet and spicy Milana.”

Harper’s hand fluttered to her throat.

“Oh, yes. I know her name and I also know where she is.
My…person on the outside has kept tabs on her. If you kill me, maybe I’ll become
a spirit, maybe I won’t. But what’s certain? My friend will ensure the same fate
befalls your Lana. Death.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Doomed if I do, doomed if I
don’t,
Harper thought. Alive, Topper was a threat to Lana. Dead,
Topper was a threat to Lana.

Lana. Who had yet to be found.

Lana. Whom Harper had to protect at any cost.

At last Harper knew why she hadn’t moved on. Not for vengeance
but for her friend’s security. Yet, how was she going to ensure it?

A shudder moved through Harper. Just then she stood on the roof
of the police station, peering down at the parking lot, where Topper was being
shoved into a van. The sun was bright, the sky a maze of dark blue and white.
Wind blew around her, trees dancing, bushes shaking, but she felt nothing. A
sign of her existence in another realm, perhaps.

There was only the barest amount of railing to prevent a person
from tumbling to the ground. Not that she cared. She wasn’t sure what would
happen if she fell, but it wasn’t like she’d die, so…

Levi suddenly materialized beside her.

“About time,” she said. After Topper’s threat to Lana, Bright
had stomped into the interrogation room to try to pry the name of the “person on
the outside” from him. Peterson and Harrowitz had been waiting out in the hall,
and had commanded her and Levi to come out.

Harper and Levi had looked at each other in shock as their feet
had begun to move one in front of the other, of their own accord, toward the
waiting duo. But the moment the door had shut behind her, the tug had loosened
and Harper had grabbed Levi’s hand, flipped her gaze to the ceiling, indicating
the roof, and disappeared. No way had she wanted to stick around and see what
else the pair would force her to do.

What she did know—they were scary. Scarier than even Peeping
Thomasina, that was for sure.

“We’ve gotta work on your fight-or-flight reaction,” he said
wryly. “I stuck around to hear what they had to say.”

She forced herself to turn away from the van, now motoring
toward the gated exit, and face Levi. Breath caught in her throat. In the
sunlight, his skin was…alive. She could see lightning strikes just beneath the
surface, the crackle of electricity, a storm of vitality.

“What?” he asked with a frown.

“Nothing,” she muttered. Everything. He was so beautiful. That
rough face had come to mean so much to her. Protection, safety, humor,
passion…the very hope keeping her on her feet and trudging ahead. “Bright will
fail. Topper won’t reveal the name of the person helping him.”

“No, probably not.” Levi cupped her cheeks. “This is going to
be okay, though.”

“I don’t see how,” she replied. “But I did figure out why I’m
here.”

“I know, sweetheart. You’re here to save your friend. That’s
why I’m here, too.”

Her brow scrunched with confusion. “I don’t understand. You
knew Lana?”

“No. But I saw what he’d done to you. I was so disgusted with
myself for not getting there sooner. Ten minutes, and we could have saved you. I
could have saved you from such a terrible fate. Saved myself from guilt and
shame.”

“I’m not sure I would have wanted to be saved,” she muttered.
“Not after everything he put me through.”

“You would have. You would have found a reservoir of strength,
the same way you found one that let you pick yourself up and continue on.” He
kissed her, gentle at first, then harder, the act spinning into a decadent
tasting.

When he lifted his head, she sighed. “What are we going to do?”
she asked.

“Did you tell her?” Peterson asked from behind them.

Harper glanced to the side and saw Peterson and Harrowitz in
the doorway leading from inside. The wind whipped Peterson’s newly green hair
from its ponytail, strands slapping at her cheeks. Harrowitz was his usual
scowling self.

“Not yet,” Levi said. He met Harper’s curious gaze. “They want
Topper to escape. Or rather, for Topper to think he’s escaped. He will be
tracked, monitored, and everyone he speaks to brought in for questioning.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Extremely.”

“We won’t be taking any extra chances,” Peterson said. “He’ll
escape with the most recent inmate cuffed to his side. That’ll be Harrowitz, by
the way.”

“Why would you do that?” Harper demanded.

“Because they want Lana safe and you happy. Oh, and for a
price,” Levi added with a roll of his eyes.

O-kay. “We don’t have any money or even access to money.” Her
gaze slid between Peterson and Harrowitz. “You won’t do it simply to prevent a
criminal from killing other innocent women?”

The perky punk snorted. “Aren’t you just an adorable little
thing? I gave you one freebie, and told you about your current status. You won’t
get another. Besides, this entire operation is gonna be costly.”

“So what’s your price?”

“For as long as we’re here, we have to work off our debt,” Levi
said.

“How?”

“By working for the agency,” Peterson replied. “Harrowitz has
grown to love you and isn’t sure what he’d do without you.”

Harrowitz didn’t even blink.

“Fine.” Peterson shrugged. “There are places humans can’t
access, but spirits can, things humans can’t learn but spirits can. You’ll be my
eyes and ears, as needed.”

A small price to pay for saving Lana from a madman. “Done.”

“Good, because you start tonight. We’ll be at your apartment at
eight, and I’ll fill you in. As for now, come down from there. I’m about to
barf.” Peterson went back inside, dragging Harrowitz with her. The door slammed
behind them.

“What will they do with Topper once his other accomplice is
captured?” Harper asked.

“Put him back in prison.”

“Hardly seems harsh enough.”

“He won’t enjoy his time there, believe me.”

Yeah, if there was one thing she’d learned, it was that you
always reaped what you sowed. Topper had sown seeds of pain and death. His
harvest would not be pleasant. Harper had sown seeds of love, wanting to protect
Lana, and she had reaped a second chance. “Did Bright have any luck finding
Lana? I’d feel better if I knew where she was.”

“He has someone staked out at your old house, but so far she
hasn’t returned. Yesterday her credit cards were used by some random guy, but I
have a suspicion those cards weren’t stolen. I think she gave them away, hoping
to throw us off her scent.”

“Why do you think that?”

“As close as you two are, it’s a safe bet she watched the same
television programs you watched.”

He was right. “Has Bright been inside the house?”

“Yeah. He didn’t see her.”

“Even still…you know what I’m going to say next, don’t
you?”

“Of course I do. You want to search for yourself. You know her
better and you might notice something he missed.”

“Exactly.” She rattled off the address before picturing her old
home. A modest one-story on the north side of town, close to a gym but closer to
a doughnut shop, her favorite art supply store and Lana’s favorite tool shop.
Brown and red brick, with dark shutters over the windows, and the most
incredible garden in back. Harper had often painted there, breathing in the
perfume of the flowers.

Just as before, there was no sense of weightlessness, no change
in temperature, but when she opened her eyes, she was in that backyard. A pang
of homesickness instantly hit her. She was here, but not here. A part of this
world again, but completely separate from it. The roses were in full bloom, the
flowers around them a multitude of colors. A man-made pond sat off to the side,
the water running through the rocks.

She was glad Lana had kept the place. There were a thousand
memories here, most of them good. But even the bad, when they’d fought with each
other or gotten their hearts broken by a man, were welcome. They’d become
stronger here. They’d grown.

Harper turned on her heel and entered the house without even
trying to open a door. Maybe she could have. Maybe she could have caused it to
blow open with her emotions, because the wind seemed to kick up several notches
as tears formed in her eyes. But she simply walked through the brick, the
movement as natural as breathing used to be.

In the kitchen now, she studied the pots hanging from the
racks, the cabinets, the counters. Lana had been here, and recently, she
realized. There was a cup with leftover orange juice, Lana’s favorite, sitting
on the bottom of the sink along with a plate with crumbs around the edges.

“Where are you, girl?” she whispered. And where was Levi? He
should be here by now.

A quick search of the rest of the house proved Lana wasn’t
currently there. Harper did her best to ignore the pictures on the wall.
Pictures of her and Lana and all the fun they’d had together. Shopping for
antiques, eating hot dogs at a carnival, on vacation in the Rockies.

In Lana’s bedroom, she found tools scattered all over the floor
but no project in sight. No chair or couch or table in need of repair. She
found— A gasp lodged in her throat. She found a bloody bandage in the trash.

Blood.

Bile burned a path up her chest. Lana had been hurt. Why had
Lana been hurt? Who had hurt her?

“Bright stopped me before I left,” Levi said, suddenly beside
her.

Her heart skipped a beat—or would have, if she still had one.
What she felt was the residual effect of once being alive, she realized. Kinda
like muscle memory.

She wanted to look at him, she did, but she couldn’t tear her
gaze away from the trash. Lana. Bleeding. Hurting.

Dying?

He added, “Traces of blood were found inside Clifford’s secret
office, and that blood matches Lana’s. I’m sorry, princess, but there’s no
reason to panic, okay? There wasn’t a body.”

Clifford. More blood. Blood that matched Lana’s. Not panic?
Please! But before she could work up a good shout, she heard a floorboard creak.
Lana, she thought, already running. Levi grabbed her by the arm and jerked her
into his body. He placed a finger on her lips, hushing her.

He reached for a gun that he no longer carried, and probably
couldn’t carry, now that his mind had accepted his new reality, frowned, then
shoved her behind him.

“For once, I
will
protect you,” he
growled.