The Liberator (A Dante Walker Novel) (Entangled Teen) (12 page)

17

Gone

The car rushes forward as Aspen awaits our response.

Blue and I stare at each other, and finally, he shrugs. So I tell Aspen what we are. I tell her about Trelvator, and how these guys want to steal Charlie’s soul from me, and that I came to Denver on assignment to liberate her soul.

I tell her everything.

At first she doesn’t believe us. Then Blue shows her his shadow, and when his body vanishes, Aspen nearly runs off the road. In retrospect, it may not have been our most brilliant plan.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Aspen says when I finish talking.

“Just keep driving.” I look behind us and notice the headlights of the Kia Rondo are still visible. But despite Aspen’s earlier doubt, she’s managed to put some distance between the two cars.

“So these guys want Charlie’s soul?” Aspen clarifies.

“Yeah,” I say. “But when we asked them, they said their orders were to get Charlie to hurt herself, which doesn’t make sense, because if the collectors don’t have her soul, then why would they risk her dying before they got it back?”

Blue glances at me, worry creasing his brow. He looks away before I can question his expression.

“Maybe they thought if she got injured, I’d return to Alabama, and they’d snag her soul then. ’Course, that doesn’t make sense, because they could come after me here in Colorado.”

I say all this while staring at Blue. He turns even farther toward the window until it seems like he’s trying to hump the passenger door.

Every muscle in my body clenches as I say, “The only other explanation would be if I didn’t actually
have
Charlie’s soul.”

Blue turns and meets my glare.

“And that Salem and his brother,” I continue, “
were
trying to get Charlie to kill herself. Because if they already have her soul, that’d be a great way to bring in her body next. No blood on their hands, nothing Big Guy can complain about, and hell gets what it wants—an end to Trelvator and a big screw-you to the god who ordained her birth.” I finish my speech but keep my gaze locked on Blue’s face. Despite a lump building in my throat, I manage to squeeze out, “How am I doing here?”

Blue holds my stare for a moment longer. Then his eyes drop to the floor.

I press back against the seat. Dark spots swim before my eyes, and the only thing that keeps me from losing it is Charlie’s hand wrapped around mine.

Concentrating on breathing, I say, “I don’t have her soul.”

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you,” Blue says.

“When did you find out?” My free hand curls into a fist. Though I’m shocked to hear the truth, I always wondered about the sensation of Charlie’s soul inside me. I knew something felt off. Souls are difficult to detect inside a collector’s body once collected, but I always thought I’d perfected the skill of
knowing
. Flashing back to the airport before I left Alabama, I remember Valery making up lame excuses for why I couldn’t check her soul into heaven yet. I suppose being misled and wishful thinking went a long way in this situation.

I also suddenly remember the night I faced off with Rector and the other collectors, how Rector briefly pressed his chest to mine before fleeing.

How could I have been so stupid?

My anger needs an outlet, so I turn to Blue.

He licks his lips and hesitates like he’s afraid to say the wrong thing. “Valery told me right before I came here. She said my assignment had changed. That I was supposed to keep Charlie safe and…”

“And what?” I growl.

Blue eyes the back of Aspen’s head. “And ensure you finish your assignment.”

I grab him by his collar, thinking I’d very much like to tear his cuff off with my teeth.

“Valery said it’s imperative that you liberate Aspen’s soul,” Blue fires out, his eyes wide. “She used that word,
imperative
. She also said that Big Guy needs you for something important. Something huge. And once you complete this assignment, he’ll know he can trust you. ”

“And how am I supposed to do that when these guys”—I jab my thumb toward the car speeding after us—“are trying to kill off Charlie?” The moment I say this last line aloud, I let go of Blue. Because now all I’m thinking is that
Charlie
is in the car. And that
Charlie
is probably just now learning all of this.

I turn toward her and notice her eyes are focused on nothing at all. She’s gripping my hand so hard, I can feel my pulse in my palm.

“Charlie?” I whisper. “Did you know?”

She shakes her head no but doesn’t look at me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.” I try to tilt her chin so that she faces me, but she holds still. “Do you hear me? I’m not going to let them lay a single finger on you. So help me, even if I have to—”

“Let me out,” Charlie whispers.

“What?” I say.

“Don’t be stupid,” Annabelle adds through clenched teeth. Guess she’s also pissed at Blue for keeping secrets from us.

“Let me out,” Charlie says again, louder.

I grab her other hand and press both between my own hands. “You don’t understand. They were trying to get you to
kill
yourself. And now they might just do it themselves. So, no, you can’t get out of the car. I won’t let you.”

Charlie looks directly at me, and in her eyes I see a blue fire raging. “I won’t sit here while the rest of you risk your lives for me,” she says in a voice I’ve never heard before. She sounds daring, reckless even. “Let me out of this car.”

And in that moment, I’m afraid Charlie will get her way. That she’ll throw herself onto the rushing pavement if it means her friends are safe.

It’s Aspen who speaks next. “Can it, chick. If you’re really able to bring a hundred years of peace to this hellhole, then this isn’t just about you. Got it?”

Charlie’s head whips in Aspen’s direction. She stares at her for a long time. And finally, after I feel like I’ll burst if she doesn’t react, she turns slowly toward her window.

From the corner of my eye, I see Aspen slump in the driver’s seat, like she’d been holding her breath and just now released it. “Imperative,” she whispers.

“Is it just my imagination,” Blue asks, “or are they catching up to us?”

I look out the rear window and decide that, yeah, it does appear they’re closer. “Aspen, are we—”

“We’ll be there in five minutes.” Aspen grabs her phone and texts something. It’s a miracle she can do this while driving nearly a hundred miles an hour. It’s a miracle this POS rental car can even
go
a hundred miles an hour. She puts her phone away, and, true to her word, I notice soon after that we’re nearing her house.

But there’s a problem. Before, we had empty roads to sail along. Now we’re entering the city, and even at one o’clock on a Friday morning, there are other cars Aspen must weave between.

“Here’s how it’s going to work,” Aspen announces. “At the entrance of my family’s house, I’m going to haul ass out of this car, and Blue, you’re going to jump in my seat and drive.”

“You’re ditching us?” Annabelle says.

Aspen glances at her. “Would you blame me?”

Annabelle shakes her head, her face white.

Aspen smiles. “We’re almost there. Blue, you ready?”

Blue looks over his shoulder. “They’re really close.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Aspen says. “I’ve got it covered.”

I look at Blue. “I’ll drive,” I tell him. “You just sit tight.” I don’t know what Aspen plans to do, but I know I need to get Charlie out of here, and if Aspen wants to jump ship she’ll do it eventually. I can’t stop her. I didn’t really expect her to bail on us, but she got us this far after knowing we lied about who we were. And that’s more than most people would do.

As we get closer to Aspen’s street, a truck parked right outside the entrance comes into view. Aspen slows just enough to make the turn, and when she does, Lincoln sticks his head out the truck window. Guess that answers the question of who Aspen was texting earlier.

Lincoln releases some sort of war cry, and I only have time to notice the lunatic grin on his face before we race past. Then he kicks his truck forward and blocks off the street.

I laugh watching this, though I’m kind of worried what Salem and Easton might do to him. Then again, maybe he can take care of himself. In fact, I’d put money on Lincoln winning almost any fight. When you got enough psycho in you, it isn’t hard.

“Get ready,” Aspen yells. “We’re almost there.”

And then we’re stopping.

Aspen lunges out of the car and races toward her house.

Before I can make a move, Blue shoves me back and leaps into the front and presses on the accelerator.

“Damn it, Blue,” I say.

But he’s not hearing me. He turns the car around for some unknown reason, and since this private street is only one way, he punches on the gas to greet Salem and Easton once again. But before we get going too fast, Charlie jumps out of the car.

Blue slams on the brake and even Aspen turns around in confusion as Charlie rushes toward her. Her concern quickly changes to acceptance, though, and she waves us on. “Get out of here,” Aspen calls out.

Blue hesitates long enough for me to open the door, because there’s no way I’m leaving Charlie behind.

“Trust me!” Aspen screams.

And Blue does.

The car lurches forward, and I’m thrown back in my seat. I nearly lose my fingers when the door bangs shut.

“Stop driving, asshole!” I yell.

Even Annabelle looks like she’s not sure if he’s doing the right thing. She also looks too scared to speak.

“Stop the damn car,” I repeat.

Blue sets his jaw. “We have to take out Salem and Easton.”

I think fast. “Yeah, okay. Let Annabelle out. We have Lincoln now,” I say, even though Blue doesn’t know who Lincoln is. “We three can overtake them.”

Blue shakes his head and the speedometer rushes upward. “No. We’re going to plow right into them.”

“What?”

Annabelle slams her palms onto the roof. “I don’t want to die. I can’t die. I’ve never been in love. I’ve never even had sex. I can’t die sexless.”

Blue nods. He nods so hard, I’m sure he must pull a muscle in his neck. “We’re going to take them out. Right. Now.”

Lincoln’s truck and the Kia Rondo are pushed together like they’re kissing. Black smoke blossoms out from behind the truck’s tires, and I realize Lincoln is trying to force their car back. I consider grabbing the wheel to get Blue to stop. But then I think about Charlie and Aspen back there, safe, and how I don’t want them touched by these guys. Also, how I wish Annabelle were safe with them, too.

“Let Annabelle out,” I say calmly.

“Yeah, let me out,” Annabelle says, her voice shaking.

“No,” Blue barks and drives faster.

“Blue!” Annabelle says. “Please. Please, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to—”

“Turn right,” I scream. “Don’t hit them, Blue. There’s an opening on the right side. Take it! Take it! Blue, trust me like you did Aspen. Take it! Now!”

Blue hesitates, then jerks the wheel to the right just in time. We brush past Lincoln’s truck and blast through the black clouds. And seconds later, from outside the back window, I see what I saw before—

A car.

A
different
car.

It’s sleek. It’s yellow.

It’s a Ford Shelby GT 500.

And it’s driving toward us, growling like a fucking grizzly bear. Aspen is behind the wheel, and Charlie’s in the passenger seat.

“Pull over,” I yell.

Blue screeches to a halt. We scramble for the sports car, opening doors and closing them.

Aspen slams on the accelerator.

And we’re gone, baby.

We’re
gone
.

18

Kissing a Demon

We drive for several hours before we’re sure we’re not being followed, and before our nerves are calmed. Then Aspen pulls into a hotel and rents us rooms for the night—or morning, really.

We decide we’ll sleep for a few hours, then get back on the road. We’re headed for Peachville because we can’t think of anything better to do than to find Valery and Max. Power in numbers and all that. Annabelle encourages me to call Val, but I know Blue already has, and I don’t feel like dealing with Red tonight.

Now, as I fall back onto my bed, the weight of everything that’s happened fills me like lead. All this time I never had her soul. Big Guy had to suspect the collectors would come for Charlie’s body next. So why send me on assignment? Blue said my assignment, liberating Aspen, is vital. He said I’m being tested for something big. But what could be more important than keeping watch over Charlie?

Charlie.

I’ve barely had a single moment alone with her since she arrived at Aspen’s cabin. And even though I’m exhausted and starving, all I want to do is be alone with her. But first, I need to talk to Aspen. Once I make sure she’s going to stick around, I can focus on Charlie.

Outside Aspen’s room, I wait for her to open the door. But she never does, even after I’ve knocked several times. Then I shake my head, because I know exactly where she is.

I walk across marble floors to the elevator and take it to the first floor. And there—in the corner of the bar, surrounded by a cloud of smoke—is Aspen. As I get closer, I notice she’s swiped a blue bottle from behind the counter and has it clutched beneath the table. I slide in next to her.

“Care to share?” I say.

Aspen hands me the bottle without speaking. I take a small sip, and my chest warms. Handing it back to her, I let my hand linger on hers. But she still doesn’t turn and look at me.

“Everybody wants something from me.” Aspen squeezes her eyes shut. She’s wearing the blue eye shadow again. “That’s what Lincoln always tells me.”

“Aspen—”

“But my soul?” she says, wincing. “You want my
soul
?”

I take my hand away. “It’s for heaven. Most people want that.”

Aspen’s green eyes flash. “That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, dead people walking around sealing souls. You’re supposed to live, and then you go in the dirt.” She swallows and looks down at her cigarette. With her mouth turned down and her brow lined with thought, she looks more like a woman than a seventeen-year-old girl. “How does it work? Have you sealed me already?”

I nod. “Once. When you flew Charlie up to see me. That was selfless.” I run my hands over my jeans. “I could do it again now. It’d be right after what you did for us back there. Getting us away from Salem and Easton like that? It was amazing.”

“Don’t you dare,” she snaps.

My back stiffens. “Aspen, you want to go to heaven when you die, because the other alternative isn’t good. Trust me.”

“Just don’t.” Aspen takes another drag, then stubs out the cigarette in a plastic ashtray. She looks in my direction. “You can’t walk away from the things you’ve done. If you’re a bad person, you stay bad. There’s no redemption for the wicked, Dante Walker.”

I pull away from her, stung silent. Then I pull in a long breath, because everything has suddenly become clear. “What did your father do to you?”

Her eyes flick up. “Screw you.”

She rises to get up from the table, but I grab her wrist. “Why do you keep those music boxes?”

“Because I like them,” she retorts, pulling back.

I hold tight. “What about the checkerboard?”

Her eyes burn with anger, scorching my insides. I can almost feel heat where I touch her wrist.

I glance at the necklace she wears, the one without the charm. “Did he give you that necklace?”

Aspen rears back and slaps me hard across the face. I let go of her wrist. She spins on her heel to flee, but she only gets a few feet before slamming into Charlie.

Charlie’s several inches shorter than Aspen, but right now she looks regal. Aspen stops, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but she doesn’t try to dodge Charlie. She just stands there, waiting.

And I do, too.

Slowly, Charlie reaches out. The look on her face isn’t one of sympathy. It’s one of compassion. Her fingers find Aspen’s hands. When I look again, Charlie’s removing Aspen’s fingerless gloves.

Moving on silent feet, I glance over Aspen’s shoulder. Fury detonates inside my body when I see her exposed palms. They’re covered in circular pink scars. Almost like someone burned her with cigarettes.

“Did he do that to you?” I growl.

My heart drops like a stone when I notice she’s crying.

I step closer, but Charlie holds her hand up. Then she wraps her arm around Aspen’s waist. “Let’s go to sleep,”

As the two of them move away, I stand dumbfounded, my jaw hanging open like a caveman.

When they disappear around the bend, I think about what I saw. If her father really did that to her, I hope his soul fries in hell. I press my lips together and think about my assignment. It doesn’t seem so strange that Big Guy sent me to liberate her now that I have an idea of what she may have gone through at home.

The problem is, I still don’t know if I’m the right person for the job.

But who else would understand her the way I do?
I think.
We’re the same, both wanting parents who see us.

Though after witnessing the marks on her hands, my own demons don’t seem as big anymore. And while her torment is evident, it still doesn’t answer the question of why Big Guy wants her to be helped more than every other teen suffering abuse.

I wait a bit longer before making my way back to my room. When I get there, I find Charlie outside my door. I close the distance between us and place my hands on her hips. This time, she lets me pull her as close as I want.

“Is she okay?” I ask. Charlie nods against my chest. “Did her dad do that to her?”

She glances up. “She says he’s better now. That he got confused after her mother left.”

A snarl builds in my throat. “
Confused
, my ass. I’ll kill him.”

“She doesn’t need vengeance,” Charlie says. “She needs someone to care. That’s all.”

“Lincoln cares,” I spit. “People care. She doesn’t need that shit stain.”

“Leave her alone for now.” Charlie squeezes my hand. “Let’s go inside.”

My anger vanishes when she says those words. Because even though I want to drive back to Denver and leave a body count, I miss my Charlie. I miss her smile and her eagerness to believe the best in people. And I miss her body beneath mine.

Opening my hotel door, I move inside, never letting go of Charlie’s hand. It’s like I’m worried if I do, she’ll pull away again. My heart picks up for a different reason than when I was thinking about Aspen’s dad. Because now all I want to do is talk to Charlie. To ask her what’s been going on with us. Never did I think this would happen to me, that I’d be the one begging a girl to open up. But emotions turns even a dope cat like me into a dipshit.

I guide Charlie toward the bed. She sits down while I pace in front of her. I seem to do that a lot since I met Charlie Cooper—pace.

Pace like an animal.

Pace like a mad man.

“Why did you get out of the car?” I try to keep my voice even. “When we got to Aspen’s? Why did you jump out? You knew that’d scare the crap out of me. You can’t do that.”

“I knew she wouldn’t leave us.” Charlie folds her hands in her lap. She looks dignified. And I feel scared shitless. Scared that she doesn’t care about me like she used to, which is why it was so easy for her to jump out of the car. Scared that the
I love you
s we exchanged before came too soon.

“How did you know she wouldn’t leave?” I demand. “You couldn’t have.”

Pace, pace, pace.

“I did,” she insists. “I couldn’t leave her alone.”

“What about me? You left
me
alone!” Charlie doesn’t say anything, so I keep railing, my voice growing louder with every word. “What if something had happened to you? It’s supposed to be you and me, Charlie. Not you and Blue, or you and Aspen. It’s supposed to be us. Don’t you care about
us
? Don’t you care about
me
?”

Charlie stands up and heads toward the door.

“Don’t you dare walk out that door,” I tell her. I try to sound strong, but my voice shakes. And my legs shake.
Everything
shakes. Because I need an answer from her, and if she leaves now…

Charlie stops. Quietly, so quietly I almost don’t hear her, she says, “I can’t be who you want me to be.”

“What?” I stand frozen, relieved she said something, anything.

Charlie remains silent for several moments. “At the airport, you said you wished I was more like you.” She pauses, and I wrack my brain trying to remember what she’s talking about. When I
do
remember, my stomach clenches. “I tried, Dante. I met new friends, people I
thought
were friends. I did things I wouldn’t normally do. I danced when someone asked and drank when someone offered.” She turns around so that we’re facing each other. “I dressed differently, I never left a dare unfulfilled, and I thought about myself before others. Instead of watching old movies with Annabelle, I watched the sun rise after partying all night. I became someone I’m not. And I did it all for you.” Charlie lets out a long breath. “But I resented you for it. Because the truth is, I don’t want to be more like you. I just want to be me. I won’t change, and you’re always going to want—”

“Stop.”

Charlie’s mouth stays open, but she doesn’t say another word.

“What I said before I left for Denver…” I trail off, because I don’t want to screw this up. “I don’t want you to change. Since the moment I met you, I knew you weren’t like me. You were better. You
are
better. You’re the person I wish I could be. Your whole life…it means something. It means something so big that angels and demons are buzzing around you, trying to take some for themselves. You care about people besides yourself. Like, you
really
care. Not because of how it makes you feel, but because of how it makes them feel.” I step closer to Charlie. She doesn’t move away.

“I love the way you are, Charlie. I love it so much it tears me apart. I think about what would happen if I didn’t have you in my life—
you
, the girl you were when I met you—and I feel like I can’t breathe.” I trace my thumb over the dip below her bottom lip. “All my life, all I’ve ever wanted was to
take
. But with you, all I want is to give you everything—every creature in the sea, every star in the sky…my own beating heart. I love you, Charlie. Just the way you are, I love you.”

I don’t care if it’s too quick to say those words, or if she ever really felt the same way. Screw it all.

I kiss her.

Her lips move against mine, hesitantly at first, then with hunger. My heart hammers when I grasp that she’s not going to pull away this time. I place both hands around her waist and pull her closer. I lose myself in the taste of her lips. Her hair spills over her shoulder, and I breathe in the sweet blossom smell as I trail kisses down her neck. Charlie circles her arms around my neck and leans into me as a fire builds in the pit of my stomach. I feel her fingers digging into my back, and a low moan escapes my mouth as she brushes her hands over my chest, my hips, and just below the waistband of my jeans. Every place she touches me—every place where my lips touch her skin—bursts alive. My hands move up her waist to the top of her back. I press nearer so that I can almost sense our hearts beating in time.

Moving to her ear, I whisper, “I love you, Charlie. I love you.”

I can’t stop saying it—

Each time I kiss her.

I love you.

Each time her fingers move up the base of my neck and into my hair.

I love you.

When I lift her off her feet and move toward my bed.

I love you.

Charlie lies back on a blanket of white. Her blond hair creates a halo around wide, blue eyes, pink mouth, cream skin—