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.“He’s new.Dream detail.Braz asked me to show him around,” Lila said.“We were just on our way back to our quarters.I’d hurry back to Hell, Dane.You know that Braz doesn’t like you lurking around here off-duty.C’mon,” she jerked her head at David.“Your curfew is in ten minutes, and we don’t want you to get in trouble on your first day.”David raised his eyebrows, but followed Lila’s lead.He wondered if Lila’s ability to lie with ease was a reason that she ended up in Purgatory.They stepped around Dane, and were continuing on into the darkness when Dane’s voice reached their ears.“I’m assuming you’ve heard then that Mikel has escaped.”David stumbled, and his mind raced.Lila paused beside him but didn’t turn.“Sounds like Hell has a problem then,” Lila said.“That’s obviously outside of Purgatory’s jurisdiction.”“I would think that Braz would be more concerned about locking down the people who could move between the waypoints and the sectors than making sure a newbie got his orientation.”Lila sighed.“What Braz does is none of your business, Dane.Don’t make me report you to him.”David blinked and found Dane in front of them again studying David closely.“There is something familiar about you.Do I know you?”“No,” David replied.He was growing tired of the man’s antics.“You don’t.”“I think I do,” Dane stepped closer.“Dane,” Lila said stepping between them.“You are overstepping your bounds here.”“I don’t think so,” Dane said with a slow grin.“Because if this guy is who I think he is, I’m going to kill two birds with one stone.First, I’m guaranteed a spot on the Council, and second, I get to take Braz down a notch, if not further.”The familiar anger was growing inside of David’s chest.It was too much.Ellie, Lillian, Braz, and now this insufferably arrogant man who seemed to think he was going to use David too.He had enough.“You’d better listen to Lila, and get out of here before you get hurt,” David said.He took Lila by the shoulders and nudged her out of the way.Dane’s eyes glinted.“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”“Try me,” David snarled.As Dane’s fist came up, David heard Lila’s cry just before his hand caught it in mid-air and completely absorbed the momentum.Their joined hands hung there.Dane’s eyes widened for just a moment before bringing his other fist up.David blocked the jab easily.David was shocked.As far as he knew, he had never been in a fight in his life, but his body seemed to know exactly what to do in that situation.Then David’s head swung down and the ensuing violet head butt caused Dane to stumble backwards.Dane fell to the ground with a heavy thud.David advanced on Dane, but Lila threw herself down and covered Dane’s body.“No, David! You cannot hurt him.Please.”Her strangled plea and tears in the corner of her eyes brought David out of his red colored haze.“He’ll turn me in and get us both in trouble.”“Maybe, but then he’d only be doing his job,” Lila said.“You can’t blame him for that.We’re the ones doing something wrong here.”“I need to get to Ellie.He won’t stop me,” David warned.“If you want me to help you, then you can’t hurt him,” Lila said.“Why?”Then David heard Braz’s voice in his head.“I see it now, even with my Lila.”Instantly he felt a wave of guilt.He saw the shame cross Lila’s face that confirmed everything that he needed to know.“Fine.He comes with us, but you’d better keep him quiet,” David said.Lila looked torn, when another set of feet appeared behind her.“I’ll help you with him, Lila.You go.”An expression of relief crossed Lila’s face when she saw the voice’s owner.A slight blush blossomed on her cheeks.“Thank you, Peter.”David sighed.He didn’t need Ellie’s psychic abilities to see what was going on between the three people in front of him.Purgatory, Hell, and now Heaven were all represented.He wondered again what in the Afterlife he had gotten into.CHAPTER TWELVEEllie’s explanation of what happened with Mikel left Lucy annoyed and frustrated.“You should have yelled at the first sign of trouble.You made a bad deal, again, Ellie.”Ellie was annoyed that Lucy had decided to judge her actions.“I need answers, Lucy.I never told Mikel about what I found in my parents’ house when he took me back there.He knew about them.I may find out later it was the wrong call, and I may regret it, but I needed more time with him to find out what he knows.”“So you decided to put Hell on our asses.Yea, that’ll give us loads more time,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.“I understand that you don’t agree with me, Lucy.If you want out, just say so,” Ellie said.“I know that this makes things more dangerous.So, if you want to go, just go.”Lucy sighed and then sat down next to Ellie.She put her hand on Ellie’s knee.“I want you to get your answers, El.I just wish you would have trusted someone else, anyone else, but Mikel to help you find them.Someone like me.”“I do trust you, Lucy.” Ellie stood and started to pace.Things were swirling faster than she wanted, and other things, the unknown things were beginning to gnaw at her.She wished that things were simpler.It was a wish that was becoming familiar [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]