Read Death 07 - For the Love of Death for Free Online Page B

inhale.
    “What’s going on?”
    “Clyde brought her. Some ruffian is trying to vamp her psychic energy right out of her.”
    “Brad Thompson.” Jade throws her arms down by her sides, color spreading across her cheekbones.
    I’m so pissed it should be illegal. I can feel my old friend Rage come knocking. I concentrate on my breathing.
    I hate some of these Randoms. My prejudice is worse than everyone else’s is, because I was part of the problem.
    Now we have abilities in the few kids left who aren’t catalogued. Like trees, they have all kinds of branches.
    This shitty Null is also a Drainer. Our government won’t give them a name, but we leftovers will.
    What Thompson is doing is illegal. His father is also the head of the Sanctions. He pulls every undead legislation he can.
    The prick.
    Jade plucks my sleeve, and I cup the back of her head with my free hand. “Is she okay, Caleb?” She worries at her lip with her teeth.
    Gramps says, “She’s okay, Caleb—just shook up.”
    A breath whistles out of me.
    “ Okay. So here’s the $64,000,000 question: where are she and Pax?”
    Silence.
    I hear Gramps do a swipe of his face with his palm. Deep exhale.
    “Should’ve been home ’bout now, son.”
    Jade shakes her head. “They’re not,” she whispers.
    I say into the phone, “They’re not, Gramps.”
    I don’t ask why my zombie, Clyde, happened to be corpse-on-the-spot for Deegan. I don’t ask why her Null guard was absent. I don’t ask any of that. “Gramps…”
    “I’ll find her.”
    “And Pax?”
    “Don’t worry about him. He needs to figure out his own way about Ali, son.”
    The mention of Mom’s impending demise is a wound that continuously seeps.
    I open my eyes, and my wife cups my face.
    I tip my head, putting my forehead to hers.
    “Do I need to raise the dead?” I ask, my breath caressing Jade's face.
    A beat of time drums between us.
    Can’t take that shit back .
    “ Not yet. I'll roar out there in my Bronco and flesh out this bullshit.”
    My lips twitch.
    “Be careful, Gramps.”
    He barks a laugh into the phone and I straighten from Jade, holding it away from my ear.
    “If anyone's touched a hair on either of those kids' heads, there will be a shitstorm they'll never recover from. They'll stink until they die.”
    Gramps.
    “I'll meet ya,” I say, ignoring his paranoia rant.
    “ Do ya know what route Pax generally takes?”
    An alarm sounds and Jade yelps, throwing a hand over her heart.
    “Hang on!” I give the phone to Jade.
    I stride to the wall and depress my thumb on the pad, also obsolete. Many people have full cognitive pulse operation. Mind to signal.
    I'm not ready for that.
    < Authenticate, Hart, Caleb >
    The message appears as scrolling letters.
    < The vehicle registered to the above name and address has been in a collision >
    < Repeat >
    < The vehicle registered to the above name and address has been in a collision >
     
    My heart stutters.
    Pulse cars don't get in accidents.
    They have monitors sensing obstacles and implement counter measures to avoid them.
    I race back to the phone and tear it out of Jade's hand, mouthing sorry as I do.
    I grip it so hard the plastic squeaks in protest.
    One word. “Gramps.”
    He hears me because he listens so hard.
    He always has.
    “I knew some strange-ranger shit was going to go down.”
    “ How?” I ask. “You're not a paranormal.”
    “ Pfft.” He grunts. “Gut instinct.”
    “ This changes things.”
    “ Not really… the guns were always gonna go.”
    I roll my eyes.
    “Probably don't need the arsenal. Organics will be there already.”
    “ Not if the wrong people show up.”
    Adrenaline comes to fuel Rage.
    Swell.
    Jade's eyes widen at my emotional signature.
    “I'll meet you,” I say.
    “ Call Clyde.”
     
    I hit him like a ton of bricks. My summons is pure, strong. Agonized.
    The response is nearly instantaneous. Master.
     
    The kids, Clyde, they've been in a car wreck.
     
    A second of