eyes filled with tears. “Go visit Mara at the hospital to see if you can help her. You must get some answers before it’s too late.”
I nodded and took the bag. No point in freaking out about his outburst. I’d known something fishy was going on even before stepping into these humming walls. “I’ll see you soon, Roe.”
“Yes, you will.”
“Come on, Oren.” I grabbed his hand and led him toward the concrete stairs at the end of the floor. Before we reached them, a security guard stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Sierra Fox?” he drawled in a deep voice.
I managed a quick nod.
“You and your associate need to accompany me,” the man with a buzz cut said.
“We were just about to leave—”
Oren squeezed my hand and stepped past me. “Okay, young man, we’ll go with you.” He stood very close to him, commanding his gaze while the security guard nodded absently.
“Follow me.” The guard escorted us into the waiting elevator and we descended in silence. When we reached the foyer, I expected to find Mace waiting for us, but he wasn’t there. The guy actually escorted us all the way to the revolving doors. When he got there, he stood like a frozen statue with vacant eyes.
Oren steered me away from the building before anyone noticed.
I didn’t resist or asked him any questions until we were both buckled into the car and I was already driving out into traffic.
“What the hell…just happened?” I tried to catch my breath.
“The dowsing rod was pointing upward. I think the odd man at the counter was correct. Something terrible is happening in the top floors of that building. Do you have any idea what offices are up there?”
I dared to glance into the rearview mirror and spotted a bunch of security guards rushing out into the street, like they were looking for something—or someone.
I hoped nothing happened to Roe. The last thing I wanted was to get him into some sort of trouble. He’d seemed really spooked.
“Sierra?”
“Yeah, uh…” I sped up a little, wanting to put as much distance as I could between us and the Council. “The top floors aren’t offices. They’re the Spook Catcher apartments. The trainees and Council-sanctioned Catchers live up there.”
“I think we need to visit the hospital and see the girl who is in a coma.”
I nodded. “Oren, what did you do back there?”
“I simply overrode the guard’s instructions, to get us to safety.”
“What was he supposed to do?”
Oren sighed. “He was supposed to take us to the top of the building where we were to be interrogated. But I don’t think that’s what they intended for you.” He balled his hands into fists. “I’m sorry about this. I put you in the direct line of danger back there but didn’t know they had such immediate plans for you.”
“Shit, this is really bad.” I cleared my throat, trying to wash down all the uncertainty and fear.
“Why would they want to forcibly take you?”
“It’s got to be because of Mace,” I answered. He was either still missing and they wanted to interrogate me about it, or he was hiding inside the building and wanted to make sure I didn’t get away from him again. Neither option sounded good.
“You haven’t been back in the building since the incident at the cemetery?”
I shook my head.
“And Ebony hasn’t been approached?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
“Very strange…”
“Yeah, it is, but we can’t concentrate on that right now. I’m pretty sure I know where they’re keeping Mara. Hopefully we can find something out from her.”
I neglected to mention that I didn’t know how we were going to glean any information from a woman who’d been in a coma for a month, but I was glad we’d escaped the Council.
Though I now understood why I’d physically reacted worse than usual and my nose bled. The Spook Catcher Council was shrouded in a sticky darkness I’d never encountered before, and I was simply reacting.
Chapter Four
It
I nodded and took the bag. No point in freaking out about his outburst. I’d known something fishy was going on even before stepping into these humming walls. “I’ll see you soon, Roe.”
“Yes, you will.”
“Come on, Oren.” I grabbed his hand and led him toward the concrete stairs at the end of the floor. Before we reached them, a security guard stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Sierra Fox?” he drawled in a deep voice.
I managed a quick nod.
“You and your associate need to accompany me,” the man with a buzz cut said.
“We were just about to leave—”
Oren squeezed my hand and stepped past me. “Okay, young man, we’ll go with you.” He stood very close to him, commanding his gaze while the security guard nodded absently.
“Follow me.” The guard escorted us into the waiting elevator and we descended in silence. When we reached the foyer, I expected to find Mace waiting for us, but he wasn’t there. The guy actually escorted us all the way to the revolving doors. When he got there, he stood like a frozen statue with vacant eyes.
Oren steered me away from the building before anyone noticed.
I didn’t resist or asked him any questions until we were both buckled into the car and I was already driving out into traffic.
“What the hell…just happened?” I tried to catch my breath.
“The dowsing rod was pointing upward. I think the odd man at the counter was correct. Something terrible is happening in the top floors of that building. Do you have any idea what offices are up there?”
I dared to glance into the rearview mirror and spotted a bunch of security guards rushing out into the street, like they were looking for something—or someone.
I hoped nothing happened to Roe. The last thing I wanted was to get him into some sort of trouble. He’d seemed really spooked.
“Sierra?”
“Yeah, uh…” I sped up a little, wanting to put as much distance as I could between us and the Council. “The top floors aren’t offices. They’re the Spook Catcher apartments. The trainees and Council-sanctioned Catchers live up there.”
“I think we need to visit the hospital and see the girl who is in a coma.”
I nodded. “Oren, what did you do back there?”
“I simply overrode the guard’s instructions, to get us to safety.”
“What was he supposed to do?”
Oren sighed. “He was supposed to take us to the top of the building where we were to be interrogated. But I don’t think that’s what they intended for you.” He balled his hands into fists. “I’m sorry about this. I put you in the direct line of danger back there but didn’t know they had such immediate plans for you.”
“Shit, this is really bad.” I cleared my throat, trying to wash down all the uncertainty and fear.
“Why would they want to forcibly take you?”
“It’s got to be because of Mace,” I answered. He was either still missing and they wanted to interrogate me about it, or he was hiding inside the building and wanted to make sure I didn’t get away from him again. Neither option sounded good.
“You haven’t been back in the building since the incident at the cemetery?”
I shook my head.
“And Ebony hasn’t been approached?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
“Very strange…”
“Yeah, it is, but we can’t concentrate on that right now. I’m pretty sure I know where they’re keeping Mara. Hopefully we can find something out from her.”
I neglected to mention that I didn’t know how we were going to glean any information from a woman who’d been in a coma for a month, but I was glad we’d escaped the Council.
Though I now understood why I’d physically reacted worse than usual and my nose bled. The Spook Catcher Council was shrouded in a sticky darkness I’d never encountered before, and I was simply reacting.
Chapter Four
It
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