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scream her name.
"Ha!" I heard Eddie say as Allie started demonstrating some of Cutter's more
brutal moves on Troy. "Hot sauce. Gets 'em every time."
I'd spun around, and was about to leap on Asmodeus. I had no weapon, but I
also had no choice. I had to shut him up. Had to stop that damned incantation.
Before I could leap, though, David cried out for me. "Katie," he called, the
tone and inflection of his voice so familiar it ripped my heart in two. "Now!"
I didn't think. I couldn't. I just heard his earlier Hail Mary prayer in my
head and saw now that he was looking up toward the light fixture and the
caged, fluorescent black light.
The Tartarus demon was almost free, and I ran toward David as if the devil
himself were chasing me. In a way, I guess he was.
If I was wrong, we'd crash and burn and the demon would be free. If I was
right, we might
might
have a chance.
I prayed I was right. And as David grabbed me by the waist and tossed me into
the air, I knew my prayers had been answered.
I grabbed the cage and swung out, kicking my legs and praying. Praying hard
.
Below me, David thrust his cane into the belly of the beast, distracting
Asmodeus from what I was doing.
And, thank God, it worked. Yes, the demon reared his head back and saw me. But
by that time, it was too late. My foot connected with the tablet, and it went
flying, landing on the hard marble floor and shattering on impact.
A column of fire shot up from the book, then spun like a whirlwind of fire and
damnation before being sucked back down with a whoosh into the pages, taking
the nearly released Tartarus demon back down with it.
Asmodeus howled in frustration and anger, his clawed hand finding my leg and
yanking me free from my precarious grip on the light fixture.
While one hand held my leg, the other grasped my head, and I knew without a
doubt that he was about to rip me in two.
I heard Allie scream for me, and below, I saw David swing the sword, and I
knew he was aiming to throw it, aiming to cut off the demon's head.
I didn't even have time to pray before the blade was released, flying through
the sky toward my captor's neck.
And then, suddenly, I was falling.
I landed with a thud on the ground, then rolled over quickly, expecting to see
an oily stain of bile marking the demon's remains.
Instead, I saw Cool.
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The demon had changed back at the last minute, transforming out of his
vulnerable state. He was on the ground, as shocked and breathless as I. But
not for long. I threw myself on him, and before he could gather the strength
to toss me off, I grabbed one of the shards from the broken tablet, and jammed
it right into his eye.
The demon left in a puff and I fell backwards onto the floor, with barely
enough energy to call for my daughter.
She was at my side in an instant. "What's happening, what's happening?" She
repeated the question, over and over, as I stroked her hair and told her,
"It's okay. It's okay. It's over. It's okay."
We held each other like that, rocking and crying until we couldn't stand it
anymore.
"Come on, kiddo," I finally said, pressing my hands to her cheek and looking
into her eyes. "Let's go. It's over. It's finally over."
Except it wasn't over. Not really. In fact, if anything, I think it was just
the beginning.
Afterward, we stood in the flashing lights from a dozen police cars and told
our story to the officers who were trying to make sense of what happened.
Brent and Troy had been hauled away, arrested on charges of kidnapping, with
more charges related to the drug cult David and I had hinted at sure to come.
JoAnn had been taken to the hospital, unable to remember anything past leaving
the beach with the boys.
The paramedics assured her and Marissa that her memory would return. I had to
wonder, though. In my experience, when an encounter with a demon creates
hysterical amnesia, the mind usually stays blank.
Frankly, I think that's a good thing.
Marissa rode in the ambulance to the hospital, and I promised to drive her car
back to my house. She'd nodded a quick thank-you, then wiped away the tears
that had battled through her defenses. Then she'd reached over and hugged me.
Tight.
I didn't ask, but I had a feeling that marker I owed her had been satisfied.
We'd had very little time to talk before the police arrived, but the story
David and I had come up with was that we'd learned that the boys were involved
in some weird cult rituals. When we learned they'd taken Allie and JoAnn, we'd
gone after them. We probably should have called the police right away, but we
weren't thinking clearly.
So far, at least, the police seemed to be buying it.
My daughter, though&
She'd seen enough to know that our story didn't quite match reality, So far,
we hadn't had the chance to talk, and I still wasn't sure what I was going to
tell her. About me, or about what happened in the museum. I wanted to protect
her from the truth, but sometimes you have to take the blinders off and let
your kids see reality.
I'd reached that point with Allie. It was time she knew the truth about my
life. It was, after all, her life, too.
I looked over to where she was talking with David and shivered, wondering
suddenly about my own definition of truth. The Hail Mary maneuver. The tone of
his voice. His urgent cry of Katie in that oh, so familiar voice.
I brushed away a tear. I'd learned a few truths today, too. Of that, I was
certain. But I wasn't at all certain what I was going to do about it.
And what, I wondered, was he talking about with Allie? I took a step that
direction, my stomach tight as
I thought about the things David could be telling her. But I was held back by
the gentle press of a hand on my shoulder.
"Hold off there," Eddie said.
"But he might "
"Won't do it," Eddie said. "Do you really believe he'll tell the girl anything
you don't want her to know?"
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I thought about that, relaxing a bit when I realized that Eddie was right.
Whatever his name, the man she was talking to would never do an end run around
me. For better or for worse, with regard to matters demonic, I was the only
parent Allie had. And the decisions to be made were mine alone.
I squared my shoulders and joined them. Allie immediately sagged against me.
David gave her a quick hug, then aimed a smile my direction. "I'll let you two
talk," he said, then stepped away.
"Wait!"
He turned back, a question in his eyes. I didn't want to leave Allies side,
but I had to talk to him. "Allie, I
need to "
"I'm gonna sit," she said, then moved to the steps. I watched her for a
second, then turned back to face
David, not sure what I wanted to say, or what I wanted to hear.
"Kate?"
"That move," I blurted. "The Hail Mary. How did you know?"
He studied my face. "Eric told me," he finally said. He looked away, focusing
on something over my shoulder. "I'd forgotten, but your crash landing at
Cutter's reminded me."
"That's it?" I didn't believe him. Not for a minute.
He looked me in the eye. "Is there some other answer you'd prefer?"
My breath hitched in my throat as I thought about that. Thought about my life
and my husband and my little boy. One word, and my family would change
forever. That wasn't a decision I could make. Not right then. Maybe not ever.
"No," I said, my voice thick with tears. "Thank you."
His smile was warm, but his eyes were sad. "Anytime, Katie-kins."
He turned away then, leaving me shaky and not at all sure I'd done the right
thing.
I took a deep breath to steady myself, then turned and walked to Allie. "I'm
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