Blood Memories

I was looking through Wade's sight line.

Without conscious awareness, we'd slipped into each other's minds. He experienced my sorrow. I saw through his eyes. It didn't occur to me until later to wonder at how easy, how utterly natural this feat had been.

"Dominick?" he called.

"Where's your girlfriend?"

I found it difficult to shut out Wade's surge of pity when his muscular partner stumbled through the kitchen door, a bloody shovel in his hands. My thoughts got tangled up in Wade's memories. What a good cop Dom had once been. Now dried food and old sweat stained his T-shirt. His black hair stuck to his skull in filthy patches, and quick, china-blue eyes twitched back and forth, puffy from exhaustion, sunken by obsession.

"You killed this old man." Wade took in the sight of William's burgundy smoking jacket, wrinkled hands, head lying two feet from his body. "You murdered him. Does that get through to you at all?"

"He's been dead for years. Jesus Christ, Wade, you still don't get it, do you? How many people do you think this ‘old man' murdered?"

"None. He fed on rabbits."

"Did she tell you that? She's lying. Remember her painting? The one you kept. I got sick touching it. That pretty face is a joke. It protects her, like a gun or armor. She'd rip your throat out in a second."

"That doesn't make you judge and executioner. Remember? You wouldn't even shoot at a fleeing criminal. You were good at what you did. Everybody wanted to be you."

Recognition, pain, flickered across Dominick's unshaven face. "This is different. Rules don't work." He walked over and looked down at William's body, as the flesh was just beginning to crack. "These things look at us as cattle. They butcher us to live."

This was war. And what if Dom was right? What if the last semblance of sanity still dwelled in him? Wade thought of Eleisha's tiny face, her frightened eyes, and his own growing fascination with her. What if he was wrong, the police were blind, and only Dominick fought on the right side anymore?

"She's not what you think," Wade said. "Her whole existence surrounded that old man. Now that he's dead, I don't know what she'll do. You have to report this, though. You've killed someone."

"No, I don't. In a few minutes there won't be a body."

"Where did you learn so much about these people?"

"Touching things. Her things and Claymore's. His house was a memory smorgasbord."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Wade asked.

"I didn't think you'd believe me."

"You could've let me in."

"My head? No." Dom's expression grew sad. "You're my friend. Trust me on this. My head isn't someplace you want to be."

"If you could just see her, talk to her-"

"Is she here?"

"No."

"Where is she, Wade?"

"I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"You can't stop me." Dom turned away from William's body and locked eyes with Wade. "What is going on here? You're on my side, remember?"

"You're out of control, killing people."

"They aren't people! Whether you understand this or not, I'm going to wait here until dawn and then search the house. She has to come home before it gets light. When she does, I'm going to cut her head off and this will be over."

"Get out."

"What?"

"You heard me. Get out. This isn't your job." Before his partner could speak again, Wade pulled the 9mm Beretta from the back of his jeans and pointed it.

Dom's eyes widened. "You won't kill me."

"No, but I'll blow a hole in your leg and then call an ambulance. By the time the paramedics get here, I'll be long gone."

"Why are you…?"

Wade pointed the gun straight at Dominick's thigh. The burly man stepped back toward the door, his blue eyes narrowing.

"You don't want to take me on. You'll lose."

"Just get out," Wade repeated.

Dominick slipped out the front door, and Wade bolted it behind him.

I pushed myself up from Maggie's bedroom floor, removing my thoughts from Wade's, seeing through my own eyes again, and stumbled downstairs to the foyer. William's body was already turning to ash, the tiny cracks in his flesh spreading.

Wade dashed about, checking window bolts. "Did you see? Did you hear all that?"

"Yes," I whispered tiredly. "Through you."

"We've got to run. He's right. I can't take him on. I wouldn't even know how."

Sinking to my knees, I fingered William's smoking jacket. I couldn't bring myself to look at his severed head… across the floor. "It doesn't matter now," I whispered.

"Get up! Change your clothes."

"Dominick is nothing now."

"Twenty minutes ago you were begging me to get him off your back."

"Julian's coming."

Wade froze. "What?"

"You and I felt psychic waves only because we were so close. Julian made William. I think even halfway across the world… he felt it. He'll be coming."

"That doesn't change what's happening right now!" he spat. "We've got to get out of here."

"He'll find us."

"I just aimed a gun at my best friend for you!"

He had, hadn't he? I'd dragged him down into moral hell and now had probably killed him. No one could stop Julian.

"Where should we go?" I asked.