Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4) (9 page)

With Contessa possibly aware he was onto her, it could have been anyone—or anything. He balled his fists.
Unless you can run really fast, don’t let anyone see you.

Modem nodded.

The steps grew louder. Jayden inched his way to the corner of the brick building, careful to stay shrouded in shadow. He couldn’t steal a look until he was ready to be seen.

The footsteps stopped.

Jayden’s gut twisted as he waited, listening.

There was just one chance to get this right. He had to take out whoever was following them on the first try. He may not get another.

A shadowed figure stepped into sight.

Jayden leaped out and swung.

His fist cracked the guy’s nose, slapping the stranger to the pavement.

Light from a flickering streetlamp cast over the stalker’s features. Blood trickled down his lips, dripping off his chin. He groaned. “I think you broke my nose.”

Jayden’s eyes widened. “Peter?”

The healer staggered to his feet, cradling his face with both hands. He spit blood onto the sidewalk. His eyes began to swell. “What was that for?”

“What did you expect? You snuck up on me. I didn’t…” Jayden stopped. “Wait. What the hell are you doing here?”

Peter spit another mouthful of blood. “I was sent here to find you. I thought the hotel was a good place to start looking. I figured Hawa might have taken you there. I’ve been scoping the place out for two days.” He braced his fingers on both sides of his nose and snapped it back in place.

Jayden’s stomach turned into a queasy cesspool of nausea. He swallowed the saliva pooled under his tongue. “You know about that place, huh?”

“Yeah.” Peter wiped any remaining blood off his face with his t-shirt. “Hawa told me about it a few times. It took some serious searching to find it, though.”

Which meant Peter knew some, but not all of what really went on there. That somehow made him feel special. He knew about Hawa’s past when the others didn’t, and that meant she trusted him.

“We haven’t seen Zanya since the bonding ceremony,” Peter continued, pulling Jay back to the moment. “She and Arwan took off right after. Zanya’s mom completely lost it.”

“Yeah.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I remember.”

“Zanya looked for you before she left. Her mom made a big deal about Arwan, and everyone at the bonding ceremony turned on him.”

“It’s hard to believe she even noticed I was gone.” The swelling around Peter’s eyes had already subsided. Luckily, he was a healer, and the broken nose would mend within the hour.

I’m assuming I don’t have to run for my life?
Modem thought.

“Oh.” He turned to the alleyway. “Sorry. You can come out.”

She stepped out of the shadows, took one look at Peter’s face, and sucked air between her teeth. “Ouch. That’s gotta suck.”

Peter examined the girl. “Who’s this?”

Don’t you dare tell him
, Modem said.
Not who I really am.

Jayden shrugged. “Just a kid from the hotel. I’m trying to keep her out of trouble.”

Peter scoffed. “You’re the last person qualified to do that.”

“He’s not so bad.” She smiled at Peter. “I’m Modem.” She extended her hand. Peter shook it. “Nice to meet you,” she said. “So, you’re friend of Jayden’s?”

“Sometimes.” He touched his nose, and his focus shifted back to Jay. “We need you back. Things have gotten bad. Really bad.”

He analyzed the healer’s stone features. This was serious. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Contessa. The witch has made some nasty friends, and she’s summoning everything she’s got. Soon, the middleworld will be overrun.”

Modem sighed. “I guess that means no pie.”

Chapter Twelve

Soft hues of orange and red wavered in the sky as they approached the hotel. Modem yawned, her hands crossed over her chest and dark circles set under her eyes. All three of them walked toward the Thirteenth Street Hotel, turning their backs to the sun while it peeked over the crooked horizon.

Peter kept pace beside Jayden, the two of them walking in silence. It was good to see a familiar face, but couldn’t it have been someone else? Anyone, as long as Hawa didn’t used to be in love with him. The whole thing between her and Peter was over and gone, but she was still bitter. He could sense it. Every time she heard his name her shoulders tensed, and she could never look at the healer without a slight glare. She wouldn’t take his help or offer any, and that was going to make things a lot more complicated.

“Listen.” Jayden rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know if it’s a great idea Hawa knows you’re here.”

Peter nodded. “I was the only one she told about the hotel before this. With you and Zanya gone, we couldn’t seek Hawa. It was really our only option.”

Even though Jay sensed her resentment, there was a lot about their relationship he didn’t know. He recalled the day Peter was nearly killed by the beam in Renato’s house after Sarian’s attack. Jay’s skin crawled every time the memory of Hawa’s scream echoed through his mind. She’d been hysterical, like someone had lost the one person they loved. Funny how love could be bitter and sweet at the same time. His mind flashed to Zanya, and he blinked, willing away the memory. He still loved her, but something had shifted inside of him. Something that made him love her…differently.

“Why shouldn’t she know I’m here?” Peter asked.

Jayden shrugged. “You know Hawa.”

Peter huffed. “Yeah. I know.”

Jayden stole a glance at the healer. “What else did she tell you about this place?”

“I don’t know. Like what?”

“I mean, did she ever tell you about stuff that happened in the hotel, before Renato’s?”

Peter shook his head. “Not really. She just said she grew up there, and it was a place for kids to go who had no home. Past that, she never really got into details.” Peter looked over his shoulder at Modem. “I’m assuming there’s a reason the girl is here—past trying to keep her out of trouble.”

Jayden glanced back just in time to see her glare.
Don’t do it.
He
brushed his fingertips together, analyzing the situation. They had always been more powerful in numbers.
Peter is one of us,
he replied
.
Jayden stopped walking and turned to Modem. “You know that, right? It’s safe to tell him.”

“Tell me what?” Peter paused. “What’s going on?”

Modem stopped several feet away. She stared down the street, her eyes growing wider by the second.

Jayden’s stomach dropped. He turned to find Hawa standing on the sidewalk with her hands on her hips, tapping her leather boot on the pavement.

“Shit.” Jayden swallowed. “This isn’t good.”

Peter stepped back. “Maybe she doesn’t recognize me.”

Modem snorted. “She’s mad. Not blind.”

Hawa stomped toward them, meeting Peter toe-to-toe. Her full lips twisted into a snarl. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re just hanging out, Brisa,” Modem said. “Chill.”

She cocked her head at the girl. “You should not be hanging out with these guys. Do you want Blade to flip out?”

“Why would he care, especially since you’re together with him now?” She gestured to Jay. “Me hanging out with him shouldn’t make a difference.”

Peter’s lips parted and his gaze ping-ponged between them. “Seriously?”

Hawa’s glare snapped back to Peter. “That is
none
of your business.” She stepped back, examining all three of them. Hawa crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on her biceps. “Who’s first?”

Jayden pointed at Peter. “He came here looking for me.”

Modem rolled her eyes. “Narc.”

“Why?” Hawa demanded.

“Because we need his help,” Peter added. “We could use yours too.”

“Not happening.” She grabbed Jayden’s hand. “Come on. Time to go.”

“Go?” Modem said. “Where?”

“Away.” Hawa wove her fingers together with Jayden’s. “You were right. We should just get out of here.” She glared over her shoulder at Peter. “Apparently I can’t have any privacy, no matter how far I go.”

“But…” Modem’s voice had become more distant. “I want to come.”

Hawa turned to face the girl. “Sorry, Modem, but you can’t come with us.”

“So you’re just going to leave again, like you did last time?” The kid’s eyes glossed with tears. Suddenly Jayden couldn’t see the powerful dreamwalker under the desperate little girl in front of them. “You can’t…you can’t just leave me here.”

Hawa glanced at Jay, then sighed. She let go of his hand and walked toward her. “Listen.” Her voice had lost its razor edge, and she crouched in front of Modem. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t really want to.” Hawa touched her arm. “I can’t stay here anymore. One day you’ll understand.”

Modem’s throat visibly tightened, and she stepped back. “You never really cared about us, did you? It was all about Blade. It was always about him.”

“That’s not true, Modem. I care—”

“No!” Her normally steady voice cracked. “If you cared, you wouldn’t leave again.”

Hawa stood. “I’m sorry you’re angry. Maybe you’re just too young to understand.”

Modem shook her head. Her hands curled into fists and her body began to shake.

“Um…” Jayden stepped back. “Maybe we should…take cover…”

Hawa arched an eyebrow. “She’s a kid, not a wrecking ball.”

Modem’s eyes inked into pools of black.

“Don’t be so sure.” He quickly inspected the buildings around them, searching for a shield of brick or metal.

The air stilled and all sounds drifted into complete silence.

“Seriously. We need to get out of here.” He took Hawa’s hand. The ground below them began to shake. Pebbles bounced on the paved sidewalk. The light from the streetlamp overhead shattered, sparking as shards of glass rained over them.

Hawa covered her head and ducked out of the way. “What’s happening?”

“She’s upset,” Jayden said. “I think she’s still learning how to control her powers.”

Hawa dropped her hands to her sides, gawking at him. “
Powers
?”

The rusted iron balconies attached to the apartment buildings overhead shuddered and creaked. Brick dust coated the sidewalk in a thin layer of red. A random person on the sidewalk a few blocks down screamed and ran, shouting, “
Terremoto
!”

“They think it’s an earthquake,” Hawa shouted. The light post began to buckle, the metal screaming under the pressure of Modem’s powers.

Jayden looked at the kid.
You have to stop. You’re going to hurt someone.

Ear-piercing shrieks clawed at his mind. He cupped his hands over his ears and clenched his eyes shut.

Hawa grabbed Jayden and yanked him into a narrow alley just as the light post snapped and crashed onto the sidewalk. After a moment, things quieted.

When he opened his eyes, Hawa’s glare was fierce.

“It wasn’t my fault,” he blurted.

“Ugh.” She shoved him back and stepped onto the main sidewalk. When her gaze found Modem, she pressed her fingers over her lips. “Oh my God.”

Jayden stepped out, following Hawa as she ran to Modem’s frail frame crumpled to the pavement. She held her hands over the kid’s body. “Peter! Where the hell are you?”

The healer inched out of a nook where he’d found shelter, and looked in their direction.

“Get over here,” Hawa shouted. “She needs help!”

Peter jogged to them and knelt beside Modem. He rested his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes.

Jayden shifted. “Is she okay?” He held his breath, waiting for the answer.

“Shh.” Peter drew in a deep breath. After a stretched moment of silence, he finally opened his eyes. “She’s exhausted.”

“That’s it?” Hawa said.

“I mean, she’s not physically hurt, but her abilities are all over the place.”

Hawa buried her fingers in her hair. “How couldn’t I see this sooner?”

“Because she didn’t want you to,” Jayden said.

Peter shot her an annoyed glare. “I can see why.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she snapped.

Peter ignored her question. “This kid packs a serious punch. If she wanted, she could do a lot of damage.”

Hawa examined the snapped light post and shattered glass, the crumbled cement and brick dust blanketing the sidewalk. “She did this?”

“She’s got this thing…” Jayden scratched his head. “Like, when she gets pissed, she kind of loses it.”

Hawa looked at him. “You knew and didn’t tell me?”

“I just found out, and she made me swear not to say anything.” Kind of the truth.

“And you listened to her? She’s a kid, for God’s sake!”

“She’s one of us.” Jayden pressed his lips into a tight line. “She needs help. She needs someone to teach her how to use her powers before she kills someone.”

“Or herself.” Peter pushed to his feet. “We need to get her out of here.”

Jayden had nearly forgotten they were standing in the open, in the middle of Guatemala City. He crouched down and scooped Modem into his arms. Her cheeks were pale, and her limp body hung lifeless. If she weren’t breathing, he’d think she was gone.

“Let’s get her back to the hotel before anyone starts asking questions.” Hawa glared at Peter. “You. Go home.”

Peter shook his head. “I can’t. Not without you guys.”

“I’ll come back when I’m good and ready. Not when
you
tell me to.” She turned to Jayden. “Let’s go. Now.”

When Jayden turned to follow, Peter grabbed his arm. “Listen to me. I wouldn’t have come down here if it weren’t our last resort. We need you back. We need your ability to find Zanya, and I don’t have time for Hawa’s power struggles.”

Jayden frowned. “I wish I could help. I really do, but…” He exhaled. “I have to stay with Hawa. She needs me more than you do right now.”

“So that’s it?” Peter stepped back. “Now that Zanya’s gone, you’re okay with ditching everyone?”

“Ditching everyone?” he squared his stance with Peter’s. “Nobody wants me there unless they can use me for something. I sacrificed
years
in that orphanage with Zanya. I followed her to Renato’s house in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere to help. Renato doesn’t want me there, Marzena doesn’t want me there, and Zanya can take care of herself.” Jayden took a step back. “Besides.” His throat tightened. “She has Arwan now. They’re together, and he won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Arwan can’t protect her from what’s coming. Nobody can.”

Jayden shifted his weight. “Zanya’s the Guardian. She’ll—”

“No.” Peter squared his jaw. “She won’t. She left, and without working together, we’re all as good as dead.” His gaze flickered down the street. “Including Hawa. And she’ll never know it’s coming.”

Jayden glanced over his shoulder at Hawa, who was nearing the end of the block. Even if it killed him to admit it, the healer was right. If things had really gotten that bad, without working together, everyone would go down. He exhaled. “Just give me a little time. She’ll never agree if she feels forced.” He looked down at Modem. “And Modem needs time to rest.” He turned his back to Peter and jogged to catch up to Hawa.

When the girl woke up, Hawa would have a serious tongue lashing to deal out. Then they could move on. Work together. If Peter was right…if Contessa was really that close to raising the underworld, they had to act as a team, and they had to move fast.

First, he’d have to convince Hawa to come along.