Reborn (26 page)

I woke chilled to the core, lying on something hard. A steady drip and heavy snoring somewhere nearby added to the pounding in my head. The stench of urine and body odor greeted me with every breath I took. I pried my eyes open. Directly overhead, an exposed light bulb glowed behind a small cage. With aching muscles, I pushed myself into a sitting position on the cement floor, a groan accompanying my every move.

The source of the snoring lay on a bench at one end of the barred room, one arm dangling over the edge, a small puddle of drool accumulating on the floor below the guy’s squished face. As the previous night’s events tore through my mind, my stomach threatened to vomit again. Where was Desiree? Had she gotten away?

“He’s awake,” someone yelled from down the hall.

In minutes, keys clanked together as a uniformed man unlocked the barred door. “On your feet, Mr. Black.”

It took a moment for me to realize he addressed me. I checked my pockets; they were empty.

“Where’s my wallet?” I said with a rasp to my voice, standing on shaky legs.

“You’ll get your things back later, Mr. Black. Now let’s go. It’s time you gave us some answers.”

The man, wearing a police uniform, exuding an abundance of confidence, escorted me into a room not far away. Another uniformed man sat on one side of a table. With a forceful grip, my escort pushed me into the only other chair, then went to stand beside the door.

Desperate for water, I asked for a drink.

“Consumed too much alcohol last night, did you?” the man sitting said.

“I didn’t have anything to drink but soda.”

He leaned back in the chair, expanding his stomach beyond his belt. “Well, that must have been one intoxicating soda you had.”

“I wasn’t intoxicated.”

The fog in my head started to burn off as anger simmered.

“That’s not what it looked like to the officers who brought you in.”

Tired of his attitude, I leaned into the table.

“Back away from the table,” the guy at the door barked.

I backed away, but said my piece. “I don’t care what those guys thought; I wasn’t drunk. Now give me some water?”

“One more demand like that and your ass will be so far in the hole, you’ll never see the sunlight again. You got that, Mr. Black?”

I threw my back against the chair in silence, glaring at the officer in front of me, wishing there were only the two of us in the room.

“Now, when you’ve given us some satisfactory answers”—he pointed his chin at the other guy—“Officer Mike will get you all the water you can drink. Now, tell us exactly what happened at 102 Clairview Drive last night.”

“Do you think this is funny?” the policeman said when I shook my head and let out a breathy laugh.

Clearly, he couldn’t be pleased. He wanted straight answers that I couldn’t give him, so I thought up a story.

“This guy.” My twin’s image came into view. “He broke the patio doors and forced himself into the apartment.”

“Can you give us a description?”

He looked exactly like me.
“He…”

“What race?”

“White, tall, with blond hair.”

“His build?”

“Skinny.”

“How did he break the glass?”

I pulled up images of the encounter in my aching head. “He had a knife.” I held out two fingers. “About this long.”

“Is that how you got the cut on your chest?” The officer gave a nod in the direction of the wound.

I looked down at the dried blood and suddenly felt the sting. “Yes.”

“Do you know what he wanted?”

“Desiree… he said.”

“The woman who lives in the apartment?”

“Yes.”

“What is her full name?”

“Desiree McClinton.”

“Where is she?”

“I held the guy down and told her to run. I haven’t seen her since.” A weak spell hit me, and I teetered in the chair, but caught myself. “After a few minutes’ struggle, the guy jumped off the balcony and disappeared.”

“A two-story jump?” He exchanged a cynical look with the other officer.

I shrugged, tired of the interrogation.

“Do you have a picture of the girl?”

“No.”

“How do you know her?”

“We’re friends.”

The only other item in the room, a phone hanging from the wall, rang. After the other officer had a quick conversation with someone on the other end, he hung up and said, “He’s been cleared. And someone is here to pick him up.”

The man across from me leaned on the table, as if defiantly knowing I couldn’t. I folded my arms across my chest to keep from grabbing him and bashing his head into the table.

“Well, Shane Black, looks like you’re in the clear for now. But don’t leave the state just yet.”

“I can go now?” I was anxious to start the hunt for Desiree and my adversary.

“Not so fast. Officer Mike will escort you to the front desk to fill out a form and give you your belongings. Then you can go.”

I stood and turned toward the door, not giving him the courtesy of a goodbye.

Melba sat in a row of seats near the outside door, wringing her hands in her lap.

“Solomon.”

Her gentle squeeze made me hurt all over, but I didn’t care. She was comfort.

“Where am I?”

“You’re at the police station.” She gave me a quick looking over. “Are you all right? We were so worried.”

“Who? Who’s we?” Although darkness etched her face, she didn’t look upset enough for me to expect the worst.

“Desiree. She came to my place last night. She told me everything.”

I said a silent
thank you
to anyone listening. “So she’s all right?”

“Yes. I think. But you don’t look so good.”

“What do you mean, you think?”

“Come on. I’ll explain in the car.”

Another gray and humid day greeted me outside. The warmth did nothing to shake the chill from my body, though.

Once we were in the Toyota, Melba explained everything. “Oh, Solomon, you were right. He does want her.”

I held onto my forehead with my fingers, trying to dull the ache that dwelled there since I woke up. “Where is she now?”

“She wouldn’t stay with me, said it would be too easy for that bastard to find her. And she didn’t want to put me in danger.”

“She’s not at your house?”

“No. She left for Atlanta before sunrise.”

A new wave of panic washed over me. “You let her go?”

“I couldn’t stop her. She’s with her godmother, a lady I’m not too fond of, to say the least.”

“Will she be safe there?”

“For the time being. Celeste practices in the dark side of Hoodoo. And if Desiree tells her the truth about everything, who knows what that witch will conjure up to stop the demon, or aid him, even. I don’t trust that woman. Never understood why my dear sister and she were such close friends.”

A shiver tore across my shoulders as a moment of lightness settled upon me for the second time that morning.

“Are you in any pain?” she asked.

“Nothing time won’t cure.”

Melba pulled into the Rainbow Motel parking lot.

“What are we doing here?”

“You need to shower and pack. I’ll settle up with Glyda.”

“Where am I going?”

“We, Solomon. You, me, and the Priestesses. I conversed with them last night,” she explained. “The evil Solomon travels by night, so Desi should be safe today. But we must find her before sundown. She should be at my sister’s place in Atlanta—that’s where she’s headed…”

“You know something else, don’t you? Something you’re not telling me… Why?” he asked her, when she shook her head sadly and wouldn’t elaborate.

“My guides told me something else,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “The longer you are separated from Excalibur, the weaker you'll become. Eventually, you will die." She twisted in her seat and looked me over. "You feel it already, don't you? Your paleness and fading energy gives you away."

“I feel something… yes. I feel lighter."

“Without Excalibur, you will eventually lose your soul. We can’t let the evil Solomon take it from you! He grows stronger, while you grow weaker. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Yes.”

Solomon nodded thoughtfully, but said nothing more. So many questions, and yet, none of the answers were easy fixes. There was only one solution to satisfy everything.

Find the original Solomon Brandt.

Find this wicked twin before anything worse befell his beloved horse and the girl who held his heart.