‘And the dark angels know this,’ I agreed. ‘It means I’m especially dangerous to them.’
‘So why don’t they target you instead of Grace or Holly?’
‘Good question.’ I leaned across the table and spoke to Aaron in a low, urgent voice. ‘What you need to understand is something I learned a long time ago from my good angel – that these love-thieves plan to steal as many souls as possible before I can identify them. They trap someone who’s deep in love – like Grace with Jude, or Holly with you – and they spin a kind of web around them, mess with their minds, make them fall in love with exactly the wrong person – who of course turns out to be a dark angel in disguise.’
‘Then what?’ Involuntarily Aaron shuddered and his voice grew quiet.
‘So they totally brainwash their victims. It’s like an hallucination – you get to believe you can fly, change shape, kick planets around the heavens. You name it, they trick you into thinking you can do it.’
I gasped as suddenly I thought of Holly and the wire. ‘That’s it! That’s what Channing did to Holly. He made her think she could do anything, even fly! She lost her mind, tried it but fell through the ice. Luckily she made it to the island. Afterwards Channing faked the whole thing with the zip-wire.’
‘But then what?’ Aaron said again.
‘They make them fall in love with the dark side; they steal their identity.’
‘It’s like living a nightmare but ten times worse,’ Grace confirmed as her eyelids flickered shut. She took a deep breath, remembering her own experience. ‘For a start, you can’t wake up to reality. And you’ll do anything they ask you to. You go through a ceremony, like a kind of marriage. What’s happening is that you’re saying you belong to them and there’s no going back. They’ve stolen your soul.’
‘And?’ Aaron’s voice was full of fear for Holly.
‘Then they’re through with you,’ I explained. ‘Once your soul is on the dark side, they don’t need your body any more.’
‘In other words, you die,’ Grace added quietly. ‘You wander off into the mountains, you freeze to death. Or you jump off a cliff, fall hundreds of metres. You disappear.’
This is where Aaron comes into sharp focus.
Normally he’s the quiet guy in the background, the perfect foil to Holly’s big personality, but not any more. Now he’s Action Man.
He swung out through the doors of the diner dead set on driving straight out to New Dawn, raiding the place and coming back with Holly.
I ran after him, telling him to wait. ‘It’s not that simple. You can talk to her all you want but she won’t listen to a word you say.’
‘I don’t care, I’m getting her out of there.’ Aaron sprinted to the parking lot, jumped in his car and started the engine.
‘They won’t let you in,’ I warned.
‘Show me the prison walls,’ Aaron muttered, his jaw set in determined lines. ‘Anyone can get in or out if they really want.’
‘And if they do let you see her, what are you going to do? Are you going to kidnap her? Believe me – now that they’ve got Holly and they’re inside her head, they won’t just let her go.’
Revving the engine, he got ready to back out. ‘I’ll figure that out when I get there.’
‘But this is too dangerous.’ Opening the passenger door, I slid in beside him. ‘Aaron, you’ve no idea what these guys are capable of!’
‘Yeah, I do, and I’m still going to do it. Are you with me or against me?’
‘With you.’ His choice was no choice. ‘Go ahead, drive.’
Tyres squealed at we left the parking space and headed for the exit. We shot down Main Street, past Grace’s house next to the bank, then the hairdresser’s and the pharmacy, heading on to the highway that took us to New Dawn. The windows were open, a wind blasted through the car as we reached fifty then sixty in a forty mph zone.
‘I still think we shouldn’t be doing this,’ I told him. ‘We should be taking our time, working out a plan.
Aaron was manic. He didn’t take his eyes off the road ahead and his foot stayed hard down on the accelerator. ‘There’s one thing you don’t seem to realize,’ he muttered, his arms braced, hands gripping the steering wheel.
‘Slow down, please wait.’ I heard the faint sound of a siren coming up from behind, growing louder.
‘I’d do anything for Holly,’ he muttered. ‘I love her.’
It broke my heart to hear him. ‘Enough to die for her?’ He’d be no match for Amos’s army of dark angels. Aaron going into New Dawn would be like a Christian being thrown to the lions.
‘If I have to,’ he said grimly.
We were doing eighty when the speed cops stopped us. They overtook us, lights flashing. They made Aaron pull over on to the hard shoulder.
‘Get out of the car.’ Cop number one leaned in through the window. The smell of burned rubber drifted in.
Cop number two ordered both of us into the back of their car. It didn’t look like it at the time but they’d just done Aaron the biggest favour of his whole life.
‘So they busted him for exceeding the limit. They took him to the sheriff’s office and called his parents,’ I told Orlando on Skype. It was past noon and I was due to drive into Denver to see Mom.
‘We’re talking about Aaron, right?’ he said doubtfully. ‘Laid-back, fade-into-the-background Aaron?’
‘Yeah. He was scared for Holly,’ I explained. But this didn’t feel like the time to go into too many details with Orlando, who I was missing like crazy. Now that things were getting tough with Holly and the dark angels, I wanted him with me, holding me without speaking, just touching and kissing and making me feel safe. ’How many hours before I finally get to see you?’
‘In the flesh instead of digital? Twenty-four. Twenty-six max. We plan to set off early tomorrow, but it depends on the traffic.’
‘I’m counting the minutes.’
‘Wait, Tania. Show me your arms.’ Orlando was peering into the camera with a puzzled frown as reluctantly I rolled back my sleeves to reveal the cuts and bruises from my fall down the sink hole. ‘What happened to you?’
Shoot! I closed my eyes and grimaced. ‘I didn’t want to talk about it until tomorrow.’
‘Talk about what.’ His hair flopped forward, his eyes narrowed.
‘I went on a wilderness walk.’ I confessed my guilty secret.
‘You volunteered at New Dawn?’ He looked totally shocked then fierce. I saw the stubborn shutter come down.
‘Yeah. But only for a couple of days.’ Make it light, make it seem like nothing.
He stayed angry. ‘But we agreed you wouldn’t.’
‘No, it was you who didn’t want me to. I actually said I hadn’t made up my mind.’
‘Tania, are you crazy?’ Orlando leaned back in his chair. ‘How could you do that?’
‘Don’t be mad. Try to see it my way. I have a choice – confront this dark angel thing head-on or keep on running. Well, it turns out I’m tired of running.’
‘And you couldn’t wait for me?’ he demanded, coming close to the camera again. I caught a glimpse of a willowy blonde figure in the doorway behind him, heard some giggling then a deeper voice that must have been Ryan’s. Orlando got up, strode across the room and slammed the door. He came back to the desk. ‘All along I said you should stay away from Antony Amos,’ he reminded me. ‘But no – you said he was an OK guy. There was nothing weird. So you go out there and get involved with a bunch of juvies doing some stupid wilderness therapy and guess what – you come back covered in bruises.’
‘Stop,’ I told him. ‘It was worth it. I found out what I needed to know.’
‘Which is?’ Behind him, the door opened and Natalie reappeared, hands on skinny hips. She demanded to know why the hell Orlando had slammed the door in her face.
‘I’ll explain later,’ I promised. ‘Wait until tomorrow.’
‘I can’t believe you did this!’ he sighed. I knew from his expression how hurt he was.
/>
‘Hi, Tania!’ Natalie said, putting her chin on Orlando’s shoulder. She waved at the camera and gave a lip-gloss smile.
I left a message with Grace that no way should she and Jude let Aaron out of their sight while I drove into Denver to visit Mom. ‘Keep him away from New Dawn,’ I texted. ‘Meet me at six thirty. We’ll make a plan.’
When I arrived at the hospital, Mom wasn’t in her room. ‘She’s with her physical therapist,’ a nurse explained. ‘She’ll be through in five minutes.’
‘How’s she doing?’ I asked.
‘You must be the daughter?’ he checked.
I nodded.
‘You look just like her. She’s doing great.’ He smiled as he replaced a chart on a hook at the foot of her bed. ‘Your mom is one interesting lady.’
I picked up on his choice of words. ‘Interesting?’
‘I can’t believe the places she’s been – Italy, England, Romania, Russia, China …’
‘But “interesting”?’
‘Let’s say, I never met a patient quite like her,’ he grinned.
‘You mean difficult? Like, she won’t do a thing you tell her?’
‘I never said that. No, I mean I never saw anyone more determined to make a full recovery than Karen.’
‘And will she?’ I asked. There were voices in the corridor, the sound of laughter.
‘Why not judge for yourself?’ the nurse told me.
Mom came into the room in her sky-blue Japanese robe and satin slippers. The wraparound robe was embroidered with silver swallows. She was walking unaided, joking with the therapist. When she saw me she stretched out her right arm. The left hand twitched but stayed by her side.
I winced.
‘It’ll take time,’ Mom said gently when she saw my downcast face. ‘But I’ll get there in the end, you bet your life.’
I knew Dad was back in Paloma Springs for work so I didn’t hurry home. I took my time, made a detour into town and bought myself a new top that I hoped Orlando would like. It was very fitted and turquoise with lace insets around the neckline.
Back at the car, I picked up a text from Grace. ‘Come to my house. Jude will bring Aaron.’
‘See you there,’ I texted back, working out that I had time to go home, take a shower and still be back in town for six thirty. I was deep in thought as I parked in the drive and went into the house.
Thought process number one – how do we persuade Aaron to hold back and not put his own life at risk?
Thought number two – how long can we risk waiting before Holly goes beyond our reach into Amos’s dark realm?
Undressing in my room, I turned on the shower and stepped in.
Three – how much was I prepared to tell Orlando about what had happened to me by Turner Lake? OK, I’ll give him my surface reasons for joining the River Stone band in the first place – to keep out of my grandmother’s way, to shoot footage of the whole wilderness experience. And the big breakthrough – I’ll tell him that while I was out there by the frozen lake I had a vision proving that Amos was my dark angel after all.
Jarrold’s name won’t come into it though. Best leave him out.
The water was hot. I tilted my head and felt it spray over my face. Music was playing on my sound system, sun shining in through the bedroom window. I shampooed my hair; let the conditioner work its silky magic. Then I reached for a towel and stepped outside the cubicle.
Oh God, I jumped out of my skin! Someone was in the house and I suddenly remembered that I’d left the back door unlocked. Heavy footsteps were coming up the stairs towards my room. Clutching the towel round me, I ran to lock my door.
I pushed and met resistance, got thrown back by the force of the door opening, only just managed to keep my balance.
Jarrold walked in wearing his Explorer’s padded jacket and hiking boots. His presence seemed to fill the room.
I didn’t scream – I hardly ever do that. But my heart was in my mouth. ‘Jeez,’ I breathed.
‘I didn’t mean to scare you,’ he said, not making any more moves towards me. An intense flame burned in his eyes.
‘Well, you did exactly that. What are you doing here?’
‘I quit,’ he told me, his jaw so tense that he hardly parted his lips to talk. ‘I’m out of there, end of story.’
‘You left the Wolf in the Snow band?’ Water trickled from my wet hair down my face on to my shoulders. ‘You’re on the run?’
Jarrold nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Tania. I shouldn’t have come.’ He turned to leave.
‘No, wait! Are you OK? What happened?’
‘I didn’t want to be there any more. I hate the place.’
‘But what will they do when they find out? Ziegler will go crazy. You can’t just walk away – they’ll send people to fetch you.’
Now Jarrold took a couple of paces towards me – close enough for me to take in every detail of his broad, handsome face. And his grey eyes still had the desperate look that made me aware that he was on an emotional brink of some kind, that he might suddenly lose control. ‘I don’t give a crap,’ he told me. ‘All I know is that I had to come and find you.’
‘Jarrold, don’t,’ I begged. I tried desperately to focus on the fact that I’d gone shopping and bought a special top to please Orlando.
‘Ziegler took you and drove you away. I couldn’t bear that.’
Breathe, I told myself. Don’t get drawn into this. ‘It’s OK. He brought me home. Everything’s cool.’
Jarrold inched forward. ‘I had to see for myself.’
My hands were trembling, my flesh tingling. ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ I whispered. He was close enough to kiss me again, unless I found the willpower to step away. I could almost feel the brush of his lips against mine.
My phone lay on the bed. Its ring tone broke what seemed like a never-ending moment.
With a gasp I reached for the phone and answered the call on speakerphone.
‘Tania, it’s Jean-Luc here.’
Jarrold took a sharp breath, swore and turned away.
‘Jean-Luc …’ I was breathless, totally confused.
‘We just got news from Blake to say that they lost Jarrold out by Turner Lake. We pulled in the whole Wolf band.’
‘And?’ As I spoke I watched Jarrold back away towards the window.
‘We think Jarrold might be on his way to your place.’
‘Why? Who said?’
‘Just a theory. Blake says he’s developed a thing for you. She figures that’s where he’s headed. Have you seen him?’
Jarrold’s eyes were narrowed and fixed on me. He didn’t seem to breathe as he waited for my answer.
‘No,’ I told Jean-Luc. ‘He’s not here.’
‘Ah.’ The voice on the phone was disappointed.
Jarrold’s eyes gleamed. Was it victory? Was it relief? Or something else I couldn’t identify? ‘Thank you!’ he mouthed.
‘We need to find him,’ Jean-Luc told me. ‘He’s broken the basic condition of his stay here at New Dawn. Before he arrived he signs a contract with us to stay for a set period, during which time he’s not permitted to leave. If he goes on the run we have to involve the police.’
‘I hear you,’ I said softly. My throat was dry, my heart hammering against my ribs.
‘So if you see him within the next few hours, before we call the cops …’
‘I’ll tell you right away,’ I promised.
‘Good, Tania. Thank you. Let’s speak soon.’
Click. The phone call ended. At the same moment, a car engine cut out at the bottom of the drive and a door slammed shut.
‘Aurelie,’ Jarrold reported from his position by the window. ‘It looks like they sent reinforcements. So where’s the walk-in wardrobe for me to hide?’
‘This is not funny!’ A fresh panic set in now that I’d lied to Jean-Luc. ‘Stay here. Let me go down and talk to her.’
Running downstairs, I opened the front door before Aurelie had chance to ring the
bell. ‘Hey. You’re looking for Jarrold?’ I gabbled.
She nodded then kissed me on both cheeks – mwah-mwah – and smiled as if this was an ordinary social visit. ‘Can I come in?’
Stepping aside to let her pass, I smelled her gorgeous perfume and noted the gold D&G brand on her shades. ‘I just spoke to Jean-Luc,’ I explained. ‘I already told him Jarrold hadn’t been here.’
Aurelie paused at the bottom of the stairs and glanced up. ‘You’re sure?’ she quizzed. Then, without waiting for an answer, she walked on into the kitchen and looked around at the coffee cups Mom had brought back from France, the Murano glass fruit bowls, the painted Russian dolls. ‘Pretty house.’
‘Thanks. Yes, honestly, I haven’t seen him.’
‘How’s your mom?’
‘Making progress.’
‘Good.’ Aurelie didn’t miss a thing. She glanced at the Italian coffee machine, picked up a blue and white antique plate and studied the maker’s name – Wedgwood. ‘How was Jarrold on the wilderness walk?’ she asked casually.
‘Normal, I guess. You know how he is.’
‘Tell me.’
‘He doesn’t say a whole lot. Well, he couldn’t, could he? He was an Outsider.’ The more at home Aurelie made herself, the more awkward I grew.
‘I didn’t pick him out as a guy who would run,’ Aurelie mused.
‘So what did he do? I mean, when did Blake and the others realize he’d gone?’
‘That would be early this morning.’ Having finished her survey of the kitchen, she strolled back out into the hall. ‘They woke at dawn and he was missing. They had to walk twenty miles back to New Dawn to hand over the information.’ She paused at the foot of the stairs and glanced at me shivering in my towel. ‘You must want to put on some clothes, Tania.’
‘No, it’s cool.’ I tried but couldn’t stop rushing this answer or blushing bright red. So I lurched sideways into a different topic, trying to snatch back the initiative. ‘How’s Holly doing?’
‘Excellently.’ Aurelie dazzled me with her white, even smile. ‘Well, you saw for yourself.’
‘Aaron – her boyfriend – he heard about her and Channing and he’s devastated.’