Glow by Stacey Wallace Benefiel Page B

had to go back out into the world and pretend like we were a couple of straight guys. It was stupid, y’know, that we had to be like that, but we never even talked about it. It was just what we did.
    “But tonight, I’d forgotten to pick up hot sauce for the tacos and didn’t realize it until we got to the stairs. Antoine really likes hot sauce and turns into a total bitch if he doesn’t, didn’t have any and so I told him to go wait by the car and I’d run back and get it. At first he wanted to go with me, but I said it would just take a second, y’know, and that I was faster than he was, so I just went. And when I got back, it wasn’t more than ten minutes later, he was lying on the ground next to the car with, with two bullets in his body just fucking bleeding all over the place. No one around. He was just dead. I didn’t know what to think. I should’ve been there. I know there was something I coulda done, y’know, but instead I left him alone to get stupid hot sauce because I didn’t want to hear him whine about not having any.”
    Ben looked in the rearview mirror. Marcus was sitting stock still, tears spilling out of his eyes, like he was in a trance. “It’s good you weren’t there man, Antoine probably thanked God that you weren’t there. In every other case we’ve seen today, both the Retroact and their trigger were killed.”
    Marcus blinked. “Can you, can you do that thing like he did? Could you see his spirit?”
    “He wasn’t there,” Christopher said. “Whoever is killing all these people takes their spirits as well.”
    Marcus blinked again. “Oh. Why?”
    “Did Antoine tell you about Mildred?” Ben asked.
    “Yeah. She’s like you guys but bad.”
    Ben nodded his head. “Well, we’ve been tracking down Retroacts that the Society hadn’t paid much attention to in order to have more power to defeat her, but it seems like she wants to use their spirits against us now or at least keep us from having more people on our side.”
    Marcus finally moved; he shook his head. “She has to be taking them to use against you. That’s why she’s trying to get the triggers. You guys are stronger when we’re with you. Probably true as spirits too, don’t you think?”
    Ben instantly thought of Zellie and Avery. Her powers had only continued to grow and improve when she was near him. Christopher had thought the same thing when he’d gone all evil and he’d briefly tried to keep them apart from one another. Had Connor done that for him?
    Goosebumps rose on his arms.
    Of course he had.
    Shit .
    “Christopher, call Frank and tell him that the rendezvous point has changed.” Ben switched lanes, he needed to exit and catch a different freeway.
    “Okaaay? Where is he supposed to meet us now?”
    “Westwood. He’ll know why.”
    Christopher gave Ben a suspicious look. “Um, do I get to know why?”
    Ben took a deep breath. He was so not ready for this. “That’s where Connor lives.”
    Christopher shook his head and dialed Frank. “We’re going to need a bigger car.”

    They sat parked on the street outside of Connor’s apartment building waiting for Frank to meet them. Marcus had fallen asleep in the backseat with his head resting against the window.
    “I wonder if we should dye his hair or let him call his dad or something,” Christopher said. “If he’s not home by morning the authorities will probably issue an Amber Alert. He’s only sixteen.”
    Ben looked up through the window toward the building, an old stucco hotel that had been converted into apartments, and counted four windows over from the end on the third floor. The light was on in Connor’s apartment. His heart thrummed in his chest at the idea of seeing him again.
    It had been three years since he’d sabotaged their relationship by acting like a big slut and making sure Connor knew about it. Seeing the look on Connor’s face, the hatred and betrayal, had been one of the worst moments of Ben’s life and he’d had