Marnie. “There not a meeting tonight?”
Marnie slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him close, mashing her breasts against his chest. “No, baby. It’s just you, me…and Nadia.”
“ Huh. I just figured, you know, what with the, uh…package you had me bring here that…well…there’d be some kind of freaky satanic sacrifice scenario happening.”
Marnie laughed and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “Freaky satanic sacrifice. You’re silly.” More lilting laughter from his ‘girlfriend.’ “And you’re right, actually, but that’s all happening tomorrow.”
Mike’s heart sank at those words. He’d hadn’t fully realized it, but on a subconscious level some part of him had harbored a naïve hope that the Diabolical Conspiracy had some non-fatal intent in mind for the little girl. What that might have been he couldn’t imagine, but it didn’t matter now, because Marnie had emphatically put the matter to rest. They meant to kill the girl and as of this moment she had maybe a day left to live.
Unless he did something.
But what?
What, goddammit!?
Marnie kissed him again, a touch more hungrily this time, then stepped back again. “Nadia will give you the lowdown soon, but first let’s get that thing in the garage.”
That thing.
He stared at Marnie for a moment and tried hard not to show the disappointment he was feeling. She was a bad person. Very bad. He had known that for some time now. But somehow it still stung when something happened to remind him how utterly soulless and unforgiving she really was. This being one of the more blatant instances of that. The girl in the barrel was nothing to her. She wasn’t a human child. She wasn’t something precious. She was just…a thing .
That was the real turning point.
He was going to do something to stop this and damn the cost. He didn’t know what he would do yet, just that he would do something. The decision lifted a mental weight and allowed him to relax some. His smile in that moment was even genuine. He would do something. And he even had a little bit of time to figure out what that might be.
Marnie tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowing some as she studied him. “You look almost…happy.”
“ Something wrong with that?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Not at all.” She leaned into him again and gave him another kiss. “It’s just nice to see. It’s been a long time. You’re finally feeling like a real part of this, aren’t you?”
Mike laughed and made himself nod. “Yeah. That’s it. That’s it exactly.”
She gave him a fierce hug. “I’m so glad. You had me worried for a while.”
Mike put his chin on her shoulder and breathed a weary sigh. “Me, too.” He closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her. “But everything’s gonna be all right now.”
They held each other a few moments longer. For Mike, they were moments tinged with bittersweet nostalgia as he recalled his former intense affection for Marnie. At last, though, they broke the clinch and got to work on getting the barrel out of his trunk and into the garage. Once they had accomplished that, Marnie used the crowbar to pry the lid off and peek in at the girl. The child still looked dazed, which wasn’t surprising given the bumpy ride she’d endured and the drug still circulating through her system.
Marnie smiled. “She’s perfect. Nadia will be pleased.”
She replaced the lid, took Mike by a hand, and led him into Nadia’s house. There were no pulsing strobe lights in evidence this time, but the house was dimly lit in every room but the kitchen, with floor lamps on instead of overhead lights. This was par for the course. Every time he came here he felt like he was walking into a haunted house. Nadia liked to keep things dark and spooky.
Speaking of…
“ Where’s Nadia?”
Marnie tugged at his hand and kept moving. “This way.”
A woman of mystery, as always. But Mike was resigned to that now. So he let Marnie drag
Marnie slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him close, mashing her breasts against his chest. “No, baby. It’s just you, me…and Nadia.”
“ Huh. I just figured, you know, what with the, uh…package you had me bring here that…well…there’d be some kind of freaky satanic sacrifice scenario happening.”
Marnie laughed and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “Freaky satanic sacrifice. You’re silly.” More lilting laughter from his ‘girlfriend.’ “And you’re right, actually, but that’s all happening tomorrow.”
Mike’s heart sank at those words. He’d hadn’t fully realized it, but on a subconscious level some part of him had harbored a naïve hope that the Diabolical Conspiracy had some non-fatal intent in mind for the little girl. What that might have been he couldn’t imagine, but it didn’t matter now, because Marnie had emphatically put the matter to rest. They meant to kill the girl and as of this moment she had maybe a day left to live.
Unless he did something.
But what?
What, goddammit!?
Marnie kissed him again, a touch more hungrily this time, then stepped back again. “Nadia will give you the lowdown soon, but first let’s get that thing in the garage.”
That thing.
He stared at Marnie for a moment and tried hard not to show the disappointment he was feeling. She was a bad person. Very bad. He had known that for some time now. But somehow it still stung when something happened to remind him how utterly soulless and unforgiving she really was. This being one of the more blatant instances of that. The girl in the barrel was nothing to her. She wasn’t a human child. She wasn’t something precious. She was just…a thing .
That was the real turning point.
He was going to do something to stop this and damn the cost. He didn’t know what he would do yet, just that he would do something. The decision lifted a mental weight and allowed him to relax some. His smile in that moment was even genuine. He would do something. And he even had a little bit of time to figure out what that might be.
Marnie tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowing some as she studied him. “You look almost…happy.”
“ Something wrong with that?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Not at all.” She leaned into him again and gave him another kiss. “It’s just nice to see. It’s been a long time. You’re finally feeling like a real part of this, aren’t you?”
Mike laughed and made himself nod. “Yeah. That’s it. That’s it exactly.”
She gave him a fierce hug. “I’m so glad. You had me worried for a while.”
Mike put his chin on her shoulder and breathed a weary sigh. “Me, too.” He closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her. “But everything’s gonna be all right now.”
They held each other a few moments longer. For Mike, they were moments tinged with bittersweet nostalgia as he recalled his former intense affection for Marnie. At last, though, they broke the clinch and got to work on getting the barrel out of his trunk and into the garage. Once they had accomplished that, Marnie used the crowbar to pry the lid off and peek in at the girl. The child still looked dazed, which wasn’t surprising given the bumpy ride she’d endured and the drug still circulating through her system.
Marnie smiled. “She’s perfect. Nadia will be pleased.”
She replaced the lid, took Mike by a hand, and led him into Nadia’s house. There were no pulsing strobe lights in evidence this time, but the house was dimly lit in every room but the kitchen, with floor lamps on instead of overhead lights. This was par for the course. Every time he came here he felt like he was walking into a haunted house. Nadia liked to keep things dark and spooky.
Speaking of…
“ Where’s Nadia?”
Marnie tugged at his hand and kept moving. “This way.”
A woman of mystery, as always. But Mike was resigned to that now. So he let Marnie drag
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