Page 89 of The Spirit Key
She bit her lip and nodded. “Thank you.”
When she threw her arms around me, I felt a warmth that no other could duplicate.
“Chrissy, tell your mom and sister I think they’re very lucky to have a sweet girl like you in their lives.”
She giggled, a sound so sweet and pure, then turned and looked at something in the distance. “I’m coming, Mommy!” And with those words, she faded from sight, the echo of her childish laughter the only proof she’d ever been there.
“What are you going to do?”
I sucked in a breath. I knew Tim was going to object, but I couldn’t—wouldn’t—leave these kids to suffer one more minute. “I’m going to help them.”
He reached for my hand. “Then we’re going to help them together.”
One by one they came to me, told me who they were, and I opened a gateway for them to step through. As the crowd thinned, I saw Gideon, his eyes wide in terror. My stomach churned, because I had not one fuck to give for him. My only goal was to free the kids who he stole the life from.
At the halfway point, I started to wobble, but Tim was there, propping me up. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I’m your lock. Draw strength from me.”
And though I had no idea how, I did feel stronger.
When we had finally released them all, Gideon still lay on the ground.
Tim rose to his feet and picked me up. He carried me out of the bathroom and into the hall, where he set me down against the wall. He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “You’re going to want to stay here.”
I grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “What are you going to do?”
He cast a glance toward the door. “What I have to.”
There was no strength left in me to stop him.
He strode into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. An oppressive silence fell before it was shattered by a scream unlike any I’d ever heard before. I tried to stand, but my body wasn’t having it.
Fear coursed through me when it went quiet again. “Tim?”
The door opened slowly, and he stepped out, his face pale. “You okay?”
“Me? What about you? What was that scream?”
He smiled, but it wasn’t his usual one. His lip quivered and his eyes were filled with sadness. “Can we just say he’s never going to bother anyone again?”
“Did you…. Did you kill him?”
He came over and slumped down next to me. “He was a ghost. Can I really kill him?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but he took my hand and squeezed it.
“Let’s just say I did what I was supposed to do and leave it at that.”
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but he was entitled to keep this secret until he saw fit to share with me.
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
A nervous chuckle escaped me. “I’m glad you’re still talking to me.”
“Yeah, you were pretty harsh. I get why, but…. Well, just so you know, you’re going to owe me some more years.”
I frowned at him. “How many more are we talking about?”
“As Buzz Lightyear said, ‘To infinity and beyond!’ Are you okay with that?”
