Becca Fitzpatrick - Crescendo

What if someone had tried to kill me?

In the middle of all the thinking I’d done last night, I’d shifted around the fragments of information I had, trying to make something fit. The one clear fragment I kept coming back to was the Nephilim blood society. Patch said Chauncey’s successor wanted to avenge his death. Patch swore nobody could trace Chauncey’s death back to me, but I was beginning to fear otherwise. If the successor knew about me, maybe last night had been his first stab at revenge.

It seemed unlikely that anyone had followed me to Patch’s apartment so late last night, but if there was one thing I knew about Nephilim, it was that they were very good at doing the unlikely.

My cell rang in my pocket and I whipped it out before the first ring had time to finish.

“Hello?”

“Let’s go to Summer Solstice,” Vee said. “We’ll eat a little cotton candy, catch a few rides, maybe get hypnotized and do stuff that would make Girls Gone Wild look tame.”

My heart, which had been up in my throat, slid back into place. Not Detective Basso, then. “Hey.”

“What say you? You in the mood for some action? You in the mood for Delphic?”

Honestly, I wasn’t. I’d planned on redialing Detective Basso at sixty-minute intervals until he picked up one of my calls.

“Earth to babe.”

“I’m not feeling well,” I said.

“Not feeling well how? Stomachache? Headache? Cramps? Food poisoning? Delphic is the cure for just about all those things.”

“I’m going to pass, thanks anyway.”

“Is this because of Scott? Because he’s in jail. He can’t get to you. Come have fun. Rixon and I won’t kiss in front of you, if that’s what’s bothering you.”

“I’m going to put on my pj’s and watch a movie.”

“Are you saying a movie is more fun than me?”

“Tonight it is.”

“Huh. Movie this. You know I’m not going to stop harassing you until you come.”

“I know.”

“So make this easy and just say yes.”

I blew out a sigh. I could sit home all night and wait for Detective Basso to get around to answering my calls, or I could take a small break and start up again when I got back. Besides, he had my cell phone number and could reach me anywhere.

“All right,” I told Vee. “Give me ten.”

In my bedroom, I squeezed into a pair of toothpick jeans, pulled on a graphic tee and cardigan, and finished the look with suede driving mocs. I smoothed my hair into a low ponytail, offsetting it so it hung over my right shoulder. Having not slept in more than a full day, my eyes were ringed by smoky circles. I brushed on mascara, silver eye shadow, and lip gloss, hoping I looked more pulled-together than I felt. I left a rather bland note on the kitchen counter for my mom, telling her I’d gone to Summer Solstice at Delphic. She wasn’t due back until tomorrow morning, but she surprised me more often than not by coming home early. If she did make it home tonight, this was probably going to be one time when she wished she’d drawn out her trip. I’d been practicing what I was going to say to her. Whatever I did, I couldn’t break eye contact when I told her I knew about her affair with Hank. And I couldn’t let her get a word in before I told her I was moving out. As I’d practiced it, I planned to walk out at that point. I wanted to send her the message that it was too late to talk—if she’d wanted to tell me the truth, she’d had sixteen years to do it. Now it was too late.

I locked up and jogged down the drive to meet Vee.

An hour later, Vee squeezed the Neon into a parking spot between two oversize trucks that extended into our space on both sides. We rolled down the windows and boosted ourselves out backward to keep from scratching the paint by opening the doors. We crossed the parking lot and paid our way inside the gates. The park was more crowded than usual due to Summer Solstice—the longest day of the year. Right away I recognized a few faces from school, but for the most part, I felt like I was standing in a sea of strangers. Most of the crowd was wearing jewel-toned butterfly masks that concealed half their faces. One of the vendors must have been selling them at a discount.

“Where should we start?” Vee asked. “The arcade? The fun house? The food vendors? Personally, I think we should start with the food. That way, we’ll eat less.”

“Your logic?”

“If we stop by the vendors last, we’ll have worked up our appetites. I always eat more when I’ve worked up an appetite.”

I didn’t care where we started. I was only here to distract myself for a couple of hours. I checked my cell, but there were no missed calls. How long did it take Detective Basso to return a call? Had something happened to him? I had a black cloud hanging at the back of my mind, and I didn’t like how it made me feel ill at ease.

“You look all pasty,” Vee said.

“I told you: I don’t feel great.”

“That’s because you haven’t eaten enough. Sit down. I’ll go get us some cotton candy and hot dogs. Just think about all that relish and mustard. I don’t know about you, but I can already feel my head clearing and my pulse slowing.”

“I’m not hungry, Vee.”

“Of course you’re hungry. Everybody’s hungry. That’s why they’ve got all these vendors.” Before I could stop her, she marched into the crowd.

I was pacing the walkway, waiting for Vee, when my cell phone chirped. Detective Basso’s name showed on the screen.

“Finally ,” I breathed, flipping the cell open.

“Nora, where are you?” he said the moment I picked up. He was speaking fast, and I could tell he was upset. “Scott escaped. He got away. We’ve got the whole force looking for him, but I want you to stay the hell away from him. I’m coming to pick you up until this blows over. I’m on my way to your house right now.”

My throat constricted, making it hard to force words out. “What? How did he get out?”

Detective Basso hesitated before answering. “He bent the bars in his cell.”

Of course he did. He was Nephilim. Two months ago I’d watched Chauncey mangle my cell phone with a mere squeeze of his hand. It didn’t seem too unrealistic to imagine Scott using his Nephilim strength to break out of jail.

“I’m not at home,” I said. “I’m at Delphic amusement park.” Without meaning to, I cast my eyes over the crowd, looking for Scott. But there was no way he could know I was here. After breaking out of jail, he’d probably gone directly to my house, expecting to find me there. I felt incredibly grateful to Vee for dragging me out tonight. Scott was probably at my house right this very minute—

The cell slipped a notch through my hand. The note. On the counter. The one I’d left for my mom, telling her I’d gone to Delphic.

“I think he knows where I am,” I told Detective Basso, feeling the first licks of panic. “How soon can you get here?”

“Delphic? Thirty minutes. Go to security. Whatever you do, keep your phone on you. If you see Scott, call me immediately.”

“They don’t have security at Delphic,” I said, my mouth gone to dust. It was widely known that the park didn’t employ security, which was one of many reasons why my mom didn’t like me coming here.

“Then get out of there,” he barked. “Drive back to Coldwater and meet me at the station. Can you do that?”

Yes. I could do that. Vee would give me a ride. I was already walking in the direction she’d departed, eyes raking the crowd for her.

Detective Basso exhaled. “You’re going to be fine. Just … hurry back here. I’ll send the rest of the force to Delphic to go after Scott. We’ll find him.” The anxiety in his voice didn’t console me.