The Sinners of Saint Amos - Logan Fox Page 0,160

and Cass leave, and I make to go after them, to warn them. Because they might not like it, but Zach’s right. We have to be careful. If Gabriel slips through our fingers again…

But a hand catches my arm, squeezing my bicep hard, almost cruelly.

And I have to let the other two go.

I glance over my shoulder. Zach’s face is stone.

“Gotta run some things by you,” he says.

Code for “I need you.” Always has been.

So I stay.

We smoke a cigarette together. We have a shot of whiskey. And we listen to each other recite exactly what we’ll do to our Ghost the day we find him.

Chapter Three

Cass

Where the fuck is Apollo? I’d have stuck with him after we left the library, but he said he needed to take care of some shit. I thought he was being literal—I wasn’t hanging around for that. But that was ages ago, and he’s not answering my calls.

I need to make sure he’s okay, and that’s pissing me off.

I hate needing things.

Sleep.

Sex.

Coffee.

Sleep replaced the heroin. Coffee replaced the adrenaline. And sex replaced…Huh. I guess it didn’t replace anything. I suppose my brothers need things too, but they’re not addicts like me.

The least I can do is fucking own that shit.

Denial’s for pussies.

I could slip into the kitchen and make myself a cuppa. That wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows for Cassius Santos, the Hall Monitor. After, I’ll track down Apollo and find out why he ditched me.

The kitchen’s pretty bare. Can’t even find a kettle. Looks like everything’s been locked up for the big exodus. Guess then there’s less stuff to dust off when everyone gets back after summer break.

One of the kitchen guys comes out of what I assume is the pantry with a bag of what could only be potatoes and calls out, “Hey, man,” when he sees me.

I walk over. “Hey. You seen that blond guy who works here?”

The kitchen guy frowns. “Apollo?”

“Yeah, him.”

Kitchen guy shrugs. “Nah, man. He was supposed to be here to help me with this shit.” Kitchen guy cocks his head to the bag of potatoes.

“’Kay. Thanks.”

“You tried his room?”

“Yeah,” I call back without looking around. Idiot. Why wouldn’t I have—

“Bell tower?”

I stop walking. Turn back. “Bell tower?” Why am I suddenly in a modern-day remake of the Hunchback of Notre Dame?

The kitchen guy puts down the sack of spuds. “Yeah. He goes up there to smoke a spliff.”

Well fuck me sideways. And here I thought I knew all there was to know about twinkle toes.

“I’ll take a look. Thanks, man.”

Kitchen guy nods. “If you find him, tell him Dave says fuck him.” He shakes his head, picks up his sack, and heads off to wherever bags of potatoes are destined during summer break.

It takes me a few minutes to find the stairs leading up to the tower. Another few minutes to climb them. And Christ, I’m fucking done when I reach the top.

Really gotta quit smoking.

But the little shit’s not in the tower either.

“Fuck.”

I pull out my phone, try and call him. It’s probably a lost cause, seeing as he didn’t answer before, but—

I hear it ringing.

Not through my phone. I actually hear Apollo’s Nirvana rip off ring tone rocking it out somewhere nearby. I look to where the sound is coming from, and it feels like every hair on my body is stretching for sunlight.

There, barely visible behind the mass of the bronze bell, is a metal door.

It’s standing ajar. Beside it, smeared on the stonework, is a bloody handprint.

Ice coats me from head to foot, and then I’m running.

Running so fucking fast.

But I know I’m already too late.

Chapter Four

Apollo

I’m going to miss this view. I hope there’ll be enough time to sit up here and smoke a last joint before we leave Saint Amos forever. I could bring the crew here when we’re done. We could all sit up here and stare out at the forest.

Because we will find Gabriel.

He will tell us where to find our Ghosts.

And then we just have to go and kill them.

I fill my lungs with sweet forest air. I’ll miss this old stack of stones too. Probably the only one who will. The others hate it here. Always have.

I like gloomy places. Even the basement—but only when there weren’t any Ghosts around.

And the forest.

Shit, I’m going to miss that forest.

But I have to get going. When I move, keys jingle inside my pocket.

Did Trin find the envelope? I didn’t want to put it in her room in case Jasper