Vial Things (Resurrectionist #1) - Leah Clifford Page 0,63

fists. She studies me, her lips pressed into a tight white line. She’s measuring me. I can see it in her eyes, the worry I won’t pass this test, how much it means to her that I do. Because cases and bodies and death, this is her life. If I can’t handle it, we have no chance together. I need to be able to handle this.

“First rule,” Allie says. “You stay calm. We’re going to be dealing with hysterical parents.” Talia hadn’t had any details except a child was involved and the parents didn’t know how long ago the kid had stopped breathing. She’d said they’d been ‘frantic.’ I must look nervous because Allie softens her tone. “You’re going to see blood and needles. You’ve already done fine with those, right?” She tries a small smile as if hoping I’ll buy it.

“Right,” I say. I wipe my palms on the jeans I’d stumbled into on our way out the door.

“With everything going on, we can’t be sure this isn’t a trap—” Allie starts, but Talia cuts her off.

“You didn’t hear them in the background.” She’s leaning forward in her seat, her eyes squinted as she creeps down the road. “Glove box, though,” she says. “Just in case.”

Allie pops it open and I lean against the back of her seat to see. Inside are a set of sheathed knives and a small pistol. She bypasses the gun for the blades and hesitates before she hands one to me. “Hide that on you.” She’s so calm. How can she be so calm when she seems decently sure we’re walking into an ambush? Randomly, the thought occurs to me that if we are being ambushed, it’ll be Jamison. “I’m going to be helping Talia,” Allie goes on. “Your only job in this is to watch our backs. That gut of yours has saved my ass. Use it. Otherwise, stay out of the way unless we ask.” We pull into the driveway and she lowers her voice as she meets my eyes. “You can do this. I can trust you, right?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t—”

“Ploy,” Talia says. “There’s a backpack on the floor behind me. Grab it, will you?”

We’re not even out of the car before a slim man bursts out of the house. “Are you Talia?” he blurts at Allie. She shakes her head and is instantly dismissed. He doesn’t even look at me. “We were sleeping. My wife got up to go to the bathroom.” He grabs Talia by the arm, and drags her toward the house. The panicked look she casts over her shoulder skips Allie and lands on me.

I speed up and wedge myself between the father and Talia, already speaking, my tone calmer than I would have guessed I’d be able to fake, the backpack slung over my shoulder. “Tell me about your kid,” I say as Talia manages to break away. “Is it a boy or a girl? What’s your name, man?”

“Steve,” he answers. “She’s a girl. Caroline. We weren’t supposed to be able to have kids. She’s our miracle.” His hand quakes as he opens the door. “You have to help her,” he says, voice cracking. “I’ll pay anything. I swear. Whatever you want, I’ll get it.”

From what I’ve gathered from Allie, there seem to be all sorts of factors that go into resurrecting someone. “She’ll do what she can,” I tell Steve and follow him inside.

The house is disarmingly quiet. As Steve launches up the stairs, Allie touches my shoulder. I hesitate. My hand drops to the sheathed knife tucked into the waistband of my pants near my spine. Jamison’s not visible, but that doesn’t mean he’s not here. He sent someone I didn’t know to hold us up at the cabin. I wonder if this is more of the same.

Steve slows when he sees we’re not coming. “It’s this way!” he says as if we’ve somehow missed the cues.

“Where’s Beckett?” Talia asks, her foot stalled on the carpeted stair. The place smells too new, like fresh paint and sawdust.

A head ducks around the corner at the top of the banister. “I’m here!” Beckett says from above. “Cobalt!”

“Dandelion!” Talia calls instantly.

Perplexed, I turn to Allie as Talia heads up the stairs. “It’s a code,” she says. “Flowers and colors. If Beckett hadn’t said his color, she would have known there was a problem. They’ve been doing it since they were little. She taught me, too.”

Talia makes it to the landing, my eyes just catching her