12. Austin

Chapter twelve

Austin

H e fucking killed me!

And he did that to test a theory. Unbelievable. Was my life so inconsequential that he thought he could do that and then bring me back to life again?

Although Conrad had brought me back. I didn’t think he had anything to do with it.

I rubbed at the mark on my chest, where the imprint of Dante’s fingers still tingled.

The moment I’d felt my life ebbing away, as my last breath left my body, my mom had come to me again.

“Don’t stay here too long. Not yet, my darling boy. You still have things to do.”

“I want to stay here with you. I missed you, Momma.”

“I know you did, angel, and I’ve missed you every single day. I’m right with you, though, whether you know it or not.”

“Why is he killing me? I stole from him, but that doesn’t warrant murder.”

“He doesn’t know who you are to him yet, but he will. Give him time. He will regret what he’s done to you, and you will forgive him.”

“For killing me? I don’t think so. It’s the ultimate sin.”

“Not for him. For him, it’s second nature, but in time, he’ll realise.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t understand any of this.”

She kissed my forehead, and once again, I was a little boy sitting on her lap, a reading book in her hand.

“Once upon a time, there was a dark prince. He did a bad thing and got sent to earth to be punished. He hated it there and wanted nothing more than to burn it to the ground as revenge for what had been done to him. At first, it was easy, but as time passed, he was forgotten. No one knew who he was anymore, and life became meaningless for him. It was time to make a change.

“Then, one day, a boy was born. A boy with a light in his heart. A light so bright it would show the dark prince the way, show him that not everything was as terrible as it seemed.”

“Is that me, Momma? Am I the boy with the light in his heart?”

“Yes, angel. My sweet, darling boy. You have the light inside you. But evil men wanted to kill the boy because he would be the one who led the dark prince out of the darkness and restore balance.”

She stroked my hair like she used to do. My darling Momma. I missed her so much.

“Why did you have to leave? I love you so much. I lost my way.”

“You did, angel, but you will find it again, and when you do, it’ll be the most wonderful thing in the world. Because of you, there will always be a place for people to live.”

“I’m scared, Momma.”

“I know, my sweet child, but there’s nothing to fear. He will protect you with his life. He doesn’t know it yet, but you are the most important person in the world for him, and once he realises that, he will love you with all his heart and his being.”

“I want to stay here with you. I don’t want to go back.” She looked as I remembered from all those years ago, not a line on her face. Brilliant blue eyes and the longest, blondest hair, with soft curls that hung delicately past her shoulders. Skin so pale, hardly a blemish. God, how I missed her.

“You must. It’s time. Be brave, my little soldier, and soon it will all become clear.”

“Why did you die?” I needed to know.

“It was my time. I’d done what I was meant to. I gave you life.”

My perfect dream ended, and I was left with tears on my face and a scorching pain in my chest.

Now I was lying in his bed, unable to sleep. Dante had stormed out of the apartment. Conrad had followed shortly after and locked the door, the click loud.

A prisoner once again.

At least it was better than the white cell I’d been in before. This one had a comfortable bed at least.

My phone was gone. Where had that got to? All I had was the casino chip and my thoughts, of which there were plenty.

I’d never enjoyed my company, always seeking to be with others rather than on my own. Today, I had no choice but to sit with my thoughts until Dante came back.

I was still trying to wrap my head around what he’d said about the casino chip and angel mark. If only he’d let me go home so I could visit Grandpa. He must have been beside himself with worry.

Lists usually helped me, but I had no pen and paper and didn’t fancy rummaging around Dante’s apartment looking for some.

I had some standards, unlike some people, it seemed.

From Momma’s story, I gathered Dante was the dark prince, and I was the boy with the light in his heart.

Did that make him the devil? I remembered little from Mass and Sunday school, and if they’d mentioned the devil, I hadn't heard it.

I knew the names Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub. Another was Old Nick. Ironic, as that was the name of Joel’s uncle.

But what was I supposed to do?

I walked over to the window. It was dreary and wet outside. I hated winter, preferring the summer months and feeling the sun on my face.

Was Grandpa warm enough? Were they looking after him?

I needed to get out of here. I couldn’t sit and wait for Dante to let me go.

I made my own luck.

I put on my shoes and jacket and headed to the door. I jiggled the handle.

Definitely locked. I looked around for the key, but of course no one would be stupid enough to leave it lying around.

Maybe a knife would work?

I found one in the kitchen and went back to the lock. No amount of jamming it in and wiggling it around made it spring open.

Goddamn fucking knife. How dare it not work? I threw it onto the floor.

“Stupid fucking door.” I kicked it again and again. Frustrated didn’t cover it. I had to get out of here.

I sat on the floor, my back resting against the offending door, and ran my hands through my hair. How the fuck could I get out of here without the key?

I elbowed the door, and a sharp pain shot through my elbow… and there it was. A subtle click.

Ignoring the pain, I jumped up and turned the handle.

It opened onto an empty lobby. I crept out and closed the door softly behind me, trying not to make a sound.

There was no one about, and the lift looked miles away.

A sign caught my eye. Emergency Exit. Well, this was an emergency.

I peered through the small round window. A set of stairs led down. I’d be less likely to be discovered.

I ran as quietly as possible to the bottom, where another door opened to the casino’s foyer. I carefully looked through the window. Other than a woman at the reception desk looking at her computer, no one was about.

I pulled the door open and sneaked through it, keeping my back to the wall.

“Don’t see me. Don’t look this way,” I mumbled. “Nothing to see here.”

As luck would have it, she turned away and I crept out the door into the fresh air and freedom.

I pulled up my collar, dug my hands into my jacket pocket, and walked away. No one shouted; no one stopped me.

Hard to believe I’d got away so easily.

I carried on walking, bracing myself for a hand on my shoulder accosting me, but the farther I got away from the casino, the easier I breathed.

My heart finally stopped racing until it slowed to a normal pace. The casino was a couple of miles from my house, but with no phone or wallet, I had no other option than to walk.

It didn’t take long, maybe half an hour. An unfamiliar car sat outside the house. Nothing fancy, about ten years old and black.

New carers, maybe?

Only one way to find out.

“Grandpa.” I let myself in and walked into the lounge. My heart stood still. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Language, Austin,” Grandpa chided.

I tightened my fists and drew myself up, ready to defend myself and Grandpa.

“Austin,” Dante said. “So nice to see you again.”

“Get away from him.”

“We were just having tea. Would you like to join us?” He smiled sweetly.

“What do you want?”

“Austin, I brought you up better than that. Don’t be rude to our guests.”

Guests? I only saw Dante, but Conrad strolled out of the kitchen, a mug in his hand.

“Tea.”

Too shocked to protest, I took it from him and sat on the sofa.

“Dante here said he was a friend of yours. He came to see if I needed anything. I got your message that you’d be away for a couple of days.”

“I didn’t send a message.”

“No, Joel did. Said you and the boys had gone away for a few days. I must admit I thought you would have called yourself, but he said you’d lost your phone.”

“Yeah, I have.” I glared at Dante. He’d obviously sent the message from Joel’s phone.

“These kind gentlemen have brought some food.”

Not convinced this was their only reason for visiting, I sat quietly and waited.

“It’s just me and Austin these days. His mother passed away a good few years ago now.” Grandpa gave me a sympathetic look, knowing how much it still affected me after twenty-three years. “His dad left a year later.”

“What happened to him?”

“You don’t have to tell him anything.” I leant forward and touched Grandpa’s hand. This was as painful for him as talking about Momma was for me.

“It’s okay, son. I don’t mind.” He turned to Dante. “Calista’s death hit us all hard, especially him.”

“How did they meet?”

“You know, I don’t rightly remember. One minute he was out partying every night. The next he was settling down and having a child.”

I sat up straight, my tea forgotten. Grandpa rarely spoke about them, and this was news to me. When my father had left, we stopped talking about them.

“Do you know where he met her?”

“What’s the name of that big festival? You know the one I mean. The one run by the farmer.”

“Glastonbury?” I didn’t think it’d been going that long, but it probably had.

“Yes. That’s the one. He met her there and brought her back home. I’d never seen a man so besotted.”

“What do you know about her?” Dante edged closer to Grandpa.

“Why all the questions?” For the first time since I’d walked in, Grandpa looked worried, glancing between me and Dante.

“It’s okay. You can tell him what you know,” I reassured him, as he got easily confused.

“She had no family. Only us, and when Austin arrived, she said her life was complete. She was a wonderful mother.” His eyes misted over, as did mine. Especially after my earlier dreams.

“I hate to ask.” Dante looked down at his hands, and I knew what he was going to say.

“Then don’t,” I snapped. “Can’t you see how upset he is?”

“You know how important this is. Don’t for one minute pretend you don’t want to know too.” He was right. I did want to learn about how she’d passed.

“She got sick. One minute she was fine. The next she was complaining of a headache. I’d seen no one take ill as quickly as she did. She went to bed. Austin here didn’t want to leave her, but he had school the following day, and she said she’d be fine.”

Grandpa looked over at me, an apologetic smile on his face. Did I want to know the rest?

“Philip, my son, sat with her. I stopped by a few times, but she was always sleeping. She looked pale and weak. Had I known she was so ill, I’d have called an ambulance. I regret that decision to this day.”

He dragged a hand down his face, rough hands scraping down his whiskers.

“Then he came downstairs and said she’d gone. I didn’t think he meant literally, but when I went upstairs, she’d disappeared. I questioned him, and he told me what he knew. I never told you this, Austin. You were already distraught, so I didn’t see a reason to make things worse. You were only six.”

“What do you know, Grandpa?” My pulse raced. What was it?

“He told me she was an angel. She’d said her work was complete. You were her work, Austin. The moment she gave birth, she became more fragile. You won’t remember, but she was slipping away from us slowly, and that night, she vanished from our lives forever.”

“Did no one ask where she’d gone?” I couldn’t believe that no one had noticed.

“Only us. No one else remembered her ever being here.”

That couldn’t be right. She’d taken me to school, met my teachers. I’d had friends around for birthday parties. How could no one remember her?

I walked into the kitchen and tipped the now-cold tea down the sink.

I leant against the counter, tears filling my eyes. She was as fucking real as anyone. She was my momma. I hadn’t imagined her.

A hand on my shoulder startled me. I spun around, expecting to see Grandpa, but it was Dante, a look of concern on his face.

“Why did you have to come here and bring this up?” I swiped at the tears.

“You know why. I needed to know more about you and why we’re linked.”

“We’re not fucking linked. I don’t care what she said.”

He took a step back, giving me some space.

“When did she say, but more to the point, what did she say?”

“Nothing.” I stepped past him, but he laid his muscular hand on my arm.

“You and I need to talk. We’ll make sure your grandpa’s okay. Then you’re coming back with me. It’s not safe for you out here.”

“Why isn’t it safe? I still have this.” I pulled out the casino chip and held it up for him.

“That only keeps you safe from me. The angel mark gives you no more protection. I spoke to a friend, and he confirmed it.”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue more, but Conrad stepped into the kitchen. His huge stature made it seem smaller than it already was.

“We need to move. We’ve got company. A group of guys in the street, but I don’t think they know exactly which house we’re in.”

“Is there a way out if we go out the back door?”

“Yes, there’s a gate at the bottom of the garden. It leads to an alleyway that runs behind the houses.”

“Then we need to take it. Now.”

My heart tripled in speed. What of Grandpa? Would he be safe?

As if reading my mind, Dante touched my face.

“We’ll keep him safe. They’ll not know we were here. I promise.”

I had to believe him, and reluctantly I nodded. “Don’t let anyone hurt him. He’s all I have left.”

“I know. Go with Conrad. I’ll follow shortly.”

“Can’t I say goodbye?”

“Just go, Austin.”

How was I putting so much trust in him after all he’d said and done? But what was it Momma had said?

Trust in yourself and trust him .

“Okay. Look after him.”

Conrad hustled me out the door, and we ran. Down the garden, out of the gate, and through the alleyway. All the while, he checked behind us, making sure we weren’t followed.

Doors opened on a waiting car, and he shoved me in. I landed in a heap, and we sped away.

“Keep down.”

And that was what I did until the door opened again, and Conrad dragged me out of the car and into the casino.

This was where I was staying, then.

I had a lot to think about. A lot to talk about. It felt like this was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. One I was barely qualified to live, but for her sake, for Momma’s sake. I’d do what I could to survive.