Bittersweet Magic (The Order #2)

She couldn’t get her mind off the conversation between Piers and Christian. Asmodai had always told her that the less she knew the better, but he must have been aware that she would discover things through the bug. Did he no longer care?

There would be time to worry about that later. Right now, she had to concentrate on Jessica if she was to be of any help to Ryan. Her powers never worked when she was distracted.

Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind. “So, tell me what you know,” she said to Ryan.

“We had a whole load of calls after we went public with that picture of yours. Some cranks, but a few were obviously genuine, and we narrowed the area down to a section of the Isle of Dogs—which fits in with your description.”

“The smell of the river,” she murmured.

“Yes. And about half an hour ago we got a call saying someone had seen this guy leaving a house in the same area. That’s where we’re heading now.” He glanced at her quickly. “The team will be there. I couldn’t keep this to myself.”

Roz scowled. She’d expected as much, but she didn’t like it. “Just keep me away from them.”

Ryan reached into his pocket and handed her something. A pin-on badge with “Visitor” in big letters. Roz fixed it to her jacket and stared out of the window some more. They were driving along the embankment now, the river gleaming in the lights. It was close to midnight and the roads were quiet—mainly red buses and the odd cab, but they made good time.

“Will we be able to go in first?”

“Yes, I told the team to wait outside.”

“Good.”

Finally, Ryan pulled into a wide residential road, well lit with streetlights at regular intervals. The houses were tall Victorian terraces with small gardens out front so the buildings were set back from the road. He parked at the edge of the street between two cars. Opposite was a dark van, which she presumed contained his team. He punched on his radio. “Faith?”

“Yeah?”

“Anything happening?”

“Nothing. The place has been in darkness since we got here. We talked to the neighbor and she reckons there’s been no coming or going since she saw our guy leave.”

“Good. You stay put until you hear from me.”

“Okay, boss.”

Ryan turned to Roz. In the dim light, she could see the excited gleam of his eyes. She hoped he wasn’t going to be disappointed.

Please let her be alive. Sending up a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening, she followed Ryan out of the car, then stood for a moment on the pavement. Shutting her eyes, she pictured Jessica, and felt a faint echo resonate deep in her mind. Thank god. She was alive. But just.

Roz started walking and Ryan stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I haven’t told you which house yet.”

She pointed to the one on the corner plot. “There.”

“Shit, that’s spooky.”

She ignored the comment and headed to the house at a fast walk. The wrought iron gate creaked as she pushed it open. A gravel path led up to the dark blue front door with overgrown gardens on either side. There were no lights on inside, and she hesitated at the door. Closing her eyes, she felt again for the fragile flutter of the girl’s mind. Jessica was holding on tenaciously, but her life force was faint and growing fainter.

The door didn’t budge when Roz turned the handle. “Can you kick it in?” she asked

“I shouldn’t.”

“She’s dying, Ryan.”

“Stand back.”

He raised his foot and kicked out. And again. The door gave on the second kick, with a splintering of wood. Roz pushed past him and into a carpeted hallway. After concentrating for a second, she ran straight ahead. She hardly noticed Ryan switching on the lights as she hurried through a door at the end of the hall and into the kitchen. Directly opposite was another door, bolted from the outside, the bolts shiny and new. She slid them back and hesitated for a second.

The door opened into a narrow stairway that led down into the cellars, and she ran quickly down the steps. There were two doors at the bottom facing each other. The first led into a small room, empty but for a cot bed. She shut the door and turned to the other. This one was bolted, and she knew she’d found Jessica. She sensed Ryan at her back, but he didn’t speak. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. The smell hit her first—blood and fear. The room was in darkness, and she groped for the switch, finding it on the wall just outside the door.

The room was identical to the one opposite: small, the only furniture a narrow cot bed. But this room wasn’t empty. A young woman lay on the bed, asleep or more likely unconscious, her naked body curled tight into a fetal ball, arms wrapped around her knees.

“Jessica?”

There was no response, and Roz hurried across the small space between them. Ryan entered behind her, but she focused on the girl on the bed. The dying girl—her life force flickering, fragile and weak.

“Is she dead?” Ryan asked.

“No, alive—just.”

“I’ll call for an ambulance.”

She glanced around quickly. “Not yet, Ryan. Give me a moment.”