Chapter 43: The Ghost That Never Left
918 Words
43.1. The Words That Bring Him Back
"Julian Mercer is still alive."
The words on the phone screen burned Clara's mind like a hot brand on her skin.
Her hands trembled as she looked at them.
Her breathing was too fast, too light.
The world around her spun.
No.
This couldn't be.
Mercer was dead.
He had to be.
She had spent her whole life building her life on that reality.
It was the only thing she could rest at night.
The only thing she had ever believed stood a chance of being free.
And now—
Now, that freedom was a lie.
Daniel sat next to her in the driver's seat, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it would shatter.
His fists were wrapped around the steering wheel, knuckles white.
His voice was low. Too contained.
"Have you ever seen his body?"
Something heavy and cold dropped into Clara's stomach.
She was going to answer yes.
Was going to tell Daniel she'd seen Julian Mercer die with her own eyes.
That she'd heard his dying breath.
That she'd seen his body reduce to nothing.
But she hadn't.
She'd never seen his body.
She'd only believed him dead.
Because the other choice—that he'd been out there all this time, watching, waiting—
Was too much to endure.
Her pulse thundered.
Her whole world shifted.
Julian Mercer had never been gone.
She'd only been running from a ghost.
And now, the ghost had come to claim her at last.
43.2. Nowhere Left to Hide
Daniel drove the car off the road, onto the shoulder.
His fingers wrapped around the wheel as if he was trying to crush it.
His breathing was rough, his whole body tense.
Clara sat tense beside him.
The pain of her gunshot wound barely registered at all.
Because this was worse.
A thousand times worse.
Julian Mercer was alive.
And someone had just warned her.
Clara forced her breath to steady.
Her voice was rough. Unstable.
"We have to find out who sent that message."
Daniel's jaw was clenched.
His grip on the wheel shook.
"I already know who."
Clara's stomach turned over.
Because she knew too.
There was only one living soul who knew Julian Mercer better than she did.
One man was hard enough, mean enough, sinister enough to send her straight back to him.
Damien.
43.3. The Devil in the Shadows
Clara forced herself to stand.
She gripped Daniel's wrist, holding on tight.
"We have to go get Damien."
Daniel's blue eyes flared.
He spun to her, his voice low, cutting.
"No."
Clara's heart was racing.
"If Mercer is alive, Damien will know where he is."
Daniel's fists were clenched.
His breathing was slow, controlled.
"And you think he'll just tell us?"
Clara swallowed hard.
"He will if we make him."
Daniel's laugh was bitter and harsh.
His body was tense everywhere.
"Clara," he said, his voice strained, barely on an even keel.
"He's been stringing you along since the beginning."
Clara's nails dug into her palms.
"I know."
Daniel exhaled sharply, rage boiling just beneath his skin.
"Then why in hell would we walk into another one of his traps?"
Clara's voice was even. Unyielding.
"Because if we don't, Mercer will come for us first."
There was silence.
Thick. Choking.
Daniel's jaw locked.
His breath seared.
But he knew.
They were already too far gone.
Daniel swore under his breath.
Then—
He put the car into gear.
"Goddammit," he snarled. "I swear to God, I'm going to kill him this time."
Clara smiled nearly.
Nearly.
43.4. The Devil Who Was Waiting
They didn't have to go searching for Damien.
Because Damien found them first.
The moment they stepped outside—
A black, shiny car was already pulled into the shadows.
Clara's breath caught.
Daniel's hand shot to his gun.
The backseat door swung open.
And there he was.
Damien.
Slumped back in the seat, completely at ease.
Smiling.
As if he had been waiting for them all along.
Clara's stomach twisted.
Of course he did.
Damien stretched his arms, yawned.
"You took longer than I expected, sweetheart."
Daniel's breath scorched hot.
His voice was rough. Fatal.
"You knew."
Damien rested his head.
"Knew what?"
Daniel's fists tightened around his gun.
"That Mercer lived."
Damien grinned.
"Of course I did."
Clara's heart rammed into her chest.
She stepped forward.
"You brought me here."
Damien grinned further.
"And you walked on in, didn't you?"
Daniel's gun was out now.
His tone was icy, fiery with rage.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you in the head."
Damien shrugged.
"Because if you kill me, you'll never find Mercer."
Silence.
Tense. Unforgiving.
Clara's pulse pounded.
Damien's smile vanished.
His tone dropped.
"You want to see him, sweetheart?"
Clara's breath shook.
"Yes."
Damien coaxed the breath out slowly.
"Then get in the car."
Her heart thudded.
This was it.
The last moment.
The decision she couldn't take back.
She glanced over at Daniel.
His blue eyes darkened with anger, with desperation.
He took her wrist.
"Clara," he said, his voice strained. "If we do this, we don't walk away."
Clara swallowed.
"We don't have a choice."
Daniel's chest expanded.
His jaw tightened.
But he knew.
They'd already passed the point of no return.
Daniel cursed under his breath.
Then—
He got into the car.
And Clara followed him.
Because she'd spent her entire life running from Mercer.
And now she was walking into his arms.
(To be continued…)
- Writer
