The Company of Shadows by Lisa Olsen
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Ethan, no!” Cady ran to the window, the scream dying in the back of her throat as she stuck her head out to peer at the street below. It was too dark to see much, but she thought she saw shapes moving in the shadows. There wasn’t time to think about what might lay at the bottom of the alley, she had to get moving.
Snatching up the keys, Cady abandoned the ruined apartment, taking longer than she liked to navigate the three separate locks on Ethan’s door. Once inside, she locked them all up again, including the flimsy chain and butterfly lock at the top of the door. Ordinarily such a display of hardware might make her feel secure, but after watching Ash bust his way through the wall of her apartment, Cady didn’t feel better until she found the gun in Ethan’s office.
It had been a long time since she’d held a gun in her hand. Her father had insisted on showing her the basics for her own protection, but she located the safety without too much trouble. Dragging his office chair into the corner of the living room where she could watch the door but still dart into another room if need be, she sat and waited, growing more and more anxious by the minute.
Despite her earlier words of bravado, Cady was shaken to the core and her frazzled nerves reflected it. Every creak and movement in the old apartment building had her jumping at shadows, the gun trembling in her hands as she tried to defend against imagined dangers.
The knock at the door made her heart clench painfully, and she rose slowly, too apprehensive to approach the door.
“Cady, it’s me, let me in.” Ethan’s voice came through, but Cady forced herself to hang back, to make sure.
“How do I know it’s really you?”
“It’s really me,” he called back. “I should have told you before, he can’t get into me like he can with other people. The tattoos protect me from being taken against my will.”
“They do?” she blinked. That sounded awfully convenient.
“Of course. Can you imagine how tough he’d be to kill if he got into someone like me?”
“That doesn’t prove anything. You could be making that up.”
“Cady, it’s me, I swear.”
“That’s exactly what he’d say,” she muttered, but she let him in anyway. What choice did she have? If it really was Ash, it wasn’t like she could keep him out for too long anyway. Ethan slipped inside quickly the instant she unlocked the door, not bothering to secure the locks.
“Are you alright?” he demanded, taking the gun from her hands and setting it on the kitchen counter, favoring his right leg as he walked.
“I feel like I should be asking you the same. Did you hurt your leg in the fall?”
“It’s not bad.”
Of course not, it never was. “Did you get him?”
Ethan brushed past her into the office where he retrieved a black duffle bag, heavy from the look of it. “We have to get moving, we don’t have much time.”
“You didn’t get him then.” That much seemed certain. “Where are we going?”
“You’re not safe here anymore, neither of us are. We have to leave before he comes back, or someone sends the cops around.” The laptop on the desk went into the bag, as well as a sketchbook and a flat plastic box.
“We have to leave now? But what about Ian?”
“We can’t take the chance and wait around. You’ll have to contact him later.”
While she understood his reasons for urgency, Cady couldn’t help but think about how Ian would react when he got a look at the apartment. “Can I at least leave him a note?”
“And say what? You can’t tell him anything about what’s going on or where you’re going.” Zipping up the bag, he tucked the extra gun into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Come on, we have to move.”
Cady nodded mutely, darting one last look at the ruin of her apartment before she followed him into the stairwell. She was about to suggest the elevator, given his limp, but she thought better of it. He’d just insist he’d be fine anyway and she trusted him to know what he was doing.
“You drive,” he ordered, sliding into the passenger’s seat with a groan, and Cady obeyed without questioning him.
“Where are we going?”
“Drive East like you’re going towards work, I’ll give you directions in a few blocks.” Ethan’s attention seemed scattered, his focus on the mirrors and she guessed he wanted to make sure they weren’t being followed. Only once they were on the road for several minutes and after three course changes did he relax. “You’re doing great, Cady,” he gave her a thin smile. “Turn back towards Eddy.”
“You do have a destination in mind, right?”
“Yes, I do. Do you know the SRO by the bodega with the big mural?”
“Sure, I know where that is, why?” He couldn’t be taking her there. That was one of the seediest tenements in the city. The smell from the street was bad enough, inside the halls could make your eyes sting it was so appalling.
“Relax, that’s not where we’re going,” he chuckled, clueing in to her apprehension. “Just head for that street and we’ll be fine.”
Cady glanced over to see him slumped lower in the seat, his eyes half masted. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just need to rest a bit and I’ll be fine.”
“Diving off a five story building will do that to you, I guess,” she muttered, turning her concentration back to the road. There was very little traffic at that hour, and every pair of headlights she saw made her tense in fear until it passed harmlessly by. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, glancing at the screen to see a text message from Ian.
WTF happened here? Where are you?
“I need to call Ian. I need to let him know I’m alright.”
Ethan scowled, shifting higher in the seat. “What are you going to tell him?”
“I’ll tell him that my boss went psycho and tried to attack me. It’s sort of the truth.”
“Alright, but keep it short.”
Splitting her attention between the road and her phone, Cady dialed his number and Ian picked up on the first ring.
“Where are you? Are you alright?” he demanded before she could get a word out.
“I’m fine. I’m assuming you’re home?”
“You’re goddamn right I’m home. What the hell happened here, Cady? There is a fucking hole into our apartment. I can see Mrs. Wasserman right now standing in the hall talking to the cops. She said it sounded like a gang war out here.”
“The cops are there?”
“What else was I supposed to do when I came home to this mess? There’s a bloody knife on the floor, and you were nowhere to be found.”
“Shit,” she murmured; she’d forgotten all about the knife she’d slashed Ash with. “I’m fine. My boss went nutso after he dropped me off and he sorta busted into our apartment when I locked him out.”
“That asshole did this?” Ian thundered incredulously. “He is so dead. I’m gonna…”
“Ian, stay away from him,” Cady warned, filled with dread at the thought of her brother trying to hunt him down. “He is crazy insane. I mean look at that place.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m safe, I’m with a friend.”
“Who?”
“It’s nobody you know. Just don’t worry about me.”
“Bullshit, I know all of your friends. Is it that Ethan guy? The cops want to talk to you both.”
Shit. “Ian, I have to go. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay and try not to worry, alright? Hopefully I’ll be home in a few days and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Cady, don’t…”
“That’s enough.” Ethan plucked the phone out of her fingers, smashing it against the dash hard enough to crack the plastic before he tossed it out the window.
“Hey… did you have to do that?”
“We can’t take the chance of them tracking you throug
h your phone. I already got rid of mine.”
“Aww man, I have eight more months left on my contract,” she said mournfully, staring at the gouge on the dashboard where her phone bit the dust.
“I’ll get you a new one.”
“That one had all my music in it,” Cady sulked, until she realized she was being childish. It was only a phone, not such an important thing to lose, all things considered. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be difficult, I swear. It’s just… it feels like I lost a lot of things tonight and that was the last straw, you know?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “I’ve been trained to leave everything behind at a moment’s notice. I guess I haven’t formed any attachments to anything for a long time.”
“Until now.” She reached for his hand and he threaded his fingers through hers.
“Until now.”
“Ethan, no!” Cady ran to the window, the scream dying in the back of her throat as she stuck her head out to peer at the street below. It was too dark to see much, but she thought she saw shapes moving in the shadows. There wasn’t time to think about what might lay at the bottom of the alley, she had to get moving.
Snatching up the keys, Cady abandoned the ruined apartment, taking longer than she liked to navigate the three separate locks on Ethan’s door. Once inside, she locked them all up again, including the flimsy chain and butterfly lock at the top of the door. Ordinarily such a display of hardware might make her feel secure, but after watching Ash bust his way through the wall of her apartment, Cady didn’t feel better until she found the gun in Ethan’s office.
It had been a long time since she’d held a gun in her hand. Her father had insisted on showing her the basics for her own protection, but she located the safety without too much trouble. Dragging his office chair into the corner of the living room where she could watch the door but still dart into another room if need be, she sat and waited, growing more and more anxious by the minute.
Despite her earlier words of bravado, Cady was shaken to the core and her frazzled nerves reflected it. Every creak and movement in the old apartment building had her jumping at shadows, the gun trembling in her hands as she tried to defend against imagined dangers.
The knock at the door made her heart clench painfully, and she rose slowly, too apprehensive to approach the door.
“Cady, it’s me, let me in.” Ethan’s voice came through, but Cady forced herself to hang back, to make sure.
“How do I know it’s really you?”
“It’s really me,” he called back. “I should have told you before, he can’t get into me like he can with other people. The tattoos protect me from being taken against my will.”
“They do?” she blinked. That sounded awfully convenient.
“Of course. Can you imagine how tough he’d be to kill if he got into someone like me?”
“That doesn’t prove anything. You could be making that up.”
“Cady, it’s me, I swear.”
“That’s exactly what he’d say,” she muttered, but she let him in anyway. What choice did she have? If it really was Ash, it wasn’t like she could keep him out for too long anyway. Ethan slipped inside quickly the instant she unlocked the door, not bothering to secure the locks.
“Are you alright?” he demanded, taking the gun from her hands and setting it on the kitchen counter, favoring his right leg as he walked.
“I feel like I should be asking you the same. Did you hurt your leg in the fall?”
“It’s not bad.”
Of course not, it never was. “Did you get him?”
Ethan brushed past her into the office where he retrieved a black duffle bag, heavy from the look of it. “We have to get moving, we don’t have much time.”
“You didn’t get him then.” That much seemed certain. “Where are we going?”
“You’re not safe here anymore, neither of us are. We have to leave before he comes back, or someone sends the cops around.” The laptop on the desk went into the bag, as well as a sketchbook and a flat plastic box.
“We have to leave now? But what about Ian?”
“We can’t take the chance and wait around. You’ll have to contact him later.”
While she understood his reasons for urgency, Cady couldn’t help but think about how Ian would react when he got a look at the apartment. “Can I at least leave him a note?”
“And say what? You can’t tell him anything about what’s going on or where you’re going.” Zipping up the bag, he tucked the extra gun into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Come on, we have to move.”
Cady nodded mutely, darting one last look at the ruin of her apartment before she followed him into the stairwell. She was about to suggest the elevator, given his limp, but she thought better of it. He’d just insist he’d be fine anyway and she trusted him to know what he was doing.
“You drive,” he ordered, sliding into the passenger’s seat with a groan, and Cady obeyed without questioning him.
“Where are we going?”
“Drive East like you’re going towards work, I’ll give you directions in a few blocks.” Ethan’s attention seemed scattered, his focus on the mirrors and she guessed he wanted to make sure they weren’t being followed. Only once they were on the road for several minutes and after three course changes did he relax. “You’re doing great, Cady,” he gave her a thin smile. “Turn back towards Eddy.”
“You do have a destination in mind, right?”
“Yes, I do. Do you know the SRO by the bodega with the big mural?”
“Sure, I know where that is, why?” He couldn’t be taking her there. That was one of the seediest tenements in the city. The smell from the street was bad enough, inside the halls could make your eyes sting it was so appalling.
“Relax, that’s not where we’re going,” he chuckled, clueing in to her apprehension. “Just head for that street and we’ll be fine.”
Cady glanced over to see him slumped lower in the seat, his eyes half masted. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just need to rest a bit and I’ll be fine.”
“Diving off a five story building will do that to you, I guess,” she muttered, turning her concentration back to the road. There was very little traffic at that hour, and every pair of headlights she saw made her tense in fear until it passed harmlessly by. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, glancing at the screen to see a text message from Ian.
WTF happened here? Where are you?
“I need to call Ian. I need to let him know I’m alright.”
Ethan scowled, shifting higher in the seat. “What are you going to tell him?”
“I’ll tell him that my boss went psycho and tried to attack me. It’s sort of the truth.”
“Alright, but keep it short.”
Splitting her attention between the road and her phone, Cady dialed his number and Ian picked up on the first ring.
“Where are you? Are you alright?” he demanded before she could get a word out.
“I’m fine. I’m assuming you’re home?”
“You’re goddamn right I’m home. What the hell happened here, Cady? There is a fucking hole into our apartment. I can see Mrs. Wasserman right now standing in the hall talking to the cops. She said it sounded like a gang war out here.”
“The cops are there?”
“What else was I supposed to do when I came home to this mess? There’s a bloody knife on the floor, and you were nowhere to be found.”
“Shit,” she murmured; she’d forgotten all about the knife she’d slashed Ash with. “I’m fine. My boss went nutso after he dropped me off and he sorta busted into our apartment when I locked him out.”
“That asshole did this?” Ian thundered incredulously. “He is so dead. I’m gonna…”
“Ian, stay away from him,” Cady warned, filled with dread at the thought of her brother trying to hunt him down. “He is crazy insane. I mean look at that place.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m safe, I’m with a friend.”
“Who?”
“It’s nobody you know. Just don’t worry about me.”
“Bullshit, I know all of your friends. Is it that Ethan guy? The cops want to talk to you both.”
Shit. “Ian, I have to go. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay and try not to worry, alright? Hopefully I’ll be home in a few days and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Cady, don’t…”
“That’s enough.” Ethan plucked the phone out of her fingers, smashing it against the dash hard enough to crack the plastic before he tossed it out the window.
“Hey… did you have to do that?”
“We can’t take the chance of them tracking you throug
“Aww man, I have eight more months left on my contract,” she said mournfully, staring at the gouge on the dashboard where her phone bit the dust.
“I’ll get you a new one.”
“That one had all my music in it,” Cady sulked, until she realized she was being childish. It was only a phone, not such an important thing to lose, all things considered. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be difficult, I swear. It’s just… it feels like I lost a lot of things tonight and that was the last straw, you know?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “I’ve been trained to leave everything behind at a moment’s notice. I guess I haven’t formed any attachments to anything for a long time.”
“Until now.” She reached for his hand and he threaded his fingers through hers.
“Until now.”