Free The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams Page A

were afraid of you …” He turned away. “And yeah, I just let him shoot me.”
    “How did you know I could heal?” I grabbed the light from the night stand and hurled it into the wall beside his head. He ducked as it shattered and fell in a jagged mess around him. “I should have let you die.”
    “We were supposed to find out how powerful you were. I could have healed it anyway. The bullets were gold.”
    What do gold bullets have to do with anything? “What are you? What does the Glass Man want with me?”
    “Don’t you understand?” Liam threw a fist into the doorframe, splintering the wood. Blood trickled down his knuckles. “I don’t know what he wants. Even if I did, I couldn’t tell you. If I tell you anything … he’ll kill them.” His face twisted with anger, or maybe grief—I didn’t look closely enough to find out.
    “No, it’s you who doesn’t understand. Whoever they are, he’ll kill them anyway because that’s what he does. He’ll kill them, and he’ll dance in their blood just to see the look on your face.”
    His eyes grew wide.
    “Reality’s a bitch. Get used to it.” I bolted past him and took the stairs three at a time in my bare feet. No footsteps followed behind me. If Liam wasn’t following me— shit. The Glass Man must have been closer than I thought. My heart pounded, and the colors in the stairway grew pale. I’d been so careful, and in one moment, a single good looking man undid everything I’d accomplished over the years. On top of it all, I’d lost the music box.
    I would not let him win. I was the last of the Grays, the last of my family, and I would not let that bastard get what he wanted.
    When I arrived in the kitchen, I slid to a stop. Four men lined up in front of the door, hands clasped in front, shiny shoe-clad feet in wide stances. They wore identical black suits and white button-down shirts.
    “Good evening,” pudgy faced Clancy said with a smile. Instead of his poof of curly hair, it fell straight in a blunt cut around his shoulders. Deep ocean blue replaced the mousy brown. “Lovely evening, don’t you think?”
    “Fucking bastards.” I shook my head, my energy swelling beneath the barrier. “You’re really good; I’ll give you that. Especially you, Clancy, if that’s even your name. What kind of psycho piece of work are you?”
    The other three looked to Sebastian. He roared with laughter and the rest followed, all but Garret who frowned at the floor. The boy gathered his arms close to his chest. If he made himself any smaller, he’d disappear from sight. I’d found the leader of the goon squad. I’d also found the chink in the armor. Maybe if I could turn them against one another, it would give me a window to get out.
    “Get out of my way, Sebastian.” I scanned the room for my pack and black sneakers but found neither. Great. I found a few other objects that might be of some use. I edged toward the nearest kitchen chair.
    “Or what?” Sebastian fingered a silver handgun in a shoulder holster under his jacket. “You’ll talk us to death? Without your power, you’re just a harmless princess.” Long hair replaced his brush cut, and instead of grey, it was the red of fresh blood. All the wrinkles on his face had smoothed into younger skin.
    Rourke and Clancy shared an amused look.
    “Garret doesn’t seem too happy about what’s going on here,” I said.
    The other three stared at the young blond, who hunched further in on himself.
    “Was anything you said true?” I asked the kid. “All that talk about losing your mother, was that just another load of horse shit?”
    Garret stood a little straighter and opened his mouth.
    “Shut your goddamn hole,” Sebastian snapped.
    “What’s the matter Sebastian?” I put out my best mocking sneer. “Afraid he’s going to spoil the Glass Man’s little surprise party?” I looked at Garret, prancing where he stood, his eyes wide. “After all, he is just a kid. He probably doesn’t