Free Dead Push (Kiera Hudson Series Two#7) by Tim O'Rourke Page B

wonder how different she will be…”
    “This isn’t some kind of jolly,” Lilly snapped. “You’re not to have any contact with Kiera. She isn’t the Kiera you know and love. That’s not why you’re going back through the cracks.”
    “Murphy told me that Kier a got shot dead attending a robbery,” I said.
    “So?!” Lilly said. “Don’t concern yourself with that. Don’t get involved with the Kiera Hudson of the pushed world. Don’t interact with her or change anything. Unmask the photographer and come back.” She stared at me then added, “If you don’t think you can handle not getting involved with Kiera, then I’ll send Jack in your place and you can go and find the grate…”
    “I can handle it,” I said, standing up. “I don’t think we should send Jack, do you? What, with his record for rape and murder.”
    “She’s my sister,” Jack barked, jumping up onto his long spidery legs.
    “Didn’t stop you in the Dust Palace,” I shot back. Before he could come back at me, I eyed Lilly and said, “So let’s get this over with. How do we go back through the cracks?”
    Looking at me, Lilly said, “Get in line like everyone else and get yourself a ticket.”
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
    Jack
     
    If that prick made one more jibe about me being a killer, I was going to tear him a new arsehole. He had done his own fair share of killing in the past. Potter was far from perfect – but he strutted around the goddamn place as if his shit didn’t stink. He had left as much shit in his wake as I had. I was glad we were splitting up. The mission would have lasted five freaking minutes if it had been me and him traveling back together. Only one of us would have come back through the cracks Lilly had spoken about, and it wouldn’t have been that obnoxious prick.
    I got in line behind Potter. Lilly stood beside me. Being seven foot tall, I towered over those ahead of me. I could see the line snaking away. I glanced at those who wandered about the huge concourse. So many dead people. A thought struck me which made my heart race: Would any of my victims be here? Were any of those women I had previously slain be waiting to get a ticket to go back? Would they recognise me? Sure they would – I was the last thing they saw as I ripped them to pieces. Would they want to speak to me? I doubted it. But I would love to speak with any one of them. It would be fascinating to talk with them about what I had done to them. I rubbed my temples with the tips of my bony fingers again. I could ask them what it had felt like to be scared by me. What had that fear felt like for them? Was there a little part of them which had secretly enjoyed what I’d done?
    “ Stop it, Jack ,” I whispered to myself, pushing those thoughts away.
    But maybe some of my victims did find their death as much as a rush as I found killing them, I wondered. Maybe there was something in that fine line between pleasure and pain.
    “ Stop it ,” I whispered again to myself and swallowed hard. I didn’t want to think like that anymore. If only those thoughts would go away. Leave me in peace.
    “What did you say?” Potter said, jerking his head around to look at me.
    “Nothing,” I scowled at him.
    He turned away again with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
    “Are you all right?” Lilly asked, placing one hand gently on my forearm. “Are you struggling?”
    I knew Lilly would understand my conflicting feelings – she was a wolf after all. I wondered how many she had killed in her life – or had she managed to beat the curse? Killing is like crack – you do it the once and spend the rest of your life chasing that original high. Now wasn’t the time to ask. I had to get my demons in check if this mission was going to be a success. I couldn’t risk everything by going on a killing spree on the other side of the cracks and holes Noah and the photographer had been making. But those thoughts – cravings – just wouldn’t go away; they never