Chapter 24: Between death or redemption
WEDNESDAY'S POV
This was one impossible, heart-rending decision to make. I stood frozen before the mirror, my own conscience holding my fate in its open palms. I couldn't lose Spencer to the void I was creating between us, the mere thought of it causing a physical ache in my non-existent heart. And yet, I couldn't allow my mission—the very purpose of my return, the sacred justice I swore to achieve—to be jeopardized by the wild, untamable feelings he ignited in my soul. This mission meant everything to me; it was the bedrock of my identity as a vengeful spirit, the only reason Hades had granted me this second chance. And so did Spencer. He had become the unexpected sunrise in my eternal night.
"Your clock is going tick tock, tick tock," my reflection sang, a cruel, mocking lilt to its voice. "It's a hard decision, I know. But put selfishness aside and pick one. You cannot have them both, little ghost, even though you have always, in the deepest, most secret part of you, wanted to have them. To have your vengeance and your love. It is the oldest, most tragic of fairy tales."
It leaned closer, its image shimmering, its voice dropping to a seductive, cunning whisper. "I can help you pick... if you let me out of this mirror. Just for a little while. All it takes is a kiss. A single touch, and I can bear this burden for you."
A violent revulsion shook me. "No!" I said, the word sharp and firm, a slap against its manipulation. "You are my conscience and you cannot dominate me. You are here to advise, not to tempt!" The sheer audacity of its offer confirmed Hades's warning—it was vulnerable, it craved experience, it was a corrupted version of my own guidance.
It had the decency to look momentarily chastised, pulling back with a theatrical pout. "Sorry. Just lending a helping hand," it continued, its tone dripping with false innocence. "The road to hell is paved with them, you know."
I turned away from the mirror, unable to bear the sight of my own conflicted face any longer. I phased back into the main room and rested my forehead against the cool, solid wall, seeking an anchor in its reality. Whether I liked it or not, and I truly, desperately did not, I definitely had to pick one option. My justice, or Spencer. My past, or my impossible future. The left palm, or the right. The weight of the choice was crushing me, and I knew, with a sinking certainty, that every second I hesitated, Spencer was moving further into a danger I might no longer be there to help him face.
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AUTHOR'S POV
In a lavishly appointed penthouse miles away, Spain's accomplice emerged from her steam-filled bathroom, a single, plush towel tied securely around her torso. Beads of water still glistened on her skin as she picked up a powerful hairdryer, the roar of the motor filling the spacious room as she meticulously styled her hair into sleek, perfect waves. The mundane task was at odds with the venom in her eyes.
Once dressed in a form-fitting, tactical-looking outfit that spoke of both style and deadly purpose, she picked up her personal phone, which had been switched off for the past hour. The screen lit up, and a single notification glowed: one missed call from an unknown number. A slow, predatory smile spread across her perfectly painted lips. She had baited the hook, and now something was nibbling.
She took the phone and strode purposefully into Spain's high-tech study, where his computer expert was already stationed amidst a nest of glowing monitors. The rest of Spain's hand-picked team, a group of grim-faced men with the dead-eyed look of professional muscle, were gathered, waiting for orders.
"Track this number. Now," she ordered, her voice cutting through the low hum of the computers, handing the expert a slip of paper.
He nodded, his fingers immediately flying across the keyboard, lines of code scrolling rapidly on the main screen. "The number is currently pinging off near... in the Cambridge Leveling Hotel," he announced after a moment.
A switch was thrown, and the main screen changed to a live feed from a network of security cameras around the Cambridge Hotel. They scanned the lobby, the entrances, the corridors. And then, there he was. Spencer Postlethwaith, caught in crisp high definition, looking harried and determined as he disappeared into the hotel. A deadly, triumphant smile carved itself onto her face.
"I knew that you can't hide forever," she purred to the screen. "I will always find you." She turned back to the expert. "Link the GPS tracking to my phone. I want real-time updates on which room and precisely which spot he's in."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, already executing the command.
She turned to face the assembled team, her eyes gleaming with cold fire. "Gather around, boys! We have an unfinished mission to finish!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the room. A chorus of grim, eager grins answered her.
Just then, Spain himself walked into the room, his presence commanding immediate attention. His accomplice sauntered over to him, her hips swaying with a confident rhythm. "I finally have the location of Spencer," she announced, her smile one of pure, unadulterated satisfaction.
"Really?" Spain asked, a mirroring smile of cruel anticipation spreading across his own face.
She nodded, stepping closer and tracing a finger down his chest. "I knew my baby girl is a genius," Spain complimented, pulling her in and capturing her lips in a deep, possessive kiss. "Go get him, baby. I'll be waiting right here." He deepened the kiss once more, a seal on their dark pact.
His accomplice smiled, a seductive, deadly curve of her lips, and walked out of the study without a backward glance, the team of enforcers falling into step behind her. As she descended in the private elevator, she took out her phone, now linked to the live GPS tracker following Spencer's every move. She thought of the bandage that had so recently been wrapped around her head, a gift from Spencer's ghostly protector.
A low, venomous groan escaped her. "I'm coming for you, Spencer," she whispered to the descending numbers on the elevator display. "You will pay for what your ghost lover did to me."
To be continued.....