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‘Oh,’ he said, taken aback, then let out a bark of laughter that bordered on hysterical. ‘Oh, man. That’s… kind of epic. Go Kali.’

I couldn’t help it. I giggled. ‘Thanks, Mikey.’

‘Where’s Blake?’ Dakota finally asked, glancing anxiously over her shoulder like he might appear out of nowhere, just like he’d disappeared.

‘Her other boyfriend took him back to the murder basement,’ Chance explained, and Mikey stammered at the news.

‘Another one? Sheesh, Kali. I think you’re my fucking hero.’

He blushed bright red when Dakota cast him a sidelong look, but he didn’t run away. That was a good sign, right? He needed someone in his corner, especially after losing Chance. He and Ashe were only close because of their connection through Chance, and without him there, I feared they might drift apart. Already, she was nowhere to be seen. Not that I blamed her. She and Gloria had booked it out of her as soon as they caught the first whiff of danger. Good for them.

‘What are you going to do with him?’ Dakota asked, dragging the conversation back on track.

‘Make him pay,’ I said simply. They didn’t need to know that details. That would only haunt them. At least this way, they knew that he would suffer, and that we would ensure he couldn’t hurt anyone ever again.

‘We should really be getting on,’ Chance said, and I agreed. Mikey and Dakota were alive, and they needed to let us go now. They knew we were okay. Happy, even. They knew we were about to get justice from the man who had wronged us all. Except maybe Rhodes. Lucky bastard.

And it was time for us to let them go, too.

‘I miss you guys,’ Mikey blurted. ‘And I love you. You, too, Kali. It’s not been the same without you.’

‘Live your life, Mikey,’ Chance said, his own voice cracking with emotion.

‘And you go live your afterlife.’

We stepped away from the mirror, breaking the connection, and kept our words to ourselves until we were out of range of the spirit box. We made the journey back to Blake’s cabin slowly, keeping the pace like we were taking a leisurely stroll. This was it. This was what I had been waiting for, for seven long years.

It was almost over.

Chapter 23

Kali

Morty was pacing impatiently in front of the house when we arrived.

‘Finally,’ he snipped, then waved offhandedly towards the house. ‘I tied him up so he wouldn’t touch the woman.’

‘Oh, shit. I forgot about her,’ I said sheepishly. ‘We need to let her go before we start. She doesn’t need to see what’s about to happen.’

‘I love this whole bloodthirsty but moral thing you’ve got going on,’ Rhodes said, completely serious. ‘It’s fucking turning me on.’

I laughed.

‘Okay, Loverboy. Save it for after,’ Chance teased, shoving the younger man in jest.

‘Okay, okay. Sheesh.’

Morty turned on his heels and stormed back inside the cabin, and I followed close behind. Chance and Rhodes ribbed each other for another minute before also following, the mood quickly turning far too sombre for jokes.

When I phased through the door, the first thing I noticed was that the bookshelf blocking the door to the basement wasstill in the way. So, with a mixture of eagerness and trepidation, I sent out my shadows to see if I could pull it away. At first, they simply moved through it like anything else, but then they caught on. I let out a slow breath, concentrating on what I needed to do next. I had practised a little with Morty, but only small things. A stick. A rock. A patch of grass. Nothing this large.

‘You’ve got this,’ Chance said, stepping up beside me and sending out his own shadows to assist. Together, we were able to make headway. It was a slow, arduous process, but I was proud of what we were accomplishing. Up until Morty flickered into existence in front of us, impatience twisting his features into a scowl, and moved the thing the rest of the way like it weighed little more than a feather.

‘You bastard,’ I snarled. ‘I had it.’

He seemed to realise his mistake, and his entire demeanour softened. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘I know you had it. Next time, I won’t interfere.’

His apology blew the hot air right out of my sails, and my anger deflated. ‘It’s fine. Thank you for finishing the job. It was taking a while.’