Taste (Ava Delaney #5) (3 page)

I wanted him to believe it so badly.
I
wanted to believe it.

I hoped I could pull it off before Eddie finally played his hand.

Chapter Three

Emmett moped around for a couple of days, forlorn for reasons he couldn’t quite explain. To cheer him up, Peter decided to take him to the pictures for the first time.

“It’s huge,” Peter told him. “You’ll love it.”

“Can you come?” Emmett asked me hopefully.

“Not today. I need to visit the sanctuary. Bring them some of the treats that you haven’t stolen yet.”

He grinned. “I’m a kid. I’m supposed to eat junk. So Dita said.”

“I’ll be having words with Mouthy Dita. Don’t you worry.”

He giggled. “She also said you’re not scary at all.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I hope you told her she’s wrong.”

“Nah. I agreed with her.” He ran out of my reach, still giggling.

“Peter, your son’s bothering me,” I said in a singsong voice.

“God, would you two ever give it a rest,” Peter said, but he was smiling.

“I should head on anyway,” I said, but I pulled Peter aside before I left. “I probably should have mentioned it before, but when I saw Gabe last, he said there have been fights amongst the children. Bad ones.”

“Kids fight.”

“No,” I said. “Not like normal kids. Like… warriors. Animals even. Pick an adjective, but it’s definitely not going to be normal or childish.”

“You’re worrying too much again.”

“And you’re not worrying enough.”

We glared at each other for a few seconds.

He picked me up then, surprising me. “Stop nagging,” he muttered as he nuzzled my neck.

“Let me down, you big bully.” But I didn’t struggle. I ran my hands along his biceps, wishing we could have one uninterrupted night.

As if he were reading my mind, he said, “We should get Carl to mind him for a night. We could go somewhere, do something. And I don’t mean kill things.”

I burst out laughing. “You’re a strange man, Brannigan.”

He let me down with a growl. “You know you love it.”

Our eyes locked, and he shifted uncomfortably. “You should probably get going then.”

I sidestepped out of his way. “I’ll just say bye to Emmett.”

Emmett was busy packing a bag with little things I had bought to cheer up the inmates in the sanctuary: magazines, books, chocolate, nail polish, whatever they asked for or I could think of to brighten their day a little. They were trapped, and although the place was safe, it was probably dull.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the bag from Emmett.

“S’okay. Think I could go with you some time?”

I thought about it. “Maybe, if your dad said it was okay. You might not want to, though. Kinda close to… you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I was just curious.”

“Have fun today,” I said.

“Be careful, Ava,” he said, sounding a little like me.

I grinned. “I’m always the careful one around here. Take care of your dad for me. Make sure he doesn’t get himself into any trouble.”

Emmett giggled, and my insides warmed at the sound, which never got old. Peter surprised me at the door with a long kiss.

“What’s that about?” I asked when he finally let me go, not that I was complaining.

He shrugged. “Nothing.”

We gazed at each other again. “Okay then,” I said, bemused.

“Ava,” he called as I walked down the street. I glanced back, shielding my eyes from the sun.

“Be careful,” he said. There was something in his voice that I hadn’t heard before.

“I will.” I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked away.

I went shopping to pick up some more things for the gang. Esther was having a hard time between struggling to fit in, controlling the instinct to dominate, and still feeling upset over the reasons she had to go into hiding. Her brother’s betrayal and the violent murder of the mother of one of the children she’d tried to rescue had cut her deeply.

Worse, Gabe had been clear that the Council wanted Esther in custody. Bullshit charges, probably, but she wasn’t safe outside.

I wanted to help Esther feel better, and I knew I hadn’t been visiting the sanctuary as often as I could have. I kept getting distracted by Peter and Emmett, and being with those in hiding was a little depressing.

My phone rang, and when I saw it was Shay, the nosy policeman, I didn’t know whether to be happy or annoyed. “You rang?”

“Ava,” he said in his lovely lilting voice, but it sounded tighter, harder than normal.

“You okay?”

“You ready to tell me the truth yet?”

“Truth about what?” I held my breath.

He groaned. “Not you as well. I’ve been looking into a lot of things. There’s some freaky stuff going on in this city. More than I expected.”

Walking along Henry Street, one of the major shopping areas in Dublin’s city centre, I reached out with my other sense, the one that let me see energy. Lots of non-humans around.

“You got that right,” I said.

“This isn’t funny.” He sounded mad.

“Of course not. Sorry. So is this a specific lecture, or just whatever pops into your head as you go?”

He laughed, and the tension fled from his voice. “I don’t mean to lecture. But it’s frustrating when I point out things that don’t make any obvious sense, and everyone around me refuses to acknowledge it. Especially after a little lady like you comes along and fills my head with questions.”

“Never been accused of being a lady before. Are you okay?”

He sighed. “I’m in some trouble with the seniors. Orders from above. Possible suspension.”

“For asking questions?”

“For refusing to accept no for an answer. I need to know what’s going on, Ava.”

“You really don’t,” I said softly. “But maybe keep yourself out of trouble. Dangerous people pull the strings around here.”

“Ava—”

“I have to go. I’m sorry, Shay.” I hung up before he could protest.

I felt terrible for him. I had dragged him into this, revealed half-truths, and refused to let him know anything else. Now he was in trouble for it. I had no idea how to make his problems go away without dirtying his life with the kind of drama I constantly had in my own. I didn’t want another Carl on my hands.

But even Shay’s phone call couldn’t disturb the contentment I felt. Peter would be okay. That was important, like a sign from the universe telling me that anything was possible, that we could all find our own little pieces of normality and happiness.

I was still in a good mood by the time I got close to Folsom’s place. I was swinging my shopping bags and looking forward to seeing Esther’s face when she saw some of the treats I had brought specifically for her.

Then the smell hit me, and I wanted to throw up. I stopped walking, my brain catching up to my nose as I realised the truth.

Death.

My stomach in my mouth, I ran toward Folsom’s home. A million fears ran through my head.

There he was. My feet froze to the spot as I covered my mouth in horror. I was too late. Approaching the gate slowly, I gazed up at the small figure strung up against the bars, his body hideously twisted and broken.

Folsom.Dead. Covered in dried blood.

I retched, unable to stop myself. The goblin had been a good person, risking himself to protect those who needed help, and his life had been ripped away.

I pulled out my phone and rang Gabe.

“Who did it?” I practically screamed at him.

“What?” He sounded completely confused, and I felt a faint sense of relief.

“Folsom! Who did it?”

“The goblin you’ve been visiting? What about him? Ava, what’s happened?”

The concern in his voice broke me. “They killed him,” I whispered, an aching in my throat making it impossible to raise my voice. “Someone murdered him.”

“Ava, look around you. Is anyone there? Be aware. I know you’re upset, but this could be about you.”

“No, it’s not… nobody’s close by. He’s been here a while. You really think this is about me?”

“Of course. You haven’t been making friends, Ava.”

My stomach somersaulted. “I… Peter and Emmett are out today. They’re going to the cinema.”

“Which one?”

I told him, and he tutted.

“I’ll call the Guardians,” he said, “and warn them to keep a close eye on both of them. Carl and your grandmother, too. That policeman you suddenly seem to be fond of, also.” He hung up.

I rang Peter, but he didn’t answer, so I texted him, tears standing in my eyes.

Of everything I had seen, everything that had happened, Folsom’s death was getting to me the most. Maybe it was because his body was so small, maybe because I knew that his swollen, gnarled fingers couldn’t have done much to defend himself, or maybe because he was an innocent soul only trying to do the right thing. Why couldn’t they have left him alone? Whoever
they
were.

My fingers shook so much I could barely type out a readable sentence on my phone. I attempted to text Shay, too, to warn him without revealing too much, but I had no idea if he would pay any attention.

Next, I rang Carl.

“They killed Folsom,” I blurted. “Are you safe?”

“I’m fine,” he said. “Should I come? Do you need me?”

“I… I need to get him down.”

“Get him down? Are you at his place? I’m on my way.”

“Wait, Peter and Emmett are out. Should I… what should I do?” I sucked in a breath, trembling all over. I was helpless when it came down to it. I could only protect the person standing next to me, and I couldn’t be next to everyone I cared about all of the time.

“The Guardians are watching over Emmett. Wait there.” Carl hung up.

I had to get Folsom down. That was all I could think about. He couldn’t be dead because of me. I had been standing strong for so long now. Between the deals and the children and Emmett and everything else on my shoulders, I had made sure I carried on. But Folsom’s death was breaking me. It was the final straw. The people against us pushed and pushed, and we had already gone past my limit.

I climbed the gate, completely forgetting about my fear of heights. I winced at how tightly the wire ties had been knotted around his limbs. It took all I had to rip them, and Folsom’s small body dropped into my arms as if he were sleeping. With him over my shoulder, I climbed down, carried him into the garage, and laid him on the table. I sank to the floor next to him, my hands still shaking. I was unable to look at his body directly. I tried to count, tried to fill my head with anything but how he looked. Nothing worked.

Carl finally arrived.

“I should never have let you come,” I told him.

He leaned his walking stick against a wall. “It’s fine.” He looked over at Folsom’s body and let out a great whoosh of breath. “This is bad.”

“He was tied to the gate. They left him there, displayed him, so everyone would know.”

“Know what?”

“Not to make waves, I assume. Poor Folsom. What am I doing, Carl? People keep getting hurt or having to hide once I come into their lives.”

He eased his way to the floor and wrapped an arm around me, holding me close to his side. I leaned my face into his shoulder, wondering how he always knew how to make people feel better.

“It’s not your fault, Ava. He made the choice to stand up for what was right, but it wasn’t his fault either. It’s their fault. The people who murdered him, they’re the only ones who deserve any blame.”

“I need to tell them. Everyone downstairs.”

“Go ahead,” he said.

“What if someone comes? What if someone comes for you?”

“Why would they?”

“Gabe said—”

“Gabe doesn’t
know
,” he said firmly. “I’ll come down with you if you want.”

“But the steps—”

“I don’t care. Ava, we’ll go down together. I’m not leaving you alone when you’re like this. You’re kind of freaking me out.”

I made a weird noise, and he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound… let me come with you. Please.”

I nodded, unsure of myself still. I had been happy, but…

We made it down the stairs, but as we prepared to enter Folsom’s sanctuary, my stomach turned.

“I’m scared to tell them,” I admitted when Carl questioned my hesitancy.

“I’ll tell them,” he said, pulling me to him for a hug. “It’s okay. Everyone else is fine.”

I nodded. Tears sprang to my eyes again, tears for one brave goblin who had tried to keep his wife’s spirit alive by doing something that would have made her proud. I led Carl through the door.

As soon as the others saw my face, they knew. All of the people there depended on Folsom, on that one soul who made sure they survived.

“We’re so sorry,” Carl said. “He’s gone.”

A couple of people wrapped their arms around the person next to them, clinging to each other in their sorrow. Some wandered away to mourn in peace and probably contemplate their uncertain futures. I didn’t know all of their names, hadn’t spoken to every single one of them, but I felt the pain of each and every one.

The part-fae twins hugged me, and a vision flew in front of my eyes, thanks to Lucia. Two hooded figures. Tall, broad. I prayed one of them hadn’t been Aiden. I glanced at Lucia, but she shrugged almost imperceptibly, her pale eyes full of sorrow. She had known, and she hadn’t told. She couldn’t, not without risking everyone in the sanctuary. Folsom had been the sacrifice to keep the rebels safe.

“What happened?” Val was the only one brave enough to ask the question.

I shook my head. “I don’t know yet. He’s… his body is upstairs, but I don’t know who did it or why.”

“You know why,” Val said. “He was brave. He didn’t bring them down here.”

I thought of his broken body and nodded. “He was definitely brave.”

“We’ll all want to say goodbye,” Leah said softly. The teen looked as though the world weighed heavily on her shoulders, and I wished I could give her freedom. “He wanted to be buried under the tree behind his home. It’s where his wife was laid to rest. He mentioned it to me only a couple of weeks ago.” She looked away, scraping her top lip with her teeth.

“I’ll see what we can do,” I said. “It has to be safe.”