I went supersonic over the Alps and went “feet wet” over the Atlantic a little while later. I could only tell after I’d caught the moonlight reflecting on the surface of the ocean below. I was hauling ass, going about as fast as I wanted to be traveling. The air was cold, but I didn’t care. I kept Aleksandr Gavrikov close to the surface of my mind and let my skin heat up to near-flaming whenever the chill got to be too much.
I made landfall somewhere over Virginia late. I was racing sunset, trying to see if I could catch the glowing edge of the horizon before I made it to Minneapolis.
Looking at my watch, I figured I’d missed it by a half hour or so when I landed outside of town. I stopped somewhere in Dinkytown, pausing for a breath on top of one of the big residential buildings on the east bank of the Mississippi as I stared into the downtown skyline, lit up for the night.
My town. My city.
I’d failed to place the proper limits on myself and I’d ended up dragging my ass all over hell and gone for some really stupid reasons, exhausting myself and completely burning down to nothing.
But here… this was where I was supposed to be. Minneapolis was the city I owed my debt to. Not like I wanted to see anyone else in the world get hurt, but I needed to start doing a better job of focusing on what mattered. I needed to stop seeing how much of myself I could roast off before there was nothing left.
My city.
My life.
It was time to recognize my limits.
With a last look, I vaulted back into the sky and flew over downtown on my way home.
Chapter 89
I landed on the roof of the dorm because I didn’t want to break my own sliding glass door to get into my apartment. Stupid, I know, locking it when I knew I was going to be out, but I was obsessive compulsive that way. It’s not like it would even prevent a halfway dedicated meta from gaining access to my quarters, but I still locked my doors anyway. Call me crazy.
I descended the interior staircase and exited on the top floor. I was halfway down the hall when the door next to mine opened and a tall man with long, dark hair and an olive complexion stepped out to greet me with a grin.
“I was getting worried,” Reed said, catching me in a hug I didn’t even know I’d offered him. “You don’t call, you don’t write, you catch a serial killer halfway around the world and end up taking another day plus more to come home.” He pulled back and looked at me. “You all right?”
“I’m fine,” I said, only meeting his eyes a little bit. “Just… had some business to attend to before I came back.”
“With that cute detective guy?” He bumped his shoulder softly into mine. “Amirite?”
“When you’re right, you’re right,” I said, pasting a smile on my face. “So… what’s the word for tonight?”
“The word is silence,” Reed said. “I’ve still got everything shunted so the shit rolls downhill and away from us for at least another day. It’s actually been kind of nice not having you here; I get to tell more people, ‘No, no and hell no,’ without feeling guilty about it.”
“Let’s do that more often,” I said with a solemn nod.
“Seriously?” He perked up. “You mean that? Because whenever I’ve suggested it before, you’re always all serious, with the, ‘We have a job to do… ’” he lowered his voice in what I presumed was an imitation of me being serious.
“Yeah,” I said. “To hell with it. Let’s be human for a while. Priorities only. Let the rest of the government sort their way through the thousand bullshit sightings a year that we’ve been chasing down. We need to save ourselves for the real enemies, because they’re still out there.” I thought of Philip. “Not as many of them as there used to be, maybe, but they’re still out there, and they’re not going to politely wait for us to be ready to face them.”
“I hear that,” he said, nodding like I’d thrown down some sage wisdom. “So… want to get a drink?”
“I think I’m just going to go to bed,” I said, giving him my fake smile.
He got it and stepped out of my way. “If you change your mind…”
“I’ll let you know,” I said and reached for my door handle, turning it and disappearing into my quarters.
I closed the door and waited until I’d heard Reed’s footsteps recede down the hall, until I’d heard his door shut behind him.
Then I crept my way to the bedroom.
I stood there and stared at the empty bed for a minute, remembering the last time it hadn’t been empty. That was a long time ago. The night of the interview with Gail Roth, in fact.
I could hear the raised voices in my head if I listened.
I didn’t want to listen. Not tonight.
Not any night.
I made my way to the windows and shut the shades, closing the moonlight outside and leaving only a faint glow in the bedroom.
That was plenty enough for me to see by.
I made my way over to the closet and listened, just listened, to see if I could hear anyone else in the building. I couldn’t.
I slid my closet door open and stepped inside. It was a small closet, really, a couple feet deep and maybe four feet wide. A shelf at the level of my head forced me to duck as I entered.
The new construction smell still lingered, more obvious to me now that I’d returned after a long absence than it would have been otherwise. I kept the clothes in the left side of the closet, because… well, hell, I didn’t have that many.
The right side… that was for something else entirely.
I put my back against the wall and eased to the ground, feeling my spine against the smooth drywall as I sat, pulling my knees to my chest as I slid the closet door shut.
When I was a child, my mother had punished me by locking me in a metal box not much bigger than the space I currently inhabited.
I listened to the slow drag of my breaths coming in and going out, and I felt the sense of malaise I’d been carrying with me since Liechtenstein gradually disappear. I stared straight ahead into the darkness, listened to the slow rhythm of my heart drumming in my ears, and rested my head against the wall.
Sleep would come soon. It always did when I was in here like this. In the dark.
I drifted off to the slow sound of my own breathing, and the memory of a time long gone.
In the Wind
Out of the Box
Book Two
Coming Late 2014/Early 2015!
Note From the Author
First off, if you want to know when future books become available, take sixty seconds and sign up for my NEW RELEASE EMAIL ALERTS by CLICKING HERE. Don't let the caps lock scare you; I don't sell your information and I only send out emails when I have a new book out. The reason you should sign up for this is because I don't like to set release dates (it's this whole thing, you can find an answer on my website in the FAQ section), and even if you're following me on Facebook (robertJcrane (Author)) or Twitter (@robertJcrane), it's easy to miss my book announcements because…well, because social media is an imprecise thing.
Come join the Girl in the Box discussion on my website: http://www.robertjcrane.com !
Cheers,
Acknowledgments
My thanks to all these people.
Jo Evans – Co-conspirator, namer of Webbo and Marjorie, the British anchor that kept the English parts from drifting into the realm of American rubbish.
Nicolette Solomita – Vindicator of my crazy literary decisions, enabler when it comes to some of my language choices, and chronicler of some of the crazy, hilarious shit I say in passing. “Wikipedia: Foundation of All Truth and Light!”
Karri Klawiter – Creator of beautiful covers or possibly the imagineer of the crazy amusement park in my mind. Whichever of those sounds least insane, it should be her job title.
Sarah Barbour – Error-catcher, prose-smoother – she's like my literary janitor, honestly. In the best possible way.
Jeff Bryan – Final reader extraordinair
e.
My kids – Because sleeping too much is not good for you.
My parents – For encouraging.
My wife – For believing.
About the Author
Robert J. Crane is kind of an a-hole. Still, if you want to contact him:
Website: http://www.robertjcrane.com
Facebook Page: robertJcrane (Author)
Twitter: @robertJcrane
Email: cyrusdavidon@gmail.com
Other Works by Robert J. Crane
The Sanctuary Series
Epic Fantasy
Defender: The Sanctuary Series, Volume One
Avenger: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Two
Champion: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Three
Crusader: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Four
Sanctuary Tales, Volume One - A Short Story Collection
Thy Father's Shadow: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 4.5
Master: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Five* (Coming Late 2014!)
The Girl in the Box
and
Out of the Box
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Alone: The Girl in the Box, Book 1
Untouched: The Girl in the Box, Book 2
Soulless: The Girl in the Box, Book 3
Family: The Girl in the Box, Book 4
Omega: The Girl in the Box, Book 5
Broken: The Girl in the Box, Book 6
Enemies: The Girl in the Box, Book 7
Legacy: The Girl in the Box, Book 8
Destiny: The Girl in the Box, Book 9
Power: The Girl in the Box, Book 10
Limitless: Out of the Box, Book 1
In the Wind: Out of the Box, Book 2* (Coming Late 2014/Early 2015!)
Ruthless: Out of the Box, Book 3* (Coming Early 2015!)
Southern Watch
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Called: Southern Watch, Book 1
Depths: Southern Watch, Book 2
Corrupted: Southern Watch, Book 3
Unearthed: Southern Watch, Book 4* (Coming Late 2014/Early 2015!)
*Forthcoming
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Note From the Author
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Works by Robert J. Crane