Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 22 - Offers

Leah shrugged. "Sure."

Matt grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her from the booth and out the door.

The recklessness of the situation was igniting that old, familiar feeling inside Leah; one that combined uncertainty, adrenaline and fear into an addictive concoction.

Matt pulled her down the alleyway and came to a stop beside Churchies, letting her go and pointing up. Leah followed his gaze to the roof of the hotel, five stories above their heads.

"The roof of the pub?" Leah asked in surprise. "Why are we out here then? Don't they have stairs inside?"

Matt grinned. "They do. But that's a bit boring, don't you think?"

The mischief in his eyes made a smile split Leah's face apart.

"This is the best place to climb," Matt said, walking towards the wall. "You can use the windows as handholds."

Leah eyed the building. It was old, made of brick with large window ledges. Some appeared to be crumbling away.

"Are you alright?" Matt asked, watching her closely. "We could take the stairs, if you want."

Leah felt a wicked smile grace her face. "Race you up."

Before Matt could move, Leah jumped to the first ledge and started climbing, his laugh following her up. The bricks were cold and Leah's hands became numb as she pushed herself higher, scaling the building quickly. Even without the windows, there were little dents in the cement to hold onto, or gaps where the brick had fallen away.

When she was a couple metres from the top she turned and looked down. Her head spun at the height, igniting another kick of adrenaline. She scrambled up the remaining distance, hauling herself onto the roof and lying back to stare up at the dark sky.

An uncharacteristic giggle hovered at the back of her throat and she let it out. She couldn't remember the last time she'd wanted to giggle, let alone actually done it.

As Matt pulled himself onto the roof, she rose and gave him a hand.

"Do you climb up buildings often?" he asked, his shoes scraping rubble from the edge.

"Not really."

He stood, brushing dust off his pants, and gave her a sidelong look. "I don't know if I believe that."

Leah laughed and walked to the far edge, looking out at the city. The view was beautiful, all twinkling lights and moonlit water. Matt moved to her side and pulled a cigarette from his jacket, looking out at the ocean as he lit it.

"Those things kill, you know," Leah said.

He took a drag and looked away. "I know. They killed me, actually."

Leah shifted, unsure how to respond. She'd never had this sort of conversation with anyone else. In fact, she had the distinct impression they were usually avoided.

"Why do you still smoke then?" she asked curiously. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Matt shrugged. "It probably should, but it can't hurt me here."

Leah didn't know what to say to that and they stood in silence as he finished his cigarette, watching the water lap against the rocks.

"Can I ask you something?" Matt asked eventually, flicking his cigarette over the edge and stepping closer. Leah could smell the smoke on his breath.

"Sure."

"Would you want to take a detour from your trip north? Spend a couple more nights here?"

"I can't," Leah said. "I have to be somewhere, the sooner the better."

Matt nodded, as if he'd expected her response.

"That's unfortunate. I know someone who'd like to meet you."

Leah glanced at him, her posture relaxed, but the words had made her wary.

"I don't know why anyone would want to meet me," she said.

Matt gave her a soft smile. "I can think of a few reasons. You've been headlining the news for the past week, after all."

Leah's gaze sharpened, and she spun to face him. Matt took a quick step backwards, hands raised beside his head as he took in her expression.

"Calm down. I know what you are, which means I'm not stupid enough to take you on myself. I just wanted to talk to you away from that guy you're with."

Leah halted, eyeing Matt cautiously as he edged towards her again, his gaze tentative. Against her better judgement, Leah found herself believing him. Every moment she spent with Jared was a power play. She'd forgotten how uncomplicated some people could be.

"Look," Matt said. "My friend's been searching for you and asked me to keep an eye out. He wants to see you before you go back to the live world, and I think you might want to see him too."

"Why?" Leah asked.

"Because he's —"

A bang cut Matt's sentence short, and before Leah could comprehend what was happening, he lurched forward, splattering her with warm liquid. She gasped as his body crashed into hers, the momentum tilting her backwards, and over the ledge she'd been standing on.

She scrambled to push her weight back onto the roof, to right herself, but she was already too off-balance.

Horror flooded her as she realised what was about to happen and her eyes squeezed shut. She wouldn't fall as far this time, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.

But then someone grabbed her arm, wrenching her to the side and dislodging Matt's body from hers. Another tug sent her stumbling back onto the roof, falling roughly as Matt disappeared over the edge. She stared in shock as a sickening smack echoed from below.

For a moment the night was still, and then Leah lifted her head, staring at the person standing beside her.

It was Jared. And he was holding a gun.