Fading Magic (Book 5 of the Ink Series)

Anita

Kidd looks at me. "I can fix this. But I need you to tell me this is what you want."

I shake my head, I'm confused. "How can you?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Just tell me this is what you want?" He grits his teeth, holding his hands over my dad's chest. "Do you think your dad wants this?"

I don't know what he wants anymore. And it hits me. "No, he doesn't."

Kidd looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want you hating me for the rest of your life for not helping him. Are you sure?"

I look at my dad. For once he looks peaceful. I know what he told me back in Cherry. He wished I would have let him die. "I'm sure."

Kidd looks up at Hutch. "Looks like you got your wish. I'm taking her. Get the fuck out of my way."

Hutch shakes his head. "Or what?"

"Or I fucking end you myself because there is only one sick twisted son of a bitch allowed in Georgia at a time."

I can't believe it. But there he is. Kenny. I don't know how he got here, or how long he has been here but he is.

"We need to go out the back. Cops are everywhere."

Hutch steps forward. "I don't give up that easily."

Kenny shrugs. "You're forgetting one vital fact. You might be a supernatural but I have something on my side that I don't think you counted on."

Evan and Eve appear in the doorway.

"Life and death. It can take out just about anything." Kenny tilts his head. "So tell me, do you want to try me?"

"He's not leaving." Kidd tells everyone. "Take him out the back. Let's get the hell out of here."

I take Kidd's hand and throw one more look at Kenny. He winks, grabbing Hutch by the shirt.

***

I knead my fingers into my temples. I've been sitting in the same stupid plastic chair for hours now. I just want to go home and get some sleep after everything I went through.

Kidd is next to me and his leg is driving me nuts. He won't stop bouncing it. I want to yell at him but he's doing his best to keep me calm since Slade isn't here to do it.

"What else could they possibly want to ask me?" I scratch my neck, my patience is almost obsolete.

"I think he said he wants you to sign your statement."

Kidd bites his lip and keeps bouncing his damn knee. "Slade wants to be here."

I nod. "I know he wants to be here."

"He feels like shit leaving you here. He's on his way back as we speak."

I nod again because he has told me this about five times now. I'm not angry or upset. I'm not anything I'm just sitting in the chair listening to the world go on all around me.

My dad is dead. The four little words have turned into something I never thought I would think or say.

Kidd jumps up. "Can we hurry up?"

I sit back in my seat and close my eyes. I see a girl, brown hair, and brown eyes. She's happy and a little too silly at times. I see me, I am that girl.

And I'm sitting next to my dad as he plucks away at his old guitar teaching me one of his favorite songs. He's singing, coaxing me to let it out and not worry about the words. That's what he always said. And his voice is so beautiful it makes all my fear and nerves fade away and I go for it. That's when I realized I loved music. That's when I found my voice.

"I didn't even get to make up with him." I sigh and look at Kidd. "He was mad at me for weeks. That's never happened before."

Kidd wraps his arms around me and it feels awkward to be in his arms. I lean against him and listen to the doors opening and shutting.

"Just think about the good times. We all say some really fucked up shit when we're pissed off. He loved you." Kidd squeezes my arm. He smells like axe body spray and peppermints. And I never noticed the tattoo on the top of his hand.

"Who is Anita?"

"My mother."

"Where is she?" I realize I don't know very much about Kidd's history. Nobody has ever told me anything about his family.

"She passed away when I was fifteen." He removes his arm. "From cancer. She got really sick. That's when I met Slade. I ended up living with a couple of different family members and none of them ever worked out."

"But Slade and his messed up family worked out?"

Kidd nods. It makes sense it would work out because if you didn't know anything about Kidd seeing him with Slade and the rest of their group makes sense. He is where he belongs.

"You could say my dad died because he was sick too. He had an addiction he couldn't fix. I don't think he wanted to try anymore." Even when he came home, things didn't work out.

The door opens and the guy that asked me a million questions comes back in. I don't have to say much because Kidd insists on talking. And he tells him someone attacked my dad in the bar and we were there and happened to witness it.

"Alright, I will just need a signature and you are free to go." He slides my statement over. "Was there someone else you want to contact?"

I raise an eyebrow. "No, just Nona. She will know what to do."

Kidd hands over the pen. I take it and scrawl my name at the bottom and hand it back to him. "Why did you ask me if there was anyone else?"

He shakes his head. "I couldn't get ahold of anyone at the number."

I rub at my forehead drawing a blank on Claude's and without my phone I'm not much help.

"That's alright. He has all the info for Claude and Nona. And you can try again when you get home. I'm sure your mom is all over this anyways."

I shrug, I don't know how much my mom can handle when it comes to my dad's death. She never let him see Griffin and now he is gone. I'm pretty sure she is a mess.

The officer opens the door. "If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me."

Kidd leads me out the door.

"That's it?" I turn around looking at the guy. "You're just going to let me go and what? Search for some crazy psycho with a gun?" I can't believe it's so simple.

Kidd's hand is on my arm. "He's doing his job."

The officer nods. But I can see it in his eyes, he has no idea what is happening because someone has made sure he only knows what they want him to know. And the person controlling things is obviously Kidd.

I follow Kidd into the parking lot. "You did something to him. You did something to this entire police station." I climb in the car.

"I made sure they didn't find out what happened." He shuts his door and sighs, two hands on the steering wheel. "Fuck."

"When do you think Slade will be home?" All I want is his arms around me.

"A few more hours." Kidd starts the car.

"Is it weird I don't feel anything?"

"No."

"Well, I don't feel anything. I know he's dead but I can't wrap my brain around it." Like a broken record my mind keeps telling me over and over again he is gone. And I can't process it the way I need to. Something is wrong with me.

Or maybe it's grief. I'm not sure because I have never dealt with death before.

"Hope, I can't promise you anything will ever feel okay again." He won't look at me. "Everything changes when people die. They die and we go on living until it's our turn to do the same."

"That's a lousy way to put it."

Kidd shrugs.

"I like how you put it." It's true, people die, people we love a lot, and we still have to live. I'm not sure anyone knows how to deal with losing loved ones.