The High Priestess - The Darkest Desires Series

XXXIII

S

ydney's eye brimmed with tears and McQueen watched in stunned silence as his own world crashed around him. Sins? The deadly seven? They both had to be mad, right? He believed in the Lord above and if the Lord above was real to him, so was Hell, right? But demons belonged in Hell. Demons above on Earth, walking around, owning a business's? McQueen couldn't quite believe it.

"Liar." Sydney hissed. "You are replaceable!"

"Would I lie to you?" Echo laughed. No longer poised for the defensive, she stood tall, overpowering and in control. She looked deadly covered in blood, and the bruise across her face just made her look dangerous. "Alone and loveless; pathetic really." McQueen watched Sydney's face crumple. "You couldn't handle my life. You're just too damn soft." Echo sneered.

Sydney was about to cry, McQueen was sure of it; things were not going her way and whether she was being influenced or not, her manic grip on controlling the situation was slipping slowly into Echo's palm. Sydney was bending, and she was about to snap...

But, then it was like someone had run a finger up her spine, because Sydney straightened and the wrinkles of pain on her face flattened, while a dead looked clouded her eyes.

He saw the events unfold before Sydney even raised the gun.

Was Echo stupid? Did she forget what her barmaid held, the deadly cold steel? "Echo!" McQueen yelled, forcing his feet to move.

During their verbal spit, McQueen had tried to move towards the door and therefore the exit, but that was hard when he was on the opposite side of the room. Then, his entire world had been flipped and he'd been a little distracted. If he hadn't, he might have been able to move a little faster, react faster, process faster... but even foreseeing the gun raising and the muzzle flashing McQueen couldn't move faster than a bullet.

"Stupid bitch!!" Sydney screamed. She was still screaming when McQueen tackled her, snatching the gun before she could use it on him and pinned her to the floor.

"Sydney Summers you are under arrest for-..." He grunted as she kicked his back, "Damn it- you are under arrest for the attempted murk-... fuck." Sydney didn't want to go down without a fight. Fists were twisting, and heeled shoes struck him over and over. "Echo! A little help?" McQueen snapped, wrestling with the woman underneath him. "Echo I could use a hand! Grab your cuffs and pass them over!" Sydney twisted her arms trying to break his hold, her high heels flicking back, catching him in the back. "Echo!" he snarled

"Qu...Queenie." A trembling voice spoke softly.

Looking up from the tangled mess of his blonde hair, McQueen felt his gut go cold. Echo had fallen onto her back, propping herself up on one elbow while her hands grasped at her stomach. The bullet had slammed through her abdomen making blood pool between her fingers and slowly spread across the floor. McQueen thought it had missed but he hadn't known for sure. As he saw another gush slip between Echo's fingers he knew it very much hadn't missed.

"Echo?" He asked, Sydney having gone completely still under the Detective, almost as shocked as he was. But then she began to laugh. It was a manic laugh that put McQueen teeth on edge. He slammed her down on the floor again knocking the air and the laughter from her lungs. "Shut up." He snarled.

"Make your choice Detective." Sydney wheezed from beneath him, looking to the cooling body of Pari on the floor, "Catch not only the serial killer of your current nightmares but also save your budding whore. Or let her die, have two bodies on your hands and a murderer, who may I remind you, has a serious chance at an insanity plea bargain. Really, I would suggest you should let little old me go." McQueen pushed down hard on her arms that he held clasped behind her back. He growled again for her to be quiet, his skin breaking out in a cold sweat. Echo's head lolled back, and her arms grew slack on her front. "Tic Toc Detective." Sydney purred in a sing-song voice.

McQueen felt sick. He knew his duty was to catch those who had broken the law and Sydney was clearly a danger to civilians. There was no way he should let her go, it was unethical, unprofessional. He needed to keep a handle on this situation....

Echo whimpered, and McQueen knew in that moment he'd made his decision. Never, in all of humanity would Echo 'damn' Headly allow herself to whimper.

McQueen fingers squeezed, "I will find you." He hissed in her ear. "You are not going to get away with this! I have no doubt that when I find you; you will be a broken, shattered mess. If Echo got one thing right, it's your inability to be second best." With one last shove, McQueen scrambled across the floor, stripping off his shirt and pushed it to Echo's wound. She was completely unconscious now and McQueen feared for her breathing.

Sydney stood, brushing off the dust taking her sweet time. "Typical." Not making any move towards the door she stood over them, looking down like an oppressive god. "Even in death she pulls on the leash she's coiled around people. Mark my words Detective McQueen; you will never see the end of her. She will crawl and scrape her way under your skin and settle there. She will drain you of your good heart and implant her demons there."

"Run." McQueen snapped, not looking over his shoulder, instead watching the pale sheen that coated Echo's skin. She was cold to the touch, but her steady blood flow seemed to be slowing. "Run and pray she doesn't die!" He snarled.

"In love with her already?" Sydney sneered, taking a step back towards the exit.

"No. No I don't care for her like that." McQueen admitted, "But if your delusions are as true as you make them out to be, there would be seven demons' upstairs that care a lot about her. What might they do to you if she dies?" McQueen couldn't believe what he was saying but it worked. Sydney took another step towards the door.

"They don't love her. They won't hurt me for killing her." Sydney said, but even McQueen could hear the tremor in her voice. "They... they wouldn't care, it's what they wanted." But then like a rabbit from a warren, Sydney bolted.

✽✽✽

McQueen checked Echo's pulse; there but faint. A mobile gleamed from Pari's pocket and McQueen didn't question his luck, only thanked the fates. Pulling on the smart phone he dialled nine-nine-nine.

"Hello Operator, how may I be of-,"

"This is Detective McQueen of the Rippling Police, badge number 2:1114. I've got a woman down, shot to the stomach and suspect on the run from Cardinal House. We are located in the basement of said House. We also have a body; a suspected serial killer. Send all units to this address."

"Yes Sir. Units have been dispatched and will be there shortly. Do you have a description of the suspect on the run?"

"Latino female, five-foot-five wearing black clothing. She has short brown hair and small features."

"Thank you, sir. The paramedics are fifteen minutes away." But as McQueen looked down at Echo he wondered if it would be soon enough. Minutes passed, and he watched as the soft bleat of Echo's pulse faded underneath her skin.

Removing is hands from her stomach; he began to compress her chest, counting the beats in his head. Leaning over her and tilting her head back, McQueen drew a deep breath, pressed their lips together and forced air into her lungs. After two breaths, he went back to compressing her chest, counting as he went. He prayed to God and to the Angels that she wouldn't die. He had questions. Lots of questions.

When the first officers ran down the stairs, paramedics close behind, McQueen was surprised to find shallow tears rimming his eyes, his arms aching, and his lungs were burning. But she was still alive and as they carted her into the ambulance, they told him he was probably the only reason she'd survived. A kiss of life, they had told him. McQueen though he would wait and see if she awoke before he patted himself on the back. She might not be so thankful. He'd let Sydney get away and he knew Echo wasn't the forgiving type.