Death Bringer (Soul Justice) by Kate Pearce Read Free Book Online Page A

doubt he’s telling everyone he dumped me.”
    “He’s not saying much at all at the moment, actually.”
    “What do you mean?” Penny put a hand to her mouth. “He didn’t go and do something stupid, did he?”
    “To be honest, I don’t think what happened between you had much to do with what’s happened to him, other than that Brad was in the wrong bar at the wrong time.”
    “Was he mugged? I don’t want to date him anymore, but I don’t want him dead or hurt.” She stared at Ella. “You don’t think I did something to get back at him, do you?”
    “It’s okay. You don’t seem the type to send someone to break his legs.”
    “So, he is hurt?”
    “In a manner of speaking. From what we can make out, he stayed at the bar until closing and got drunk. Someone took him home in a taxi, and he didn’t turn up for class this morning.”
    Penny shrugged. “That’s a fairly normal night for him, so what else happened?”
    “He was found in a distressed state this morning by the emergency services and brought into hospital for further observation.”
    “Did he use something illegal?”
    Vadim sat forward. “Why would you think that?”
    “Because he liked to experiment with stuff.” Penny shook her head. “That was another reason why we argued. I’ve seen addicts come into the ER. I wouldn’t want to end up like that. Brad should know that too. He’s training to be a freaking doctor!”
    “At this point, the medical team isn’t quite sure what Brad took, or didn’t take. All we know is that he is in a severely heightened state of anxiety.”
    “He’s probably scared his daddy’s going to cut off his money because he missed class again. I kept telling him he should just admit to his parents that he doesn’t want to be a doctor, but he’s too afraid of letting them down.”
    Vadim smiled. “I know that feeling. Do you really think he’s scared of his parents?”
    “Wouldn’t you be?” Penny’s faintly mocking smile disappeared. “He called them the Kennedys on speed. He was terrified of messing up.” She hesitated. “Is Brad here? Do you think I could see him?”
    “He’s heavily sedated at the moment, Ms. Jordan, and not receiving visitors. But we will keep you informed of his progress, if you wish it.”
    “I’d like that.” Penny rose and tossed her coffee cup in the trash. “He might be a jerk, but I still care about him. When he was nice, he was really nice, you know?”
    “Oh, I know. The jerks always are.” Ella held out her hand. “Thanks so much for talking to us, and as my colleague said, we’ll keep in touch.”
    She waited until Penny closed the door behind her before sitting down next to Vadim again.
    “She seemed way too nice to be going out with Brad.”
    “He certainly didn’t come across as a very admirable or likeable character, did he?” Vadim stretched out and crossed his legs at the ankle. “I actually felt quite sorry for him.”
    “For Brad?”
    “He’s under a lot of pressure from his family to conform. It’s hardly surprising that he’s acting out and is so immature.”
    “You can obviously relate. Was that your excuse for getting kicked out of Otherworld?”
    He considered her for a long moment, his expression bleak. “For my youthful behavior? No, although the damage I caused was far more long lasting than Brad’s.”
    “What did you do?”
    “Eventually I conformed.” His mouth twisted. “ That’s why I got kicked out of Otherworld.” He rose to his feet. “Do you want to go back to the office and start looking for Adam, or stay and talk to Brad again?”
    “Brad’s in a fairy-imposed coma.”
    “From which I can awaken him.” He stood by the door and stared down at her. “What do you want to do?”
    “I suppose we should go back and tell Feehan what we’ve learned so far.” Ella groaned. “Liz might have more information too. We can also check in with her about the mysterious Adam.”
    “So let’s go back.” He held