Falling by J Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

in and snatch away his life.
    “You’re taking energy from the sun, just like Cook
theorized. It’s feeding you,” Gabe says. He holds his hand out into the light.
    “But I’m still…I mean, it’s still inside me.”
    “The hunger?” Gabe drops his hand. “Yeah, I know. Cook got
close, but fuck, not close enough. Guy was a distinguished university
professor. He got his own lab and did a lot of legit stuff that the university
knew about. Published papers, gave lectures, that sort of thing, but his true
obsession was creating angels. For decades he worked on his project in secret.
Eventually, he got funding from a very powerful man named Robert Thane.”
    “Thane? That sounds familiar.”
    “He owned casinos in Vegas a couple of decades ago,” Gabe
replies. “He was a very wealthy and very brutal man. One bad hombre.”
    “Oh yeah.” I say. “He was assassinated. His flat was torn
up. They still don’t know who did it. It’s, like, a huge unsolved mystery.”
    A bright streak of orange flowers and dies in Gabe’s aura.
The quick change in color rivets my eyes, sets little shivers vibrating down my
spine.
    Gabe isn’t looking at me. He pulls at a thread on his
shirtsleeve. “Yeah,” he says finally. “Thane didn’t fund Dr. Cook alone. He
gathered together a group of high rollers, business magnates, politicians, mob
bosses and the like. These were powerful men and women who thrived on success
and competition. They wanted to rule the world.”
    “Okay, stop.” I lean back on my hands, because those bulbs
just need to go away for a while. “You’re talking secret society with cowls and
skull goblets and stuff?” I feel my chest tightening up, and I push back, hard.
No more tears. No more anything until I figure something out. This whole thing
is already beginning to feel somehow unwinnable.
    “You don’t have to believe me Maya. I shouldn’t even be
telling you all this. I think you should just relax today and…”
    “No. Keep going.”
    Gabe sighs and squints into the sun. Below, the smell of
coffee curdles my stomach. I usually drink it every morning.
    “Okay, so we’ve got the super evil club,” Gabe continues.
“Not exactly everyone sitting around a table petting fat white cats and
planning dastardly deeds, but close enough. These guys were basically arrogant
pricks. Rich as hell and bored of buying all the shit they could ever want.
They decided to search for a way to become even more powerful. What they found
was Dr. Cook. He was the key.”
    “How did you even learn all of this?” I break in. “What
exactly is it that you and your brother do?”
    “Hold on, I’ll get there,” Gabe grins at me.
    I hear a door opening and closing below us, feel a familiar
energy.
    “What is it?” Gabe notices my frown.
    “Tarren is coming,” I say. I can feel his energy rushing up
the stairs. My muscles clench.  “He’s angry.”
    “He’s always angry,” Gabe sighs. He squares his shoulders as
the door to the roof bursts open.
     

Chapter 11
    Tarren has his gun drawn, and the breath tears in and out of
his body. I am fascinated by the energy — sky blue, almost white — leaping off
his body like flames devouring dust dry kindling.
    “Get away from him,” Tarren growls. My body responds to the
bright, dancing light, and I am drawn toward him even as I fight against the
instinct.
    “I said move!”
    His words finally penetrate, and I quickly scoot away from
Gabe.
    “More,” Tarren orders, “out of arm’s reach.”
    “Come on,” Gabe says.
    “Shut up.” Tarren lowers his gun. His heart is jumping so
quick, I can see the veins pulsing at his temples. I have to turn away and wrap
my arms around my waist.
    “What the hell were you thinking?” Tarren starts. “The room
was empty. The cuffs were on the floor. I thought…”
    “I wanted to take her out into the sun.” Gabe stands up and
thrusts back his shoulders. “Everything is fine. I can take care of myself.
Honest. Even