Talisman of El (43 page)

An image of the gravestone in the lake flashed in Charlie’s mind, and he shuddered. Turning to Richmond, he whispered, ‘We need to hold him off until the police get here. Go back to the house and create a diversion.’

Richmond nodded, and he got up and sneaked off.

‘You’re going to tell me where it is you went,’ Jacob demanded. ‘If you don’t corporate, I’ll start with the brat.’

‘You’re not going to get away with this,’ Derkein said.

‘Are you going to stop me?’ Derkein looked away. ‘I thought not.’

Charlie was eager to run up to Jacob and give him a piece of his mind, but he had to wait for Richmond’s signal before he could make a move.

‘You’re going to kill us all, are you?’ Derkein asked.

‘Now there’s an idea.’ Jacob’s lips curved into a cruel smile. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll tell him you said goodbye –’

The house alarm sounded, and Jacob spun around, his expression shocked. He ordered Derkein to get up. As they headed off, Derkein in the lead, Charlie sneaked around the tree, and as they walked past, he crept up behind Jacob and whacked him across the head with the pan.

Jacob cried out and collapsed on the ground.

Derkein grabbed the gun that was lying by Jacob’s feet. ‘Impeccable timing,’ he said to Charlie.

‘You devil child,’ Jacob cried, cradling his head.

Derkein pointed the gun at him, and he shrieked. ‘Not so nice having a gun pointed at you, is it? You’re lucky to have had Charlie live with you. You don’t deserve him. I’m going to tell you this once.’ He leaned closer to Jacob. ‘Come near my family again, and I’ll personally see to it that you never see daylight again.’ Opening the gun barrel, he emptied the bullets into his hand, threw the gun on the ground, and he and Charlie walked off.

‘I’m starting to think you’re my good luck charm,’ Derkein said, his arm around Charlie’s shoulder. When they reached the front of the house, they saw Richmond standing by the door.

‘You can turn it off now!’ Charlie yelled, and Richmond disappeared back inside the house. A few seconds later, the alarm stopped.

Richmond reappeared. ‘Did you get him?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Derkein replied, ‘we got him.’

‘Good. Where is he?’

‘Right behind you.’

Charlie and Derkein turned round abruptly and saw Jacob with the shotgun. This man was like a boomerang.

‘It’s empty,’ Derkein reminded him.

Jacob smiled. ‘
Was
empty. I always walk with extras.’

Derkein stood in front of Charlie. ‘Think about what you’re doing.’

‘I’ve heard enough out of you,’ Jacob snapped. His gaze fixed on Charlie. ‘I don’t know what made them think we’d be a good match. You’ve been nothing but trouble. If you were a little more respectful and did as I told you to, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.’ He pointed the gun at Charlie. ‘Tell me where you went, boy.’

Charlie didn’t respond.

Jacob positioned the gun at Derkein. ‘Tell me, or you can watch them die.’

‘You don’t want to do this,’ Derkein pleaded.

A sudden thought popped into Charlie’s head, and he said, ‘I’ll tell you, if you tell me where the jewels are.’

Derkein glanced at him. ‘What are you doing?’

‘We need it.’

‘What is it with you and those jewels?’ Jacob asked.

‘They don’t belong to you,’ Charlie said. ‘You stole them from Thomas. Give them to me, and I’ll tell you what need to know.’

‘This isn’t a negotiation.’

Charlie clenched his jaw. ‘Then I guess we both lose.’ Seeing the fury in Jacob’s eyes, his hand twitching around the trigger, Charlie knew he wasn’t bluffing.

As soon as Derkein charged at Jacob, Charlie knew what was coming. He reached his arm out to grab Derkein, but it was too late.

Jacob panicked, and the gun went off with a bang.

Derkein rebounded, knocking Charlie aside as he tumbled to the ground. Rising onto his hands and knees, Charlie crawled over to him, his eyes fixed on the red patch on Derkein’s blue t-shirt. He placed his hands over the wound, pressing down on Derkein’s chest.

‘He came at me.’ Jacob’s voice was a high-pitched screech. ‘He was going to kill me.’

Derkein’s watery eyes met Charlie’s. He looked like he wanted to say something, but all that came out of his mouth was air. And blood. Then his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling slower and slower … until it stopped.

There was no sound.

The wind had stopped blowing.

The world had stopped spinning.

Richmond crouched down opposite Charlie. ‘Derkein,’ he cried, shaking him. ‘Derkein.’

Charlie looked at his brother. In a calm voice, he said, ‘Wait.’ Richmond glanced at him with a pained look, tears clouding his eyes. ‘We have to wait.’

Ever since Derkein had turned up at Alpha two months ago, Charlie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Candra had told him. Derkein’s resurrection not only gave him a second chance at life; it also gave him perfect immortality.

‘This is your fault,’ Jacob said.

Charlie looked at him, his body trembling with rage, and stood up. ‘You’re pathetic. To think, I actually felt sorry for you after I found out about your mum. I thought maybe that was why you’re so cold, but it’s not. You just don’t have a heart.’

Jacob raised the shotgun and pointed it at him. ‘Keep it up and you might just end up like your friend over there.’

Charlie didn’t flinch. Jacob’s words stirred something inside him that made him feel confident. Somehow, he knew Jacob wasn’t going to pull the trigger. ‘You’ll always be alone,’ he said. ‘Money can’t replace love. Haven’t you figured that out yet –?’ Hearing a noise a long way off, he paused. ‘If I were you, I’d drop the gun.’

Charlie heard a gasp behind him and spun around.

Richmond was standing up, staring in shock at Derkein, who was sitting up, a faraway look on his face.

Charlie breathed a heavy sigh and helped him up. ‘Welcome back.’

Derkein glanced down at his bloody t-shirt, lifted it up, and ran a hand over the place where the bullet had entered his body. There wasn’t even a scar. He looked at Charlie. ‘What just happened?’

‘Impossible,’ Jacob breathed. ‘I shot you.’

Charlie turned to Jacob. ‘If you’d shot him, he’d be dead.’

The sound of police sirens caused Jacob to look away. He panicked when he saw the flashing lights coming down the drive and made a run for it.

Charlie’s stomach tightened when he remembered Derkein’s bloody t-shirt, but it seemed Derkein had the same thought for he ushered them inside the house.

Removing his t-shirt, Derkein used it to wipe the blood off himself. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘We’re fine,’ Charlie assured him.

The three of them rushed over to the living room window and looked out. Two police officers tackled Jacob to the ground. They managed to handcuff him and get him on his feet. Jacob stole a glance back at the house and saw Derkein and the boys. He let out a flood of profanities all the way to the police car.

‘I hope they lock him up forever,’ Richmond said.

Charlie glanced at Derkein and caught him looking perplexed at his naked torso. He was hoping Derkein would think what had just happened had been a miracle, divine intervention, but the frightened look on Derkein’s face told him he was way off base.

‘He shot me,’ Derkein muttered.

Charlie hadn’t given much thought to the day he would have to tell Derkein the truth. At the time he had decided to resurrect him, he’d been thinking about what he wanted, not what was right, and as selfish a deed as it might have been, he would make the same choice again if he had to.

‘There’s something I have to tell you.’ Charlie looked into Derkein’s anxious eyes.
Oh, boy, oh, boy –

‘Charlie,’ Derkein pressed.

‘Okay, just … Just don’t freak out.’

A
HUGE THANK YOU TO MY MOTHER for her support, enthusiasm, and her belief in my ability to produce a publishable story.

My older brother, for being my first reader and encouraging me to keep writing. My younger brother, Jason, without whose inspiration and creativity this story would not be what it is.

Also, the members of my writing communities, Authonomy and You Write On, for their constructive advice and the help in making Talisman of El better than it was at the start.

To my glamorous friends, Leticia Bondjanga, Cara Gifford Pitcher and Alison Irons-Hatfield for their insightful reviews and their motivation.

You have all made this worthwhile.