Now When You Cry, I Don't Have To Be Around To Wipe Your Lies

Chapter 2

The door to the hotel room swung open. Standing in the way was a tall, attractive man of around thirty, with floppy dark hair and blue eyes as piercing as spears.

'Kurtis!'

'Lara!' the pair embraced tightly, feeling the comfort of each other's heat. 'How was your flight?'

'Fine, I slept on the way over. I came straight away. Are you okay?' a stupid question to ask, she knew, but it was only courtesy.

'I'm fucked up. But getting better. I really appreciate this.' he relieved her of her bags and walked with her to her bed.

Lara hardened. 'Kurt, what you old me over the phone, you have to explain further if you want my help and support. I am physically unable to assist if I don't understand what I'm signing up for. I know it's hard, ' she inhaled deeply, 'but you must tell me about Brody.'

He flinched at the name and sank onto the bed, as though some phantom force had drained him of all power. He ran his hands once through his hair, and then turned his face up to look at Lara. Kurtis patted a space on the duvet next to himself, motioning for her to join him. Lara saw a picture of loneliness and heartbreak.

'After I got back here, after Paris and Prague, I couldn't face going home. I just couldn't deal with it. I have a hard time adjusting to life in general. So I rented this room. The first thing I did was ring up Brody, she told me that her boyfriend was missing, and had been since I had left. She was hysterical. Before I went after Eckhardt, she had told me she had dyed her hair and got a nose stud. I wanted to go visit, but it was a major risk, I couldn't be certain whether I was being watched. I had to see her – what if I died? So a few hours before my flight, I rode over to her flat. She was renting this cruddy little place off a total sleaze-ball.'

'And you were fine about that?' Lara had to point out the inconsistency.

'Yeah, she could take care of herself. Toughest girl around. So I went to see her. She wanted to come with me. I had told her that it was just an errand – she was fully aware of my illegal 'jobs' – I never mention the Cabal.'

'She doesn't know about the Lux Veritatis?' Lara was astounded. 'How is that possible?'

'It wasn't easy. I wanted to tell her, but I had to keep her safe. And she's smart. I'm amazed that she didn't find out sooner.' He looked furious. Not just with his enemies, but with himself. 'Now my lies have gotten her into this shit. Now those freaks have got her. They must have been there that night. Or at least Karel was as he seems to be the only one still alive.'

'How do you know they have anything to do with it? How do you know that she didn't just run away to find her boyfriend? You did say she left a note.' She was interested as to why Kurtis was jumping to these conclusions. They seemed borderline ridiculous.

He mumbled something that Lara didn't quite catch. She asked him to repeat himself.

'It was a lyric. Her band. It was…it was…it was in her own blood.'

Lara's mouth formed an 'O' shape. 'Holy shit. Why would she do that?'

'I…She…she cut. I tried to stop her but she wouldn't. She did it a lot. That's how I found out. The scars ran all the way along her arms. The boyfriend who left her was in her band. They wrote the words together.'

'And so you think that she was writing to her boyfriend?'

'No. I'm certain that message was meant for me. She knew I was coming round that day. She was ecstatic. The missing dude, her boyfriend, had just rung her. He was back and he wanted to talk to her. That was the last I heard of her.'

Suddenly something hit Lara. It was like a slash across her face. She looked up sharply and stared at Kurtis. 'I think I know what the hell is going on. You say that you're sure the Nephilim or the Cabal are involved in Brody's disappearance. What if it wasn't a relatively spur of the moment kidnapping like you seem to think it is. What if it wasn't a kidnapping at all? I think she was willing to run and that she left with her boyfriend. I don't think that it was a coincidence that he went missing just before Paris and returned just after.' He appeared to be catching on to her drift as she spoke. 'Kurtis, there is no easy way to tell you this. I think your little sister has been in love with Joachim Karel.'