The Demon Road Trilogy: The Complete Collection: Demon Road; Desolation; American Monsters

She busied herself with looking through the bag Imelda had given her. A few items of clothing and underwear, everything in her size. She dug a little deeper, found a bag of toiletries. Dug deeper. Found a bag of money.

Tens, twenties and fifties in tightly packed rolls. Her eyes widened. There must have been thousands in there. Tens of thousands. A hundred thousand?

All the essentials that anyone would need to go on the run.

Milo and Imelda came over, and Amber stood to face them.

“It’s time to go,” Imelda said.

“I don’t want to,” Amber announced.

“I understand that,” said Imelda, “but it really is for the best. Milo will keep you as safe as he can and keep you out of sight as much as possible. We’re paying him for this – ten thousand a week. Take it from the money I gave you.”

“You’re not listening to me. I don’t want to go.”

“I am listening to you, but you’ve got to listen to me, too. I know what your parents are capable of.”

“You can hide me here.”

“They’ll check here,” Imelda said. “Alastair is already looking at me strangely. He’s got his suspicions. It’s only a matter of time before he stops by for an unannounced visit.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to hurt me, either. Have you thought of that? Maybe he’s like you. Maybe he’s sick of it.”

Imelda shook her head. “I wish that were true.”

“Ask him!” Amber said. “Talk to him! Talk to my parents! Maybe they’d change their minds if you talk to them!”

“Sweetie, no …”

“Have you tried?”

“I haven’t,” Imelda admitted.

“Then you don’t know, do you? You want to send me away when I might not even have to go. I know my parents, too, all right? I know what they’re like. Talk to them. They’re weird, but they’re practical. All you need to do is reason with them.”

“Amber, Bill and Betty aren’t going to change their minds,” said Imelda. “They’re furious. They’re desperate. They haven’t slept. They haven’t stopped searching.”

“They’re worried about me.”

“They’re worried you’ve escaped. Sweetie, you saw them. You heard what they said. If they find you, they will kill you. You have to trust me on this.”

“So that’s it? You think you can hand me a bag of clothes and a bag of money and send me off somewhere? I don’t even know where you’re sending me. I’m not going, you understand? I am not going and you can’t make me!”

Imelda glanced at Milo. “She’s not usually like this.”

“And who the hell is he?” Amber almost shouted. “You’re sending me off with a strange man I don’t even know? How is that a good idea?”

“I trust him.”

“He was going to shoot me earlier! And you want me to get in a car with this guy? For how long? How long will all this take?”

Imelda hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe … two weeks?”

“Two weeks?”

“Or three.”

“What?”

“It’s the only safe way. You’ll have to get yourself some more clothes and things, but that bag will do for now.”

“We really need to get going,” said Milo. “I want to be on the road before dark.”

Amber held up her hands. “Okay, okay, listen to me. Just listen, all right? That’s your idea. That’s the plan you came up with. So now I have a plan. Milo here goes home. He goes home and he plays with his guns and he’s happy. And, while he’s being happy, you and me get in a car and we drive somewhere nice and we never look back.”

Imelda shook her head. “I told you, I can’t go with you.”

“Why? Why can’t you come with me? Jesus Christ, you’re the only person I know who isn’t trying to kill me.”

“It’s better for you if I stay, honey. I can keep an eye on what they’re doing. If they’re close to finding you, I can steer them away.”

“You just don’t want to be around me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Of course it is. The only reason you’re helping me is because you feel guilty. You don’t give a crap about me – if you did, you wouldn’t be handing me over to him.”

Imelda shook her head. “That’s not true.”

“Well, there we have it – we have two plans. Your stupid plan where I go with some lunatic called Milo, and my good plan, where you and me go somewhere far away, with mountains and trees and maybe a log cabin. We’ll go to Montana. It’s cool in Montana. We won’t have to live in this constant heat.”

“Let’s have a vote,” said Milo. “I vote for the stupid plan and so does Imelda.”

Amber glared at him, then redirected the glare at Imelda. “Why him? Who is he? What does he have to do with all this?”

“I have my own history with Demons,” Milo said. “I’m as qualified for this job as anyone possibly could be.”

“So you’ve made a deal, just like my parents did? Bad people make deals with Demons – bad people who like to eat their children. Have you ever murdered anyone, Milo?”

“Amber, that’s enough,” said Imelda.

“You want me to get in a car with this guy—”

“Yes,” Imelda snapped. “I do. Because I can’t be there and he’s the only one I know who’ll be able to protect you. He’s also the only one I know who’d be willing to protect you. Amber, this is messed up. Don’t you think I know that? And don’t you think this is breaking my heart, sending you away? I’ve finally been able to tell you the truth, after years of being too afraid, and instead of showing you all of the love I have for you, love that I’ve had for you since the day you were born, I have to send you away and pretend to be just like the others. I have to pretend to care nothing for you, Amber. I have to pretend to see you as nothing more than our next power boost. This is breaking me, sweetheart. This is ripping me up inside and I don’t know how the hell I’m not falling to the floor in tears, but I’m not. Because I have to be strong. For you. And you have to be strong for me. Because you’re the only person in this world that I love, and if anything happens to you I’ll … I’ll …”

“I’m sorry,” Amber said quietly.

“Oh, honey,” Imelda said, pulling her into an embrace. Amber didn’t know what to do for a moment. This wasn’t the quick hug of Grant or Kirsty, or the picked-up-off-the-ground hug of Alastair. This was something else. This was genuine, and Amber found herself lost as to how to respond.