Toxic (Denazen #2)(9)
Acid bubbled in the pit of my stomach as I backed up to gain some momentum.
“Come on! Don’t you wanna—”
Alex was stronger and taller. Longer legs. If he missed the roof, there was a good chance I would, too.
“Play? Yeah,” the other finished.
They were almost across the roof and moving fast.
Too fast.
Screw it. I’d take my chances with gravity. Pushing off with my right foot, I sprang forward. The rain-slicked surface caused me to slip, hampering my speed. As the tip of my sneaker curled around the rim of the ledge, I shoved off as hard as I could and soared over the gap. The chill of rain-soaked clothes and cool September air against my skin was replaced by a healthy coating of nervous sweat.
I knew halfway through the jump that I wasn’t going to make it. There just hadn’t been enough power behind my push-off. Not nearly enough speed in my sprint. Instead of zooming closer to the rooftop, I started sinking down. Under different circumstances, I’d rag on myself. It’d been a seriously lame jump, and I could have done way better. Now, though? There was a scream building as my pulse thundered between my ears. This made twice in one night I’d taken a header from high up. Either fate was trying to tell me something, or the universe had a really sick sense of humor.
Thankfully, telekinetics weren’t without their uses. One second, the edge of the building was going up—as I went down. The next, it was going down—as I flew up.
The air expelled from my lungs in a single, painful whoosh as I crashed onto the tar-coated roof at Alex’s feet. Gasping, I let him drag me upright and forward as the first of the twins landed behind us with annoying grace. Seconds later, the other touched down beside him.
There was no time to freak. Like freighters, they charged before we had time to blink, scattering us apart. One of them—I had no clue which—hauled Alex back by his neck and tossed him into what looked like a giant air conditioner. There was a sickening crack and an audible wheeze as the breath was knocked from his lungs. A well-placed knuckle to the stomach, and Alex crumpled like wet tissue paper.
Something stirred in my gut. There were no leftover feelings for him, but seeing someone toss Alex around like a Frisbee made me slightly ill. Possibly because in the back of my head, I wanted to be the one doing it.
The other brother stood over me, smiling. Odd thing to notice, but he had a chip in his front tooth, and his nose looked slightly out of joint. He must have broken it at some point. Bones were like paper. Once you crumpled it up, no matter what you did to smooth it out, it was never quite the same. Might be the only way to tell Tweedledee and Tweedledum apart when they weren’t speaking, which didn’t seem to be often.
“Not sure what the fuss is about. You’re a tiny little thing, yeah?”
Cold tar and gravel dug through my jeans, sending prickles throughout my entire body as I scooted backward on my butt until I hit the ledge.
Able—yeah, it was Able—leaned forward, smile growing wider. With one hand braced against my right shoulder, he pinned me back against the ledge and chuckled. “You’re gonna love this.”
Bringing his other hand up, he extended a long, black-tipped finger and placed it at the edge of my collarbone. There was a look in his eyes—like he’d checked out and someone else—something else—had checked in. Something insane.
I wriggled, trying to slip free, but it was no use. His hand against my shoulder locked me securely in place. With a twitch of his lip, he moved his finger over my bare skin, tracing the outline of my shoulder and making several small semicircles before stopping just above the armpit. Even though I was already soaking wet and freezing, his finger sent chills through my body—not the good kind. They dove deep into my core, numbing my insides.
His touch was wrong. Sick. It left my stomach churning and sent an army of goose bumps marching up and down my arms. A wave of nausea hit me, followed by a strong blast of vertigo. In front of me, the outline of his face grew watery, then snapped into extreme focus. Like someone had over-sharpened the entire world around him. Everything was too vivid—almost painful. Another flash, along with a sharp jab of his finger into my soft skin, and everything boomeranged back to normal.
The pressure on my right shoulder disappeared as Able straightened and snickered. “Was it good for you?”
I blinked and flexed my fingers. “What—”
He squatted in front of me and blew an exaggerated kiss. “I’m a little disappointed. You don’t look like troub—”
I rocked back and to the side, kicking up. Jamming both Vans into his stomach, I shoved hard. “Trouble? Yeah. I kinda am.”
With an oof, he stumbled back and cursed, almost recovering his balance just before toppling over. His glare tinted with the promise of payback, he sprang to his feet and lunged for me.
I rolled to the side, and he missed, grasping only a handful of air as Alex’s voice rang out. “Dez!”
A second before Able attempted another swipe, he flew sideways and crashed into the pillar a few feet away.
Alex was on his feet and leaning against the side of the building, clutching his right arm. The other twin was nowhere in sight. We didn’t argue or wait to see if he’d come back.
We ran like hell.
4
“You wanna tell me what happened at the construction site?”