He won’t be able to hurt Rose. And he would have, if this hadn’t happened. He would have found a way to do something.
Malcolm took the gun from Brenden’s hand. He left the motel through the window after using a sock to wipe down any surface he remembered touching. He cut into a nearby alleyway, and then used his wind manipulation to fly away as quickly as he possibly could.
CHAPTER 25
Brenden’s body would eventually be found. Whether the murder of a single man from out of town would warrant the attention of the news media, in the current chaotic local climate, was less certain. Malcolm figured the police would investigate Brenden’s murder, but he doubted they’d have the manpower they needed to do a thorough job of it. Still, it was possible that the death could be traced back to him.
Back to me? Or back to Wind Runner, back to Second Wind?
He scowled as he landed behind an abandoned building, just down the street from his hideout. It was another mistake he’d made that he’d have to explain to his copy and apologize for. Not a mistake, he corrected himself. A choice he’d made, for Rose’s safety as much as for his own survival.
He took out his phone and slowly dialed the number for the sprytes. It rang twice, and then someone picked up.
“…Hello?” Rose sounded anxious. Malcolm bit his lip and considered what he should tell her.
“Hey,” he said. “It’s me.”
Rose was silent for a moment. Malcolm heard the sound of her taking a slow breath.
“What happened?” she asked.
“He wasn’t there,” lied Malcolm.
She can never know. Not what Brenden told me, and not what I did to him.
Malcolm was surprised by how little guilt he felt over telling the lie. The alternative, telling her the truth, would have caused her so much pointless pain. She didn’t remember. It was in the past, and Malcolm wasn’t sure that he trusted Brenden’s emotional retelling of the series of events.
“He… wasn’t there?” asked Rose.
“I think he knew that I was coming,” said Malcolm. “The owner of the motel said that he’d already checked out, but needed to pay a fee for the state he’d left the room in.”
Rose was silent on the other end. Malcolm prayed that she’d just let it drop. She’d already been hurt by Brenden, emotionally and physically. Why go down that path any further?
“…Okay,” she said. “Well, thanks. I was worried, you know. About you. About what might happen.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” said Malcolm. “How are you doing? Did you get some rest?”
“I did,” said Rose. “I’ll be moving around again by tomorrow. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
They talked some more, but not about anything important. Malcolm told her about filling in for Second Wind. He left out what had happened between him and Tapestry, feeling as though he’d rather get her opinion on that in person, instead of over the phone.
He was distracted by his own thoughts. He remembered Leah, Rose’s sister. Rose had suspected that she’d been keeping something from her. Why didn’t she tell her about Brenden, and Hope?
Why didn’t I tell her the truth? Maybe it’s too much to be shared without breaking her.
“I should go,” said Rose. “Dinner’s already started.”
“Go ahead,” said Malcolm.
“Tomorrow,” said Rose. “I want to see you.”
“I should have time,” said Malcolm. “Assuming I don’t have to fill in for Second Wind again.”
“Alright,” said Rose. “Have a good night. And…”
Malcolm waited, but she didn’t say anything else.
“Good night Rose,” he said.
He hung up the phone and started back toward his hideout. It was an hour or two past sunset. Vanderbrook was dark, but not yet quiet, and an unseasonably cold breeze stirred through the streets.
Malcolm saw a figure waiting for him by the warehouse. He knew who it was. As if confirming his suspicions on cue, Second Wind stepped out of the shadows, blocking Malcolm’s way to his hideout.
“Good,” said Malcolm. “About time. Where have you been?”
Second Wind didn’t answer him. The wind blew through the street, and a plastic bag tumbled lazily between them. Malcolm waited, sensing that the discussion they were about to have could only go in one direction.
“Is this really how you see things?” asked Second Wind. “That you can just… step back into my life, whenever you want? Take whatever you want from me when I’m not around?”
Malcolm felt a sudden stab of guilt. He averted his gaze from Second Wind’s, wishing he could take go back into the moment and refuse to open the door for Tapestry when she’d come knocking.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I honestly am. The two of you… were closer than I realized. I didn’t react to it as I should have.”
Second Wind glared at him.
“So, you came along and thought you’d just… give her what she needed?” Second Wind’s voice was cold.
“It was stupid,” said Malcolm. “I made… a very dumb mistake. But honestly, I didn’t have much of a choice but to fill in for you. You left Tapestry here in Vanderbrook alone as the only champion in town.”
“I had my reasons,” said Second Wind.
“And just what the fuck were they?” snapped Malcolm. “Where did you run off to? Are you going to answer that question, or are you just going to make me out to be the bad guy?”
He immediately wished he could take his words back, or at least changed the tone he’d used. Rather than being chastened by the words, Second Wind exploded at him.
“I am doing what I have to do to protect this city!” shouted Second Wind. “To protect the world! Have you forgotten that I’m Wind Runner? That’s who I am, and who you were! Would you have abandoned Tapestry to fend for herself, unless it was absolutely necessary?”
Malcolm frowned. He had to admit, Second Wind had a point.
“But why then the secrecy?” asked Malcolm.
Instead of answering, Second Wind narrowed his eyes further into a glare.
“Hey,” said Malcolm. “You’re looking at this the wrong way. We’re a team! Team Malcolm! You’re Second Wind, I’m the Gifted Vigilante! But we’re both working toward the same goals!”
Second Wind’s laugh was cold and seething with anger.
“The same thing…” he said. “You strut back into my life and help yourself. And then you say we’re working for the same thing.”
“We aren’t just working for the same thing,” said Malcolm. “We are the same. Hey, we’re both Malcolm! Take a step back from evil twin territory and just be real for a second.”
Second Wind slowly shook his head.
“No,” he said. “The differences have snowballed. Even as something as small as you being first, and me being… second, is enough to push us onto different paths.”
“We’re on the same path,” said Malcolm.
“I’m your slave,” said Second Wind. “Your body double. Something to keep your life warm for you while you run off on your latest adventure.”
That sounds a lot like what I just did for him.
Malcolm kept the thought to himself.
“No, we aren’t the same anymore,” said Second Wind. “You’re the Gifted Vigilante. I’m Wind Runner. And you need to stay the hell out of my business.”
Malcolm stared at him, at the same face, the same eyes. At his own reflection, except not.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“You know what it means,” said Second Wind. “You can’t have both lives. And if you try to keep getting involved in mine again, the two of us will end up fighting.”
The words would have sounded like a threat, coming from anyone else. Second Wind was just stating what Malcolm already knew. He was no longer Wind Runner, and that meant giving up not just his identity, but the friends that went with it. People he cared about.