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Vortex

Catherine Coulter
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. Epilogue
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. About the Author
  60. Also by Catherine Coulter
  61. About the Publisher

Cover

cover image

Dedication

To Anton

May your bright editorial light continue

to shine on my head. I am blessed.

Catherine

1

Near Pauley’s Farm

Valley Forge National Park

Early spring

A full moon cast pale shadows over the two men digging and flinging dirt out of a hole, their movements rhythmic. The moonlight was bright enough they could see the small pebbles in each clump of dirt, see each other’s sweaty dirt-streaked face.

Snake stopped digging, swiped the back of his hand over his eyes. “I’m tired. Can we give it a rest a minute?” He eyed his best friend, let the words pour out. “It shouldn’t have happened, man. She was a gamer, like us, and when I told her my handle was Snake and yours was Dante, she laughed, told me she loved World of Warcraft. Her online handle was CoolGirl34, she told me, and then she leaned up and whispered to me she liked to call herself Aolith the dreamer because the name was so magical. I never even found out her real name. She was fun, Dante, she even joked she hoped she wouldn’t fail organic chemistry because she couldn’t put down her PS4. She wanted more superhero women who don’t look like porn stars. She was alive, laughing, just a while ago—”

Dante kept his voice earnest. “Snake, you need to stop the recriminations and calm yourself, look forward. What’s done is done, and yes, I’m as sorry as you are this accident happened, and that’s what it was, an accident. Don’t forget that. Whatever this girl was or wasn’t, whoever she was, it doesn’t matter now, we can’t let it matter. Like I said, we have to look forward, get this task done and get on with our lives.”

“You think it’s a task? We’re burying her, Dante. And it wasn’t a bloody accident!”

So much for trying to comfort the idiot. Dante said, voice hard now, “Aolith wasn’t your soul mate. She was only a girl you just met whose time had come.”

“Yeah, sure, like we should blame her karma. We made her time come. She might have been my soul mate, who knows? All right, so she told me she had a boyfriend, but he wasn’t with her tonight, so maybe it wouldn’t have lasted. She is—she was—what, twenty? What kind of relationship lasts when you’re twenty?”