Heaven's Prisoners, Page 3

  Ensuring complete secrecy was difficult at best, and my hope at having them find the trail fast disappeared when they told me the complex Virtual Private Network they used would take time. I grabbed the Grayson’s phone and checked the feed. Jacob lived and slept fitfully. The trauma of the current moment exhausting him. Thank God you passed out.

  If only I did. I despised my visions at times as they came on out of nowhere. Like now, my only warning was vertigo washing over me. And a sensation of falling as I hit the couch. I should’ve known this would happen. Of all the powers my angelic blood gave me, it saw things others couldn’t. I was a character out of a bad nineties television show.

  Fear struck my heart and held it in its firm grip. I beat at the ceiling above. Help me! God, help me! I think I’m buried alive. The cold added to the fear as the realization of being buried alive registered. I scraped and clawed at the cover in hopes I could get out or someone somewhere would hear me.

  Please don’t let me die. Mommy, daddy, help me. I shook in fear and tears streamed down my face. It was so dark. Am I already dead? Please, God, no. I’m not ready to die. Who could have done this? I can’t get out. Anyone, help me, please. My chest constricted and hurt due to my hyperventilating. I’d pass out soon, sweet Jesus, don’t let me die.

  I snapped out of the vision covered in sweat and looked around. Rubbing my temples, a stabbing pain surged through my head. Just what I need, a migraine and bruised ribs. My heart pounded in my chest. The vision hurt on so many levels. Buried alive, scared, and alone. I was Jacob for a short while like the time I was in the girl’s head at the club a few months ago. My ability to get inside a living victim’s mind terrified me. It was almost too much for me. Why couldn’t I’ve gotten super strength?

  The office had an eerie emptiness to it. It was almost surreal like walking into a morgue and finding no one, dead or alive in it. My footsteps through the waiting room thundered in my ears with the occasional creak in the floor.

  I opened the door and looked back, a tinge of fear settled into the bottom of my stomach. “What will happen to you when I’m gone?”

  It was an odd question, I know, but after seeing Jacob and the threat to my life, the striking reality of mortality invaded my mind. Few people think of it. Maybe seeing Jacob in the coffin reminded me of my mortality and how close I dance with death every day.

  “I should call Lana and see if she’s doing okay,” I muttered. “Or I can quit talking to myself and get some work done.”

  I looked like shit and smelled just as bad, and on top of it all, I wasn’t up for any snarky conversation. This case hit me hard and my sarcasm suffered due to it — nothing like a humbling experience to get your shit straight.

  Who the hell am I kidding? I’ll be good to go in no time.

  The stairwell was lit up with a dull fluorescent light. The landlord didn’t believe in daylight bulbs, so walking to the building entrance was as sterile and hopeless as a mortician’s room. Rian, at least you haven’t lost your dark imagination. A little humor may help liven things up. I snickered at my punny thoughts and pulled open the door.

  The cool morning chill hit me and flinched at the cold. Light from the sun crept over the foothills of the Rockies, and the late spring frost glistened. In a way, it renewed me and instilled a sense of hope.

  The case was far from lost, but it didn’t chase away the fear entirely. That thought sat in my stomach like a rock. At least now I was hopeful about it. Yeah, scared but happy about it. Life’s on point as usual.

  A car door slam caught my attention. A black SUV idled a quarter of a block down the street from my Charger. The dark-tinted windows showed no sign of occupancy, and within a few seconds it pulled out into the street. It drove by me, slowing down. As it passed, I knew someone inside watched me. I couldn’t prove it, but a shiver ran down my spine, and tingling on my wrists confirmed my suspicions.

  I turned in the direction the vehicle went. “And what do we have here, ladies and gentlemen?”

  It had no plates — what a fucking coincidence. It seems someone’s interested in me, again — the story of my life. I don’t mind so much, but lately, this had me on edge even more. Was this the kidnapper or someone else? The least they could do was use a different car to watch me from. Dark SUV’s are the staple of every Hollywood movie and TV show around. Even when Raiza had me followed, she used a limo.

  “Hmm... things are getting interesting.”

  I strode over to my car and glanced around. The sensation of someone watching me wouldn’t go away. I’m not paranoid because someone is out to get me. Still didn’t make the situation better with the realization, but it gave me my sanity back.

  Unlocking the car, I saw a large feather under the driver side wiper blade. It seems someone visited me already. OK, dad, was that you in the standard issue espionage vehicle or someone else? I’ll worry about it later. The firing range would fill up fast with city-bred conservatives unloading their second amendment rights into terrorist looking targets within the hour. God, I’m an asshole.

  After an unpleasant drive involving people who had no clue what a turn signal was, I made it to the range. Axle stood outside his newly reconditioned 1965 Mercury Comet Caliente. The car was glorious, and he worked his ass off restoring it into the beauty it was.

  We argued over the color. He said he painted the car candy apple red. I said it was more a stripper red. Axle built it so others would hear a mile away. It worked as every time he started it, the engine echoed its assertiveness to the mountains. I pulled in and parked a few spaces away as I didn’t want the presence of my car lower the value of his.

  He strutted over in a rather casual sort of way as I got out. “Can I assume you have a lot of bad stuff to tell me? The paperwork on my desk is getting high.”

  I slammed my door shut. “You know what they say if you have to ask.”

  “Shit, Rian, what have you gotten yourself into?”

  “Let’s not get into this outside. I hope no one sees me with you. I shouldn’t have parked so close either. One mistake after another.”

  He opened the door to the range’s main office. “Here I thought we were getting close.”

  I walked passed him. “Ass.”

  After paying the clerk behind the counter and having enough ammo shoved our way to defeat a small horde of zombies, we hit the stalls Axle reserved for our use. With expert precision, he loaded his clips as I fumbled with mine. This is why I get my ass beat so much. I need more practice.

  Axle put up the target and hit a button, sending it back. “How much trouble you in, Rian? What’s going on?”

  I sent my target back. “Promise me this doesn’t leave the range? A young man’s life is on the line and time is running out.”

  Axle nodded and emptied his clip in the target. I aimed, steadied my breathing and fired into mine. An audible click let me know I was out. We both looked at our targets. All his centered directly in the chest and heart area. Impressed was an understatement.

  I looked at mine and sighed. “Practice makes perfect, right?”

  Axle grabbed my target and studied it thoughtfully. “Your grouping needs tightening, but your aim isn’t terrible. The leg and arm shot won’t help in you in the situations you get in. I’d say aim for the head.”

  Most of my shots were centered over the chest except for the arm and leg shots. Headshots were the best to kill a supernatural bad guy. That only worked if I used the right ammo. Silver for wolves, lead for anything from the fairy world, and steel for the rest. Not everything paranormal could resist a regular bullet.

  Axle set his gun down and reloaded a clip. “Tell me the details and what you need from me.”

  I did the same. “It all started late last night after I finished the mountain troll job.”

  Once we shot a few more rounds and finished the ammo, I got the whole case out for him to ponder. He looked at me a little nervous. “Sweet Jesus, Rian. Who did you piss off?”

  I shrug
ged and holstered my Sig. “The list is bigger than I want to admit.”

  “No doubt, but how do you plan on catching who did this before they come after you?”

  “Follow the video feed. It should lead me to Jacob.”

  Axle glanced at me and holstered his gun. “You know this is a trap, right?”

  “Yeah, but that’s why I have you. I need you to guard my back, at a distance. No cops remember?”

  He shook his head. “I get it. One thing I don’t get is why so much weird shit happens around you? I’m not saying you’re causing it, but I do wonder if you’re some supernatural magnet or something.”

  “I am, and it gets old. Even when I try to stay out of trouble, it finds me.”

  “Watch your back, Rian. I’ll do what I can, but I may not always have the chance to save your ass. Especially in this situation. If I’m not supposed to have any involvement, it puts me in a bind in helping you. Remember that.”

  “I know.”

  We left the range, and I watched him drive away. I started my car and wondered about my life. If I saved others, then who would save me if I needed it? Nothing like some existential dread to brighten one’s morning. I’ll take that in a large size with cream and sugar, please. Fuck, I need help.

  “Madame Troja, it’s time your little angel comes for a visit.”

  Lucky for me, Madame Troja’s House of Metaphysical Wonder was close. She had a shop next to a motorcycle shop with a giant neon hand in the window promising palm readings for five dollars. Troja was the real thing. She’d carved out quite the successful underground business, even if most of her clients doubted the truth of her predictions.

  Me on the other hand, I believed them, but I hated them. Every time I saw her, bad shit happened. To make things easier for me, she made me a specific deck and gave them to me as a gift. I ignored them most of the time as even the ones I pulled came close to the truth. It’s not that I wanted the truth, but a beautiful lie had its merits.

  The door opened as I reached for it. MadameTroja stood there with a concerned look on her pale face. She was a younger woman, late twenties, with long frizzy red hair and dressed like a gypsy. I knew she had no gypsy blood in her, her parents immigrated from Poland, but who was I to complain. People wanted the theatrics not always the truth.

  She pulled me in. “Someone’s following you, my little angel.”

  I spun around and watched her look around outside. She even sniffed the air. “Hellfire...”

  “I didn’t see anyone following me.”

  “These people are used to secrecy and have had ages of practice. Their auras dig like claws upon my skin and mind. Their wicked ways smell of unholiness. Watch your back, angel.”

  I plopped into a chair near a roundtable she used for telling other’s fortunes. “You’re the third person to tell me that today.”

  She pointed at me. “Then you must pay heed to the warning. A warning thrice not heeded leads to disaster, Rian.”

  “Great. Something I always wanted. Anyway, I need some advice or help.”

  Troja spun around with some lit sage. She sat down in a chair on the other side of the table and raised an eyebrow. “Help? I can’t give you that. However, I can tell you your fortune.”

  She opened a small wooden box covered in strange runes and pulled out her tarot deck wrapped in blue silk. The smoke from the sage curled in the air and drifted over the table. I knew it purified the surroundings, like a cleansing if I remembered correctly. Magic never was my strong point.

  “What can you tell me?”

  “Many things, my little angel.”

  I pulled a twenty out of my wallet and dropped it in a jar. “Narrow it down for me. I got a case I need help on.”

  She smiled and laid out a spread of cards. “Are you sure? So many events converge around you. I could tell you everything, but you’d go mad with the knowledge.”

  “Just the one thing. Madness already runs in my family; I’d like to keep it as far away as possible.”

  She shrugged in indifference. “As you will.”

  Chapter Five

  Like my ribs didn’t hurt enough, having a dark SUV cut you off and a stranger in black clothes and a mask jump out and grab you made them worse. Adding in the manhandling and getting me into the vehicle and a bag over my head gave another level of joy to my life. With all the hands on me, you’d think pleasure would involve itself somewhere. It looks like it’s just you and your hand tonight, Rian ol’ boy!

  I plopped down on a soft leather seat. The smell of cognac and cigar smoke greeted me. “Mr. MacCaren, it’s good to meet you finally. You’re a hard man to get a hold of.”

  “Apparently not too hard.” I winced as I got a jab from a gun barrel in my sore ribs.

  “They warned me about your sarcasm. Forgive the way we had to do this, but it’s imperative you don’t know where we are going.”

  “Oh, that’s okay, I already cover your face. The cover will save me from staring at your ugly face on the drive. I’m sure you’ll entertain me with pleasant, long-winded conversation though.”

  A firm grip in my side made me cry out. “Watch what you say, Mr. MacCaren, accidents happen.”

  I pulled away. Not far enough but at least the fucker who grabbed my side let go. “That’s what your dad said.”

  Stars lit up my vision as the butt of a gun hit my face. I grunted in pain, and the cold touch of the window against the other side of my face greeted me. “Fuck, that will leave a mark.”

  “I won’t warn you again. Unlike the others, I disagreed with bringing you to the council. They see you as a potential ally whereas I see you at best an annoyance and at worst an end.”

  I tried to lift my head off the cold window, but I loved the pleasant coolness of the breeze. “Council? Who are you?”

  “Oh, I guess it doesn’t matter at this point if we tell him, does it, Markus?”

  Someone tapped me in the head lightly with a gun. “No, it doesn’t Mr. Bennett. I’m sure, Mr. MacCaren would appreciate that. It’s the least we can do!”

  I froze at the name, Markus. It’s been months since I’ve seen the damned Incubus that tried to kill me along with his demonic sister. The voice confirmed any suspicions I may have had. I gritted my teeth at his voice, and a wave of power flowed over me.

  “I think he remembers me, Mr. Bennett.”

  A surge of pleasure tore through me. My emotions spun out of control as my body responded to the delicious torment of Markus’ power. An Incubus had the same power as a Succubus, and deep down, I knew Markus didn’t care who he used his power on. While I had no constraints to any sexuality, I’d never use my power to take advantage of others to survive. I doubted Markus knew what the word consent meant.

  “Stop it.”

  Spitting the words out proved as hard as the cock in my pants. My body may have wanted what Markus’ false promises offered, but mentally, I wanted nothing to do with him. Rape was rape in my book, and anything doing so rated right up there with any other kind of assault.

  Someone leaned against me and whispered. “You can’t resist me, Rian.”

  “Wanna bet? I should have killed you along with your bitch of a sister.”

  “You son of a bitch!”

  “Markus, this is enough! The council will deal with him and remember who you work for.”

  Mr. Bennett stopped whatever Markus thought or would do. I do believe I pissed Markus off. Good for me. I still got the talent. His power rolled back, and my supernatural horniness subsided. My boner didn’t, and it made sitting here with my head covered a bit awkward.

  Hot air touched my ear. “In time angel.”

  “Markus, if the council feels you’ve mistreated our guest, they’ll end your relationship, and we both know what that means.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Bennett may have been old, I’d say mid-seventies, but his voice had a youthful strength to it. His tone demanded obedience and wouldn’t take any flack for anything. I
’d try to play that in my favor, but I knew someone in his position didn’t get there by accident. I need a plan.

  I leaned forward and winced at the pain in my side. “Where are we going and who is this council?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough, Mr. MacCaren. As for the council, I can only say is that they’ve taken a strong interest in your work and growth.”

  “Oh, goodie. Here I thought no one noticed me.”

  “On the contrary, Mr. MacCaren, the council has known about you since you were a kid.”

  “Yeah, like that isn’t creepy as fuck. Can you take the hood off, it’s messing up my hair.”

  “No, and the council won’t care about your appearance. They all know about your rumble with the mountain troll and your current case. They’ll keep the meeting short. By the way, how is your puppy?”

  I turned toward the voice and glared under the hood. Asshole! “I’m pretty sure you already know how she’s doing. Leave her out of this.”

  “Rest assured, Mr. MacCaren, this is about you, not her. Now relax, we’re almost there. Would you care for something to drink?”

  “No, I only drink with friends.”

  “That’s a lie as you drink alone at night or when you think no one’s watching. It’s hard only being part of something and never feeling quite; what’s the word, complete.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Now, now, Mr. MacCaren, no need for such profanities.”

  If I had a blood pressure cuff on, it’d probably explode. Blood rushed to my face and anger surged in my mind. Not because of what he said so much as the truthfulness of it. I knew shit happened in my life, and I’d never belonged anywhere, but I knew what my purpose in life was. It didn’t make it easier, but the alcohol sure did. If I drank, I didn’t dream, and if I didn’t dream, then angels slaughtering each other in heaven wouldn’t haunt my sleep.