Angel Tormented (The Louisiangel Series Book 3) (27 page)

Thankfully, it took that long, I managed
to get my bewilderment under control, and return my focus to the dock. In
addition to what I assumed were the dock workers, there were two guards. “Do
you think that’s normal?” I whispered at Joshua, pointing.

“Maybe,” Joshua said, though he sounded
doubtful. “It is supposed to be electronics, so I guess it makes sense. We just
haven’t heard much about theft in the precinct.”

My gut was telling me they were most
likely Fallen. Of the twelve dock workers, I figured maybe ten were either
Fallen or nephilim. Two humans would be easy enough to keep safe. More might be
a little trickier, but then there would be less bad guys. Just when I was
starting to feel a little hopeful, I realized that I’d forgotten about the
ship’s crew. “Crap,” I muttered.

“What?” Joshua whispered.

“The ship’s crew. I forgot about them.”

Joshua frowned, squinting out at the boat.
“I doubt there will be many Fallen on there.”

“Which means we need a way to keep them on
the ship and keep them safe,” I pointed out.

Joshua pulled out his phone, using me to
hide its glow behind. “Leon says it’s not normal for many to disembark,
especially when this isn’t the end of their route. They’ll be busy helping
unload from on the ship.”

At that point, a metallic clunk echoed
across the yard as the mammoth ship docked. I hoped Leon was right – there wasn’t
much time to change anything. All too soon, the cranes were springing into
life, picking various colored containers up from the ship and settling them on
the ground. “Can you see it yet?”

Joshua was studying the containers through
his binoculars, looking out for a number painted somewhere on its side. “No…
wait, yes. It’s the blue one they’re lifting up now.”

“
Cupid, it’s that blue one.
” I told
Cupid while Joshua once again sent a text message to Leon.

“It looks like they’re going to load it
straight onto that truck,” Joshua said.

I scanned the area, spotting the truck
reversing, close to us. That was good. “Hopefully, if they have any health and
safety sense about them, they’ll wait for the driver to get out of the truck
before they set it down, in case they drop the container on the cab. That
should make things easier for Garret and Dion.” They were in charge of taking
care of the driver and taking control of the truck.

Sure enough, the driver vacated the cab…
and walked straight over to one of the guards.

“That’s three Fallen,” I mumbled. Four of
the cherubim had stayed watching Asmodeus. I’d insisted that another four were
stationed at Bee’s, watching Beelzebub – just in case. That left nine cherubim,
one archangel, two humans, and me. Having fought one of the Fallen, this didn’t
fill me with confidence.

“I guess it’s time to find out how many
humans,” Joshua muttered as the blue container was placed on the truck and the
chains released. Joshua took his gun and fired two rounds into the air. From
the other end of the dock, two more shots rang out. Only two of the crew
reacted, tearing into the maze of stacked containers, seeking cover.

I’d guessed right: ten nephilim or Fallen
remained, along with the two guards and the driver. All of them had weapons.
The driver and the two guards produced swords, their blades growing to full
length shining in the floodlights: Fallen.

I sat up, took aim, and fired. The arrow
found its mark and the guard by the truck dropped to the floor. I sought out
the driver and was surprised to find he was running out into the open. Then
there was an explosion – like someone had burst a balloon… if the balloon was
the size of one of the storage containers. The air blast dinted the metal side
of the container the guard had been slumped against, and was powerful enough to
not only send the truck rocking, but also the pile of containers we were on.
There was no trace of the guard left.
That
was what had happened to Valac?

There was another pop and a shockwave
blasted out across the dock as Cupid took another of the Fallen out. This one
hit the ship and it rocked back and forth, the containers on it knocking
angrily against each other.

I returned my attention to the driver trying
to find him. I kept my arrow nocked, as I sought out any part of him, but he
was nowhere to be seen.

Then a gunshot rang out. I screamed as the
bullet hit my arm. Joshua grabbed me, pulling me down as more shots rang out
around us. The bullets either sailed over us, or ricocheted off the container
like metallic rain.

I was grateful we were lying flat as the
dizziness washed over me. It hadn’t been this painful the last time I had been
shot. “Damnit,” I moaned.

“Angel, where are you hit?” Joshua hissed
at me.

“I shouldn’t have screamed. It just
confirmed where we were,” I grunted, slamming my fist against the container’s
roof in frustration.

“Where are you hit?” Joshua repeated
again, more urgently this time.

I registered what he was saying. “My arm,”
I responded. Before I could stop him, he had rolled over the top of me so he
was on his stomach, lying next to my left arm. “What are you doing?” I snapped
as more bullets went sailing over us. I could feel him prodding at the wound
and I couldn’t help but suck in a pained breath.

“It’s just a graze,” he assured me.

I slammed my fist against the roof again.
Guns. Why hadn’t I considered guns? Of course there would be guns: this was
America. If someone was going to rob them, they wouldn’t do it with swords. At
least Joshua was wearing a bulletproof vest.

“DAMNIT!” I bellowed into the sky as I hit
the container once more.

“Angel!” Joshua cried, shocked.

That was it. I was not about to let us
remain targets anymore. I turned my head to look at Joshua. “I need you to stay
here,” I said, firmly.

“Angel,” he repeated again, sterner this
time.

“No,” I told him. “You. Are. Staying.
Here. I don’t care how pissed at me you are later; you can be pissed but you’ll
also be alive. You are staying here until it’s safe to get down. So stay low,”
the last words came out as a growl.

I didn’t give him any chance to respond. I
grabbed my bow, rolled over him to the edge, and dropped off. The angle of the
containers offered a little shelter towards the far end and I scurried over, keeping
low, until I could safely jump off the six-meter drop of the remaining two
containers. Carefully, I peered around the edge of the container.

The shooter was about twenty meters away,
but there was no shelter between me and him. I knew Cupid could take him out
from that distance, and so could I, but I understood his reluctance. Two men
had gone running, but that didn’t mean the rest were human – men would do
anything for the right price, and he was using a gun.

“
Cupid, we need to take this guy with the
gun out. Do you think you can do it without killing him?
”

“
No,
” Cupid returned. “
He’s
moving about too much. I don’t want to risk it.
”

If Cupid wasn’t going to take the shot, I
certainly wasn’t. “
Get two of the cherubim on him – one on each side, at the
same time,
” I quickly instructed. Bullets wouldn’t hurt them, and if they
were quick….

Two cherubs suddenly appeared either side
as instructed. With one quick move, the gun had been removed, while the other
wrapped his arm around the guy’s throat. It took moments for the chokehold to
do its job and the guy was lowered harmlessly to the ground.

That was when hell broke loose.

The remaining cherubim all suddenly
appeared, swords drawn, and started attacking the remaining dock workers. I
didn’t have chance to work out who was fighting who as something came charging
up behind me with an almighty roar. I turned, ducking and using my bow to block
the blow aimed at my head. Whatever tree they’d taken wood from to carve the
bow, it withstood being chopped in two, instead sending the sword scraping
along the top. I pulled my own sword from my pocket, discarding the bow so I
could wrap both hands around the handle, and swung.

It was the driver. So much for Garret and
Dion taking him out. My attack was blocked, but I tried again, and again. Then
he went in for the attack. Somehow, while managing to block and avoid his
sword, my brain reminded me of what happened to the Fallen when they were
killed. This close to the container Joshua was on put him at an even greater
risk. He and Leon were not safe here.

“
Cupid? Are you free?
”

“
I can’t get an aim on anyone,
”
Cupid
responded.

I ducked out of the way of the driver’s
sword, dropping and rolling so I could swing at his back. He was too quick and
blocked the attack. “
You need to get Joshua and Leon out of here. It’s too
risky. If we kill any of the Fallen, these containers could go anywhere.
”
As if the driver wanted to emphasize that point, he rushed at me, somehow
grabbed my free arm, and flung me back against the side of the container. The
tower above me wobbled precariously.

The throw – or more aptly – the landing,
had smacked my head against the metal. My vision was spotted and I barely saw
the sword in time as the driver swung at me. I ducked just as the sword scraped
along the metal, creating a long gouge. It also caused his sword to catch.

Before I could think about what I was
doing, I rammed my sword through the driver’s ribs. He fell limp and I had to
jerk my sword free of his body. At that point, the horror flooded me. “
Cupid!
”
I screamed as I took off running away from the body. “
Tell me you got Joshua
out of here.
”

If he responded, I didn’t hear him as the
body of the fallen angel exploded, the force sending the containers crashing
down. The only reason I wasn’t crushed was because the blast sent me flying
forwards, straight for the concrete ground. My arms bore the worst of the damage.
The jeans had done the job.

“Angel!” Cupid cried, appearing beside me
to help me to my feet.

“Joshua!” I demanded, before he could.

“He’s at the convent,” he assured me.
“He’s not happy, but he’s safe.”

I glanced behind him at the crumpled
metal, the contents spilling out everywhere, and allowed the relief to consume
me. “Thank God,” I muttered. I glanced down at my arms – they were a mess, but
they weren’t hurting as much as I figured they should be. “Leon?” I suddenly
realized.

“I’m going to find him now,” Cupid said,
before disappearing.

I sucked in another breath and tightened
the grip on my sword. There was a cherub – Dion, locked in battle with someone,
and he looked to be struggling. As I grew close, I could see why. He wasn’t
moving his feet and he was barely finding the strength the block the fists
punching him. Thankfully there were no swords involved, but I could see Dion
wasn’t going to take much more.

I forced my feet to move quicker and when
close, threw myself at Dion’s attacker. The resounding, unexpected slam against
the container knocked him out. “Dion, are you okay?” I asked turning my attention
to the cherub.

“It’s a trap,” he said, weakly. “I think
it’s the steel: I can’t get free of it.”

I looked down and found, embedded in the
ground, a concrete square, the sides made of thick steel rungs sunk so they
were flush. I looked to him, hoping my panic wasn’t showing anywhere near as
close to what I was feeling. “We’ll get you out of here. I’ll stay here and
make sure no one attacks.”

“Don’t you have a charge?” he asked.

“He’s safe. You’re my priority now,” I
promised him.

“Huh,” he grunted.

I pursed my lips. “Not expecting that?”

“No,” he admitted. “Michael wouldn’t have
stayed. He would be over there, trying to stop all the Fallen.”

“I’m not Michael,” I pointed out, keeping
my attention on Dion and not the fighting. The truth was, if I did see someone
else needing assistance, I might end up tempted to go help, but I wasn’t going
to leave Dion in a vulnerable position. “And you can’t say what he would or
wouldn’t do if he’s not here. I’m-”

“Watch out!” he cried.

I lunged to the side before I could get
shoved into the trap, and twisted mid-fall to stab at my attacker. The guy who
had been unconscious was not so unconscious anymore. He slumped back to the
ground, falling off the edge of my sword. I stared in dismay – I hadn’t
established if he was human or not!

“Run,” Dion ordered.

I stared blankly at him.

“He’s a fallen angel. Run!” he commanded,
more forcefully this time.

My brain kicked into gear. “You-”

“RUN!” he screamed.

I did as he said. Before I could figure
out what was happening around me, I was sent flying again as the body exploded
behind me. This time, heat engulfed me as whatever was in the container went up
in flames. The creaking that followed sent another wave of terror through me. I
pulled myself upright and looked to the ship. The explosion had hit the ship at
such a point that it had jolted backwards, sending the containers screeching
across the deck. “
CUPID GET THE CHERUBIM EVACUATING THAT SHIP!
”
I
screamed.

I could see men on the deck disappearing
in quick succession but I wasn’t sure they were going to be quick enough as the
ropes holding the ship snapped the vessel back towards the dock. The noise as
the containers squealed back across the deck, then fell to the ground was
deafening. More went sliding across the dock, like dominos falling everywhere.

I watched in horror as the ship tipped
past the point of balance and onto its side. “Please don’t let anyone be on
there,” I begged. “Please let them have gotten off.”

I dragged myself to my feet and started to
run to the devastation, when someone shot past me in the opposite direction. I
don’t know what made me look twice, but I slowed to a jog and glanced back. I
didn’t recognize him and he was heading straight for the truck.

“Not on my watch,” I grunted, changing
direction. I bolted after him. Unlike the driver who had come at me, I didn’t
charge with a battle cry. Honestly, I didn’t have the energy, but it was
probably my silence that allowed me to run my sword straight through him.

I had just managed to withdraw my sword
when he exploded, and for the third time that night, I found myself flying
backwards.

I didn’t bother trying to get up. Whatever
energy I’d had was gone. I just stared up at the sky, the stars in the clear
night barely visible thanks to the floodlights above me. I was contemplating
staying there, but then I heard the sirens in the distance. The truck. We
needed to get to the truck.

I don’t know how I managed to get to my
feet. I don’t even know how I was still holding onto my sword. I do know that
every step to the truck seemed to cause pain in so many places, I couldn’t
bring myself to work out what I’d injured. Instead I focused on the blue
container which was somehow
still
standing, intact, on the back of an
undamaged truck.

I got to the back of it and yanked the
container door open. “
Cupid, I need someone who can drive a truck,
”
I
requested, my thoughts sounding as exhausted as I was.

Garret was at my side. His eyes nearly
bulged out of his head. “How are you still standing?”

“I’m tougher than I look,” I managed
weakly, unable to make a shrug to accompany the statement. “What’s in there?” I
asked him instead. “What was worth all this?”

Garret jumped up. “Not electrical
equipment,” he called down. Scoring his sword along the side of one of the
boxes, he opened one. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“What is it?” I asked.

“CDs,” he replied. He held a handful up. I
couldn’t make out the cover, but they all looked to be copies of the same
album.

There was no way I was going to be able to
get in there. “Maybe it’s hidden further in,” I suggested. “Hiding behind the
CDs.”

There was some shuffling as boxes were
moved around, followed by more cries of frustration. “Posters, badges, more
CDs. Angel, it’s all junk.” Garret reappeared in front of me looking royally
pissed off. “This was a waste of time.”

“No,” I disagreed, firmly. “Look at this
place: it’s a disaster, and it’s only this way because there were Fallen and nephilim
crawling all over. Maybe it wasn’t this container, or maybe the thing is too
small to notice right now, but this was not for nothing.”

“Well what do we do now?” he asked me,
unconvinced.

I glanced behind him. The sirens were
getting closer. “We don’t have time to find out. We need to destroy this
container and hope that if whatever was so important to Asmodeus wasn’t in
there, that
that
,” I pointed at the upturned ship, “Destroyed everything
instead.”

“How?” Garret asked.

This time I did manage a shrug. “Drive the
truck into the river.”

Garret reached up, slammed the container door
shut, and then vanished. The next thing I knew, the engine was being fired up
and the truck was hurtling towards the edge of the dock and the inky water
below.

Just in time too, as a car squealed to a
halt near me. I expected the police, so I didn’t turn. I just shrunk my sword
to dagger size and slipped it into my pocket.

That
was my biggest mistake of the
evening.

Footsteps approached me, but I still didn’t
turn. I needed to make sure Garret succeeded in destroying that container, and
instead I watched the truck sail over the edge of the dock. Then I heard Cupid.
“
ANGEL, LOOK OUT!
”