Soul Thief-Demon Trappers 2 (36 page)

“Elias Salvatore. He’s their captain. Just be careful what ya say to ’em.”

That was a given. At least the priest wasn’t here tonight.

“Next time, tell us where you’re headed,” Salvatore growled, his frown aimed at Beck. “We could have been here sooner.” Then he turned his attention to Riley. “You okay?” She nodded. “So what happened here?”

“It was a Geo-Fiend,” her master replied, looking up at the man, his face stern.

“Grounded?”

“Dead,” Harper said. His eyes met Riley’s and the message was passed. No matter what really happened, the hunters weren’t on their side.

The captain signaled to two of his men. “Check out the crater.” He turned back to the master trapper. “Any other demons besides that one?”

Harper shook his head. “That was enough.”

“You have my admiration, Master Harper,” the captain said, tilting his head in respect. “They are very difficult to kill.”

Harper coughed up more dust. “So I noticed.”

Salvatore crossed the lot to join his men near the smoking hole, talking back and forth in what sounded like Italian. There seemed to be some debate going on, with lots of gestures.

Harper dropped the ice pack and then extended a hand to Riley. “Get me up off this damned ground.”

Once she and Beck helped him up, he hobbled into the rubble, his shoulders bent and his gait uneven. Jackson joined him and they talked quietly among themselves. Then Harper pointed at something. The other trapper began to unearth it.

“So where the hell’s yer fancy boy?” Beck asked. “Why wasn’t he here keepin’ ya safe?”

She wasn’t going to take the bait.

“Whatever,” she murmured. It didn’t matter what Beck thought.

Any doubts she had about the angel had perished with the demon.

*   *   *

It was close
to eleven when Beck finally made it to Stewart’s place. Harper had refused to leave his scrap metal collection unguarded, so they’d loaded it into one of the trapper’s trucks and stored it in Beck’s garage. The rest of Harper’s stuff was in the back of another truck headed for a storage unit. At least they’d been able to salvage his filing cabinets and business records, though his personal belongings were pretty much history.

Exhausted, Beck sank into the same chair he’d occupied during his last visit.

“Scotch?” Stewart asked.

“Yes, but not much.” He didn’t need to get drunk, he needed to sort out his feelings. When he’d seen Riley lying in that parking lot, he was sure she was dead. He’d run to her, praying to a God that he wasn’t sure existed, praying for a miracle. Then he’d cradled her body in his arms. When her soft breath had touched his face, he’d almost lost it in front of her and the other trappers.

“Lad?”

Beck jerked out his thoughts. A tumbler half full of amber liquor sat on an end table next to his chair. He took a long suck on the whisky.

“Yer not lookin’ good,” Stewart said, settling into one of the chairs. “What’s wrong?”

Beck shook his head. He wasn’t ready to talk about it. “Where’d Harper end up?”

“He’s upstairs, in bed.”

“No, I’m not,” the older trapper replied. He shuffled into the room and chose a seat near the fireplace. The way he eased himself into it told Beck the man was hurting.

“What would ya like ta drink?” Stewart asked. Beck noted he’d not offered the man liquor.

Harper fumbled in a pocket and produced a bottle of pain pills. “Water.”

Beck did the honors, though it took some time to hunt through the kitchen cabinets to find a glass. Once he was back in his chair, they all stared at their drinks. None of them wanted to talk about what had happened tonight.

No choice.
“How’d ya kill the Five?” Beck said.

The master shook his head. “I didn’t. The last thing I remember is being rolled across the parking lot like a bowling ball. The Five was still kicking when I went down.”

“But how…”

“Riley know how ta take down a Geo-Fiend?” Stewart asked.

Beck and Harper shook their heads at the same time.

“Then it appears we have a mystery, gents.”

More silence.

This wasn’t going to be easy, but Beck knew it was time to come clean. “I think I know who took out the demon.”

The eyes of both masters shifted to him.

“There’s a Lancer in town named Ori. He’s been hangin’ around Riley. She told me he was the one who saved her from the Five at the Tabernacle. Maybe he was the one that killed it tonight.”

“Why wouldn’t she just say so?” Harper asked.

Beck shrugged. “Don’t know. This one’s an arrogant bastard, and I think he’s got more on his mind than just killin’ demons.”

“Which means yer opinion of him might be biased,” Stewart replied, a slight smile on his lips now.

“Yeah, maybe,” Beck admitted.
Just tell ’em. If it kills my chances at bein’ a master, so be it.
“This guy was at the Armageddon Lounge a few nights back. A couple Fours came in, workin’ as a team. The older one had me dead to rights. Next thing I know the demons blew out of there like their tails were on fire.”

When Stewart scowled, Beck knew his next question. “My soul’s still my own. But this Ori guy just sat there and watched the whole thing go down. They didn’t seem to bother him at all.”

“Why didn’t ya mention this earlier?” the Scotsman demanded.

“Too much hittin’ the fan. And I wasn’t proud I’d almost been taken down. That’s the truth of it.”

The master took a big jolt of whisky. “Next time, ya tell me, ya hear?” he said gruffly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Did those demons know he’s a Lancer?” Harper asked.

“Don’t think so,” Beck replied. “They didn’t act like they knew he was there.”

“A pair of Fours, and this guy doesn’t make a move on them? That’s not right,” Harper said. “Freelancers are always after money on the hoof.”

“Same thing tonight: If he’d killed that Five, he’d have stayed behind to make sure he got credited with the kill,” Beck replied.
And to make me look bad in front of Riley
.

Stewart’s face was pensive now. “Push yer personal emotions aside, lad, and do a gut-check about this fella. What are ya feelin’?”

Beck tried, but it was difficult. Too much of Paul’s daughter was tangled up inside of him now.

“This guy’s really smooth, but somethin’ about him’s not right, and it’s not just because of … her.”

“Could it be another Four?” Harper suggested. “Is that why the Mezmers ignored him?”

“I’m thinkin’ not. A Geo-Fiend wouldn’t back down from a Four,” Stewart murmured.

“Riley said he’d been on holy ground. He’s not a demon,” Beck added.

Stewart sat straighter in his chair as if he’d realized something. “Is Riley stayin’ at the church tonight?”

“No, she’s at home now that the Five is dead,” Beck replied.

“Call her and have her come here.”

“But…”

“Just do it,” Stewart ordered, his voice unusually crisp.

As Beck dialed the number he saw a look pass between the two masters.

“What are you thinking, Angus?” Harper quizzed.

Stewart gave a quick shake of his head. Which meant he didn’t want to talk about it in front of Beck.

The call rolled over to voice mail. Same thing with her home phone. “She’s not answerin’.”

“Find her. Bring her here.”

“I’ll have to give her a reason.”

“She doesn’t need one,” Stewart said curtly. “She’s stayin’ here until we know exactly who this Ori fellow is.”

“What’s goin’ on, sir?” Beck asked. “Why ya so worried?”

“Just an old Scotsman’s paranoia. Get it done, lad.”

Beck left his whisky behind, heading for the front door. Behind him he heard muted voices—Stewart telling the other master just why he was paranoid. Beck couldn’t catch the words, and part of him didn’t want to.

T
HIRTY-TWO

True to his word, Ori leaned against the red brickwork of the cemetery gate, arms folded over his chest. He looked like he had the first time Riley had seen him: His hair slicked back into a ponytail, and wearing that black leather jacket. No sign of those wings, no hint that he took orders from Heaven. Just a hunky guy hanging around a graveyard.

Waiting for me.

It seemed silly, but after she’d called Peter to let him know she was safe just in case CNN covered the Harper thing, she’d showered and put on makeup again. She’d worn her best pair of jeans and her favorite shirt. She’d tried to tell herself it was just something you did, but that’s not the way it felt.

As she climbed out of the car, Riley’s finger brushed her mouth, remembering Ori’s kisses, how they’d made her feel. Those had been real. Maybe Simi was right: Sometimes you needed to be a little wild, even if it was with an angel.

Moving toward the gate, everything else but Ori faded from view, his lazy smile drawing her in. She offered him one of her own.

“Riley.” His smile widened as he took her hand, twining his fingers with hers. They were warm, though he wasn’t wearing gloves.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be here,” she said, then regretted it. It sounded needy. “I mean, you’ve probably got better things to do now that the Five is dead.”

“I have no other task but you at the moment.”

As if to reassure her, the angel slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She hesitated for a second, then nestled into his side as they walked into the graveyard. Leaves skidded along in front of them. As they passed the empty guardhouse, a gust of wind pushed against her, whipping her hair forward. Ori paused and looked back toward the main gate, his brows furrowed.

“What is it?” she asked, turning.

A slight frown crossed his face, then vanished. “Just someone trying to tell me how to do my job. It’s nothing.”

“I didn’t figure angels had that sort of thing.”

“You’d be surprised.”

Ori squeezed her hand and they began moving again, but she could feel his tension. It hadn’t been there when she’d first arrived.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” she said. “It feels weird not having to worry anymore.”

“Enjoy your freedom; you’ve earned it,” he said.

“That was an awesome battle. I just wish you hadn’t been hurt,” she said.

“Part of my job,” he replied. He wasn’t looking at her now, like he had something on his mind. “I should have been watching you closer. I am truly sorry about that. I was … detained.”

Then he fell silent, like that topic was off-limits. The only way to find out more about this guy was to ask questions. She decided to start with one of the simpler ones.

“What do angels do all day?”

That pulled his attention back to her. “Divines are given a number of tasks,” he replied. “For example, this cemetery has its own angelic caretaker who ensures that everything is as it should be. Most places have their own Divine.”

“Are you talking about Martha?” she asked, surprised.

“I know her by another name, but yes, that’s her. Have you never wondered why all this metal is still here?” he said, gesturing to encompass the graveyard. “She makes sure it doesn’t get stolen.”

“So that’s why.” She looked up at him hopefully. “All Martha told me is that I was to stop Armageddon. Do you have any idea how I’m supposed to do that?”

“If I did know, I couldn’t tell you.”

“Surprise,” she murmured. “What she
didn’t
tell me is that my boyfriend would go all nuts.”

“Would you have let him die if you knew what was going to happen between you?” Ori questioned.

“Ah … no,” she replied. “Simon has a family who loves him. I’ll get over what he did to me.”
In a few centuries.

“Maybe sooner,” the angel promised. A lock of dark hair had fallen forward on his face, making him look like a bad boy. A tingling sensation lodged in her chest.

Totally hot. And he’s with me.
Even if it was only for a short time.

She realized he’d probably read her mind, so she changed topics.

“What’s Heaven like?”

Ori put a single finger to her lips. “So many questions.” He gently caressed her cheek. When he drew her in for a kiss, Riley’s world collapsed to only those points where their bodies met.

When the kiss ended, she swore she could see infinity in his dark eyes.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.

“Kissing you?” he asked, smoothing back a strand of her hair. “Because I want to. Because I find you so amazing.”

Amazing?

She took a step back, though it proved harder than she’d anticipated.

“You’re frowning. Are my kisses that bad?” he teased.

“No, it’s just…”

“You do not think yourself worthy of love.”

“No, it’s just that I’ve not had a great track record.”

“Then why blame me for the others?” he said, his voice cooler now. “I have been nothing but honest with you.”

“Mostly because you haven’t told me that much.”

“So if I told you exactly how the cosmos works, how long an angel can withstand a star going supernova, and that I was there when it was all created, you would trust me more?”

Riley shook her head. “Then I’d think you were lying.”

“Exactly. Accept that I enjoy being with you. Accept that when I’m with you I see Heaven in your eyes.”

“It’s hard for me to believe that.”

“I know.”

They’d reached her family’s mausoleum. Things had been too heavy between them, so she asked, “Where are we going tonight? On another picnic?”
That would be so cool.

“Tonight we shall stay here.” He waved his hand, and the mausoleum’s twin doors swung open on their own accord. No key needed when you were an angel. Riley stepped to the threshold and gasped. The interior was lit from within by a myriad of candles, like a great cathedral. The flames’ reflections flickered off the stained-glass windows, igniting the vibrant colors of blood red, royal blue, yellow gold.

Ori pushed by her and settled into the niche at the back of the mausoleum. Riley hesitated: Something felt weird, which didn’t make much sense. He was one of Heaven’s own. He’d saved her life. If you couldn’t trust an angel, things were really bad.