Taking Angels (The Angel Crusades) (15 page)

The Jeep pulled into the parking lot of the mall
and we piled out, all except Trish. She sat behind the
wheel, the motor still idling. We stopped, waiting for her,
but she stared straight ahead, deep in thought.

We walked back, waiting for her to snap out of it.
“What are you doing?” Elisa asked as she pulled
her auburn hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a
scrunchy.

“I’m bored with Grand Rapids shopping.” She
blinked at us.
“So, what do you want to do?” Cassie asked.
“Let’s go to Duluth,” Trish suggested.
“Duluth, on a school night? I don’t think mom…”
Cassie objected.
“We’re eighteen. We’re old enough to spend an
evening in Duluth shopping,” Trish insisted.
“Let’s do it.” Elisa smiled and jumped into the
back.
“We better call our parents and let them know,”
Cassie said.
We nodded, pulling our cell phones out and
dialing. None of our parents had a problem with it and we
were soon speeding along the highway to Duluth.
Curving down the large hill leading to the port
city we could see out into Lake Superior as it disappeared
along the horizon. We moved our jaws to relieve the airlock in our ears at the sudden change in pressure the steep
incline caused. I realized I forgot to call Allister and
quickly dialed him, getting his voicemail.
“Allister, its Britt. We’re in Duluth for the
evening. I’ll call when we’re heading back.” I slipped the
phone into my pocket and noticed the girls smirking.
“What?”
“Like a little married couple,” Trish teased.
“With Kendal after me he needs to know where I
am,” I defended myself.
“You never said he was after you,” Elisa
exclaimed, eyes wide.
“What did you think when Allister said Kendal
tried to hurt me and Angelina?”
“I don’t know, I guess I didn’t think ‘psycho
stalker’ type of hurt,” Elisa admitted, frowning.
We pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the large
mall. The girls stared at me, concerned at this new
information. I turned in my seat to face them and pulled
my shirt down at the collar to expose the five finger
marks on my chest between my breasts.
“Holy shit,” Cassie cursed and I looked at her,
surprised. She never swore.
“You said it,” Trish murmured.
“He tried to rip your heart out?” Elisa gasped.
“Yeah, he would have done it too if Allister hadn’t
shown up in time.”
The girls gave a collective gasp.
“Maybe we should get you home,” Trish
suggested. “This wasn’t such a bright idea.”
“We’re here now, we might as well shop,” I said
with a brief smile.
“Okay, but everyone needs to keep their eyes
peeled for stalker Kendal, right?” Trish instructed.
We all agreed, piling out of the Jeep and racing
into the mall. People milled around everywhere, the mall
was packed. We hit our favorite clothing stores first,
finding something for each of us, and then we looked in
some trinket shops. I was searching for something small
but sentimental for the two Eternals linked to me forever.
I found the perfect gifts and we hit a restaurant for dinner.
We ate and laughed, forgetting about the dangers
possibly lurking outside the mall, at least for a while.
Then my cell buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out,
and Allister’s name showed on the screen. I hit the
answer button with a wide smile on my face.
“Hello?”
“Britt, what are you doing in Duluth?” Allister
sounded panicked.
“Just shopping, don’t worry. We’re surrounded by
people,” I assured him.
“We found Kendal’s trail. He’s headed right for
you!” he shouted into the phone.
My eyes shot up as the girl’s faces turned pale.
They’d heard Allister’s voice through the phone.
“Get out of there now!” he ordered. “If he finds
you, he’ll get to you. A crowd won’t stop him if he’s as
desperate as I think he is.”
“Okay, okay,” I tried to stay calm.
“And Britt,” Allister brought me back, his voice
much quieter. “Keep the girls close. I think he knows how
important they are to you. They’ll be targets as well.”
“Allister,” I whimpered, feeling panic threaten to
shut down my ability to think or even move. “What
should I do?” The thought of Kendal hurting the amigos
devastated me.
“Get on the road,” he advised, “maybe he’ll pass
by without noticing. Angelina, Trevor, and I are on our
way. We’ll meet you on the road and escort you the rest
of the way, but you have to leave now. And Britt, don’t let
the girls out of your sight.”
“Yeah, okay,” I whispered, ending the call.
I stared down at my phone. What had I done? I
looked up at the girls, studying me in silence.
“We have to go. Kendal’s on his way here,” I told
them flatly.
We threw money on the table for the food, not
bothering to count it, and raced out with our bags. Like
maniacs, we ran through the mall as people around us
turned and stared. We burst out of the mall and sprinted to
the Jeep.
We sped up the long winding hill leading out of
Duluth, reaching the top as a silver Mercedes on the other
side of the two lanes screeched to a stop and did a U-turn
through the grass median spraying dirt and grass behind
it. The cars around it veered off into the ditches on both
sides of the road.
“That’s him!” I shouted, not so much seeing him
as sensing him. The eerie feeling it gave me was
undeniable.
Trish punched the gas and we roared through a red
light, cars honking and swerving to avoid us. Cassie and
Elisa looked back as the wind blew their hair around their
faces in the open Jeep. Elisa’s ponytail all but pulled free
of the band, flailing back and forth across her face.
“He’s gaining on us,” Elisa shouted over the
deafening wind as she gripped the frazzled ponytail in her
hand and pulled at it nervously.
“We can’t out run him with this!” Trish shouted
back.
I frantically dialed Allister. He answered on the
first ring.
“He’s after us and we can’t lose him!” I shouted
into the phone.
“Where are you?”
“Just outside of Duluth.”
“We’re still thirty miles away,” his voice sounded
strained. “Do what you have to do and we’ll be there as
soon as we can.”
“Okay,” I cried, adding needlessly, “hurry.”
The phone went silent and I grasped it tightly as
Kendal pulled in close behind us, slamming into our rear
bumper. Trish struggled to keep the Jeep on the road, the
vehicle swerving uncontrollably for a minute and then
pulled away from the Mercedes slightly.
“I can’t let him do that anymore!” Trish shouted.
“I almost lost it.”
“Here he comes again!” Elisa shouted over the
wind.
Cassie sat with her head in her hands, her knees
pulled up tight to her chest.
I turned around as Kendal crept closer.
Without warning, Trish jerked to the right and we
sped down a gravel road. The Mercedes screeched to a
halt on the highway, laid rubber in reverse, and came
after us.
Gripping the Jeep’s support bar, I looked at Trish,
surprised by her maneuver.
“I have to use the advantage the Jeep gives me,”
she cried over the sound of churning gravel. “Call Allister
and tell him where we are.”
“Where are we?” I shouted.
Coming out of her coma from fear, Cassie shouted
the mile marker number listed before we’d gone off the
road.
“Right.” I nodded.
I dialed Allister as Trish took a steep incline,
rocks on either side, forcing Kendal to circle around for
another path.
“Yeah, we’re almost there,” Allister answered.
“We’re off road now, keeping ahead of Kendal.
Can you find us?”
Allister paused.
“Hello, hello?” I shouted into the phone.
“Yeah, I’m here. Angelina has you, we’re on our
way.”
The phone went silent. Oddly the fact that
Angelina could sense my whereabouts didn’t creep me
out under the circumstances.
Trish took a path with deep ruts up over a ridge
and a steep hill on the other side sending us plummeting
into a large pond before she could avoid it. Water rose up
in a huge rolling wave and splashed over the top of the
Jeep, soaking us and stalling the engine.
The Mercedes roared into the clearing, grinding to
a halt on the far side of the pond not more than twenty
feet away.
Kendal stepped out, his dark hair blowing around
his face in the wind and his black eyes zeroing in on me.
The smell of lilac reached my nose as I sat drenched in
the front passenger seat of the water logged Wrangler. He
smiled the same smile he’d flashed before putting his
mark on me last night. He stepped to the edge of the
pond, his hand on his hips, assessing the situation.
“I only want you, Britt!” he shouted to be heard
across the distance. “The others mean nothing to me.
Come here and I’ll spare them.”
“He’s lying,” Trish cried, grabbing my arm and
bringing my eyes to hers. “Don’t listen to him, Allister
will be here.”
“He won’t get here in time,” Kendal warned. “I
can kill you all in seconds and you know it. But if you
come with me I’ll spare your friends. You have my
word.”
“What good is his word?” Elisa whispered, eyes
filled with terror.
“It’s all she has,” Kendal said.
“How’d he hear that?” Cassie gasped.
I looked down at my phone, Allister’s name
flashing on the screen. What if he couldn’t find us? I
panicked, looking back at Kendal.
I tucked the phone in my pocket and slipped a
foot out of the Jeep, Trish grabbed my arm. “What the
hell are you doing?”
“I can’t let him hurt you, any of you,” I said,
looking hard at her.
The resolve in her eyes wavered as I pulled away.
I gave Cassie and Elisa one last glance and stepped from
the Jeep into the water, waist deep, cringing as my phone
plunged beneath the water. I trudged to the bank and
Kendal. He didn’t touch me, but moved over to open the
passenger door of the car and motioned me in.
“You tell everyone that you lost Britt at the mall
and couldn’t find her. Understand? You mention me and I
will kill her.” Kendal shouted at the girls.
I stepped to the door, pausing to glance at the girls
sitting in the Jeep, stranded, desperation plain on their
faces, and then slid into the black leather interior before
Kendal slammed the door shut. He eased behind the
wheel in an instant and we sped away, leaving my friends
safely behind.
We reached the highway, spinning onto the
pavement and racing back towards Duluth. Not far away,
Allister rushed off the road towards the pond with no clue
how bad things had turned. Meanwhile I rode with
Kendal, certain this was how it would end.

“Here’s the deal.” Kendal leaned closer, snapping
closed a thin silver bracelet on my wrist. “I changed my
mind about killing you, for now. I have bigger plans for
us, but if you give me trouble, I can always revert back to
my original plan and eliminate you at any time. Do we
understand each other?”

I looked down at the bracelet, nodded, and then
glared back at him.
“This will keep Angelina from finding you too
easily and keep you from shimmering in case you get any
bright ideas of escaping. And remember, I know where
your girlfriends live and they would be delicious to
dispose of.” He reflexively licked his lips.
“If you touch them,” I hissed.
“You can’t stop me, or haven’t you figured that
out yet?” he laughed at my feeble threat.
I stared down and the plain silver bracelet. I knew
Allister wouldn’t give up on me, I had to believe that. He
would follow me to the ends of the earth. I needed
Kendal to keep me alive until Allister came.
But what was he planning and where were we
headed?
We drove north, though I couldn’t tell for how
long. I watched the signs, keeping track as we went. I felt
the lump the cell made in my wet pocket, probably
ruined; worthless. No way to reach Allister. Hopefully,
Angelina could still sense us and catch up.
It turned dark, the only light now coming from the
headlights and an occasional house along the road, its
yard light glowing dull yellow in the pitch darkness. No
moon lit the way, only blackness mirroring the blackness
threatening to take over my heart.
A sign indicating the US/Canadian Border lit up in
the headlights. Canada?
I considered making a scene at the border, except
Kendal read my mind, giving me a cautionary look as we
slowed and pulled up to the border patrol station. He held
my gaze for a moment longer as the guard stood
impatient at the closed window.
Kendal turned on the smile and rolled down the
window with a whir. “Evening sir.”
“Headed to Canada on business or pleasure?” the
officer asked.
“Pleasure. Visiting some historic sights and such,”
Kendal answered easily.
“Passports.”
My hopes soared. I didn’t have a passport, the
guard would turn us back. I restrained my victorious grin
as Kendal looked over to me, leaned in, and popped the
glove box. The door dropped open and two passports slid
across the cover. I stared in shock as he retrieved the
passports from the storage space, pausing to give me a
devious grin and turn back to the guard, handing him the
documents.
“This looks in order.” The officer nodded,
handing them back. “Have a nice stay in Canada,” he
smiled, motioning us through.
“Thank you, I’m sure we will,” Kendal said with a
chuckle, pulling the car through the checkpoint and onto
the road into Canada.
“Don’t ever underestimate me,” he warned with a
smirk, underlying the seriousness of his words. “It could
cost you your life.”
I turned away in a huff, staring out the window
and the blackness still threatening to seep into my heart
as the hope of Allister reaching me became bleaker by the
mile.
I fell asleep at some point, the effort of keeping
my eyes open to read any sign of where we were
becoming too much. I woke as the sun shone in through
my window, still headed north, I surmised from it’s
position.
Kendal glanced over as I sat up, straightening my
clothes, their dampness chilling me and my teeth began to
chatter.
“We can pull over at the next town to get you
some dry stuff as long as you behave,” he cautioned.
I nodded.
“This isn’t personal, you know,” he started.
I stared at him, incredulous.
“No, really.” He shook his head. “I didn’t realize
Allister would save you that day at the waterfall. I knew
you wouldn’t need your guardian angel since you
committed suicide, so I took it, well tried to take it.” He
snorted, making light of my life changing day. “It didn’t
want to come out of you, it kind of hung on.” He paused,
staring out at the road as he remembered. “Never saw
anything like it before. Your angel willed you to live, it
fought to hold on.”
I looked at him opening my mouth to respond, but
I had nothing. I turned away, looking out the window as
the trees rushed by.
“Why were you up there at all?” I asked, “In the
middle of nowhere.”
“Your essence drew me in, like a predator to a
fresh kill. I could taste your guardian; irresistible.” He
licked his lips.
“How can you do that to people?” I said clenching
my jaw out of anger and to stop my teeth from chattering.
“You should try it, it’s such a rush.” He grinned
with pleasure.
I turned away, sick to my stomach at the mere
thought of doing something so heinous, the memory of
the dreams enough to leave distaste in my mouth.
He pulled into a gas station, turned off the key,
and got out. He leaned down, peering through his open
door at me as he slipped the keys into his pocket.
“Go inside and get what you need. I’ll come in
and pay for it with the gas. Behave,” he added before
slamming the door.
I got out of the car, watching him push a button on
the pump and begin to fill the tank. I walked to the front
of the store, going inside and looking around for any
clothing they might have.
“You look like you’ve seen better mornings,” a
woman said with a smile from behind the counter over
the top of a newspaper, “Tough night honey?”
“Huh, yeah, I guess,” I mumbled, tempted to
confide my plight to her, but realizing she could end up a
hollowed out husk like my teacher. “You have any
clothes? I fell in a creek and need something dry.”
“Down the aisle behind you,” she said pointing.
“Sorry, but we don’t carry much, especially
undergarments.”
“That’s okay, thanks.”
I meandered down the aisle, picking out a red, I
Love Canada, t-shirt, a pair of gray sweat pants with a red
maple leaf on it, and some white sweat socks with
Canada across the tops. I took them up to the counter as
she looked up from her paper.
“He’ll pay for them.” I motioned to Kendal at the
car. “Is there a place I can change?”
“The restrooms are around the corner.” She
smiled, motioning to her right.
She pulled the tags off the clothes and I scooped
them up and walked down the hall to the bathroom,
hesitating to stare at the gray back door only a few more
steps further. The image of Kendal pulling the angels out
of the amigos squelched that thought and I pushed into
the bathroom door.
I stripped off my stuff, pulling my phone out of
my pocket. I held it up and droplets of water showed
under the screen. I pressed the power button, but nothing
happened. Like I thought, ruined.
I dried my underwear and bra with the hand dryer
and put them back on. I pulled the shirt on over my head
and hiked the sweat pants up. As I slipped my socks on,
my phone began to shake on the counter next to the sink.
I grabbed it from the counter, hitting the answer
button as I put it to my ear. “Hello?” I whispered in case
Kendal lurked outside the door. Nothing. I pulled it from
my ear, staring at the water logged screen, and then put it
to my ear again. “Hello, hello,” I whispered urgently. Still
nothing.
I stuck it into the pocket of the sweats and
straightened my hair the best I could with my fingers. It
would have to do. I unlocked the door and walked out of
the room carrying my damp clothes.
Kendal leaned against the wall across from the
bathroom, nodding as I stepped out.
“Need something to eat?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t be a martyr,” he condescended. “Get
something. You need to eat.”
I lowered my eyes. I did need to eat. “Okay.” I
nodded.
I grabbed a packaged sandwich and a container of
milk, placing it on the counter for the woman to ring up.
Kendal paid for it, handed my food to me, and walked out
ahead of me without a word to the cashier.
“You seem like a nice girl.” The woman smiled
and then it slipped from her face as she leaned across the
counter. “Dump the zero.” She winked pulling a strand of
gray hair from her thin face.
“I would if I could,” I sighed. “Thank you.”
I trudged out after Kendal, getting into the car,
and tossing my clothes into the back seat. The woman
stared out the window as we drove away, worry visible in
her eyes. I hoped she remembered us when Allister
stopped and asked. She would put him on the right path,
if he got this far.
We drove another hour and then turned off the
main road onto a gravel path grown over with weeds and
grass. It wove through the tall trees that blotted out the
sunlight until stopping at a large log cabin next to a
sparkling lake.
“Welcome to your new home,” he said getting out.
I opened the door, the scent of pine filling my
nose as a light breeze blew in off the lake. The setting
took my breath away and, under different circumstances,
was easily tranquil. With the murderer holding me
captive, the beauty felt oppressive.
I followed him to the door as he unlocked it,
swinging it inward until it stopped with a thud against the
wall. He gestured for me to enter and I walked in, quickly
scanning the room for anything I might use to my
advantage in making my escape.
Metal poker, fireplace shovel next to the hearth,
pole used to open the uppermost windows on the wall of
windows opposite the lake side, pots, pans, many other
things giving me a weapon choice with which to assail
Kendal.
He stepped up behind me, leaning close as I
cringed at his breath in my ear. “We are going to get to
know each other very well,” he rasped. “We have plenty
of time before my friends arrive.”
I turned my eyes his way, keeping my head
steady. Friends? The man with the silver tooth? Now my
timeline for escape began narrowing in my mind.
He closed the door and motioned me in further as
I moved into the living room. Wooden furniture with blue
denim upholstered cushions filled the space, the log walls
remained unadorned.
Kendal moved over and began to stack wood in
the fireplace. I watched from behind him, eyeing the
metal poker, yearning to take it in my hands and end this
now. However, I knew better. My experience with Kendal
made me cautious. The marks on my chest burned with
the memory of his touch. I could not match his physical
strength. He promised to harm my friends if I fought him
and I did not doubt him. I nervously spun the silver
bracelet declaring my captivity around my wrist.
He glanced back at me, showing no worry or
caution at turning his back to me as he returned to his
task.
The fire soon crackled in the hearth. He stood,
walked over to a chair and sat down stretching his legs
out upon the wooden coffee table. He motioned for me to
sit in the chair next to him and I moved over and sat
down.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“It started as fun, and then turned into a job. Now
it’s a matter of survival.”
“How do you mean?” I frowned.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
He looked at me and his features softened as he
sighed.
“I enjoy taking angels. It makes me feel…alive.
The only problem is, it’s frowned upon. So I must be very
cautious and move around a lot.”
I grimaced at the idea of killing someone for their
angel. His taking my angel grated on me and the images I
witnessed while riding along in my dreams made me
nauseous. I stared back at his amused expression blankly
and his face went emotionless.
“Why did you take my angel?”
“I spotted you in the community.” He nodded. “I
found you an easy target, besides, your angel felt so…
irresistible, I had to have it.”
“Why is that?”
“I’ve found when a person has struggled to
survive, their angel becomes more pure with the torment
they’ve endured. I couldn’t help myself.”
“So you followed us?”
“I followed you. I had no interest in your parents.
Allister and his sister followed my trail. They are more
clever than I gave them credit. They arrived before I had
a chance to get all the angel’s essence out of you.” He
frowned as if the memory disturbed him.
“That’s when Allister touched me,” I breathed.
He nodded. “Yeah, you were pretty much dead by
then and the angel didn’t have enough strength to hold
on. He should never have touched you. It’s forbidden.”
“So I’ve heard, but that isn’t worth much coming
from a guy who goes around taking angels,” I growled,
hoping he hadn’t guessed the full extent of what
happened to my angel and soul that day.
“Hey, even I know better than to cross that line,”
he said putting his hands defensively before him.
“So after you tried to kill me and Angelina,
something changed to make you decide to kidnap me
instead?”
“Old Silver Tooth suggested I keep you alive,” he
nodded.
I ventured a guess. “The Eternals from Greece?” I
remembered hearing the Parks talk about them.
“Yeah, they want you alive to take before the
council. They’ll use you to condemn Allister and disgrace
Victor and his wife.”
I felt my heart clench. “How could my existence
do that?”
“You are considered an abomination,” he said.
“A what?” I stood up.
“Hold on.” He held out a hand to placate me. “I
said they consider you an abomination. I don’t
necessarily agree.”
“You don’t?” Surprised, I sat down.
“At first, yes, but the way you protected your
friends back there takes guts. And how you healed
Angelina; no one should have been able to bring her back
from what I did to her. And the way you…”
I stared at him as he searched for the words. “The
way I what?”
“The way you…feel.” His eyes got a faraway,
vacant look in them.
“Hey, watch it,” I raised my voice as my anger
threatened to boil over. I didn’t like this twist; him being
interested in my “feel.”
“There’s this pull whenever I’m close to you. Like
desire, it has me yearning to be near you. I want to touch
you, to hold onto you.”
The way he’d spoken of hurting Angelina, like
talking about the weather, pissed me off. I wanted to hurt
him, hurt him bad. I bit my lip, forcing back the urge to
lay into him. I needed to think things through. And then
when he started to describe how he felt when I was close,
it gave me the creeps. I stood abruptly.
“Where am I going to sleep?” I asked.
“Right through there.” He motioned to the door
off the living room, still dazed from his musings about
me.
I got up and walked into the bedroom, closing the
door behind me. I sat on the bed, pulling the phone from
my pocket, flipping it open and praying it worked. The
screen lit up and my heart soared.