The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation) (24 page)

Katie couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her lips. She thought about asking where they were, then decided she really didn’t care. As long as she was away from the issues at home, she was happy. He may have been a demon, but he was pretty good at figuring out just what Katie needed. Was that a good or bad thing? What did it say about Katie that she was willing to go with him wherever he led? Her stomach cramped further.

“What’s going on now?” Josh asked. “What’s all the drama, mama?”

Katie cringed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Josh shrugged. “Fine with me. Shall we enjoy the fine evening air?”

In response, Katie plopped down onto the sand. The warmth seeped through her shorts, the sand squeaked with her movements. Her gaze drifted to the horizon and she watched the colors swirl and change as the sun sank into the ocean. Sweat beaded on her skin. Or perhaps it was humidity. She couldn’t tell, and she really didn’t care. As long as it wasn’t her cramped room, she was happy. Josh took a seat next to her and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He leaned back on his elbows, his feet extended out before him. The soft rays of fading light illuminated his muscular physique. His torso was perfectly defined with muscles, his skin evenly tanned. Aside from the bruises and cuts on his face, he was flawless, perfect. A little too perfect for a high school boy. Katie was able to see that now because she knew exactly what he was. He used his charm and played on other’s perceptions and ideas of perfection to get them to do what he needed them to do. His looks were disarming. He appealed to both males and females because he portrayed the perfect human specimen. Katie had fallen for it; she wouldn’t deny that. She was blinded by hormones and teenage naïveté. Even as she sat there, she couldn’t deny how attractive Josh was. How much she wanted to be with him, to make a relationship work, to change him from being an evil demon. And he had picked her. Out of all the other girls in the school, he had his eyes set on her. It was flattering and disturbing all at the same time. So what if the motivation was to take down Wes? He was spending time with her, and she could turn his gaze and focus away from Wes, she was sure of it. Exactly how was still a mystery, but she was a smart girl; she’d figure it out.

Josh caught her sideways glance and smiled, reaching his hand out to take a hold of hers. Katie didn’t fight it, but her skin crawled where he touched her. The vision of him taking Paul’s soul played through her mind. His body was just a shell that housed something very dark and menacing beneath, something evil and dangerous. It scared her that it was his true form. The reminder that he wasn’t human upset her. What disturbed her even more was the fact that she willingly and without question went with him whenever he commanded. Why did she do that? Was she wrong about the black mark on her soul? Was she really evil and destined to do horrible things? She dropped her gaze to her lap. Could she change her destiny?

The sun dropped into the sea and cast a gray hue over the world that quickly faded into black. The breeze continued to blow from the ocean, cooling slightly in the darkness. It dried the sweat on Katie’s body into sticky streams. Josh squeezed her hand.

“Hey, I have an idea. You wanna go somewhere and have a little fun?”

She looked at him. “Like where?”

Honestly, Katie just wanted to sit on the beach and let her mind wander. She didn’t want to be around other people and pretend like everything was all right with the world. Her desire was to replay the events from the day and figure out what she needed to do. She wanted to formulate a plan. But she also didn’t want Josh to get bored. He might leave her if that happened. What would Katie do then? She was stuck without him, so she didn’t want to anger him.

Josh stood from the beach and helped her to her feet. He stood in front of her, his body right next to hers, and ran a hand through her hair. A slight smile played on his lips. A look of affection crossed his face as he took in her features. Katie tried not to let the confusion show on her face, but the gesture was awfully gentle, almost human. Was it another of Josh’s ploys to suck her deeper into his world and to make her believe he could be more than a demon? Her limbs tingled, and her heart rate increased. Josh leaned forward and pressed his lips delicately against hers. His lips were soft and smelled faintly of mint. Despite everything she knew about him, she kissed him back, losing herself in his embrace and warmth.

After several moments, he pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against hers. Again, he ran his hands through her hair and down her back. His touch caused goosebumps to form on her flesh. Her breath hitched; she felt dizzy. The world melted away, and the only thing that existed was Josh. His warmth, his smell, his gaze were the only things that Katie could see, the only thing that mattered. Butterflies entered her stomach. She didn’t want the moment to end. She didn’t want to be without his presence. Memories of what he was vanished. Katie didn’t care. All that mattered was that he could appear to be human, mimic their emotions and mannerisms, and Katie was willing to take that.

“You ready to go?” His voice broke the spell.

Katie nodded, still feeling weak from his embrace.

He grabbed her hand and led her down the beach. She obediently followed.

After a short while, Katie found herself on a paved road surrounded by buildings and people. Lights flashed all around them, and music pulsed into the streets. Her eyes grew wide. How could that much activity be going on and she didn’t notice while on the beach? They weren’t that far from the city, and yet she thought they were isolated from people. Josh led her though the crowds to a club in the middle of the block. It rose three stories and boomed with bass. A line snaked around the front of the building and into an alley. Katie tightened her grip on Josh’s hand. He looked at her, reassurance on his face, and gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek. She forced a smile, but her stomach was in knots. It felt like she was going to throw up.

Josh bypassed the line and headed straight for the bouncer. Katie had no idea how they were going to get in. She didn’t have any money or an ID. She was fairly certain Josh didn’t either. The man nodded at them and opened the velvet rope for them to enter. Shock flowed through Katie. A few people standing in the line glared at them as they entered. They had probably been in line for a long time. As they stepped into the building, the music thudded in Katie’s ears, thumped in her chest. Smoke surrounded her; the smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and sweat gagged her. Bodies gyrated and moved on the dance floor. Lights barely pierced the hazy air. Katie’s flip-flops stuck to the floor. Josh directed her to the bar and let her have the only empty seat.

“You want anything to drink?” he yelled over the melee.

Katie shook her head. Her mouth had gone dry as they entered the establishment, but she was too afraid to put anything in her body. First of all, she didn’t know where she was. Secondly, her stomach was so upset she was afraid she would throw up. She slouched in her chair and tried to make herself as small as possible. The bartender approached and asked what Josh wanted. She spoke Spanish. Josh responded in kind. Katie mentally kicked herself for taking French in school. The woman placed a mug of beer on the counter and nodded at Josh before heading off to take care of other customers.

“Don’t you have to pay for that?” Katie spoke as loudly as possible and pointed to the beer.

Josh smiled and took a long drink. “I don’t have to pay for anything here.” He raised his eyebrows and finished off the liquid.

Katie didn’t understand what he meant, but it was too hard to carry on a conversation. She’d have to ask him later when it was quieter what he was talking about. He set the empty glass on the bar and bopped to the music. Katie glanced around the room, trying to get an idea of where she was at or a name of the club. If nothing else, she could look it up on the internet later.

Just then, she realized she’d forgotten her phone. She patted her pockets just in case, but she didn’t feel it in her shorts. Nervousness tingled through her. What was she going to do if she got into trouble and needed to call someone? She glanced desperately at Josh. She couldn’t let him out of her sight. He was her only chance at getting home. Was that part of his plan? Was he trying to isolate her from her family and friends? If so, she’d fallen right into it. He glanced down at her and pushed his eyebrows together.

“You all right?”

Katie shook her head. “I think I should probably go home.”

“If that’s what you wish.” Josh leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “Give me just a minute. There’s something I need to do.” Without another word, he disappeared into the crowd.

Katie felt her heart sink as he vanished, and she scanned the crowd desperately trying to find him. Her palms started to sweat, and her chest felt tight. The urge to go to the bathroom overtook her, but she was too afraid to get out of her seat. A hand gently touched her arm. She spun around in her chair, hoping Josh had come back. A young man dressed in khaki shorts and a pink button up shirt stood before her. His hair was slicked back with gel, and his brown eyes were red and glassy. He sucked his drink through a straw for several moments before smiling at her.

“Americano?” he asked. His voice was rich and full of bass.

Katie nodded.

“Hablas español?”

Katie didn’t speak Spanish, but she knew enough to know what the young man was asking. She shook her head, then glanced anxiously around the room to see if Josh was heading back.

The man moved closer. His body touched her arm. Katie tried to shrink away, but there was nowhere for her to go. The bar was behind her and other patrons sat next to her.

“You want to go somewhere more quiet?” The man’s voice was thick with an accent, his breath reeked of alcohol. He was so close to Katie, the smell burned her nostrils.

She plastered on a smile and tried to be as nice as possible. “No, thank you. I’m waiting for someone.”

The man took another long sip of his drink. He had to move back from Katie to accomplish the task, and she was thankful to get away from him. He swayed slightly as he finished the liquid and leaned forward to put the glass on the bar.

“I can be your friend.” He smiled slyly and his eyes glazed over.

Katie’s discomfort grew deeper. She had no experience rejecting guys in bars, and this one was obviously incredibly drunk. She didn’t want to offend him and cause him to become belligerent, but she also wanted him to go away. Where was Josh? She really needed his help.

The guy grabbed her hand. “C’mon. We go someplace quiet.” He pulled her with such force, she slid out of the seat.

Katie tried to jerk out of his grasp, but he held on too tightly. She attempted to plant her feet onto the ground and pull away, but he was too strong. He jerked her forward, and she had to take a step to keep from falling on her face. The momentum was all he needed to get her moving forward. Katie fought as best as she could, but she couldn’t get out of his grasp. Her eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for someone to help, even if it wasn’t Josh. They had to notice that she was being dragged off against her will. Maybe she should scream, maybe that would get him to let her go. Then again, maybe no one would hear her. The club was incredibly loud. Using her free hand, she clawed at the man’s fingers, trying to get him to let her go. He ignored her gestures and tightened his grip on her wrist. Pain radiated up her arm. He had a hold of the arm that had the stitches in it.

They snaked through the crowd toward the back of the club. Where was he taking her? Even if she could get away, where was she going to go? The crowd would be impossible to get through, and if she got onto the street, she had no idea where to run. She looked for a bouncer or some type of club security. Perhaps they could help her. What did they look like? She envisioned that they would have dark suit coats and things in their ears, but she didn’t notice anyone that matched the description. Her heart leapt into her throat. How was Josh going to find her?

The crowd thinned and the thump of the music lessened. Katie noticed they were in a hall, surrounded by neon lights that cast an eerie blue and red hue on the people standing around there. Doors lined either side of the hall. Where was she? Her imagination ran wild, and all she could think was that something sinister was behind those doors. Beds or torture chambers. She’d watched TV shows where cops investigated murders in clubs like this, and inevitably behind the doors was a sadomasochism chamber. Katie didn’t want to go in there. She wanted to be back home, safe in her room. She was sure she would never see it again. This guy was going to chain her up, have his way with her, and kill her. She made one last desperate tug to get away, but it was fruitless. He wasn’t going to let her go anywhere.

He stopped at a door on the right and turned to Katie. His lips curled into a sneer, and he reached for the handle. Katie squeezed her eyes shut and said a silent plea in her head. She apologized to Wes, Randy, and her mom in her thoughts, wishing she could be there in person to let them know she had been a fool.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The voice was familiar, and Katie’s eyes shot open. Josh stood next to her, his hands on his hips, anger shrouding his face.

The man dropped her hand and stepped backward. Katie positioned herself behind Josh.

“Nothing, man. I didn’t realize she was here with someone.”

“Well, she is.” Josh snarled. “And if you want to party with her, you have to pay.”

Katie’s jaw fell open. What did Josh say? Was he pimping her out? Surely she misunderstood. Her ears were ringing from the music, so she didn’t hear correctly.

The man straightened up;, the look of fear vanished from his face. He looked Katie up and down, licking his lips.

“How much?”

Josh gestured toward the room. “Shall we talk inside?”

The man responded by opening the door and stepping inside. Josh followed behind. Katie didn’t want to go in, but she also didn’t want to be left out in the hall alone. Who knew what was going to happen out there? She grabbed Josh’s arm and stayed behind him. The room was decorated with a couch and a bar. The music from the club played overhead, but it wasn’t deafening. Katie’s heart thudded in her ears, bile rose in her throat.