by Beth Abbott
Demons
(Book Three in The Guardians Series)
By Beth Abbott
Copyright © 2019 Beth Abbott
The reproduction or utilization of any part of this work is strictly prohibited except with the written permission of the author.
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If you have downloaded it from anywhere else, it is an illegal copy and an infringement of the author’s copyright. Please notify the author or the site from where you downloaded it that it should be removed.
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used completely fictitiously. Any similarity between the people, events or locations in this book and actual persons, living or dead, or real businesses, events or places is completely unintentional.
Dedication
To my husband, who’s been there for me on my worst days.
To my kids, who’ve been responsible for some of my best days.
To my wonderful friends around the world, some old, and some new;
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, because without your support I might never have gotten this far.
And to the men and women of the armed forces of the UK, US and all our coalition allies, past and present, and to all those struggling to bring peace to an insane world, I send my heartfelt thanks to you and your families, for the sacrifices you make so that the rest of us can sleep peacefully.
May your God bless you and always keep you safe.
The Alpha Company Women Series
(Series 1)
Invisible
Anonymous
Concealed
Healing
Living
Impossible
The Stalwart Security Series
(Series 2)
Relentless
Shattered
Retribution
Deceived
Allegiance
Breathless
The Guardians Series
(Series 3)
Angels
Saviours
Demons
Table of contents
Title Page
List of characters
Dedication
List of Titles
Chapter 1 – Suzy
Chapter 2 – Matt
Chapter 3 – Evan
Chapter 4 – Suzy
Chapter 5 – Evan
Chapter 6 – Matt
Chapter 7 – Megan
Chapter 8 – Suzy
Chapter 9 – Megan
Chapter 10 – Evan
Chapter 11 – Suzy
Chapter 12 – Matt
Chapter 13 – Megan
Chapter 14 – Evan
Chapter 15 – Suzy
Chapter 16 – Matt
Chapter 17 – Megan
Chapter 18 – Evan
Chapter 19 – Claire
Chapter 20 – Megan
Chapter 21 – Evan
Chapter 22 – Ladywood, Birmingham
Chapter 23 – Matt
Chapter 24 – Megan
Chapter 25 – Jay
Chapter 26 – Evan
Chapter 27 – Suzy
Chapter 28 – Megan
Chapter 29 – Evan
Chapter 30 – Megan
Chapter 31 – Matt
Chapter 32 – Suzy
Chapter 33 – Ladywood, Birmingham
Chapter 34 – Evan
Chapter 35 – Suzy
Chapter 36 – Megan
Chapter 37 – Suzy
Chapter 38 – Jay
Chapter 39 – Evan
Chapter 40 – Matt
Chapter 41 – Evan
Chapter 42 – Suzy
Chapter 43 – Matt
Chapter 44 – Evan
Chapter 45 – Hannah
Chapter 46 – Megan
Chapter 47 – Matt
Chapter 48 – Suzy
Chapter 49 – Evan
Chapter 50 - Megan
Chapter 51 - Matt
Chapter 52 - Jay
Chapter 53 - Megan
Chapter 54 - Hannah
Chapter 55 - Megan
Chapter 56 - Evan
Chapter 57 - Heather
Chapter 58 - Suzy
Chapter 59 – Evan
Chapter 60 - Megan
Chapter 61 - Matt
Chapter 62 – Evan
Chapter 63 - Matt
Chapter 64 – JT
Chapter 65 – Matt
Chapter 66 – Megan
Chapter 67 - Evan
Chapter 68 - Matt
Chapter 69 - Evan
Chapter 70 - Hannah
Chapter 71 - Matt
Chapter 72 – Megan
Chapter 73 - Matt
Chapter 74 - Evan
Chapter 75 – Matt
Epilogue – Megan Eight Weeks Later
Message from Beth Abbott
Q&A with Beth
Chapter 1 – Suzy
“When he gets here, I’m seriously gonna have words with him.”
Suzy smiled across the table at her teenage son. How the hell did she and Matt manage to create such an amazing kid?
“Don’t keep smiling at me, mum.” Charlie scowled at her. “This is the second time he’s blown off an important family event in a week. He missed Taylor’s Christmas concert on Monday, and it was the first time she’d had a speaking part. And now he’s not even bothered to show up for Rory’s birthday.”
“Your father had the Alpha Company director’s meeting down in London yesterday, so we knew he wasn’t going to be here this morning for Rory’s birthday. And it’s not like this is the Alpha babies’ party.” Suzy pointed out. “The get-together for all the babies first birthdays is in London on the weekend and your dad knows that. This is just a little celebration we were having for us and Rory. It’s just a pub outing really, with the bonus of a ball-pit to keep Rory happy. Not that important in the big scheme of things.”
“Yeah, but that ‘us’ you were talking about is supposed to include dad.” Charlie pouted. “Only he seems to be forgetting that a lot lately.”
“Charlie, that’s so not fair.” Suzy frowned. Had Matt really missed that many events to have Charlie so pissed at him? “Dad works really hard, you know that. And there have been a lot of problems at the football club lately, with some serious threats against one of the players. Alpha Company is providing security there, so he has to take something like that seriously, doesn’t he?”
Charlie sat staring at the ball-pit where his ten-year-old sister was happily playing with their one-year-old baby brother, Rory.
“Look, he’s obviously not going to show up now.” Suzy sighed, glancing at her watch. “I’d better pay the bill and then we can go home. We can have some dessert when we get there.”
Suzy rummaged in her bag for her purse and walked up to the counter.
“Can I settle up?” She smiled at the cashier.
“Sure.” The woman smiled. “I’m afraid there must be a storm coming in, because it’s knocked out our internet, which means that the card machine’s gone down. I don’t suppose you have cash, do you? Or there’s a cash dispenser around the corner you can use.”
“Hang on, how much was the bill?” Suzy opened her purse to check what notes she had on her.
“Fifty-five pounds and some change.” The woman smiled sympathetically, obviously embarrassed to be making life difficult.
“You’re in luck.” Suzy smiled. “I have sixty on me. It doesn’t leave much for a tip, I’m afraid, but that’s all I’ve got. Keep the change.”
She walked back to the table, pulling her phone out to check it for the fiftieth time. Still no
messages or calls from Matt.
She placed her bag on the seat, deciding she needed to use the bathroom before they headed out.
“I’m going to pay a quick visit to the little girls’ room.” She nodded towards the ladies’ toilets on the far side of the room. “Can you get Taylor and Rory out of the ball pit and get their coats on? I won’t be a minute.”
Charlie grumbled a reply as she wandered off, and Suzy headed towards the toilets, glad of a few minutes respite from her son’s annoyance.
He was a great kid, and he would do anything for her, but just lately he seemed to have gone from being her cuddly little boy to her second protector. She didn’t like him growing up if he was going to be so serious and responsible all the time. That should be the job of the parents, not the kids.
At fifteen, he was already six feet tall, and like Matt, would probably not stop growing for another couple of years. With Suzy being only a few inches over five-feet, he towered over her, and in the last few months, he seemed to be taking on the typical mantle of an Alpha-Stalwart male, becoming quite protective of her.
His idea that Matt was neglecting them was worrying.
Ok, Matt had missed a few things lately, and if she was being honest, she’d been pissed at him a few times recently herself, sometimes for changing plans at the last minute, or skipping lunches with her with virtually no warning.
But Charlie knew nothing about those cancellations. His annoyance was purely about what he had personally witnessed.
She was seriously going to have a word with Matt herself, although she’d probably have to call his PA, Lacey, and make an appointment.
Suzy finished in the toilet and washed her hands.
Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she tried to look for signs of wear and tear.
Her shoulder-length blonde hair was nicely cut and highlighted, and her blue eyes still had that mischievous twinkle in them.
Just the hint of crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes was about the only change to her appearance in the last ten years, and she liked to think of them as her laughter lines.
Otherwise her skin was still as clear, her body slimmer, if anything, than when they’d met, and the only real difference was that her boobs were still bigger since she’d had the kids.
If only that was enough to hold Matt’s interest, she thought, turning away from the mirror.
As she made her way back across the bar, she could see Rory sitting on Charlie’s lap, sucking on her phone as usual.
It was a damn good thing that her phone was waterproof, because since Rory had started teething, he seemed to love gumming up her phone more than he liked his teething ring, straight from the freezer. Now his teeth were in, she decided he must just like the hardness of the frame.
“Mama!” Rory yelled in delight at seeing her, and as he did, he threw his arms forward, as if holding them out for a hug.
Her phone slipped out of his soggy grasp as he wiggled his chubby fingers, and it seemed destined to fly the fifteen feet across the room towards her in slow motion.
Suzy made a lunge for it but was still about five feet short.
She saw the corner of the phone hit the solid slate tile of the pub floor, watching in horror as the screen cracked into a million pieces.
By the time she got to it and switched it on to check the damage, there seemed to be black liquid inside leaking all over the place, and nothing seemed to be working. Only the screen protector was preventing the pieces of shattered glass from falling out.
“Mama!” Rory was still beaming at her, unaware that he’d just destroyed her one and only communication device.
“Is it broken?” Charlie looked worried as she reached the table.
Suzy turned the phone around and watched her son pale.
“I’m sorry mum.” Charlie said quietly. “I only gave him your phone to stop him squawking at everyone. You know how noisy he gets.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” She smiled, covering up her annoyance. “If you hadn’t given it to him, I would have. These things happen.”
They gathered their belongings together and walked out to the carpark, Charlie carrying Rory. Suzy had just about had enough for one night, and the only thing she wanted now was to climb into her pyjamas and curl up on the sofa with a good book.
She looked around the carpark for her car.
“Mum, we came by taxi, remember?” Charlie sighed. “Dad was supposed to be driving us home, so you could have a drink.”
Suzy almost groaned. She’d forgotten all about that when they’d ordered their drinks with the meal, and she’d had the same soft drink as the kids out of habit.
“You’ll have to call a taxi to take us home.” Charlie pointed out.
Suzy held her phone up, reminding him that she had no way of phoning anyone.
“Well, it’s no good looking at us.” Taylor announced. “You wouldn’t let us bring our phones because it was supposed to be ‘family-time’.”
Yeah, Suzy thought. Sometimes her rules tripped them all up.
“Would the people in the pub call a taxi for us?” Charlie suggested.
“They probably would.” Suzy nodded. “But I just used the last of my cash to pay for the meal. We’ll have to go around the corner to the cash-machine first.”
“Well, can we go then?” Taylor sulked. “My hands are cold, and I forgot my gloves.”
Suzy led her kids around the corner to the supermarket, where the cash machine sat in the front window.
‘OUT OF SERVICE’
Suzy read the sign and could have wept.
“Let’s see if I’ve got this straight…” Charlie stared at her. “We’ve got no phone, no cash, no car, and you’ve got no clue where your husband is. Have I missed anything?”
“Couldn’t you go back inside and ask them to phone grandma?” Taylor suggested. “She would come and get us.”
“Grandma and Aunty Pat have gone on a Christmas shopping weekend in London, baby.” Suzy smiled. “There’s nobody home for us to call.”
“So, what do we do now?” Charlie glared at her.
Suzy looked around for inspiration, but nothing came to her.
“I guess we walk.” She shrugged. “I know it’s a terribly old-fashioned concept, and not something you kids have had much practise at, but perhaps it’s time you went old-school, like I had to when I was your age.”
Suzy took hold of Taylor’s hand, and ignoring the griping from her oldest children, she started trudging back up towards the main road. It wasn’t the shortest route home, but on a dark December evening, at least the road would be well lit.
“How far is it?” Taylor whined.
“It’s no more than three miles.” Suzy said with a smile. “We’ll be home in less than an hour.”
Ignoring the occasional whimper, Suzy kept hold of Taylor’s hand, while Charlie carried Rory behind her. None of them was really dressed for walking outdoors, but at least Taylor and Rory had warm coats and hats on.
She and Charlie had thick jackets on, but neither of them had gone out with walking in mind.
About twenty minutes into their walk there was an almighty clap of thunder, and the sky lit up with a flash of lightening right in front of them.
Taylor screamed, and Rory burst out crying, and Suzy remembered that the woman in the pub had guessed that a storm was coming.
She calmed them down and kept on walking, wondering how the night could possibly get any worse.
Twenty minutes later, when they walked into a wall of rain which left them soaked to the skin within seconds, she had her answer.
Obviously, the world hated her.
Ten minutes later, when she finally turned into her driveway, it wasn’t only Taylor who had tears running down her face.
Suzy was just about ready to scream at the first person who looked at her sideways, and she just wanted to get out of her wet clothes and into a hot bath, neither of which would happen until she had sorted her kids out.
The four of them looked like bedraggled urchins, and she and Charlie were probably blue with cold from trying to give Taylor and Rory more cover under their respective jackets.
If she had to guess, her chest and stomach were probably frozen solid from where the driving wind had been slapping the soggy material of her shirt against her skin for so long. She’d given Taylor her gloves and surrendered her scarf to the baby long since. He was probably the warmest of the four of them, with Charlie cuddling him inside his jacket.
She glanced at her man-sized son as they reached the front door.
“Thank you, Charlie.” She half-smiled. “You’re my rock, you know that, right?”
Before he could answer, there was a screeching of tires, and a shiny black BMW pulled into the driveway.
Suzy watched as the passenger door opened, and the interior light came on.
Matt’s PA waved at her from the driver’s seat as her husband climbed out of the fancy car, walking to the back where he retrieved his overnight bag and briefcase.
Suzy watched her husband lean back into the car and say something to Lacey, and then shut the door with a flourish.
Suzy couldn’t stand to watch as he waved his PA off, instead turning to unlock the door to get them all inside.
“Did you hear on the news that the stadium gates were hit by lightning, and blown off their tracks?” Matt shouted to her as he made his way up the path. “Luckily Lacey had parked her car in the visitor carpark across the street from the stadium, because all of our cars are stuck in the club carpark going nowhere.”
Suzy didn’t bother to turn around.
Taylor’s hand was like a block of ice, and they were both shivering like crazy. She pushed the door open and they stepped inside.
“Run up to your bedroom and strip off.” She smiled at her daughter. “Start running your bath and I’ll be up in a minute.”
She turned to see Charlie unwrapping the scarf from around Rory’s face, and her baby son’s toothy grin appeared, even though he was half-soaked.
“I’ll take him.” She reached out to Charlie, taking the baby from him. “Go and have a hot bath and warm yourself up. Come down and get a nice cup of hot chocolate when you’re done.”