Chapter Eleven – Similar Duplicate
RAPHAEL NEEDED TO CALL his family. He also needed to check in with the Archangel on the documentation for the ladies. Plus, he needed to book a suite at the place in North Carolina that he couldn’t remember the name of in his current state. Dark liquor really threw him off. He could sip gin or tequila and be fine, but a dark liquor in his body was like giving sugar cookies to a diabetic. His tongue felt fuzzy, but he dialed home.
“Hey there, is everything going well?” he asked Willow when she came on the line.
“As well as can be expected with a precocious 10-year-old and a teenage girl who has just discovered she’s pretty,” Willow said.
“Let me guess, Stan Jr. I’m going to kick that kid in his dick if he touches my Punkin Puss,” Raphael growled.
“Slow down there, Papa Bear. She’s making friends. Stan is introducing her to a normal teenage life. Most of the day they are here on the patio, listening to music and just hanging out,” Willow added. “Trust me, Dusty is constantly where I can see her.”
“How is Karli?” he asked.
“Missing you and wondering when you’re coming home?”
“I’m hoping tomorrow, but I may need to make a stop. The Boss Man is...I don’t know. I have a feeling,” he said to Willow. “Also, I’m checking with the Archangel after this call on your ID’s.”
“Are you ready to get rid of us already?” she asked.
“I’m trying to do what’s best for all involved, but we’ll talk when I get home,” Raphael said. “Are the girls in bed? I know it’s late.”
“They are since today was pretty full, but this new way of life feels good for us,” Willow replied. “How did the meeting go today, and did the gift of wine go over well?”
“He saved the wine and poured us a couple of fingers of brandy. I don’t drink dark liquors, and now I’m lying here noticing spider webs in the corners of the cabin,” he chuckled. “The discussion went well. I learned a few things and shared a few things. Times are changing, and we need to be ahead of what’s coming.”
“Raphael, trust me when I tell you this, and I’m pretty sure you’re well aware, but no amount of planning is ever enough,” Willow said softly. “Just when you think you have it all together, a wildcard pops up in your life and everything goes to pot. We can adjust and square our shoulders, but there is no way to truly brace for the impact.”
“Said the fly to the spider,” he answered softly.
“Am I the fly Raphael, trapped in a sticky web ready to be devoured by the spider at his leisure?”
“Devour is such a strong word, Willow. Sleep well. I shall call earlier tomorrow when I have a better grasp on my day,” he said. “Rest easy.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Hoyt,” she said, ending the call.
Willow sat on the couch, looking over the touches she had added to the home. Maybe it was too much or maybe it wasn’t enough, but she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay with him and raise the girls in the house by the beach. Both Karli and Dusty were doing well, making friends and earning a new sense of self. Having to start over may be detrimental to them, but if she had to, she would.
“Devour is such a strong word, Willow. As if the idea of him devouring me whole doesn’t give me a major lady boner. Even my nips are hard as rocks at the sound of his voice,” she grumbled, falling back on the couch. “And he smells good, too, like bergamot and citrus. I don’t know what it is he showers in, but I’m not going in his room to ramble through his stuff to find out.”
She lay on the couch, looking up at the ceiling wondering if he wore boxers or briefs. His nails were impeccably trimmed, with no little ragged edges.
“I wonder what he does for a living?” she said sitting up and looking around. “Nope. Not going to look. When you start looking, you find shit, and then you want to act scared and run. He’s dangerous. You already know this. He’s a bad man who probably does bad things for a living and buys expensive bottles of wine with the money he earns.”
Her hands went to her face, then into the loose hair which she hadn’t bothered to braid today. All day she’d been working on added touches to the house. Tomorrow she would work on added touches to herself. A great number of the items she had ordered online had two-day shipping and would arrive in the afternoon. If all went well, she would put away her toys away before Daddy got home and spanked her ass for spending so much money.
“Shoot, if he’s gonna spank me, I may just leave all the boxes out for him to see,” she shimmied her shoulders at the idea of those really large ham hands coming down hard on her bare bottom. “Whew, woman, you keep working yourself into a frenzy and that poor man is not going to have a fighting chance.”
HE NEVER HAD A FIGHTING chance. Two days was all it took for Rami to locate the one and only Kindred Seoul, an African American Korean who changed his name to match his life. The evil which hovered around the man could physically be sniffed in the air as he walked past. A white robe swept the floor in elegant grace as he glided through the throng of women and well-wishers wanting to be a part of his new flock.
Another charlatan setting out to prey upon the weak.
Another man placed in a position of power and authority while others worked and he reaped the profits. Rami was a new member, a man of few means but professed to having a few thousand in the bank, or at least that’s what he told the second in command. It was enough to get him a personal sit down with the leader of The Chosen Few; that’s what Kindred called the new group.
This group was outside of Murray, Kentucky, not far from the original location of the Vampire Cult Rami’s wife had left him to join. Kindred had decided to build his church on a nearby farm whose land was filled with rocks. New congregation members were arriving today. Rami was in the group of busty young women with daughters with tiny buds developing on their branches. He knew this story and knew it well.
The anger in him had not ceased.
The hatred in him had not abated.
The desire to take this man’s life made his palms itch as the women were sent one way and he in another room to meet the leader. Rami was ready to meet Kindred as well. Then he was hit with a thought, a grand thought so brilliant it nearly sparkled in his pocket along with the small sack of rose-gold glitter.
“I shall make him anew,” he said, entering the chamber of the one they called Kindred.
“Welcome, welcome my new friend. Please come, sit and have tea with me,” Kindred said, offering a toothy smile, the whiteness of his teeth matching the whiteness in his eyes.
“Thank you, Sir, I am honored to be in your presence,” Rami said, taking a seat on the floor and crossing his legs in a lotus fashion. “Allow me to pour the tea for us both.”
Kindred waved his hand as if he gave the poor peasant permission to please him. Under Rami’s sleeve, he uncapped the small container, drizzling drops of the clear, tasteless liquid into the cup that would touch Kindreds’ lips. The poison usually worked in less than 15 minutes. He had taken the vial from Wrong Way’s van, along with all the chemicals she had neatly labeled in the back of the vehicle. He was anxious to see how this one worked. The hot liquid mixed in the cup and Rami passed it to the leader then poured a cup for himself using his other hand.
He watched the man sip at the liquid. “Tell me Rami, is that your name? What have you to offer the collective in order to join our ranks?”
“Oh, I don’t have much, a few grand in the bank I’ve been saving. I have a pick-up truck that I drove over in and a few bearer bonds, but that’s about it,” he said. “Oh, I have a house in Jacksonville, Florida, not far from the beach.”
“You come with nice assets, friend Rami,” Kindred said, taking a long sip of the tea. “Are you willing to part with your earthly possessions in your journey to spiritual enlightenment as you grow closer to God?”
Rami sat, waiting for the first five minutes to pass. Kindred took several more sips, emptying the cup. Now it would only be a matter of
minutes before he died.
“I have a little more, but is it possible to speak with you away from the prying ears? I mean, I don’t want others who’ve just begun their spiritual journeys to become jealous of my standing with you, since I have so much and they so little,” Rami said, stroking the greed of the man.
Kindred waved his hand and the two guards left them alone. Rami had already planned his exit through the window that led down the back path. This man was a horrible person by any account, and the message sent to him by Proderick Hymn was clear.
“Now that we’re alone, Brother Rami, let us talk about your contributions to our new family,” Kindred said, coughing a bit, trying to clear his throat.
“There are no new additions to your family and none of these women shall bear your seed,” Rami told him, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the small bag of glitter. “Today is your day to die, courtesy of Proderick Hymn.”
“What? Hymn! How did you...that son of a bitch,” Kindred said, trying to stand, but the double-sighted dizziness made him flop to the floor.
“Yeah, sending his daughter out to be basically, well, you know, by a man who paid you, is kind of, the reason for your death. And you’re dying,” Rami said, sprinkling gold glitter on Kindred’s white robe. “Oooh, this is showing up so good on that white.”
“Hymn paid you to do this?”
“Man, I would have done this for free since you’re such a dick,” Rami said, “but you know what? Over the last week, I have gotten a certain amount of clarity on my life. Initially, I was obsessed with this vengeance thing. Now, I can make my own path, paying back assholes who wronged me on my own time. In the interim, I can make money taking out the guys who take out the guys. You know what I mean?”
Kindred’s tongue had begun to balloon in his mouth, obstructing his breathing. The blueness around his lips meant oxygen was low, and soon he’d be gone from this world. Rami would be $10,000 richer and one more step ahead of the Technicians. He planned to root them all out using their methodology, their tricks, and their techniques but leaving behind his glitter.
“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,” he laughed, getting to his feet. He made it to the window, opening the rotted window jamb, kicking out the screen, and climbing through. He’d be halfway to the county line before the men discovered the jackleg would-be minister of lost souls was dead. “Next, I will deal with you, Hymn.”
He hummed softly as he bent, darting into the tree line and walking away slowly from the homestead that would unravel at the death of Kindred. He hoped it would be an opportunity for the simple women who followed the man to take it as a sign and leave the farm. They would all leave if they knew what was good for them.
RAPHAEL DIDN’T DOUBT if he was good for Willow or the girls, but he needed to make a call to get things clear with the guardian angel who protected them all. Raphael also needed documentation of ownership, so to speak before he transported his family across state lines, again. He placed the call to the Archangel by pressing one on the number pad.
“State your need,” the deep voice answered and spoke into the line.
“I’m not sure if they are good for me or if I’m good for them, Archangel,” Raphael said. “They’ve been through a great deal, but for the past two days, I have been on the road. Monday I was in North Carolina, and now I’m in Georgia. It may be Thursday before I’m back home. There are doubts in my mind.”
“Raphael, your name in Biblical scripture means ‘God heals’, as we all must from time to time. The woman and children need time to heal,” Archangel said, “and under your watchful care they can as well as be safe.”
“They can also be safe elsewhere, but I hear you,” he said, almost waffling on his own desire to keep them as his own. “Hey, next week, Yield and Mann are going to Concord, North Carolina to some indoor waterpark thing. I’m going to take Willow and the girls. I think I’m going to need some IDs or proof of their existence before taking them across state lines. What can you do for me?”
“When next week?”
“Tuesday, I think we’re checking in, and out on Friday,” he said, making a note to call and make reservations in the morning.
“Let me see what I can do. Dusty Rose is what, 14, and the girl Karli is 10?” Archangel asked.
“Yes, and Willow Rayne, I spell, Romeo, Alpha, Yankee, November, Echo, is the last name,” Raphael replied. “Were you able to find any records on her before she went to the commune?”
“I’m finding a few things. An especially important thing if you’re interested, but it is on a personal level,” he told Raphael, waiting for him to bite.
“How personal?”
“Not a bad personal, but it could prove helpful in your decision-making about how you’d like to proceed,” the Archangel said.
“How I want to proceed? You get them IDs and out of my house,” Raphael said, wishing for the simplicity to return to his life, but wanting to know the taste of Willow’s mouth and the feel of her legs wrapped around him. He sighed deeply. “Tell me.”
“Her birthday is Thursday,” Archangel said, “Willow Palm Rayne will celebrate her 39th birthday.”
“Thirty-nine heh?” Raphael said, rubbing his chest, which had begun to tighten.
“Yes, and Friday will make seven days she will have been in your care,” Archangel said.
“Technically, Saturday is when I picked them up, so Saturday would be seven...hey, hold on there, Bible Thumper, I see what you’re trying to do,” Raphael said, feeling anger rising in him.
“On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days,” Gabriel quoted Leviticus 23:40.
Raphael could hear the man chuckling in the line. He’d been set up. The Archangel knew. He knew all along. Thus far he hadn’t touched her, so at least he had that going for himself.
“I haven’t touched her, Archangel. I have not laid a hand on that woman,” Raphael said emphatically.
“Not yet, but you aren’t that good of a man, Raphael, are you? You abstain from touching her, and I shall take them from your care; however, if you can’t control your baser urges and take her to your bed, then if you lick it, it becomes yours,” Archangel said, laughing again.
“If I didn’t think I would go to Hell for putting a bullet in your ass, I would. You sneaky, conniving, Bible carrying...”
“I’ll be in touch,” Archangel said and hung up.
Chapter Twelve – Pirate
THE MOMENT HIS EYES opened, he regretted drinking the brown liquor. Twenty-two years in the Navy and he’d avoided it and now it came down to this, a throbbing headache, a rock-hard bed, and a toddler sitting on his chest. Nate Jr., was as heavy as he looked and slowly pressing the air out of his lungs. The second the bedroom door had opened he’d awakened. Out of curiosity, he lay still waiting to see what the kid would do.
“I guess you can’t be all that bad if my kid likes you,” Mann said as he tapped on the door and let himself into the room. He lifted his son from the bed and off of Exit’s chest.
“Thanks, I was wondering why I couldn’t breathe,” Exit replied. “Morning. I’ll be out of your hair soon as I shower.”
“Take your time. You want some breakfast?”
“If it’s no trouble,” Exit said.
“None, but I’ve been thinking about a few things and wanted to talk before you go. Get some clarity I guess,” Mann told him.
Exit was sitting up and staring at the wall, but listening. Clarity was a rare state for any man. At times, the path seemed clear and the directional arrows were aiming for the straight and narrow. On other days, you woke up with 40 pounds on your chest wondering where the hell you went wrong on life.
“Clarity?”
“Yeah, on Wrong Way. You said she had a husband and son. When did all of that happen?”
“About 12 years ago, at least that’s how old the kid looked,”
Exit said. “She never divorced the husband. Glitter Man blinded her, temporarily, I hope, but her husband took her back as if she hadn’t been gone from his life for 10 years.”
“Hey, I’m never one to kiss and tell, but I know why he took her back,” Mann said, stretching his eyes wide. “She is dark. She is crazy, but she knows how to make a man feel as if he’s standing tall.”
“You and Wrong Way? I can’t see that at all,” Exit said.
“I couldn’t either, which is why it never got any heft, but maybe she held back knowing she was already married, and I wasn’t ready to try to help her heal,” Mann added. “It’s the healing part that’s the hardest. Loving is easy, but on the nights when the lights go out in their eyes and you have to bring them back into the now, that’s hard. Her lights went out several times, and it was a struggle. Maybe I wasn’t ready. Maybe I wasn’t the strong man she needed.”
“Or maybe your path was meant for the woman you have, not the one passing through on her way home,” Exit said, wrapping his arms around his knees.
“And the one you have at home?”
“I’m not sure. What my body wants and what my head tells me to do are two different things. I’m mentally at war with myself. I like my quiet life. Get up, go kill a bastard, come home, and rest,” Exit said. “Nice and simple. Now she’s going to want me to talk about my feelings. I feel like having a beer, scratching my nethers, and going to sleep. When I get home, I have to deal with a teenage girl that just found out she’s pretty, which means there will be bees humming around my honey. The 10-year-old has stolen my heart and my wallet, and more than likely I’ll be damned near bankrupt by the time she goes off to college. And the woman...man I like talking to her.”
“About your feelings?” Mann asked, giving a wry smile.
“About any damned thing. At times, it doesn’t seem as if she’s been squirreled away from the world for six years and at other times, it seems as if...I don’t know. You know that light thing you’re talking about.”
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