“That’s okay. I’ll hold it while you get the rest of your things out.” He thought he saw a bit of trepidation on her face and watched as she pulled out the rest of the items from the locker. As she did so, he let his senses do the walking all over the hat. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but he didn’t…trust anyone. What had she done while he was away?
She went out. There’s tension here. Holy shit, she went to Murati’s Curiosity Shop! Why the hell did she do that? And when? While we were there, we didn’t see her or anyone come through the door. There’s more. She intends to bring Murati down and laid the groundwork while she visited there. Satisfaction. Mmmm. And fear. Son of a bitch! He saw her.
“Are you insane, woman? Isn’t it bad enough that Murati wants you out of the picture? Oh no, you have to go and give yourself to him on a silver platter!” He fumed, and forgetting all about the shielding, he let go of her to scrub his face, rendering them both visible and audible to the world. He slammed his hand against the metal locker, denting it.
She shrank back and winced.
“Damn it! Why couldn’t you stay in the room like a good girl, like a reasonable woman, like I told you? You had me thinking the whole time that it was my fault you nearly got killed today. Mine! When all the time you knew your inability to control your impulses was really to blame. Do you really want to live, Ariana? Because I’m getting the distinct impression here that you don’t.”
He paced like a lion ready to pounce on his prey, while a bullet train of energy coursed through his veins. If he didn’t leave now, he would destroy the room. And he didn’t know if he could protect her from his rage.
She didn’t say a word. She just stood there, shrinking more and more into the wall with a look of utter shock and guilt on her face. But he couldn’t stop himself.
“Take your stuff and go back to the room. Or don’t. I’m getting the fuck out of here.” He threw the hat on the floor and left her where she stood. He didn’t know where to go, but bad guys were gonna fall tonight.
Ariana stood, stupefied. He’d held her hat and found out what she’d done. She deserved everything he’d said. All of it. And more. How would she ever make this up to him? An apology seemed inadequate. Looking back, she’d put the whole operation in jeopardy with her silly notion of bringing Uncle Eddie down by herself. She didn’t consider the consequences of her actions with regards to the Elixxir and the Brethren. What if she’d blown the whole thing to smithereens? Could she be sent to Hell for this?
“Are you all right, dearie?” Two elderly women with concerned looks on their faces shuffled over to her. One rested a hand on her arm. “We were walking by when we saw that big brute of a man yell at you and blast his way out of here. He didn’t hurt you, did he? We could get the police for you.”
“No! No, he didn’t hurt me. And his bark is worse than his bite. It’s really my fault he’s so angry. But thank you. I appreciate you coming over and checking. I’m gonna go up to the room now. I think that’s enough excitement for one day.” She patted the woman’s hand and smiled as she left the two to their inevitable prattle.
That’s where I should have been all along.
Chapter Fourteen
The sun had set a couple of hours ago and Ariana had shredded a whole box of tissues with worry over her angel’s state of mind. He hadn’t called or been back since the debacle in the spa. She’d ordered room service when she’d gotten back upstairs, but it sat, mostly untouched. After mutilating the last napkin, she opted for strangling a hand towel while pacing the floor.
Voices in the hall had her on alert, and then a knock on the door sent her scrambling to the bathroom to hide.
“Hey, Nathanael! It’s Gabriel and Yofi. Open up.”
Feeling like a fool, she got out of the tub, unlocked the bathroom door, and opened the room’s door to awaiting angels. “Hi, come in. Nate’s not here at the moment.” She closed the door and continued. “I’m Ariana.”
“Yes, we know. I’m Gabriel. This is Yofi. We’re colleagues of Nathanael’s.”
“I know all about it, Gabriel. You don’t have to pretend around me. Congrats on the new job, Yofi.”
The Brethren looked at each other and back at her. “What exactly do you know?”
“You’re angels and you fight Evil while protecting us humans. Don’t worry about me knowing, though. Raphael and Serena are close friends of mine, and your buddy, Kemuel, and I were a thing a ways back. Not anymore, though, so make sure you remember that. Anyway, your buddy’s not here, and I don’t know when he’s gonna be back because he’s gone MIA, probably looking for all kinds of trouble, thanks to me.” She took a breath and took a drink of water.
The two behemoths, one in a suit and the other in leather pants and T-shirt, sat down on the bed looking none too pleased.
“Okay. Start talking. What happened?”
***
Nathanael rode his Harley hard around Las Vegas looking for the seediest parts of town. Evil would pay heavily tonight. He stopped in front of a dive bar down some street he didn’t even know. Men stood outside smoking cigarettes and joints, talking trash about women. In the bar, he could hear others arguing over how to tell the difference between a “he/she” and a real woman. He drove on.
After countless turns and stops he finally came across a convenience store. Its occupants were currently robbing the place at gunpoint. He swaggered through the door to the chorus of screams from the clerks. One of the robbers turned his gun on him.
“Hey, man! Keep on walking and empty your pockets on the counter. Now!”
“I don’t think so, asswipe.” Nathanael kept walking toward the man. Disregarding the bullets making holes in his T-shirt, he punched him square in the jaw and grabbed the gun out of his hand. He punched him a second time and smiled as he watched him slump to the floor.
“What the fuck?” The second man stalked over with his semi-automatic pointing straight at the Brethren’s heart. “I’m gonna make you wish you were never born, asshole.”
“And I’ll make sure history shows you never were.”
The Warrior taunted and waved him to approach. Instead, the thief chose to charge him and unload his magazine. Bullets shredded the remaining bits of his T-shirt and were quickly absorbed into his skin, like the others. Shock and horror washed over the guy’s face. In a crazed and desperate move, he tossed the gun at him and backed up.
“Whoa! Whoa! Who the hell are you?”
Nathanael stepped forward, picked up the scrawny cokehead by his neck, and lifted him high in the air with his left hand. “I’m the last one your poor excuse for a life is gonna see before you die and go to Hell. Remember my name when you get there. It’s Nathanael. Tell Satan you’re number one.”
“Wha—” But before the thug could finish his thought, Nathanael unsheathed his sword and threw the man up in the air. As his body descended, the angel pivoted and sliced right through his neck. More screams and shouts erupted as the sales clerks ran out of the store.
The ancient inscription on the sword glowed fiery orange-red, and the blade soaked up the blood that coated the length of it. Nathanael’s arms shook violently as electricity shot through every cell of his body. Rapture blinded him and he fell to his knees. Tears streamed down his cheeks. As his adrenaline rush slowly subsided, he hung his head and said, “Now for number two.”
***
“That was you in the store? I saw you! I was shielded, hoping to find Murati or at least sense where he went and if he took the Elixxir. You were messing with the computer up front while granny was in the back looking for something.” Yofi shook his head and laughed.
“Yes, that was me. I’m not ashamed to say I framed him for embezzlement and ran out of there. I’m so sorry if I screwed things up for you. Haven’t had a chance to apologize to Nate, though.”
“Don’t worry, I got the information we need to move forward.”
“You know where the Elixxir is?” Finally, a break for the good guys,
Ariana thought.
“Yup. It’s with Murati. He’s got it in his pocket, and he plans on going to a show this evening.”
“So now all we have to do is find Nate and you can get it back from my murdering uncle. Can you figure out where he is?”
“Well, normally, we have open lines of contact between us, but there are times when we put up walls for privacy. He’s blocked us. That’s why we came all the way here instead of using telepathy.”
“Damn it. I’m worried about him.” She pounded her fist on the bedside table. “When he left me…. Let me put it to you this way. I wouldn’t want to be the fool to cross his path. He could cause some serious damage to a lot of people out there. I’m afraid he’s gone on a rage-filled bender.”
Gabriel stood, an imposing, towering skyscraper. “What exactly are you saying? You’re making him out to be some kind of violence junkie. He’s a bounty hunter and a Brethren Warrior. Violence is his job.”
“I know, Gabriel. But tell me,” she countered, “do the other Warriors get a high when they slice and dice? Do they look for reasons to fight? Do they case the most dangerous parts of town in the hopes of finding someone to pummel into Hell?”
Silence.
“Didn’t think so. But Nathanael has. I’ll bet you a million dollars he’s roaming the streets doing exactly that. Do you know Joe’s number?”
“Joe? Who’s Joe?”
“You must know Joe. He’s his personal fitness trainer and old friend. He’s the only one who knows—I mean…he can tell you how serious this is.
“Oh! Joseph Demonico. Yes, I’ll have Yofi call him. It would be helpful to know what we’re dealing with here.”
“Find him, Gabriel. Fly through the night and find him. Then, lock me in a room with him and I’ll set him straight. I made this mess and I’ll fix it.”
“Thanks, but we’ll handle it.” Gabriel turned to his teammate. “Yofi, we need to call in the others for this. When one of us is hurting, we all are.”
“I’ll alert them right now. Want me to tell them to meet us on the rooftop here?”
“Yeah, that’ll work. But what to do about Murati and the Elixxir? We’ve got to get that situation neutralized. Let me think on it.”
***
Nathanael checked email through his phone and found a list of bounties to be hunted. The streets of Las Vegas proved too tame for him, and he needed to ramp it up. He called his warden friends and discovered there were four highly dangerous escaped convicts on the loose from different county jails across Arizona and Nevada. He flew to each one and asked for a shirt or something personal from each escapee. He sensed each of their intentions and began his hunt.
He started with a fugitive, Jerry Mack, who’d shot and killed his wife and three kids. He’d escaped an Arizona county jail and had last been seen near Carson City. Lucky Nate. He got to pick off the first one close to home. Jerry had plans to visit Reno. Straight to his other wife and kids who lived there. Fucking polygamist. Well, not anymore.
Flying off to where he suspected Jerry would be, his adrenaline started pumping again and his heart thrummed with the thrill that had teased him all evening. Down below, in a little hidey hole at the end of a dark alley, the murderer sat eating chicken wings.
“Enjoying your dinner, Jerry?” Nathanael came to land in front of him. He looked up and dropped the wing that he’d been gnawing on.
“Oh, that look is priceless, Jer, my man. Priceless! Wait, I gotta get a picture of this.” He took out his cell phone and pushed the camera button. “Okay, hold it right there. Perfect!” He stowed his cell phone back in his pants pocket. “I’ll be sure to send you a copy…in Hell.”
“What the fuck are you? Some kind of freak?” He dropped his bag of wings and scooted back against the wall.
“Yeah, I’m the freak here. Uh huh. Let’s see, now. You, Jerry Mack, married two women and raised two families at the same time without either knowing about it. You just murdered one of your wives and three of your kids. And I’m the freak? Because of these things, here?” He pointed to his wings.
“I didn’t kill nobody.”
“You’re a fucking liar and a very bad man. Being the angel that I am, I don’t take kindly to people who murder innocent children. Now, I could bring you back to jail, but I really don’t want to waste taxpayer dollars feeding you and buying toilet paper to wipe your psychopathic ass. No, I’d much rather deliver Brethren justice upon ya.”
“You’re one sick motherfucker.” Jerry pulled out a gun.
“Really? That’s all you got? Almost makes this boring. Don’t bother to shoot me. I don’t die. Now, since you’ve been on the run from the law, why don’t we pick up where you left off.”
He gave him a puzzled look.
“That means run, Jerry. Run for your life. Go.”
The crazed man scrambled out of the corner and raced away from him. “One, two, three….” Nathanael shuddered, absorbing the high, and flew off after him. He watched him race down an unlit street, giving him plenty of lead time. Almost without effort, he lifted and landed about fifty yards in front of the desperate man. He stood like a massive wall of impenetrable flesh. Jerry stopped short and turned to run the other way. But the Warrior simply flew over and alighted in front of him again.
“Ever play tag when you were a kid? You don’t seem to be too good at it.” Nathanael’s head pounded and he needed release. He flew around the screaming man at lightning speed, and then punched his fist out, knocking him to the ground. “Tag! You’re it!”
The dazed man looked up at the avenging angel.
“Jerry Mack, you have been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of escape from jail. How do you plead? This is when you say guilty, Jerry. Go ahead.”
“G-g-guilty, all right? Just who the hell are you?”
“I’m your personal Angel of Death. My name is Nathanael, and I will be delivering justice all over your ass tonight. Swiftly and permanently.” He unsheathed his sword and watched as it glinted in the moonlight. “Time to go to Hell. Say hi to Satan for me. Tell him you’re number two.”
He raised his sword and howled as Jerry scurried across the road, trying to get away from him. But Nathanael had other business to attend to and made quick work of his bounty, severing the man’s head from his body. The sword shimmered and absorbed the man’s blood. Nathanael shrieked from the pain and the pleasure of it all. His arms stretched up to the skies, and he shouted. “Ah! More…I need more!” He flew off to feed on the next loser of a bounty. “Lord, help me stop.”
Darkness slid neatly into the recesses of his mind as Satan paid him a visit. “I’m here for you. No one else is. Where’s your boss? The coward. Where’s your woman? Lying whore. Who’s always given you what you need? Me. And I can give you all that and more. Join me, and you can have all the power you desire.”
Evil taunted his soul and fueled his skewed thoughts. It massaged his addiction and his ego, but he couldn’t seem to jump the last hurdle necessary to become Satan’s angel forever. He could not kill for blood-sport.
“No! I will not yield!” He stumbled onward and took flight, needing the wind to rush around him and looking for the next fix.
The second escaped convict had intended to get revenge on an ex-girlfriend who’d turned him into the police. Nathanael touched down right behind Jake Fremont as he took a container of gasoline from the bed of a presumably stolen pick-up truck. Looked like he was planning on torching the house in front of them.
“Jake Fremont!” he whispered ominously in his ear, and then he flew behind a tree.
The guy jumped and spilled the gasoline on his pants. “Shit! What the fuck?” He turned around and around looking like a dog chasing his tail.
“Jake Fremont,” Nathanael taunted as he floated down before him, “you are hereby charged with two counts of murder and one count of being a stupid ass for thinking you could escape prison. You are hereby sentenced to Brethren justice. Any last words
before you die, you worthless piece of scum?”
“I…I….” Jake stood frozen, and dropped the bottle on the ground.
“I…I….” The Warrior mocked him and unsheathed his sword, waving it about with flair. “I didn’t do it? Wrong. It was an accident? No, douchebag, thirty-five stab wounds isn’t an accident. Prepare to meet your new prison boyfriend: Satan. And tell him, you’re number three.”
Jake tried to flee. “You run like a sissy, Fremont!” He flew after him and cut him down mid-stride. The head rolled to the gutter as the rest of the body crumpled like a ragdoll.
“Clean up in Aisle Hell, please.” Nathanael let out a maniacal laugh and cried at the same time. “Ah!” He held his head and shook uncontrollably. The ecstasy of the kill collided with the pain of Satan’s choking grasp on him.
Evil warred with the good inside him, twisting his innards into knots and gnarled masses, and wouldn’t let up. It teased and lapped at his heart and soul, tempting them with ultimate power, leaving behind extreme want and desire. Fire raced through his veins and all the barbs of his feathers. He fell to the ground and picked himself up again, realizing he needed to find a sheltered place to get through this hellish period.
A playground stood halfway down the street, with equipment that could serve to hide him while he went off the deep end. It took every ounce of his will to stumble over to a large cement tube big enough to hold him. He fell into it just as the rapture pushed all sense aside and took total control. His mind fell into the waiting hands of darkness.
Maybe I should finally give in to Satan. I’m tired of feeling this way. Tired of the constant craving and never being satisfied.
He rose to his knees and grasped the sword. With both hands in a death grip around the hilt, he tried to turn the blade inward, ending his piteous existence. But instead, it did what it always did when he tried. It trembled and shook furiously, and then tossed itself out of his hands when he’d managed to get it pointed at his heart.
Elixxir (The Brethren Series) Page 13