The Soul Healer

by B. Groves

  Alison was about to open her mouth to let Kyle in when a car horn blew in the distance and Kyle’s cell phone rang.

  Kyle pulled away and cursed. Alison was left hanging in the air until she realized they’d been interrupted by a car sitting in the church parking lot.

  Kyle angrily pulled out his phone and answered. Alison realized it was his assistant sitting in the parking lot and she’s the one who called him.

  Alison wanted to laugh because he told that lady that they were cousins but held in her laugh because Kyle sounded angry on the phone.

  “I’m getting dressed now,” Kyle said and hung up the phone.

  He turned to Alison apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

  “No worries.”

  “Raincheck?”

  “Sure. How about if I join you?” Alison asked as Kyle stood up.

  Kyle grunted in pain as he stood up from the steps. He tried to stretch but he clutched his abdomen and cursed. “It’s fine. I can take care of it.”

  Alison stood up from the steps and Simon stood up waiting for her instructions. “At least, let me help you dress.”

  Kyle turned to her with a smirk. “Are you making a pass at me?”

  Alison grinned. “Maybe.”

  “I’ll take it. I’m going to go shower and we’ll go from there,” Kyle said making his way up the steps after patting Simon on the head.

  “I’m going to give Simon a quick walk. Let me know when you need help,” Alison said.

  “Deal.”

  Kyle walked through the screen door and into the house. Alison couldn’t hide her disappointment over their non-kiss any longer. She frowned and looked down at Simon who wagged his tail with his tongue hanging out.

  “Sorry, boy,” Alison said. “Got a little distracted.”

  Alison ran a hand through her hair as she walked Simon away from the house. She noticed that lady Miranda shooting her strange looks as they grabbed a bag from her car.

  Alison smiled brightly and waved to the woman, almost bursting out laughing with Miranda’s hesitant wave back.

  Alison continued to walk Simon around the property, admiring the lush green of the forest, smelling fresh leaves and flowers in the breeze, and admiring the sky as it turned from blue to pink and purple.

  It had been a long day, and her stomach growled from lack of food, but she would have to wait a little longer to eat.

  Simon did his duty and Alison turned to make their way back to the house when he stiffened on the leash.

  Alison’s senses heightened. The evil wrapped itself around her like a wet blanket. She drew in a deep breath as Simon growled.

  Alison turned her head towards the parking lot and watched as a black car pulled into a parking space.

  Whispers, screams, and cries penetrated her mind and overpowered her thoughts. She didn’t have to guess who it was from the car in the parking lot. She knew right away from the power that washed over her the moment the car came into view.

  “Dammit.”

  Alison shook her head. She wasn’t surprised. Emma was in bed with Samuel Manes, Emma was a big donor to the church and Kyle had told her about a big donation Samuel made to the church when Olivia was still possessed.

  Samuel wanted to take out Kyle. The beat down was a warning, but Samuel would try another route by hitting Kyle right where it hurt—in the wallet.

  Alison watched as Samuel stepped out of the car, and fixed his suit. Simon growled and barked, and almost pulled Alison to the ground, but she kept control of her dog.

  Alison kneeled next to Simon, trying to soothe him as Samuel turned and smirked at her.

  Alison straightened up and held Simon back. She wondered if Kyle heard Simon barking and growling.

  Alison took a deep breath. She couldn’t hold off any longer, she needed to call in reinforcements to sniff out Samuel’s nest. This wasn’t a one-time case when she exorcised Olivia. This was much bigger and she needed help.

  Alison glanced at the house. Besides, her personal feelings were growing and it could hinder her job.

  Alison nodded despite no one else there besides Simon.

  Yes, she needed to call in a team. They even had a hunter who sniffed out nests like a bloodhound. Alison remembered when Dennis found the one in New Mexico. They never thought it was in the barn of an old woman’s farm. The poor woman hadn’t known either.

  Alison soothed Simon again and rushed back to the house. She entered through the screen door and wiped the sweat that formed on her brow.

  She unhooked Simon from his leash and ordered him to stay, although he was restless, and whined to her as she told him to sit.

  “Stay,” she said.

  When she was satisfied, she walked down the hallway and entered Kyle’s bedroom. She saw the bathroom door was closed and heard the water running inside.

  Alison opened the door and the steam made her squint, but saw Kyle’s blurry figure through the shower curtain.

  Alison wanted to laugh at what she was about to do, and she would have if the situation hadn’t been so serious. Hell, she might have stripped and joined Kyle…

  Now is not the time, she thought.

  Alison walked up and pulled back the curtain. She swore she wouldn’t look down. She swore she wouldn’t admire bulging muscles and the nicely shaped abs. She turned her head so her gaze wouldn’t go any lower.

  Kyle jumped back when the curtain opened and stared at Alison in shock.

  “Jesus, Alison…”

  Kyle stopped what he was saying and a grin spread across his face. “Are you coming in here to make another pass at me?”

  It was tempting. God, it was tempting. Alison wanted to. She wanted to forget what she was about to tell Kyle about Samuel Manes and join him in the shower.

  Alison shook her head. Her serious look made Kyle’s playfulness turn to concern. “What is it?”

  “You better get dressed,” Alison said.

  “Why?”

  “Kyle…”

  Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “Why was Simon barking? Was a squirrel around or something?”

  Alison shook her head. “No.”

  Kyle didn’t bother to shut off the water. He rushed past Alison not caring about his nude body. Alison only caught a glimpse of a smooth butt before Kyle grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist.

  Alison shut off the water and followed him down the hallway into the living room.

  Kyle cursed everything from the church to the elders, and even God.

  Alison approached him. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder in sympathy.

  Kyle pulled away and circled the living room, running a hand through his soaked hair while saying the “F” word over and over again.

  He turned to the big cross on the wall and started asking why. Why him? Why now? Where did he go wrong?

  Kyle made a wrong turn while talking to the cross and grunted in pain. That seemed to only fuel his anger and he turned without another word to Alison and walked back down the hallway.

  Alison set her gaze to the church and watched as other cars pulled into the parking lot. She turned her gaze to Simon, who waited patiently for her orders.

  Alison heard another string of curses and rushed down the hallway.

  She stood in the doorway as Kyle struggled to put on his pants. His shirt and collar were halfway unbuttoned.

  “Are you going to let me help you or…”

  Kyle shook his head. “I don’t need it.”

  “Kyle, you need to get under control.”

  Kyle shot her a glare as he buttoned his shirt and fixed his collar. “I don’t need one of your lectures about this situation.”

  Alison bristled and became defensive. “I wasn’t going to but since you’re saying something about it then maybe you should control yourself because look what happened the last time.”

  Alison pointed to Kyle’s bruises.

  He ignored her and finished dressing, all the while taking deep breaths and trying to ho
ld in the pain.

  “Stay here,” he said when he stood up from the bed again.

  “No. No way.”

  Kyle waved his hand. “Whatever. You couldn’t take him out earlier today, I guess you’re not going to do it tonight when the chance is placed right in front of you.”

  Alison blinked at the insult. “Fuck you.”

  She walked out of the room, and into the guest bathroom. She would still go because she’d come to know that Kyle was impulsive and she didn’t need him to mess with her plans to call in a team. If the demons moved the nest, they would never find those missing humans. The demons could organize again and infect another town even if she exorcised Samuel.

  She turned to see Kyle standing in the doorway. She didn’t want to admit that his words stung and it was hard to look at him.

  Alison averted her eyes to a small crack in the wall.

  “If you want me to leave—”

  “I don’t. I’m sorry.”

  Alison’s eyes met sharp blue eyes. “Then what do you want?”

  Kyle moved closer to Alison and stared into her eyes. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll hold my temper, but it’s better with the support of an angel.”

  Alison laughed sarcastically. “I’m not an angel.”

  Kyle stared at Alison for a few seconds before saying, “You don’t think so, but I do.”

  Kyle turned around and walked out of the bathroom.

  Chapter 37

  Kyle charged through the property with Alison next to him. His guilt over insulting her nagged at him, and he swore he’d make it up to her.

  Kyle wanted her to bring Simon, but she refused. He understood why, since she didn’t want to scare the rest of the elders away. She was right. Now was not the right time to exorcise Samuel Manes. There was no reason to frighten them.

  “They ought to see the truth,” Kyle argued.

  Alison turned and smiled. “And, give half of them strokes or heart attacks? No, thank you. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

  She showered and changed into a nicer blouse and pants to accompany Kyle.

  He didn’t think she had brought nice clothes, but he found she was always prepared.

  Kyle had to keep from pulling Alison into an embrace and taking her to bed instead of facing the loss of his job. He prayed that he could keep his cool with Alison and the elders.

  He held open the door as they left the house and Alison’s floral scent was intoxicating as she breezed past him.

  But underneath those nice clothes, Alison was well-armed with several knives.

  “What can I expect from these people?” Alison asked as they approached the church.

  Kyle sighed. His heart was beating fast in his chest because he wouldn’t receive good news. He eyed Samuel’s car and saw his assistant sitting in the driver’s seat with a sneer twisting his features. Kyle turned away, ignoring the man, but one day he would take that asshole out himself.

  “I call them the elders because they’re my peers, but you can refer to them as deacons as well since we’re such a small church,” Kyle explained.

  Alison nodded.

  “You’re well acquainted with Emma. She’s the biggest donor, so she gets a place because of her money,” Kyle said.

  Alison pointed to the parking lot. “She’s here.” She turned to Kyle. “Money talks more than God.”

  Kyle nodded. “I can’t argue that. My assistant Miranda will be there. She salivates whenever we receive a huge donation.”

  “I’ve met Miranda. Who else?”

  “Richard Collins. He’s a deacon. A widower with a preference for strippers,” Kyle said, rolling his eyes. “He says he it helps him live through his grief.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Then there’s Denise Richardson. Only second to Emma with wealth and power in this town. Her husband—Jack—goes on business trips a lot so she prefers the pool boys and landscapers whenever he’s away.”

  “I’m guessing you may air some dirty laundry?”

  Kyle shrugged. “If I have to. Last but not least. There’s my accountant, Charles Cox. He served in Vietnam and takes care of his autistic son alone because his wife couldn’t handle it. I’ll leave him alone. They have no other family except each other. The poor man should be enjoying retirement instead…”

  Alison’s face softened. “A good one.”

  As they approached the door, Kyle asked. “Anything else besides Samuel?”

  Alison shook her head and said, “Besides his goon? No.”

  Kyle nodded and opened the door to the church, letting Alison walk ahead of him. The night was cooling down but not enough to hide the sweat that had formed on his brow from what he was about to face.

  He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face, hoping he wasn’t showing sweat stains.

  He stopped to straighten his suit and tie.

  “Do I look okay?”

  Alison eyed him and based on her look, Kyle wanted to turn around, leave the church, and take Alison back to the house to fuck her until the sun rose in the east. It would have to wait.

  His father wanted Kyle to return to Dallas and take over his church, but after tonight, his father would change his tune when Kyle called his parents to tell them the bad news. His father didn’t think highly of fired clergy.

  “You’re there to serve God, not your own selfish needs,” his father would say. “That’s what gets most of them fired. They put themselves above the needs of the church, above the needs of their flocks, and most of all they stop listening to God.”

  Kyle would become the person his father despised most in this world and as his gaze settled on Alison—who was straightening her hair—he was fine with that because of what he’d witnessed. The power Alison possessed turned his world upside down.

  “You look beautiful,” Kyle said.

  “I wonder if your ex told everyone I’m not your cousin,” Alison commented with a smirk.

  “Who cares? They’re firing me anyway,” Kyle answered.

  Alison turned and placed her hands on Kyle’s shoulders. She gazed at him. Her eyes were the color of emeralds with gold flecks around the irises. They almost didn’t look real. It was like someone had photoshopped the color over her real color. The low church lights dulled them, but they still looked ethereal from Kyle’s viewpoint.

  “Keep your cool,” Alison said. “I’m planning and when we’re done, I think you’ll like it.”

  Kyle took a deep breath and nodded.

  They walked to the back of the church towards the private meeting room. Kyle kept the room for storage but cleaned up when the church elders needed to meet.

  Kyle opened the door to a group of somber church elders. He hadn’t spotted Samuel yet, but by Alison’s small intake of breath, he was somewhere inside the room and it was affecting her.

  Every member stood up to greet Kyle, except for Emma who stayed seated in a corner. Miranda looked away in guilt, but the rest of the group held Kyle’s gaze.

  Emma spotted Alison standing next to Kyle and frowned. “Reverend, this is a private meeting.”

  “I insist on letting my cousin stay. She’s my moral support,” Kyle answered.

  “She can stay,” a voice said from the corner.

  Kyle turned his head and standing in the dark corner was none other than Samuel Manes.

  Kyle’s body tensed. He ignored the pain in his ribcage and pointed at the mayor. “Why is he here?”

  “Mayor Manes has joined us because we have an announcement on top of deciding your future with the church, Reverend,” Denise chimed in. “It was necessary.”

  Kyle shook his head and stepped the rest of the way into the room. He caught Emma’s smug glance at Samuel.

  Alison stepped into the room behind him.

  “Sit down, Reverend,” Richard said.

  “Can someone bring Miss—?”

  “Stark,” Alison answered.

  “A chair.”

  Alison put up h
er hand and said, “I prefer to stand. I’ll make myself comfortable in a corner.”

  Richard Collins shrugged and turned his attention back to Kyle.

  “Reverend, it was brought to our attention today that you pursued charges against Mayor Manes for an incident that took place in the church yesterday,” Richard explained. “The mayor already told us his side of the story. He claims you thought he was an intruder. He came to make a hefty donation and you attacked him.”