“Wait a minute.” Karl got a sudden burst of bravado. “We’ve got work to do here. We’ve got plans—”
Josh cut him off before he could finish. Josh knew he couldn’t trust Karl one hundred percent, and it pissed him off someone so dumb knew something that could hurt him. Best to keep the two camps apart for now.
“Karl, it’s okay. You stay here with Felix. You guys know what to do.” He planted his stare right into the center of Karl’s eyes, then Felix’s, so his allies knew not to question him. No way in the world did he want the two darks down in the Underworld causing further trouble for him.
Felix picked up the urgency. “Yeah, we’ll stay here, Karl. We got lots to keep us busy.” He looked over at Josh, who cocked his head as if to warn him about Melanie. Felix smiled in response.
“Come on, guys, help me with some stuff upstairs. Gents, you sit by the fire and I’ll be right back.” Josh didn’t want his two assistants alone with the dark angel staffers and their possible probing questions.
Josh and his two dark angels noisily made their way up the wide stairs bordered by an ornate black wrought iron handrail. His oversized king bed was covered in a red shiny satin spread, embroidered in intricate designs of silver and gold thread. Over his bed hung a large picture of a nude redheaded woman, her back turned. There was a nice view of her behind as she looked over her shoulder seductively. It was a Bradley. Felix gazed at it longingly. Josh realized the subject did look like Melanie, but he was fairly certain she had never posed for the musician-turned-artist.
Josh neatly placed clothes in a duffel bag. “Okay, guys. This won’t take long. I’ll be back in a day or two, maybe even today. Do not answer any questions about what we’re doing here. You guys got that?”
They nodded.
“Call Joseph and ask him to lead the meeting tomorrow in case I’m not back. He’s got an extra key.”
They both nodded again.
“And if someone comes around asking questions, write them down so I know what they are fishing for. They might ask you about one thing but are really interested in something else. So, don’t volunteer anything, okay?”
“Boss, what do you think the director—um—His Greatness wants?”
“Well, he’s new to the job. I’d say he wants my help, wouldn’t you?” Josh tried to look more casual than he felt. The guys seemed to buy it. “In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for trouble. Watch over the girl, but don’t intervene. I’ll have my sat cell and will always answer your calls unless I’m in a meeting with G.O.”
“G.O.?” the two angels asked in unison.
“Great One.”
All three laughed at this.
Josh zipped up the black soft duffel case Beau had given him with the Spacetraveler saucer logo.
“Okay then, I’m off. Behave yourselves.” Josh punched both men square in the chest. They followed him downstairs.
Once in front of the messengers, Josh asked the obligatory question he was dreading. “So, how long will I be gone?”
“His Greatness didn’t tell us when you were coming back, or if.”
This was bad. Very bad.
Chapter 6
The transport warehouse had been busy, Josh noted. There was a pile of duffel bags silently collecting dust at the wooden benches, things abandoned by dark angels who were not allowed to take them back. It happened all the time. But the size of the pile concerned Josh as soon as he discovered it.
“You boys been pretty busy, then?”
The oldest one, Abraham, grunted. “Yeah, been lots of changes,” he said as he checked his watch and motioned for them to sit. Side by side, they waited like a bunch of crows on a telephone line.
“So, I guess I should feel complimented it took three of you to come get me? He’d expected trouble?” Josh said in the most casual voice he could muster. Inside his stomach was doing flip-flops.
“Just following orders, Joshua.” Abraham avoided eye contact.
“Hey, it’s me, Josh. You guys know that.” He had always been their friend. They might reveal something. He shrugged. “So, tell me what’s going on? What do you know?”
The three looked at each other, cautious and checking themselves. Josh read their fear, their eyes darting back and forth without a word. He knew they wanted to tell him more than they could. It was a dangerous sign.
“Gents. We go back a long way. Just a little clue, please.” He had hand-picked them to work for the prior director.
“Zachary’s gone.” The youngest, a dark-haired boy of about twenty, started in. “And Silas, well…” He looked at his two buddies. They all chimed in together as they looked at Josh. “Gone.”
“Gone.” Josh nodded his head. “Gone as in gone where?”
“Vaporized.” Simon, the redhead, put finality to it, which made Josh’s blood run cold. He knew Peter was powerful as a dark angel. He did not know anyone else had the power to vaporize.
“So, he knows how to vaporize. You saw him do it?” Josh’s mentor had told him centuries ago Josh would be the only one. He wished he could have a word with his old mentor, but the dark angel ended himself right after bestowing the gift on his new apprentice. He had warned Josh about a prophecy for a “Coming,” as he’d called it. Could this be what he foretold?
“Yep. Looks just like when you do it,” Abraham said. The other two nodded in agreement.
“Did Silas resist or something?” Josh watched a black limo with darkened windows enter the rollup metal door at the far end of the warehouse and come toward them. “How come he got fried?”
Abraham leaned into Josh and whispered, “We don’t really know. Um, Josh, we won’t talk about this in the transport, okay? But he was tortured in Peter’s private quarters. We heard him scream for days.”
“It was awful,” another whispered. They all nodded. “We thought maybe Peter uncovered something. But he crisped Zack for nothing—I mean, you know Zach. He was a good angel.”
The redhead winced as he walked toward the limo, his steps slow, his head bent. Josh knew Silas was a good angel too—certainly a watered-down version of his own personality, but loyal almost to a fault.
The rear doors of the limo opened by themselves, emitting a great sucking sound, and white smoke wafted up to disappear in the air of the warehouse. All four stepped inside and seated themselves on the black leather that moaned with the weight of their bodies. The door closed automatically, sucked in tight like a vacuum seal. The car revved, then took off. Josh noted they were going faster than normal. This was further evidence of yet another change.
“No driver today?” Josh asked.
“No idea,” the redhead answered. “Maybe, maybe not. We never know anymore.”
If there was a driver, he was hidden behind a blackened window that separated the group from the front. In light of the hints given him, Josh realized it would be foolish to continue to question the boys, but his mind was going into overdrive trying to pull together all the loose ends he was picking up. None of his conclusions were making him feel very secure.
Several minutes went by.
“Here we are, then.”
Arriving in the Underworld, they peeled themselves out of the limo, which sped off on another errand as soon as the door was closed. Once the vehicle was out of sight, Josh began his questions anew. “Give me a brief rundown of the other changes.”
The dark-haired youth looked around before speaking. “Meetings. And Peter’s pretty damn interested in you.”
“Well, maybe he’s just doing a little reorganization. Can’t say as Silas was much of an administrator.” Josh said this more for his own benefit, attempting to convince himself there wasn’t much to worry about.
“He’s a neat freak, this one,” the redhead chimed in.
The station house in the Underworld was quite a gathering place. Men and women were adorned in bright costumes and colors in all periods of dress, showing off fine silks, gowns, and tailored suits. Adding to the festiveness of the
crowd, some wore wigs, hats, feathers, even a couple of women wore barely any clothing at all. Two with matching blue bobbed hair peered at Josh and giggled. He probably had “lust” written all over his face.
“You always got the welcoming committee. At least that hasn’t changed for you.”
Josh nodded. The two beauties were holding hands. Little coins sewn into their thongs jingled on their butt cheeks as they passed. They weren’t even wearing shoes. On a normal day here, Josh would have set up a rendezvous, but today, and for the first time in centuries, Josh’s dick didn’t respond to the luscious sight that teased him. His soul wasn’t tickled today either. He was in pain.
“I’m fine now, boys.” Josh knew the way to the director’s office well.
“Nope. We gotta bring you there. Sorry, Joshua.”
Another change. Fuck me.
Josh had practically lived there for the past hundred years or so. He had fancied himself the real Director of the Underworld without having to stay holed up in an office trying to look “official.” He far preferred his freedom; something he was sensing was ebbing away by the minute.
The quartet entered the large wooden doors at the entrance. The reception hall was cleaned up, Josh realized at first glance. The black marble floors were waxed, and red carpets in varying patterns and sizes were strewn about the grand room, home to wonderful parties that used to last for days. Surveillance video cameras had been installed in the ceiling, recording all the coming and goings. The receptionist had on a red suit that looked hand-tailored and fit her snugly. No amount of buttons could hide her cleavage.
But then, Josh had firsthand knowledge of those breasts. He had lost himself in them many times.
“Sarah, how nice to see you.” Josh felt his eyes soften as he looked into the face of one of his favorite dark angel companions. Thought she was up top in the human world, claiming souls. How did Peter find her? Josh had always thought of Sarah has his own personal bottle of sexual wine, part of his collection. He had turned her himself for his own pleasure.
The soft sensual look Josh gave her was not returned. Her eyes briefly smiled, but her lips were efficient. Josh thought they were still damn sexy. But Sarah was working hard to play some scripted part, and she had an audience who could judge her. She looked up at the video camera installed in the ceiling to her right and smiled into it. Josh didn’t have to look at it to know who was on the other side of that camera, watching him squirm.
Josh was ushered upstairs to the Director’s third floor office. One of the doors was ajar, and the boys motioned for him to enter the double doors to the private office. He squeezed his hands into fists at his sides and tried to relax. The bad feeling remained.
“Wait for me, okay? We’ll catch up on all the gossip.” Josh looked at the ragged bunch and attempted a smile. There was no enthusiastic response like he used to get.
“No. We’re off for now. You take care now, okay?” The redhead put his hand on Josh’s shoulder and squeezed. Josh saw a look of concern in his eyes. Those men didn’t want to hang around the office for some reason.
“Joshua, is that you?” a deep voice barked. “Come on in, I don’t bite, you know. It’s about time.”
Shit. Here goes.
Josh walked in through the doorway, then stared at Peter, the new Director of the Underworld, seated behind the desk, black legendary snakeskin boots up on the smooth black desk surface, hands laced behind his head, elbows extended out to the sides like wings. He was chewing on a large black cigar. The room was beginning to fill with smoke.
Josh rubbed his nose, irritated at the stench. If he didn’t know better, he would think the director was smoking cow patties.
Peter blew a puff of dark gray smoke at the ceiling. He bit the cigar between his teeth and said out of the corner of his mouth, “So, how the hell are you?” He didn’t stand up or offer to shake Josh’s hand.
Josh felt he was being played. He was quite sure Peter hated him with every fiber of his being. “I’m just fine Peter—sir. Want to tell me what all this is about?”
“The boys didn’t tell you?” Peter feigned shock. He removed the cigar from his mouth, sat up straight, and removed his boots from the desk.
“Come on, sir. You know they didn’t. Why not just get to it, shall we? You could have just called me.”
The smile that was on Peter’s lips was suddenly extinguished. “Sit.” He pointed to the lone folding metal chair in front of his desk. Josh obliged. The chair let out a loud squeak. He sat erect, and felt like a child at a piano recital.
“You want a cigar, Josh?” Peter handed a box across the desk.
“No thanks. I don’t smoke.”
“Of course.” Peter stood up and walked to the window that overlooked the red glow of the Underworld’s dying sun. “Josh, I am aware of the fact that you have been around a lot longer than I have.”
“Only about three hundred years.”
“Yes. Point well taken. Undisputed fact. And I know you have had a say in almost everything that’s gone on here, when you wanted to.”
Josh noted Peter was enjoying stringing things out.
“So, Josh, I acknowledge your participation and how hard you’ve worked, and how you’ve dedicated yourself to the betterment of your fellow dark angels here in the Underworld.”
“I never looked at it that way, sir. I did it for my own selfish needs. You know I never really ran things here. I was never a director, like you.” Josh knew Peter couldn’t argue with that.
“Yes, well, we all do what we can, don’t we?” Peter’s gaze bored right into Josh’s, filling him with an unfamiliar dull ache and coldness. “I’m making some changes, and I would like your help.”
“Of course you can count on me.” Josh knew the other shoe had not yet dropped. “What is it exactly you would like me to do?”
This made the director smile. His eyes did not stray from Josh’s face, as if he needed to soak in every nuance of expression as he delivered his next message.
“I am requiring a test of your loyalty, strange as that may seem.”
Josh was careful not to flinch.
“I am asking for a similar test of every person with whom I might have had a conflict in the past, or could have in the future.” Peter continued his piercing gaze.
“Go on, I’m listening.” Three hundred years of experience gave Josh a little confidence. But just a little. He knew he would regret hearing what Peter had to say next, and he braced himself.
“I am the lonely type, prone to melancholy when I am not serviced properly. I require a woman. I want you to deliver her to me. Soon.”
Josh didn’t have to hear him say it. He knew the name already.
“I require the human woman Melanie Worthington.”
Chapter 7
I am seriously fucked. Josh had never been pressured to anything like this. Never been pressured anything at all. What was afoot now? The carefree lifestyle he had enjoyed all during this time—the cloak of disorganization that protected him, leaving him free to roam and conduct himself however he pleased—was disappearing each second.
Dark times coming. His mentor had told him this many times. He just never believed it.
He noticed his chest was a bit constricted, and it was getting difficult to breathe. He found himself watching crowds of people on his way from the Admin building, looking for the eyes of someone too interested in him.
Am I being followed? Another first. Summoned. Now followed.
He knew the director didn’t like him. Josh didn’t think it was necessary everyone like him, they just had to obey his commands. And since Josh had thought he was the only one to possess the vaporization skill, he’d mistakenly believed he was the most powerful angel in the Underworld. But now these recent events indicated that his unofficial title was in serious jeopardy. The title itself wasn’t important. But now Josh was required to submit to a test of his loyalty. Of all the people he would have to deliver up to Peter, it would have to
be the one person he hoped he could spare.
Josh was filled with the strange desire he had not felt before. Yes, he wanted Melanie for his own. Nothing had changed on that score. But he was hoping he could keep her as his secret. Keep her human, untouched by the darkness that would alter her forever. He wanted Melanie to stay alive just as she was created, as a human, and therefore free. He’d never wanted to save a human soul before. His job was to claim them for the Underworld.
Just my damn luck.
The thought of Melanie spending any time in the director’s presence nauseated him. He could envision her being tied up, although not for pleasure as Josh was fond of doing with his female conquests. His collection of silk ties, useless to him as clothing since he rarely wore a suit except for funerals, had a place in his closet for only that purpose. Peter, on the other hand, wouldn’t use silk ties carefully chosen to bind a willing participant—he’d hurt her. She would feel pain and would beg for mercy. Josh didn’t like being the one to bring her to her own demise. She would hate him forever.
It brought a twitch to his right eye, something that had started happening to him lately. He twisted his head, cracking a stiff neck, then shook out the building tension. His arms felt awkward, too long, and his clothes didn’t seem to fit well. His feet hurt. He shrugged off the odd sensations and decided he needed an elixir to take the edge off.
Down past the transport station was a series of steps that led to Undertown, a dangerous place where any and every manner of sin could be found and was often played out in the streets for the viewing pleasure of casual passersby. He’d go there and find an elixir, maybe a little entertainment. The Underworld didn’t need a movie theater, with Undertown providing all the entertainment a good dark angel would ever want.
He shouldered his way through the crowd as he trudged down the stairwell. There had been a recent series of true deaths in the Undertown quadrant, more than Josh had remembered. Something new was going on, all over the Underworld. So maybe there was a “Coming” after all, like his sponsor and mentor, Brutus, had warned him.
Underworld Lover (A Guardian Angel Romance #2) Page 4