“True. He wants us chasing our tails for as long as possible. Still, I’ll have someone in the area keep an eye out.”
Jocelyn cast a worried look between the two of us as she twirled a lock of blonde hair between her fingers. “Look, I know you’re both on edge, but do you mind if I tell you what I think?”
“Not at all,” Gabriel said.
“I think your best bet is to head straight for the Garden. Belial’s good at flying under the radar. I mean, my program’s been working at full tilt since you called me and this is the only lead I’ve found. I think you’re better off going there instead of trying to pick up on their trail.”
“They’re not gonna get that far,” I growled, snatching the page from the printer. “We’ll find them and this mess will finally be over.”
“What happens when you find them, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“The rogue angel will be returned to Heaven for judgment. Belial will be sent back to Hell. Jordan…” I stopped, unable to finish the sentence because I had no idea where she stood now.
“Jordan what?” Gabriel asked in a gentle voice.
“We’ll figure out what to do with her later. But that’s the plan and we’re sticking to it.”
“Jocelyn has a point and you know it, Michael. Maybe we should redirect our attention to the Garden instead of trying to find them.”
“They’ve got a four-year-old girl with them, Gabriel. Do you really want her anywhere near a serial killer and a demon?”
“Don’t use her like that.”
“Like what?”
“As a smoke screen. You want to find them to get Jordan away from Belial. That’s what this is all about. You’re afraid she’s going to be unfaithful to you.”
“She’s already proven to be unfaithful,” I spat. “Using a blood spell on me was proof that loyalty means nothing to her.”
“Michael, listen to yourself! This is Jordan we’re talking about. Your wife. How can you turn your back on her when she needs you most?”
“She doesn’t need me anymore!” I shouted. He went silent, giving me enough time to realize what I’d just admitted out loud.
Before either of us could say anything, my phone buzzed inside my pocket. I closed my eyes for an instant and dug it out, answering without even looking because I had needed the interruption.
“Yeah?”
“It’s me.”
My blood ran cold.
“Jordan?”
Gabriel went still, staring at me as if he’d overheard wrong. I stood there in total disbelief, not sure what to say. She stayed silent for a handful of seconds and then spoke again.
“Are…you still there?”
“Yes. Why are you…how did you…what’s going on?”
“I have information. I thought it would be the right thing to do to tell you.”
Several furious, sarcastic comments rose to mind, but I didn’t want her to hang up so I stuffed them down in my gullet. “What information?”
“Edmond’s real name, for instance. It’s Avriel. And he said that the demon who will help raise the Leviathan will be Mulciber, not Belial. If we want to stop this thing, we need to find out where she is and stop her. Belial’s got some contacts who should be able to find out if she’s in Hell or not.”
Anger bubbled up my throat and spilled out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Really? Well, make sure to thank him for me.”
She sighed—a resigned sound, not at all like the Jordan I knew. A small part of me felt less angry upon hearing it. “I get it. I deserve that. But that wasn’t the only reason I called. After Avriel tells us everything he knows, what’s gonna happen to him? Can there be any leniency on him for helping us?”
“He killed seven people, Jordan. The law is the law, even if he did it in an attempt to save others. He has to be returned to Heaven for judgment.”
“I know that, I just…” She exhaled. “…had to hear the truth for myself. I guess because I’m not far behind him.”
Her words made my throat tighten. I had purposely kept myself from thinking about what would happen to Jordan if this mess ever resolved itself. As far as I knew, she hadn’t made a contract with Belial. She was just using him as a means to an end, which meant she wouldn’t be sentenced to Purgatory like Zora. Still, she had broken our trust and that couldn’t be ignored. “Why? Did you agree to be Belial’s servant?”
At last, the first spark of indignation flew through the phone. “No. How could you even ask me that?”
“Just had to be sure.”
“Michael, I did this to at least try and create some sort of temporary truce. If you’re just going to throw it back in my face, then we’re done here.”
“No, we’re not. You have to surrender Avriel to us.”
“I know that, but why now? He’s the only one with a full, reliable account of the next week before the 31st. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to have one more soldier if we can’t stop the Leviathan.”
“Since when have you been so willing to forgive people who’ve tried to kill you? A couple of days ago, you were just as ready to get rid of him as I was. What happened?”
“I realized that everything isn’t as black and white as I thought it was, okay? Sometimes, good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. Sometimes there’s a grey area.”
“Is that where we are right now? The grey area? Because I honestly don’t know where we stand any more, Jordan. This is your last chance to pick a side. Give us Avriel.”
“I can’t do that. Not yet. Not until it’s November 1st and those one thousand people are safe.”
I hardened my tone. “Fine. But I’d hoped you were better than this.”
“Join the club.”
The phone clicked dead in my ear. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and addressed my brother. “Get your stuff together and head for the Garden. I’ll keep tracking them in the meantime.”
“Michael, be reasonable. You can’t make an informed decision like this—”
“Are you going to follow orders or not?”
He fell silent. When he spoke again, his voice was clipped. “Very well. I’ll be in touch, Commander.”
The way he sneered my title almost made me flinch. He swept past me and into the living room to get his stuff. Jocelyn wisely said nothing as I returned to the dining room to collect my thoughts.
The second my foot hit the doorway, an intense pain ripped through the back of my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut, resisting the urge to cry out. Someone had summoned me from above, someone powerful. Someone pissed.
I stumbled over to the nearest chair and meditated, allowing my soul temporary ascension to the astral plane between Earth and Heaven. When I opened my eyes, I stood on a pure white hilltop facing Jordan’s adoptive father, Andrew Bethsaida.
I massaged the bridge of my nose as the last bit of pain drained out of my head and focused on the man in front of me. “Andrew, this isn’t a good time.”
“Just tell me if the rumors are true,” he said in a quiet voice. I observed him, unsure of his intentions. One hand in the pocket of his grey duster—which had been suspiciously absent from Jordan the last time I saw her—the other at his side. His posture was as straight as a yardstick, at attention, like a soldier. The look on his face was nearly unreadable.
“What rumors?”
“About Jordan working with Belial and kidnapping the rogue angel. About you and Gabriel hunting her.”
I dropped my hand. “Yes. It’s true.”
He punched me in the jaw. I hit the ground, too shocked to catch myself. I had forgotten it was possible to feel pain in this particular state.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Andrew demanded as I stood, rubbing the spot on my chin where his knuckles had landed.
“I told you the day you married her that you had a responsibility to take care of her. I told you that I’d kick your ass if you let anything happen to her.”
“Let?” I sna
pped. “I didn’t let anything happen. She did this on her own. I tried to protect her. I tried to help her, but she pushed me away. What more do you want?”
“Don’t you give me that. You’re acting just as stupid as she is right now so don’t play innocent with me, kid.”
My ego swelled, making me stand up straighter even though we were about the same height so he didn’t back down. “I’m not your son, Andrew. You have no right to treat me like a child.”
“My ass, I don’t. You’re acting like a damned teenager, so I’m gonna treat you like one.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jordan didn’t need a warrior to come tearing through the streets looking for her. She needed her husband. She’s lost her way. Tell me you see that.”
“Of course I do. I gave her a chance to make the right decision and she didn’t. I can’t control her. I did everything I was supposed to.”
“So that’s it, then? You’re letting yourself off the hook just because your brilliant tactic didn’t work the first time? Is that the best you got?”
“Look, I don’t have to take this from you right now.” I turned my back on him, heading towards the bottom of the hill to leave, but he caught my attention.
“I can’t save her again.”
I froze. For the first time, I could hear something other than fury in his tone. He was upset alright, but not just with me. I had forgotten that he wasn’t an angel. He couldn’t travel back to Earth like I could. He was human. Once someone crossed over, they couldn’t come back unless it was ordained by God or the Son, like Jordan had been.
I turned. He was facing the gorge, his azure eyes watching the millions of wispy grey souls wandering through to the other side for Judgment. Anguish left his features ragged. He looked…exhausted. My indignation and arrogance retreated as I realized what was really going on here.
“I would give anything to trade places with you if I could,” he murmured, balling his large, scarred hands into fists. “Because you don’t know what it’s like. Cat’s beside herself right now. Her little girl’s heading to a dark place and neither one of us can stop it. You’re all we’ve got, son. You can’t walk away from Jordan. Not now.”
“I’ve done all I can, Andrew.”
He glanced at me, not hiding the fierceness in his gaze. “Do more. Whatever it takes. Jordan has lost her family twice already. First her mother, and then me. Don’t let there be a third time.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he kept going. “I know you’re angry. Makes sense. You feel betrayed. You feel unwanted. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you don’t give up. Cat told me you would’ve sacrificed your angelic life for Jordan. That kind of love doesn’t just disappear. Anyone with eyes can tell you still love that girl and she still loves you.”
“It was never about that. I know she still loves me. If she didn’t, she would have killed me or let Belial kill me when we were bound by the blood spells. But it’s not enough. I can’t trust her.”
“I’m not asking you to trust her. I’m asking you to save her.”
Something tightened in my chest. “What if I can’t?”
“Life’s full of ‘what ifs.’ You’ll end up wasting yours if you keep asking yourself that. Now get your ass in gear and stop acting like a soldier. Act like a husband. You know your wife. Go find her and set things right, or I’ll drag you back here and kick you up and down the paved gold streets upstairs.”
I almost laughed. He had always been good with words. I never questioned why Catalina loved him. He had an old soul. “You’re a real son of a bitch, y’know that?”
Andrew’s infamous smirk returned to his lips. “And proud of it. Now go save my girl.”
I was surprised that my jaw still ached a bit when I returned to my body on Earth. I’d heard about Andrew’s legendary left hook, but the fact that the pain still lingered meant that was definitely one hell of a punch. Still, his frank words had given me an idea, so I stood up and went back into Jocelyn’s office.
“Mind doing me one more favor?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Can you add certain items to your program that’ll pop if purchased at the same time?”
She gave me a confused look, chewed on a pen cap, and then nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“Add Shea Butter hair product, Johnson’s baby oil, Africa’s Best Super Grow hair conditioner, and Sea Breeze astringent.”
“Uh…okay. Any particular reason why?”
“Because I know my wife. Even if they’re flying below the radar, she’ll need that stuff or according to her, her hair will turn into a rat’s nest. If we can track those purchases, it’ll at least narrow down the search a bit.”
“Pretty clever idea. How’d you think of that?”
I rubbed the sore side of my face. “I had help. Let me know if something shows up.”
“Where are you going?”
“Gotta trace the call she made. Don’t wait up.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Chapter 28
Jordan
MY HAIR WAS a mess.
In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter, but it was yet another thing to add to the list of stuff wrong with my life. I’d packed a suitcase when I first left Albany, but in my hurry, I hadn’t thought about hair-care products. My hair was shoulder-length and black, but it was only sleek like my mother’s when I treated it. Otherwise, it got thick and curly, probably because of the genes I got from my Dad’s side of the family. The humidity had been what messed up my hair most of all. I had no clue how girls dealt with it around here.
I had been in the bathroom for close to half an hour trying to comb out the tangles to no avail. Washing it wouldn’t do me any good. The hotel shampoo was shit. After several garbled curses, I brushed it all into a ponytail and called it a night. One of Belial’s minions would return tomorrow with supplies, so I would just add some things to the list. At least it gave me something to think about instead of upcoming events.
I shut off the light, opened the bathroom door, and then stopped when I heard a soft sound. I walked around the corner to see Juliana curled up in a ball on the mattress, crying.
“Julie,” I whispered, sitting beside her on the bed and rubbing her back in soothing circles. “What’s wrong?”
She wouldn’t look at me, instead keeping her face buried between her knees. I could barely make out the words in Portuguese, but they sounded like “miss” and “mom.” The poor thing was pining for her mother.
I slid closer and gently picked her up, placing her in my lap sideways. I laid my chin on the crown of her head and rocked her in my arms, whispering that everything would be okay and that she would see her mother again soon. I hated lying to her. I really did. Truth be told, I had no idea what had happened to her parents and I couldn’t ask the rogue angel, who had fallen asleep exhausted from the amount of energy he’d used to heal himself. Besides, I’d gotten the feeling he hadn’t done it. If Mulciber knew about the rogue angel, Juliana, and the Leviathan, then she could have had someone take them to use as bargaining chips later on.
Juliana gradually calmed down after I started to hum. The first thing that popped into my head was “Am I Blue?” because of its slow rhythm. I tried not to think about the lyrics too much because they made me miss Michael. We had spent many a Saturday sprawled on his bed, sheet music spread across the comforter, making up lyrics together. I’d prop my head on his back and listen to him hum the tunes, helping him finish lines and choruses. Perfect harmony, once upon a time.
“Do you think Mamãe is okay?” Juliana asked after a while.
I wiped her cheeks clean with a tissue from the nightstand. “Yes. Want to know how I know?”
She nodded. I shifted her so that she could see my face. “Well, my mother told me once that a family’s hearts are tied together by an invisible thread. Especially mothers and daughters. It’s a special link we have. All you have to do
is close your eyes, put your hand over your heart, and think about her. As long as your heart’s still there, so is hers. Go on, try it.”
She pressed her small hand against her chest and closed her eyes. “Do you feel it?”
“Yeah. Can Mamãe feel it too?”
“Mm-hmm. So whenever you feel lonely, I want you to listen to your heartbeat and remember that she’s right here with you, always. Okay?”
Juliana sniffled, giving me a little smile. “Okay.”
“Good. Now, I want you to try and go to sleep. We have to be up early.”
“Will you stay with me?”
I kissed her forehead. “Of course. Close your eyes.”
She rested her head on my chest and I stroked her hair, humming away until her breathing slowed. Once she fell asleep, I lowered her to the mattress and tugged the covers up to her shoulders. I needed to sleep too, but I felt restless so I pulled on my tennis shoes and left the room.
We were on the second floor of yet another nameless motel somewhere in the South. I’d seen signs for Georgia interstates at some point. I walked down the hallway to reach the balcony outside.
To my surprise, someone was already leaning against the railing. Belial’s tall frame still looked rather intimidating even in a black tank top and faded blue jeans. It was the first time I could recall seeing him in anything other than a suit or dress pants—though I could tell those were two hundred dollar jeans. He’d also taken his hair out of the braid for now, and the edges were damp as if he’d just gotten out of a shower. He didn’t turn to face me when I came within earshot; instead lighting a cigarette and continuing to stare out into the night sky.
“Do you mind?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “It’s free air, after all.”
I snorted, hopping up on the railing to sit. “Not with all those carcinogens you’re blowing.”
“Every man has a vice.”
“Well, if I remember correctly, you like pain. Lung cancer’s definitely painful.”
“How morbid of you. I suppose you’d be pleased if I were done in by cancer. Does that happy thought keep you warm at night?”
Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More Page 236