Broken Souls (Primani Book 4)

by Laurie Olerich

  He was so screwed.

  Chapter 11: Bad Timing

  HECTOR RAMIREZ WAS SO FUCKED UP. A single candle flickered in the open window, sending eerie shapes dancing across Rosalie’s black walls. The entire room was painted black. The sheets were black. The carpet was red. The single candle was the only light she’d allow at night. As the walls melted into the floor, he thought it looked like a giant puddle of blood. Even the floor undulated, giving the impression of a current running through the pool of crimson. Moving in slow motion, he shook his head like a wet dog, blinking into the orange light and swimming shadows. Rosalie clutched his back, digging her nails into his skin, breaking it… tearing at him. She was just as wasted as he was… her eyes were unfocused and staring into the ceiling as he fucked her again. He’d lost count of how many times he’d climbed up on her, or she’d climbed up on him. Who cared? He was getting his.

  “Harder!” she whined into his ear. “I can’t feel you!”

  He kept pumping against her, sweat dripping into his eyes, splashing onto her tits. The hallucinations were cool, but the acid made his dick numb. They’d been fucking for hours, but he couldn’t come. Close now, he was so close to coming. The ringing in his ears ratcheted to a crescendo as his sac tightened painfully. Yes, yes!

  He was about to explode when someone grabbed him from behind, one arm around his throat, one hand gripping his dick like a vice. Both body parts burned like fire. His eyes saw nothing but red.

  “Hola, Hector.”

  Rosalie started screaming, but the sound abruptly stopped. Hector stared stupidly as her mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. The candle blew out, plunging the room into darkness.

  “You want to be real quiet now, miss. I’d hate to have to hurt you. Sit still. I’ll be done in 30 seconds.”

  She clamped her mouth shut and scooted all the way back to the headboard.

  “Better. Now Hector, I’m going to tell you this once and only once. Are you listening?”

  Hector tried to get out of the hold he was in, but this motherfucker was like a monster or some shit. He had superhuman strength, and his skin was on fire. Was that steam coming off the arm wrapped around his throat? Hector clawed at the arm around his neck but it only pressed harder, cutting off his oxygen. He tried the same thing with the fist wrapped around his dick.

  The monster twisted it backwards until Hector howled like a dog.

  “I will rip your dick off and make you eat it if you even look at Rori Austin again. Ever. Do you understand me?”

  Hector grunted.

  “That includes sending another motherfucker to firebomb her house. If she even gets a paper cut, I’m coming after you. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? Nod if you do.”

  Hector couldn’t see the bastard behind him, but the fear on Rosalie’s face told him he wasn’t dealing with anyone he knew. The strength of his hands was wrong, the heat, the fucking glow coming off of the parts he could see… This monster wasn’t human. He was in Hell. That Rori bitch was a demon. He should’ve known she’d be trouble.

  He nodded as hard as he could.

  “Good, you pathetic piece of shit. Now, why don’t you take a little siesta while you wait for the police? I hear they’re very interested in your stash.”

  Sean greeted him with a raised eyebrow followed by a quick look-see over his rumpled clothes. “Sooo... You look like dog shit. Rough night?”

  “Fuck you. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He pointedly turned his back on Sean. He wasn’t in the mood. Probably he didn’t need to yank the refrigerator door open, but he was still pretty juiced up. After chugging a glass of milk, he slammed the empty glass into the bottom of the sink.

  “Couldn’t have been that bad. You’re still eating.” Sean’s tone was light, but Dec knew he was digging.

  Huge, huge sigh. He didn’t want to admit this to anyone, especially not one of his Primani brothers. He let the silence linger as he thought over his options. He could keep his trap shut and figure it out on his own. He was an adult. He didn’t need advice. Option two: He could unload on Sean, and let him dog him for days.

  Sean finally broke the awkward silence with a long sigh of his own. “Dude. You know I’m not all touchy feely about shit, but I’m not a complete asshole. You know better than that. How much do we need to survive together before you get it? We’re brothers. I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine.”

  “It’s nothing. I’m just tired. I’m going to grab a shower and head out to St. Anne’s. Let’s go hunting.”

  Sean gave him the hairy eyeball at this obvious lie. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go sharpen my spikes.”

  Two hours later, he swung the Challenger into the crumbling asphalt parking lot of St. Anne’s Catholic Church. It was old and forgotten by the archdiocese, in dire need of a new roof and a coat of paint. Most of the wooden trim was either warped or rotten. The window sills were missing on two of the windows closest to them. The stained glass was clouded by years of dirt; the disapproving saints blackened into obscurity. Leaves from a massive maple tree littered the ground, their fiery hues exploding in the brilliant sunlight of the late morning. The ground itself seemed to burn around the church. Probably a horrible omen. A raven called from the tree. And… that’s not eerie at all! Letting the vibe of the place wash over him, he fingered the haft of the silver blade.

  “Friggin’ creepy for a church.”

  Sean nodded grimly, his eyes missing nothing as he scanned the grounds and building. “Not all churches stay holy. This place looks like crap. Think the priest is here?”

  The sign on the front doors proclaimed the church was closed for renovations. From the looks of it, progress was moving at a crawl.

  “Nope. No demons either. Let’s have a look around. The good father might have an office here.”

  “Or a nice dark basement with chains and bloody power tools.”

  “This isn’t a horror movie.” Still, he shuddered at the thought. They’d seen worse things.

  Sean chuckled and replied, “Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  He itched for a face-to-face convo with the priest, but this would have to do for now. Making quick work of unlocking the deadbolt, he slipped inside with Sean right behind him.

  “Do you feel that?”

  A cold stream of air flowed over them the second they crossed the threshold. It lingered around them, chilling them to the bone, stiffening muscle and freezing blood.

  “Keep moving,” Sean grunted next to his side.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered as he armed himself against an attack.

  The air was numbing, but they simply drew on the energy within their saols to counter it. In full protective mode, their saols automatically pulsed harder through every cell, filling them with light and heat, forcing the evil energy out. It would keep this up until they were safely out of the church.

  If the exterior of the building was falling apart, the inside was ready for a complete demolition. Once finely polished pews had been tossed around like Legos, split into kindling, some even burnt to ash. There were psalm books and bibles littering the floor, pages ripped out, molded and burnt. The fonts that once contained the blessed holy water were crushed into twisted metal, the precious water long since evaporated.

  The altar stood as the lone survivor of the force that had leveled this place. Sean and Dec skirted the rubble to check it out. Its adornments were torn away, leaving only the heavy wooden framework. The surface was covered in ash… the final remains of the priest’s holy bible.

  A crucifix lay twisted into a knot just beside the ashes.

  They stood in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Dec finally said, “Let’s find that basement. This place is making me sick.”

  Rori closed the new window with a satisfied smile. “What a great window! I feel tons safer now.” She flipped the lock in place. “It even has a lock!”

  The perv across f
rom her gave her a creepy little wave through his window. She gave him the finger and snapped the curtains closed. Not exactly curtains, but the green wool blanket would block out the sun, the noise, and the peeper a lot better than the old sheers. It was yet another reason to thank Raine. Not only did he save her life, he got her window fixed and gave her the blanket. It had U.S. Army stamped all over it, but hey, she wasn’t picky. Her place was a dump--nothing could really make it any worse.

  “Well, look, I should really get going. I’ve got to make some calls, and it’s late.” Raine stood awkwardly by the front door. He’d just installed a deadbolt and a security chain. After testing it out, he pronounced her secure.

  “Are you sure? It’s not that late. It’s been weeks since we had a chance to talk, and you just got here.”

  He wasn’t going to stay. He wanted to, but it wasn’t fair to her. In the past few weeks, they’d both tried to get their lives back on track. He’d woken up--healed--on the bed in his apartment. He had no idea how he’d been healed. He just woke up that way two days after the fire. His clothes were burned, charred, reeking of petrol and barbeque. He’d ripped them off in a panic only to realize he was completely intact. His body was perfect. Better, his mind was perfect.

  Confused, terrified, and then abruptly aware, he knew he’d been blessed. He didn’t know why, didn’t know how, he just knew he’d been touched by something holy. The cross he wore hummed with an unfamiliar energy that barely registered to his senses until he’d touched it. The vibration headed straight to his heart, unleashing a flood of emotions that he’d buried during the war.

  After sobbing himself into exhaustion, he fell to his knees. He’d been given a second chance.

  Thank you, God, for giving me my life back. I swear I won’t disappoint you.

  “Raine? Hey, are you all right?” Rori touched his arm, bringing his thoughts back to the present. Her golden eyes creased with worry.

  “I’m fine. Stop worrying. I should be worried about you. You’re the trouble magnet.”

  She tossed her hair and huffed. “There’s nothing to worry about. Hector’s gone. His lieutenant’s in jail for the fire, and word on the street is they’ve crossed me off their list. I’ve got a nice solid window to keep the perv out and door locks to keep any other random scumbags out. I’m as safe as possible! Now, I just need a J.O.B. before the rent’s due next month.”

  Dropping a quick peck on her cheek, he yanked open the door and stepped into the hallway before he could change his mind. “I’ll see you at the library on Thursday, okay?”

  She gave him a smile and said, “Absolutely. You know that’s my day.”

  Rori slid the deadbolt and chain into place. Raine was acting twitchy. What was going on with him? She looked around the tiny apartment and sighed when she spotted the splotchy brown rat sitting in her kitchen again. He’d chewed through her box of cereal.

  “Shoo, you nasty thing! Out! Out!” She chased it into the hallway and right into a man.

  Dec had just set a box of supplies outside of Rori’s door when it flew open and something warm and heavy hit him in the shin. Whatever it was kept going like a bat out of Hell.

  Running at a good clip, Rori hit him next. Both went tumbling backwards; he caught them just before he fell on his ass. Her face was flushed pink, her hair a curtain over them both. Bouncing upright in a flash, he set her on her feet so fast she wobbled.

  “Whoa! You don’t have to throw yourself at me, love. I’m easy.”

  “Dec! What on earth are you doing here?”

  He sidestepped in front of the box, but she spotted it anyway. Her mouth made an ‘O’ before clamping shut in a furious line. “I can explain.”

  “Explain what? That you think I’m a charity case? You’re helping to feed me because I’m too skinny?” She backed him into the hallway.

  He backed her into the apartment and closed the door. “That’s not it. You know I care about you. How come you always assume the worst about me? I’ve never done anything to hurt you!”

  She stuck her finger in his chest and started to answer him. But he cut her off by snatching her finger and firmly lowering her arm. “Don’t do that. It’s rude.”

  She stared in surprise.

  “Yeah, I said that. Get over it.”

  Unfortunately, she found her voice again. Probably the neighbors three blocks over heard her. “I don’t need your help. I can buy my own food. I was fine before I met you. You’re not responsible for me.”

  “Yeah? You were doing just fine? You’ve put on 10 pounds since I’ve been leaving you food. That tells me you were starving. You want to deny that?”

  Her face blanched, and she stumbled back. He followed her. “I’m sorry, Rori. I didn’t want you to find out like this. Please don’t let your pride keep you from taking what I can give you. I’m begging you.” He reached for her, but she shook her head, shoulders stiff, jaw set.

  “Don’t. Touch. Me.” Pointing to the door, she ordered, “Get out.”

  Sean hit the mats with a muffled curse and rolled to his feet, clenching and unclenching his right fist. Shaking it out, he sucked in some oxygen before giving Dec the signal to wait. He slammed a few gulps of water and asked, “Rori?”

  Dec shot him an evil glare and ignored the question. He swallowed half of his water before crooking his finger at Sean.

  He nodded and sat the bottle down. “She’s still not talking to you?”

  Dec lunged, hitting him in the torso and sending both skidding back a few feet. He retaliated by wrapping his arms around Dec and flipping him over his shoulder. Dec landed on his back but rolled smoothly to his feet, swinging a right hook that Sean ducked easily. Sean countered with a roundhouse kick to the chest that landed him on his ass. Before Dec could gain footing, he gave him a kick in the ribs--pulled back of course--and declared himself the winner of the round. Finally! Dec had whipped the shit out of him for the past four rounds. Guess he had a lot of pent-up anger.

  Dec threw his arms under his head and closed his eyes.

  Sean flopped down beside him and waited.

  Dec had been looking peaked for two weeks now. He hadn’t said much which wasn’t like him. Out of the three Primani, Dec was the chatty one. He was the one who actually talked about things. He was definitely the only one who talked about feelings. But since he’d taken responsibility for Rori, he’d changed. Sean didn’t like the new Dec. He missed his brother. Dec wasn’t lighthearted anymore. He’d lost his will to play. That meant Sean had, too. Dec was the only one who kept him balanced. If it wasn’t for Dec’s happy personality, he would be all work, no play, all the time. Dec reminded him they could actually enjoy immortality--lately though, Dec was not himself.

  “Maybe you should just tell her.”

  Dec flipped over and gaped like an idiot. “Tell her? We’re Primani? You’ve lost your friggin’ mind!”

  He shrugged off the protest. “It’s been said before. Possibly true, but we’ll never know for sure.” Even if it was crazy, it was a good idea. Bending to stretch out his hamstrings, he set out to convince his depressed brother. “Maybe she’d stop running from you if she knew you were one of those nosy guardian angels.” He used air quotes around the word ‘guardian.’ “You could even tell her you’re good friends with Castiel. Maybe that would help? Then she’d believe in the demon too, and we could get her to cooperate so we could get rid of it once and for all.”

  Thursday finally! Rori swung up the sunny sidewalk a couple of blocks from her home away from home. The library waited for her, a welcome beacon of truth in a city of lies. She hadn’t been to visit in weeks and bubbled with excitement as she approached the corner. One thing to do on the way though… where was Raine? Slowing and moving out of the crush of pedestrians, she shaded her eyes and scanned the corners for him. There you are. He was a beacon himself. The brightness of his hair shone like a spotlight among the dark coats of the people streaming past her. Fall was here with a vengeance; the temps had
dropped, giving everyone the excuse to drag out wool coats, leather jackets, and stylish scarves. Rori shivered in the thin hoodie she wore all year long. This was the best she could do. When winter hit hard, she stayed inside as much as possible. She’d lost her only pair of gloves years ago.

  Raine finished making change for a tourist and hammed it up as the young woman took a picture with her cellphone. Trying not to laugh, Rori shook her head and enjoyed the view. Oh, yeah, Raine was a hottie; one of these days, someone would discover him and make him a star. She waited for the flirting tourist to move on before coming over.

  “So can I have your autograph before you get famous?”

  He aimed that million dollar smile her way before swinging her around in a bear hug. Frowning, he pulled away and said, “You’re freezing.”

  He opened the front of his leather jacket. “Come over here and warm up.”

  He was like a furnace. Ooh. Ahh. Maybe she’d stay here instead of going to the library. She must’ve moaned out loud because his chest rumbled with laughter. He held her like he wanted her to stay put so she did.

  The gentle pressure of Rori’s heartbeat thudded against his chest until he couldn’t resist tightening his arms. The lemon and coconut scent of her shampoo lingered, and he breathed her in with a contented smile. She was one special woman. He’d miss her. He rubbed his chin over her hair and sighed. Her skin was chilled even under the hoodie she wore.

  “Okay, enough hugging. Get moving, lady, so I can sell some cheesy tourist crap. I have a hot date tonight. I need to buy some wine so I can get lucky.” He shrugged out of his coat and coaxed her arms into the sleeves before she had time to protest.

  “Raine! I’m not taking your coat! You’ll freeze out here today!”

  Taking her shoulders in both hands, he locked his eyes to hers and said, “You’ll take it, and you’ll wear it. Don’t be too proud to accept help. I mean it. Give it back to me after our date tonight.”

  Even though he could tell she wanted to protest, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. Her lips were smooth with strawberry lip balm, but stiff with the cold. He cupped her head and warmed her lips for a few extra seconds before dropping one last peck on her mouth.