The atmosphere was significantly warmer when he and Rori returned to the farmhouse. It was late, but not too late to take care of some business, especially when that business was lighting him up from the inside out. Back in the alley, Kyrrin hinted at some usable intel. If he was right, they were about to blow the lid right off of Gary Carmichael’s case. Rori had no idea how awesome it was to find Kyrrin in such a traitorous mood. The demon was one of the few who was actually in the know about the plans and politics that went on down below. Since he was well aware of how demons treated betrayal, Kyrrin refused to talk so close to nosy ears. Not a problem, unless Killian threw a wrench in the plan.
Knocking on Mica and Killian’s bedroom door, he called out, “Hey, you two, I need to call a family meeting. This is a big deal. Can’t wait.”
Looking like he had actually been sleeping, Killian opened the door with a hard tug. The crease from the sheet totally took the scary out of his scowl. “Can’t wait ‘til morning?”
“No, man. It can’t. It’s about Rori.”
Checking over his shoulder, he whispered, “Give me five. I’ll meet you in the living room.”
Rori was curled up on the couch when he came downstairs again. She had to be exhausted. Her eyes were drawn nearly closed until he disturbed her dozing. She wasn’t going to like her orders, but Killian was very clear.
He tried the easy way first. There was always a chance that she’d be reasonable, right? He hugged her, rubbing her back, and kissing her temple. “It’s really late, Rori. Why don’t you go on to bed? I’ll catch you up in the morning.”
Aaand of course, the easy way wasn’t going to cut it. Damn stubborn women. He was surrounded by them. Nope, it was too much to hope for. The second he started to talk, she was magically alert and suspicious as only a woman could be.
Sitting back with crossed arms, she gave him a pointed stare. “I’m fine. I want to hear what’s going on too. I can sleep later.”
“Sorry, love. You can’t sit in on the meeting. It’s ops only. You’re not cleared.”
“Are you serious? It concerns me, doesn’t it? I have a right to know what’s going on.”
With perfect timing, Mica rounded the corner and broke up the argument. “Get used to it, Rori. You don’t get a say. Sorry. I know you don’t want to hear that, but that’s how it is. These guys have a protocol. You aren’t a member of the team. Think of them as military spec ops. They protect you, but they don’t let you in on their super-secret plans. Same thing.”
Rori flushed, started to argue, but stopped abruptly when Killian walked in. She demanded, “I want to stay.”
With exaggerated patience, Killian growled through his teeth, “Not your call, babe. We’re the ones who run the missions. My team, my call. Period.”
“But--”
Mica took her by the elbow with every intention of leading her away. Rori dug her heels in. Mica rolled her eyes and yanked her down the hall. “Yes, it’s really his way or the highway. Suck it up and get used to it. When it comes to their work, they get to make the calls. Come on, let’s go to bed. They’ll be up all night.”
Three hours later, Sean was back from hunting. Dec and Killian sat sprawled out in their chairs while he dunked his head in the kitchen sink. He’d been rinsing for five minutes, but the water was still black as it raced down the plumbing. The last demon had exploded way too close to Sean. He’d ended up with a shitload of ash on his face. Yeah. It was gross. He plunged his head under the stream again and scrubbed. Taking a breath, he asked, “So how did Kyrrin look?”
Dec snorted a laugh, but it was Killian who answered with more than a little humor in his tone. “He’s redecorated.”
He spit and asked, “He’s wearing someone? Really? That’s odd. He usually goes au naturel.” Ouch. Ash in the eye sucked. He rinsed his face again, shook his head, and finally dragged a kitchen towel over it. Mica would yell. He got grey soot marks all over the yellow cloth. That’s four this month.
Dec grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah, you could say that. Think ‘Terry Crews’ and you’d be in the ballpark. He says he’s tired of being fucked with by other demons, so he’s taken to wearing a black football player-slash-actor-slash Old Spice dude. After I picked my jaw up off the ground, I had to admit he’s much more intimidating than in his skinny little demon body. I’d think twice before fucking with him.” He paused to scratch at his chin. “He’s got a Southern accent now. That’s some funny shit, though. Man, I can’t wait for you to see him.”
After one last rinse and dry, he grabbed his own chair. With long legs sprawled, he asked for an update. Dec filled him in on what he’d missed.
Killian took the ball and finished up with Kyrrin’s intel. “So your guy Tai Li was right. There is a faction of lower-level demons who want to break away from Irku’s grip. There’s a ton of finger pointing and killing going on as they try to save their asses. It’s a bloodbath. But I say more power to them. It’s better to let them kill each other.”
Sean agreed, “True, true… but what is Irku doing about it? If he’s keeping them under control, I don’t see a problem for us. Anything we need to worry about yet?”
Killian shrugged. Not much got him worried so he was probably the wrong Primani to ask. “The usual. He’s got feelers out collecting his own intel; killing off the ones who are too stupid to live; basically keeping things stable as far as Hell goes. He’s got Kyrrin running more than his personal business now. Kyrrin’s managing the collection points and directing snitches. He’s in way over his head, by the way. He’s going to wear that body out. He’s got an ulcer already.”
“Well, you can change the outside… can’t change the heart, or whatever passes for hearts in demons anyway. Kyrrin’s always been a wuss. He’s not going to change. He doesn’t have the stomach for all the shit Irku wants done.”
Killian nodded and continued. “Exactly. That’s his angle. He wanted to pass some info to us in exchange for a way out. He wants to vanish. I told him I’d work on something for him. Not sure what we can really do. Raphael’s probably going to kill me for trying to deal with him.”
Dec barked a harsh laugh. “Since when did we start witness protection for demons?”
Killian chuckled too. “I hate to say it, but I’ve started to like the little idiot. He’s grown on me the past few years. I don’t mind helping a brother out.”
Dec snorted his water through his nose and hacked up a lung. Once his face turned a fascinating shade of purple, Killian whacked him between the shoulders.
“So all of this is very interesting, but Dec sounded like he’d just won the fucking lottery when he called me earlier. What’s the excitement about? Why did I have to cut my night short? I was on a roll.”
Dec sat up straight, grinning hard enough to bust a lip. “Dude! As a gesture of good faith, Kyrrin told us everything he could about Gary Carmichael’s case. Guess whose name popped up with some interesting connections? Turns out this Father Joseph douche is really a soul broker for a demon named Azrael. Azrael is pretty big shit in his world. He’s an old Knight of Hell. Nearly impossible to vanquish.”
Another like Irku? Yay. “Impossible? Okay, so why the crazy look in your eye? What the hell is a soul broker? Why is this good news?”
Dec tucked his hands behind his head and explained. “Father Joseph used to be a real human. Still is, possibly, someplace under the demon’s powers. He’s been possessed by this demon for more than 40 years. Kyrrin thinks the demon’s name is Ikini. Anyhow, apparently he slid into the priest and took over his life. The parish has gone to crap over the years and very few parishioners bothered to show up until they finally closed the building for remodeling. Before that, though, he was a big deal--quite the popular priest. You know the drill. Collected donations for the poor, brought food to the homeless, counseled people, performed funeral ceremonies… all your typical priest jobs.”
Dec slugged another gulp of water before continuing. “The Carmichael family attended th
e church back in the 60s. The bastard even performed the baptism on Gary. When the kid vanished, he led the search to find him. There are pictures of him holding up Gary’s mother in a press conference.”
Sean nodded. “Yeah, okay. I got that. We already know they’re connected. How is this proof he killed the boy? Did Kyrrin say anything about that?”
They already suspected the priest. They needed actual proof before they could execute him. It would be really, really bad to whack a priest, at least without a damn good reason. Karma and all that… Not to mention Michael’s reaction… he shuddered at the thought of spending any more time in the stone garden. He still got the creepy-crawlies around stone angels. It wasn’t an experience he ever wanted to repeat. Oh, hell no.
Killian interrupted Dec. “He didn’t give specifics, Sean. He wanted to be able to tell the truth if he was tortured. So he shared some suggestions for us to explore. His words, not mine. We were right about Rori’s visions. Woodstock is a clue. I suspect the boy’s body is somewhere in the field. We should take her there to have a look around. There are probably other clues in her subconscious. That’s what Kyrrin was getting at. I’m positive.”
Sean took some minutes to wrap his head around this news. Not too surprising, really. The Woodstock vision seemed symbolic already. It wasn’t a leap to tie the priest to the boy’s death, or the mother’s suicide either. If the good father was responsible for counseling her and hearing her confession, it would have been simple to twist her grief into something lethal, leading to her overdose. Why would Kyrrin tell them this? It wasn’t anything they wouldn’t already be able to figure out.
Dec leaned forward and knocked on the table. “What? You’ve got that look on your face. We’re missing something, aren’t we?”
“Give me a sec. Something’s bothering me about this.” He tipped his head back and closed his eyes in thought. “What did Kyrrin say a soul broker does? It sounds like a rock star job. There have to be perks. Why else be some demon’s bitch?”
Killian replied, “The broker scouts out people who are desperate enough to make a deal with a demon. They typically barter their souls for whatever they want--money, fame, love, sex… typical genie wishes. The demon ends up owning their souls.”
Sean picked up the thread. “So the human gets their wish granted; the demon gets the soul and says ‘hallelujah’ before torturing it for eternity. That makes sense. What’s in it for the broker? There’s got to be a bonus of some kind. What’s his cut?”
Dec froze with his hand halfway to the glass on the table. The blood drained from his face so fast, Sean thought he was going to faint. He and Killian leaped forward at the same time, both grabbing Dec’s shoulders to keep him from keeling over. The transformation was instantaneous. In the wink of an eye his face lit up like a Roman candle, and he leapt to his feet. “That sonofabitch! I’ll kill him with my bare hands!”
Killian grabbed his arm and snapped, “What? What do you know?”
Dec sucked in a lungful of oxygen and tried to calm down. His chest heaved with the force of his saol raging through him. His vision had gone totally white.
He stood with Sean and Killian, face on fire with a fury he could hardly control. They watched him like a loose grenade. He was about to lose it. He’d been listening to Sean and Killian talk through the same intel he’d heard while Kyrrin was still here. He’d been listening with one ear and thinking hard. He’d been replaying all of Rori’s actions, expressions, and comments concerning Father Joseph. Clearly they had a history. She was afraid of him. Even worse, she’d looked ashamed when he’d asked about the priest. When he’d pressed her for details, she shut him down, totally refusing to talk about it. Then there was the mark on her neck that matched the sigil on her mother’s grave marker. She didn’t know what it meant. She thought it was just a decoration. Then there’s the night she was attacked. That friggin’ demon said she was his. He owned her soul.
It made perfect sense now.
“Dec?” Sean kicked his foot to get his attention.
He didn’t trust himself to speak without screaming.
“Dec, we need to hear it. What are you thinking?” Sean wasn’t going to let him get away without telling them every filthy detail he’d just put together.
Taking several breaths to calm down enough to find his voice, he steadied himself by slamming both hands on the table. “Rori’s mother sold her.”
Chapter 17: Forgive Me Father for You Have Sinned
“THAT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL. You’re talking crazy. Why would she do that?” Rori refused to look him in the eye.
He tried to take her hand, but she jerked away and stalked to the other side of the room. She sent him a wary glance from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t there yet, but she was on her way to accepting their theory. It was an insane idea. But stranger things had happened. This wouldn’t be the first time a parent made horrible choices.
“Dec, I’m going to the grocery store. Will you guys watch the kids for me? They’re all racked out so you’ve got a reprieve for an hour or so.” Mica hurried to the garage door, juggling her purse and a pair of gloves.
She’d already promised to talk to Rori if he couldn’t get her to see reason. Like him, Mica had a way with people. He would take her up on that offer if he couldn’t figure out a way on his own. She stopped to wave before vanishing through the door. “Love you!”
“Rori, I know it sounds absolutely nuts. I get that. I do. But let’s try something else.” He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She didn’t flinch away. Good sign. He continued, “Can we agree that something suspicious happened between your mother and this demon? The sigils point to a clear connection. Would you at least agree to that?”
She was silent for a few heartbeats. Nodding, she said, “Fine. I agree that’s weird. I don’t agree she sold my soul to Azrael.”
Clamping his hand over her mouth, he hissed, “Shh! Never say his name aloud! Don’t even think it!”
She blinked over his hand and shoved at his chest to make him let go. “What’s the matter with you?”
“There is immense power in the name. He’s in-tune with you already; saying his name just attracts his attention. And that is never a good thing. This demon is powerful; more powerful than I can stop.” He bent to kiss her before folding her against his chest. “He can get to you, love. We’re doing all we can to hide you, but if he finds you, he’ll come.”
“But something is holding him back, right? Otherwise, he’d already be possessing me… or whatever he wants to do. Why isn’t he here now?”
“There are always limits to these deals. People get their wish for a specific number of years; 10, 20, even 25 years is common. Or the debt is due on a certain birthday, or some other date the demon comes up with. In your case, I think it’s a date versus a number of years. I’m thinking it’s your next birthday. That explains why he’s been coming around the past several months. He’s trying to soften you up, play with you a little… they love to torture, get off on it. He can’t take you completely; he doesn’t own your soul yet, but he can twist your mind until you’re dying to go with him.”
She blanched, sagging against his arm. “Father Joseph said something… a long time ago. Oh, God, he was right? He must’ve known what was coming. He must’ve known about this.” She bit her lip and whispered, “This isn’t happening! Demons don’t exist! I’m not evil.”
The abruptly childlike voice sent a shiver of real fear over the back of his neck. She repeated the phrases with her eyes squeezed shut.
“This isn’t happening! Demons don’t exist! I’m not evil.”
“Shh, it’s okay now. You’re not evil, darlin’. No power on earth can make you that way. Take a deep breath and tell me about this priest. What did he say to you? You’ll feel better if you get if off your chest.”
She studied him with her huge eyes before shaking her head. “I… can’t tell you. It’s worse than you can imagine. I… don’t want you to look
at me differently. I can’t handle that.”
He was going to skin that priest alive. He didn’t give a flying fuck if he was still in a human body. That demon was toast. The shame in her eyes ripped a hole in the middle of his chest. It nearly killed him to see it even though he pretty much knew what was coming. He didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to force her to re-live the shame, the pain. But she had to talk to someone, had to get this off of her conscience if she was to heal. And she would heal, if it was the last thing he ever did.
Pulling her over to the couch, he took her hands in his. “I want you to listen to me, and listen hard. There is nothing you can say that would change how I feel about you. I love you. All of you. Scars and all. We have to get to the bottom of this if you ever want to have a normal life. Tell me what he said to you. Tell me what happened. I swear on my own mother’s grave, that I won’t think less of you.”
She didn’t want to tell him. God only knew he’d never be able to look at her again. It was probably her fault. She had been a pretty child. Needy, trusting, delicate. She hadn’t understood what he wanted until she was older. Then, she understood exactly what he asked of her. She should have been horrified. Instead she was resigned. It seemed to be the only way. And things could have been worse.
“It was the nightmares. They started when I was young. I’m not sure exactly when. I didn’t remember them much at first. I’d wake up with a lingering feeling of fear, but it disappeared by the time I was fully alert. As I got older, they stuck in my head. I’d wake up screaming, out of control. Ranting about monsters and fires… crazy talk. I started to see them when I closed my eyes, even when I was awake. I withdrew, got depressed, stopped smiling. That started the cycle of foster homes. When I was cute and sweet, it wasn’t a problem. I was a smart kid, nice, kind. It wasn’t hard to place me; I stayed in the same house for three years. It was nice. Then the nightmares ruined it.”
She had been happy there. But the screaming, half-crazy kid was more than the family could take. Her siblings started having bad dreams… the parents had enough. By the time they’d sent her away, they no longer looked at her with gentle eyes. They looked at her with fear. And pity. Don’t forget the pity.
Broken Souls (Primani Book 4) Page 25