Koivu (Demons After Dark Book Three)

by Laurie Olerich

  “Have you warned them?”

  “I don’t have to. Trust me. Your exiled demons aren’t as stupid as I assumed them to be. Slowly but surely, they’re proving to be both intelligent and resourceful. With the exception of the incident at the Vatican, they haven’t made any colossal mistakes in quite a while.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring.”

  “There’s no need to be snide. Even you have to admit the average intelligence of your demons is generally not up to the same level as—”

  “Don’t say it. I’m not in the mood to hear you brag about your precious Primani. Listen, my demons aren’t all geniuses, but they don’t need to be. Most of them are worker bees, and they get the job done. It’s not a surprise that the Trinity are smarter than average. The prison crews are filled with intelligent demons. They’re handpicked from the best families—”

  Handpicked from the best families? They come from the purest bloodlines . . . Twelve crew members were exiled.

  “Luc?”

  “Shh, I’m thinking.”

  The two brothers, Nash and Vanek, come from one of the origin families—come from the origin family. They’re descendants of the very first demon he created. What about the rest of the Trinity? “I have a theory, brother.”

  “Care to share it?”

  “Not yet.”

  Twelve crew members. Twelve origin families. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  Chapter 4: Gimme Shelter

  Was there anything better than the sweet smell of puppy breath? Surrounded by four black and white spotted furballs, Micki let go of the stressful week and tried to live in the moment. These abandoned babies needed her complete attention and that left no room for maudlin thoughts about past mistakes.

  “Hey, kiddo, you should finish up and get moving. It’s Friday night. Go out and have some fun,” Larry called from the office in the front of the shelter.

  “I will. I will. I need to finish sweeping out these last few kennels first.” She agreed automatically because Larry wouldn’t leave her alone until she did. The kennel manager was older than dirt, and terminally grumpy with everyone except women. The old coot had a soft spot for the fairer sex, but not in a creepy stalker way. He had three ex-wives, four daughters, and six granddaughters, so clearly he was well trained to behave himself around females.

  Dal Pals Rescue was her home away from home. It was located in a rundown building that once housed a hardware store. Bordered on one side by an abandoned convenience store and on the other by a burned down duplex that still smelled of ash, it wasn’t much to look at. Three years ago, she’d stumbled in with a broken heart and a stray dog on the end of a makeshift leash. Larry had taken one look at the dog and adopted them both. He’d sweet-talked her into volunteering, and she’d never regretted one single minute. Working at the shelter fed her soul when humanity got on her nerves. She’d given three years of commitment and dedication to rehabilitating and caring for the homeless animals. Saving their lives and finding them forever homes brought her a sense of satisfaction and peace which she desperately needed. She saved them, but they really saved her.

  “You’re sure you’re going to be okay? I can wait for you to finish up.” Larry hovered in the doorway, his florid face creased with concern. “I don’t mind.”

  Sitting on the yellowed vinyl floor inside one of the fenced kennels, she rubbed Patch’s belly. The adorable runt wriggled and grunted with innocent puppy bliss. She couldn’t resist dropping kisses on his tiny black nose. She shooed away Larry’s familiar concerns with a smile. “I’m almost done with the puppies. I’m going to check in on Ramses and see how he’s feeling. He’s really groggy from his pain meds.”

  “He’s a lucky bastard. The doc said he’ll be just fine once he learns to walk on three legs.”

  Ramses was a big, dopey 70 pound male dal who was almost as big as she was. He’d been brought to Dr. Patrick’s clinic by a Good Samaritan yesterday. The poor dog had been hit by a car and his front leg was shattered in multiple places. Amputation was the only option. “I’m still thinking about bringing him to my house so I can keep a closer eye on him. What do you think?”

  “I think you have a kind heart for broken strays, missy. Do you need some help?”

  “Nope. You’ve got a birthday party to get to. I’ll call my brother to help with Ramses when I’m ready to go. There’s no way I can carry him and I don’t want to jostle him trying to manhandle him to my car.” Tugging Patch closer for a final cuddle, she yelped when his littermate, Lucky, nipped her elbow to get her attention. Not to be outdone, Bella and Freckles tackled her, sending her tumbling to her back, laughing with delight as all four puppies swarmed her. “Seriously. Go on. I’m fine. I’ll be done in a few minutes and I’ll call Danny.”

  After hesitating for a half second more, Larry said, “All righty then. I’ll see you in the morning. Be safe.”

  “I’m always safe. Get out of here before you’re late. All of the cannoli will be gone.”

  “Okay, sweetheart, I’m going. I’ll bring you some cookies in the morning.”

  Located near the river, the decaying neighborhood had seen much better days, but no one had ever bothered her. Was she safe here? It wasn’t a pretty area, but the residents were mostly elderly folks who were too poor to relocate to any place more modern. Crime hadn’t been a huge problem until recently. A rash of break-ins and a handful of drive-by shootings had everyone on alert. The police thought gangs were to blame, but so far had no real proof. She wasn’t particularly worried. Even though it was getting dark outside, it was only 7:00 and the real troublemakers didn’t come out until later. Her car was parked out front so she didn’t have far to walk, and if anyone did try to bother her, she had a little something special tucked in her purse. Just as she was giving Bella one last belly rub, her cellphone vibrated in her back pocket.

  She ignored the phone and moved to the next kennel while the puppies tripped over themselves to get to the gate, yipping and yapping pitifully. “You’re fine!” she called with a grin. Lucky’s piping vocals filled the air. His overblown distress made her chuckle. He was such a drama dog. “Oh, my goodness! You’re fine!”

  Her phone buzzed again. And then one more time. Nope. Not answering that. This was her happy place. The man on the other end of that text would just have to wait. She swept the kennel as quickly as possible. The chore only took three minutes, but it felt like forever. Her phone buzzed in a nearly constant vibration now as one message after another came through. The sensation crawled all the way to her gritted teeth as she tried to ignore the summons. And there was no doubt that’s what it was.

  She cleaned out the last three kennels even though they weren’t dirty. She even tidied up the tiny bathroom and swept the long passage that ran between the separate rows of kennels. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. Shoving the broom into its corner, she snatched up her phone. There were ten text messages. Eight from him. Two from her answering service. Damn him! He knew she’d answer if he pushed long enough. He knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. Why couldn’t he just leave her the hell alone? Why couldn’t he understand she couldn’t see him? Couldn’t pick up where they left off?

  Jake Thornton wasn’t known for taking rejection well. He wasn’t known for his reasonableness or his understanding. The founder of The Underground wasn’t known for his loyalty, either. He used people. He didn’t care what damage he caused as long as he got what he wanted. Located in Las Vegas, The Underground fight club was his passion, his life, his home. She’d thought it was her place too until she finally woke up and realized that he was just using her. Walking away from him was almost impossible. He’d used every weapon he had to make her stay and she had . . . until he’d done the unforgiveable.

  Now, Jake was back on the east coast for God only knew what, and he was determined to pick up where they left off. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. God help her. She loved him. She hated him. She hated herself for even considering seeing him ag
ain. He twisted her into a pathetic creature with no pride, no will, no backbone. She could block his number, and she would . . . eventually. Knowing he was out there, within reach, within touching distance, brought both pain and pleasure. He was horrible for her, but her body didn’t care. She craved him even after all this time. She’d loved him mindlessly for five years. It wasn’t that easy to stop.

  Putting off the inevitable pain of dealing with Jake, she read the two messages from her service first and frowned. Huh. That was weird. She rarely heard from the answering service. The owners of In Motion wanted patients to have access to their PTs after hours. She wasn’t on call, exactly, but the patients could reach her if they had questions about their exercises or something similar. In the two years that she’d worked for In Motion, only one or two patients used it. What did Koivu want?

  Sighing into space, she entered the phone number that was provided by the service. He picked up on the first ring.

  “Yeah?” He sounded exhausted.

  “Koivu? Hi, it’s Doctor Glass. I have a message that you called earlier. What can I do for you?”

  He cleared his throat, but his voice was still gravelly with strain. “It took you long enough. I’m dying over here. My shoulder’s fucking killing me.”

  Refusing to be offended by his grumpiness, she asked, “Did something happen? Your exercises should challenge you, and you can expect some tenderness, but you shouldn’t be in a lot of pain. How’s your pain tolerance?”

  He snorted—snorted!—and went on the offense in his usual cocky tone. “My pain tolerance is higher than you can imagine, doc. I need you to look at my shoulder. I need you to fix it.”

  “Koivu, I’m a physical therapist not a medical doctor. If you’re having this much trouble, you should make an appointment with your primary care doctor or see your surgeon again.”

  “It’ll take weeks to get an appointment and I’m in pain now. I can’t rotate my shoulder at all. That’s a range of motion issue, yes? Seems to me that’s your friggin’ specialty, or am I wrong about what physical therapy is?”

  He wasn’t wrong, but it was 7:30 on a Friday night. She didn’t make house calls, for crying out loud! He could wait until Monday and come in like everybody else. Striving to keep her tone professional, she said, “I’m happy to fit you in Monday morning. Come in whenever you can. In the meantime, you might want to take a couple of over-the-counter pain meds, or whatever your doctor prescribed. That’ll take the edge off.”

  “Look, Micki.” His tone softened to one that would melt honey and she knew he was pulling out all the stops. She could clearly visualize his unusual eyes locking onto hers, mouth dipping into a sad, pathetic frown. “I know this is unconventional,” he continued in the same almost irresistible tone. “I really do understand that I’m asking a lot from you. It’s your weekend—you probably have a date—but I’m dying here! Do you want to be responsible for my death?”

  “I really don’t think you’re dying. If you are, you should go to the emergency room because physical therapy won’t prevent death.” She rolled her eyes towards the nearest kennel and blew a kiss to its occupant, Lexi. The pretty female sat expectantly and wagged her tail in agreement.

  Her phone buzzed twice in rapid succession as two more text messages came in. A quick peek confirmed they were from Jake. In the opposite kennel, Luke and Leo, two adolescent males, growled softly. Their growls of warning quickly turned to alarmed barking. Tuning out Koivu’s pleading, she sidled towards the front entrance, wondering if Larry had remembered to lock the outer doors.

  “Hello? Are you still there? What’s going on? Are those dogs?”

  Trying not to overreact, she hissed, “Shhh! Hold on a minute,” so she could listen for sounds that shouldn’t be there. Behind her the dogs ratcheted up their barking and the other seven joined in until it was impossible to hear anything else. A cold shiver of certainty crawled between her shoulder blades ending in a knot in the pit of her stomach. “I think someone’s in here!”

  Her imagination helpfully supplied horror movie visuals of masked serial killers wielding axes and butcher knives. Was someone inside? Pressing her back to the wall by the bathroom, she stared down the narrow walkway that ran between the two rows of kennels. Forcing herself to stay calm, she strained her ears and held her breath. From her vantage point, she could see partway into the lobby. A shadow moved. Someone was inside the foyer! The shadow moved again. Crossing to the other side of the small waiting area, the intruder disappeared from view. Her purse and gun were in the office. “Shit!”

  “What’s going on?” Koivu’s steady voice reeled in her sudden burst of panic. “Talk to me.”

  She had to leave before she was seen. Slowly backing away and then bolting towards the rear exit, she slipped through the backdoor before whispering frantically, “Someone broke in! I have to go!”

  “Where are you? Give me the address!”

  Automatically rattling off the address, she circled the small building and realized there was really no good place to hide. Her car was parked directly in front of the entrance. She couldn’t get to the car without being seen. Worse, her keys were in her purse. She ducked behind the boarded up store with her heart in her throat. “I have to go! I’m calling 911.”

  “Stay out of sight! I’m only a block away. I’ll be right there.”

  The 911 dispatcher answered her call just as she heard the unmistakable sound of an explosion. Running back to the rear entrance, she jerked open the door and halted in shock. “Oh, my god! The building’s on fire! Hurry!” She shouted the address into the phone and stuffed it into her pocket. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The office was an inferno. Flames climbed the walls and raced across the floor towards the kennel bay. Smoke was already pouring into the hallway.

  “The dogs!” Howling and barking, the dogs threw themselves against the bars of their kennels. “Hang on! Hang on!”

  Covering her nose with her hand, she sprinted to the kennel nearest to the fire and yanked the door open. “Go, Lexi!” The terrified dog bolted towards the back of the shelter.

  Rushing from one kennel to the next, she frantically unlatched the kennels. Her fingers slipped on the metal hardware, taking up precious time. Cursing at her sweaty hands, she released the dogs, hoping they’d run out the backdoor, away from the fire. Hurry! Hurry! The words dashed across her mind as time seemed to stand still. The air was getting hotter; her lungs were burning. She broke into a coughing fit that wouldn’t stop. The black smoke was so thick it was nearly impossible to see now. Glass exploded in the background. Move, Micki, move!

  With streaming eyes, she felt her way to Ramses’ kennel, croaking, “Ramses! Let’s go!” Cringing with fear, the big dog huddled against the back wall. Still medicated and groggy, he snarled and bit her hand when she tried to grab his collar. “Come on, buddy! I’m not going to hurt you!”

  He snapped at her hand again. Swallowing a desperate sob, she swore, “I’m not leaving you, you stubborn mutt!” under her breath before crouching lower to get a better grip on his collar. He could bite her all he wanted as long as she got him out alive. She’d drag his butt if she had to. The roar of the fire and her pounding heart nearly drowned out the sirens, but they were the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. Thank God! “Come on, Ramses! Let’s go!”

  So focused on what she was doing, she didn’t see Koivu until he grabbed her arm, yelling, “Are you crazy? Get out of here!”

  “No! I can’t leave them! There are three more kennels!”

  “Go!” Shaking her by the arms, he shouted, “We’ll get them out!”

  “Get Ramses! He can’t walk!”

  “I’ve got him. Get out!” Koivu shoved her out of the kennel and cornered the snarling dog. “Come on, dog.” He scooped Ramses into his arms and followed her towards the exit.

  Another man jogged by with his arms full of limp puppies. The silhouette of a fireman striding through the haze was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “
Get the fuck out of here, lady!” he ordered as he caught her arm and dragged her outside.

  Hacking and coughing, her eyes and throat raw and burning, she stumbled and fell to her knees.

  “Whoa, girl. Hang on.” Koivu scooped her into his arms and carried her to the ambulance as it pulled up. “Take it easy, now. Breathe slowly.”

  “The dogs?” She broke into another painful coughing fit that left her wheezing and gasping.

  “I’ve got them. Don’t worry about them right now. They’ll be fine. Let the paramedics take a look at you.”

  The next few minutes were a blur. Her body trembled with shock as the adrenaline wore off and the reality of what had just happened set in. A paramedic put an oxygen mask over her nose while she sagged against Koivu for support. His red face blurred above her as the pain set in. Every breath hurt. Her throat screamed; her lungs burned; her eyes streamed with constant tears. The ride to the ER was like a dream. Lights flashed, sirens warbled, the paramedic talked to her, his lips moving but no sound coming out . . . Koivu’s hand gripped hers, his fingers strong and sure. Her mouth tasted like ash.

  Arson. Pure and simple. Koivu knew a thing or two about fires and there was no doubt the fire had been set. Micki’s description and the rate the fire spread confirmed it in his mind. Accelerant for sure. What caused the explosion though? Was it a pipe bomb? Grenade? Some kind of homemade device? Could be a freakin’ gas can with a rag stuffed in it.

  “What are you thinking?” Benn asked.

  “Arson,” he answered without looking away from the building across the street. It hadn’t been much to look at before, but it was a sad disaster now. Bright yellow crime scene tape fluttered in the morning breeze. An official-looking pickup truck idled at the curb. Two men wandered around the front, examining the building’s exterior before picking their way beneath the tape and disappearing inside.