Heaven in Hell: Episode Two: A Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal Romance Series (The second episode in the Heaven in Hell Series)

by Dia Cole

  He spun around, looking like something a zombie cat dragged in. His corpulent face was haggard and his eyes were so bloodshot the irises looked as if they were swimming in a sea of blood. He swayed from side to side as if the floor was moving under us.

  Being drunk doesn’t excuse his actions.

  I held my blade up to the front of his chest. “What the fuck, Grady?”

  He blinked slowly, glancing down at the knife. “His blood will bring the dead.”

  “So you were just going to kill him?” I couldn’t keep the incredulousness out of my voice.

  “I’m the only one with the balls to do it.” He flashed me a leering grin, reached down, and lewdly grabbed himself.

  I pointed my knife at the blood crusted under his nose. “You’re bleeding too. How about I kill you?”

  “You wouldn’t do that.” He stumbled back a step and hit the cubicle wall. He lost his balance and fell to the floor.

  Goddamn it. He’s trashed.

  My lip curled in disgust. I’d seen some bad drunks in my days, but this took the cake. “You should be thinking about your daughter.”

  “Sheez gonna die,” he wailed, as his head fell forward.

  Ignoring his blubbering, I called out for Dominic and Darcy. When they didn’t reply, I sheathed my knife and walked back into the cubicle.

  I felt for Reed’s pulse. It was strong. Thank God. He was shirtless. I frowned. Reed wouldn’t like that. He hated people seeing the scars that covered his chest and back—souvenirs from the first car accident that nearly took his life.

  I scanned the space looking for his shirt. Other than the computers stacked along the desk and large lateral metal file cabinet near the wall, the workspace was empty.

  I knelt down on my good leg, trying to get a closer look at his left shoulder. The wound had been rebandaged and the dressing was clean. Thankfully, Grady hadn’t ripped Reed’s stitches open. Reed was far too pale though.

  Does he need a blood transfusion?

  I knew I we shared the same blood type because I’d donated blood to Reed when he was hospitalized years ago. But I couldn’t help him with my infected blood now.

  I was debating whether to risk leaving him to go and look for the soldiers when a beefy arm snaked around my throat. “It was your sister’s fault.”

  I gagged as the pressure on my airway increased.

  Idiot. Never turn your back on a drunk redneck.

  “Let me go.” I thrashed around trying to work myself free.

  Grady merely slung his other arm across my chest and lifted me off the ground. “She killed my daughter.”

  “We have the pills. We can save her,” I gasped.

  His breath, steeped in whiskey, scalded my face. “Rosie was everything to me. Someone has to pay.”

  My injured leg hit the edge of the desk. Screaming in pain, I clawed at his arm.

  He shifted his grip and cupped me between my legs. “Maybe you can make it up to me.”

  Shock froze every muscle in my body.

  “Feels good, eh?” he crooned.

  Emotions blew through me. Disbelief. Disgust. They were followed by a hot burst of rage.

  He’s messing with the wrong woman.

  Summoning every training lesson Dominic had drilled into my head for the past three months, I forced myself to go limp. As Grady leaned forward to keep his hold, I slammed my head back.

  He grunted in pain.

  I was free.

  Moving as fast as I could on one leg, I spun around and kicked him in the balls. The agony of coming down on my injured leg was worth it when he bellowed and doubled over.

  One hand cupped his groin, the other his gushing nose. He cursed at me.

  I was going for my knife when I heard the sharp biting sound of metal on metal.

  4

  Dominic stepped out of the shadows and into the cubicle doorway. “Do you know what I do to men who attack the civilian women under my protection?” He ran two of his blades against each other a second time. They glinted, wicked and deadly, in the fading light.

  With a stricken look, Grady backed up as far as he could go. He tripped over Reed’s legs and fell back over the desk.

  Dominic threw one of his knives. It sliced through the air and embedded into the fabric-covered wall millimeters from Grady’s head.

  Grady trembled. Fat tears dribbled down his face. “I didn’t do nothing.”

  His cowardice was almost as disgusting as his behavior. “The hell you didn’t–before you attacked me you were trying to strangle Reed.”

  Darcy appeared next to Dominic. She made a tsking sound. “And after all my hard work trying to save Goldilocks.” She cocked her head to the side. “What do we do with him, Sarge?”

  Dominic’s eyes lit with an unholy light. His lips curled back, baring his teeth in a chilling facsimile of a smile. He flipped the other knife up in the air and caught it by its hilt. “I can think of a few things.” He raised his hand for another knife throw. This one aimed at the center of Grady’s forehead.

  Grady ducked behind shaking hands.

  Part of me was horrified, but the darker side of me wanted to see him punished.

  Darcy scowled, and put her hands on her hips. “He’s on the list.”

  Dominic sighed and lowered his knife. “Yeah, he is. His brother is one of ours.”

  A sound of disbelief escaped my lips.

  That stupid list again?

  Dominic’s gaze briefly landed on my face and lowered to where I was holding my throat. His eyes hardened to black ice. He leveled his glare at Grady. “Stay away from Lee. If I so much as catch you looking at her, I’ll gut you where you stand. List or no list. Do you understand?”

  Grady’s head bobbed up and down.

  “Good.” Dominic stepped over Reed’s body, leaned over the quivering Grady, and yanked his knife out of the wall.

  “Thanks,” Grady said with a watery smile.

  Dominic tucked the knife back in his vest. Then, without warning, he swung a fist at Grady’s head.

  Grady collapsed across the computers on the desk.

  Darcy let out a huff of air. “Great, a head injury to worry about on top of Goldilock’s chest wound.” She stalked past Dominic and me, and slung the unconscious Grady over her shoulder. “I’ll bring him to the break room where we can keep an eye on him,” she said, walking out of the cubicle.

  While I was wondering how Darcy could possibly carry the much heavier man, Dominic turned to glare at me.

  “It’s a good thing we came back when we did.”

  His words ruffled my pride.

  Like I need a big strong soldier to save my ass.

  I planted my hands on my hips and returned his glare. “I was holding my own. Thank you very much.”

  His gaze warmed. “Yes, you were.” Then his expression sharpened. “Didn’t I order you to stay in the break room?”

  “I heard someone yell.”

  “When I give an order, I expect it to be followed.”

  Not this again.

  I didn’t have it in me to go another round with Dominic and his orders. As the adrenaline receded, my throat felt tender and the pain in my leg increased. It seemed like the sprained ankle and zombie bite were merging into a six-inch radius of pain. “If I hadn’t come in here, Reed would be dead.”

  Dominic crossed his arms. “I’m ordering you to follow my orders from now on.”

  That got my attention. “Do you know how ridiculous you sound? Grady went psycho and tried to murder Reed. Where the hell were you?”

  Dominic’s ground his teeth together. “Corporal Ross and I were securing the perimeter.”

  “A fat lot of good that will do when the real monsters are inside.” I jabbed my finger in the direction Darcy had carried Grady.

  Dominic flinched. “I never would’ve left if I’d thought Grady would pull this bullshit.”

  “Whatever.” I just wanted to sit down and get off my leg for a minute. Limping carefu
lly over Reed, I made my way to the desk.

  Before I could sit down, Dominic grabbed my arm. “I’m serious. I’d never let anyone hurt you.” His midnight gaze snared mine.

  I wanted to look away, but couldn’t. My fingers itched to reach out and stroke the five o’clock shadow darkening his jaw.

  Why am I so drawn to this man? It defied all logic.

  He lifted his other hand and gently traced his fingers up my neck, which had to be turning red and purple by now. His fingers slid up to curve around my chin. Hesitantly, he brushed his thumb against my bottom lip.

  I trembled at the fission of energy that passed through me at his touch. A strange hunger roared to life, as though he’d suddenly hit every button on my internal control panel.

  “I want to kill Grady for hurting you. For touching you,” he confessed, his voice husky. “I shouldn’t feel this possessive about you. It’s dangerous. You’re dangerous.”

  My heart tap-danced against my ribs. “Dangerous? Me? You’re the one making my head spin.”

  Did I really just say that? I wanted to stuff the words back in my mouth.

  His lips curled in a satisfied male grin.

  Oh hell. If I’d thought he was sexy before, seeing those even white teeth flash against his bronze skin undid me. After Grady’s attack, I should be even more dedicated to my plan of swearing off men. Instead, all I could think about was the Cupid’s bow shape of Dominic’s lips. The top one was fuller than the bottom. I’d never noticed that before. I licked my lips nervously, and my tongue flicked his thumb.

  He froze and made a strange sound.

  Despite the fact that Reed lay at our feet, the air around us crackled with heat. It felt like I was standing on the edge of precipice.

  Stop this now before it’s too late!

  Trying to heed my inner warning light, I opened my mouth to say something, anything to ratchet down the sexual tension between us.

  But it was too late. His mouth swooped down on mine and I was lost. His essence—hot, cinnamon, and male, flooded my senses.

  Forgetting my resolve to stay away, I sucked his tongue into my mouth and slid my hands around his neck. My chest pressed tightly against his.

  As our tongues danced and teeth nipped, I was dimly aware of Dominic hauling me up, stepping over Reed, and setting me on the edge of the desk.

  As he stepped between my thighs lust shot through me, stealing my breath and short-circuiting my brain.

  Acting on instinct, I hooked my uninjured leg around his waist. Initially, my knee caught on his sidearm, but I shifted it over the holster.

  “Christ,” he groaned.

  Damn it. I’d forgotten about the wound on his back. “I’m sorry,” I said, dropping my leg.

  “Don’t you dare pull away.” He caught the outside of my thigh and pushed my leg back around him. His hips rocked against me. “You feel good. So goddamn good.”

  The pain from my injuries faded away as bone-melting desire whipped through me. A whimper escaped my throat at the shocking sensation of his aroused body rubbing against my core. I wanted this. Wanted him. Wanted nothing between us but sweat.

  Never had I felt so alive. His lips, his hands, and his hard muscular body pressed against mine were all that mattered. Everything else faded away. The pain in my leg receded. The constant fear and anxiety dissipated. Even the sounds around us became distant background noise. Reed’s deep breathing at our feet. The loud crunching…

  Crunching?

  I broke for air and peered around Dominic’s shoulder.

  Darcy stood in the doorway munching chips from a bag in her hand. She watched us with a cocked eyebrow. “Don’t mind me. I just came in to check on Goldilocks.”

  Dominic stiffened.

  “She’s a civilian and she’s on the list,” Darcy said, popping another chip in her mouth.

  Dominic was suddenly four feet away from me.

  I blinked.

  How can he possibly move so fast?

  He scowled at Darcy. “I know.”

  She didn’t look cowed at all. “You know the rules.”

  Dominic clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth so hard, it looked as if he was going to snap a molar.

  I looked back and forth between them.

  Is no fraternizing with civilians another stupid rule of theirs?

  I half expected Dominic to tear off Darcy’s head, but he merely stalked out of the cubicle, leaving me annoyed and mourning the loss of his body heat.

  Darcy crumpled up the chip bag and tossed it behind her. “He should know better. You, however.” She sent me a scathing look. “It’s not like I expected anything different from someone like you.”

  I fought the urge to finger-brush my hair. “Someone like me?” I smiled as if she hadn’t hit a nerve and slid off the desk. I managed to disguise the throbbing pain in my leg by shooting her a taunting look. “Is someone jealous?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Of you? Please. Girls like you make me want to shoot something.”

  Again with the condescension. Like my past made me no better than a freaking stain on her combat boot. “I don’t give a flying fuck what you think of me.” She should be worried about what I thought of her. I hadn’t forgiven her for what happened with Eden. My hand came down on the handle of my knife. “You left my sister to die.”

  Her honey-colored eyes narrowed. She moved closer, stepping over Reed’s legs.

  I hated that I had to crane my neck up to maintain eye contact.

  She stopped a foot away. “I dove through a crowd of Biters for your sister. There. Was. Nothing. More. I. Could. Do,” she spat. “The truth is, you’re angry because I lived and she didn’t.”

  Her words were a direct hit.

  She’s right.

  My eyes burned, no longer able to keep our staring war, I looked away. No way would I cry in front of this woman.

  “I swear I did everything I could do for her. And I promise you that I didn’t hear your call on the radio. If I had, I would’ve come for you. Unlike some—” her gaze flickered toward the doorway “—I follow my orders.”

  I tried to hold on to the anger whooshing out of me. “You’ve been a nasty bitch to me ever since we met.” Once the words left my mouth, I cringed. I felt like a child asking a grown-up what they did wrong.

  She pursed her lips, and regarded me for a few seconds. “I’ve no respect for whores.”

  Feeling defensive, I crossed my arms across my chest. “I’m not a whore. Dancing was the only way I could make enough money to pay off my grandmother’s medical bills and keep us fed.”

  Her lip curl would have made Billy Idol proud. “There’s no justification for selling your body. I would’ve worked three jobs. Four.” Her hands clenched into fists. “All my life, I’ve been treated like a second-class citizen.”

  “For being black?”

  She huffed. “No, for being a woman. I had to work twice as hard as any male soldier to get on the Special Forces team. Do you know how many times a spot was dangled in front of me on the condition I play living sex doll for my superior officer?”

  My stomach turned. “Dominic asked you to…”

  She laughed. “No. This happened a long time ago. After I castrated that sergeant and fed him his balls no one tried that shit with me again.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

  I took a step back unable to decide if she was joking or telling the truth.

  The humor faded from her face. “I’ll never barter with my body, and I’ll never respect anyone who does. Got it?”

  I straightened my spine. “I don’t do that. I’m actually still a virgin.” My face warmed.

  Not that I need her approval or anything.

  A single brow lifted. “Then what did I just walk in on?” She made kissing motions with her lips.

  Unable to hold her stare, I looked away.

  “Oh shit. This is more serious than I thought. You need to stay away from him.”

  What’s up with her mama bear
attitude? It’s not like there’s anything going on between the two of them, is there? Crap. What if there is?

  I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Are you two…”

  “Gawd no.” She laughed. “I swore off males a long time ago. They’ll never make a breeder out of me.”

  I puzzled over her strange words.

  Well then good for her, and good for me because there’s nothing standing in the way of Dominic and me. Not that there is a Dominic and me. Nor will there be.

  I mentally bitch-slapped my hormones back in line.

  Her expression turned deadly serious. “Besides he was my best friend’s man.”

  “Who?” A second later, I answered the question myself. “Jen, right?”

  She nodded. “She loved that man beyond reason. She waited years for him. And to see him panting after you when she’s only been gone a few months makes me sick. Although I’m sure it’s only because you look a little like her.”

  Offended, my head snapped up. “And he wouldn’t want me otherwise?”

  “Hooker, please. Don’t kid yourself.”

  A weak voice croaked from the floor, “I told you to stop calling Lee that.”

  5

  Darcy and I looked down to see Reed struggling to sit up.

  She sneered down at him. “Please keep that up. It’d save us a lot of trouble if you ripped your stitches open and bled out.”

  I crouched down. “Reed, how do you feel?”

  His eyes glazed with pain. “Like I fought Godzilla and lost.” He shifted his weight and winced. His normally deeply tanned skin was the color of chalk.

  Darcy pushed me out of the way and knelt over him. She pulled back the dressing and peered down at his shoulder. “The bleeding stopped. That’s good.” She probed the wound.

  Reed jerked. “Ouch! Stop that.”

  “Quit your whining, Goldilocks. You’re lucky to be alive.”

  Reed looked over her shoulder. His gaze settled on my face. “I have Lee to thank for that. Apparently, the rest of you gave up on me.” There was no missing the accusation in his tone.

  Darcy pushed him down a little more roughly than she should’ve. “Save some of your appreciation for Sarge. He carried you out.”