“You really need to clear your ‘plans’ with me from now on,” Beauty grumbled as she pulled off her heels, revealing torn nylons.
“Ugh! I second that,” Tomahawk said as he set Chad down on the street. He turned to Rook. “Now that we dodged the Cabal, and are clueless, without resources, and hounded by every force on earth, how are we proceeding?”
“Oh, ye of little faith,” Rook said as he dug deep within his coat’s inner pocket. He pulled out a long, snowy white feather.
“I’ve been saving this baby for a night just like this…”
Beauty looked more than skeptical. “A feather is going to uncover an international, no—inter-dimensional—plot?”
Rook smiled. “Just watch,” he said.
He put the feather in his palm, and then gently blew on it. The feather floated out, and then a gentle breeze tugged it down the street. It lazily rolled and tumbled along with the wind.
“If anybody says ‘life is like a box of chocolates,’ I will tickle them,” Rook said as Fanny opened her mouth, and then shut it again.
Tomahawk looked ever so serious, though. “Rook, the plan. We really need a little bit more than ‘a wing and a prayer’ speech.”
“Sorry,” Rook shrugged. “You are just going to have to follow, and you shall see.”
With a flourish, Rook waved his group on. “I swear, you are going to like…. Probably. I mean, Fanny is definitely going to love it.”
Beauty scowled at him, but took Fanny’s hand and followed the feather that now danced at the end of the block. Grumbling, Tomahawk got Chad to his feet and headed out as well.
Rook bowed to Angela. “Age before beauty.”
She didn’t smile, though. If anything, her frown deepened. “I need…” She took in a breath. “I just wanted to thank you for—”
“Don’t,” Rook said flatly.
“But, you have saved my life twice now, and—”
“It wasn’t for you, darlin’.” Rook stated. “I’ve got my own reasons.”
Her frown transformed into an angry, hard line. “Which could change at any moment?”
“Exactly,” Rook replied coolly.
Angela’s lips shook as she struggled against tears. As she lost the battle, she turned away from him, hurrying to catch up with the rest of the group. Rook opened his mouth to say something to blunt his harsh words, but simply couldn’t find the right ones to say.
What could he say to make the situation any less dangerous?
There was trust, and then there was trust. Rook’s was more of a situational kind of trust. It was best that she knew the truth from the get-go.
He didn’t need a dewy-eyed groupie, even one as beautiful as Angela.
* * *
Tomahawk didn’t know if it was his imagination, or if the Hellgate was actually getting heavier. Chad was on his feet, but he staggered to the left, forcing Tomahawk to correct course, again, he wasn’t sure if that was necessarily a good thing.
“Not that this hasn’t been fun,” Tomahawk said as he righted Chad. “But is there a point to our meandering the streets in the middle of the night?”
“Patience, grasshopper,” was Rook’s only response.
Tomahawk was about to retort when Angela came over and supported Chad’s other shoulder. “Thanks,” he mumbled, caught off guard by the woman. He hadn’t exactly been in her camp during the whole “should we turn her back over to her abusers” argument.
Beauty stopped and rubbed her foot. “You know when I’ll be patient? After a facial and a veggie burger.”
Fanny, though, jumped up and down. Her fingers were entwined, as if in prayer. “Please, Rook, please! Tell us more. I’m dying to know.”
As the group continued down the dark and lonely street, Rook grinned. For some reason, Fanny had their fearless leader wrapped around her little pinkie.
“Well, you see,” Rook started in a storytelling tone. “There was once a beautiful, beautiful angel in the heavens.”
Fanny clapped with glee. “What was her name?”
“Sheli.”
“Oh, that’s so pretty!”
“Yes it is. But then Sheli hooked up with a bad-ass named Lucifer and well, the rest is history.”
Tomahawk’s eyes narrowed, not believing what Rook implied. “So we are looking for one of the ‘Fallen?’ “
“Not exactly,” Rook explained. “More like one of the ‘chucked.’ “
“Ohh, I like ‘chucked!’ “ Fanny exclaimed, and then looked confused. “But what does it mean?”
“Well, you see,” Rook continued in his singsong voice, “Sheli swore she would support Lucifer in his battle, but when the day came, well, she was nowhere to be found. So when the big guy cast out Lucifer’s friends, she got to stay.”
“Wow,” Fanny commented. “She’s sneaky.”
“Ah, but not sneaky enough! The big guy found out about her betrayal and had her banished from heaven. I guess the ground broke her fall, so she’s been on this plane every since.”
Tomahawk readjusted Chad’s arm over his shoulder. The guy really was weighing a ton. Angela struggled on the other side. “Okay, Rook, but what does this have to do with the feather we’ve been chasing?”
The gossamer feather bounced on the wind until it hovered, rocking gently, back and forth in front of a strip club. Rook quickened their pace.
“When Sheli hit the Earth, or more like splatted, she dropped a few feathers. Seems like they act like homing pigeons. Going back to Momma.”
“So we’re looking for an angel?” Fanny asked, awe filling her voice. “A real one, not like the one in costume I tried to get an autograph from?”
“Yep. A real, live angel. And guess what? She has really, really long dark hair.”
Fanny’s hand flew to her mouth in astonishment. “Do you think she’ll let me braid it? Do you?”
Rook shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask.
Fanny nodded vigorously, but then she frowned as they made their way up to the door of the club. “But if she’s a real angel, then why can’t I sense her?”
“She’s cloaked in flesh, hiding her divinity,” Rook responded, and then with a wink, added, “Told you she was sneaky.”
Tomahawk watched as Rook paid the doorman and Fanny giggled in her giddy way. They might as well be going to Disneyland, in her mind.
“Oh, this is going to be so exciting!”
Ugh. How Tomahawk hoped it wouldn’t be. But how often were his wishes fulfilled?
* * *
Rook entered the club, and everyone followed. The strippers were hard at work up on their poles, but he ignored them as he watched the feather float from one patron to another. He’d let the feather find their mark once he got the group somewhere a little more private.
“This way,” Rook said, indicating a narrow set of stairs with the sign, “Peep Show.”
Quickly, they descended into the basement, where a rather large and greasy-haired bouncer manned the entrance. Rook motioned to Beauty. She grabbed a roll of $100.00 bills from her purse and handed it to him.
Rook tossed them to the bouncer. “We’d like a private booth.”
“All of you?” the man asked, as he raised his unkempt eyebrows. Rook bet Beauty just itched to get this guy in the vicinity of a pair of tweezers.
“Yes,” Rook responded.
The bouncer led them to a room. “Takes all kinds, I guess,” he mumbled as he unlocked the door. “And Lord knows you’ve got ‘em all with ya.”
“Great,” Rook said, ushering his group into the room. “Thanks.”
He shut the door and threw the latch as Tomahawk and Angela got Chad settled onto the bench. Rook turned to Beauty. “Just keep feeding dollar bills into that slot. I don’t want you guys kicked out before I get back.”
Tomahawk straightened, stretching his spine. “Want some backup?”
“Nah,” Rook replied. “I know her weakness. Just weave a binding rope.”
Rook
didn’t wait for Tomahawk’s response as he unlatched the door and headed out as the peep show curtain parted. Fanny’s exuberant clapping carried out into the hall. “Oh, goody! We get a show!”
Although Rook doubted it was the kind of show Fanny expected.
He hurried past the guard and bounded up the steps. Rook hit the main floor and surveyed the room. The feather floated above a table with three punk-looking young women. The feather finally settled on the “punkiest” of the girls. It appeared that Sheli had embraced goth culture to the hilt. Piercing littered her face, leaving no feature unmarked. Her long black hair hung straight down with short bangs accentuating her face. The angel’s white blouse stood out starkly against the red and black plaid shirt. Short skirt. Guess Goths liked to show some skin as well.
Rook headed over to their table. “So?” he asked the trio. “How much for you all?”
Sheli sneered, causing her nose rings to jut out at an unusual angle. “We’re not for sale, pig.”
Rook made his way to her side of the table. How he wished to reveal her right here, but that would just create a spectacle, and until he knew what was going on, he needed to keep the fact that they were in the presence of an angel on the down low.
“Really?” Rook questioned as he put his hand on Sheli’s shoulder, snatching back the feather. “You’d think, if you dressed like that, you’d make some money from it.”
The three girls leapt from their seats, overturning their chairs. Sheli pulled a switchblade. “Back off, creep!”
Rook raised his hands in supposed surrender, and moved on. Walking away, Rook pretty much ignored Sheli, just stealing sidelong glances to make sure her group was settling back in. Once he was sure they were going back to their mojitos, Rook made for the bar.
He pulled the feather out and breathed her name across it. “Sheli.”
The angel’s head jerked in his direction as she clearly tried to find the source of her name. She stood abruptly. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
It didn’t take much prompting from Sheli to get the others up and moving. Rook waited until they were almost to the door, and whispered to the feather again, “Sheli.”
This time, the angel’s head snapped to the right and spotted Rook. Anger flashed in those dark eyes, and she looked ready to pull out her switchblade again. Rook flicked on his lighter and dragged the flame close to the edge of the feather.
Sheli’s eyes dilated to the point of blackness. Seething, she turned to her friends and hustled them off. Within moments, she was stomping over to Rook.
“You wouldn’t,” she challenged.
“Oh, I would, and I’d rather enjoy it.”
Sheli paused. Clearly, she had no idea who Rook was, or what he was capable of, but as worry passed over her features, she seemed to be a quick learner.
“What do you want?”
“That’s for me to know and you to anguish over,” Rook stated as he indicated down the steps to their private room.
Sheli radiated suspicion, but followed him down.
As they passed the bouncer, the burly man asked, “Another one?”
“What can I say?” Rook replied, winking at Sheli. “The more the naughtier.”
“All right!” the bouncer agreed, looking the angel up and down.
Rook slipped him a few more bills. “If you hear, you know… things, don’t worry about it.”
The guy looked at the hundreds in his palm. “For this kind of cash, you can demolish the place.”
“I might just take you up on that.” Seriously.
Rook guided Sheli past their booth. He knocked. No answer. Worried, he knocked again. What could have happened in the few moments he was gone? Had Chad woken up again?
He was ready to kick the door in when the latch suddenly gave way. Fanny opened the door. “Sorry! The show was just ending!”
Luckily for Rook, the curtain was coming down.
Fanny, though, jumped up and down. “Oh, Rook, you missed it! She had a bottle and a snake and—”
“I get the picture, Fanny,” he said as he urged Sheli in the door. He shoved her toward Tomahawk and Beauty.
“Bind our bedazzled angel to the chair.”
* * *
Angela watched as Sheli struggled. “I refuse to be—”
Rook put the lighter up to the white feather. Sheli screamed and dropped into the chair. “You will refuse nothing,” Rook said as he snapped the lighter off.
Sheli glowered, but did not fight, as Tomahawk and Beauty laced the woven rope around her wrists. Could she really be an angel? Angela wondered. The woman did not glow, nor were there harp strings rustling the air. Granted, two days ago she would have scoffed at the idea of heavenly beings. Angela was pretty darn sure this wasn’t one.
“Rook,” she said taking a step closer to Sheli. “This isn’t an angel.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rook challenged, and then grabbed a switchblade from Sheli’s belt. Flipping it open, he sliced up her back. The woman screamed as glossy white wings sprang from her skin’s constraint.
“Just because the flesh is borrowed, doesn’t mean that didn’t hurt!” Sheli hissed through clenched teeth.
Fanny stroked the feathers as Rook got in Sheli’s face. “Borrowed? Do you really think the girl you took that skin from is going to able to use it any time soon?”
Angela stumbled back a step. Having her family murdered around her had been bad enough. But this? This was all too much. None of it made sense.
“But the other angel glowed…”
* * *
Rook spoke to Angela, but studied the angel’s face. “Sheli, here, has spent the better part of the millennium begging, borrowing, or stealing the best cloaking that mankind can offer,” Rook turned his full attention to the angel. “Haven’t you, dear?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Sheli spat at him.
Rook stood up and wiped the spittle from his cheek. “I’m sure Lucifer and Jehovia could have thought of a few things. I hear Luci blames you for how the whole thing went down…”
Sheli wouldn’t meet his eye. So he was right. The devil did know how to hold a grudge.
“But you know what, Sheli?” Rook said. “That’s not why we’re here. We’re here to find out why, after the longest Mexican standoff in history, heaven and hell now have their fingers on the fast-forward button.”
Sheli turned her head away. Her perfectly curved jawline was tense and unyielding. Rook reached over and plucked another feather from her oversized wing. The angel flinched.
“I’ve got this room all night, and I’ve heard that angel-feathered pillows fetch a mighty high price…”
Sheli’s face flashed with anger. “And why would I tell you anything?”
“Because it behooves you to keep them in a stalemate. You can go back to your doomed quest to join Courtney Love’s band.”
“Never,” Sheli hissed.
What was up with the attitude? Why couldn’t Sheli see that the only way out was to share what she knew?
He looked up at Beauty and Tomahawk, who seemed equally perplexed. Then Fanny moved from the angel’s wings to her hair, stroking it gently.
“You see, Sheli, there are some bad men and… Well, I really don’t understand it all, but we have to stop them or the whole world goes ka-plooey, and that would be a real bummer.” More chipper Fanny continued, “Now someone who clearly understands hair product should be very worried. I mean, will there be hair straighteners in hell?”
“There’d better be,” Beauty mumbled behind Rook.
Fanny put her face next to Sheli’s. “Can I braid your hair?”
While Sheli didn’t say “yes,” she also didn’t say “no,” which to Fanny seemed to be complete and total permission.
Rook brought the lighter up again, but Sheli just sighed. She spoke, but it didn’t seem out of fear, but weariness.
“All I know is that something has shifted. What it is exactly, I honestly don’t know.”
“Um, a few more details?” Rook pressed.
“The dimensional barriers have buckled… warped somehow.”
Rook did not want to lose a moment while Sheli was in a chatty mood. “Which side caused it?”
“Neither—” Sheli said, and then she winced. “Ouch!”
Fanny smoothed the angel’s hair. “Sorry. Just trying to get the part straight.”
“Sheli, which side?”
“As I said, as far as I could tell, neither. It was a fluke. A natural phenomenon.”
“Such as?” Rook asked.
“I told you, I don’t know!” Sheli shouted, causing Fanny to drop the braid.
Fanny shook her head. “Darn it! Now I have to start all over.”
Rook wished that he had such patience. “Sheli, you better start figuring it out, because I am just itchin’ to start pluckin’.” He rubbed his fingers together.
But Sheli didn’t back down. She stared defiantly at Rook. “Go ahead.”
Rook plucked another feather as Sheli stifled a scream. He pulled another, and another. The angel breathed sharply through her nose and her cheeks flushed red, but she said nothing more.
Beauty put a hand on Rook’s arm before he plucked another. “Maybe she doesn’t know.”
“Yeah, right,” Rook snorted. “She’s survived centuries of ruthless pursuit by being naïve.”
He knew that she knew something else. She had to know something else. But he had a handful of feathers in his hand to say he wasn’t going to get the answers he needed this way.
He indicated Tomahawk. “Bring Chad over here.”
* * *
Tomahawk hauled Chad to his feet and brought him to Rook. He felt sorry for the kid, but this was, in fact, the end of the world they were talking about.
“I need you to do your stuff,” Rook said to the student.
“No!” Chad screamed trying to pull away. “Not this. Please, no.”
But the more Chad struggled, the more the symbols on his chest glowed an ominous red. Rook pointed out the seal to Sheli.
“Do you recognize this?”
The angel shrank back in horror. “He can’t be.”
Don't Read After Dark: Keep the lights on while reading these! (A McCray Horror Collection) Page 60