Pure Hell (Seventh Level Book 1)

by Charity Parkerson

  She seemed oblivious to the howling rage of the specter standing to the left of her. Despite his earlier fear, Liam laughed. Delphine’s smile grew and she scooped him into her arms while clutching the pan to his back.

  “See, I knew we could come to an agreement,” she said cheerfully as she spun and stepped through the ghost. Liam held his breath and braced for the pain, but he didn’t feel anything more than a cool breeze as the spirit’s essence evaporated around them. He squeezed his arms tighter around her neck in a combination of relief and gratefulness. At the motion, she turned her face into his hair and spoke quietly against his ear. “They are only as real as you let them be. They can only physically touch you if you allow it and they can’t stay if you don’t choose for them to be here. If you’re scared, then don’t see them.”

  It was the first lesson in Liam’s training and it was the moment he realized he was the one in control.

  The burst of anger gave Liam the release he needed to focus. Kylie would get the afterlife she deserved. Even if it wasn’t the one she expected. It was the least he could do for her. A shimmer formed in front of him and the elevator screeched to a rapid halt between floors. Slumping against the wall once more, he focused straight ahead. Kylie paced in front him while staring at him hard, as if waiting for him to make a move. He tried to pretend she wasn’t there but her image became more solid by the second.

  He needed to restart the elevator but he didn’t think he could do so without stepping around her since she’d become every bit as real as he was. In a movement almost too quick for the human eye, Kylie pounced. Standing toe to toe with him, she leaned in and held his gaze giving him no choice but to look her in the eyes.

  “You said I had a sister. You wouldn’t know such a thing unless you could hear me. No one knows about her.” When he still didn’t respond, she boxed him in with her arms. “Pretend I’m not here,” she dared as she swooped in and covered his mouth with hers. Unable to take her challenge, he hauled her body against his and deepened the kiss. With one arm locked around her waist, he buried the fingers of his other hand in her hair. He held her in his control. His teeth sank into her bottom lip before he sucked it into his mouth. Their tongues met and an explosion of heat burst to life in between them. Spinning he shoved her against the wall and pushed his knee between her legs.

  She groaned and the sound brought him back to reality. Tearing himself away from the temptation of her mouth, Liam backed away from Kylie. He ran both hands over the short bristles on his scalp. He released a long weary sigh. He was too tired for this complicated shit. “We need to talk but not here. My car will be safer.” What he didn’t say was he needed a minute to get control over his raging lust. Fucking her in an elevator outside her bitch of a friend’s apartment was—maybe not number one—on his top ten things he never wanted to do to Kylie, but it at least made the top five. His dick was not pleased with the decision.

  He moved to the opposite side of the elevator. Even though they were no longer touching, every so often one or the other would look over as if to make certain the other was still there. Liam had become so focused on trying not to think about the sexy ghost across from him when the doors opened it took a moment to register Mark was waiting in the hallway.

  The smirk and head to toe scan was all it took to send a crimson flush up Liam’s neck and face. He moved away from the wall and out of the elevator. To wipe the knowing look off Mark’s face, he growled, “What are you staring at?” He cringed when Kylie giggled but continued walking to his car as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His most prominent thought was that she and Mark could both go to hell for all he cared, but there was another one telling him he should have sunk himself into her when he had the chance and to hell with the consequences. Following closely on the heels of those two thoughts was the realization there was no way Mark was missing the tent in his pants.

  He might have made it to his car but Mark grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. “What the hell have you been up to? You were supposed to be interviewing the victim’s best friend but it looks more like you got laid.”

  Liam brushed Mark’s hand off his shoulder. “I don’t give a damn how things look. We’ve been working together long enough that you should know me better than that.”

  While not looking convinced, Mark backed away and shrugged. “Okay. Whatever.”

  Liam sighed. “What are you doing here?” he asked causing Mark to roll his eyes. “Duh, you said you were coming over here to question the friend this morning. I told you the landlord is opening Kylie’s apartment for us today. We work together, remember?”

  Liam immediately regretted the words. Mark was one of the few people who could tolerate him and his surly ways. It was unfortunate, but Liam was known for going off the reservation while they were working on cases. They had a high case solving ratio so Mark didn’t ask too many questions and Liam didn’t volunteer any answers.

  “Kylie’s place is less than a block from here,” Mark said pointing in its direction. “I drove past there on my way here and it looks as if the parking there is shit.”

  He knew Mark was hinting they leave their cars and walk but he needed to talk to Kylie. If her diary was any indication then she knew who killed her.

  “We’ll manage.” With those two words, Liam headed for his car ignoring Mark’s heavy sigh.

  “Okay then,” Mark grumbled as he made his way toward his own vehicle.

  Liam watched him drive off before climbing into his own car.

  “You could see me this whole time,” she accused hotly as soon as his ass touched the seat.

  Liam glanced around uncomfortably. “Um, yeah.”

  “Why would you ignore me and…” Her face burned a bright red. He was willing to bet she was reliving each moment they had spent together in play-by-play action inside her head.

  “You don’t want to know me, Kylie.”

  Her eyes searched his face as if attempting to dissect his dire tone.

  “Tell me about the night you were murdered,” he said in an attempt to distract her.

  She grimaced. “I don’t remember it. I remember getting dressed that morning. Then nothing. Everything from there is a complete blank. I don’t know why I was at the bus stop at that time of night because I didn’t have to work.” Her brow drew together in a frown. “It’s a bit maddening actually.”

  He nodded his understanding while trying to hide his disappointment. “Violent deaths are traumatic. I’m not surprised it wiped out a few memories.”

  “So, this happens to you often then?”

  “Hearing from the dead? That happens daily, but you Kylie, there’s never been anyone who compares to you.”

  She blushed but a brilliant smile lit her face.

  He didn’t know why he’d admitted such a thing to her. For some reason he couldn’t explain, he needed her to know she was different. He put the car in gear. Another confession popped out before he could stop it. “Just so you know, I’m probably going to kiss you again later.” He didn’t want her thinking about the violence of her death. It wasn’t right for someone such as her to be here.

  She clapped her hands as a little girl would before cheering, “Yay!” Unfortunately, her distraction didn’t last long. “What about Mr. Rogers? Do you think it’s possible he saw something and didn’t say so? It seems odd I would die waiting for his bus and he didn’t see anyone leaving the scene or anything. I’m not one to stand on the corner for long.”

  “According to the coroner’s report, you died around the time he should have been picking up. I guess it’s possible,” he conceded. After a moment, he warmed up to the idea. It was more than possible Mr. Rogers had seen someone. Liam really wanted to solve this case. He gave a decisive nod. “We’ll head over to talk to him again after we finish things with Mark. Who knows? Maybe I missed some clue as to who this mystery coffee fellow is while I was in your apartment last night,” he added flashing a wicked grin.

  She glanced awa
y, guilt written in her clenched jaw. Not such a mystery after all he realized, but for some reason she didn’t intend to divulge the information. Reining in his temper, he stared straight ahead and focused on his driving. He needed to set a solid plan on how he was going to deal with the problem at hand. He never expected she wouldn’t remember what happened to her.

  A laugh burst from Kylie as her apartment building came into sight, effectively distracting him. Mark was standing outside chatting with Mrs. Turner and appearing every bit the trapped rat.

  “Poor man,” Kylie said sympathetically.

  Fortunately, when the older lady caught sight of Liam, she made her excuses and disappeared. Mark looked relieved but waited until the elevator doors closed to say, “What a little bitch.”

  “Oh! He’s awesome.”

  Liam could hear the happiness in Kylie’s voice and he turned his head to hide a smile. She peeked around his body at Mark. “He’s also sexy as sin. Wow. Women do love a mocha man. Yum.” He almost growled at her words. She was testing him. “I find tall men delicious. I bet he played basketball in school.” Liam stomped on her foot and she yelped.

  Mark eyed him suspiciously. Liam flashed a tight smile. “This place has bugs.”

  At Kylie’s door, Mark produced a key. “The landlord dropped it off at the station this morning,” he explained as he turned it in the lock. “I realize now, of course, he was avoiding that hateful old woman.”

  The door swung wide. “Huh,” Liam grunted at the first sight of Kylie’s apartment in the light of the day. The place had been wiped clean. He walked from room to room, making a mental note of all the changes. There were no dishes in the sink and the laundry had been put away. Her shoes were lined up perfectly in the closet, but the biggest change was the walls. There wasn’t a single etching anywhere to be found. The clown doll sat seemingly harmless in the rocking chair by the bed in the guest room and even the clothes which had been off the hangers in Kylie’s closet had been rehung.

  “This place was a mess last night.”

  “Maybe the landlord wasn’t avoiding Mrs. Turner after all by putting us off until this morning. Instead he cleaned up everything in hopes of not looking bad. You know, for future tenants or whatever,” Mark suggested.

  Liam shook his head, but said, “Maybe.” It wouldn’t be the first time they’d run across such a thing. It was an apartment manager’s job to keep the property profitable, but Liam couldn’t explain the vast differences between he’d seen the night before and the way things were now. Anything he said would sound crazy to Mark. That shit so wasn’t happening.

  “We have to get out of here,” Kylie said sounding strangled. He trailed into her closet knowing she would follow. As soon as they were out of earshot, he whispered, “What is up with you?”

  “You have to get out of here. This isn’t right.”

  Liam glanced around but the ominous feeling that had filled the place the night before no longer lingered in the air. He shrugged.

  “The place seems fine.”

  “It does seem clean. I don’t think we’re going to find anything here,” Mark said, obviously overhearing his statement and thinking Liam’s words were for him.

  “She was probably murdered by some dude hopped up on drugs while attempting to steal her necklace or something,” Liam said as he moved over to the nightstand. “Those people can be crazy strong.”

  “Yeah. You’re probably right,” Mark agreed.

  Sliding the drawer open, Liam ignored Kylie’s horrified groan.

  “Really? Are we doing this again?” she asked sounding sarcastic.

  He hid a smile as he used his wide frame to block what he was doing. Scooping up the contents of the drawer, he loaded down his pockets. He didn’t know if she’d been joking about her Google search history but there was nothing he could do about it. He doubted anyone would check. He could do this for her, though. Kylie’s hands ran up his back before encircling his waist.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as if she was holding back tears as she realized what he was doing.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he called over his shoulder when he was sure the nightstand was clean.

  “Yeah,” Mark agreed. “I want to head over and question the bus driver one more time. Something about his story has been nagging at the back of my mind, but I’m not sure what it is.”

  Ah, great minds, Liam thought as he pushed the drawer closed.

  * * * * *

  The house was dark by the time they actually pulled into Mr. Rogers’ drive, but since it was almost ten it wasn’t surprising for an older gentleman. They tended to turn in earlier than most people did. Liam had managed to burn the daylight hours by doing some other minor shit such as dropping Mark’s car off at the station, going over the scene of the crime once more. They also dropped by Liam’s house so he could check on some made up crap. In truth, he needed to unload his pockets into his own nightstand. While there, he checked his mail. He was stalling in an attempt to mentally prepare himself for Kylie’s disappointment. He knew she hoped learning the details of her death would change the outcome of her afterlife. When she learned the truth, it would hurt.

  Unable to avoid it any longer, Liam turned off the headlights and slipped out of the car. He slammed the door and pretended not to hear Kylie cursing him for closing it in her face. He knew she could appear and reappear anywhere she wanted, but no doubt, she had to think about it first. Life was habit you had to shake off the same as a smoker would cigarettes. Even after the withdrawals passed, you still held your ink pens as if imagining it was one of your cancer sticks for the rest of your life. He owed her one for calling his partner sexy. She slipped out through Mark’s side. It irritated him a little. Yep. He was losing it.

  Without waiting for the pair to catch up, Liam raised his hand to knock. Before his knuckles landed, he noticed the door wasn’t latched. Seeing that was all it took for him to unsnap his holster and pull out his gun. As he pushed the door the rest of the way open with the toe of his shoe, Kylie and Mark came up behind him.

  “Is that really necessary?” she asked eyeing his gun. “Mr. Rogers is a sweet old man.”

  “Shush.” He stepped inside and felt Kylie grab onto the back of his shirt.

  “I didn’t say anything, asshole,” Mark grumbled as he too pulled out his gun.

  Kylie stayed plastered to Liam’s back as he moved quietly from room to room checking each one for any signs of Mr. Rogers or an intruder. He was prepared to see anything except what he found. Kylie gasped at the same time as he pulled out his cell phone to report a suicide.

  Chapter Three

  A young, attractive girl dead on the side the road, a shaky handwritten confession. Add in an old man with a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. It had been one hell of a week. Mark was so exhausted from lack of sleep. Not to mention his overabundance of on-the-clock hours, it was impossible to have his entire heart in typing the report on Mr. Rogers’ suicide. Liam and he had both been ordered to take the next four days off due to their numerous combined overtime. There were also those looming budget cuts everyone feared. Liam—the fucking bastard—somehow managed to log in even more hours than Mark had. That was why Mark was still sitting there filling out the fucking paperwork while Liam was off to enjoy his damn self. Instead of focusing on the strange scene at the dead man’s house, which continued to play through his mind, he was daydreaming of a huge pitcher of beer. He had just imagined a large bowl of chips and salsa to go with his icy drink when George walked over to his desk with a beautiful redhead close on his heels.

  He thought his daydream had gotten a whole lot more interesting but then she said his name. Her voice had such a lovely Scottish lilt it stirred something deep within him he had no idea even existed. “Mr. Ledoux?”

  Mark forgot the report and stood. He offered his hand. “Yes, I’m Mark Ledoux. And you are?” He motioned for her to take the unoccupied chair by his desk.

  The exquisite woman
smiled before sitting. She waited until he was seated before answering. “My name is Anne Trace. The other officer said you are handing the investigation of my sister’s murder.”

  He searched her face to see how she was handling Kylie’s death. The last thing he needed was to have to try to comfort a distraught woman. Of course, it might not be such a terrible thing to have this woman cry on his shoulder. She had the most beautiful blue eyes. And what man wouldn’t want to run his fingers through her long, silky hair?

  He must have stared too long because after a full minute of him not saying anything she shifted her weight and re-crossed her legs. He ran a hand over his face and tried to focus on the job at hand. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Mark motioned toward the computer screen. “The man who killed Kylie committed suicide a few hours ago.”

  Anne leaned forward. She never glanced at the screen but focused all her attention on his face. “You found Kylie’s killer?”

  Mark’s fellow officers had a nickname for him because of his ability to detach himself from all emotion when he was in work mode, but right there in the middle of the station house, he forgot the guys called him “Iceman”. He nodded. “My partner and I went to question him again and he had killed himself.”

  Anne fell back against the seat. “Did he confess?”

  Mark nodded. He got goose bumps just thinking about the two hours he had spent inside the dead man’s house. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake those creepy feelings. “He left a note.” He hit save and shut off his computer. “Now how can I help you?”

  She stood. “They said you would take me to the morgue to see my sister’s body.” The corner of her mouth quivered giving away her true feelings. However, the moment she saw him looking she bit down on her lip.

  He reached over to open the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a yellow letter-sized envelope. He handed it to her. “We didn’t learn Kylie had a sister until this morning. I was going to mail this to you, but seeing as how you’re here…”