The man walked past the window and stood by the door but they got lucky, he didn’t touch the knob. It seemed one of his friends must have found something more interesting, they could hear him calling out. He moved off away from their door.
“Stay here,” Devlin whispered. He moved up to the front of the store, trying to stay within the shadows. He glanced out the window. He couldn’t see the men but he could hear muffled voices, then a crash. It came from the store next door, sounded like they broke in. He went back to where Eva hid with Starla. “Come on let’s see if there’s a back way out of here. I don’t want to stick around in case they decide to come in here. It seems as though they’re just wondering in and out of stores around here. We need to put some distance between us and them.”
“No argument here.” She stood up and they spied a back room but there was no rear exit.
“Shit,” Devlin murmured.
“Can we try to sneak past them? Wait until they’re in one of the stores?” Eva asked.
“I think they went into the store next to this one, so we’re going to have to try. I don’t want to wait around here. We need to get back to the Jeep. Come on.”
They returned to the front of the store and he looked out the window. He couldn’t see the men or hear them. He slowly opened the door and carefully stuck his head out, his gun held in his hand.
“Anything?” Eva whispered.
“Don’t see them, but I think they’re still in the store next to this one. Come on, let’s see if we can sneak past.” Devlin stepped out onto the sidewalk first and she followed. Keeping low, he stayed plastered against the brick wall trying to see inside the storefront window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the men. It was a small restaurant and he spied one guy trying to get into the cash register and another farther in the back, he couldn’t see the third but the rear of the restaurant was dark. “Stay low,” he whispered to Eva.
They’d just made it past the building when he heard the sound of the door opening behind them and someone shouted, “Where ya think ya going?”
Starla growled. By the time Devlin had spun around Eva had drawn the blade at her back. The dog lunged at the man, her jaws clamped around the man’s arm holding the gun. Eva swung, removing the threat of the gun by removing him of said hand. The dog’s growls and the man’s screams brought his friends running.
Devlin stepped past the wailing man on the ground and shot the other two men as each came through the door. He spun around grabbed Eva’s arm and they ran, the dog chasing their heels.
Chapter Thirty
“I think we’re far enough away now,” Eva said pulling Devlin to a halt. “Let’s stop for a bit.”
“I’m sorry, you okay?”
“Yeah, just need a minute.” She bent down and kissed the dog’s head. “Good girl.”
Devlin grinned. “She was pretty bad ass. You sure you’re all right?”
“Fine.”
He glanced around the area.
Eva did as well. “There,” she said. “Let’s see if one of these cars was left unlocked. We can take a break, eat a little something and check the street map, see how far we are from the Jeep.”
“Good idea. But, we’re still a few hours away.” He went over to one of the cars parked at the side of the street.
She watched as he pulled at door after door. Then she turned and started checking the doors of some of the cars that had just been abandoned in the middle of the road.
“No, not those,” he said.
“Why?”
“Line of sight. Would be easier for us to see anyone approaching on this side of the sidewalk or coming down the center of the street. Got one.” He’d found an SUV that had been unlocked. He opened up the back of the SUV and they climbed in.
Starla jumped over the back seat and sat in the storage area.
Eva sighed as she reached into her bag for a few treats for her. The dog took them eagerly from her hand. “That’s my girl.” Then she took out the hard salami sandwiches she’d found at the house where they’d spent the night. She gave Devlin one. He grabbed one of the water bottles he carried in his backpack for her and kept one for himself. She drank half of it down. “Ah, that tastes good.” She got out the dog bowl she’d stuck in her bag, poured the rest of the water into it, gave it to Starla, and ruffled the dog’s head.
Devlin handed her the rest of his water.
She took a swig and passed it back to him.
He chuckled. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I meant with me killing those men.”
She shrugged. “It was us or them. I don’t have to like it. I just have to be okay with doing whatever needs to be done. And sometimes, that means taking a life or ending one in the case of human or the soulless. Even Starla here reacted to protect us.”
He leaned over and kissed her, the taste of the spicy mustard she’d placed on their sandwiches strong on his tongue. Yet underneath it all, the flavor she’d come to associate with Devlin was the strongest of all. He tasted like home.
They finished their meal and replaced the plastic sandwich bags in her satchel. May as well save it for reuse. After checking the map she had, Devlin stepped out of the car first and looked around then she came out. Smiling at each other, they continued on their journey with Starla tagging along. It was well after midday, if they continued at a reasonable pace, stopping a few times for short breaks, they should find the Jeep before dusk. If it was still there.
“This street looks familiar,” Devlin said a few hours later.
“That’s because the Jeep is just a few blocks from here,” she replied.
“We hope.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think Paul and Bobby will be there?” They’d been able to keep in partial contact with them. If they kept to the same pace, they should all arrive about the same time. She turned around just in case, but she could see no one.
“Son of a bitch!” Devlin exclaimed. “Look.”
She smiled. The Jeep was still there but no sign of either of the hunters.
“I guess we beat ‘em here.”
“Yes.” There were several buildings five stories or more where they were. A few seemed to be untouched by the quake. She got an idea. “Maybe we can get into one of these buildings and take a look from higher up. See if we spot your men. And might be a safer place to wait if there’s anyone patrolling this area.”
“Good idea.”
Unfortunately, most of the buildings seemed to have retained some kind of damage from the earthquake, the area must have been hit hard. Some buildings had cracks running up the outside, most were missing bricks or siding. They found one that had five floors and appeared to be intact. Devlin kicked the door in. They located the stairs and made their way to the roof. The sun had maybe an hour before it would set, so they could see the area better. There were still some low lying gray clouds in spots and they couldn’t quite see for miles. They sat up on the roof and finished the last of the sandwiches she’d brought with her and fed Starla. They kept an eye in the direction they thought the men would come from.
Eva must have dozed off with her head on Devlin’s lap because she woke up with his lips on hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” he murmured against her mouth.
“I like the way you wake me up.”
“I think I see the men heading this way.”
She sat up and glanced in the direction they should be coming from. “Yes, I see them. At least I see two people hard to tell from this distance but…” There was something wrong. One seemed to be helping the other. Yes, one was definitely leaning against the other. “I think one of them is hurt.”
“Yeah, I see.”
They made their way downstairs and hurried to meet the men. As they got closer, they could see it was Paul who was hurt. He was limping, Bobby was supporting him.
Devlin raced forward to take Paul’
s weight. “What happened?”
“Sorry we’re late. Almost didn’t make it. We ran into some human assholes,” Bobby replied.
“Yeah, one took a swipe at me with his knife,” Paul added. “I tripped and he managed to nick the side of my leg. No big deal. I’ll be fine.”
“Let me take a look,” Eva said.
Bobby moved away to allow her to access the cut leg. The jean material had been sliced open and there was blood all down his pants leg.
“Who’s this?” Paul asked offering the dog with them his hand.
“That’s Eva’s new pet, Starla,” Devlin supplied.
As she pulled the material aside and could see they’d made an attempt to clean the wound. It had been wrapped but continued to bleed. She wasn’t surprised given all the walking they had to do. “Come on let’s get you in the Jeep. There’s a first aid kit in there and we can repatch this.”
They turned to go back to the Jeep but Starla sat on the sidewalk and barked at them. It wasn’t a hostile bark more like hello.
Eva grinned and stroked her head. “It’s okay, girl. This is Bobby and that’s Paul.” She nodded toward each man.
“Hello, Starla,” Bobby said.
Eva opened up the back storage part of the SUV for Starla to jump into then she shut the door and Devlin helped Paul into the back seat. Bobby got in behind him. She grabbed the first aid kit she’d placed in the car just in case and handed it to Bobby. “You okay playing doctor again?”
“I’m good.”
“There’s a package of powder in there. A special homemade recipe for stopping the bleeding and providing an antibiotic. Sprinkle enough to cover the cut after you clean him up, then bandage it.”
“Got it.”
Eva got in the passenger’s seat and they took off. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen asleep until she felt herself being lifted and nestled against a hard body. She snuggled against it. But when her world seemed to shift again, she opened her eyes just in time to see she was in her bedroom.
Chapter Thirty-One
Adam stood on the tarmac with Samuel and Thalya, the couple held hands as they all watched the private jet Samuel had arranged take off. At first, when he’d shown up with Annalisse in tow at the warehouse asking for a favor, his friends had both been shocked. He didn’t tell them who the woman with him really was. That was her business, but he did tell them she needed to get to LA, there was a soulless there she might be able to save.
What he did not share with them was that a soul was in danger of being forever lost. Annalisse was an angel who protected this particular soul and she might not be the only one who offered such protection.
For the first time in a long time, his senses were alive with hope. What the fuck was happening to him, to the others? Angels giving up their wings to help the soulless? Truly, the time of the end of days must be near.
“Come on,” Samuel asked him. “Who is she really?”
“Someone who might be able to save a soul,” Adam replied. “Thank you for sending Ray and April with her. I fear she’s going to need all the help she can get.”
“California is in bad shape. We were planning on sending the hunters there supplies anyway and we’re working with the Governor to get more supplies to the shelters,” Thalya stated.
“I fear that’s not the worst of it,” Adam replied just as the ground beneath their feet began to shake.
“What the fuck?” Samuel asked. “An aftershock?”
When it stopped, Adam looked at them but didn’t respond since he wasn’t exactly sure himself. “I have to get back home. But you need to find the lost Chronicle. It may be the only thing that can save us all.”
“Damn, I meant to tell you. Evangeline has one of them,” Samuel said.
“One of the ones that the Chroniclers had that were stolen?” Adam asked.
“Yes, one of those,” Samuel confirmed.
“What about the other one?”
“I don’t know. I’ve tried to reach Devlin since I heard from him earlier this morning to let him know about Annalisse but service to California is hit or miss. I’ll keep trying.”
“Let me know if you hear anything and Samuel, I want the Chronicles. The originals.”
Both Samuel and Thalya stared at him.
“Why?” Thalya asked.
“Because I am the only one who can stop the end of days and in order to do that, I need to find the lost Chronicle. The answer lies in those two that are missing. But no copies. I need the originals. Bring them to me when you have them both.”
“Are you shitting me? So there really is a lost Chronicle that heralds the end of days?” Samuel asked. “I only halfway believed it.”
Adam turned and looked Samuel in the eye, knowing Samuel was strong enough to withstand his death stare. Because that’s what it would be to a human to gaze into the depths of his eyes. They’d get lost in the emptiness that dwelled inside him. “Get the originals to me.”
“You know the sisters and Eva are going to at least want to make copies of them, study them.”
“They can try. Remember even when they had them in their possession they couldn’t read them. Not really. I’m the only one who can. Get them to me.”
Samuel sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. It won’t be easy and it’s going to take some time. But I’ll let Ray know and he can bring them back with him when he returns. But what if they only have the one? Because right now, that’s all they have.”
Adam was silent for a moment. Feeling the currents of the world shifting around them all. “Annalisse will find the other one. Contact me when you have them.” With that, he turned around and walked away. But he was sure to them, it looked like his body simply blurred then disappeared.
Eva had never been so tired in her life. Devlin laid her on the bed and went out to check on Tony who had followed them to the bedroom door and seemed anxious to talk to him. He stepped out and gave the young man five minutes, but she couldn’t hear what he said. Then Devlin returned to her, she felt him untying her boots and taking them off. When he straightened up then came around beside the bed, she was staring at him.
“Go back to sleep,” he said. “It’s late.”
“Where’s Starla?”
Devlin turned his head to the lounge chair in the corner, the dog was already curled up on it snoring softly.
“See, even Starla knows it’s bedtime.” He leaned over to kiss her forehead but when he pulled back as if to leave she held onto his arm.
“Don’t go. Stay with me.”
“Alright, until you fall asleep. I’ve got to finish speaking to Tony and talk to the guys and Jeannie is here. They’ve started organizing the houses on either side of you.”
“That’s good. I’ll get her set up downstairs after I sleep. I can’t concentrate right now. I don’t want to move. But you need to sleep too. All of that can wait until morning. What about Paul?”
“He’s going to be fine. One of our guys who’s an RN is here and taking care of him. Some of the hunters are already out tonight and some of the others are heading out soon too. The soulless as you can imagine, have been very restless. They’ve killed three of them in the time we’ve been gone. But they’ll also be looking for supplies. Everything that wasn’t destroyed around here has been picked clean. We might have to do a search for supplies tomorrow. Tony said there’s a mobile station set up not far from here that is supposed to be handing out food and water.”
“Okay. What about Michael? Any word on him?”
“So far nothing, and that’s why I’m sending out a group to look specifically for him.”
“Are you going back out tonight?”
He seemed to hesitate. “I was planning on it.”
“No. You need to rest too.”
He smirked. “Not a hundred percent human, babe. I don’t need as much rest as you do, especially now that you’re pregnant. You’ll need to sleep even more.”
She yawned. “Maybe. I’m not going to
agree or disagree with that statement.”
He snorted.
Eva placed her hand on his arm. “Please. Don’t go out tonight. There’s…there is more I need to tell you. And it can’t wait.” She’d decided he needed to know it all. Well, as much of it as he was destined to know. “So go talk to your guys, get everything sorted out and I’ll get a little shut eye. Come back and wake me.”
The feel of the bed dipping had her opening her eyes. She hadn’t really planned on falling asleep, she might have been more tired than she thought. “What time is it?”
“Just after midnight.” He’d already taken off his clothes, he just had his briefs on as he pulled back the duvet and got into bed. Eva scooted over to make room for him. Devlin took her into his arms and pulled her against his body. He took a deep breath and slowly released it.
She turned so she faced him and placed her hand on his cheek. “Everything okay?”
He closed his eyes. “It is now.”
“Are your hunters settled next door?”
He opened his eyes. “Yeah, Tony took care of all of that. He said it looked like your tenants had evacuated. All of their clothes were gone. But the furnishings are all still there.”
“Well, that’s good, so I don’t have to deal with kicking them out, just the tenants on the other side.”
“They left too. Don’t worry about anything right now. We can deal with all of that in the morning. Now go back to sleep.”
“No, I can’t put this off any longer.”
He frowned. “There’s more?”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Devlin watched her, as she seemed to grimace.
“Yes.”
He thought he already knew what she was going to tell him. He wasn’t sure how she felt about not fulfilling her role as the next lead Chronicler. “Okay, what?”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t know how much you know about the roles of the Chroniclers. But there’s no easy way to tell you.”
He put his hand on her lips to stop her, not wanting her to be in distress. “I already know, hon. Willy told me that you are supposed to lead the next generation of Chroniclers and that you’re supposed to have seven kids with some destined bastard. I’m sorry I came along and put a dent in that. But you are mine. You carry my child and no son of a bitch is going to come along and take you away from me to breed seven brats on you.”
Angel Hunter- Redemption Book 2 Page 26