The First to Fall: A Fallen Novel (The Fallen Series)

by Tanisha D. Jones

  “And why would it be a mistake?” He asked. A small smile started at the corners of his mouth and she looked away, frustrated with herself. She’d forgotten, he could read her thoughts.

  She cleared her throat and continued to walk; he matched her pace, strolling quietly through the city. People bustled past the couple, some stopping to smile at them. They were a striking couple, imposing, walking down the street together, both over six feet tall, both with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He in jeans and a cream sweater that looked wonderful against his chocolate brown skin, she in her running gear, swallowed in Eli’s jacket, her hair pulled away from her heart shaped face, her golden bronze legs on display. He wanted to hold her hand, to reach up and tuck a wisp of hair behind her ear. But this wasn’t a date, he reminded himself. She was still involved in his case and just being with her, like this, could be deemed inappropriate.

  “Have you found out anything about Nicky?” She asked, not knowing what else to say, but needing to speak. She was sure he could hear her heart slamming against her ribs. Maybe this line of conversation would curb her urge to jump on him right there on the street. If he touched her, or just looked at her with those smoldering eyes, she would give in.

  “We’ve had a couple of leads, but none that amounted to much. My partner, Riley- Det. Quinn, thinks it’s a hoax, since he had a new album coming out.”

  “I could understand that. But believe me when I say, I saw Nicky and he was dead, definitely, dead.” She closed her eyes as the memories came flooding back and gave a shaky exhale. When she was near tears, Eli suddenly changed the direction of the conversation. “Why don’t we get out of the cool night air? Come have a drink with me.” She smiled and snuggled deeper into his jacket before nodding her agreement.

  ***

  When they entered Doctor Dark’s VooDoo Lounge sat on the corner of Decatur and Conti Streets, a couple of people took notice. The lounge itself was just a small bar that sat on the corner, with dim lighting and a long cherry wood bar that was polished to perfection with black leather stools lining it. There was a flat screen television at the far end, large enough that whatever was playing was visible from the street. The wall opposite the bar was lined with booths with oxblood colored benches and high backs which gave them an intimate feel. The few tables in the place were all dark wood pub tables with high backed stools that gave way to a small dance floor. When they entered it was as if the room froze for a moment, before they averted their eyes. As he followed her to the bar, he took note of the men’s heads as they swiveled to follow those long bare legs. He found himself ready to pounce on a few. Moving closer to her, he placed a hand on the small of her back possessively to let it be known that she was with him.

  When the bartender approached for their orders, she stared at Eli for a long moment. “Don’t I know you?” She asked with her deep whiskey drenched voice.

  “Sorry, no,” Eli mumbled. She took the unlit cigarette from her lips and pointed at him.

  “You sure? You look so familiar.” He shook his head.

  “Sorry.” She eyed him curiously before shrugging it off and taking their order. Eli ordered a beer and waited for her to order the girlie drink du jour, but when she ordered a beer and a shot of Tequila, he couldn’t help raise an eyebrow. “I have two older brothers and my best friend was a rock star, what did you think I would order? A Cosmo? Some kind of fruitini? I’m not that type of girl Detective.” She winked and downed the shot before taking a healthy swig of her beer.

  “So what kind of girl are you?” He asked, taking a sip from his own bottle. She smiled brightly, and motioned for another shot.

  “I am truly one of a kind.” She threw back the second shot.

  “That you are.” He sipped his own beer and they sat in companionable silence for a moment, before she turned to him, her hand out palm up.

  “Gimme a dollar.”

  “What?” He stood and began to pat his pockets.

  “They have a jukebox and I don’t have any pockets. Give me a dollar.” He managed to pull four quarters from his back pocket and handed them to her. She slipped off of her stool and headed to the neon juke in the back of the room. She turned to look at him, when the first distinctive notes of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” began. Eli smiled as she swayed, her hips rocking gently to the beat.

  “Don’t just stand there,” one of the men seated at the bar said to him. “You better get over there before I do.”

  As soon as she was in his arms, Eli’s entire body grew hot, and every nerve immediately stood at attention. She melted against him as they swayed against each other in the small room, not caring that all eyes were on them. She looked up at him with hooded eyes that seemed to sparkle in the dim light. His moved his hands from her narrow hips, up to her bare waist then around so that he was holding her snuggly against him. She moved closer, her breasts pressing against him, her hips molded to his. He was so hard he ached.

  This was yet another mistake; she thought when she went into his arms. At his slightest touch, her body ignited. He was hard and throbbing against her stomach, she could feel him straining against the zipper of his jeans. She moved closer, crushing herself to him, loving the feel of him, smell of him. She rested her head on his shoulder, her lips brushing the skin of his neck. She ran her hand down his chest, reveling in the feel of hard muscle beneath the softness of his sweater. Slowly, she ran her hand down his chest, pausing at his hip. Her intention was to stop there, but her hand seemed to have a mind of its own because its journey continued until it settled into his back pocket.

  “The music’s stopped,” she whispered as they swayed. “I know.” His voice was a croak that surprised him. “I just don’t want to let you go just yet,” he mumbled. She looked up at him, her lips parted, her lids low and all he wanted to do was kiss her. Every muscle in his body tensed as they stopped swaying and just stood there, locked together. As he lowered his head to kiss her, the blaring sound of static filled the place followed by a collective groan.

  “What happened to the TV?” Someone bellowed from the bar. Eli averted his gaze and the basketball game that had been on before snapped back into focus.

  Slowly, she stepped out of his embrace. “I need to use the powder room. Order me another beer.” She turned on her heel and disappeared down a dark hallway that led to the restrooms. Exhaling, Eli reclaimed his seat at the bar. The bartender brought two new beers and a shot she slipped to Eli.

  “I didn’t order this.” Eli said, holding up the shot glass full of tequila.

  “No,” the ruddy faced woman laughed. “But after that belly rubbing you did with that one, I’d say you need a cold shower. Since you can’t get a shower, I figure a shot would do you just as good.” Everyone within earshot laughed. Eli held up his glass in a toast of agreement and swallowed it down. When she emerged from the restroom, Eli paid the tab and they left.

  “Goodnight.” The bar tender called after them, “Be good or be good at it.” There was a chorus of laughter as they walked onto the sidewalk. “

  What was that about?” She asked as they headed back towards Canal Street.

  “Nothing,” Eli said, but he was smiling from ear to ear.

  “I’m still curious, Doc.” Eli said as they crossed Canal and headed to Poydras street, “how did someone like you end up being best friends with a rock star? You don’t seem like the glam and glitz kind of girl.”

  “What kind of girl do you think I am?” She teased.

  “Well, just from tonight, I’d say you are pretty damn terrific.” She smiled and looked down at her feet.

  “The Nicky I knew was about as far removed from a rock star as one could get. He was a character, but he really didn’t seem to crave the spotlight so much. I remember the first time I heard him sing. We were hanging out near Jackson Square and there was a group. Some up and coming it band was playing a local club. The lead singer was God awful and Nicky, being Nicky started to heckle him. Finally the singer had enoug
h and told Nicky that he was welcome to come up and sing if he thought he could do better and he did. At first, he just joked around, then when the band began playing The Beatles, ”Hey Jude”, it was like someone had thrown cold water over the crowd. They were hypnotized and he was beautiful. By the time he came off stage, he was famous. You Tube and the Internet made him a star. By the time he got a record deal, he was a worldwide sensation. He was a superstar, except when he was with me. With me he was always the same old Nicky. We would sit on the sofa for hours watching old movies and television shows on DVD. He loved the Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. He was goofy and silly. He wore ducky pajamas and played Band Hero and Super Mario Bros with me. He still slept over when I needed a friend. He would fly me to wherever he was when he felt lonely. He was like a brother, he was my brother.”

  She spoke of her friend with such love and affection that Eli found himself a little jealous. Nicky had known her in a way that no one else had; they shared a past. And he would always hold a special place in her heart. How special and how deeply that went, he wasn’t sure. But he was sure that at one point they had been more than just really good friends.

  “Why is it, Det. Cain, I feel so connected to you? It’s like I’ve known you forever, like I’ve – been with you. ” She asked, her voice low, her eyes searching his face for some hint of the missing piece that linked them. He reached up, and without thinking, brushed stray curls off of her forehead. Her skin felt like velvet and he was overcome with an undeniable urge to kiss her. This was wrong, he knew, but he felt as if he had to do it, that if he didn’t he would regret it. He held her face in his hands and moved closer. Her body was suddenly on fire in anticipation.

  “Probably for the same reason I can’t seem to get you out of my head.” He whispered, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. The sudden seductive tone of his voice made her swallow hard and lean into him. Her lids lowered and she held her breath waiting, this is what she wanted. This was what she was waiting for, this was – a mistake. She took an abrupt step back, breaking their unexpectedly intimate contact.

  “I have to go.” She backed away slowly, taking the jacket off and handing it to him. “It was nice running into you, Detective.” She smiled and started to unravel the iPod she held in her hands, slipping the buds back into her ears, then turned and jogged away. He stood staring at her disappearing form in confusion. “I will have you Dr. Kent.” He thought, “Eventually.” He smiled to himself, shoving his hands deeply into the pockets of his jacket. It still smelled of her, lavender.

  ***

  She didn’t stop running until she was in the elevator to her penthouse apartment. Once inside the metal box, she put her hands on her knees and exhaled. Angrily, she punched the wall and groaned at the fist sized dent she’d made in the metal wall. What was she doing, why had she done that. She had nearly let him kiss her. She had wanted him to kiss her, but the feel of his lips so close to hers, his body so hard and hot. She groaned again and clutched at the place on her stomach where he’d pressed into her and her body burned. When the doors to the elevator opened, she spilled into her apartment and made a bee line for the shower. She needed to get Det. Cain off of this case and out of her life, for his own good.

  She’d known it was stupid from the moment she’d laced those damn running shoes and headed out of her apartment. She never ran at night and never in shorts on the Riverfront in November. Jonas would kill her if he’d known she’d risked herself like that, for a man. A man who had no idea who or what she was, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d been compelled to do it, and she didn’t understand why. She belonged to another. Absently, she stroked the nape of her neck, touching the damp curls there and sighed. She had no business wanting Elijah Cain, none at all.

  Groaning, she stepped into the shower, blasting her already hot skin with icy water. “Stupid.” She mumbled. When Jonas found out what she was doing, or worse her brother Remy, she’d never hear the end of it.

  FOUR

  Two days after the doctor and detective had run into each other on the riverfront, Nicky Sky’s casket was buried with great fanfare and without a body at St. Louis Cemetery #1. It was a jazz funeral that closed down most of Canal Street for the better part of the afternoon. The entire Kent family was in attendance, though they all remained hidden behind the darkly tinted windows of a limousine. The few shots that the paparazzi were able to get of the infamously mysterious Kent clan entering and exiting the sedan were blurry at best. Photos of blurred images in dark clothes and sunglasses graced tabloids and gossip rags, with questions of their connection to the fallen idol. For an entire weekend, television specials and documentaries chronicled the meteoric rise and ultimate demise of rock superstar, Nicky Sky.

  ***

  “What do you mean it’s closed?” Riley asked their chief, who looked haggard and bogged down. Chief Briggs was not the type of man to let these things go, but Eli had the distinct impression that the order came from higher up. Someone powerful and possibly with a lot of money, someone, Eli suspected, with the last name Kent.

  “The case is closed. That’s the end of it .You stay away from Dr. Kent , no more questions, no more voodoo or whatever it is you do.” He waved a hand in Eli’s general direction. “You have a back log of cases, and your job is to catch murderers. Get to work,” Chief Briggs told them. Briggs was a solid man, a cop from a family of cops. No nonsense and completely by the book. Eli stared at him for a while before rising; leaving the tiny wood paneled office, pulling Riley with him as he left.

  “Sure, Chief.” He said and closed the door.

  “But-” Riley began to protest and Eli shushed him, he, unlike Riley, knew enough not to ask questions.

  Once they were outside of the office, Eli spun Riley to face him.

  “Let it go. There is something about this whole thing that isn’t right.” He mumbled. “Someone has gotten the Chief to kill this case.” Riley moved closer, his eyes searching Eli’s.

  “Did you get something?” He discreetly tapped his temple, aware that others in the squad room were giving the two curious glances, but continued with business as usual. Eli was already thought of as an oddity, this hushed conversation was just the norm for them.

  “I couldn’t get anything. He blocked it or he doesn’t know, but the call came from high up, someone with money and power.” Someone, he thought, named Jonas Kent.

  “Well,” Riley said, slapping him on the back. “Now you have an actual reason to call Dr. Kent.” Eli flinched slightly, taken aback. It was as if Riley had read his mind. ”It’s written all over your face.” Riley assured.

  ***

  For the first time in years, she was actually intrigued by a man. She couldn’t get the mysterious Det. Cain off of her mind as she drove to her father’s house on the North shore. Jonas Kent had a sprawling compound in a deeply wooded area in Mandeville. As she crossed Lake Pontchartrain, her mind wandered back to him and the current he’d sent through her. Familiar warmth began to spread between her thighs as she thought of his breath warm and sweet against her lips. The smell of him lingered on her well after she’d returned his jacket that night. It seemed to soak into her pores, her hair. It infiltrated her senses for the reminder of the night, even after her shower, that scent had lingered.

  He was a strikingly handsome man. No he was more than handsome, he was beautiful. She had never thought she would use those words when describing a man, but Elijah Cain was just beautiful.

  He had intelligent, inquisitive eyes and a funny crooked half smile that melted her. And the dimples, damn those dimples. She groaned, what was wrong with her, getting involved with Det. Elijah Cain would be the worst possible thing she could do.

  The fact that he could see her thoughts as clearly as she saw his had been a surprise, but not a shock. Perhaps it was the spark of recognition she had seen flash across his face when he saw her, or the fact that he’d dreamt of her. What had he called her when he spoke to his partner, “Angel?” She smiled t
o herself and pulled onto the wooded dirt road that led to her father’s massive estate.

  “What am I doing?” She mumbled, shaking images of him from her mind. She couldn’t be doing this now. There was something going on which Nicky, her best friend in the world, and his body had gone missing and she was fantasizing about sex with a stranger. She had to meet with Jonas tonight. Their monthly family dinner had turned into a complete and utter pain in the ass, but Jonas would know what to do about the Nicky thing. And where to look. He loved Nicky just as much as she had, she remembered as she revved the Range Rover’s engine.

  As she came closer to the house, the woods fell away to reveal a tree lined road that led to the massive three story structure that was Villa de Kent. It was an old plantation house from the 1700’s that Jonas had renovated. The original columns remained, freshly painted a blindingly brilliant white. The windows on all three floors ran from floor to ceiling and were bracketed by shutters that were painted a deep blood red. Stone steps rolled out in a semi-circle, from the veranda which encircled the entire first floor, and had the same ornate wrought iron banisters and fencing. The second story also had a mimicking balcony, and the third floor house a widow’s watch that she could never remember anyone using. Not that they would see anything but trees and the grounds surrounding the estate. As she got closer, she saw that the house was lit up like a Christmas tree. It was as if every light in the place was burning.

  Jonas had added his own generator station, since there were no actual power lines out this far. It had cost a pretty penny and some ingenuity, but the house was almost completely self-sufficient. Maybe a mile before the house, there was a large brick wall that circled the actual compound, with its own guard post.