Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 26

aFridge by the wet bar in the living room. Jim knows the way.a aGood call. Because heas the one who needs it. You two come down when youare readya"and donat worry, weall make sure Devina doesnat get back in here. Iam a.s.suming you have salt in your kitchen?a aAh, yeah.a He glanced over with a frown. aBut why do you needa"a aWhere do you keep it?a After he shrugged and told the guy to go to the dry-goods cupboard, the men hit the stairs again, and Vin ushered Marie-Terese over to the bed. He couldnat stay put, though, and took up pacing around.

Going over to the view, he wondered why life had brought him to this point. Wondered why head started where he had. Wonderedahow it was all going to end for him.

Looking down at the highway by the river and seeing the cars traveling in their prescribed lanes, he envied the people behind those steering wheels and in those pa.s.senger seats. It was a good bet the vast majority of them were doing normal s.h.i.t, like going home or heading out for a movie or struggling with weighty decisions like what to have for dinner later.

aVin? Talk to me. I promise I wonat judge you.a He cleared his throat, and hoped like h.e.l.l that was true. aAny chance you believe inaa Well, now, just how was he finishing that one? By listing a bunch of c.r.a.p like Ouija boards and tarot cards and black magic and voodoo andademonsamostly the demons?

Great. Fabulous.

She broke the silence he couldnat bear to fill. aYou mean about the episodes you get?a He rubbed his face. aListen, what Iam about to say isnat going to sound reala"s.h.i.t, itas not even going to sound plausible. But can you please not leave until I finish? No matter how weird it gets?a He kept looking out at the view because he didnat want her to see the weakness he knew was in his face, and at least his voice sounded halfway normal.

The headboard of the bed creaked, indicating that shead sat back even farther on the mattress. aIam not going anywhere. Promise.a Another reason to love her. As if he needed one.

Vin took a deep breath and threw himself off the proverbial cliff: aWhen youare young, you think whatever is going on with you, around youainside of you, is normal. Because you donat know any different. It wasnat until I was five and went to kindergarten that I learned the hard way other kids couldnat move forks without touching them or stop the rain in their backyards or know what was going to be for dinner without talking to their mothers. See, my parents couldnat do any of the things I could, but I felt totally different from them anyway, so I didnat think it was weird. I just thought they werenat the same because they were parents, not a kid.a He refused to go into the various ways head learned he wasnat like other kidsa"and what those little s.h.i.ts did to punish him because he was out of the ordinary: The details of getting pounded on a regular basis by groups of boys or sneered at and laughed at by girls were not going to change whether or not she understood or believed him. Besides, pity had always given him a case of the scratch.

aI figured out pretty d.a.m.n quick to shut my mouth about what I could do, and it wasnat hard to hide. Basically, I just had parlor tricks at that point, nothing that got in the way of life, but that changed when I was eleven and I started to pull that on-my-a.s.s babbling c.r.a.p. That was a big problem. It happened whenever and wherever it wanted to. I had no control over it, and instead of growing out of it, like I did all that manipulation and small-scale clairvoyance stuff, it got worse and worse.a aYou were gifted,a she said, with no small amount of awe.

He looked over his shoulder. Most of the color had come back into her face, which was more than he would have hoped for, but he did not agree with her a.s.sessment.

aCursed was the way I saw it.a He went back to staring out at the lines of tiny cars far, far below. aAs I grew up, I got bigger and tougher, so getting hara.s.sed was less of an issue, but the episodes didnat stop, and I was getting more and more frustrated by feeling like a freak. Finally, I decided I had to talk to someone, so I went to this psychic downtown. I felt like a total f.u.c.king fool, but I was desperate. She helped me, told me what to do, and even though I didnat believe in it, I went home and did what she saidaand everything changed.a aYou stopped getting the seizures?a aYeah.a aSo why are they back now?a aI donat know.a And he didnat know why theyad started, either.

aVin?a When he glanced back at her, she patted the bed. aCome and sit down. Please.a After he searched her face and saw nothing but warmth and empathy, he went over and lowered his a.s.s on the mattress beside her. As he braced his fists on the duvet and leaned into his shoulders, her hand landed lightly on his back and she rubbed him in a slow circle.

He drew incredible reserves of strength from her touch.

aAfter the seizures stopped, everything was different. And in a totally unrelated weirdness, my parents died accidentally soon thereaftera"which really was not a total surprise, because as violent as they were with each other, it was only a matter of time. As soon as they were gone, I dropped out of school and went to work for my dadas boss as a plumbing a.s.sistant. Iad turned eighteen by then, so I was legal to work in the trade and I made it my business to learn everything. Which was how I ended up on the contracting side of things. I never took a vacation. I never looked back, and ever since then, life has beenaa Funny, up until a couple of days ago head have said great. aLife has been really good-looking from the outside, since then.a But he was starting to think that all head done was slap a shiny, pretty coat of paint on a rotting barn. Head never been happy, had taken no joy out of the money head madeahad deceived honest people and raped countless acres of land, and for what? All head done was feed the tapeworm in his gut that had driven him. None of it had nurtured him.

Marie-Terese took his hand. aSoawho is that woman? What is she?a aSheasaI donat know how to answer either of those questions. Maybe those two guys who came with Jim can.a He glanced at the doorway and then looked at Marie-Terese. aI donat want you to think Iam a freak. But I wonat blame you if you do.a As he dropped his head, for the first time in a long, long while, he desperately wished he was someone else.

Words were better than nothing when it came to explaining things, but that didnat mean they went nearly far enough in some situations.

This was one of them, Marie-Terese thought.

In her life, things like what Vin was talking about happened in the movies or in booksaor they were whispered about when you were thirteen and on a sleepover with your friendsaor they were lies that were advertised in the back of cheap magazines. They were not part of the real world, and her mind was fighting the adjustment.

The trouble was, shead seen what she had seen: a woman with black holes for eyes and an aura that seemed to taint the very air that surrounded her; Vin collapsing and speaking words he didnat seem to hear; and nowaa proud man, hanging his head in shame for something that was neither his fault nor his wish.

Marie-Terese kept stroking his shoulders, wishing there was more she could do to ease him. aI donataa She let the sentence drift.

His reserved gray eyes flicked over to her. aHave any idea what to make of me, right?a Well, yesabut she wasnat about to put that thought into words for fear it would come out wrong.

aItas okay,a he said, reaching out and giving her hand a squeeze before rising from the bed. aBelieve me, I donat blame you in the slightest.a aWhat can I do to help?a she asked as he walked around.

He looked at her from over by the window. aGet out of town. And maybe we shouldnat see each other. It may well be safer for you and that is the single most important thing to me right now. Iam not going to let her get you. No matter what I have to do. She is not going to get at you.a Staring up into his face, she felt a stirring down deep as she realized he was her real-life fairy tale: Standing before her, he was willing to do battle for her, on whatever killing field the war took placea. He was prepared to accept wounds and make sacrifices for hera. He was the dragon slayer she had looked for when she was younger and had lost faith in ever finding as shead aged.

And just as important, when it would have been easier for him to believe the lies that woman had said, when he could have listened to Devina spinning that total fallacy about her having been with Jim, he had chosen to think more of her, instead of less. He had had faith in her, and had trusted in her, in spite of her past and his.

Tears stung her eyes.

aLook, I should go downstairs and talk to them,a he said roughly. aYou might want to leave.a But she shook her head and rose to her feet, thinking that two could play at the knight-in-shining-armor game. aIall stay, if you donat mind. And I donat think youare a freak. I think youareaa She tried to choose the right words. aYouare just fine exactly the way you are. More than just finea"youare a wonderful man and a great lover and I justalike you.a She shook her head. aI wouldnat change anything about you and Iam not scared of you, either. The only thing I might wish were differentais that I met you years and years ago. But thatas it.a There was a long stretch of silence. aThank you,a he said hoa.r.s.ely.

She went to him, and as she wrapped her arms around him, she murmured, aYou donat have to thank me. Itas how I feel.a aNo, itas a gift,a he said into her hair. aYou always should thank the person who gives you something irreplaceable, and to meaacceptance is the most priceless thing you could ever offer me.a As she choked up against his chest, he spoke three little words: aI love you.a Marie-Tereseas eyes popped, but he pulled back and held up his hand to keep her from stammering. aThatas the way I feel. Thatas where I am. And I donat expect any kind of response. I just wanted you to know.a He nodded to the door. aLetas go down and face the music.a When she hesitated, he tugged her gently. aCome on.a After he kissed her, she allowed herself to be led from the room. And considering the way her head was reeling, she was impressed that her sense of balance was good enough that she made it down the stairs and into the living room without falling over.

Even as they joined the others, she felt she should say something back to him, anything, but he honestly didnat seem to be waiting for reciprocation or even an acknowledgment.

Which made her feel honored in some strange waya"probably because it meant that his gift to her was unconditional.

The men had obviously found the beer, as they all had bottles in their hands, and Jim introduced the two whoad come with him to her. For some reason, she trusted them alla"which was very unusual given the way she usually felt around big, muscle-bound members of the opposite s.e.x.

Before any of them could speak, she said loud and clear, aWhat the h.e.l.l is she? And how worried do I need to be?a The men all stared at her as if shead grown two heads.

Eddie, if she heard the name correctly, was the first to recover. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his jeans-clad knees. After a moment of concentration, he just shrugged, like head tried to find a way to sugarcoat things and decided to give up on the lie.

aA demon. And very concerned barely covers it.a

CHAPTER 35.

Vin was totally impressed by his woman. Having just been through a hideous and frightening welcome-to-the-unreal-world, and then having gotten hit with an I-love-you bomb, she was holding her ground, staring at Eddie with steady, intelligent eyes as she absorbed his answer.

aA demon,a she repeated.

As Eddie and Adrian nodded in unison, Jim just took a seat on the couch, put his cold beer bottle on his swollen face and leaned back into torn-up cushions. The rippling sigh that came out of his mouth seemed to suggest that new bruise he was sporting looked bad, hurt worse.

G.o.d only knew how heada"oh wait, Adrianas knuckles were split.

aWhat does that mean?a she said.

Eddieas voice was level and reasonable. aYour common conception of one is largely accurate in her case. Sheas an evil ent.i.ty who overtakes the lives and then the souls of people. Sheas hardwired for destruction and sheas after Vin. Anything or anyone who gets in the way is in immediate danger.a aBut why Vin?a She looked across the way. aWhy you?a Vin opened his mouth and nothing came out. aIaI really donat have a clue.a Eddie paced around, going from the bookshelves to the ruined mirror. aYou said you went to a psychic who gave you a ritual to perform. What did you do to call her to you?a aBut thatas the thing,a Vin said. aI didnat call her at all. I was trying to get rid of the visions. That was it.a aYou did something.a aIt wasnat to volunteer for this s.h.i.t, I a.s.sure you.a Eddie nodded and glanced over his shoulder. aI believe you. The trouble is, Iam pretty d.a.m.n sure that you were set up. I donat know what you were told exactly, but Iam willing to bet it was not about dumping those trances. The thing is, for Devina to go to work, you have to give her a way to get in.a Eddie refocused on Marie-Terese. aSo in this case, Iam thinking what he was told to do opened him up wide and Devina took advantage of it.a aSo sheas not tied to his visions?a aNope. She can eclipse them as long as her hold on him is stronga"but heas probably getting them again because the tie is weakening a little. As for, why him? Think of it likeathe metaphysical equivalent of a car accident. Vin was in the wrong place at the wrong time, thanks to some very bad advice.a Eddie met Vinas eyes again. aThat psychica"how did you find you her? Did she have some kind of vendetta against you?a So the visions were going to come back. Great.

aAh, I didnat even know her.a Vin shrugged. aShe was just some woman downtown who I went to randomly.a Eddie seemed to shuddera"as if Vin had just told the guy head had a plumber operate on his colon. aYeah, okayaand what did she tell you do?a Vin wandered around, hands on his hips. The night that he had gone upstairs and locked himself in his old room came back to hima"and what he remembered doing was not exactly something he felt comfortable sharing in very mixed company.

Eddie seemed to get that. aAll right, weall come back to that. Where did you do it?a aIn my bedroom. At my familyas housea"Wait, wait, hold the f.u.c.k up hereaam I responsible for all this?a Vin rubbed his chest, the crushing weight over his heart making it difficult to breathe. aIf I hadnat gone to her, I wouldnat havealived this life of mine at all?a The silence was the answer, wasnat it. aOhaf.u.c.k me.a And then it dawned on him. Devina had said that she had given him everythingadid that also mean shead taken things away as well? aOh, my G.o.daeven the deaths? Youare sayingaIam the cause of the deaths, too?a aWhich deaths?a aMy parentsa. They died a week or so later.a Eddie looked over at Adrian. aThat depends.a aOn whether I ever wished them dead?a aDid you?a Vin stared at Marie-Terese and hoped that as he answered, she saw the regret in his eyes as he spoke. s.h.i.t, his parents had been horrible to each other and worse to him, but that didnat mean he wanted to be the cause of their demise.

aThere were two things I wanted when I was younger,a he said harshly. aI wanted to be rich and I wanted to be out from under their reign of terror.a aHow did they die?a Eddie asked quietly, like he knew this was tough stuff.

aAfter Iadid what I did up there in my room, I just went about normal life, you know? Schoola"well, kind of school, because I skipped out a lot. I never thought it worked, and then I didnat really think about it all. It wasnat until it dawned on me that I hadnat collapsed in a full week that I started to wonder if I might have fixed what was wrong with me.a Vin went over to look out at the view, but instead ended up staring down at a stain on the carpet. It had been made by the broken bourbon bottle, and the dark round mark was the kind of thing no rug cleaner was going to get out. aI remember coming home from working my fatheras shift, which I used to do when he was too f.u.c.king drunk to stand. It was about midnight. I put my hand on the doork.n.o.b and I glanced up at the full moon and I was psyched as I counted all the days that had pa.s.sed. I was like, Huh, you donat suppose Iam okay now? And then I walked into the house and found the two of them covered with blood at the bottom of the stairs. They were both gonea"and it had probably happened because one of them had pushed the other and gotten pulled along.a aYou are not the problem here,a Eddie interjected.

Vin braced his palms on the window and dropped his head. af.u.c.k me.a For no good reason, and probably because it was the only thing that could make him feel worse than he did at the moment, he thought of a peanut-b.u.t.ter-and-jelly sandwich. A specific one. The only one that had been made for him by his father.

The two of them had come home from a job late and there had been no dinner on the table. Which made sense, because the only person who could have made it was pa.s.sed out on the couch with a cigarette having burned to ash in her hand.

His father had headed for the beer in the fridge, but had broken with tradition by taking out the bread and the jam and the peanut b.u.t.ter on the way there. Head lit a cigarette, laid out four slices, hit the strawberry and then the Jif. After grabbing a Miller, head tossed one of the sandwiches at Vin and walked out of the kitchen.

There had been black fingerprints on the white bread because his father hadnat washed his hands.

Vin had thrown the sandwich in the trash, used the sink and the soap, and made himself a clean one.

For some reason, he regretted now that he hadnat eaten the d.a.m.n thing.

aWhat did you do?a Eddie asked. aWhat was the ritual?a aThe psychic told meaa Vin ricocheted back in time.

After having collapsed in front of the school at a f.u.c.king pep rally, head had ita"and had gone to the newspaper looking for psychics because he figured if they saw into the future like he did, then maybe theyad know how the h.e.l.l to stop seeing things before they happened.

Sat.u.r.day morning head gotten on his bike and ridden all the way down to the riverfront, to a bunch of ratty little storefronts with cheap neon signs that said things like aTarot Here!a, aAstrology Readings!a, and a100% Accurate! $15!a Head walked into the first door that had a palm with a circle on it, but there had been a line. So head gone to the next one and found it locked. The third one was the charm.

Inside, the dark place had smelled like something he couldnat recognize. Dark. Spicy.

Later he learned it was no-holds-barred, grown-up s.e.x.

The woman had come out from a beaded curtain and shead been dressed in black, with black hair and black eyelinera"but instead of a caftan and a wig and wrinkled lids, shead been in a catsuit and looked like something out of Playboy.

Head wanted her. And shead known it.

As the echo of meeting her rippled through him, he shook himself back to the present. aI told her what I wanted and she seemed to understand immediately. She gave me a black candle and told me to go home and melt it on the stove. When it was liquid, I was supposed to pulled out the wick and put it aside, thena"a He glanced at Marie-Terese and wished like h.e.l.l he had another story to tell. aThen I was supposed to cut some of my hair and put it in, along with some blood andaahasomething elsea.a Vin was so not the kind of guy who minced words or stuttered. But admitting to a peanut gallery and a woman he wanted in his life that whacking off had been part of the deal was not the kind of admission he was in a big hurry to make.

aYeah, okay,a Eddie said, saving his a.s.s. aThen what.a aSo I was supposed to cool the wax, re-form it with the wick, and go upstairs. Get naked. Draw a circle with salt. Ahaa He frowned. Weird, the first part was so clear; precisely what head done next was not. aItas fuzzy from then onaI think I cut myself again and dripped the blood into the center of the circle. I lay down, lit the candle. Said some wordsa"I canat remember what they were exactly. Something likeaI donat know, calling things to lift burdens or some s.h.i.t.a aWhich was actually bulls.h.i.t,a Eddie said with a hard tone. aBut then what happened.a aI donataI canat remember precisely. I think I just fell asleep or something, because I woke up like an hour later.a Eddie shook his head grimly. aYeah, thatas a possession ritual. The wax she gave you had parts of her in it, you added your half and that was how the door was opened.a aYouare sayingathat was Devina?a aShe comes in a lot of forms. Male, female. She can be an adult, a child.a Adrian piped in. aWe donat think she jumps to animals or inanimate objects. But the b.i.t.c.h has tricks. Big-time. Is there any chance we can get access to that house? Or are we going to have to break in?a aActually, I own it still.a The two guys took a deep breath. aGood,a Eddie said. aWeare going to need to go there to try to get her out of you. Weave got a better chance of success if we return to where the ritual was performed.a aWeare also going to need to get your ring back,a Adrian added.

aThe diamond?a Vin asked. aWhy?a aThatas part of the binding. Jim said he thought it was set in platinum?a aOf course it was.a aWell, there you go. n.o.ble metal, and a gift from you to her.a aBut I didnat give it to her. She found it.a aYou bought it for her, though. Your thoughts and feelings when you purchased it are embedded in the metal. The intent is transformative.a Vin eased off his hands and stood up properly. Both of his palms left prints on the slick, cool gla.s.s and he watched them fade. aYou said she steals souls. Does that mean sheas going to want to kill me?a Eddieas voice was low. aBut we can try to stop that.a Vin turned around and looked at Marie-Terese. She was subdued as she leaned against the archway into the room, and he went to her, taking her into his arms. As they embraced, he was amazed and grateful once again that she accepted himaeven after another layer of the onion had just been peeled back.

aWhat can we do to keep Marie-Terese safe?a he asked. aIs there anything she can do to protect herself? Because Devina just left here after having seen us together.a As the guys considered his answer, her eyes flashed up and then slid over to Eddie. aIam leaving town tonighta"for reasons other than all this. Will that help? And are there anyaah, spells, ora?a The hesitation spoke volumes about both her disbelief and her resignation that all this freaky s.h.i.t had just put the areala in her reality.

Eddie met her stare head-on. aDevina can be everywhere and anywhere, so the answer for keeping you safe is freeing Vina"we get her out of him, then by definition youare off her radar, because you are not the one she wants or has claimed. She only has eyes for hima"and anything that keeps him from her.a Adrian cursed. ab.i.t.c.h only cares about people sheas put her name on. Itas one of her few virtues.a aMaybe the only one,a Eddie seconded.

aSo letas do it,a Vin cut in. aRight now. Letas go to the house and take care of this, because Devina left in a hurry for G.o.d only knows what. I donat want her coming back here anda"a aSheas going to be tied up for a while. Trust me.a From across the way, Adrian smiled like a motherf.u.c.ker. aShe hates messes, and Iam really f.u.c.king good at making them in her drawers.a Vin frowned. aWatch your mouth.a aNo, not those kind ofayou knowaa Adrian held up both his palms. aI mean dresser drawersa"a aDid Vin give you back your earring,a Jim said abruptly to Marie-Terese. aThe hoop that you lost outside the Iron Mask.a aHow did you know that Iaa Marie-Terese frowned. aWell, yes, he did.a aSo where is it.a Her hands went up to her earlobes. aOhano. I lost that thing again.a And shead had it on when shead walked into the duplex, Vin remembered.

aThe bed,a he said, on a wave of dread. aUpstairs. The beda"Devina took something off the bed. G.o.dd.a.m.n it.a As Vin rushed upstairs with Marie-Terese behind him, Jim supposed he should go help, but he felt like someone had Super Glued both of his a.s.s cheeks to the couch.

Adrian put his beer down and headed out after them. aIf Devinaas got a gold earring of that womanas, weare further into the s.h.i.tter.a Jim put his Dogfish back up to his face and let his head go lax on the pillow behind him again. Closing his eyes was dangerous because he was dizzy, so he kept his lids as low as possible while still being able to see a sliver of the once perfect, now trashed living room.

Man, wrecking things was so much easier than cleaning them up, wasnat it.

aShe was a virgin, wasnat she,a he said softly. aThe girl over that tub.a aYes.a aPart of a ritual.a There was a pause. aYes.a G.o.d, and head thought what head seen in the military was ugly. What head found this afternoon, though, had been downright tragic: A young girl like that should have been out at the mall or something, but there were going to be no more high school notebooks or biology cla.s.ses or boys at dances for her.

aWhatas going to happen to her body?a he asked.

aIam a.s.suming Devina will dispose of it. Sheall have to fairly soon.a aSo every time that b.i.t.c.h has to leave her place, she kills?a aThe seals last for a period of time or until someone other than her breaks them. Thatas the other reason I didnat want you going through that door.a Great. Now he had yet another death on his consciencea"because sure as s.h.i.t she was going to have to protect that s.p.a.ce again.

Jim shifted the bottle to his mouth and took a long draw. After he swallowed, he said, aWhatas the big deal about that bathroom, though? There was nothing in it.a aNothing you saw, thank f.u.c.k.a Eddie started pacing around. Most of the pictures and the books had been put back into some semblance of order, proof that Vin or his maid had been doing some cleanup. But nothing looked right, and Jim supposed it was kind of like some woman whoad had her salon hairdo busted apart by a stiff wind: No matter what she did to fix it, it wasnat going to go back to the way it had been.

Eddie evened out the spines of a collection of books, his big hands precise and gentle in their movements. aThe bathroom is where she keeps her mirror, which is her way in and out of this world. Itas also how she clothes herself and changes her appearance. Itas the source of everything she is, the seat of her power.a aWhy didnat we just break the m.o.f.o, then,a Jim demanded, sitting upright. af.u.c.k that, you guys are so tough, why didnat you do that years ago?a aYou break it, it owns you.a Eddieas voice got tight. aIt can capture you if you look into it, but even if you were to walk up to it blindfolded with a hammer, the instant it shattered, the shards would splinter into a thousand portals and suck you in in pieces whether or not you can see the thing.a Abruptly, Eddie moved to a different section of the bookcase and went back to work lining more things up. aSheas going to be livid that we broke the seal and p.i.s.sed off at Adrian for rifling through her s.h.i.t. More than that, though, sheas going to need a change of address. She wonat want to leave that mirror in a compromised s.p.a.ce.a aBut why would she be worried about where it was? If we canat break the d.a.m.n thing, why does it matter?a aWell, we can bust it upa"itas just that the one who does it sacrifices himself. Permanently. The afterlife he gets is not part of what you saw when you went over to meet the bosses. We axed Devinaas predecessor that waya"at considerable loss to the team.a Suicide mission. Fantasic. aSo what power do we have?a aWe can trap her in there. Itas hard to do, but it is possible.a Multiple footsteps came down the stairs and Adrian broke the news. aWe couldnat find the earring, so we have to a.s.sume Devinaas got it.a Eddie shook his head like another brick had been set in the load he was carrying on his back. ad.a.m.n it.a As Vin put a protective arm around Marie-Terese, Adrian went over and picked up his coat. aHereas the dealaMarie-Terese, you need to be at the ritual now, and you canat go home beforehand. Not unless you want to run the risk that sheall follow you there and compromise your son.a The woman stiffened. aHowahow did you know I have a son? Oh, waita"you did the background check on me.a Adrian shrugged and lied, aYeah. Thatas how. You got someone to sit with your little boy?a Marie-Terese looked up at Vin and then nodded. aYes, I do. And if she canat stay, my service will find me somebody to relieve her.a aGood, because we couldnat purify your house or set up a perimeter without giving Devina a heads-up where you live, and I do not want to fight her in front of your son.a aI just need to make a call.a aWait a second,a Vin cut in. aWhy canat we just take care of the part of it that effects Marie-Terese here and now?a aWe donat have what we need to do it, and as Eddie said, thereas a better chance of success if we go back to where you opened the door to Devina. First we get her out of youa"then if I canat find the earring, we do the same for Marie-Terese. The good news is that the tie is not all that strong and she will be safest with us. Iam sure you agreea"we take no chances.a Evidently, Vin was on board with that one because he nodded grimly. aAbsolutely not.a aCall your babysitter now, akay?a As the woman got out her phone, Adrian nodded at Jim. aYou and Eddie are going to oversee the ritual at the old house, but Iall help with the preparations before I leave.a Jim frowned, wondering about the hard line of the guyas jaw. aWhere are you going to be?a aIam getting the f.u.c.king diamond and that earring back.a Eddie cursed under his breath. aI donat like you going in alone.a As he looked at his partner, Adrianas eyes became ancient. Positively ancient. aWe gotta use every weapon we have. And letas face it, what I can do to her is one of the best weave got.a Yeah, and what do you want to bet that was not a case of giving her a mani-pedi, Jim thought.

As details were arranged for the nightas battle, Jim knew he had to get back into game-head. This numbed-out, floaty-a.s.s routine had to end, and not just because they were going to engage with the enemy. The thing was, up until now, head a.s.sumed that afallen angela meant perpetual life, but that was clearly not the casea"and if he lost Eddie and Adrian before he learned more of the basics, he was f.u.c.ked.

About ten minutes later, he and the boys headed back down in the buildingas elevator and out of the Commodore. The truck had been left no more than a block away, and the short walk through the cool air helped.

aFirst stop, Hannaford supermarket,a Adrian said as he got behind the wheel again.

Jim and Eddie stuffed themselves into the cab and Jim shut the door. aIall want to go let Dog out if weare going to be gone all night.a aAnd I left my bike at your place anyway.a Adrian checked the side-view mirror and pulled out of the parking s.p.a.ce.

As they went along, Jim thought about the two guys he was riding with and wondered about the kind of tricks they had up their sleevesa"aside from evidently being able to choose when and by whom they were seen. And being able to get through locks and door chainsa"which head seen not only at Devinaas warehouse, but Vinas duplexa"

Something dawned on him.

Jim looked around Eddieas thick chest at Adrian. aThat night the three of us went out togetheraThursday night. Why did you point Devina out to me like you wanted me to f.u.c.k her?a Adrian stopped at a red light and glanced overaonly to resume looking out the front windshield in silence.

aWhy, Adrian.a Less question, more growl this time.

The guyas broad palm went around the steering wheel in a slow circle. aI told you. I didnat want to work with you.a Jim frowned. aYou didnat G.o.dd.a.m.n know me.a aAnd I didnat want to work with you and I didnat like you and Iam an a.s.shole.a He held one finger up, the conversational signal for hold your horses. aBut I did apologize. Remember?a Jim leaned back against the seat. aYou set me up. You practically gave me to her.a aI didnat follow her out into that parking lot. I didnat f.u.c.k hera"a aI wouldnat have seen her but for you!a aWhat the h.e.l.l are you talking about? Thereas no way in h.e.l.l you would have missed the likes ofa"a aShut up. Both of you.a Eddie uncrossed his arms like he was prepared to break things up with force if he had to. aWater under the bridge. Let it go, Jim.a Jim ground his molars. Man, this was just like being in with Matthiasas bunch of sharks. Even the people you worked with, who supposedly were on the same side as you, were capable of serving you up like dinner to the enemy.

aTell me something, Eddie,a he bit out.

aWhat.a aThat binding scale you were talking about. Is s.e.x one of the ways Devina binds herself to people.a When there was only silence, he said, aIs it. Is it.a aYes,a the guy replied finally.

af.u.c.k you, Adrian,a Jim said loud and hard. af.u.c.k you for real.a Adrian wrenched the wheel to the right, slammed on the brakes, and threw the truck into park. As the horns of other cars screamed and people cursed, the son of a b.i.t.c.h got out and marched around the hood wearing the expression of a guy who had a crowbar in his hand.

He yanked open Jimas door. aGet out and letas do this.a Jimas hair trigger went off, fueled by that dead innocent girl, the fear on Marie-Tereseas face, the aggression that Adrian was throwing offaand the fact that head had a demon straddle his hips and ride him until they both came.

It was so on.

aCan you two steakheads not do this in public?a Eddie barked.

No chance of that. Jimas fists were up and ready to fly before the soles of his boots. .h.i.t the shoulder of the road, and Adrian was likewise posed for punches.

aI said I was sorry,a Adrian spat. aYou think I like this job of mine? You think I was ready to come back and break in a f.u.c.king greenhorn?a Jim didnat bother talking. He just hauled back and punched the b.a.s.t.a.r.d right in the jaw, knuckles snapping out and making contact in the blink of an eye. The impact was so hard, the fallen angelas skull kicked back and sent his great-looking hair into a full Farrah Fawcett, with locks blowing in the wind.

aThat was payback for up in Devinaas bathroom, motherf.u.c.ker,a Jim said. aNow Iall work off the other s.h.i.t.a Adrian spat blood. aI knocked you out to save your a.s.s, son.a af.u.c.k. Off. Gramps.a Last word anyone got in for a while.

Adrian bull-rushed, catching Jim around the middle and pile-driving him back against the side of the truck. As the impact stung him from ear to heel, Jim just shrugged off the pain in spite of the body-wide dent he was sure head left in the quarter panel. Without skipping a beat, he grabbed onto Adrianas hair and head-b.u.t.ted the guyas nose, and as the thing went geyser all over both of them, Adas response was just as fasta"he returned the insult by kneeing Jim in the groin so hard, he clutched his b.a.l.l.s and gagged.

Fuuuuuuuuuuck. Nothing made a man see stars like having his hey-nannies in a head-on collision with solid bone, and as his vision went wavy, his gut thought seriously about air-mailing the beer head just had at Vinas all over Adas shirt. Willpower, and only willpower, had him overcoming c.o.c.k agony and lunging forward, grabbing Ad around the calves, and forcing him off balance onto the gra.s.sy ground.

Rolling around. Lots of rolling around. Fists flying. Grunts traded. Mud everywhere.

The only thing separating them from a pair of animals was the fact that they were clothed.

And the only thing that stopped them was Eddie stepping in and picking Jim up by the back of the collar and the waistband of his jeans and lifting him out of range. After Jim was hauled free from the fight and tossed aside like a branch that had fallen off a tree, he landed facedown on brown sod, his entire body throbbing like something out of a commercial for HeadOn.

Or in his case, Alloverthef.u.c.kingbodyOn.

Breathing in cold air that smelled like fresh dirt and blood, he hurt all over and felt a lot better at the same time. Easing onto his back, he let his hands fall to the sides as he looked up at the milky sky. In the clouds above, he thought he saw the face of the girl he had left behind in that bathroom: She seemed to be staring down at him, watching over him.