Angel Tormented (The Louisiangel Series Book 3) (8 page)

BOOK: Angel Tormented (The Louisiangel Series Book 3)
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Raphael took a step to me, gently grabbing
my arms. “Angel, this is very important, and I need you to think very carefully
about the answer,” he said, urgently.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“When that train hit Michael, was he still
in the trap?” he asked.

It took a moment to process the question,
and then I felt my stomach lurch. “What?” I whispered.

Raphael’s grip tightened. “Think, Angel. I
need you to remember. Was Michael in that trap?”

Remember? I didn’t want to remember that
detail. I shook my head as the door to the gym opened and Joshua stepped in. “I
don’t know,” I said.

Although he didn’t acknowledge him,
Raphael seemed aware he was there, and moved slightly so he was creating a
barrier between me and Joshua. “You do know,” he told me, his hazel eyes
darkening. “You just need to think.”

“Hey, you’re hurting her!” Joshua cried.
He was at our side before I could tell him I was fine, shoving Raphael’s
shoulder.

“Joshua-” I started, but before I could
finish, Raphael had released one hand from me to swing at Joshua. It wasn’t
with as much strength I knew Raphael possessed, but it was enough to send
Joshua flying. I didn’t think. I brought my free arm back and shoved Raphael.
The force was enough that Raphael finally released me.

Raphael blinked a few times as he stumbled
several steps back, his hands up in front of him. “Forgive me, Angel!” he
cried.

In the time it took for Raphael to back
off, Joshua was standing between us. “I don’t give a damn if you’re an
archangel or not, the next time you lay a hand on Angel, I will send you
straight back into the heavens,” he growled.

Raphael bowed his head. “It would not be
anything less than I deserved,” Raphael agreed. As though remembering why he
was apologizing in the first place, his head snapped back up. “Angel, I
apologize for my behavior, but it is important you remember: was Michael in
that trap when the train hit?”

“I don’t remember,” I said, the words
feeling thick in my throat. “He was hit by a train, Raphael. He didn’t stay in
it for long,” I pointed out as my body shuddered involuntarily.

We stood in silence, all watching each
other: Joshua never took his attention away from the archangel, while Raphael
was studying my face intently. Finally, Raphael nodded. “Thank you, Angel.”

He started towards the door, but I stopped
him. “Why?” I called after him. “Why is it so important to know if he was in
that trap? He was hit by a train.”

Raphael turned back to me, expressionless
– I always thought Michael had the best poker face but Raphael would certainly
give him a run for his money. “I shall be leaving the convent for a time. I
can’t be here right now.” Instead of heading for the door, this time, he just
vanished.

Joshua whirled around, frowning. “Are you
okay?”

“I’m…” I returned the frown. “No,” I said,
admitting the truth instead of the lie I was going to tell. “No, I’m not okay.”

Joshua stepped forward and wrapped his
arms around me, enveloping me in a much needed embrace. “You want to get out of
here?”

“Hell, yes!” I exclaimed in a sigh. “I just
wish I could get out of here as quickly as Raphael did.”

And maybe not come back too.

CHAPTER EIGHT
Prime Suspect

 

Joshua’s car was parked outside with the
SUVs and we took that, heading south. We didn’t manage to get further than
Canal Street before Joshua’s phone rang, the ringtone blasting through his
hands-free startling me. We both looked at the name on the display before Joshua
gave me a sheepish look. “I’m sorry, I’ve a shift starting in an hour,” he
admitted. “I was going to call in sick.”

I still had that urge to keep him locked
away and wrapped in bubble-wrap, but I shook my head with a sigh. “You can’t
not do your job,” I responded, begrudgingly.

Joshua gave me a grateful smile and answered
the call. “Hi Leon.”

“Morning, Joshua,” Leon’s voice filled the
car. “Sorry to call you early, but we’ve got a body and we’ve got both the Port
Authority and the idiots over on the trains wanting us to wrap things up, while
the Lieutenant is arguing with the Harbor PD as to who has jurisdiction. God,
this scene’s a mess. I hope you haven’t had breakfast.”

Joshua glanced over at me. “Is this at the
Port of New Orleans?”

“And we have the media all over this one
too,” Leon said, seemingly assuming that was where we were getting our
information from. “Vultures,” he sighed. “As far as they’re concerned, it’s a
suicide.” Something in my stomach twisted.

“You don’t think so?” Joshua asked.

“I… For the love of God, just a second,
Josh…” The sound grew muffled, but Leon’s voice was still clear enough to be
heard. “Holiday, I thought we had closed this area off… there are three workers
there… Josh, I have to go deal with something. Just head to the Port and I’ll
fill you in when you get here.”

“Do you want me to take you back to the
convent?” Joshua offered, his eyes fixed firmly on me.

I narrowed my eyes back at him. “I don’t
care how many advanced driver courses you’ve been on, keep your eyes on the
road,” I growled.

Joshua ran his tongue over his lower lip
before turning his attention back on the road. Seconds later, he pulled over
and put the car into park. “Better?” Without waiting for a response, he turned
in his seat to face me. “Do you want me to run you back to the convent? I’m
sure the last place you want to be right now is back at that…” he frowned. “At
the Port.”

My mouth felt dry, but I forced the words
out. “I’d rather be there than at the convent.”

Joshua’s eyebrows shot up towards his
hair. “Really?” he asked in disbelief.

“Really,” I confirmed, making the word
sound as clear as possible. “If nothing else, I need to make sure that nothing
leads back to the convent and the angels.”

“You know I can do that?” Joshua pointed
out. I just stared back at him. Finally, Joshua shrugged. “Fine.”

 

* * *

 

The Port looked different in daylight.
With the sun already heading high in the sky, the shadows didn’t stretch much
further than the base of the stacked containers. There were also a lot more
people around – police officers littered the surrounding area, the fire
department were busy wrapping things up, while forensics were on their knees
under and around the enormous train that was still in the same position it had
stopped in last night.

My attention was caught by the white tent
which had been set up a few feet from the train – on the opposite side of the
track to where I had been fighting Valac. Under it, I spotted Henry examining
something on a table. Henry was one of the coroners. He was also an Angel of
Death – a reaper.

I could tell Joshua had seen him too when
he shuddered. Although Henry’s job was only to assist souls in getting to
Heaven once they were dead, since discovering what Henry was, Joshua had never seemed
comfortable around him. Despite this, we ducked under the crime scene tape and
headed over to him.

As we drew close, I finally saw what it
was Henry was examining: Michael. Or at least, it was Michael’s head and most
of his torso. I stumbled, feeling the bile in my stomach churn angrily. The
motion sent the rocks I was walking on skittering. The noise caught Henry’s
attention, and the man he had been talking to – Leon.

Leon looked at me, his eyes darkening,
before his eyes slowly widened. He looked down at Michael, and back at me, his
mouth dropping open. “Joshua, what the
hell
is she doing here?” he
demanded, horrified.

“She has a pass,” Joshua started.

Leon cut him off. “The victim is her
brother!” he exclaimed, reaching for a cloth and hurriedly throwing it over
Michael.

“Her brother?” Joshua repeated, almost at
the same time as Henry.

Even I was confused.

“Half-brother,” Leon clarified. He turned
to Joshua. “Aren’t you dating her?” he asked.

Henry spluttered and quickly tried to turn
it into a cough. “Sorry,” he wheezed at Leon, before shooting me a look.

Leon marched over to me, folding his arms
as he stared at me. “How many times have you lied to me?” he demanded.

I sucked in a deep breath. At this point,
I didn’t have a clue. All of a sudden, I felt woozy. “I think I need to sit
down,” I muttered.

Joshua was by my side in an instant, his
arm wrapping around my waist. “Maybe we should get you back to the convent,” he
suggested, quietly.

“The convent?” Leon repeated. “The
convent?” he said again, slowly this time, like he was tasting the word. He
took a couple of steps back and looked over at Michael’s covered body. Slowly,
he turned back to me, his eyes taking in all the healing wounds that covered my
body. Finally, his eyes narrowed once more. “What are you?” he asked, slowly.

“Angel,” I said, stumbling over my name.

“Not who,
what
?” Leon said with a
sharp shake of his head. “I remember you. I remember him,” he added, indicating
towards Michael. “And I keep having flashes of being in the convent – in the
church. What were you doing to me?”

I could feel blood rushing from my head,
and I was grateful that Joshua was helping me remain upright as I struggled to
come up with a response.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Joshua responded,
firmly.

Leon shook his head. “No,” he said. “No,
there’s something else.” His face contorted as he closed his eyes. Suddenly,
they snapped open. “Demon.”

Behind us, Henry laughed loudly. “You
sound worse than a mother-in-law.”

I flashed Henry a grateful look, but Leon
pulled a face, instead tightening the gap between us. “What are you?” he
repeated in a lower tone.

“I’m not a demon,” I told him.

“Leon, with all due respect, you sound
insane right now,” Joshua told him. “Just stop and listen to yourself. Demons?
Michael worked in the convent. Angel’s aunt is there now,” he continued,
calmly.

Leon cleared his throat and straightened
his back, looking as conflicted as I felt: I knew the rules and I wasn’t about
to tell him what I really was, but I wasn’t sure I liked this other option –
even if it was Joshua taking the lead. “Do you know why your
brother
was
here last night?”

“Do we have to do this now?” Joshua asked
him, saving me from answering. “Angel’s seen his body. Let me take her home.
I’ll get straight back and do what I need to.”

Leon considered the request. “She should
never have been here in the first place,” he conceded. “It’s a crime scene,
Josh, and we’ve had this conversation before. As for you coming back, I’ll have
a word with Asmodeus: he was the one that wanted you here, but I think it’s
fair to say you’re too close to this one.”

“Asmodeus requested him?” I asked, feeling
anger start to build up in me.

“Of course his lieutenant requested him.
It’s his job,” Leon pointed out. “Unlike you, he should be here.”

“We’re leaving,” Joshua quickly
interjected. “I’ll take Angel back home, and unless I hear otherwise, I’ll come
straight back.” Without waiting for a response, and before I could say
anything, he turned me around and started to lead me away from his partner.

We had just ducked under the crime scene
tape when a person stepped out in front of us. I was ready to reach for the
dagger I’d stuck in my boot when he spoke. “You could do that,” Asmodeus said,
seemingly knowing exactly what I was going for. “But you will have to take me
down in front of all these witnesses, which will inevitably lead to either your
arrest, or more likely, your death.”

“I’m already dead,” I growled.

“True, but he isn’t,” Asmodeus pointed
out, nodding his head at Joshua. “And attempting anything on me will certainly
lead to Joshua’s death. I can assure you that neither of us wants that.”

“Then what do you want?” I asked, as
Joshua tightened his hand around mine. “Or are you here to rub it in?”

“Rub what in?” Asmodeus asked, looking
amused.

“Oh please,” I scoffed. “You’re telling me
you’re not here because that’s Michael over there?” I asked, only just managing
not to burst into tears as I pointed in the general direction of where
Michael’s body lay.

“That’s Michael?” Asmodeus asked, staring
over at the white tent. “Well, well, well… and here I was thinking I was here
for bad news.” He laughed gleefully, clapping his hands together. “No, my dear;
let me thank you for that delightful news and reward you by giving you a once
in a lifetime offer,” Asmodeus explained, as though that was obvious. “We want
you to join us, like Lilah did.”

“Let me think about that,” I said, dryly. “No.”

“Interesting,” Asmodeus mused, stroking
his gray streaked beard.

“You’re honestly surprised by that
response?” I asked in disbelief.

“Actually, yes,” Asmodeus said, as a big
grin slowly stretched across his face. “I would have thought that by losing
Michael you would have realized that you’re on the losing side. I would have
thought that you would have seen sense and joined the side that will not only triumph,
but have more fun doing so, and I certainly would have thought-”

I didn’t give him chance to elaborate on
his thoughts as I stepped forward and punched him.

Or at least I tried.

Instead, he grabbed my fist, twisting my
arm, and me, so that my back was flush against his chest, his arms clamping me
in place. “Now, now,” he chided. “We’ve just had this discussion: attacking me
will only result in you and Joshua getting hurt.”

“Go to Hell,” I yelled, struggling against
his vice-like grip.

“Joshua, I suggest you get this one out of
here,” Asmodeus said, coolly, before shoving me towards him.

Joshua only just stopped the both of us
tumbling to the ground, and by the time I had untangled myself from him,
Asmodeus was already joining a group of police officers by the train. “I am
going to kill him,” I growled in exasperation. Even though he was a good twenty
feet from us, Asmodeus looked over his shoulder and winked.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Joshua said,
reaching for me, his hold strong enough to stop me charging after him.

 

* * *

 

Things had already begun to change when I
returned to the convent. Normally, at this time of day, the majority of the
SUVs were missing – out with the angels as they delivered their messages.
Today, there were only a handful missing.

Inside, I was greeted by someone who
wasn’t Cupid. Although second-in-command, he had favored working behind the
convent’s reception desk. Until just under a year ago, the Old Ursuline Convent
had been open to the public. As there were often tourists still trying to view
the historical building, there was a need for someone to be sat on the
reception – especially considering the angels never seemed to lock anything.

Today, the front desk was manned by an
angel who looked familiar, but just like all of the others, I had never taken
the opportunity to learn his name. “Hi…” I sighed. “I don’t know your name, I’m
sorry.”

“Pascal,” he informed me.

“Do you know where I can find Cupid, Pascal?”
I asked him.

“He’s in the library,” Pascal replied,
shortly.

Maybe I was feeling particularly paranoid,
but he didn’t seem to want me to stick around and chat. Then again, I wasn’t
exactly in the mood for small talk. I hurried along into the building and
realized that someone had finally started doing some cleaning… well, someone
had managed to sweep the hardwood floors, but it was a start.

Cupid was exactly where Pascal said he
would be. He’d taken over the only table in the center of the room, papers
spread out all over it. His head was resting in one of his hands as he frowned
at the document in front of him, but he looked up and smiled when I walked in
the room. “I have no idea how Michael did this,” he admitted.

“What are you looking at?” I asked.

“The human side of this House,” Cupid
said, pulling a face. “Apparently we can’t just commandeer a building. We need
to buy it, and there are all the legal ramifications of that. And don’t get me
started on utilities.”

BOOK: Angel Tormented (The Louisiangel Series Book 3)
8.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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