Payable On Death: A Jax Rhodes Novel, Book One (The Jax Rhodes Series 1) (18 page)

People poured from their rowhomes, glass from windows busted in the blast crunching beneath their feet. We took advantage of their rush to contact authorities and watch the blaze from curbside to slip away unnoticed down the alleyway. The light gray coating of ash all over us combined with the low hanging layer of smoke provided the perfect camouflage to flee the scene. We stuck to side streets and alleys until we were safely inside the apartment.

Tobias had left but I knew we'd hear from him before the sun set. They'd taken the explosives away from me and a small bomb still went off in Baltimore.

We'd been hanging
around the apartment for days, waiting for word on the next location and I was starting to get a little stir crazy. Don't get me wrong, having the time to recuperate was nice, especially since four of my ribs were cracked. Still, I'd done all the sitting I could do and had taken to pacing back and forth in front of the desk littered with coffee mugs and stacks of books so high I could barely see the Sin Eater behind them.

"What?" Dane glanced up from the tome he'd been reading. He'd made better use of our self-inflicted captivity than me, scouring different texts in hopes of unlocking some hidden secret that would make our task of sealing the portals less deadly.

"We haven't received any word on what our next move is or where the next portal is. That doesn't worry you?"

"Of course it does. Wearing a hole in the carpet isn't going to change anything." He closed the book and went to refill his coffee cup.

Watching him pad barefoot and shirtless into the kitchen provided a much needed distraction from the worry gnawing a hole in my gut. Under different circumstances, his perfectly muscled physique and rugged good looks would have been all the reason I'd need to stay in the apartment with no contact from the outside world.

Damned demons made life impossible.

"If you want to do something to help figure out what we need to do next, you can start by picking up one of those books on my desk. They're not going to read themselves." He returned from the kitchen with two cups of coffee.

The man knew me.

"You honestly think we'll find the answers in a text written before Jesus was born?" The warmth seeped into my hands as the delicious aroma enveloped me in a comforting cocoon.

"It's a lot more likely than the ones after his death."

"You finished reading those already, didn't you?"

His silence was answer enough. We were no closer to finding the next church than when he cracked open the first book. We needed Tobias and the information he provided. Information we'd become reliant upon. Grabbing a book off the top of the stack, I settled in for some heavy reading. Little bits of dust floated up into the rays of light cascading through the window. Covering my coffee cup to prevent contamination, I blew off the pages and began scouring for a clue I doubted I'd find buried in the book's contents.

"Dane?"

Lord, that man knew how to brew a cup of coffee. I gave up trying when I saw the French press. If it didn't come from a k-cup or the old standard Mister Coffee, I drank sludge from the first gas station I came across. He cleared his throat, waiting for the question I'd never asked once I'd started drinking the perfectly brewed cup.

"You were going to ask me something? Jax?" He looked up, impatience marring his handsome face at my latest interruption

"Hmm? Oh, right, sorry." After setting the mug down to prevent further distraction, I collected my thoughts. "It's not a question so much as an observation. We need current information. The name of the next church isn't going to be in any of those books."

"I believe you mentioned that already. However, the answers aren't going to fall from Heaven anymore so unless you want to call the Devil and ask him, we're going to have to figure it out for ourselves."

"I deleted him from my contacts. So I guess we're still at square one. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I wish Lazarus still harassed me. We could have tried to snag and bag his evil ass and interrogated him. I've seen some techniques in Liam Neeson movies that looked like they'd be worth trying out."

"I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner." Dane jumped up from his seat behind the desk. "Go get changed. We're going out."

"You have someone you want to water board? Because I'm not sure how to dress for that." I glanced down at my black fleece skull and cross bone pajamas bottoms thinking they might actually work. Just because one of us would be experiencing extreme discomfort didn't mean we all had to.

Without missing a beat, Dane described an outfit that closely resembled the Gorton's fisherman, complete with yellow rain hat.. When I asked him if he'd seen my galoshes, he gave in and told me where we were going.

Mount Royal Tavern.

"Sometimes it's the most obvious things that elude us." I couldn't believe neither of us had thought to go there before. With deals constantly being made, the place was full of demons. We were bound to overhear something useful.

Unlike the previous times I'd been to the bar, it was standing room only. Dane wedged himself between two lesser demons and ordered our drinks. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the idea to go to Mount Royal was divine intervention. Hell, maybe it was. Something big was going down because there was more trading happening in the local watering hole than on Wall Street.

We managed to go unnoticed, just two wallflowers having a drink, watching the crowd and hoping to catch a tip. And then I saw a familiar face. Two, actually, sitting at the same table. My elbow landed in the soft spot between Dane's ribs and hip. I almost knocked the beer out of his hand when I rushed to point out the table in the center of the room. Both of us watched, mouths agape, as Lazarus and Tobias were locked in a heated discussion.

"You think he's here for the same reason we are?"

Dane nodded his head in agreement. Tobias had never given us a reason to doubt him before. Having a conversation with the one demon who tormented me pretty much every day for the last five years didn't mean he'd betrayed us. He caught sight of us watching him, genuinely surprised and concerned to see us at the bar. The slightest shake of his head, covered up by brushing his hair out of his eyes, stopped me from charging over there and taking an empty seat at the table.

My palms itched and warning bells sounded inside my head. Without realizing it until we were in a bar wall to wall with angels and demons, I'd missed the action. It was neither the time nor the place but I seriously wanted to kick some demon ass. For the first time I understood, truly understood, that this was what I was born to become. I'd never believed in fate. I made my own destiny, not anyone else. Surrounded by the blessed and the damned, I couldn't deny it anymore. As much as I'd resisted the idea at first, only signing on in an attempt to void my contract with the Devil, I’d started to enjoy it.

Lazarus picked up on Tobias's distress, turning to see what divided his attention from their little chat. Blinking out of existence when he saw me only to reappear by my side, he ground against my leg like a dog in heat, wrinkling his expensive suit and ruining his human façade.

"Jackie girl, I've missed you."

"I can tell. Now get the hell off me."

"What an interesting choice of words considering Hell lives within you. Half of who you are, Elioud."

"Where's the next portal?" I slipped the switch blade I'd stashed in my coat pocket into my hand, pressing the button to extend the knife and discreetly jabbed him in the ribs.

"He chose you. You belong to him, you agreed to it, and no amount of good deeds and banishments will change that. Dead or alive, he will have you. Alive would be his preference, of course. There's that whole complicated matter of Tartarus and the fallen, although dead works, too. There's still time, the Spear is within reach."

"Tell me where the portal is."

Dane pushed him off me, no doubt afraid I'd attack Lazarus in the safe zone. The bartender caught us arguing and assumed we were starting a fight. He shouted something about breaking the rules and taking it outside and across the line because there was no fighting inside the tavern. The dull chatter filling the room stopped as all eyes turned on us. Lazarus laughed, confident he'd gotten the upper hand, but I was all too happy to take it outside. I'd come a long way since we scrapped in the alley behind Bad Decisions. I'd waited a long time, spent many nights fantasizing about beating his ass.

It looked like that moment had finally arrived.

"After you." I gestured to the door, indicating I'd follow him outside and across the border of neutral ground.

Lazarus winked. He knew something we didn't and the cat that ate the canary look on his face told me it was more than just the location of the next portal.

"What in the name of all things holy are the two of you doing here?" Tobias leapt to our side, clearly furious we'd come to the bar and even more so that we'd made a scene.

"I think he's upset with us, Dane."

"How very astute. What gave me away?"

"You're sort of frothing at the mouth." I made a circular motion with my pointer finger around my mouth.

"Is this some sort of joke to you? Is there something amusing about this situation? You come in here like it's the OK Corral, disrupting important negotiations."

Lazarus rocked back and forth on his heels watching me get reprimanded and enjoying every second of it. Unwilling to give either of them the satisfaction, I cut Tobias short.

"I'll tell you what's amusing, Tobias. You cut off all communication, totally disappear, and when Dane and I decide to do a little reconnaissance mission, try to find the next portal on our own, we find you instead. With one of my favorite demons. Did I miss anything, Dane?"

"Nope, that about sums it up."

"What do you think I'm doing here?" Tobias whisper-yelled. Lazarus was still close enough to hear him.

"I just love reunions. I tell you what, since I'm feeling so sentimental, I'll give you a little hint. The three remaining portals are somewhere in the city." Lazarus was clearly amused with himself, slapping a hand on Dane's shoulder for support as he hunched over in laughter.

"Don't ever put your hands on me." Dane popped the top on a vial of holy water and poured a few drops on the top of Lazarus's hand.

The demon's hiss drowned out the sound of his flesh sizzling. Lazarus pulled his hand back, cradling it against his chest as if that would somehow keep him safe from further injury. The sanctimonious ass behind the bar hopped over the counter and attempted to usher us out the door. He spewed a bunch of stuff about rules and the balance at Dane and me while Lazarus smirked behind him. This guy hadn't a clue about what was going on because if he did, the demon would be the one tossed out and then it would be shots all around.

Tobias told us to leave, putting great effort into acting outraged for the onlookers. Unspoken promises were woven into his disappointment over our behavior and blatant disregard for the rules. At least Dane and I knew he'd be returning to the apartment. The tongue lashing we'd received would pale in comparison to the one that awaited us when he did. It would all be worth it if it brought us closer to finding the portals.

The bartender, flanked by two burly men of undetermined origin but my guess was yeti, formed a wall and followed us to the door. I reached out, snatching a bottle of liquor off the bar top and threw a couple twenties on the floor on my way out.

"Absinthe. Figures, I've never been a fan of anise." I handed the bottle to Dane, offering him a drink as I wandered aimlessly toward the end of the safe zone.

"So no black licorice, got it. Why isn't it green?" Dane took a few swigs, coughing a little after the last pull from the bottle and handed it back to me.

"It wasn't distilled a second time, that's what brings out the color in the wormwood and green anise." I stared over the imaginary line separating the neutral territory from the rest of the city. "So many lights, all of those people just going about their day completely unaware of the evil infecting our city."

"And if they did?" Dane took the bottle and screwed the cap back on. The high alcohol content in the unusual spirit didn't take long to take effect. "Would it change anything? It's easier to believe that the horrible things happening all around you, day in and day out, are because of demonic influence but people are capable of unspeakable atrocities. Live long enough and you'll know what I mean. If they knew we stood on the precipice of the end of the world, what do you think would happen?"

"Fear, panic, riots. They'd burn the world to the ground. I know all that, Dane, but there's some good ones out there, right? What about them? Shouldn't they be given a chance to fight? We could sure as shit use the help."

"How would you find them? How would you convince them? You didn't have to believe, you knew. You're unique, you've been touched by both Heaven and Hell."

"Touched." I barked out a bitter laugh. "I'm a pawn being shuffled around a game board. Tobias already has the location of the next portal."

"What? How do you know that?" Dane turned me around to face him. "What did he say?"

"You were there, he didn't. I can't explain it, I just know he knows. What I don't know is why he hasn't told us yet. What's he negotiating with Lazarus for?" I took a step back, pivoting on my heel to turn and give myself room to walk. Pacing helped me think. Without realizing it, I'd stepped across the border.

"Jax." Dane tried his best to hide it, still I felt his panic. He saw something out there that I didn't. "Come back across the line. Now."

My head whipped left and right trying to find the threat. I took one step before my legs stopped working. Like all those times I sought sanctuary at church unable to go any further than the front walk. I wanted to reassure Dane that I was fine, not to panic, but I didn't waste my breath. He would have known it was a lie. Panic constricted my chest, moistening my brow with sweat. He moved to grab me even as I shook my head no. Something was coming for me. I felt it.