Dr. Stanton’s frown deepened. “It’s still hard to believe that one of us could do something like this. Him—” He jerked his thumb in Belial’s direction.
“—I could understand.”
“Perhaps we’re not so different after all,” the demon said, earning a glare from all three of us.
Gabriel shook his head and gestured to the computer. “Why don’t we get started? Now, we don’t have a name but we do have height, weight, a picture, and a window of time when he would have been through here.”
“Sure.” Dr. Stanton took the paper and typed in the date and other information we had on the rogue angel.
“What kind of procedure would he have gotten?”
“Heart surgery,” Gabriel said. “The demons have tracker implants that will cause cardiac arrest if they are removed. He would have needed a very talented surgeon to get it out without killing him.”
Stanton continued typing and we held our breath for a second as the computer did a search. After a moment, it came up “No Matching Results.”
“There’s no one matching that description who had a scheduled operation like that,” the doctor said, rubbing his chin.
Gabriel shook his head. “That can’t be right. This is one of the best cardiology clinics in the world. He had to have come here for that reason.”
“Doctor?” I asked. “What if he came in as an ER patient?”
He glanced at me, confused. “Can you clarify that a bit?”
“Well, what if he did something that would cause him to need to be defibrillated? Maybe that shock would deactivate the tracker. Plus, if he ended up needing emergency surgery I’m sure the ER docs would have removed it.”
Stanton paused. “I suppose that’s an option. He could do something like overdose on potassium. They would have to get it out of his system and then defibrillate him. I’ll check for that.”
He entered the new information in and did another search. This time, a file popped up. We leaned in and I read it out loud.
“Male patient, mid-twenties to early thirties, five-foot-six, 160 lbs., brought in off the street from potassium overdose. Resuscitated at 11:03pm. Patient placed in facility overnight. Doctors went to check on him and he disappeared. Police report filed with the Cleveland Police Department the next day.”
“Who was the attending physician?”
“Dr. Lee Creswell. He gave a statement to the police. I can help you with the records, but if you go poking around without the proper authority, you could get in trouble.”
Gabriel nodded. “Alright. Then we go to the police station and see what we can find. I know someone in their department. If he skipped out on the bill, they’ll have a file on him that should help us. Do you have a fax machine I can use?”
“Certainly.” Stanton pointed to the one across the room and Gabriel scooped up the papers.
Belial stepped forward, addressing the doctor. “If they had removed the tracker, what would have been done with it?”
“Not sure. It would have been up to the doctor. My guess is it would have been thrown out as trash or given it to the police when they filed the report. They probably would’ve thought it was some kind of shrapnel.”
I glanced at Belial. “Why does that matter anyway?”
He shrugged. “I am merely being careful. If the authorities did get the tracker, that may present a problem if they have any detectives who dig their noses into the case. Our entire operation would be under fire if the human government became involved. We have always found ways to circumvent detection, but slip-ups like this are dangerous. The government may not be very smart, but it’s persistent.”
Gabriel returned a moment later, shoving his phone in his pocket. “We’ve got the files sent to Michael and he’ll get them to the proper authorities. Let’s get going. Thank you again, Dr. Stanton.”
“Always a pleasure, Gabriel. Good luck.”
With that, we left.
* * *
“ALRIGHT. LET’S REVIEW what we know. Just the facts. No speculation.”
“Okay. We know that he had the demons engineer him a body because we’d be able to trace him if he were in an angelic body. We also know he deactivated the tracker implant. We know he has extensive martial arts and weapons training. We know he is aware of my existence but has chosen to avoid attacking me so far. Security cameras at the airport have him boarding a plane six months ago heading for Kentucky where we found our first murdered Seer, Danny Bowen. He booked the flight under the name Edmond Saraf. His last known whereabouts is Raleigh, after he murdered Erica Davalos.”
Gabriel pressed one hand to his mouth as he paced back and forth at the foot of my bed. The hotel room was stunning—not by my efforts, of course, but Gabriel’s. He insisted that I stay with him in his luxury suite, which was so nice that I had been afraid to touch anything when we walked in. The room was done in burgundy and gold. It could have easily allowed for another king size bed in addition to the two already in it. The bathtub had Jacuzzi jets and the room service was unbelievable. The archangel had ordered blackened salmon with bleu cheese sauce, asparagus, and white wine. At his urging, I’d gotten a twelve ounce steak, mashed potatoes, and sautéed spinach. No alcohol, naturally. Being Gabriel, he had asked if it was okay for him to have some in my presence. What a sweetheart.
“What do we have on theories?” he asked.
I dropped my gaze to the pages scattered on the bed before me. “Whatever he saw in the Book of Time spooked him and made him think that the Seers of the world would bring about the Apocalypse. What did Raphael say about the missing page?”
“He told me that he checked with the Scribes and they were able to confirm that there was a page missing for the time span that includes this year. They will have to go back through the Symphony of Time and retranslate it. It will take a while, unfortunately.”
“So does that mean we can’t find future Seers until they finish the translation?” He nodded with a grim expression on his face.
I sighed, raking my hair back. “We can’t be reactive, we need to be proactive. We need a tip of some sort or he’s going to keep killing innocent people.”
“And we need to find out why he came to see you,” he added, continuing to pace.
“Could you go before the Father or the Son and request information?”
Gabriel shook his head. “We’re not allowed to ask about the future.”
“But you do know when the actual Rapture is going to occur, right?”
He glanced at me in surprise, then nodded. I considered this. “So you know it’s not the Rapture that he’s talking about?”
“No. That’s a different matter entirely.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to start by researching the different types of Apocalypses that are predicted in human history. Maybe one of them is the one he thinks will come to pass. Otherwise, we just have to hope that one of the angels spots him and we take him down.”
“Indeed.”
I hesitated before asking my next question. “Do you remember when Belial asked if we were going to kill the rogue angel? What’s your answer to that?”
Gabriel sighed, pushing his blond locks out of his eyes. “I don’t know. It would destroy some part of my soul to have to kill one of my brothers, but if nothing can be done to stop him otherwise…I suppose we would have to.”
A hush fell over us. “This sucks.”
“Yes, it does.”
The archangel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m restless. I’m going to do a few laps in the pool downstairs. Will you be alright without me?”
I brandished the remote control to the flat screen TV. “I’ve got cable. We’re good.”
He kissed my forehead and went into the bathroom with his suitcase to change. I waved when he left and opened my laptop to start researching theories of different Apocalypses. I turned on the TV at a low volume for background noise as I worked, completely consumed by my search until my cell phone rang roughly an h
our later. I answered without looking.
“Hello?”
“So…what are you wearing right now?”
I rolled my eyes, sighing. “What do you want, Belial?”
He chuckled before answering. “I trust you and the archangel have some sort of plan for the rest of the week. Would you care to enlighten me?”
“Not really, but fine. We’re flying back to Albany in the morning because I’ve got work but in the meantime, we’re compiling different Apocalypse conspiracies to see if we can find one that matches whatever the rogue angel believes in. Feel free to do your own research. Being a demon, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of plans about ending the world.”
“Of course. I’ll do my best.”
“I’m sure you will,” I answered with the utmost sarcasm. Just then, there was a knock at the door. I lowered the phone, calling, “Who is it?”
A male voice answered. “Room service.”
Gabriel’s two slices of six-layer chocolate cake had arrived. Huzzah. I adored his weakness for sweets. I got up and walked towards the door.
“Well, it’s been fun chatting with you, but I’ve got to go.”
“What for? A loving phone call to your husband?”
“No. Something more important than you—cake.”
I reached the door and checked the peep hole. It was not room service. The man standing there was my height with red hair and brown eyes.
Edmond Saraf.
The rogue angel.
“Shit.”
Chapter 9
Jordan
THE DOOR SMASHED in half as the rogue angel kicked it. I stumbled backwards and yelled into the phone, “Call Gabriel, now!” before Edmond knocked it out of my hand and it crashed into pieces against the wall.
He came at me. His blows were viciously fast and I could barely block them, driven backwards by the pure force of his fists. He aimed at my face and torso, ignoring my legs for the first minute of the attack. I landed a solid punch to his solar plexus, winding him, then kicked him in the same place, trying to put some space between us. He caught my ankle and threw me against the oak desk on the far wall. It hit me hard in the small of my back. I cried out as it sent a damn near crippling spiral of pain through me. The lamp crashed onto the floor, scattering glass.
I grabbed a piece of the broken ceramic and blocked the high kick he aimed at my face, stabbing him in the thigh. He growled and stumbled back, ripping the piece out. Blood oozed down his black slacks.
I scrambled for another impromptu weapon as he darted forward again. Using all my strength, I ripped the flat screen out of the wall and aimed it as his head. He blocked it with both forearms, cracking the screen. I used the couple of seconds’ grace to kick him in the kneecap, hoping to dislocate it. He twisted to the side just as I did so the blow glanced off his shin instead. He tore the TV out of my grip and tossed it aside, reaching for me again.
“In the name of the Father, I reject!” I shouted. My shield solidified in front of me and his hands stopped only inches from my throat, giving me a fleeting moment to think. His strength and speed were far too great—I needed to buy time for Gabriel to get upstairs and make this a fair fight.
The rogue angel made a quick sign in the air with his hands, muttering something in Latin. My shield crumbled around me like invisible sand—something I could feel but not see.
“Strike!” I thrust out one hand, and four energy shards launched towards him. He threw himself to the side. They flew past him, though one clipped his right arm, spilling blood.
I used the extra second to rip the cabinet door off its hinges, then swung it with all my might. He blocked it with his forearms, but the force knocked him over. I brought the door down. He stopped it in mid-swing with one foot, using the other to kick my right arm at the elbow. I cried out and dropped the door, stumbling backward as he leapt back up in a blur of motion.
I opened my mouth to use another energy attack, but he chopped me in the throat and kicked my legs out from under me. I fell to the carpet and writhed, unable to scream as he climbed on top of me and wrapped his gloved hands around my throat. I kneed him in the side as hard as I could over and over again, but he wouldn’t budge. I clawed at his arms, his face, thrashing like a fish that had been dragged onto dry land. My lungs burned with the need for air, but I managed to squeeze out something as he slowly choked me to death.
“Please…don’t…do this.”
All at once, his face changed. Throughout the attack, his brows had been set in a hard line and he showed no emotion as he ruthlessly beat me. After I spoke, guilt slid across his plain features and made him seem almost human. What the hell was going on inside his head?
“I am sorry,” he whispered. “I must do this. Forgive me. Forgive me, Jordan.”
I tried again, though I could feel the creeping sensation of unconsciousness crawling through my body. “Think about…your brother…Michael. Not me. Michael.”
He squeezed his eyes shut, but I felt his fingers losing some of their vise-like grip around my neck. “Don’t say that. This is for the good of mankind. He will understand.”
“Please, let us help you,” I croaked. My eyelids began fluttering. If he didn’t let go in the next minute, I’d be dead. Keep talking, Amador. You’ve got to talk him out of it.
The rogue angel shook his head, tightening his hold again. “I cannot. This is my burden. He who receives light from above, from the fountain of light; no other doctrine needs, though granted true.”
“You’re…smart enough…to quote Paradise Regained,” I rasped through my last bit of air. “You should be smart enough…to know this is wrong.”
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Someone must be sacrificed in order for others to live. Please forgive me, Jordan.”
His fingers dug into my skin so hard that I felt my body go numb. Black began to eat at the edges of my vision, but I could still see the mournful look on his face just before everything went dark.
* * *
I WOKE UP in a bed. The massive pain attacking my throat, my arms, and my back was the first indication that I had survived the rogue angel’s assault. My eyes felt like they weighed several tons when I tried to open them and the only sound I could make was a reedy groan.
There was something wet and cold on my neck—maybe an ice pack. I lifted a shaky hand to move it. Someone caught my wrist before I could. The sudden touch made me panic, but I still couldn’t open my eyes because I felt so drained. I squirmed, trying to free my hand, but the person wouldn’t let go, instead pressing it down on the bed by my side.
“Leave it,” a soft voice said. “Your throat is badly damaged.”
At last, I managed to open my eyes and everything sharpened into focus. Another hotel room. Not as nice as Gabriel’s, but still exceptional as far as hotel rooms go. Blue walls instead of burgundy. Flat screen TV. Mini-fridge. Swell.
When I tilted my head to the side, I realized the man sitting next to me was not Gabriel, but Belial.
“Y-You…” I managed to stammer. My mouth was drier than a bone so I couldn’t get out a whole sentence.
The demon pressed one gloved finger to my lips. “Don’t talk. I need to heal you before you can do that. Here, drink this.”
He handed me a glass of water. I stared at him. He rolled his eyes upward in exasperation. “I just saved your life. I have no reason to poison you, Jordan. Drink.”
Belial removed the ice pack. I lifted my head far enough to sniff the glass—just to be sure—then drank the water, wincing as it burned all the way down my severely damaged throat. If the rogue angel had tried any harder, he would have crushed my windpipe. I was extremely lucky to be alive.
Belial set the glass on the nightstand, leaning over me on the bed. “Hold still.”
I panicked as his face drifted closer to mine and pushed my hands against his shoulders, but he grabbed them and held them down with an annoyed expression.
“Be still, woman. I’m not
going to hurt you.”
He stopped just short of touching me and blew air over the column of my throat. A cool, tingling sensation rushed down my neck all the way to my collarbone. The raw, aching pain subsided, replaced with a comforting numbness. His hands let go of my arms and he straightened up.
“There. Better?”
I nodded, licking my dry lips. “W-What happened?”
“I called Gabriel right after your phone went dead. We both got up to the room just as you passed out. The rogue angel did a Hans Gruber out the window and Gabriel ordered me to take you back to my room while he gave chase. That was about twenty minutes ago. I have not heard from him since so I assume he is still chasing the rogue angel.”
I tried to sit up, but the bruises the rogue angel’s fists had left made it hard to balance on my arms. A sharp pain slithered up my back every time I moved.
“N-Need to tell Michael. Let him know—”
“He already knows. I called him.”
“What did you say?”
“That the angel had attacked and Gabriel went after him, and that you were safe.”
“Did you tell him where we were?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Maybe.”
“Asshole. You knew it would upset him that Gabriel left me with you.”
“Life is not without its little pleasures,” he said with an insufferable smirk.
I shook my head, pulling off the thick comforter covering my body. “I’m fine. Take me back to the hotel.”
My back stung yet again and I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut momentarily. Belial caught my arms and lowered me to the mattress. “You’re not going anywhere until your wounds heal. It won’t take long. Just be patient.”
“Don’t have time for patience,” I said through shallow breaths. “People will die. Gabriel needs my help.”
“You’ll do these people no good by getting yourself killed,” Belial answered with a harsh glare, his fingers tightening on my upper arms.
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