Night Hawk Trilogy (Night Hawk Series)

by J. E. Taylor

  I wasn’t sure what we’d find in Litchfield and as we got closer to New York, I started second guessing this trip.

  Naomi stirred in the seat next to me, her sleepy eyes opening to the dark road ahead. When her gaze landed on me, she bit her lip, studying my expression, trying to read my mind like she used to, but now that she was cured, that psychic connection seemed to be disconnected.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked and I glanced at her before nodding toward the approaching signs, specifically the one for the George Washington Bridge.

  The last time we were there, I almost bit the dust and to this day, I still have nightmares.

  She didn’t speak but her hand found my thigh and squeezed. For her, that day was an exercise in revenge, but for me, it was a reminder that Lucifer almost won. The close proximity to his home base just reinforced the danger.

  The next time we faced him, I wouldn’t make it out alive and Naomi’s future was even bleaker, but I wasn’t about to voice Lucifer’s threats. I didn’t want to entertain the thoughts at all because, if it came right down to it, I would tear her throat out before I would allow her to become his indentured slave.

  “I don’t know what we’ll find when we get home. I imagine the explosion left one hell of a crater.”

  Michael’s snore ceased and he shifted. “It did,” he said before the rumbling sound of sleep kicked back in.

  I traded a glance with Naomi, raising my eyebrow. She shrugged and I decided to see what kind of information I could draw out of Michael in his sleep state.

  “Has it been cleaned up?” I asked, knowing the property reverted to Damian Andreas, the only surviving member of the owner’s family. I had claimed the property via email contact and did all the transfer of ownership through a lawyer in Denver, but I hadn’t thought to rebuild.

  “Yes.” Came his answer between the baritone snores.

  “Are you asleep?”

  Michael’s eyes opened and he sent a glare my way. “Not with you asking questions every five seconds.”

  “Well, you both slept most of the night and let me tell you, you both snore loudly enough to wake the dead.” I glanced at them. “You’re lucky I didn’t wake you sooner.”

  “How much longer?” Michael asked.

  “We’re only a couple of hours away,” I answered and glanced at the clock. “There’s a rest area up ahead. Do you want me to stop?”

  “Please,” Naomi said and shifted in the seat a few times. I sent a smirk in her direction. The benefit of this virus meant that the body’s elimination cycle was eons slower than normal. I think mine is now in the years range, not days or hours like the unaffected body, and I always forget that necessity until it comes along like a speeding freight train.

  The moment they disappeared into the building, I hopped out of the cab and went around to the back of the truck. I slid the top open and grabbed my computer. Sitting on the edge of the truck bed, I logged onto my email account. My teeth clenched on a growl at Lucifer’s latest taunt. This one burning me enough to head in any other direction than east.

  When I looked up, Michael stood a few feet away with his arms crossed.

  “He caught the police scan of Naomi’s license,” I said, feeling the need to explain myself.

  Michael just raised a challenging brow.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do?” I said, slamming the computer and shoving it into the backpack and disappearing into the darkness to set it down on the other side of the mattress.

  “Perhaps we should head somewhere else,” Michael’s voice drifted on the darkness and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

  “Even if I did turn us in a different direction, you know damn well I don’t have enough time. The minute the sun rose and I’m back here, she’ll just turn back in the direction we’re headed.” I stalked across to the door and hopped down on the pavement, pausing long enough to see her open-mouthed response. “Yeah, I’m talking about you,” I said, unable to hide the irritation. If I could have carried her a half a world away, I would have.

  “What about me?” she asked, her voice lined with a combination of hesitation and aggravation.

  “If I had my way, I’d haul your ass to Australia.” I couldn’t help it. Lucifer knew how to push my buttons.

  The way she dropped her hands to her hips and jutted her chin out was like pouring gas on a bonfire. The effect was explosive and I slammed the back, locking it before I ran my mouth off. I had a habit of screwing up when I was this angry and it was more prudent to remain silent, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make as much noise as I could without destroying the truck.

  Doors lent a certain satisfaction when slammed and I nearly inverted the driver’s door with the force. Naomi stood at the opening to the passenger door, her expression guarded.

  “Damian, I’m not running away,” she said in that quiet tone that left no leeway for negotiation and I looked from her to Michael.

  “You talk some sense into her.”

  He just laughed at me. I think he may know more about her than I gave him credit for, but that was no help to me right now.

  “What got your panties in a bunch,” Naomi asked as she climbed in the cab and settled next to me.

  “That little expedition with the cop clued him in. When they ran your license through the system, he got the notice so he knows we’re heading east.” I glared at her.

  She had the audacity to snap at me. “The east coast is a pretty large ground to cover.”

  As soon as Michael shut the door, I threw the truck in gear and drove to the pumps. The small distance didn’t satisfy the budding anger and fear thrumming through my veins. Neither did the time it took to fill up the truck. Lucifer was hell bent on taking everything from me, including my sanity and as the figures increased on the gas pump, I started dissecting motives. By the time I got into the cab, my fury had softened, replaced by questions and I sent a sideways glare at Michael.

  “Why exactly does he insist on driving me crazy?” I asked before I put the car in gear. “I mean he’s notorious for hunting down his enemies, but this is beyond that. This is more than personal and I just don’t understand.”

  When Naomi and Michael exchanged a glance, my jaw tightened in anger.

  “What are you hiding from me?”

  “Now that Naomi has been infused with your blood, she’s a trinity. Not a true one, but close enough. The details he put in that email lead me to believe he knows about Naomi’s background and if he catches her, he will produce an army of monsters.”

  “What the fuck is a trinity?”

  “I mentioned her Indian background, but I wasn’t specific. Naomi is not only a descendant of mine, but she also is a descendant of Raphael.”

  Shock skittered over my skin like someone just crossed over my grave. “Two archangels?”

  “And with your blood, three.” Michael said. “If you two were able to produce offspring, you would create the first pure trinity.” Michael stared at me. “That would be akin to the second coming of Christ.”

  I had to pull the truck onto the shoulder and put it in park because my brain just couldn’t wrap around what he was telling me.

  “So this is why she was stronger than I was,” I muttered, still trying to put the pieces together.

  “Gabriel’s son,” Michael whispered. “Raphael’s and my daughter. Three angel bloodlines combined.”

  The statement sent a shiver up my spine and I snapped my head in his direction, the full meaning of what would happen if Lucifer got a hold of her settled in my skin and I shivered.

  “If he gets a hold of her, we are talking an army of...” I couldn’t express the thought out loud. It was inconceivable. If the bible carried any truth to it, offspring created from that union would mean the end of the world, and not just my world.

  Silence filled the cab and I pulled back on the road, unable to entertain even the slightest possibility.

  “Revelations,” Michael whispered.

  �
��Yup,” was all I could muster. “And I’m standing in his way.” I let that settle. “I’m no longer sure Connecticut is the right place for us to go. It’s way too close.”

  “I told you, I’m not running away,” Naomi said and crossed her arms.

  Her sulk was enough to bring forth my shadow self and I snarled at her. Michael pulled her protectively to his side, only adding to my fury.

  “Is there anything else you’re keeping from me, Uncle Mike,” I asked with as much contempt in my tone as I could muster, and Naomi’s features transitioned to fear. “Or should I just drain you dry in order to capture all your secrets?”

  “If you want to tango, son, I’d be more than willing to kick your ass again,” Michael said his eyes narrowing into that silent dare that nearly tore my hands from the steering wheel.

  “Ah, but you didn’t battle my shadow form.” I started to pull the truck to the shoulder when Naomi grabbed my wrist.

  “No,” she commanded and between the burn of her touch and the tone of her voice, my shadow form melted away. I winced, pulling my blistered wrist from her grip.

  “Damn it, Naomi,” I cursed, but stayed on the course we were heading. She could be the most infuriating woman on earth.

  “Valerie and her Uncle live on the property,” Michael said after we crossed over the Tappan Zee Bridge.

  The declaration made me swerve and shoot him my open-mouthed gape.

  “You let Valerie move back there?” Naomi asked, stealing the words I was about to pose.

  “Yes,” Michael answered. “I took precautions.”

  “But still...”

  “She wanted to go back, and I was skeptical, but I let her uncle rebuild under the condition that he played by my rules. As far as any of the building crew knew, he was alone and this was family property that was handed down to him after his brother died. The garage was to be left alone and while on the property footprint, it was not to be included in the new building.

  The house is set farther back toward the wood line and while there is an underground basement, there are no escape tunnels.” He sent a smile at the two of us. “It wasn’t until I was sure that my brother’s snitches had reported back that there was nothing of interest on the property that I allowed her to move in. And once she moved in, I went to work.

  The property is now surrounded by a fence secured by hollow concrete blocks filled with salt. There is a complete unbroken line keeping the house safe but it does not extend around the garage.”

  “So, you faked him out,” I said and received a curt nod in response. “And the garage?”

  “The garage is still intact, but no one has been able to get through the building’s defenses,” he said and offered a shrug. “And the grounds are...un-kept,” he added.

  “Damn it,” I muttered, still focused on the fact that Valerie was where we were headed and with us there, that meant we were putting her in danger.

  Chapter Seventeen - Damian

  We turned the bend in the road and I saw my old property for the first time since the night I blew it to bits. When Michael said the area around the garage was un-kept, he wasn’t kidding. Grass that hadn’t been mowed in what looked like five years stretched halfway up the sides of the building and the well manicured driveway I remembered now looked like a forgotten mine field with tufts of grass sprouting from the crumbling pavement.

  The chain-link fence separating the garage property from the rest reached almost ten feet high and disappeared into the woods and appeared a few acres beyond the house, looping around to edge of the property lining the sidewalk. It even crossed the driveway. I turned my gaze to Michael.

  “Remote entry,” he said and pulled a small keychain from his pocket, holding it up.

  “Platinum?”

  Michael grinned. “As far as I know, you’re the only vampire that can fly over that fence.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve seen a few jump that high,” I said and his smile faded. “Still, it’s an impressive set up,” I added. I didn’t tell him it was better than what I had in place, but then again, I had been here for years and I couldn’t very well put up a fence made of platinum like he did. “Angel-proof?” I asked and got a nod in response.

  “When the gate opens, it breaks the seal,” he said jingling the keys again.

  I glanced up at the brightening sky and opted to pull the truck up the crumbling pavement to the side of the garage under the dilapidated awning.

  “I’ll move this stuff into the garage and then I’ll let you return the truck.” I said and hopped out of the cab before they could argue.

  “You can’t stay in the garage,” Michael said as I peeled away a sheet of overgrown vines.

  “Why not?”

  “Because, if they decide to do a drive by, they are expecting the garage to be in this condition.”

  Shit, he was right. “So where do you suggest I go?”

  “We can move the stuff into their basement for now. I made a small area for you in the event you ever came back.”

  I looked at the house and back at Michael. It would take a few minutes to empty the contents of the van and get it out of there, but if they were curious enough to do a drive by, they might be out here right now. I couldn’t let him take the van inside the fence.

  “I may have to stay in the truck one more day,” I said and met Michael’s stare before transitioning to Naomi. “We’ll return the van to either upstate New York, Vermont or New Hampshire.” I glanced at Michael. “They don’t happen to have a pick-up truck?”

  Michael paused, playing with the keys in his hands until he held a single key. “How’d you know?”

  “Does it still have a utility locker in back?” The thought of being stuck in that for twelve hours wasn’t at the top of my list, but sometimes you have to suck it up.

  “Yes.”

  “Get it and we’ll meet you at Valerie’s Uncle’s cabin down the road.”

  Michael took a deep breath and nodded, turning away from the two of us.

  I backed the van up and drove away from the house. I didn’t wait for Michael to get through the gate; I just wanted to put as much distance between us and this house as possible before sunrise.

  Chapter Eighteen - Damian

  The hunting cabin had one road in and I paced next to the back of the van. The mattress leaned against the side of the opening and our three duffel bags were lined up neatly waiting for the truck bed. I gnawed on my thumbnail as we waited, my gaze jumping from the driveway to the pending sunrise and back.

  When the truck rounded the corner, I stopped dead, staring at the three occupants. Valerie was out of the cab even before her uncle could set the brake. I opened my arms on instinct and braced myself for impact. Even with the forethought, the slam of her body against mine nearly knocked all wind from my lungs.

  Her joy at seeing us tempered the panic throbbing in my temple and I offered her a smile and a peck on the cheek before I got down to business.

  “I don’t have much time,” I said and peeled her off me. She immediately turned and flung herself into Naomi’s arms with just as much zest as she had with me. Instead of relishing the moment, I hauled the mattress over to the truck bed and tossed it in, offering her uncle a slight nod.

  “Hi, Ted,” I said as he approached the back of the truck with one of the duffel bags.

  He tossed the bag into the back and stared at me before offering his hand. “Thank you for saving Valerie’s life,” he said.

  Michael hauled the last two bags over the side and handed me my computer bag.

  “What’s the plan?” he asked.

  I dug the keys out of my pocket and handed them to him. “I need you to return the van to somewhere in Buffalo.”

  “Buffalo, New York?" both Ted and Michael said in unison.

  “Yes, this way your brother will think we skipped over into Canada,” I answered and I saw Michael’s expression smooth out. “I’m not sure how you’ll get back though,” I added and glanced at the sky.<
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  “Let me worry about that. Now go get in that oversized toolbox.”

  I smiled and tossed him the keys. “Naomi, give him your phone so we can keep in touch.”

  Naomi handed Michael her phone and showed him how to access my phone number and then she gave me a nod. I turned away from the mini-reunion and hopped into the truck bed, opening the tool chest. They had lined the container with a soft down blanket and I closed my eyes at the thoughtfulness before slipping inside.

  My first reaction as the cover dropped was immediate panic. This was worse than a coffin and I had to squeeze my eyes shut and concentrate on slowing my breathing to normal. The sounds of chains clipping closed increased my unease until the pat on the metal came along with her voice.

  “We’re just securing everything in place,” Naomi said and I knocked back, letting her know I was okay.

  I closed my eyes when the hum of the engine resumed. I didn’t hear the truck come to life either, so I’m sure Michael was waiting for us to get a reasonable distance. I sighed, feeling some of the stress melt from my muscles. My phone buzzed and I glanced at the unknown number on the screen, debating on whether to answer or not. I highlighted the number and exhaled, praying it was Naomi and not Lucifer. I accepted the call.

  “You okay back there?” Her voice filled the line and I chuckled.

  “Yeah, just didn’t realize how claustrophobic I’ve become,” I said.

  “Well, we will be back at the house in a few minutes. Valerie tells me the garage doesn’t have any windows. Only the back door has a six panel window that faces the east, and the light only covers half of the garage footprint.”

  “That’s good to know.” Relief flooded through me.

  “Val said the truck is always parked on the dark side of the garage too, so getting out shouldn’t be an issue. So I’ll see you in the garage.”

  “Thanks, babe,” I said and ended the call.