“We’re not done training.” He shook his head.
“I can’t channel my powers. What are we going to do now?” Stepping away from the door I moved away as he attempted to grab me.
“Hey. What are you doing?” I put my hands up, bouncing on my feet trying to anticipate his next move.
“It’s your first day. I told you I was going to push you hard. There are dangers outside of these walls and you need to be ready.” He threw a punch and I ducked and threw a right hook, but he ducked.
Backing up from him, I looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon. I saw a boulder near the wall. Hopping over the ledge I put some distance between us and reached for the boulder. He grabbed my leg and pulled me back. I lost my balance and fell on my butt.
Rolling away from him, I tucked into a ball and scrambled to my feet. He punched me in the chest and I fell back. The wind was knocked out of me and I closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes, he pulled me to my feet.
“If your powers fail you can’t fail. Put your hands up and fight. You need to work on landing your punches. Tomorrow we start your hand-to-hand combat.”
“Cade, Liam was looking for you,” said Bethanny. She smirked at me and batted her eyelashes at him.
My fists balled at my side. I’m tired of Bethanny. Maybe we should just fight each other until one of us admits defeat. Her crap is growing old.
“See you tomorrow. Be ready.” Cade glanced at her before rushing through the door.
“I wish I could’ve seen him beat you down. You don’t look so perfect now,” said Bethanny.
“You want a piece of me? Let’s do this.” I put up my fist and circled her. I bounced on my feet ready to get in there and punch that smirk off her face.
“I’m not scared of you.” I side-stepped a large rock but didn’t move far from it. I was plotting scarring her face up with the rock.
“You’re stupider than you look.” Bethanny leaned toward me and barely touched my chest with her pinkie.
Several jolts of electricity traveled through my chest and I flew to the ground. Every muscle in my body started shaking and my eyes rolled back. Pain ran through my nerves and held me immobile.
Her laughter was like pine needles in my eyes. She leaned over me. “I bet you’re scared now and you should be. Cade Cohen belongs to me.”
Bethanny whistled as she opened the door and walked away.
Every muscle in my body ached as I got to my feet. Pulling the leaves from my hair I rubbed my chest.
“It doesn’t feel good when you’re bullied, does it? I hope she beats you down every day,” said Kyra.
I ran after her. She was fast. If she got a head start, I could never catch her. Kyra hopped over the bushes. I reached for her and clutched the edge of her shirt. She kicked me in the chest and vaulted over the hedge.
Holding my right breast, I jumped over the hedge following her. Turning the corner, I ran down the street leaving the academy behind. I heard footsteps coming from around the corner, so I ran there and jumped out of the shadows.
Kyra wasn’t there but I came face to face with Ted. He thrust a spike toward my chest, but I dodged it and ran. I skidded to a halt when Dylan stepped out of the shadows. Glancing behind me, I backed away from him. I heard pebbles crush behind me. I looked behind me and Ted was heading my way. I was boxed in, with two demons bent on destroying me.
Cade
It wasn’t hard to slip into the crowd. Bethanny was the only person in here, besides Orion, that knew who I was. Bethanny was getting so much attention that the dude had placed his spiked leather jacket over her short skirt. It must be hard dating a girl that isn’t satisfied with your attention and demands every man’s attention. It must be exhausting trying to keep someone who doesn’t want to be kept.
Strolling through the back of the club I noticed a set of beige double doors. The doors were always guarded by four men. I need to get past those guards. An hour had past and the only people the guards let past the doors were half-naked females that were touching all over them. The club looked like it only had two ways out: the door we entered, and the one behind the double doors.
It would take an emergency to get these bouncers to abandon their post in front of the door. That isn’t such a bad idea because then we could see what important person is hiding back there. Whoever is back there will be the first person evacuated. This building is old and dilapidated, so the likelihood that it has a sprinkler system is a long shot. A cigarette near the smoke alarm should do the trick. Taking out my phone, I texted Orion the plan.
I need to get through the double doors. I need a diversion like a possible fire so I can slip past the bodyguards. Cade
You’re trying to get me permanently banned from here. This is my favorite club, and you’ve been here longer than ten minutes, so I know you know why. Orion
Orion was a mess. His wry sense of humor was nice. I prefer him over Maximus any day. I didn’t know much about him except he respected Liam’s laws and he hated betrayal. Those seem like excellent qualities to me. He makes me laugh and laughing keeps you living longer.
Not really. Are you going to do it or not? Cade.
I smiled as two girls flocked to my side once they noticed that there was room on this cream leather couch next to me. They came right on time and saved me from buying some random girl drinks tonight. Guys don’t come to the club to sit alone. I’m not trying to stick out like a sore thumb.
Yes, against my better judgment. For the record, the strong drinks, music selection and location make this a nice hot spot.
I slipped my phone in my pocket. The red-headed girl who sat next to me was giving me bedroom eyes. I hope that was what was wrong with her eyes. Every time I looked at her, she batted her eyelashes and looked away.
“My name’s Vick. What’s your name?” I looked at her and glanced at her friend.
“My name is Heather and that is my best friend Gayle.” She sat her drink on the table.
Gayle looked a bit disappointed. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gayle gets the most attention when they go out. A lot of guys prefer busty blondes.
“Heather, that is a beautiful name.” I picked up her hand and kissed it. Her skin wasn’t as smooth as Melody’s. If I was going to get out of here alive, I needed to flirt my butt off and mingle with the crowd. I might learn something important from the regulars and it might improve my flirting skills. I don’t foresee me needing them anytime soon.
“Do you come here often?” asked Gayle. She tossed her black hair over her shoulders and drained her glass of tequila.
“Nope. My friend dragged me out of the house.” I feel some anger surfacing and I tried to sit back. I’m chit-chatting but I don’t need to tell them my whole life story. They may question why I’m still sitting here if I didn’t want to come out in the first place.
“Why did he have to drag you out of the house? You don’t like going out to the club,” asked Gayle?
“He probably didn’t want to come because of what happened last week,” said Heather.
“He’s a man. He knows people get shot and killed all the time and nobody but you expect the government to help out,” said Gayle.
“You looked surprised. You didn’t hear about it?” asked Heather.
“Heather let’s get another drink, this is your favorite song,” said Gayle. She stood and tried to pull Heather to her feet.
Great. They think I’m a serial killer or deranged. I have a minute to turn this around.
“Nope. I recently had a bad break-up, so I’ve been trying to figure things out. I never expected her to leave me.”
“I understand how that goes. It took me five years to get over my ex-boyfriend,” said Heather. She patted my knee.
“Heather was there for me when I divorced Julio. It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. I barely wanted to get out of the bed. I’m glad you came tonight,” said Gayle.
“I think I am too. Sometimes you have to take baby ste
ps.” I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
The fire alarm rang out and water poured out from the ceiling. People started running everywhere. I jumped up with everyone and led the girls toward the front door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bouncers run in the back and escort a brunette-haired short female from the back.
“Who is that?” I asked Heather, as the bouncers pushed us out of the way to get the woman out of the building.
“That’s Patricia Bright, she owns the club. She has a lot of money, and a lot of enemies.” Heather grunted as someone stepped on her foot and she hopped toward the door.
“If she’d stop sleeping with people’s boyfriends, she wouldn’t get so many death threats,” said Gayle.
“Patricia slept with Gayle’s husband Dennis, and that was the beginning to the end.”
Looking at Gayle, I could see anger, hurt, and craziness lurking behind her emerald eyes. She kept getting closer and closer to Patricia and the bouncers. This was about to go sideways quick. I slowed down and allowed them to move toward the front door. Gayle lunged at Patricia and grabbed a fist full of her hair. Her screams of rage echoed over the music. Everyone stopped moving, chanting ‘fight’ and some people pulled out their phones to record it.
Ducking I ran through the double doors. Patricia had provided a better distraction than the fire alarm. I heard heavy footsteps and dashed through the first door on the left. Dang. It was a bedroom. A plush bedroom fit for a queen in this dump. The comforter was mauve with silk and lace pillows, but it was a platform bed. The small window was barred and couldn’t fit the size of an adult. I was trapped with nowhere to hide.
The walls and the ceiling over the bed had wall-to-wall mirrors. There was something very sensual about having mirrors on the ceiling. Slipping behind the heavy drapes I held my breath.
“I risked everything tonight David,” said Patricia.
“We’ll find her. We have the best protection, so nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“Don’t be stupid. I was just attacked by that dishrag out there. She pulled a chunk of my hair out before you got her off me. What if she had a gun?”
“Derrick wants you dead. He isn’t going to pull your hair out. He’s more likely to put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger,” said David.
“Find Trinity and bring her here. She should be here.”
“We tried, but she refused.”
“That didn’t go well and we lost several men. If we keep trying to force her to come here, you won’t have anyone standing in between you and Derrick. What did you do to him anyway?”
“Nothing. His thinks I slept with Myron.”
“Myron, his father? Please tell me you drew the line there. That’s even low for you.”
“I didn’t do it. Myron tried to force himself on me, but I stabbed him and ran.”
“If you stabbed him why has he been on doing all these speeches and appearances?”
“The wound healed almost immediately after I stabbed him. The blade pierced his heart. I watched him bleed and heal almost instantly. I ran before he got his hands on me.”
“Patricia, I swear. You’re going to be the death of me. I will go one more time and talk to Trinity. If I don’t come back, take care of my mother.” David walked out of the bedroom door.
Trinity doesn’t seem to like people that try to force her into doing what they want. I guess that is good to know. Therefore, I need to change my strategy on convincing her. It’s clear to me that she didn’t show tonight and I’m doubtful that she will. Glancing at my watch, I noticed it was two in the morning. Time flies when you’re on an aggressive deadline. Patricia was in a bind. Peeking out from curtain I saw her drop her clothes on the floor and stroll naked into the bathroom.
She was a beautiful woman and she knew it. I’m not a creep, so I lay flush against the wall until I hear the water tapping on the tile in the shower. Rushing out I headed toward her dresser drawer. She was shampooing her hair and humming to herself. Wow. She has a voice. Shuffling through her drawer I saw some photos of Trinity. It was more like an intelligence file, where she had been spying on Trinity. It looked like a folder on how to blackmail her.
If I was Trinity, I wouldn’t have shown up here to help her either. It is never ok for you to blackmail someone. Shifting through the photos there was a piece of paper with several addresses, so I tore that page. I’m hoping that these addresses will lead me to Trinity.
I heard footsteps heading this way. Whoever was coming was trying to be quiet. Patricia was leaning her head under the shower head, with her eyes closed. Jumping up, I pulled myself up on the recessed beam on the ceiling. I hated heights but I’m not trying to die in Patricia’s bedroom.
Four men with black masks crept inside the bedroom. They all had on tactical military gear, and AK 47’s in their hands. This was a structured hit probably by Derrick. When the last guy closed the door, I jumped on him turning his gun on the other three. My knees twisted and I snapped his neck, flipping off him with the gun in my hand.
The three men came back. What the heck is going on? I fired all head shots, but that wasn’t killing them either. I heard screaming and the water shutting off. Removing my sword from its sheath, I decapitated them.
“Who are you?” Patricia pointed a gun at my head. She stood there naked and wet.
I zoned out and focused. I heard footsteps pounding on the roof. There were a lot of assassins coming this way and soon all hell would break loose. They will probably jump through the window and take her by surprise.
“I’m not with them or you would already be dead. Put the gun down. There are more men coming. If you want to live you need me.”
“You’re bluffing.” She turned and grabbed a pair of jeans and a top.
“Why don’t you stay and find out. I’ve saved you once but I’m not going to stand here when they come crashing through the window.” I turned on my heels and walked out of the room.
I quickly texted Orion and told him that I needed to know everything about this place right now if I’m going to make it out of here alive.
“Wait. You must keep me alive. You can’t let me die here,” said Patricia. She yanked on my shoulder but I barreled through the door despite her trying to slow my pace. I think we have five minutes.
Orion ran to me. His shirt was covered in blood and he looked like he had been living in a war zone. His feet were bare and his hands filthy. “We have company. I found a way out for us but I wasn’t expecting a crasher.”
“You’re taking me with you so change your damn plans.” She pointed the gun in Orion’s face and he laughed.
“You and I have got to discuss your choice in women. I’m beginning to think you’re drawn to difficult women that have death wishes.”
“Not now man.” I heard the glass in her bedroom shatter. Picking her up, I ran behind Orion as he jumped out of the window. I covered her mouth and followed him. We landed ten feet below on a slender ledge. The rain made the ledge slippery but I took my time jumping to the next building and down the chimney.
Coughing up dust and debris I looked at him as he grabbed two guns from under the sofa cushion. Patricia dug her nails into my chest.
“Put me down. Your plan was to jump out of the dang window? I almost had a heart attack.”
Rolling my eyes, I dropped her. She was ungrateful and spoiled. I saved her life and all she’s done is point guns and complain.
“If you don’t lower your voice, they will come here to finish you off and I might let them.”
Orion laughed. He swiftly covered it up and handed both of us a gun.
“We’ll keep you alive until you drive away from here, but we want something from you in exchange.” I need to make sure we don’t go home empty-handed. Failure isn’t an option. I need to locate Trinity. She had answers that we need.
“You want me to do you. I get it but I don’t think I have time to do you together unless you really like the back-door opt
ion. Are you going to do each other first then you want me to join in or what?”
“She thinks we like men. She’s on her own. I’m not keeping her alive,” said Orion. He snatched my gun from me and handed it to her.
“Don’t mind him we will keep you alive, despite you being a home-wrecking tramp, your life choices are on you. We would never defile ourselves with sleeping with you.” I hope she’s not as vain as I think she is but the truth needs to be said. Her actions are horrible and she isn’t the nicest person.
“I’d rather eat a bullet.” Orion grabbed himself and cringed. I tried not to laugh, but he made it hard.
“Orion, shut up.”
“We want to know where Trinity is. We need to know everything you know that would help us find her.”
“She’s probably at the Milton Brace Steel factory. That is a place that she goes from time to time. Can you really get me out of here?” She ran her hands through her hair and slid the gun in her jeans.
“Follow me we will cover you. There is a silver car at the end of the block. When I say run, I want you to run, jump through the window, get in the car and drive as fast as you can. Don’t stop or you’re dead,” said Orion.
“What is to stop them from killing me when I jump through the window?”
Orion smiled. “Him.”
“I’ll make sure you aren’t followed.” This building looked narrow from the outside. Most assassins keep coming until the contract was closed but I didn’t want to discourage her. For a human, Patricia had brass balls and an iron will to live. I wasn’t going to say anything that might dampen her spirits. She needed all of her will power to fight for her life. We all do.
I pushed her toward the door. My ears perked up and I heard several boots outside on the roof. I doubt we could get lucky twice. If we followed Orion’s plan Patricia would be dead. I would be expecting us to exit out of the window and I’d be ready.
“They’ll be expecting that. If we send her running out of the window, she’s dead. Change of plans. We exit the way we came and fight them. If we decapitate them, they need time before coming back to life. She can get to the car and out of town.”
Shape Shifter’s Demons in the Mist: Angel Academy Page 20
