Harlot

by Tracie Podger

  “Open the glove box,” he said.

  I did, and pulled out a pair of binoculars, the only item in the glove box. He drove a little way up the road until he turned off and onto what he told me was a farmers’ route. It was another five or ten minutes before he came to a stop and turned off the truck. I waited until he’d opened the passenger door for me. He took my hand and led me through a small copse of trees. We came to a small ditch that looked man-made.

  “Lie down here,” he said and then took the binoculars from me. He scanned the compound until eventually handing them back to me. I raised them to my eyes.

  He moved my head slightly, angling me in the direction he wanted. At first the image was blurry. I fiddled with the dials until a young girl came into focus. She was standing in just a white floral dress, bare feet, despite the weather, and had her face raised to the weak winter sun. Long blonde hair flowed to her waist, waving gently in the breeze. To call her hair blonde was probably wrong; it was nearly white.

  I doubted she knew we were there, but she seemed to lower her chin and turn toward me. I zoomed in a little more, concentrating on her face. She was breathtaking, just as Rose said she would be.

  “Allana?” I whispered.

  “Yes. My next project.”

  “She’s beautiful,” I said.

  “The last divine child.”

  “When do you go for her?” I asked.

  “Soon. I have a plan, I just need to do it before two others fuck it all up.”

  “Mich and Gabriel?”

  I lowered the binoculars and looked at him. “Where did you hear those names?” he asked.

  “I overheard Corey and Kieran talking.”

  “Yes, I need to extract her before Mich and Gabriel arrive and turn this into a fucking shoot out.”

  “Are they after her, too?”

  “No. I don’t think they’ve even found this place just yet. They’re getting close though, Corey tracks them as much as he can.”

  He shifted back slightly; I followed, trying to rub the dirt from the front of my sweatshirt. In a crouch, we made our way back to the truck.

  “This is where you’d been, wasn’t it? That day when you walked through the woods to take my coffee, you’d been here?”

  “Yes. Surveillance, I told you.”

  “How easy is it going to be, to rescue her?”

  “Not easy at all. Probably our biggest challenge to date and will come with all sorts of repercussions.”

  “Why are you contemplating it, then?”

  “Because Allana needs us. Because we need to rid our world of this cult once and for all, and it won’t be the fucking authorities who do that.”

  “I don’t know that I want to know too much, I can’t think about you being in danger,” I said, as I climbed back in the truck.

  “Worried about me? That’s very sweet of you, Charlotte,” he said, smirking.

  “You have to sign the house over to me, so I’d rather you didn’t get yourself killed before you did that.”

  He laughed, turned on the truck, placed one arm on the back of my seat while he looked through the rear window, and reversed, at a speed higher than I thought necessary, through the fucking woods.

  He laughed, I screamed, especially when he pulled his dumb trick of pulling on the brake and spinning the truck to face the right way.

  “You fucking jerk,” I shouted, righting myself in my seat.

  “Yep. Buckle up, sweetheart, we’re about to go on one hell of a ride.”

  I screamed, in delight that time, as we went off-road through the woods, crossed the road, and did the same on the other side. He cranked up the music and drove us through the woodland, all the way back to my house. I knew then how he was able to just appear from the line of trees each time he had.

  He stopped the truck outside my back door. I cursed at the tire tracks across the lawn area.

  “You better repair that,” I said, opening the passenger door.

  “Of course. Used to tear up those fields all the time, can’t understand why I didn’t give Cecelia a heart attack years ago.”

  “Do you want a coffee?”

  “No, things to do, places to go.”

  “When will you be back?”

  “A few days.”

  “You’re going after her sooner than you meant, aren’t you?”

  He gave me a small smile. “Maybe.”

  “Beau…”

  “I’ll take care, don’t worry. You need me. And I need you, too, Charlotte.”

  I climbed from the truck and knew he wasn’t jerking me around with a snarky comment; he was being honest. I did need him, and he needed me. I watched as he reversed the truck, throwing up clods of earth as he did. I shouted an obscenity; he extended his arm through the open window and gave me the bird.

  I walked up to the porch, opened the door and disarmed the alarm system. I grabbed a coffee from the pot, although only lukewarm, and returned to survey the mess in my yard.

  I sat on the edge of the porch, letting my feet dangle over the edge and sent up a silent prayer to keep Beau safe.

  I loved him. Not in a sexual way, but in a best friend’s way. I wanted him to come home and annoy me, give me the bird, or boss me around. I couldn’t imagine my life without him anymore.

  I sipped the coffee, sighed, and then I smiled. I had a home, I had money in the bank, and I had Beau. I was looking forward to my life, with all its drama, because I knew I had the one thing I hadn’t had in years. I had a family. That thought made a decision for me.

  “Kieran, I need a lift somewhere,” I said, when he answered my call.

  He arrived within the half-hour and I gave him an address. At first he stood by the side of his car and shook his head.

  “I really need to do this, closure,” I said.

  With a scowl, he climbed into the car. I thought I heard him mumble that Beau would be furious with us; I didn’t care. I was sure I’d make Beau furious many times in the years to come, might as well start then.

  It took an hour to get to my grandmother’s house, to my house. Kieran was reluctant to let me leave the car until I saw a young girl with a child on her hip leave the front door.

  “Do you live here?” I asked as I climbed from the car.

  “Yes,” she was hesitant, clutching her child closer to her and looking around as if for help.

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “I…”

  “It’s okay. This is my house, it was left to me when my grandmother died.”

  “Are you related to Damien?”

  “I am, I’m his cousin. And you are?”

  She relaxed a little but a tear fell down one cheek. “I know who you are now. I’ve never met you, but you did us both a favor, can I thank you for that?”

  “Who are you?” I asked again.

  She placed her daughter on the ground and it was when the child looked at me that I knew.

  “My name is Carly, this is my daughter.”

  “Damien’s daughter?”

  The look of disgust that crossed her face had my heart break for her.

  “My daughter, although he had a part in that,” she spat.

  “Did he rape you, Carly?”

  She didn’t answer; she didn’t need to. She slumped into a chair on the grass in the front yard. I sat on the ground in front of her.

  “So you like living here?” I asked.

  The house was outside of Whiteling, although not the best neighborhood, it wasn’t the worst. It needed some repair but the lawn was mowed, a range of children’s toys were scattered around.

  “I do. My mom is just around the corner. I’m back in school and she helps with childcare.”

  “Are you safe here? I was thrown out of this house by some nasty individuals.”

  She nodded her head. “There’s just me here. My brother might have been one of those nasty individuals, but he’s gone now. He won’t get out of prison, not until he’s in a wooden box. I mov
ed in just before he got arrested. I’ve done the place up. I thought Damien owned it and…I guessed he owed me.”

  “He did, Carly, he still does.”

  I reached out my hand to her daughter, who shyly took it. She had her thumb in her mouth, and I prayed that she hadn’t inherited any part of her father’s nature.

  “I think my grandmother would rather you had this house. I’ll get what paperwork I can, and then I’ll just transfer it to you, I guess.”

  I knew Paul had managed to find some paperwork on the will and the house; he wouldn’t have had originals, so all I had to do was to start with the courthouse.

  “You don’t have to do that. I mean, I’d hate to move but if I have to…”

  I shook my head. “I want to help you, Carly. I want to help your daughter. I do want you to promise me one thing, though. You stay in school, better your life and when you can, sell this house and move on to somewhere better for your child.”

  I didn’t know how old she was, younger than me, I thought.

  “I’ll come back in a week or so. Let me sort the paperwork out. Maybe I can meet your mom and explain what I’m doing.”

  She nodded and I watched her smile. “No one has ever done anything for me,” she said.

  “Then I’d like to be the first. I can imagine what you’ve been through and right now, I’m in a position to help.”

  “What is your name?” she asked.

  “Charlotte, I’m pleased to meet you,” I said, holding out my hand. She shook it.

  I rose, wincing at the creak in my knees. “I’ll be back in a week.”

  Carly picked up her daughter and held her on her hip again. Both waved as I climbed into the car and Kieran turned the car around. They continued to wave until we rounded the corner and were out of sight.

  “What was that all about?” Kieran asked.

  “I just started my initiation into the Guardian Angels,” I said.

  He frowned at me. “She was raped by my cousin, she has a child by him, so I gave her my house.”

  Kieran smiled broadly at me. I smiled back at him. “How did that make you feel?” he asked.

  “Amazing, empowered, like the past four years of my life finally has a purpose. And I have blood family, Kieran.”

  I laughed and rested my head back on the seat. Yes, the four years of hell I’d been through, although I couldn’t say had been worth it, but all the hurt and pain melted away in that moment. I’d do good; I’d use my experience, initially, to help Carly, and girls like Carly, who were caught up in Damien’s life. I was sure there would be others.

  “Look at you. Pull down that visor and take a look at that smile,” Kieran said. I didn’t want to pull down the visor and look at myself, but I did.

  The woman looking back was a far cry from the one I’d seen in the mirror some months ago. In a week it would be Christmas, then it would be a new year. I intended to start my new year that very day.

  “Stop by the courthouse, let’s get my crusades started,” I said.

  The End

  Harlot accompanies Gabriel and A Deadly Sin. Although standalones, you may enjoy meeting some of the characters mentioned in this book. You can find both Gabriel and A Deadly Sin on Amazon and in KindleUnlimited.

  Gabriel – http://mybook.to/GabrielbyTraciePodger

  A Deadly Sin – http://mybook.to/ADeadlySin

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  Evelyn is an important character in the Fallen Angel series and she has her own novella!

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  Tracie Podger currently lives in Kent, UK with her husband and a rather obnoxious cat called George. She’s a Padi Scuba Diving Instructor with a passion for writing. Tracie has been fortunate to have dived some of the wonderful oceans of the world where she can indulge in another hobby, underwater photography. She likes getting up close and personal with sharks.

  Tracie likes to write in different genres. Her Fallen Angel series and its accompanying books are mafia romance and full of suspense. A Virtual Affair is contemporary romance, and Gabriel, A Deadly Sin, and Harlot are thriller/suspense. The Facilitator is erotic romance.

  Available from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo & Nook

  Fallen Angel, Part 1

  Fallen Angel, Part 2

  Fallen Angel, Part 3

  Fallen Angel, Part 4

  The Fallen Angel Box Set

  Evelyn - A Novella – To accompany the Fallen Angel Series

  Rocco – A Novella – To accompany the Fallen Angel Series

  Robert – To accompany the Fallen Angel Series

  Travis – To accompany the Fallen Angel Series

  A Virtual Affair – A standalone and available on KU

  Gabriel – A standalone and available on KU

  The Facilitator – A standalone and available on KU

  A Deadly Sin – A standalone and available on KU

  Harlot – A standalone and available on KU