This only begged the question of what Noir would want to do once she found him. Would he automatically be released from Purgatory? Would she have to barter for him? And if he could leave, where would he want to go? And would he even want her to be around? She was the cause for his banishment there; he saved her life, which wasn’t something he did, ever.
She shook her head. She could worry about all this later. For now, she wanted to get to Purgatory.
In her time alone, Keirah focused on acquiring skills that might be able to assist her if she ever chose to be Bombshell. One such skill was picking locks. As such, she had brought a mini-kit tucked away in her coat pocket with her in order to pick the locks of both the main building and Burr’s office in order to get inside. Her hands were gloved with sleek black leather so she wouldn’t leave fingerprints. However, before she could even remove the kit from her coat, she found the main door unlocked, as though someone knew she would be here tonight, as though someone was waiting for her.
She tensed, looked around again. Was it Henry? Was this a trap? Did he want to enact revenge against her for kidnapping Piper?
Keirah took in a sharp breath. If Noir were here, what would he do?
He wouldn’t be afraid of anything, she knew. He would walk right in the building, knowing, somehow, he’d be safe to walk right out.
Keirah flared her nostrils, tightened her fingers. She would do the same.
Tentatively, she pushed the door opened and slid inside. She made sure to leave it unlocked, just the way she had found it.
The lights from the lobby started to flash on and she jumped, but she realized they were programmed to react to movement, so she all but dashed across to the security system located behind the main desk of the lobby. This was where security could normally be found, but the room was empty, black, and… eerie. The cameras were already dismantled.
Someone else was here too…
But why? And would they pose a threat to her?
She patted the inside of her left thigh where she had strapped on a small glock, just in case. It was loaded, and she knew how to use it. It comforted her, if only a little.
When she left the room, her feet immediately took her to the elevator, and it wasn’t long before she was inside, heading up to the thirty-sixth floor. Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest, she could hear it over the soft ping the elevator would give as it announced each floor it passed. She wasn’t brave right now. She wanted to be, so so badly, because she knew Noir would be and she was trying her hardest to emulate her lover to the best of her abilities. But she couldn’t help but feel scared.
“Suck it up, Key,” she murmured to herself in a firm voice. “No one is trying to get Noir back except you. Get your head on right, and focus on your mission. That’s all you need to do.”
She rolled her shoulders back and tilted her head up, trying to give herself a confidence she wasn’t particularly feeling. Her fingers shook as she exited the elevator, but she felt a little bit better.
It didn’t surprise her to find Burr’s office unlocked as well. What did surprise her, however, was finding Burr himself there, sitting at his secretary’s desk with a casual smile on his face as though he had been expecting her the entire time. Keirah’s gut told her that he had. Her body tensed, and she paused, but her fear temporarily subsided. She wasn’t afraid of Burr. Wary, yes, but not afraid.
“I knew you’d come,” he told her, standing up and fixing his tie. He still looked at her with a knowing smile, his crystal blue eyes refusing to look anywhere but at her.
“Why didn’t you just tell me I could get to Noir from your office?” Keirah asked, ignoring his premonition. She didn’t care one way or the other if he knew she would be here or not. All she wanted to do was get to Purgatory. All she wanted was to get Noir.
“I needed to buy time.” It was odd to see a man at one thirty in the morning dressed the way Lucas Burr was dressed, especially since he wasn’t at some fancy party or nightclub. It was as though he had to always look his best, wear the most expensive clothes. It was the way he wore his mask, she realized. This was his own way of hiding himself. “I can’t just let you go to Purgatory without informing you about your precious Noir.”
“I already know he’s a demon or an Excom or whatever,” Keirah said. Her voice revealed how little she cared about that, but Burr interrupted her.
“No, you don’t,” Burr said. “Please, take a seat. I promise once I’m finished speaking, I will take you to Purgatory myself. But you need to be informed, Keirah, just what you’re getting yourself into. Purgatory is only for souls who have somehow passed on. A human has never entered, so it isn’t certain if they’ll ever return.”
“If Noir’s there, I don’t need to return,” she told him seriously. She didn’t even hesitate, didn’t even care how sappy it came out.
He smiled as though he expected such an answer, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I understand you think yourself in love with him–”
“I am in love with him,” Keirah stated. “I don’t give a shit if you believe me or not. I don’t want to hear your warnings of what I’m giving up in order to get to him; I’m sacrificing much more if I give up on him.”
“Do you know what an Excom is?” Burr asked, raising a brow. “Do you know why they’re called Excoms?”
Keirah did nothing but remain silent. That was answer enough for him, it would seem, because he smirked in response to it.
“As I thought,” he continued. “An Excom is the worst kind of demon, too uncontrollable that the devil himself doesn’t even want it. They’re banished to hopeless places on earth, such as the Sierra Desert or a rainforest because it’s practically impossible for them to escape and there’s little to no population. They don’t want to ask for forgiveness, which is why they aren’t waiting in Purgatory for their chance at redemption. They don’t care about Heaven. They don’t care about Hell. All they care about is wreaking havoc.” He tilted his head to the side. “Excom. It’s short for excommunicated. As in, both Heaven and Hell both excommunicated the demon, so they’re damned in a particular sort of way.”
“I don’t care,” Keirah said. “I want him back. I’ve seen a side to him no one knows. He’s not all bad. He cares about me.”
“Oh, I know.” Burr started to walk around the desk, his hands in his pockets. “His feelings for you, however impossible they are, is what caused a war to break out between Heaven and Hell.”
“A war?” Keirah asked doubtfully. “I don’t see any angels or demons.”
“Sure you do.” Burr looked at her like she was stupid. “Who flies around Onyx with big black wings claiming to guard and protect Onyx?”
Keirah’s brow perked, her interest suddenly piqued. “Are you saying Black Wing is an actual angel?” she asked. “Is that why you’re after him, personally? Are you some sort of demon?”
The corner of his lips lifted into a semi-smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Something like that,” he said. “Noir’s disappearance caused everything in this city to turn into chaos. There were five boundaries run by five Bosses who kept their people in check. Yes, they committed numerous crimes, but it was all organized. Crimes had a purpose. They sparked fear in the people of Onyx. Noir made everyone afraid of him in such a beautiful way that people forgot about the Bosses. No one believed Noir was capable of dying, of being caught, or being held prisoner. Somehow, someway, he always managed to escape, come back, and do something even worse than what he’d done previously.”
“So why is Noir different than these Bosses?” Keirah asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“He takes away hope.” Burr stated it simply, like it was a fact rather than an opinion. “He makes people lose faith in their police force, their detectives, and their city. Sometimes, that hope extends to God. And that helps the other side, because without faith in God, people are lost and aren’t sure who or what to turn to. Initially, they put their faith in Black Wing, but Noir was good at
stealing that faith away.” He paused, looking at Keirah with such disgust, Keirah had to tighten her muscles to ensure she didn’t flinch. “He was keeping this war at bay. And then suddenly you show up. And somehow, he develops feelings for you. And people are still scared but their hope is not lost. Do you want to know why, Miss Shepherd?”
She gave him a dry look. “Why?”
“Because you make him human.” He paused. “As human as an Excom can get.”
Keirah shook her head. “Wait a minute,” she said. “You wanted to kill him before. You would have, if I hadn’t stepped in. And now you’re saying you want him back?”
“You are correct,” Burr acknowledged. “I did want him dead. I thought he was taking too much attention away from the Bosses and their districts. But I soon realized that the Bosses work better when the spotlight’s thrown on someone else. People don’t pay attention to what they do when they have to be concerned for what he does. He was a distraction that made people question their hope. He was perfect.”
“But you still don’t like me.” Now it was Keirah’s turn to make a statement rather than an opinion.
“My opinion of you doesn’t matter,” Burr told her. “Noir will listen to you. He will follow you. He may slap you around along the way, but it’s clear, even from my perspective, that he cares about you in his own way. I am unable to retrieve him, and even if I could, he would probably not respond to anything I said. You, on the other hand, are different. He will respond to you. Which is why it has to be you.”
“Will we be able to return from Purgatory?”
Burr shrugged. “Like I said, I’m only familiar with what I know, and I don’t know Purgatory.” He paused. “It would be in my best interest if you could return, but each place–Heaven, Hell, Purgatory–has their own set of rules. It’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “I have no idea what will become of you, really. No one chooses to go to Purgatory, especially when they’re alive and breathing. And certainly no one ever attempts to do it for a demon who terrorizes a city, instilling so much fear in people they lose their faith in God.”
“You can’t choose who you fall in love with,” Keirah said with a shrug of her shoulders. She knew that might have seemed dumb, that her words were typical and cliché for a girl her age, but she didn’t care. It was the truth. It was all she knew.
“If you’re certain,” Burr said with a nod. “Do you want to know why I sent you to Henry, Miss Shepherd? I wanted you to get the information I gave you about Noir from another source. I want you to be absolutely certain this is what you want to do because there might not be any coming back for you.”
“Why do you care so much about me?” Keirah asked.
“Because if you succeed, you’ll greatly help my cause,” he replied. “And if you don’t, I’ll have to work harder to try and win this war. I may be corrupt, but not with every Boss. Even I have to pay my dues, Miss Shepherd.” He stopped. “So you’re certain, then?”
When Keirah nodded, Burr didn’t even hesitate. He pulled his right hand from his pocket where Keirah hadn’t even noticed a gun was located, aimed at her chest, and fired.
And then everything went black.
16
Andie was currently at her Pet Day for her animal shelter, which was located in a lush part of town. There were a good three acres devoted to the shelter; there was an office where potential owners filled out adoption paperwork, or turned in such paperwork, buy things for their pet such as shampoo or toys, and speak to a worker (or even Andie herself) about the prospect of adoption or donating. There were two different buildings that held cats and dogs respectively, a small grassy area that housed some pigs and chickens, and on the far end of the perimeter, there were stables that housed horses. The rest was simply greenery and trees, providing a good portion of land to walk the dogs and the horses.
As Andie surveyed the property, a warm smile touched her face. The shelter wasn’t overtly decorated, save for some balloons and banners here and there, but so many people were in attendance. Next to the stables, there were refreshments and small snacks that were, of course, free of charge. Music was thumping softly through speakers in hopes to entertain the guests without frightening the animals. People who scattered the lawn all seemed to be walking a different dog, while those in the stables and the buildings interacted with the animals in different ways. She didn’t care what Vanessa said regarding the peoples’ attention, making them want what they can’t have or whatever; seeing regular people take interest in different animals who needed a home because they were genuinely interested outweighed everything else.
“How are you doing?” Jack asked from beside her as he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close against him. His eyes followed hers, and a bout of pride surged through his chest. “Well, look at you, Andie.”
She smiled, before biting her bottom lip and looking up at him. “Only good can come out of this,” she told him.
“I’m proud of you, you know,” he told her, squeezing her side to emphasize his point.
“I’m glad you’re with me,” she told him in response. Her eyes studied him for a moment, a faint blush creeping onto her face. He could definitely wear a suit, that was for sure, but seeing Jack in casual clothing also sparked Andie’s interest. He was wearing a dark grey t-shirt that showed off a good deal of his large biceps, and though it didn’t cling to his body, it fit quite nicely. He was also wearing faded jeans that weren’t too tight, hugging his legs the way jeans should fit a man, and on his feet were an old pair of Nike shoes.
Jack immediately detected Andie’s change in eye color. The green had darkened a bit and her teeth had unconsciously grazed her bottom lip. He stifled a groan, knowing that though he wanted nothing more than to throw her over his shoulder and take her to the stables to have his way with her, he would have to wait. But she made it so hard when she was wearing what she was wearing. She currently had on a light blue flannel t-shirt that fit her perfectly. A couple of buttons were left undone, revealing a classy portion of cleavage. She was also wearing a pair of Daisy Dukes, and flip flops on her feet. And just as he liked it, her wild red hair was free of any restraints and tumbled down her back. She was temptation incarnate; she had to be.
For the next few hours, Jack and Andie mingled with their guests. Not only were there simply citizens of Onyx, but Commissioner Jarrett and his wife, along with their year-old son were there, a few world-famous surgeons, and even a senator with his wife.
“How did you manage to tie down Jack?” Lily, the Onyx City assistant district attorney’s girlfriend asked Andie. She was definitely pretty, with rich, auburn hair and light brown eyes. “I swear, ever since your man has been off the market, Aaron seems to be taking his spot as Onyx’s Most Eligible Bachelor.”
Andie chuckled, glancing at her boyfriend, who was currently talking to Aaron about the last case the attorney had won before glancing back at Lily. “To be honest, I’m not exactly sure,” she murmured and then took a sip of her water. “You know, it took him a while before he completely won me over.”
“What?” Lily’s brow rose greatly as a conspiratorial smile slid onto her face. She, too, cast her freckled eyes at the billionaire before leaning in like a schoolgirl, anticipating a secret.
“I just wasn’t ready to be a part of his world,” Andie told her. “It would always frustrate him. I don’t think he ever had a woman say no to him.”
“Do you always say no to him?” Lily asked with definite insinuation.
This time, a smirk littered Andie’s face. If she could leave for even fifteen minutes, she would drag Jack along with her and find a secluded area to make love to him. “Would you say no to him?” she asked in return, once her eyes caught Lily’s.
Somehow, among the large crowd, the couple managed to get separated. Andie wasn’t surprised, and figured Jack was talking to a group of football players that had shown up with their families about the u
pcoming season. As such, Andie mingled with the regular population, taking pictures and signing autographs (though she had no idea why people would even want her signature), as well as answering questions about animals and her shelter. Any personal comments directed her way, she managed to brush off with politeness and a smile.
“Andie!” a voice called, so similar to Jack’s that she turned, thinking it might be him.
It was Lucas Burr, still dressed to the nines in a too-expensive suit despite the sunny June day.
“Ah, Mr. Burr,” Andie said with a smile as he approached her. “I’m glad you could come.”
“Yes,” he said as his eyes took in the sight of her. Andie swallowed and shifted somewhat uncomfortably. Unless it was her lover who looked at her so provocatively, she wasn’t comfortable being studied with that sort of intent. “So am I.” When his eyes finally met hers, he slid a smooth smile onto his face. “Anyways, I have to run, but I wanted to talk to set something up. My apartment is too neat to allow pets in it, and as you know, I’m always busy. But I did want to make a contribution. How about we set up a dinner meeting sometime next week? Dorsia’s. Say eight o’clock on Thursday?”
“I have to check, but I’m sure that will work,” she told him with a smile. “Thank you again for coming, Mr. Burr.”
“It’s not a problem,” he told her. With that, he disappeared into the simmering crowd.
Now Andie wanted to reunite with Jack, but as her eyes searched for him, she saw someone she wasn’t expecting to see at all. Was that -
As she began to make her way over to him, she saw that it most definitely was him. He wasn’t as tall as Jack, maybe a few inches shorter than her lover was. His jet black hair was still cropped, his eyes were still blue, and he still caused her heart to beat once painfully. Of course, she never expected to get over her first true love because he was her first. He never loved her back; it wouldn’t have been appropriate, but she still felt that there had been a connection between them. For someone who was thirty-four, he looked amazing. Now, though, things were different, and she was irrevocably in love with Jack.
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