First Kill (Heaven Sent Book 1)

by Mary Abshire

  “And you believed him?” Troy asked.

  “Hell no. I checked out the car crash story and it’s true. There’s even a photo of him. But I still think he’s not telling the truth.”

  Andrew pushed his sleeve up and revealed his tattoo. “This appeared while she was driving.”

  Troy glanced at Andrew’s forearm. “What the fuck?”

  “That was not there when I first found him. I swear, Troy,” she said.

  “It’s a name and address,” Troy said.

  “I have to kill this demon and then another name will appear on my arm. I have to kill six before I can go back,” Andrew said.

  “And how the fuck do you kill a demon?” Troy asked.

  “The demon is in a human’s body. I kill the human and then touch the demon,” Andrew said.

  “He was injected with holy water,” Emily added.

  “Let me get this right,” Troy said to Andrew. “You’re some kind of blessed angel sent here to kill demons in the form of humans?”

  “Yes,” Andrew said.

  Troy shifted his attention to Emily.

  “I know, it’s crazy,” she said.

  Troy lowered his gun as he dragged his gaze up her body. “Have you two done the naughty tango? Please tell me you have because it would make better sense out of all this.”

  “No,” she said louder than she meant to. “We haven’t had sex.”

  “No, absolutely not,” Andrew added.

  She considered telling Troy about the extra year sentence if Andrew had sex, but at this point she didn’t see a need to inform him.

  Troy pressed his lips together in a slight frown. “Strange, but okay. So you’re helping him get to this demon?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Then why did you tell him everything about you?” Troy asked as he raised the gun and directed it back at Andrew’s head.

  “I only did recently. He has no money and no identification. Who is he going to tell?”

  “Do I have to continue to remind you there is this fashus group called the police?” Troy asked in a sarcastic tone.

  “I wouldn’t contact them,” Andrew said.

  Troy glared at him. “I didn’t ask for your fucking comments.”

  Lips closed, Andrew looked at her as if he didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t seem scared of Troy or the gun directed at him, which was an impressive feat. The way he looked and listened to Troy it seemed Andrew was interested in him and comfortable around him, but not in a sexual way.

  “I really don’t think he’s going to tell anyone. Besides, he could have stolen from me last night and he didn’t,” she said.

  “So that makes him a fucking angel?” Troy asked.

  “No, I’m just saying he’s not some crazy person. He’s smart.”

  “Some crazy people are smart, dear,” Troy said.

  “Yes, but—”

  “I don’t think you’re thinking clearly,” Troy said before she could finish.

  She sighed loudly. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Do you?”

  “He needs help killing this demon.” She gestured toward Andrew’s arm.

  “And you’re the right person for the job?” Troy asked.

  “Maybe I am.” She tossed up her hands. “Maybe I was supposed to find him. Maybe the universe is fucked up and decided little ol’ me knew enough to help him.”

  Troy veered his gaze to Andrew. “Have you killed anyone before?”

  “No,” Andrew said with a single shake of his head.

  “Then how the hell do you think you can kill a human?” Troy asked.

  He stiffened as he took in a breath. “Maybe you or Emily can show me how to use a few different weapons. I’m a fairly decent fighter, aside from what happened tonight.”

  Troy looked at Emily. “Seriously?”

  She shrugged. “I truly believe he won’t use anything against us.”

  Troy lowered his arm across his lap so the gun faced in the opposite direction of Andrew. “I think you need to get some rest before we search for this Carl and Nancy.”

  She lowered her gaze and nodded. “I’m not going to argue with that.”

  “We can discuss this later,” Troy said before he stood.

  The night had been long for all three of them. She didn’t know if Troy believed Andrew’s story or not, but at least he knew what she’d been dealing with since she’d left Chicago.

  “Did you talk to Raymond about the car?” she asked as Troy walked away.

  He paused and turned to face her. “Yes, and I don’t believe he will refund all of your money. I had planned to pay him a visit tomorrow, but it looks like that won’t happen.”

  “Should I just forget about it?” she asked.

  “My advice? Yes. The gems will make up for the loss once they’re cashed in,” he said.

  He closed his computer bag and then returned the gun to the front pocket. His calm candor with her irritating problems always amazed her. More impressive, Troy took Andrew’s story in stride. Maybe he did believe Andrew, but she’d never known Troy to be a religious man. In any event, she welcomed his presence.

  “Thank you, Troy, for coming to help,” she said.

  He put his hands on his hips. “Thank me later. I’m sleeping with you. Angel honey can sleep by himself.”

  Andrew kicked off his shoes. “More room for me.” He swung his legs on the bed and stretched out.

  “Keep looking like that and I may change my mind,” Troy said.

  Emily chuckled at the two. How they managed to get along in such a short span astonished her. Most of the men she’d introduced to Troy cowered away from him, but not Andrew. Ethan hadn’t either, but he was nothing like Andrew.

  Feeling the lethargic pull, she pushed the covers down before she slid underneath them. In the morning, they could work out more details about her transportation situation and figure out a way to train Andrew. If Troy didn’t want to, she would. First, she had to get her gun and cash back.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I really appreciate this,” Andrew told Troy as they stood in line inside the gas station, waiting to check out.

  There were two people in front of them. One female worked the register. She had brown hair pulled behind her head in a ponytail and wore glasses. She moved fast and had waited on four people in the few short minutes they’d been in line.

  “I needed an excuse to leave that bedbug trap and get some caffeine,” Troy said, holding a beige tray with three cups of coffee tucked inside. He’d changed into a pair of tight black jeans and a matching tank top. A leather jacket covered his arms while dark shades hid his eyes. Before they’d left the hotel, he’d wiped the makeup off his face.

  Andrew moved forward after the man at the register finished paying. He was glad Troy didn’t mind shelling out a few bucks for razors and shaving cream. Andrew had checked the mirror before they’d left the hotel and the hair on his face had become more visible. The itchy and unattractive overgrowth annoyed him more than the swollen black and blue eye he now sported.

  “I hope I don’t cut myself too much,” Andrew said. “I haven’t shaved in over twenty-seven years.

  “You’re fucking kidding me,” Troy said. “Did you have some kind of advanced laser hair removal?”

  “Next,” the cashier said.

  Andrew stepped up to the counter and put his supplies on it. Troy squeezed beside him with the tray containing their coffees.

  “This together?” the cashier asked.

  “Yes, sugar.” Troy withdrew cash from his leather jacket.

  “Thank you, again,” Andrew said.

  Every time someone paid for an item for him, he felt obligated to repay the person. Since he had no resources, the only form of gratitude he had were words. He hoped they would suffice.

  “Please stop. You’re hurting my ears.” Troy collected his change from the cashier. He shoved it into one his pockets.

  Andrew grinned at Troy’s co
mplaint. The man was different from any other he’d met, living or dead. He had a rugged attitude with a semi-feminine flare in a masculine body. And he undoubtedly had a strong code of personal ethics. Though highly volatile, Andrew respected him.

  Shaving supplies in hand, Andrew followed Troy with the coffees out of the convenience store. The birds chirped loudly in the bright morning sun. Andrew surveyed the vehicles on the gas station lot and Troy’s black Audi convertible was the nicest by far. It wasn’t flashy or a car that screamed for attention, but it definitely had style that went with Troy. He’d told Andrew the vehicle was twelve years old, but it purred like a kitten. Although the weather was comfortable, he’d left the top on. Andrew hoped he’d lower it layer so he could enjoy the breeze blowing his hair.

  Andrew set his items on the floor near his feet so he could hold the tray for Troy. The leather interior was pristine, clean, and free from any clutter except the overnight bag in the backseat.

  “You said you hadn’t shaved in twenty-seven years,” Troy said before he started the engine.

  “That’s right.”

  He shifted the gear before he twisted to gaze out the back window. “Tell me more about heaven.”

  “Well, it’s a wonderful place. There’s no pain or suffering. You can eat and drink as much as you want, but I’ve noticed everything tastes different here, better. There’s no crime, drugs, or weapons. There are a few for troublemakers, but they’re dealt with swiftly.”

  Troy steered the vehicle back to the main road leading into town. “So you don’t gain weight or get sick?”

  “No. The way you are when you die is how you will be in heaven, unless you’re handicapped. No one is crippled in heaven.”

  “If I’m a four hundred pound woman and get stabbed…”

  Andrew grinned. “You’ll still be four hundred pounds in heaven.”

  “Sucks to be overweight.”

  “Hair doesn’t grow. There’s no chance of getting any cavities. Your body doesn’t change or age.”

  “I like the way heaven sounds. I almost want to die to go there. Almost.”

  Andrew pressed his lips together and gazed out the window. He could’ve mentioned only those with white auras were allowed into heaven, but he knew Troy would ask about his color. Andrew didn’t want to tell him his was red and how Emily’s had a pinkish tint. There was no telling what someone as impulsive as Troy would do with the knowledge.

  “Last night, you said you’d never killed anyone before,” Troy said.

  “That’s right.”

  “So why did they”—he removed one hand from the wheel and held it up—“whomever they are, send you back? It would seem more likely to send a more experienced person.”

  “I mentioned I hadn’t hurt anyone before. That didn’t matter. The powers that be believe I can complete my task.”

  Troy shifted his gaze from the road to Andrew. “Do you believe you can kill a person?”

  “I would be killing a demon in a human body.”

  “Is that yes or no?”

  Andrew thought about the question. He’d always thought of himself as a kindhearted man who wouldn’t hurt good people. And that was the key. The humans he was after weren’t good. As long as he remembered the human was a demon, he believed he could kill it. And if he wanted to get back to heaven, which he did, then he had to follow through with his task.

  “Yes, I can,” Andrew said with confidence. “But I need help. I need to know how to use a weapon effectively.”

  A sly grin formed on Troy’s face. “Honey, you’ve met the right people.”

  Andrew believed he had too. Maybe Emily had been right about being the right person to help him. Maybe the council had a bigger plan and they didn’t want him to know all the details. He wouldn’t put it past the old fools.

  “Emily doesn’t believe I’m an angel,” Andrew said.

  “She’s a woman. They have to rationalize everything.” Troy glanced at him once, then a second time. “Are you interested in her?”

  “I like her. I think she’s a good person.”

  “Are you attracted to her?”

  Andrew hesitated to respond as he wondered if Troy would consider him a potential threat if he said yes. “She’s a good-looking young woman, but I can’t have sex with her.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Both.”

  Troy’s brows moved closer together as he gave Andrew a curious look. “That’s an odd way to answer the question.”

  Andrew had hoped he wouldn’t have to provide specifics about his sentence, but it seemed unavoidable. “The reason I was sent back to kill demons has to do with a punishment imposed upon me. Part of it is I can’t have sex with women. An extra year is tacked on for each woman I have sex with.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “I wish,” Andrew said grimly.

  “You must have really pissed someone off.”

  “The whole thing is ridiculous if you ask me.”

  “So, what did you do?”

  “Basically, I’m being chastised for having sex with too many women. This was my third offense.”

  Troy stared straight ahead at the road. “This just keeps getting crazier.”

  “I didn’t force anyone to have sex with me. Women just like me in heaven,” Andrew said in his defense.

  “And you couldn’t say no to them?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “If you’d been told twice before to keep your Johnson in your pants, maybe you should’ve heeded the warning.”

  Andrew frowned at him. “I wasn’t hurting anyone. And the ladies enjoyed themselves.”

  “But clearly you screwed the wrong ones because you pissed someone off.”

  Andrew had often pondered about who he could’ve angered. Every woman he’d been with was over eighteen and had consented. He considered maybe a few of the ladies had become jealous and had ratted on him. He’d known some to be too clingy. Other than that, he’d suspected one of the gal’s fathers had reported him. Regardless of who did, it flat out seemed silly. What was wrong with two people having consensual sex in heaven?

  “I want to go back, so I have to stay focused and kill the six demons I’ve been ordered to kill,” Andrew said.

  “So no sex,” Troy said.

  “That’s right. No sex.”

  Troy shook his head. “Welcome to hell.”

  They arrived back at the hotel to find Emily awake and dressed. Wearing tight-fitting jeans, the same boots, and a blue sweater, she sat on the edge of the bed, watching the television. Her eyes widened when she saw Troy carrying coffee.

  “Is that—”

  “Yes, and I make no guarantee how good it is since we are in some dinky Ohio town,” Troy said.

  She slowly tugged one of the cups from the tray. “It will do. Thank you.”

  Troy set the carton on the dresser before he removed the two other drinks. He handed one to Andrew. He took the other and sat next to Emily.

  “What else did you get?” Emily asked as she stared at the supplies Andrew had set on the dresser. “Razors and shaving cream?”

  Andrew rubbed his chin. “I need to make myself pretty for the demon.”

  Emily looked at Troy.

  “He’s you’re friend,” Troy said before he pressed his cup to his lips.

  Andrew took a drink and almost spit the bitter fluid out. He’d had plenty of coffee before when he’d been alive, but somehow the dark liquid in his cup had a different flavor from what he last remembered. He’d added sugar and cream at the gas station. Since Emily and Troy hadn’t remarked on their drinks, he had to assume the problem was with his taste buds. The cup of java didn’t come close to type of coffee he’d consumed in heaven. Had he been away from Earth for so long that he’d forgotten the simple pleasures?

  “Anything on TV?” Troy asked.

  “Regular crap. Since the police haven’t come knocking, I’m guessing the lady at the front desk didn’t
run to them,” Emily said.

  “First of all, that wasn’t a lady. Second of all, you know I’m good at scaring the hell out of people,” Troy said.

  Andrew put the cup on the dresser before he sat on the mattress next to them.

  “Job well done,” she said. “So what’s our plan for today? It’s already almost lunch time.”

  “I have the address to your thieves. We should check out their place and figure out how we’re going to get your stuff back,” Troy said.

  “Have you got any more weapons?” she asked.

  “Honey, you know I don’t travel light,” Troy said and then drank more java.

  “What about a car?” Andrew asked.

  Holding the cup, Troy waved his arm. “We’ll use mine for now. We can use my computer to look for another car in Columbus. If we get Emily’s belongings tonight, then I can drop you two off in Columbus tomorrow.”

  “That’s going back the way we came,” Emily said.

  “As much as I enjoy your company and this charming angel, I can’t stay. I have business to attend to,” Troy said.

  A sense of pride flowed through Andrew from Troy’s compliment. In the little time they’d known each other and talked, Troy seemed more accepting of him.

  Emily bent forward. “It might be another day or two before we get to Pittsburgh.”

  “I’m not under a deadline,” Andrew said. “The name of the next demon won’t show up until I kill the first one.”

  Troy lifted a shoulder. “Another day won’t matter.”

  “I’d like to learn how to shoot or use a knife before we look for the demon,” Andrew said.

  Emily finished her coffee. “I can show you.” She rose and tossed her cup in the trash.

  “I can leave you with a knife, an extra gun and some ammo,” Troy added.

  “All we need to do is find a secluded spot to fire the guns,” Emily said as she headed toward the curtained window.

  “Find a wooded area,” Troy said. “Anyone who hears a shot will think you’re hunting.”

  Emily pulled one of the shades back and sunlight spilled into the room. She squinted her eyes briefly. “I’m hungry.”

  Andrew’s stomach had been growling all morning, but he didn’t dare ask for Troy to buy any food.

  “Since angel here needs to clean up, I can run and grab some food,” Troy said.