Heaven's Prisoners
The Midnight Agency, Volume 1
Matthew Angelo
Published by Matthew Angelo, 2019.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
HEAVEN'S PRISONERS
First edition. March 20, 2019.
Copyright © 2019 Matthew Angelo.
Written by Matthew Angelo.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Heaven's Prisoners (The Midnight Agency, #1)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
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Also By Matthew Angelo
About the Author
I dedicate this book to my fans and all those who believed in me.
Burb: I’m Rian MacCaren, owner of The Midnight Agency, and I deal in supernatural cases no one wants or is equipped to handle. Being Nephilim, part-angel, and part-human, you’d think it’d give me an edge on the bad guys. This is not always the case.
An enemy out for vengeance has targeted a young man to get to me and has buried him alive. As the man’s air and his time run out, I need to find the person responsible before I become the next victim. With my list of enemies longer than my friends, this angel is having a hard time figuring out who is after me. On top of it all, I can’t call the cops or enlist their help. Meaning I’m all alone.
To make things worse, a mysterious group called The Fallen have shown an interest in me that sends a cold shiver down my spine.
Making bad choices is part of my life. I’m not the guardian angel you want, but I’m the one you need. Just remember, if you’re looking for someone sent from above, I’m not that kind of angel.
Chapter One
Jesus fix this!
I needed to run more. The troll behind me was too close, and its warm breath heated the back of my neck. One swipe of its large arms and I’m screwed. I should’ve known better than to take the job the PMS offered, but I needed the money.
The crudely named PMS or the Preternatural Monster Squad was the local Fort Collins Police Department’s supernatural division. They worked on all the weird cases the rest of the force couldn’t or wouldn’t do. It also involved working with me as I was the local expert. Because I know everything... okay, I know a few things.
The Other Side involved more than just ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. It also laid claim to fairies, angels, demons, and magic. Some things are better left alone. If only I heeded my advice. So much for that.
I wish I hadn’t taken the job. Money ain’t everything, kids. My momentum got cut short as the mountain troll latched onto my jacket and pulled me back. Everything grew light, and my stomach churned as the ground left my feet and the wind rushed past me as I sailed through the air. A loud crack echoed in my ear as a sharp pain surged through my body. Cracked rib? God, I hope it’s only that. I can deal with that.
The musty scent of dirt mixed with the pungent odor of the troll-filled my nose. No one taught this fellow what a shower was. I struggled to get up, but the pain forced me back down, face first onto the ground. A sharp rock poked at my side where the pain originated. Please be a rock and not a rib poking through.
A strong force gripped my shoulder and pulled me up. Well, on the plus side, I’m standing again. I reached under my jacket and pulled my Sig. Nothing in me expected a .45 to take this troll out, but I had no problem testing the theory by unloading a clip in his head. I spun around drawing my gun and met the backhand of the troll as he smacked me senseless.
My head swam and rocked back. The stars look great way out here. “Son of a bitch, that hurt like a motherfucker!”
He smacked me again, and my whole body spun a few times sending my firearm flying from my hands. He’s playing with me, and I didn’t even get a dinner and movie out of it. Pain flowed through my body and vertigo threatened my ability to stand.
The troll shook me like an abusive parent shakes a baby. “Little man no fun. Take back home and eat.”
I beat at the hands holding me. “Eat me? Are you fucking kidding me? I ain’t little; I’m small-framed... fuck it, that made no sense either.”
The troll let go, and I could see the confusion in his face. “Too many syllables, buddy?” I said.
It knew I mocked its intelligence, and it pissed him off. Lucky me, the gift of pissing people off has struck again. It’s a good thing I came armed. The PMS wanted him alive so they could take him back to the mountains before he harmed any civilians. I laughed at them for saying such a thing. I’d need a couple of tranquilizers for an elephant to get him relaxed. Let me pull that out of my ass along with a fucking miracle.
My gun was lying off to the side near a large boulder. I’m kind of glad I didn’t hit that when the troll threw me. The chances of making it to the gun in time before the troll hit me again were slim. I had my blade blessed by a priest and my snarky wit.
I dodge for the gun, anyway. “What the hell, go for broke.”
Like I predicted, he snatched me up faster than a junkie finding a dimebag next to his mattress. He lifted me and slung me over his shoulder. “Little man make a good dinner.”
I beat at the creature’s chest. “Great, no salt though, I gotta watch my blood pressure. Maybe you should pass and eat someone else, I’m a little lean and not worth the effort.”
He swatted at me and connected with a solid fist to the side. “No, little man perfect.”
“Lucky me, I guess size matters. The one person who finds me ideal is a naked, smelly mountain troll. The story of my love life right now. Who needs Tinder?”
“I’ll put you on fire.”
I reached back to the sheath under my shirt. “Aw, I even get a romantic dinner. Once I get free, I’m slitting your throat.”
He swatted at me again. I know I’m slung over his shoulder, but he could stop hitting me. I blame his parents. Praise Mary, mother of God or whoever is watching me. My phone rang. Are you fucking kidding me? It was Lana, my office manager, and legal advisor. The ringtone gave it away.
The troll spun us around trying to find the cause of the strange music he heard. “What’s that, little man?”
I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and answered. “Is this important, Lana?”
“Rian, you’re needed here. Someone’s missing, and they need you to find them.”
The troll spun again. “Another voice sounds like a pretty lady.”
“Rian, where are you?”
I almost lost my grip on the phone and fumbled to keep it. “I’m up at Horsetooth, taking care of something ugly.”
“The troll? Stop playing around; this case is important. Its life or death, Rian.”
“Understood boss. Life or death is what I’m dealing with now. Give me an hour.”
“Who little man talk to?” Asked the troll. Fuck, he’s nosy.
“I’ll do what I can to make them comfortable. Is that the troll?”
“Good and yes. I’m planning an epic plan to deal with this current case before I head over to the agency.”
The troll hit me again, and my breath rushed out of my lungs. “Little man be quiet.”
I heard a long, drawn-out sigh from Lana’s end. “Shouldn’t you’ve done that before you got there?�
�
“What can I say, I’m a fly by the seat of my pants sorta man.”
“Hurry up.” Lana hung up.
I tried taking a deep breath. Big mistake. That hurt like a bitch. A glance down showed me I was close enough to the troll’s cock I could smell it —Sweet Jesus, of all that is sacred and holy. Putrid came to mind, but the scent also resembled a staph infection gone out of control and dick cheese. I gagged.
The worst part about having an overactive imagination is making myself sick. I tried to shake my head, but the thought wouldn’t go away. Next time, I’m asking for full payment upfront. Sorry Axle, but your boys will have to pay big for the next troll I have to fight. Axle was the detective in charge of the PMS and the closest thing I had to a best friend. As of now, with anything romantic, the troll’s gotten closer than anyone else.
A trip to the free clinic seemed like an order of business after this fight. This troll was an STD gone wild. There wasn’t enough penicillin or beer to make this better.
The pain in my side raged as the troll strode across the ground with me on his shoulder. Don’t blackout, Rian. He may do more than eat you for dinner. That thought got the adrenalin surging. There’s nothing like the imaginary rape by a troll to spring me into action.
I dropped my phone and heard it hit the ground. The case would keep it from breaking, or at least I hoped. If not, well, that’s on me for trusting technology.
In a fluid motion, I pulled my blade from the sheath along my lower back. “I need to find a better place for this. This isn’t practical or helpful for my back. I’m too old for this shit.”
“Little man makes too much noise.”
I swung up with the knife, planting it in troll’s throat. “Bet you didn’t hear that coming.”
The sound of flesh tearing reached my ears as I pulled the knife across his throat. It was already into the hilt, but I didn’t care. Alive or not, it didn’t matter. The PMS could deal with cleanup and a new phone if I pushed the issue.
The troll wobbled, and I slid off his shoulder than his grip weakened. I hit the ground hard and grimaced with pain. Fuck, that hurt. Bruised rib... maybe? I could have also broken it. The life drained from his eyes, and he pitched forward. I scrambled to get out of his way. The troll hit the ground hard and shuddered with one final breath.
I kicked at the body as the bad guy always comes back for one last scare. “You better be dead.”
The body twitched, and I jumped back holding my breath. Mother fucker, that scared the shit out of me. I kicked the troll again, this time it didn’t move. In no way was I checking it for a pulse. It had better be dead.
After a few minutes, and waiting for the pain to subside, which it never did, I stood. I shuffled back to where I thought my phone was and found it. The light from its cracked screen helped a lot. Pain spiked again as I reached to grab the phone. Axle is getting an itemized list of shit to pay for. I’m adding my cell phone to it, and some clothes like the ones I have on me need to be burned.
“This pain’s gonna take a lot of ibuprofen and a shot or two of whiskey.”
“Dial the PMS,” I grunted at the phone. Ah, voice dialing, when my phone needs to hear my sarcasm.
“Preternatural Monster Squad Division, Officer Davies speaking.”
Division... that’s a new one. “Officer Davies, this is Rian MacCaren of The Midnight Agency, I’m calling about the mountain troll.”
A sigh echoed from the other end. Sometimes I think people don’t like me. “I know who you are Mr. MacCaren. Is the troll sedated and ready for transport?”
My reputation precedes me. I’m famous! “Define sedated?”
“What?”
“What? Sorry, you’re breaking up. He’s ready to go, and a little dead.”
“We wanted you to tranquilize him, Mr. MacCaren.”
He sounded pissed. Did I mention I’m good at pissing people off? What about not following directions? “I didn’t have time to use them. I’m a mile north of the west entrance to Horsetooth Rock. He stinks so wear a mask or something.”
He cursed and tried covering it up with a cough. “Wait for us there.”
“I’m sorry, what was that? You’re breaking up.” I hung up.
Lucky for me the car wasn’t too far away. A mile-long walk with what I hoped was a bruised rib was more than enough. I inhaled deeper than I should have and flinched at the pain. How about not doing that again? Maybe a mile is too far. I could always wait for the cops. Never mind, I’ll walk the mile. They’ll insist on an ambulance, and I promised Lana I’d show up within an hour.
After a few minutes, I found my gun. Once I got to the car, I threw the knife and gun on the passenger seat and took the knife sheath off. My phone rang again, and I answered.
“Rian, you need to hurry.”
“I’m getting in my car now. You got any of those painkillers, Lana? This guy needs some.”
“I’ll see what’s left, but I think you took all of them from the last hospital visit. You need better insurance, Rian.”
“I need a lot of things. Let the clients know I’m on my way.”
“Fine.” She hung up. Lana never was one to sugarcoat words.
I started the car and grabbed the seatbelt before thinking better about it. Switching on the brights, I drove back to town as fast as I could. My old Charger, while dependable, was no longer built for speed. Not that it mattered, the backroads of Fort Collins, Colorado don’t give much room for speeding either. That’s what happens when you build a road into a mountain.
Bright headlights filled my rearview mirror before backing off. Well, those came out of nowhere... Not that I’m paranoid, but in my line of work, watching your back was a necessity. The vehicle followed me until I got into town before veering off a side road. It was still too dark to tell what kind of car it was and the lack of streetlights didn’t help.
A sigh escaped my lips. “Not like anyone would follow me, anyway. I’m not important enough.”
In the distance, I saw flashing red and blue lights heading my direction, the PMS going to collect the troll’s body. I turned down another street to avoid them. If Lana’s tone told me anything, it was imperative I reached the agency soon and without interruption.
Chapter Two
The Midnight Agency, my private investigation business, was on the second floor of an older office building just outside the downtown area of Fort Collins. Rusty stucco covered the building with an occasional crack running across it. The city should’ve fixed it years ago. A set of steps ran up the side of the building which led to my office. It provided a great backdoor to escape if things got hairy.
The front entrance stood ajar. It saved Lana and me a lot of time having to run downstairs and let people in as it automatically locked during the evening. I gave up asking the landlord to keep it open for me. One light hung over the door with a small sign showing my office hours.
As I only did business at night, the light over the door made things easier for people who needed my services to get a hold of me. Cases in the supernatural were my bread and butter along with whatever the Fort Collins Police Department threw my way as a consultant. Sometimes, those jobs became a solid case and a lot of times, more problems.
My reflection in the rearview mirror as I got out stole my attention. God, I was a mess. My lip swollen and my left eye would turn black and blue in no time. Dust and blood speckled my face, and a look down showed my clothes disheveled, and shirt ripped.
“Great, so much for that shit.” I sniffed the air and wrinkled my nose. “I feel that’s gonna linger, along with the pain.”
“Okay, Rian, straighten your ass up. Time for some professionalism.” I winced after parking on the side of the street and got out of my Charger.
My ribs hurt like a bitch every time I breathed in. I need a trip to the hospital or clinic. Not that it would happen, but it didn’t negate the need. Getting medical attention worried me. While I looked and acted human, I didn’t know how much
of my angelic blood would cause problems with blood tests or anything else. Lucky for me, my last hospital stay didn’t last long. An overcurious doctor could prove a problem and trying to explain anything wouldn’t go far.
I hit the pavement one step at a time and paused at the door. The door acted a bit like a mirror giving me a full view of how I looked. Looking a little fubar, Rian. May have to take a few days off to recover. It can’t get any worse, right? Fuck, I just cursed myself.
Lana opened the door and looked at me in shock. “Rian, you look like shit. What the hell happened to you?”
I grimaced. “Mountain troll.”
She placed a hand over her nose. “Dammit, Rian, you could’ve gotten killed.”
“But I didn’t.” I wobbled into the main part of the office. So far no clients. Bonus! I leaned against Lana’s desk catching my breath. “This is going to be a long night isn’t it?”
Lana closed the door before staring at me, a serious look on her face. “Yes. The Graysons are waiting in your office.”
I closed my eyes and tried to find my center. A lack of patience always worked against me when it came to finding inner peace. It was easier to use my fist to balance someone else’s chakras than mine.
“This is different from the other cases, Rian. I can’t...”
Lana’s intuition was always spot on, and I never questioned it. She never minced words either, keeping things straight to the point. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She seemed shaken. It was a rare occurrence for Lana. Normally a stoic woman, few cases racked her nerves enough to show.
Lana shifted and fidgeted, not knowing where to put her hands. “Rian, this one isn’t right. I’ve got a bad feeling over this.”
I stood straight and fought the wave of nausea threatening to knock me out. “Okay, but I’ll take care of this like I usually do.”
She walked over to my office door. “I know, but this is different, Rian. Watch your back. This sounds hinky.”
Heaven's Prisoners Page 1
