by T. F. Walsh
Blinkie kept licking his cheek. Then Blinkie’s tongue lengthened, wrapping around Levi’s neck. That was new.
“Get it off me!” Levi’s voice wavered, his fingers prying at the invisible tongue, his eyes wide with horror.
Cary nudged Blinkie’s rump to get him to stop and swerved across the road in the process. “Maybe you two should get a room,” she teased.
Thankfully, she wasn’t going to be kissing Levi any time soon. Bet if he offered, you’d jump him, dog slobber and all.
Shut up.
He wiped his face while pushing the hellhound back. “Get off, Blinkie. It’s got a taste for me, Cary, and not in the good way.”
Cary smiled to herself and parked in front of the diner on the main road. With the engine switched off, she climbed out. “I doubt you’re Blinkie’s type.”
The hellhound scrambled out, and so did Levi.
Levi wiped his T-shirt sleeve over his face. “It’s not funny to let a bloody hellhound lick me. Who knows what demonic bugs it has.”
Blinkie grumbled.
“You won’t catch anything. Relax.”
“If he does eat me, remember, I called it.” Once inside the diner, Levi made a beeline for the men’s bathroom.
Baby.
Fifteen minutes later, with a cup of black coffee in hand, Cary leaned against the cushioned seat across from Levi, who was devouring his second grilled cheese sandwich. A few minutes eating something in the dinner wasn’t going to kill them. Blinkie sat under the table, huddled up against Cary’s legs. His fiery touch was like an electric blanket switched to hotter-than-Hell.
Dimly lit, the diner was the size and shape of a locomotive, with only one other customer, a guy in the far corner shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth. The scent of grilled meat permeated the air. The waitress set a plate of deep fried chicken wings and waffles on the table.
“Hungry?” Cary asked.
Levi shrugged and stuffed half a wing into his mouth.
She took a waffle drenched in maple syrup and ate it in four quick bites, then helped herself to a grilled sandwich, leaving one more for Levi. It was greasy, but delicious, since the last meal she’d eaten consisted of a granola bar. In comparison, this tasted heavenly. Wiping her fingers on a napkin, she sipped her coffee and kept snacking on Levi’s food until her stomach was certain to explode. Levi polished off the last wing.
“Glad to see a girl not eating like a bird,” he said.
She shrugged, then caught the glint from the silver chain around his neck.
“So,” she said. “After Argos took your dog tags, did you demand them back from Brent?”
Reclining in his seat, Levi stared at Cary, probably trying to decipher if she deserved to hear his story. He shifted in his seat and guzzled back his coffee.
“Shit, yeah. Brent wouldn’t give them up.”
“Those bastards. I’m not fully surprised, though. Especially after finding the dead bodies in the lab.”
“Brent said they would return them after I paid my debt. Whenever he decides that is.”
“You should have told me before.” Cary grinned. “I would have done more damage to Argos’s building to make them pay. Could have got Tasha to crash their systems. Paint blood on their walls. Reset all their computers to Windows 95.”
Levi didn’t smile, but pulled the chain out from under his top and ran a finger across the bumpy surface. “These mean the world to me.” He tucked them away and glanced at something behind Cary.
“Keep those tags safe. I wish I had more from my father.”
Levi pushed the empty plates away and shuffled out from the booth. “We should get going.”
If he’d been distant before, now he might as well be on Pluto. She shouldn’t have pried into his business and hated the pain crawling behind his eyes. Not even Blinkie on his feet and nudging his head into Levi’s thigh distracted him.
He dropped the cash on the table and walked away across the diner.
Cary climbed to her feet as a sudden chill fill the room. Her breath turned to mist. Dread licked the length of her spine, and Blinkie growled.
She spun to find four guys entering the diner. Each sported a silvery aura, dressed in jeans and leather vests dotted with badges. Great, the biker’s brigade—Underworld Chapter.
Levi halted halfway across the room and backed up against the counter, reaching for Noose on his belt.
Cary’s mind screamed at her to attack now. Three against four were good odds, and after her night, she was in the mood to kick ass.
Their sights shifted from Levi to Cary and halted on Blinkie. The bearded one mouthed the word hellhound, his face paling.
Yep, drink it in boys.
The toothy frown splitting the skinny man’s mouth confirmed it, while the one with a long, biker-style beard cracked his neck.
The air in the diner thickened. She could carve through it with a dessert spoon. Lasso in hand, she clicked the clasp and the noose opened. Bring the fight on.
Blinkie’s hair bristled into an explosive mass of black fur, lips peeled back over fangs.
“Look, boys,” Levi said. “Let’s take this out back.”
Mr. Skinny shook his head, his yellow eyes glowing.
“We got word you were heading this way.” Mr. Skinny belched. “Others are on their way. Wasting their time. You’re mine.”
The trucker in the corner stood and faced Levi. “Need a hand, buddy?” But when his gaze landed on the four pairs of eyes targeting him, he froze.
“Unless you want your spine removed today, leave,” Mr. Skinny growled.
“Fuck this.” The man dashed outside through the back exit.
Levi waved a hand to the waitress to leave. No doubt she’d call the cops.
“Didn’t realize one was just a human.” The stubby one’s gaze slicked up and down Levi’s body. The demon’s tongue flicked in an out of his blackened mouth as if he was a damned snake.
Anger surged through Cary.
Levi stepped forward, but it was Blinkie who made the first move. Nails scraping linoleum, he lunged. He crashed into Mr. Skinny, forcing him and another at his back, against the wall. Framed photos tumbled to the floor, glass shattering. Blinkie snapped his mouth toward the two demons beneath his paws.
Levi charged Mr. Beard, leaving Cary with the brute with the long nose: Lizard Man.
He bolted toward her. At the last second, she vaulted sideways, ducking a swinging arm. She spun, but had the back of a chair swung at her, colliding with her stomach. Air gushed from her lungs. The lasso fell from her grip.
She caught a glimpse of Levi clasping Noose around a demon’s neck. Blood drenched his arm. Damn, Levi was fast, even when injured. Then she spotted them: Five more bikers, covered in tattoos and silvery auras, heading toward the diner from the front door near the counter. Oh fuck.
“Levi, behind you!”
Cary dove for her lasso, but Lizard Man snagged an arm around her throat and heaved her upright, her back jammed against its chest. He gripped one of her arms. With him pressed up tight against her, she couldn’t reach the vial of holy water in her back pocket.
“Everyone’s been bragging about what they’ll do with your pretty little body when you return home,” he whispered and licked her ear.
Her flesh crawled. Home sure didn’t equate to Hell. “You’re going there first,” she spat out. Her foot slipped forward to reach her lasso. An inch more.
Several feet away, Mr. Skinny slipped away from Blinkie and darted toward her. Cary froze. He snatched her free wrist and tried to drag her away, while Lizard Man tightened his grip and yanked her backward by the neck and released her other arm. He made a gurgling, foul sound as he hissed, “She’s mine.”
Cary thrust an elbow into Lizard Man’s gut. He stumbled away, and she broke free. But with Mr. Skinny still pulling on her, she stumbled toward him. She grabbed her holy water vial from her back pocket, popped it open, and splashed it across his face. The backsplash
was a bitch, burning across her neck, but she’d live.
Swiping the lasso off the ground, she spun around and looped it around Lizard Man’s head as he crashed into her. He lay on top of her, his body convulsing as she pulled tight the lasso handle. Six seconds passed. She shoved him off her, batted away the moths, and retrieved the lasso. Her attention turned to Mr. Skinny, who was still trying to claw the holy water from his face. Blinkie ran in Levi’s direction, leaving behind a comatose guy near the wall, just as the five possessed bikers stormed inside.
Blinkie’s snarls echoed through the diner. He placed himself between Levi and the encroaching danger. Levi and Blinkie both retreated, sliding past tables and chairs toward her.
No time to finish Mr. Skinny.
Cary dashed for the door to the back, pushing it open. “Levi. This way.”
Levi and Blinkie raced after her, the biker demons on their heels.
Cary took the lead and bolted toward her SUV. Lesson one for escaping demons—always park near a road for a quick getaway. Lesson two—don’t get on their wanted list in the first place.
The clap of footfalls followed. With one click, her SUV unlocked. In a second flat, all three of them were in the car, the locks down, and her engine roaring awake. A bald biker slammed into her window, his hand grabbing for the door handle, while another jumper smashed a fist through the glass on the rear door.
Shifting gear into drive, Cary hit the gas and whipped away from the curb just as another demon collided into Levi’s window. “That was too close,” she said.
“Where the fuck did they came from?” Levi yelled.
Cary checked the rear-view mirror to see them running for the parking lot behind the diner. She glanced at Levi, who was pressing a hand to his forearm. So much blood dripped through his fingers and down his hand that she was surprised he hadn’t passed out yet.
Just because their situation wasn’t crappy enough. Thanks, universe.
Chapter 24
Levi hugged his injured arm closer to his chest. The pain shot toward his shoulder. He shut his eyes tight and rode the hot sting until stars flashed behind his closed lids. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed one biker curving onto the main road hot on their tail, then the cabal appeared. We’re so fucked.
“If I had my bike—”
“You don’t.”
Cary swerved down a side street, took a left, then jerked a quick right, whipping the car onto another street. Her gaze shifted to the rear-view mirror and back. “You’ll probably need stitches for your arm.”
“It’s a scratch.” He felt the skin around the cut come apart each time he moved. More blood sluiced down his arm. “Asswipe demon had a knife and caught me off guard.”
Cary took a sharp left, the wheels screeched. Levi whacked into the door from the motion.
“Sorry,” Cary said. “Once we get free, I’ll patch you up. Just don’t pass out until then.” She pulled into a parking garage and shot through it out the back, onto another street.
“Don’t worry about me. Focus on driving.”
In his side mirror, no bikers followed. Cary’s driving had him totally lost, so he prayed that she’d managed to lose them, too.
“Shit.” Cary stared in the mirror and huffed. She stomped on the gas pedal, and the SUV rattled forward even faster.
Blood dripped down Levi’s fingers, and a sudden dizziness gripped him. He shook it off. No time. More swerving caused nausea. He came close to bringing up his breakfast. I shouldn’t have had that second grilled cheese.
They’d left the back streets behind and merged onto a three-lane highway. Cary swerved around cars and across two lanes. A truck gunned toward them from the rear, blaring its horn.
Levi’s heart beat so hard it felt like it was pushing into his sternum.
Two cars blocked the lane next to them. Cary swung out of the truck’s way, climbing up and over the small median in the center of the road. The car jostled Levi, and his arm pinched with pain from each movement. More blood snaked down his hand.
They were now driving in the opposite direction—toward oncoming cars.
“Watch out!” he yelled at her.
She shot across the lanes, away from the traffic, and bounced onto an exit. Cars honked.
“Are you trying to kill us before the demons do?” Levi glanced behind them. No sign of the gang.
Cary drove the SUV around a bend and careened down a street filled with huge warehouses and industrial type buildings.
“Do you know where you’re going?” His breaths escalated, only adding to his dizziness.
“My father’s friend owned this warehouse I know about. The guy had several safe hideaways all over the country for hunters.”
“Same guy who we’re supposed to be visiting in Missoula?” He shut his eyes momentarily for the spinning to cease, eager for them to be off the road and tend to his arm before he fainted from the blood loss.
“A different one. Last time I was here, I was eight.” She glanced in the rear-view mirror. No demons. “I remember—I actually thought my dad’s friend was a big game hunter, and the warehouse was used to house elephants. Funny what we thought of as kids.”
“I used to think I was a pirate when my parents took me on the family yacht,” Levi said. “I insisted on wearing my pirate outfit on every outing. My mom even bought me a parrot, but it flew off when I tried to teach it to sit on my shoulder.”
Levi’s words tumbled freely. Anything to get his mind off the pain. His mind flashed back to his childhood. His time at boarding school, lavish gifts from his parents, the loneliness he endured, and finally, their car accident. The twinge in his gut always surprised him. His vision danced and things began to take on that vague hallucinatory quality that happened right before people lost consciousness.
Cary pulled into a driveway.
He quickly checked the mirror, but saw only an empty road.
“I dreamed about being a pirate, too,” she said. “Except, I’d fight sea monsters for treasure.”
“I can picture you as a tough pirate,” Levi said. “Maybe right now you could be a Formula One racer, though.”
“Watch this,” Cary said.
With her focus back on driving, she sped down the narrow driveway alongside an enormous warehouse. She curved around to the back of the building and drove toward a hanger the size of a double garage. Parking the SUV, she jumped out, leaving the car door open, and ran over to the structure to open the door. The blowing winds rushed into the car, tugging on Levi’s clothes and hair.
Cary was back a moment later and hopped in the car. She drove inside faster than Levi thought safe, tire tracks squealing across polished concrete floor, braking hard so they came to a stop just inside the doorway.
Opening the door, she turned to Levi. “We’ll hide in here for a little while.” She jumped out and shut the garage doors, then flicked the lights on. Across the far wall were two makeshift beds, a table, and a sink with a small cupboard. Shelves lined the back wall, packed with cardboard boxes.
He opened his door and noticed that blood still dribbled down his arm, which had gone tingly. Shit—blood was all over the seat, too.
Climbing out proved a mistake. His head had other intentions and spiraled out of control. Better not die while still marked. Hell wasn’t an ideal place to retire.
His legs wobbled, and his last vision was of the cement floor flying toward his face.
A cold breeze washed through Levi’s hair, ruffling his clothes. The blue ocean lapped against the yacht beneath him. They were anchored miles from shore. He leaned against the railing, staring out at the soft waves of the endless sea, the perfect clear sky above, not sure why he was there. But the longing inside him told him this was where he belonged.
“Attention on deck,” a female voice spoke from his right.
He glanced over his shoulder to find Cary standing several steps away, hands on hips and dressed in black tight pants. Her leather vest and white long-sleeve
d shirt were unbuttoned half way down her chest, revealing a decent amount of cleavage.
His blood pumped through his veins ferociously, and his pants were growing tighter by the second.
Wind blew Cary’s hair over her shoulder, the red glistening in the sun. “First Mate, see any enemy ships approaching?”
He straightened his posture. “No, m’lady.”
“Captain,” she scolded and approached, each step swinging her hips.
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
“You bet your spankin’ ass.” The smirk on her pouty lips had him catching his breath. Oh, how he loved the idea of spanking her. Standing inches from him, she glanced up, her head tilted slightly. “You goin’ stand there all day, or do I have t’ make you walk t’ plank?” she asked.
Levi’s arm shot out, gliding around her tiny waist and hauling her close. Her soft breasts pressed against him. “Whatever you want, Captain.”
She raised her chin, lifting herself on tiptoes to reach him.
His mouth grazed Cary’s and her tongue met his, tangling in a blazing combat. Her vanilla and rose fragrance teased his nostrils. He broke their kiss and left a trail of pecks down her neck and collarbone. His hand slid over her butt and the other slipped down between their bodies. His fingers crept beneath her shirt. Massaging a breast, he lowered himself. He pulled open her top, setting her bouncing boobs free. Erect, rosy nipples greeted him and he flicked them with his tongue in haste.
Cary’s moans escalated.
She pushed him away and stepped back. “That’s enough.” Her voice was breathy and heavy. “On your feet.”
He stood, his pulse racing.
A quick step forward, and she knelt in front of him, tugging at his pants, unzipping him. She peeled them down his thighs and admired his rock-hard erection. Licking her lips, she glanced up at him then wrapped her mouth around his cock. His body vibrated with ecstasy. Her lips slid forward, farther, and she took him completely. She moved her head up and down on his hard shaft, the sight arousing and forcing him closer to the edge of exploding.
Shutting his eyes, he lost himself in the softness of her lips and tongue. Intensity escalating with each stroke, making his body shudder. A groan fell from his lips, and his hips rocked with steady rhythm.
