Forged by Fire (Angels at the Edge Book 1)

by Michael Arches

  “He must’ve been kidnapped,” Sid said. “That’s the most likely explanation, or he knows he’s about to be indicted, so he absconded. You need much better security here.”

  I couldn’t tell him that I had some of the best security on the planet. “I’m a nobody, not worth coming after.”

  He didn’t press me on the point.

  After Sid left to talk with the investigators, I wandered outside and glanced around. Most of the angels had drifted away, but Griffin remained perched in a nearby tree. That was a comfort.

  Chapter 14

  RIGHT AT TWO, I let twenty cops, lawyers, and reporters file into our tent. I sat next to Sid at the single table, and he told the lead investigator from the state trooper’s office that he could ask his questions first. His agency was responsible for the governor’s safety detail. They didn’t follow Houston, but they were still involved in the investigation.

  The detective sat opposite to me and methodically took me through the early morning. I stuck to Scarlet’s story.

  When he finished asking about where I had searched for the missing scumbag, Sid let the guy from the FBI, Torino, ask his questions next. His furrowed brow and narrowed eyes told me the agent was sure I was lying. I was, but not in the way he thought. He seemed to assume I’d gone from arson to assassination, but I had no idea what he thought my motive was for either crime.

  Torino opened with a broadside. “Didn’t you set the second fire to throw doubt on the guilt of your friend who we arrested for starting the first fire?”

  The question came from so far out in left field that I had to shake my head. That didn’t help much. “Sorry, I really don’t understand your question.”

  Torino leaned forward. “Didn’t you start the current fire to make sure your friend got off for the first one?”

  It took all of my effort to keep from exploding. Which was probably Torino’s real goal—to piss me off enough to say something stupid. Or maybe he was just a nut with a gun and a badge. That was the alternative that scared me the most.

  “I had nothing to do with this fire. You’re nuts.”

  Torino shook his head. “Where were you when the second fire started?”

  I had to think for a moment. I was with Griffin at the ranch. Not much of an alibi. “I was in bed, asleep, at my sister’s ranch.”

  “Can a reliable witness, in other words, someone other than your sister, verify that?”

  I couldn’t resist the dig. “I don’t know about your personal situation, special agent, but I don’t sleep with my sister. She can’t alibi me.”

  That produced a burst of laughter, but Sid frowned.

  He whispered, “Control your temper. Don’t let him bait you.”

  Torino scowled. “So, the answer is no. You have no good alibi.”

  I wasn’t going to let the FBI drag her into this mess. She would surely say I’d been at home the entire time, and nobody could ever prove different, but I wasn’t letting those jerks get close to her. “No, she’s a sound sleeper.”

  “Do you recognize this?” Torino held up a baseball cap with Idaho State emblazoned on the front.

  A chill ran down my back. It was my cap. I’d gotten my criminology degree from there. I owned several, and my favorite had vanished from the ranch before the second fire started.

  “It looks like the cap I lost recently. Where’d you get it?”

  “Near the second fire’s ignition point,” Torino said with a smirk. “The wind blew the flames away from it, so it survived intact. We want a DNA sample from you.”

  He handed me a cotton swab on a stick, and I ran it inside my mouth before giving it back.

  Torino asked a few more ridiculous questions about the beginning of the second fire, but I stuck to my script. Then the agent asked, “How do we know you and Scarlet Davidson didn’t plan this latest escapade to snatch the chief of staff? He’s who first informed me that a state investigator found your hat at the crime scene.”

  Sophie burst out laughing at that idea, and Torino’s face turned red.

  I noticed puzzled looks on many faces in the crowd behind the FBI agent. “In case you haven’t investigated the question, Ms. Davidson and I don’t hang out together.”

  His scowl showed his doubts about my truthfulness.

  I kept needling him. “I don’t run with the fast crowd, so, good luck on proving we conspired, along with all your other stupid theories. In fact, I’ve only talked to her once in my life, and that was yesterday in front of one of one of my volunteers.”

  After Torino’s last question, I whispered to Sid, “Somebody is trying to frame me.”

  He nodded.

  Sid let a half-dozen other cops, lawyers, and reporters ask their questions, but nothing new came to light.

  When they were all tapped out, Sid said, “If anyone has any follow-up inquiries to make, coordinate them through me. No direct contact with my client under any circumstances.”

  The crowd shuffled away. When I was alone with Sid, I told him about my single run-in with Houston and the phone messages from Pierce’s office.

  The lawyer said, “Not to pile on with bad news, but I’m expecting a search warrant for your ranch at any moment.”

  I put up my hands, palms forward. “Nothing to find that will incriminate either me or Ellen.”

  Sid grimaced and patted me on the back. “My good man, don’t be so sure. Everyone has something to hide.”

  He was right. Technically, I was guilty of first-degree murder for helping destroy Houston and the goblin. But I didn’t feel any regrets. Neither did I expect anyone to prove I’d killed two dark immortals, but someone had stolen that cap from the ranch, probably while Griffin and I were downtown for Kevin’s arraignment. I shuddered. Some a-hole demon had gotten close to Ellen when nobody was around to help her.

  Sid said, “Houston’s disappearance is the least of your problems. I imagine he has more enemies than we could count. And as long as Davidson remains a credible witness, you’re safe from any charges on that front.”

  In other words, my fate depended on Scarlet being innocent. Fortunately, she was, more so than me. Nonetheless, I didn’t know what had really gone on between her and Houston. If I got the chance to sneak into her head, I needed to confirm her story.

  “What about this new evidence supposedly found near the fire?”

  “I’m extremely concerned,” Sid said. “They will still have to collect other evidence proving you managed to leave the ranch, drive past Winter Park, light the blaze, and return home to wake up your sister. The FBI is no doubt reviewing video from every camera along the way that could’ve recorded you.”

  I wasn’t worried about that, unless Pierce or his staff faked more evidence. “What if they can’t find other proof?”

  “The cap alone, assuming it proves to be yours, is very damning evidence. We’d have to prove someone is framing you, and as far as I can tell, no one has sufficient motive to do so.”

  That comment left a sour taste in my mouth. Pierce didn’t know I was an angel, so he was punishing me for refusing to meet with him. That seemed farfetched, even to me. Maybe he just wanted to create more chaos, for whatever reason. That didn’t ring true either, but I was out of answers.

  Sid said goodbye, and I wanted to get back to the ranch. Sophie could take the last shipment of animals to the animal shelters I’d lined up.

  She and Raj helped me pack up our equipment, then we loaded the remaining critters in Sophie’s truck. All the while, my mind was filled with questions about the best way to protect Ellen and the ranch when Griffin was off with me somewhere. It’d be particularly nice if we had a credible witness who could say I was home the night the next blaze starts. Another fire was sure to start soon.

  -o-o-o-

  ELLEN AND THE dogs welcomed me back home. Despite blistering heat, I took Lightning and Ruckus out in the pasture and played football using dog rules—which meant no rules. The football was a stuffed toy, so the mutts coul
d get a good grip on it with their teeth, and they ran like thoroughbreds.

  After the game exhausted me and the mutts, I sprayed us all down with the hose, until Milton told me, We have confirmed the opposition is intent on finding the angels who destroyed Houston and the goblin. They believe he was followed and attacked, and your tent just happened to be where the fight occurred. In the future, you must avoid interacting with demons near your sister’s ranch or at places where you set up your mobile clinic. If they realize you were involved in the battles this morning, they will stop at nothing to destroy you and kill your sister.

  That was horrible news, particularly with regard to Ellen. She had no chance against a demon, and she couldn’t vanish like I could.

  Why hadn’t any of the angels told me about this already? Milton, can you provide human security for her?

  His response was immediate. Yes, but remember, both of you must be extremely careful whenever you leave the ranch. Don’t let her go without a guard, not even to the nearby town.

  How was I going to explain that to her? The best I could do was to remind her we needed alibis for future problems. A professional bodyguard would be perfect for that.

  -o-o-o-

  IN THE EVENING, I watched the news for the first time in days. Unfortunately, over a hundred fires raged across the West. The few current blazes in Colorado barely rated an honorable mention when the cable channels were showing pictures of the bigger, hotter blazes out of control in California and Utah. The arsonists were mysterious, which led me to think they’d been dark immortals there, too. We members of the legion in this area sure had our hands full.

  Because of all the heat and her pregnancy, Ellen got tired early. When she went to bed, I let Honah know. A moment later, I popped into Diana’s training room at her temple in Italy. I mentally prepared lots of questions.

  What I wasn’t prepared for was a hug. She used her incredible strength to show how much she cared. When she touched me, I could feel the swirling worry and happiness in her mind at seeing me again.

  “Gabriel, you gave us such a scare! I would’ve come myself if I hadn’t already been in the middle of another fight. As usual, Milton and I were outnumbered. But earlier, I saw Griffin’s memories. I’m so pleased. You remembered your training.”

  Her attitude was wildly refreshing, way different than the last time we’d met.

  She pointed at a wooden table and chairs on one side of the room. A tray of fruit sat in the center. We sat across from each other at the table, and she dropped a black grape into her mouth. After she swallowed it, she grinned. “I’ve always loved grapes.”

  She seemed to be in a happy mood, so it seemed like a good time to get more of my questions answered. “Why can’t I see who’s immortal and who isn’t?”

  Diana sipped wine from a crystal goblet. “You can, to a degree, but you don’t know what to look for yet. Actually, look is probably the wrong word. It’s something you perceive with your mind, not your eyes. If you close them, you should be able to sense my glow near you in the darkness. That’s what an angel’s aura appears like in your mind. Dark spirits will appear as shadows in your inner vision.”

  I tried to perceive her, and I began to make out a vague outline. As I moved my head to the side, her aura remained motionless. “I might have a sense of you, but I’m not sure.”

  “That comprehension develops much more when you earn your wings. Patience. In the meantime, arise. You must train harder, or you might not survive your next battle. I saw plenty that can be improved. We will take maximum advantage of each opportunity to work together.”

  I nodded and stood.

  “We will begin today by reviewing each battle. As I said, I saw considerable room for improvement.”

  We walked through each part of both battles, and she played my opponent. Her running commentary on every move explained what had worked and what hadn’t. She was complimentary in a few places, but mostly she showed me every mistake. Her explanations were clear, detailed, and devastating.

  The only reason I’d won the first fight was that the goblin was incompetent. Diana claimed they were all dumber than dirt, but still strong fighters.

  In the second battle, she played both Houston and Griffin. In analyzing their moves, she showed how the chief of staff could’ve won, despite us fighting him two on one. He’d been beaten by his own ego, not us. That made my face warm up.

  On the plus side, I learned a lot from her, and she ended our session by giving me the most improved award, which took some of the sting away. Dude, you have a long way to go as a fighter.

  -o-o-o-

  Tuesday, June 20th

  WHEN I GOT back to Colorado, it was early the next day. I went back to my research into bars or clubs called Evangelist, or as the demons no doubt thought of it, Evil’s Agent. Didn’t make much progress, but then an idea hit me. What about the dark web?

  I’d heard of it, and nothing would be more perfect for evildoers than the secret, illegal part of the web. So, I gave up on the specific search for the club and turned to learning about the dark side of the Internet in general. The first thing I learned was I needed to use the Tor browser. Then it got even more complicated. I also needed to set up a virtual private network, which cost money, and in order to pay for the VPN, I needed to establish a Bitcoin account.

  I’d never been a computer geek, but I did use the Internet a lot as part of my detective work. Even so, it took me until daylight to set everything up so I could surf anonymously on the dark web.

  By then, Ellen was awake, and I shut down my research to help her with breakfast and ranch chores. I also met with our new security service to explain how they needed to follow my sister like she was worth a million bucks.

  It was another hot, dry day, but thankfully no wind. As long as that remained true, I doubted that the demons would start another forest fire. At least I hoped they wouldn’t.

  My day life and night life were becoming polar opposites. By day, I tended to the ranch animals and lived a quiet, pastoral life. By night, I was hunting demons and learning how to sling a flaming sword around that would cut through almost anything.

  -o-o-o-

  AFTER LUNCH, I headed downtown to visit Kevin on ice. I was more than a little nervous. Given what Torino had said, it sounded like I might be joining my best friend soon.

  What a depressing place. The Federal jail was for short-timers, and it looked a lot like the Boise jails I’d visited regularly as a cop there. Poor Kevin’s face was pale and drawn. We talked through phones, separated by a sheet of glass. I’d gone mostly to give him moral support, but I didn’t know what to say. Every word was surely getting recorded, and I didn’t want to make either of our situations worse.

  I was lucky that Honah could bust me out anytime he wanted, but if he lost at trial, Kevin was looking at decades in prison. I still couldn’t bear the idea of all my childhood friends and relatives thinking I was an arsonist who’d started a forest fire. That tightened my throat, made it hard to talk.

  After ten minutes, I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I waved goodbye and promised myself I’d do everything inhumanly possible to find the demon arsonist who’d started both fires.

  -o-o-o-

  IN THE LATE afternoon, Ellen left with her bodyguard for a girlfriend’s wedding shower in Colorado Springs. They wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

  I returned to my computer again, but none of my searches for Evangelist worked. Apparently, it was hidden even in the evil part of the World Wide Web.

  In desperation, I thought a message to Honah. He might know something useful. I’m searching for a club southeast of Denver called Evangelist. It’s where demons are supposed to hang out. Ever heard of it?

  It was a long shot because I expected, if he’d known, he would’ve wiped it out already.

  A few minutes later, he replied, The name isn’t familiar, but several times, we’ve cleaned out an old tavern in the southeastern Denver suburbs infested with d
ark immortals. The owner keeps moving locations to hide from us and probably others of their kind. Demons also congregate occasionally at Sinsation, a bar that’s part of a large mall complex in that area. You and Cleopatra should visit that mall this evening, and may find some of the damned.

  He didn’t know I was available already because Ellen was gone, but a bar wouldn’t be busy on a Tuesday until later anyway. I responded, Perfect. Send us in a few hours, whenever Cleopatra is available. I can go anytime.

  While waiting, I searched online for Sinsation. That dive was easy to locate, which meant it couldn’t be all that evil. But we had to start somewhere.

  Chapter 15

  SEVERAL HOURS LATER, without warning, Honah sent me to the mall, and I appeared along one side of the main walkway. As usual, I was surrounded by people, but no one seemed to notice me. When are they going to teach me how to fog people’s minds?

  I stood outside a fancy shoe store and noticed Cleo close by in her inconspicuous form. She pretended to window shop until she glanced my way.

  “There you are.” She gave me a warm hug, and I returned it. We hadn’t met for a few days, and just seeing her brightened my mood.

  “Great to see you again,” I said. She was the closest thing I had to a friend in the immortal world. “What’s the plan?”

  She switched to thoughts. I’ve been here a few minutes, and I’ve already spotted a pair of vampires on the prowl. Why don’t we merge with their minds and see where they lead us?

  Terrific. Hopefully, we’ll run across the bar Honah mentioned. Where are they?

  Cleo nodded at two twenty-something women dressed to kill. One was a blonde with long, straight hair, a tight pink silk blouse, and a black leather skirt. Her friend, a brunette, wore a white cashmere sweater over big tits and a pair of tight, cream-colored slacks. They both stood on spiky high heels and swished their butts while they walked away from us.

  Although I knew they were monsters, the primal part of me couldn’t keep from staring at their butts. Yeah! Two very hot monsters.