Fifth Regret (Heaven Sent Book 5)

by Mary Abshire

  The demon sped up and moved to her left side.

  “Oh no you fucking don’t,” she said.

  “What’s he doing?” Andrew asked.

  The nudge near the back tire answered the question. She held the wheel as tight as she could, trying to stay on the road while the car accelerated. The next time he tried to pull up to her side, she swerved away from and sped forward.

  Sweat trickled down the side of her face as her mind raced. Deon wanted her off the road and seemed willing to do whatever it would take to accomplish his goal. She couldn’t outrun his fast car. If she slowed, he’d speed up and push her off the path or to the side. But if she let him pass her, she would have time to stop the car before he could brake. Another shove from the back confirmed what she needed to do.

  “Don’t panic. You’re doing fine,” Andrew said as the car fishtailed.

  She steered closer to right side of the pavement. Deon saw his opportunity and gunned along her other side.

  “He’s coming up next to me, but stay down. I have an idea,” she said.

  When his vehicle moved closer, she steered away from it. Part of the sedan dipped off the road, decreasing her speed. Rocks kicked up under the car. She hurried to straighten back on the path. By the time she had, the demon’s hood had reached Emily’s door. She couldn’t allow him to force her aside again.

  She took her foot off the accelerator and moved it to the other pedal. The demon’s car rocketed forward. She braced her body and pumped the brake a few times so it wouldn’t lock up.

  “What are you doing?” Andrew yelled.

  “Get ready.”

  She brought the sedan to a halt. The red lights in front of her lit up the darkness. The car’s tires squealed on the road before the vehicle skidded to stop.

  “What’s going on? Talk to me,” Andrew said.

  She caught movement from the side of her eyes, but dared not move her gaze from the front window. “He stopped his car. Stay down.”

  “He could shoot through the glass. You need to get under the dash.”

  The driver’s side door swung open, then the demon stepped onto the road.

  “He’s leaving his car,” she said as she shifted the gear to park.

  “What are you doing? You can run him down,” Andrew said.

  She watched the demon step away from his vehicle. “He’s too close to his car. He could still get in it.” To ensure his death, she had to draw him closer.

  “Get down, Emily!” Andrew roared and she flinched.

  The demon moved his arm away from his back. Something shiny in his hand flashed in the beams of her headlights. She didn’t waist another second and ducked under the dashboard.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The loud pops and pings hitting the car drove Andrew’s fear sky high. He stayed low behind the seats, watching Emily squeeze under the dash as much as she could. She held her hands over her ears. Bullets flew through the windshield and the glass cracked. This was not what they had planned.

  When the blasts ceased, Andrew said softly, “Stay down.”

  Fear consumed him and he gripped the gun in his hands. No matter what, he refused to let the demon hurt her.

  “Get out of the car,” the demon called out.

  Emily moved her hands to the seat as she met his gaze.

  “Don’t you dare,” Andrew said.

  She swallowed hard and closed her eyes briefly. He wondered if her back were in pain from moving so fast to hide under the dashboard. There had to be a few torn stitches.

  “Get out of the car or I will make you get out,” the demon said. His voice sounded a little closer.

  Andrew knew the demon might see him if he peeked between the seats, so he scooted back to the door and peered through the small space on the passenger side. The holes and spider web cracks in the glass made it difficult for him to get a clear view. One of the beams still shined. Andrew spotted movement and narrowed his gaze. The demon wore blue jeans and stood about a car’s length away.

  “He’s getting closer. Don’t move,” Andrew whispered.

  “If I have to force you out, you won’t like what I’m going to do to you,” the demon said.

  Was he stupid? What moron would believe he had no intention of hurting them? He’d just shot at the car.

  Andrew watched the demon approach slowly. With the windows in such a mess, he couldn’t get a clear shot at the man.

  “I know you’re scared. Come out now and I won’t hurt you,” the demon said.

  Through the cracked glass, Andrew saw the demon’s arms extended in front of him and a gun in his hands. He stepped closer, but not enough to guarantee Andrew could hit him.

  “Stay down,” Andrew whispered.

  “If you don’t get the fuck out of the car, I will bash your fucking face in,” the demon yelled.

  Sweat rolled into Andrew’s eyes and he blinked. While they burned, he watched Deon’s movements and waited for him to get close enough so Andrew could hit him. Andrew wouldn’t risk missing him. If his shot went off target, the demon would fire his weapon and possibly hit him or Emily. He couldn’t risk it and put her in greater danger.

  “Last chance. Get out and I’ll spare your life,” the demon said in a calmer tone.

  He stood a few feet away from the corner of the car. With Andrew’s finger on the trigger, he watched the demon take one slow step after another toward the side of the car. If the demon moved closer, he could shoot Emily. Andrew wouldn’t allow him to get the chance.

  Following a deep breath, he held it and shot between the seats. He aimed the gun at the driver’s side window and fired it. The glass shattered while the demon jerked his arm up. Andrew pulled the trigger three more times. The demon fell back, out of Andrew’s line of sight.

  Ears ringing and heart pounding, Andrew shifted his attention to Emily. Her eyes were closed and her hands covered her ears again. She slowly lifted her lids.

  “Stay in the car,” he said as he lowered the gun.

  “Can you see him? Did you get him?”

  “I got him.”

  He tugged the blankets off his body while holding the gun. The demon had taken at least one bullet, but it may not have threatened his life. Andrew had to get to him pronto.

  He gazed out the window as he pushed the door open. The demon lay flat on his back. Two dark stains appeared on his blue shirt. The gun remained in his hand.

  Andrew stepped from the car as quietly as he could. He lifted the weapon in his hand and pointed it at the demon.

  Emily appeared from the windowless driver’s seat. “Is he dead?”

  “Stay there,” Andrew said.

  The demon turned his head toward Andrew. Instinct took control of Andrew and he pulled the trigger. A loud pop interrupted the night. A third stain formed in the demon’s abdomen. Andrew fired again at the man’s chest.

  He moved closer to Deon with his gun aimed at him. When he reached the body, he kicked Deon’s weapon away. Blood poured from Deon’s mouth. His eyes remained open.

  A snap from behind jerked Andrew’s attention to Matt’s car. The driver’s side door was open. “Stay there,” he said strongly.

  “Is he dead?”

  He shifted his gaze to the body on the ground. By the looks of non-moving man, he was dead. But relief hadn’t found its way into Andrew. The human was gone, but the evil living inside it had yet to appear. The demon hadn’t been destroyed and until Andrew touched it, the demon had a chance of remaining on Earth and harming others.

  Determination grew with Andrew as he watched and waited for the demon to appear. It would count as his fifth one. How many others roamed the Earth, he had no idea. But he could see them and he could send them to hell. As long as he remained on Earth, he’d protect Emily and destroy as many demons as he could. His job wasn’t easy, but it had great rewards.

  Grinning, he stared at the human body. He looked forward to sending this demon and others straight to hell where they belonged.

/>   Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Emily stared at Andrew as he stood over Deon’s body. Her ears still rang from the gunfire. She shook a little too. She’d been shot at before when she’d help Troy, but for some reason, this time had scared her. She could only guess it had something to do with the shooter being a demon and the fact he’d been so close.

  The locusts and other night creatures buzzed and flew through the single beam of Matt’s car. Andrew tucked the gun in the back of his jeans. He had a large damp spot down the center of shirt. He wiped his head with his forearm. The night crawlers seemed to love the humidity, but it caused too much discomfort for humans, her included.

  She waited for the demon to rise. Although she’d seen Andrew destroy others and it had terrified her, she still wanted to watch. She needed confirmation the evil creature went to hell from Andrew’s holy touch. She had to know the demon no longer existed to harm others.

  She tilted to the side to get a better angle. A sharp sting in her back halted her movement. One area of her skin burned fiercely. She suspected she’d torn a few stitches when she’d dove under the dashboard. Her life meant more than ripped flesh, so she’d deal with the pain. Andrew could tend to her wound later.

  The body on the ground hadn’t moved. Although Andrew had told her to stay in the car, she didn’t see any danger to leaving it for a better view. He’d pumped several bullets into the man. The threat to her and other women had finally reached an end. She stepped away from the seat.

  Andrew rose and turned to face her. “Stay there.”

  She stopped. “Why? He’s dead.”

  A dark cloud rose from the body on the ground, behind Andrew. The shape took on the mass of a human, but with no identifying features in the dark matter.

  Her eyes widened. “Andrew!” she yelled.

  He twisted to find the shadow moving away from him. He leaped over the body, took two giant strides, and then swung his arms together. The black fog burst into pieces. Andrew swatted his hands as if he were batting away bees. In less than a minute, the demon disappeared.

  Emily leaned against the side of the car. Nausea rose fast within her. The damn evil creature had tried to get away. And it would’ve been her fault. Hot bile rushed up in her throat and she bent. The Subway sandwich she’d had for dinner came out in liquid form.

  “Emily!”

  The patter of feet on the pavement drew nearer.

  Shaking and sweating, she spit to get the horrible taste out of her mouth. The skin on her back burned and stung as if several wasps had attacked her. Slowly, she stood up.

  “Are you okay?” Andrew asked. “You’re pale.”

  Spots on his arms and hands made him appear as if he’d played with dirt. He reached to touch her and she backed away from him.

  “Don’t touch me.” She dreaded the thought of one of the demon specks on her skin.

  “What’s wrong?” He paused and drew his hand back.

  “It’s all over you.”

  He looked at his hands and arms. In a flash, he lifted his shirt over his head and rubbed the remnants of the demon off his body. “Better?”

  She wiped her face and mouth as she nodded, but her stomach didn’t agree. The churning within warned her she could vomit again at any second. The high humidity added to her discomfort. She continued to lean against the sedan and hoped the feeling would go away. Witnessing the other demons hadn’t caused her to puke, except the very first one. Why this one had made her sick, she didn’t know. Perhaps because the demon had tried to run and she knew how evil it was. The thought of it free terrified her.

  “Stay there,” he said before he ducked inside the car. He cut the engine and then backed out of the vehicle with the keys in one hand and balled up shirt in the other.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting you some water.”

  He passed her and headed to the back of the sedan. The slight gleam of perspiration on his chest captured her gaze. If her stomach weren’t crazy, she would’ve enjoyed touching him.

  He lifted the trunk lid. Moving quickly, he dropped his shirt inside before he removed the gun from his jeans. After he tore the plastic on the package of water bottles, he grabbed two of them. Rubbing his cheek on his shoulder, he came to stand beside her. “Here.”

  She took one from his hand. “Thanks.” Still jittery, she twisted the cap. “I don’t know why I got sick. Maybe I got scared when it tried to run from you.” She took a drink.

  He poured water over his hands before he downed some. Together they stood in the middle of a country road with no homes or businesses in sight for miles. The lights from within the car, the single beam from Matt’s car, and the taillights from Deon’s vehicle glowed in the darkness.

  “Are you okay?” he asked before he finished the bottle.

  She returned her attention to him. “Yeah, I’m getting better. I’m sorry about that.”

  He tossed the plastic in the back of the trunk. “How’s your back?”

  His lack of response to her apology led her to believe she’d upset him. She should’ve listened to him and stayed in the car.

  “Andrew, I didn’t know…” She swallowed and lowered her gaze. “Fuck, he almost got away.” Emotions running high, she fought a wave of regret and tears.

  “Hey.” He took her face into his warm hands and brought her eyes up to meet his. “Next time, do what I say.”

  “I will.”

  He kissed her forehead. “You’re burning up.”

  “So are you.”

  “Did you tear any stitches?”

  “I think so.”

  “Turn around.”

  She obeyed. Facing the car, he lifted her shirt.

  “You’re bleeding some, but it’s not too bad. I need to remove the bandages to see the damage. I can re-stitch, but it will hurt.” He lowered her top.

  She twisted back to him. “Can we take a vacation before you destroy the next demon?”

  A grin spread across his face. “Absolutely. I’m sure we can find a place to relax for a bit. You need to rest.”

  “Somewhere not as hot and humid.”

  “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go.” He planted another kiss on her forehead.

  Remorse lingered inside her. Next time, she’d follow his instructions. Besides, she’d seen enough demons in her life. She wouldn’t make the mistake of interfering again.

  She inhaled a long breath. “We should get going before someone comes along.”

  “What about the body?”

  “Leave it. The gun is still next to him. It will look like he stopped, got in a gunfight, and lost. We can’t touch anything.”

  He nodded as he unstuck the strands of hair clinging to her wet face.

  She remembered in a flash what Deon had said about a case against Andrew. “But you should check the inside of his vehicle for any documents. I think he was lying to me, but take a quick look inside.”

  He turned and then jogged toward the car.

  “Don’t touch anything,” she called out.

  He paused in the open doorway and leaned toward the inside. After he’d finished, he peered at the back windows. “I don’t see anything. There’s a gun case on the floorboard in the front, but that’s it.” He strode toward her.

  “Good. I didn’t think he had anything, but I wanted to make sure.” Relief trickled through her. One less item to worry about.

  “What about our car?”

  “We’ll have to get rid of it somehow. We can figure it on the way.” She finished the water. Although it had been warm from sitting in the trunk, it helped calm her stomach. She tossed the bottle in the trunk.

  “I’ll drive,” he said before he closed the lid.

  With her back aching, she wouldn’t argue. Getting away from the scene of the crime was an excellent idea. In fact, getting the hell out of Louisiana sounded even better.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Can you see okay?” Emily asked as he steered
along the dark road.

  The one headlight along with the cracked windshield limited his visibility. He gripped the wheel tight and focused on the pavement. Although the air conditioning blew cold air into the car, the humidity dominated since the driver’s window no longer existed. The bullet holes in the front allowed the humidity inside too. The breeze felt good to his skin, but it didn’t cool him.

  “I can see well enough,” he said.

  A rattling from the back of the sedan bothered him. He’d checked before getting in the car. The bumper had taken several hard hits and hung low, but it had looked good enough to drive. One hard jolt might force it off, so he avoided driving close to the edge of the road and stayed in the center.

  “I can’t believe he came shooting at us like he had,” she said. “I’m glad to see the car still works.”

  The sedan was running, but Andrew couldn’t be sure for how long. Bullets had hit something in the front besides the windshield and light, which made him fear the vehicle could die at any time. He thanked the powers that be none of the bullets had reached Emily.

  He tightened his grasp on the wheel. “What you did was dangerous. You infuriated him.”

  “I had to make sure he would follow. I wasn’t going to let you walk in and be seen. And I didn’t want you killing him outside. Someone could’ve noticed. The best option was to make him mad enough to come after me.”

  “Great job, but can you tell me next time?”

  “And if I had, would you have come barging in? Would you have tried to kill him outside the bar?”

  He pressed his lips together, delaying his response because she was right. Even if she had informed him of her intentions, he would’ve done anything to protect her and destroy the demon.

  “See, you would have,” she said.

  “I love you, Em. I will always want to protect you first and foremost.”

  “I know because I feel the same way about you.”

  “I think we need to agree to share all our plans with each other. We may not agree with them, but it will reduce our anxiety. At least mine.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, I can agree to that. Same goes for you.”