Crisis Alert (Divine Justice, 3)

by Mary Abshire

  “There are at least two hundred buildings being renovated in the city alone.”

  “How many are at least four stories?”

  “Probably half.”

  “Then call in everyone and have them go out in teams to each location. See if someone at the city’s zoning department can give a list of addresses.”

  He returned to the picture of Anna. It pained him to see her bound and injured. She had to be weak from the loss of bodily fluid. Curiosity pricked at him. Why would she appear so enraged at the cameraman?

  “There’s another problem,” Gordon said.

  “What?”

  “So you see the lack of windows behind them and you can tell from Kurt’s photo there are no windows to the side as well.”

  Dread flooded him. “The tarps were removed. If the entire floor didn’t have any windows or covering, the sun will hit them.”

  “The sun won’t destroy them, but they will endure terrible pain. And if they’re in the sun all day, there’s no telling what they’ll be like come nightfall.”

  “Then we have to find them. We have to get every agent looking at buildings under construction.” He wouldn’t sit on his ass at an office while Anna endured agony. He refused to give up searching until he found her, even if he had to check out every building under renovations and at least four stories tall in the downtown area.

  “Come back to the office and let’s work out the details. I’ll have everyone called in to the office and then brief them. We can execute a plan in less than an hour.”

  Zale couldn’t waste an hour to work out details and then give them to the agents. The sun would soon rise and Anna would be in a world of misery. Every minute he spent off the street and not looking for her meant she would suffer more.

  “Did the person who sent the pictures ask for anything?” Zale asked.

  “The sender didn’t put his name, but he asked for the name and address of every DS agent in the city by ten tonight.”

  Zale sighed heavily. “The demon must know he won’t get it.”

  “I’ll respond to Aziel and tell him we’re going to start searching. How fast can you get here?”

  “I’m not going back to the office. I’m checking out the addresses Anna had on her list. I’ll call you with my results.”

  “Zale—“

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not stopping until I find her. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Zale cut the ignition. Hearing Gordon’s voice from the phone in his hand, he ended the call. Unease stirred within him from disregarding his boss, but he had to keep looking for Anna.

  He left the phone in the car before he headed toward Finton’s house. A cat with glowing eyes sat on porch steps as he strode on the sidewalk. Aside from a dog barking in one of the homes, the street was quiet.

  Reaching the address he sought, he climbed the steep steps. Vibrant thuds within the home indicated two people were inside. The gasps of a female and a soft squeal of springs led Zale to believe those behind the walls weren’t sleeping. He stopped at the front door and listened closer, trying to determine where the sounds originated in the house. From where he stood, they were near the back.

  Chipped paint on the front door along with rust near the knob gave Zale hope he could break in through the front with a few kicks. But he’d also wake up a neighbor or two. If memory served him well, older homes had back doors instead of sliding glass ones. Breaking into a home from the back would lessen the likelihood of someone calling the police.

  Decision made, he jumped onto the concrete porch’s ledge and then hopped down, into the yard. He stepped quietly through the tall grass, passing windows on the side of the home. He paused at the one where he could hear the heartbeats the loudest.

  The gathering had started less than two hours ago. It seemed strange Finton would be home so soon. Anna had said she’d spoken to his girlfriend. Zale guessed one of the heartbeats belonged to Finton’s woman, which left the other one for Finton or a different lover. Zale hoped for the former as he continued to the back of the property.

  A small gravel alley separated another line of homes. Two cars sat idle facing Finton’s house. Zale strode toward the vehicles. He touched the hood of the first beat-up sedan. The warm temperature indicated the car had been used recently.

  Filled with a touch of hope, he proceeded to the back door. The neighbors on each side had calm, steady heartbeats. Maybe he’d get lucky and they wouldn’t hear him breaking into Finton’s home.

  Zale climbed two steps to reach the entrance. A deadbolt above the knob might give some resistance, but the wood door would break with enough force. The two inside would likely hear him. He’d have to move fast.

  Heart thudding, he lifted his knee and shoved it near the knob. The wood cracked near the deadbolt. He kicked the door again and it splintered before opening. The lock fell and then clanked on the hardwood floor.

  Zale ran down a hall to get to the room with the two occupants. When he reached it, he found a woman holding a sheet in front of her body and a naked man tugging up a pair of pants.

  The woman gasped as Zale ran into the room. The shirtless man with short hair and a thin goatee lifted his gaze. In the darkness, Zale saw his black eyes.

  Zale grabbed the demon by the throat and then shoved him to the wall. “Where are they?”

  The demon laughed.

  Zale tightened his grasp. “Where are they?”

  “No!” the woman screamed. “Please don’t hurt him.”

  The demon continued to laugh. The sound strengthened Zale’s rage. He punched the demon in the gut. The demon bent forward, struggling to breathe. Zale stepped back and then punched the demon’s face. Bone crunched and the demon bumped into the wall.

  “Tell me where they are,” Zale said.

  Dark fluid spilled from the man’s nose. He sucked in air while holding a hand over his ribs. His laughter started anew.

  Fury burned within Zale. He knew demons were not the type to cooperate. Punches weren’t going to be enough to get one to talk. He’d never been the type to use torture, but Anna’s survival and the future of other vampires was at stake.

  “Stop it, please!” the woman screamed, kneeling on the bed. “You’re hurting him!”

  Zale covered the demon’s mouth with his hand. Taking the man’s fingers from the hand near his abdomen, Zale pushed them back until the wrist snapped like a stick. The demon screamed behind Zale’s hand.

  “Tell me where they are,” Zale said.

  The demon yelled a few more times before he started to laugh again. Full of rage and determination, he kicked the demon’s kneecap. The bone crunched and the man yelled under Zale’s palm. He tilted sideways on his good leg.

  Zale removed his hand and straightened the demon. “I will keep breaking bones until you tell me. If you’re smart, you’ll give me their location. And if breaking your bones isn’t enough, I will cut your dick off.”

  “No!” the woman screamed. “Please, no!”

  The demon’s eyes widened and his laughter stopped. Believing he had the demon’s attention, Zale uncovered the man’s mouth. Blood and sweat soiled Zale’s hand.

  The demon struggled to breathe. He swallowed and then said, “Fuck you.”

  Fury engulfed Zale. Clenching his fist, he thrust it at the demon’s face. The man’s head hit the wall with a hard thud. His body crumbled to the ground. Behind Zale, the woman yelled.

  Body trembling and heart racing, Zale stared at the unconscious man. He didn’t know what to do to make him talk. Torture hadn’t worked. He couldn’t kill the human.

  “You’re a beast!” the woman shouted. “I hope you burn in Hell.”

  Zale shot his attention to her. She gasped and held the sheet tighter to her body. Crying, she crawled off the bed and then ran out of the room.

  Her words made him recall the previous night when Anna had exorcised the demon. She’d said she had better luck of getting info
rmation after she sent the demon to Hell. Zale couldn’t perform an exorcism, but the vampires at the DS could. If he brought the demon to them, an agent could exorcise the demon and then question him. At the moment, the option was his best one for locating Anna.

  Zale lifted the unconscious demon. After he tossed him over his shoulder, he headed out of the room. Little time remained before dawn. He hoped his plan would work so he could save Anna from suffering in the sun.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The sounds of voices, thuds, and clicks woke Anna from her daytime rest. Pain greeted her as she awakened. Her entire body burned. Her skin felt heavy and alien. She opened her eyelids and they too brought her agony. A cloudy film blurred her vision. She blinked a few times. Needless to say, she groaned from the ache.

  Making matters worse, the heartbeats nearby magnified her thirst for blood. Each thump called to her. Malnourished, she craved the red fluid more than she ever could remember, which frightened her. She wasn’t sure she could control herself if she somehow managed to get free. Maybe it was for the best if she didn’t survive.

  Realization dawned on her. The UoJ hadn’t found her or Kurt. What little hope she had of surviving vanished within seconds.

  Vision cleared, she discovered Rodney and a few other men were moving the building materials from the corners to a spot six feet from her. The master wore dark pants and a short-sleeved maroon button down. He dragged a cord connected to the wall while the stocky man with a crew cut carried a gallon tub. He stacked it onto another and then Rodney dropped the cord. She’d seen a photo of the big man before. Stan Richman was his name. Another man wearing low-riding jeans stood by, holding two black bags. She didn’t recognize him. Of course, they both had eyes as dark as the night.

  Anna swallowed. Her dry tongue even felt foreign to her. She pressed the tip of one of her canines into it. Sharp pain burst through her head and she thought it might explode. But once the bubble of blood surface she swallowed it. The little bit of fluid she had didn’t last more than a few seconds.

  She placed her weight on her feet and slowly stood. Although the sting from her wrists disappeared, searing pain spread upward from her legs. Looking down, her red-blistered skin had tightened around her bones.

  She turned to look at Kurt. He stood, watching the men with a feral gaze. Blisters covered his red skin too. His skeletal appearance indicated he’d lost more blood than she had. If he were set free, she doubted he could control his thirst.

  Footsteps behind her were drawing nearer. Reggie strode past her. Dressed in a pair of long shorts and a sleeveless shirt, he headed toward Rodney.

  “I just came from Finton’s house,” Reggie whispered to Rodney. “His girlfriend said a large man broke into the home and took Finton earlier in the morning. She hasn’t seen him all day.”

  “You realize they can hear you,” Rodney said.

  Reggie twisted to look at her and Kurt. His black eyes sparked an intense hatred inside her. She longed to hurt him, make him suffer, and end his existence.

  He veered his attention back to Rodney. “We may not be safe here.”

  “The werewolves can’t exorcise demons. They won’t find this place, not for several hours anyway,” Rodney said. “Don’t worry, we’ll be done before they show up, if they show up.”

  Stan finished stacking two columns of tubs. The demon holding the bags set one on each pile. He unzipped a bag and laid it flat. Silver instruments of various shapes and sizes gleamed in the light. He opened the bulkier bag too, but she couldn’t see the contents.

  The two masters approached her and Kurt with smirks on their faces. Disgust and rage filled her. If she’d killed Christopher when she’d had the chance, many lives would’ve been saved. Her fate seemed a fitting punishment. Still, she couldn’t stand to look at the evil men. She lowered her gaze.

  “Anna, you are a sight to behold,” Rodney said. “Don’t you think so, Reggie?”

  “Did you enjoy the sunrise?” Reggie asked as he slid his hands into his front pockets. “I wished I could’ve seen your reaction.”

  She refused to give them her attention.

  “I’m sorry to have to break the news to you, but the Divine Syndicate declined our terms for handing you back over,” Rodney said. “So, you’re officially ours to play with.”

  “Let us go and we’ll show you how we play,” Kurt said.

  Rodney stepped closer to him and met Kurt’s savage gaze. The master showed no fear. “No, but we will show you how much fun we have with your kind.”

  “You can have him. Anna is mine,” Reggie said.

  Rodney clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “Well then, why don’t we get started?”

  He walked away from Kurt, but Reggie remained standing in front of her.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” he said.

  She stared at his legs, refusing to meet his gaze.

  He stepped closer. “I’m going to make you suffer.”

  She lifted her head and stared into his dark eyes. “Do what you have to do. I don’t fear you. I don’t fear my demise.”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “We’ll see.” He twisted to face Rodney. “I need to make a call. I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll be here,” Rodney said as he removed something plastic from the bulky bag on the tubs.

  Reggie left her sight. His footsteps and heartbeat grew distant while Rodney shook the plastic item in his hands. The clear garment unraveled and then he slid his arms through the sleeves. After he buttoned the see-through jacket, he fished out latex gloves from the same bag. Once he’d finished covering his hands, he slid a small instrument out from the bag laying flat.

  Rodney approached holding a silver scalpel up. “This will be easy, but I’m sure you’ll think otherwise.” He shifted his gaze between Kurt and Anna. “I want the location of your headquarters and the name of the person in charge. An address would be nice too. If you give me the answers, I’ll release you. But I will have to confirm the information you give me is accurate first. If my boys confirm what you tell me, then I will set you free. It’s as easy as that.” He grinned.

  “I will never give you or Reggie the answers you seek. Never,” she said.

  Rodney shifted his gaze to Kurt. “What about you?”

  Anna feared for Kurt. In his weakened condition, she doubted he could withstand any more suffering. For another matter, she doubted Rodney would honor his word.

  “Don’t believe what he says, Kurt,” she said. “They don’t set vampires free. He knows what will happen if he does.”

  Rodney stepped closer to Kurt. “Yes, I know about your thirst. I may not be here to release you, but one of my men will be. So you see, you have a chance for survival if you tell me what I want to know.”

  “I have nothing to say to you,” Kurt said.

  Rodney twisted to Stan. “Hold him.”

  The big guy walked around her. He stopped behind Kurt and then knelt. He gripped Kurt’s bony ankles.

  Rodney placed his gloved hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “Maybe you’ll change your mind in a little bit.”

  “Go to Hell,” Kurt said.

  “Been there already. I like it better here,” Rodney said.

  He pressed the edge of scalpel to Kurt’s blistered chest. Slowly, he brought the sharp instrument down the center. Only a small amount of red fluid spilled out from the slice. Clenching his jaw, Kurt held still for the most part. He tugged on his restraints and the chains scraped over the pipe.

  Rodney stopped at Kurt’s navel. He walked away and headed for the bags on the tubs. “Saw please,” he said to the demon standing near the instruments.

  The demon reached inside the big bag and then removed a tool. After he plugged it into the cord, he handed it to Rodney. The sound of a blade spinning shot Anna’s anxiety to the moon. She yanked on the chains around her wrists.

  Rodney held the tool in front of him
as he approached. The long cord snaked on the ground near his right foot.

  Kurt grunted as he pulled on his restraints. He tried to move his legs, but in his weak condition, his efforts were of little use. Stan held him firmly in place.

  Rodney stopped in front of Kurt. “This might hurt.”

  “Don’t, please,” Anna said.

  The circular blade on the saw began spinning. Rodney put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder and then pressed the saw to Kurt’s torso. Kurt yelled while the tool’s noise deepened and chiseled away at his bones. Emotional pain flooded Anna while she continued to yank on her chains. In her frail state, she couldn’t do anything but listen to Kurt suffer.

  The grinding of the saw against bone gave rise to her rage. She prayed for strength and a opening to escape. If God would give her another chance, she’d spend every day of her existence working to rid the Earth of demons. She just needed the opportunity and she’d exorcise evil from every living creature she could find.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Zale strode into Divine Syndicate’s headquarters minutes after sundown. The quiet office had several employees at their desks. He glanced at Anna’s vacant workstation and an instant pain jabbed at his heart. He feared he’d failed her. He feared the demons might have ended her existence. Swallowing hard, he continued toward Rachel’s office in the back.

  Rachel stepped out as he approached.

  “You’re awake,” he said, surprised.

  “I slept in my office.” She walked toward him dressed in the same dark slacks and pink blouse she’d worn the previous night. “I figured it was you since you’re the only one with a heartbeat who has clearance into our building.”

  “I need Finton interrogated now,” he said more aggressively than he’d intended.

  Before sunrise, he’d delivered Finton to the DS for questioning. Aziel personally interrogated the demon. No one had been surprised when the demon failed to give any answers of value. Aziel exorcised the demon, but the vamps had run out of time trying to collect information. Since Zale had broken a few of the man’s bones, a doctor had to tend to the injuries. Aziel forced the man to sleep and had a human watch him during the day.