Obsidian Souls (Soul Series)

by Donna Augustine

  I shot out of the bathroom and kept my head down making a beeline to the door. It let out into the alleyway, and I just held my breath that the creepy Carl hadn’t noticed me leaving. Heading down the alley towards the street, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick group text to Gilly and Amanda so they wouldn’t wait for me. Amanda always had her phone in her pocket on vibrate, and I knew she would get it. I’d explain to them tomorrow why I dashed out, and neither of them would care. They’d only want to know why I didn’t ask them for help escaping. Gilly looked like she was into the guy she was talking to so I didn’t want to crash that, and I didn’t want to put Amanda in an awkward situation with a colleague of Marks. This was just easier. Or at least I thought it would be.

  I pushed send on my phone to finish the text to both of them and looked up to see that I was the only one left in the alleyway. And then I saw Carl turn the corner. He was blocking the only way out onto the street. He must have seen me leave and ran to cut me off to have gotten here so fast. He was just standing there, like he had been waiting for me. It felt very odd and well into the uncomfortable range.

  Okay…I could handle this. I had taken some self-defense classes and a year of Tae Kwon Do to boot. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I was bad ass, but I thought I could hold my own even with my small stature. I might be reading the situation wrong anyway. Maybe he’s just a harmless oaf that seems sleazy. Either way I had no choice. I’d have to let this play out as he was blocking my path.

  “Hi Carl, I didn’t notice you there.” I was trying to sound normal but not sure he was going to buy the act since it so clearly conflicted with my earlier demeanor. He didn’t reply. He just smiled as he walked slowly closer. He was still about ten feet away when I started to dig in my purse, as if I couldn’t find my keys as he approached.

  “Oh no….I think I left my keys inside, I always do that!” I took a quick step towards the door. A little too quickly because he picked up his pace a little anticipating my urge to flee and clearly didn‘t buy my excuse at all. I nervously pulled at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Oh no, it must only be opening from the inside because of the late time. Taking a couple deep breaths, I got as prepared as I could for the mountain of man heading towards me.

  Chapter Four

  “Shit!!!!” I pounded my fist on the desk underneath the monitors. “God dam it! I knew she was going to be a problem!”

  “They spotted her?” Michael, who had been hanging close by, came rushing back into the office.

  “Yeah,” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, “We’ve got trouble.” I walked the few feet to the elevator that would take me up to ground level with Michael following close at my back.

  “Should I get the guys?” Mike asked.

  “No. I’ll handle this. Just keep an eye out for the rest of them showing up. I’m hoping it doesn’t escalate. Remember, no fatalities.”

  It’s going to escalate. Not tonight and not here is all I could hope. I’d been trying to steer clear of an all out war for so long that a part of me just wanted it out of pure frustration and pent up anger. I’d love to let all this churning emotion loose, give it free reign. Let all the ugliness I’d been feeling deep in my gut spew out onto whoever came in my path and stood against me, instead of swallowing it. Choking on it, day in and day out. Not here though. This place needed to stay clean. There was already too much attention coming our way. Not here, whatever it took, it was not going to happen here. Not if I could stop it. I’d swallow it back one more time, but it was getting harder and harder. One day, I was going to wake up and have reached my limit. I had a line and they kept testing it. Whoever said, “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” should walk a mile in my shoes.

  “Mike, get Joey to check out this elevator tomorrow. We can’t have this thing going this slowly. Not when we need to go up ten floors.”

  “I don’t know why we can’t get a staircase,” Mike said almost in a pout, which was ridiculous for a man his size. He was almost as large as me, and he still sounded like a kid half the time. He loved using the staircase for exercise. He was big into calisthenics, but the upper four-story staircase would have to suffice.

  “You know why we can’t get a staircase, the elevator and the hatches. That‘s it.” Rehashing the same discussion, which was usually aggravating, was actually a good distraction now. It was hard not to pace or show this building anger, but the last thing I wanted to do was get Mike worked up. Everything needed to stay calm. At least until all hell broke loose.

  The doors finally cracked open into the stock room, and I could still hear the clang of chairs and feet in the bar above as the staff was finishing up.

  “Don’t alert the guys yet, and keep everybody out of the side alley. No reason to get everyone’s feathers ruffled.” Taking two steps at a time, I shot up the stairs, crossed the bar, and was in the alleyway less than a minute later.

  Chapter Five

  “If you don’t let go of my arm you’ll regret it.” It was an empty threat. I knew it, and even worse than that, he knew it too. I might as well have been a rag doll as he swung me closer to him. His large sweaty club of a hand encircled my upper arm completely. His sloppy exterior had turned out to be as solid as a rock, and I knew I was in deep trouble, so much for martial arts. They should tell you, it is almost worthless once someone much larger than you gets a hold on you. Biggest problem was, I didn’t think I could even stun him enough to be able to break away. If I ever got out of this mess, I was going to go back to that gym and demand a refund.

  “You don’t want to do this Carl. You’re a nice guy with a lot going for you. Why would you want to jeopardize that?”

  It wasn’t working. He didn’t budge. He actually had the nerve to chuckle at my attempts to reason with him. Maybe he didn’t actually have much going for him? What do you say to a psychopath that really doesn’t have anything to lose?

  He lifted his fist, and I choked on my own bile as I knew it wouldn’t end well for me. He was seconds away from knocking me out. It’s crazy how things like this always seem to happen in slow motion, the seconds dragging out. If he knocked me out, it would be over. Everyone knows what happens once an abductor gets you off the street to their place. You’re as good as dead.

  I started kicking and punching again. When that didn’t budge him I devolved into scratching, as my perfectly painted pink fingernails became my weapon of last resort. I was screaming like a banshee. I gave it everything I had, and it was useless. His raised fist came slamming down toward me. Somehow, I managed to block the blow with my forearm, but still almost went black from my arm colliding into the side of my head.

  “Let her go.” A deep gravelly voice echoed and filled the alleyway. I clung to consciousness as the stubborn fuzzy spots filling my vision battled but lost to my fierce determination.

  I couldn’t see who the voice belonged to, but it stilled my attacker instantly, giving me precious moments to regain my strength. As my head cleared, I realized my arms were pinned tight to my side so I couldn’t turn to see where the voice had come from. All I could see was Carl’s face and it was a mixture of rage and fear. I didn’t care who the person was as long as he was stronger than Carl and as mean as a junk yard dog.

  “Let her go,” the deep voice repeated. “You know the rules Carl. Unless you don‘t want to play by them anymore? That would be more than fine with me.” There was an aggressive rage in his voice.

  “She wants to come with me. I’m within my rights so back off Caden.”

  I started to protest his statement as a lie, but his arm circling my back was crushing the air from my lungs and panic quickly replaced my words. I was frantic, what if my rescuer believed him and left me here alone.

  “She doesn’t look like she wants to go with you,” the voice replied dripping in sarcasm. “Release her, and then we can hear her choose what she wants.”

  I could see frustration building in his face, as his skin turned an unflattering ruddy
shade. His grip tightened painfully, and I feared I would hear a rib crack just before he shoved me away from him. I stumbled backward and might have fallen, but a new set of strong hands reached out, grabbed me around my waist, and pulled me upright. Before I could even turn and see the face of the man who had rescued me, I was being shoved behind his broad shoulders.

  I tried to step around him to get a better idea of what was happening, but his arm jutted out and holding me back quickly blocked me.

  “I want to hear it then,” frustration and anger poured out of Carl with every word, “Cuz it doesn’t look like she is with you either.”

  My savior turned slightly and looked down at my face, my jaw dropped. It was the owner slash bartender with the intent stare from earlier.

  After an uncomfortable pause, he leaned slightly closer to me and said, “I suggest you make your preference known.”

  I wasn’t sure what was going on right now. Most attackers leave once they get caught in the act. Didn’t Carl know that? Why was he even still standing there? And what preference? I didn’t have a preference other than just wanting to go home, crawl into my bed, and forget this night ever happened. Now, I had this guy asking me who I’d prefer? One was already a confirmed lunatic in my mind and the other I’d just met.

  “What exactly do you mean by “preference”?”

  “You need to let him know you’re with me, or I’m not supposed to stand in his way.” His curious statement was making me even more nervous. What was he saying exactly? Did I either have to spend the night with him, or he would let that lunatic carry me off? What world was I in? What type of deranged people were they? He was supposed to be my knight on a white horse, but right now, his armor was looking a bit tarnished.

  “Does that mean I have to be with you? You know, like BE with you?”

  “No.”

  Carl started to smile and take a step forward.

  “I’m with him!” I said quickly, as I edged slightly closer to Caden. If I was going to be forced with one or the other, it wasn’t a hard choice.

  “The meeting is off for tonight,” Caden said in a clipped voice.

  “Fine,” he said. And with that, Carl headed out of the alley. We both stood still watching his departing figure clear the corner.

  “Thank you so much!”

  He nodded in response.

  “What was that? Why did I have to say I was with you?” I asked. I was still in shock at what had just happened and how it had happened. I looked down at the ground for my little black purse. I need to get my cell phone to call the cops, but the contents of my purse had spewed out all over the alley, sitting dented and dirty, much like I felt myself. With shaking hands, I bent and started gathering my things. Caden went and started retrieving my items as well, and he found my cell phone first.

  “Oh good! Give it to me please. I’ve got to call the police.”

  “I wouldn’t bother,” he said as he placed it in my outstretched hand, with now chipped and broken nails.

  “Call the police? Of course, I should. That man needs to be arrested!”

  “It’s useless. They won’t show and they aren’t going to pursue it.”

  “Why would you say that? Yes, they will. They’re the police. This is what they do.”

  “Fine, go ahead.” He stepped back and looked resigned to wait for them to prove him correct.

  “I will.” I quickly dialed nine-one-one. “Yes, operator? I was just attacked.”

  “What is your location?” the operator asked.

  “I’m at the bar restaurant ‘The Den’ on the corner of…”

  “We know the place. Sorry, I don’t have anyone I can send right now. You can come by and fill out a report tomorrow.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Come by tomorrow if you want.”

  “I was just attacked. I need someone to come now and go get him. I can give you a name and description. He just left.”

  “I’ve got nobody to send. Sorry,” she replied. Her apology rang flat, and then there was nothing but a click, then silence.

  Another younger man poked his head out of the door into the alleyway and looked to me, and then to Caden.

  “We good?” the new guy asked.

  “Yeah. Tell the guys we’re breaking for the night. Meeting’s off.”

  “You got it.” He looked my way again and asked Caden if he needed him to stick around, but he declined. He left us in the alley alone.

  “They aren’t coming,” I said staring down at my phone. “I just got blown off by the police.” I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking or keep the shock from my voice as I sat down in between a used solo cup and some discarded flyers, stunned and confused.

  “You need to come inside. It’s cold out, and you’ve had a rough night.” They were the right words, but I could tell he was making the offer out of obligation. What was going on here? In the bar, he had been staring at me as if I was red meat that he wanted to either eat or kill, and then just minutes ago he wanted me to declare I was with him. Now, I felt like I was some nuisance he needed to tend.

  “Thank you, but I’m fine. If you or your friend that was just here, could call me a cab? I just want to go home.” I felt too vulnerable to walk to my car alone, or I would have already been sprinting down the street.

  “You can’t leave,” he said as if he was reading from a script, no deep emotion, just a dry statement. It was clear it was a part he was tired of playing. “If you leave, that man and his friends will be waiting for you. Once you leave my protection, no one will be able to help you. Not the cops or anyone else.” He turned and looked down at me. His face was devoid of emotion. He didn‘t seem to either notice, or care, I was having a mini breakdown. “If you still want to leave, you were warned.” He got up and started walking toward the door. He opened it and stepped back waiting for me to enter. Neither of us said a word.

  I looked at him and dialed the police again. I could hear his sigh of annoyance. They answered on the first ring so they couldn’t be that busy.

  “Hello? I just called, and I really need someone to come help me. I was just attacked, and I need someone to come here.”

  “Lady, what don’t you understand? We can’t get involved,” the dispatcher said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What I mean is, no one’s coming! You can come file a report like I said last time, but we don’t get involved with them.”

  “Who’s them? You don’t even know who attacked me!”

  “Look lady, if something happened there, it was with them. We don’t get involved with them.” I heard the agitation in her voice and realized that not only were they not coming, but also she was actually annoyed that I had called again.

  “Can you at least tell me who they are?” I asked as I looked squarely at Caden, who was now reclining against the brick wall of the bar. He was looking bored and didn’t even blink at the question I had just asked the dispatcher. The only vibe he was putting out was smug irritation. It was clear, he knew exactly what the outcome was going to be. That he had to suffer through this ridiculous turn of events, until I, the slow-witted damsel in distress, finally realized her situation completely sucked, and that she had no other options.

  “You got yourself involved with them, you figure it out,” The dispatcher replied and dead silence followed. I hung up the phone with a shaking hand.

  I looked back at him, weighed my options, and realized he didn’t seem to really care if I came or not. He wasn’t trying to force me or crowd me, and I had a scary feeling that perhaps he was telling the truth about Carl. The slightly frightening but very sexy man leaning against the wall might be the only thing standing between Carl and myself.

  As I stood, I watched him walk back to the open door and pause. I could go in, or I could go home, but something had changed, and no matter what I chose, it couldn’t be undone. It had been set in motion the moment I had come here. That short moment after I had first seen Caden, my gut feeling had been
to get up, and run hard and fast, and to never ever come back to this place again. It had been correct. If I had run, maybe this horrible foreboding wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be in a dirty alleyway with the only haven appearing to be the lion’s den itself.

  I’ve messed up in life before. Almost every time, I’d had that strong gut feeling that I was on the wrong path, but I didn’t listen to it. Later, I would lecture myself about how I needed to stop ignoring it, but yet again, here I was. This time, I was stuck in between some psycho crazy man apparently ready to stalk me and another alluring but equally dangerous man.

  “You said THEY would come for me. Don’t you mean him?”

  “He’s not normally alone, and he’s not very patient.”

  Correction, I now had crazy MEN who were planning to stalk me.

  “It will take him some time to find me, won’t it? I’m not sure he even has my last name.”

  “Alexandria Verdane, known to most as Lex, age twenty-five, unit #thirty-eight, fifteen Blossom Road. You’ve worked at Bio Lab for the last seven months as an assistant botanist. You just applied for an internal promotion.”

  That got me to my feet quickly, as I backed further away from him.

  “How do you know all that? And why?” I went from quasi acceptance to the verge of hysteria. I was ready to run if he made the slightest movement in my direction, but he didn’t, not even an inch. He was relaxed as ever, still leaning against the brick wall of the bar.

  “I knew who you were five minutes after you walked into my bar.” His posture remained relaxed but his eyes were hard as they met my own. His stare made me uneasy. “And if I know it, they will too. The how and why doesn’t matter. You don’t strike me as a stupid person. Trust your instincts.”