Liam walked over to the bar and came back a minute later with a Beck’s in his hand. He took a sip and set the bottle on the rail. Lining up another shot, he slammed a solid into the left corner pocket. “What do you want with Olivia?” he asked, swiping his beer and tipping it back.
Haden smiled. “She certainly is a beautiful little thing, isn’t she?”
The muscle in Liam’s jaw twitched, his eyes flashing jade with an amethyst hue. Haden was quickly finding that he rather enjoyed pushing the warrior’s buttons. His eyes were like a damn Lite Brite.
“I don’t recall my question having anything to do with her appearance,” he growled.
Haden chuckled. “No, that one was a gimme. Don’t worry, if I wanted that female dead, she already would be. Of course, don’t get me wrong. I’m not above it, if this doesn’t go down the way I need it to.”
“Meaning…?”
“Meaning, she has something I want.” He chugged a pull of Tequila, gauging the warrior’s reaction. The color in his eyes intensified, along with his energy spike, and that’s when he realized the colors changed with emotional triggers. That was…pretty freaking awesome, if you asked him, and a whole hell of a lot of fun to mess with.
“What do you want?” Liam growled, looking like he had a mind to crack that Beck’s upside Haden’s skull.
Haden held up his hands in surrender and chuckled. “Take it easy, soldier. I’m not gonna lift my skirt and drop my panties for you just yet. What fun would that be? It’s still your shot,” he said, nodding to the pool stick in Liam’s hand.
Liam grumbled something foul and foreign-sounding under his breath and shot again, sinking another solid ball. “What do you want from her?”
He gave Liam a flippant wave of his hand. “Pleading the Fifth, ask another question.”
That earned him another flash of amethyst. So apparently that color meant step-the-fuck-back. “What are you?” he asked, glaring at Haden from across the table.
“Hey, that’s three in a row.” He nodded at the table, ignoring the question. “You sure this is all you?” he asked doubtfully.
Liam grabbed his beer off the table and drank it half down. “It’s all me. Now, answer the damn question.”
He sighed dramatically. “I’m a hunter. But then again, I’m sure you already know that. I’ve been assigned to track Olivia for Rowen and his band of bastards.”
“How are you tracking her?”
He laughed. “Now if you want me to answer that one, you’re going to have to buy me dinner and a movie first. I’m not that easy.”
“Then tell me something I don’t know.”
Haden shrugged. “I like the color purple,” he replied flippantly. “It looks good on you.”
“You son of a bitch!” Liam growled, leaping over the table with surprising speed and agility. He flipped his pool stick sideways and crashed into Haden, using it to leverage him back. They didn’t stop until he crashed against the wall. He took the hit, letting the warrior muscle him around, getting a feel for the angel’s strength while revealing none of his own. Just as he thought, the Ronnin was strong—powerful—and he suspected he was only getting a small taste of it.
“This is not a game!” Liam growled. “Olivia is not a game! Whatever you are, it doesn’t really matter, because you all die the same!”
The thin thread of Haden’s temper snapped—playtime was over. Self-righteous son of a bitch! Reaching up, he grabbed the stick and shoved it off his windpipe. “Not all of us got to choose sides in this war,” he hissed with contempt. “Some of us were unfortunate enough to be born into it!”
Surprise briefly flittered across Liam’s face. “It can’t be…” he whispered, searching Haden’s eyes intently for the truth.
“Oh, it can be. Imagine spending your entire life in the bowels of Hell, knowing the Creator of the Universe tried to kill you!” Haden let his own energy surge, giving Liam a little taste of his own power. “Needless to say, I have daddy issues,” he sneered, snapping the pool stick in half as he drove his knee up into Liam’s side. He felt a satisfying crack as the warrior’s rib gave way. It was a dirty move, but then again, when Hell owned you, who said you had to play by the rules?
If he thought that little rib crack would slow the angel down, then he’d thought wrong. The blow didn’t faze the tough bastard and only seemed to further piss him off. With impressive preternatural speed, the warrior grabbed him by the front of his shirt and made him airborne, slamming him down onto the pool table. Balls scattered everywhere as the table shook, threatening to collapse. “Your ‘issues’ have nothing to do with Olivia.”
“You’re wrong,” he snarled back. “It has everything to do with her!”
“Stay away from her!” Liam warned, pausing to glance around the table. “Looks like this little game is over.”
With blurring speed, Liam drove his elbow into Haden’s jaw. Sharp pain exploded in the side of his face, his lip split, and his head snapped back, ricocheting off the felt-covered table.
Liam grabbed his beer, finished it in two seconds and slammed it down beside Haden’s face before turning to walk away.
Haden did a handspring off the table, landing solidly on his feet, and reached up with the back of his hand to wipe the trail of blood off the corner of his mouth. “But I haven’t had my turn yet,” he sneered. “And trust me, you’ll want to hear this...”
Chapter Nineteen
Cale walked up to the front steps of Mitch’s house while Rhen hung back in the driveway. He knocked—waited—and when Mitch didn’t answer, he pounded a few more times and added the doorbell into the mix.
“You think he’s having second thoughts?” Rhen called, kicking small rocks against the garage door. They ricocheted off the metal door, shooting into the guy’s manicured lawn. He shook his head at Rhen’s bored, destructive antics.
“Nah… He’ll be ready.” Cale banged on the door again and jabbed his finger into the button, chiming away.
“You seem pretty certain about this guy.”
“That’s because I am. You’ve seen Olivia. You think this guy’s gonna let that sweet piece of ass go without a fight? Damn, just thinking about her makes me hard.”
Rhen laughed. “What doesn’t?”
“You—”
“Thank God, or else your ass would be riding to Vegas in the trunk.”
Cale chuckled. “Man, I can’t wait to see the look on that warrior’s face when Mitch gets there. Shit is gonna hit the fan.”
“Yeah, if this asshole would hurry up and answer his damn door.” Cale was banging his fist against the wood when a car pulled into the driveway.
“Here he is,” Rhen called as the dark blue Audi crawled past him and pulled into the garage.
Cale hopped off the steps and strolled over to their new road trip buddy. You about ready to go, Mitch? Time’s a wastin’. At this rate, we may not make it to Vegas anytime soon.”
Mitch climbed out of his car, slammed the door shut, and winced as if the loud noise had just driven one more hangover spike into his brain. If this guy didn’t cool it with the booze, he wasn’t gonna be good for shit. He shot Cale a redeeming scowl that made him smile. Perhaps this surly bastard was just what they needed after all.
“Vegas? He took my fiancée to Vegas?” Mitch barked. “What in the hell is he gonna do with her there, marry her?”
Cale laughed. Yeah, this guy was gonna be loads of entertainment. “I don’t know, my man. Why don’t you just go grab your shit so we can roll?”
“Give me five,” he grumbled, sloshing up to the house. “Oh, hey, I got a friend who’s coming with me. I tried to dissuade her, but she’s insisting. Hope you don’t mind.”
Her…? Hell, this road trip might just shape up to be even more fun than they’d bargained for. Maybe they’d stop for the night, after all. “By all means,” Cale called, “tell your ‘friend’ she’s more than welcome to come along. More the merrier, I say.”
Mitch wa
s still in the house packing when a yellow mustang pulled into the driveway and parked beside them. From where Cale stood, he could see the female was blonde and had long, curly hair. She wore dark oversized sunglasses that hid her face from his view, but still…there was something awfully familiar about her. He was walking around the side of the convertible to get a closer look when she cut the engine and tipped up those Brittany Spears sunglasses to rest on the top of her head.
The moment their eyes locked, he instantly recognized the woman. How in the hell could he forget? He’d nearly gotten his jaw broken because of her. “Shit…” he hissed, casting his eyes to the ground and spinning around. Rhen noticed his not-so-smooth duck and weave, and arched his brow questioningly.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” he growled under his breath as Cale walked by to go wait in the Mustang’s blind spot.
“Nothing,” he grumbled. “I just want to get going, is all.”
Rhen wasn’t buyin’ it. He bent his head, taking a closer look at the female waiting patiently inside the car. “Hey… Isn’t that… Shit, that’s Balen’s ward! Well, isn’t this going to make for an unfortunate chain of events.”
“You don’t even know the half of it,” Cale grumbled under his breath.
***
It had been three years, but three lifetimes couldn’t make Ashley forget the night she met Cale. How could she forget the tight biting grip of his hand on her arm as he jerked her against him—or the lustful look in Cale’s coal black eyes as they devoured her on that dance floor. Nor would she ever forget the long scar that ran down the side of his face or the smoky, sulfurous stench of his mouth as he forced his kiss on her.
Max, Olivia’s crazy ex-boyfriend, and unbenounced to her, a fallen angel, had ‘saved’ her that night—saved her from Cale, but not from himself. That was the last day she remembered her life ever being normal. And she had Cale to thank for that. If that bastard wouldn’t have attacked her, she never would have left with Max that night—never would have gone back to his place for a “pit stop”—and never would have gotten roofied. She never would have woken up the next morning with pain between her legs, bruises and bite marks all over her body, and zero recollection of how they got there.
Bile stung the back of her throat as she fought against a wave of nausea. No doubt, that bastard had recognized her, too, given how he’d turned tail and run at the sight of her. Did he feel bad for what he’d done to her? Doubtful. It was more likely he hoped she wouldn’t remember who the hell he was and rat him out to Mitch. If she thought, for one second, that telling him would make a difference in whether or not he left with those assholes, she’d have spilt her guts in a heartbeat.
The one with the black hair cocked his head, watching her over the hood of the cherry red convertible. Boldly, Ashley returned his stare. After a brief moment, he looked away and whispered something to Cale. She’d never seen him before, but by the way he looked at her, she’d be willing to bet he knew who she was. Had Cale told him what he’d done to her?
The front door slammed shut, and Ashley looked up to see Mitch jogging toward them, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. She rolled down her window and called to him before he could veer left. “Hey, Mitch, I hope you all don’t mind, but I’m going to drive myself. I get terrible car sickness. You wanna ride shotgun?”
“Sure. Looks like we’ll follow you,” he called to Cale and his friend as he walked over to the rear passenger door, opened it, and tossed his bag in the back before climbing into the passenger seat. “Look,” he said, turning toward her as she fired up the engine, “I know I told you not to come, but I want you to know I really am glad you’re here. I’m not an idiot. I know these guys are dangerous, but right now they’re my only chance at getting Olivia back.”
She pulled out of his driveway and waited for Cale to do the same.
“So…uh…does Balen know you’re here?”
“Of course he does, and he isn’t very happy about it, either.”
“‘S’pose he isn’t. So, why are you doing it?”
“Because where I go, he goes, and right now he’s your only chance of coming out of this alive.”
“I’m sure he’s real thrilled about that,” Mitch replied sarcastically, glancing over at her.
“Less than… But you’re my friend, and even though you’re making an incredibly stupid mistake, I don’t want to see you die because of it. And Olivia is my best friend, and Liam needs Balen’s help. He won’t leave me, so if I don’t come with you, Liam is on his own and I don’t want to see him or Olivia getting killed.”
“Can they do that?” Mitch asked, sounding a little too intrigued by the idea, if you asked her. “Do you think they could kill Liam?”
“I don’t really know. I think under the right circumstances that maybe they could, but some things are worse than death, Mitch, and it’s Olivia they’re after. If she died, it would crush him. He’d spend eternity knowing that he failed her.”
***
Cale glanced into the rearview mirror. His face naturally tightened into a scowl at the yellow Mustang trailing behind them. His mood only grew increasingly foul when he glanced over and saw Rhen watching him, his shrewd gaze assessing him with blatant scrutiny.
“You want to tell me what’s gotten into your craw?”
“Not really,” Cale grumbled.
“I don’t know what you’re getting so bent about. It really doesn’t matter how they get to Vegas as long as we get him there, right? Besides, those two spending hour after hour alone in the car together has got to be driving Balen bat shit. Mitch may say he loves Olivia, but I saw the way he looked at Ashley when she asked him to ride with her.”
“Have you called Rowen yet?” Cale asked, having no interest in discussing any of this with him.
Rhen shook his head, dug the cell out of his pocket, and tossed it into Cale’s lap. He flinched when the phone connected with his nut sack, sending a dull, nauseating ache burrowing into his gut. “Watch it, dammit!”
Rhen chuckled. He was tempted to bust the bastard right in the lip. Then they’d see who was laughing.
“Quit being such a bitch and call him. Let him know we’re on our way with Mitch…and Balen’s ward. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to take credit for that fuck up. ‘The more the merrier’,” he scoffed. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’d like to introduce my fist to your face, asshole.”
Rhen’s grating laughter had him clutching the steering wheel with barely controlled restraint.
“Jeez, aren’t we testy. You know, that female’s the key to this working out now. Mitch will follow her lead. You’re going to have to work a bit harder to gain her trust.”
Now Cale laughed, a sarcastic bark that sent Rhen’s brow arching in surprise. “Yeah… I’m pretty sure I’ve already burned that bridge.”
“What?” Rhen snapped.
Cale sighed. “Because I, uh, kinda gave her a hard time a few years ago. And I have a suspicion that she remembers me.”
Rhen’s scowl jacked tighter. “What do you mean by a ‘hard time,’ Cale? What did you do?”
“I might have assaulted her.”
A snarl tore from his lips in a foul curse. “You’re shitting me, right?” It was a damn good thing looks couldn’t kill, because Rhen was hate-vibing the hell out of him right now.
Cale shook his head. “I wish I was—”
“Does Balen know?” Rhen demanded.
“How the hell should I know?” he snapped defensively. “He’s never said anything to me about it.”
“Well, I’m sure he will after today.”
Cale shot Rhen a glare and snarked, “You know, you’re going to have to stop acting like such a dick if you expect to get close enough to Ashley to gain her trust.” It felt good to push Rhen’s buttons for a change.
Chapter Twenty
Liam was torn between returning to Olivia and finding Rowen. After talking to Haden, there was
no doubt the demon had to die. Hearing about the sick shit that bastard planned to do to her, if given the chance, had lit off his primal instincts that were already running hot since he’d indulged in the forbidden fruit of Olivia’s flesh.
And Haden had taken distinct pleasure in filling him in, watching him like a bug under glass. Those pale green eyes took in every tensing muscle of Liam’s rigid body. He even had the balls to smirk when Liam’s jaw clenched in barely controlled rage.
The question that kept plaguing him was why did Haden want to throw his Dark Court buddy under the bus? He had to know after the shit he’d said, Liam would kill him. And there was no better time than the present. Picking them off one by one was preferable to taking them all on at once, not that he wouldn’t do it if that’s what he needed to do to keep Olivia safe.
He had no intention of resting until Rowen and his legion were eliminated. Where it got tricky was figuring out what in the hell he was going to do about Haden. It’d been a hell of a shock to discover that after all these years, the rumors had been true—a Nephilim did exist. And that was just damn unfortunate news, because Haden, like all Nephilim, possessed a seventh sense that made them excellent hunters. They stalked their prey with an unrelenting tenacity, and Liam knew that as long as Haden had Olivia on his radar, there wasn’t anywhere he couldn’t find her.
And because of his maternal heritage, Haden possessed enough humanity that the lucky bastard fell under the blood covering of Christ, which meant he couldn’t just kill him. No doubt, the piece of shit had known it, too, which was probably why he’d been so forthcoming on the deets about his bloodline.
He didn’t need Haden to tell him where to find Rowen. Clearly, the Nephilim underestimated Liam and his own hunting abilities. But this wasn’t about his pride, so he’d let the half-breed talk. When dealing with an unknown enemy, such as a Nephilim, the less he knew about Liam, the better.
Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) Page 18
