Rule Breakers, Soul Takers (Hell Runners Book 1)

by Jacqueline Jayne

  “Near Niall. We’ll pick him up on the way by.”

  Taking off at a trot, they followed Zane toward the impossibly large doors. Amidst the constant drone of torture, a light, flirtatious laugh floated on the air, growing stronger as they neared the door.

  Prudence glanced at him and shook her head. “What could be funny down here?”

  Zane put a finger to his lips and jutted his chin toward the sexy giggles.

  Like many high-level executives, a buxom beauty guarded the boss’s door. Platinum blonde, bright pink lips, and huge boobs crammed into a shirt two sizes too small.

  “Boone’s doin’ what Boone knows best,” Zane chortled.

  Having charmed his way to her side of the desk, Boone sat on the edge with his cowboy hat pushed back, a shock of hair skimming his brow. He grinned wide, overplaying his drawl while he recounted a story about his rodeo days. Boone sometimes rode for show but didn’t have rodeo cred. Still, he played the part well, laughing and throwing himself forward like bucking a bull, almost driving right into her cleavage.

  Jesse had never seen a demon succumb to human charm, and he didn’t rule out somehow she was charming Boone instead. Either way, the guard was occupied.

  “Good job, Boone,” he said under his breath. He winked at Prudence. “Ready, partner?”

  “Not yet,” Niall said, materializing. “From this point forward, you must proceed with extreme prejudice.”

  “Extreme prejudice?” He snorted. “We can’t kill him. He’s Baalberith.”

  “But you may disable him by executing someone else.” Niall raised an eyebrow.

  “Whoa.” He fumed, understanding the ghost all too well. “We’re not sacrificing Swift.”

  The shade intensified his glare. “He wouldn’t hesitate to toss you into a pit if it was for the greater good. Remember, he believes in sacrificing everything to succeed. Greater than you care to admit.”

  “He’s not—”

  “See it as you want, but the truth is the truth. I won’t be available to help.” The shade turned to Prudence. “We had a deal. It is time for your side of the bargain.”

  “A deal?” He stared at his partner. “What kind of deal?”

  “I needed to find you, and it’s not like Niall doesn’t deserve it.”

  “Deserve what?”

  “I’m carrying him to Heaven’s Door with the others.”

  His face went hot. He shouted, shoving a finger into Niall’s nose. “You weren’t worried about her. You were worried about yourself. All your fuss was a sham.”

  “I have always been sincere when it concerns Prudence. But I do admit to being an opportunist. Without a doubt, the Door to Heaven is guarded by Baalberith, though he doesn’t realize it. He’s drawn to the location by his desire, but that same desire overwhelms his sight. He can’t see it. If he could, we wouldn’t want to own you.

  “But the doors are why you can see the path. This is it. If I am ever to escape, if I’m ever to see my Siobhan again, the time is now.”

  “He’s done so much to help us, Jess. Be happy for him. He’s earned his freedom.”

  “But now’s when we need him most.”

  She shook her head, eyes pleading for him to agree. “If he’s seen helping us today, you can guarantee it would be the last time. He’d be erased from existence. It’s not fair.”

  Her logic was spot on. No matter how he resisted, Jesse had a soft spot for the shade. He nodded. “Fine. You’ve earned reward, ghost. We never needed you anyway.”

  “I’ll accept that as your fond farewell.”

  “Let’s do it,” she said, opening her arms.

  In a cloudy swirl, the shade disappeared into Prudence. She sucked in a gasp and wavered and then dug her fingers into the front of Jesse’s shirt for support.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She grinned wide. “Niall’s not like the others. I can hear him speak. Maybe he can still help.” She shrugged out of her backpack and unzipped it. “And he knows what to do with my gift from Mom.”

  A blinding light burst from the opening, and she plunged one hand inside. She cocked her elbow wide and let the bag fall from around her treasure.

  Shining bright blue, Jesse felt the pulsing of the halo all the way to his core. He shielded his eyes and backed away from Prudence.

  As if the Holy Water gift wasn’t bad enough.

  “For fuck’s sake don’t touch me with that.”

  »»•««

  Except for the extraordinary size, the offices of Baalberith could have belonged to any other wealthy-art-loving-pension-stealing-heartless-executive. His tastes ran eclectic from Klimt and Pollock paintings to Rodin sculptures and Calder mobiles, with a wide variety of refurbished torture devices—the iron maiden, the guillotine, the electric chair, and a few Jesse didn’t recognize.

  Fortunately, all the devices were empty. Jack and Swift were nowhere to be found.

  Neither was Baalberith.

  “I’ve got the distinct feeling this isn’t the last stop.” He turned to Zane. “Peel Boone off the secretary. We shouldn’t be separated.”

  “I don’t see a way out.” Prudence circled a few feet away from him.

  “There are lots of ways out,” he said, pointing to the floor where he could see the markers of gold and light. “The path splits at least six times. But I don’t believe any of them will take us home.”

  “I’m always home when I’m with you.”

  He kissed the top of her tawny head, the only safe place at this point.

  Boone hustled in behind Zane. “Sorry it took so long. Chicks tend to get a little clingy with me.”

  The door behind them slammed shut, and the finality stretched a cord along Jesse’s spine. He didn’t bother trying the knob.

  “Welcome.” Baalberith’s voice boomed in surround sound.

  “Ah crap,” Boone whispered. “Nothing worse than a melodramatic douche.”

  “Cut the bullshit theatrics.” Jesse approached the empty desk at the center of the massive room.

  Like a short-circuited hologram, the ornate office vanished, only to be replaced by a bank of fog.

  Predictably, the fog shifted, and Baalberith glided forward on an elaborate throne hovering ten feet off the ground. He had donned the royal colors of claret and purple, and his robes flowed in velvet folds below his feet. He stood out like a gem against the plain dirt and stone walls of the hollowed-out cave.

  And the six plain wooden doors lining the wall behind him.

  A thread of hope wove into Jesse’s tension.

  One had to open into Heaven.

  Jesse glanced to the ground. A golden trail led to each one. Were they all viable? If not, how would he choose?

  “I see you’re not the sort to be late to your own funeral.” Despite his imperial attire, the former angel grimaced and leaned, unbalanced by his amputated wing. “Or your father’s.” Baalberith waved his right hand, and the rest of the fog cleared from the cave.

  “Daddy.” Prudence drew in a sharp gasp.

  Jesse curled his fingers around her sweaty hand. He burned, but he’d do what he could to keep her from running to her father. “Don’t move or say anything. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

  Instead of nodding, she squeezed his hand.

  Jack lay stretched out on a bed of barbed wire, his arms and legs tied down. Dots of blood mapped his bare chest. His face was flushed deep red, and sweat dripped from every pore. Still, Jesse could see his jaw set tight, too proud and too stubborn to give the demon an answer to his absurd request.

  A board with a hundred protruding knives hung over him, prepared to drop at Baalberith’s command.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t love Daddy enough to say your goodbyes? Tsk. Tsk. Kids these days. Totally ungrateful.”

  “Get on with it, asshole,” Jack said through clenched teeth. “Kill me.”

  “Not yet.” With another hand wave, Jack’s breathing graduated from controlled pant to ra
gged gulps. Without flexing a single muscle, the barbs worked deeper. His nostrils flared, and his mouth twisted against a scream.

  “Expediency dulls the enjoyment, don’t you think?” The throne lowered and deposited Baalberith only a few feet away from Jack. He snapped his fingers, and the cave lighted bright with flaming torches.

  A flash of gold, similar to the beads that marked the path seen by his second sight, bounced off the demon’s chest. Jesse squinted and focused. A pendant swinging from a chain?

  Fuck.

  Too far away to distinguish detail. Detail might be important. Emboldened, he moved forward.

  Not a pendant. A key?

  Swift’s translation rang in his ears.

  The key is guarded with the lock.

  Not lock as in the lock on the door.

  LOC as in Lord of the Covenant.

  The key of Jarameel?

  His eyes flicked behind Baalberith. Sonofabitch. One had to be the Door of Enoch.

  If Jesse could lay his hands on that key, this whole mess could all be over in a flash.

  He’d have to guard his thoughts and his tongue. No whispers to Prudence. Their connection would have to be enough.

  Keeping his gaze steady, he focused on Baalberith’s face. If given time, the giant shit ass would expose his weakness. The boastful always do.

  “Where’s Swift? We want them both.”

  “Both?” The demon smirked. “You’ll get one. If that.” He waved an arm, revealing Swift’s precarious position.

  His old partner stood, bound to a ladder with his arms extended above his head. He gripped a broadsword by the hilt. The heavy blade rested against the single rope that suspended the tray of knives hovering over Jack.

  A simple mousetrap. If they tried to remove Jack from the bed, a counterweight would drop and shoot Swift up in the air, forcing the blade to cut the rope. It would be fast. With each of them cutting through the bindings at his wrists and ankles, the chances of getting him off the bed in time were close to nil. Once the sword cut the rope, the sword’s trajectory would slice into Swift.

  Swift’s arm shook under the weight of the sword. If he cut through now, he’d have the control to wield the sword away, saving his own life. But murdering Jack.

  “I see you’re admiring my handiwork,” Baalberith gloated. “Choose one. Go ahead. Save your favorite.”

  Prudence glanced to him, her eyes a blur of questions and tears.

  “Pst,” Zane called behind them.

  They all huddled close, and he whispered, “We need a plan, dude. Swift isn’t going to hold out much longer.”

  “Swift will hold out longer than you think. He’s a half-breed demon and Baalberith’s his father.”

  “Sheeee-iiiit. Devil Son?” Boone’s deep voice amplified in the cave’s acoustics. “I always knew there was something hinky about him.”

  “Shhh.” Zane shot his brother a look. “Shut your pie-hole.”

  Jesse waved them in closer. “Chances are Baalberith won’t kill him. No matter what he wants us to believe. We have to make a play for Jack. I’ll take his hands, you each take a foot. We’ll whip him off the bed toward Swift’s perch. It’ll tear up his back, but the plate of knives will miss him, and Swift will be knocked free of his post without being speared.”

  “Baalberith’s not going to stand there and let us save them,” Zane said.

  “I think he will.” Prudence smiled at them, her eyes shining with hope. “Niall says if I hold out the halo, it will be enough of a barrier. We can back out the way we came in.”

  “Halo?” Boone asked.

  “No. We need to open the door first. Neither one of us could live without releasing the souls.”

  “What halo?” Boone insisted.

  “The one in my pack. It’s off a Guardian Angel. Now stop asking questions.” She shook her head and bit her lip. “We don’t have the key. We can’t open it. We don’t know which door it is either.”

  “Sneak a peek at Baalberith and tell me what you see.”

  She glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder. “A smug prick.”

  “Besides that. Look at what’s hanging from his neck.”

  She stole another look, longer this time, and squinted to focus. The bastard glowered at her like a testy cat.

  “I can’t make it out. Some kind of jewelry?”

  “It’s a key. It glows for me like the path does. I think one of those is the Door of Enoch.”

  “Maybe. But how do we find out?”

  “Hurry up, guys!” Swift shouted. “Make a fucking decision.”

  “So what are we doing? Saving Jack or getting the key?” Zane asked.

  “Both.” Prudence nodded. “According to Niall, the halo holds a lot of power. He’s just not sure in what way.”

  “So?” Boone urged them with his hands.

  “So, we’re winging it,” Jesse said. He spoke to Prudence. “Once your dad is free, fling the halo to Zane, then Zane to Boone. The halo is like money down here. Baalberith won’t be able to keep his eyes off of it and will try and take it. In the confusion, of escaping prisoners and a flying halo, I’ll nab the key.”

  “Be careful.” She leaned in for a kiss and then caught herself. “Promise me, after we shut down the First Ring—

  “Shut down the First Ring? Swift’s a demon?”

  “Half demon,” Prudence corrected.

  “Whatever. I wish you would have brought us up to speed sooner. Like from the start.” Zane sighed and straightened to his full height.

  “Next time.” Jesse nudged him with an elbow.

  “I hope there isn’t a next time,” Zane said. “I don’t know what y’all have been up to, but you can count on us to do whatever it takes.”

  “Yeah. But in case there ain’t a next time, I’d like to mount that other wing on my bedroom wall.” Boone flicked open his pocket knife and then whooped like he had eight seconds to ride the bull.

  Chapter Thirty

  Prudence shrugged off her backpack and ran behind Jesse toward her father’s torture bed.

  “Finally. A rescue mission.” Baalberith propped a hand on the back of his throne. “How I delight in futility.”

  She yanked down the zipper on her bag, and the halo jumped up and into her palm. Light pulsed steady as a lighthouse beacon, the ring surprisingly cool in her clutches. No burn like with her dad. She gripped it with both hands and held it up, swiveling to face the demon.

  Through the center of halo, she watched his jaw drop and then clench until his whole face tensed.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “Your Watcher left it behind. Personally, I think he did it on purpose so we could destroy you.”

  “You won’t destroy me, Vessel.”

  Worry churned in her stomach, but she didn’t falter. She’d hoped the halo would annihilate the demon. But since he couldn’t lie, she knew that was no longer possible.

  “You’re a fool.” Baalberith chuckled, a little too loud and a little too fake. “You don’t understand the power you’re wielding.”

  At Niall’s instructions, she pushed further into his space, waggling the bait.

  He backed off, the same way Jesse had.

  “Then I’ll learn. So, teller-of-truth, is this halo better used as a weapon, or a tool?”

  His face contorted, fighting against his curse. “It is equal.”

  “Can it heal?” she asked, thinking about her father’s intense wounds.

  “Yes,” he hissed.

  Niall whispered a question, and she relayed it with a smile. “Will it slow time?”

  He took so long to answer that she thought the halo already had. Through tight lips, he answered. “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “It obeys the thoughts of a Guardian Angel. One worthy to guard between the realms.” He slumped. “That’s all I know.”

  She swiveled away from him, watching the slow sawing of the bonds at her father’s wrists and legs. And the inevitable sli
ce of the sword above.

  “Please, please, please.” She may not be worthy on her own, but maybe combined virtue would do the trick. She clutched the halo close to her body, hoping it would sense her sincerity and that of all the souls she carried.

  Everyone froze, including Zane and Boone and Jesse working the bonds on her father.

  It wasn’t exactly how she imagined slowing time would work.

  Niall advised her again. You can still move. Touch the halo to the bonds.

  Of course. She ran to her dad’s feet and burst the cords with a single touch of the ring. Next, she ran to Jesse, his body rigid and hunched, holding her father’s wrist with his hands and his knife.

  Her breath catching in her chest, she stomped in a circle. There’d be no way to cut the ties without touching Jesse. And the halo might kill him. She might kill him. The man she loved more than she ever thought she could love anyone.

  But they’d all die if she didn’t follow through with the plan.

  The shade broke into her thoughts.

  Healing.

  One word was enough.

  The demon didn’t lie. Couldn’t lie.

  Neither would Niall.

  She slid the edge of the halo as close to the bonds as she could. They sliced in two, freeing her father’s hands.

  He groaned, slow and low.

  The spell broke.

  Time resumed.

  Then Jesse hit the ground with a thud.

  »»•««

  “Jesse!” She dropped the halo, forgetting to sail it over to Zane. Her heart shuddered as his face went gray.

  A shockwave rippled through the air and Swift yelled, a sound as rich and thick as blood pumping from an open wound.

  Prudence craned her neck to look up.

  He wobbled on the ladder, struggling hard to keep his arms from dropping. The counterweight jostled, and she could easily imagine losing her dad in the next instant.

  “Zane! Boone!” She gripped her father’s biceps with both hands, the barbs ripping through her thin skin. “Grab on!”

  The Gideon brothers recovered quickly, and as planned, each latched onto a leg.

  “Lift!” Zane ordered.

  With all her might she pulled up.

  Her father screamed, and for a second, she felt his agony cut through her empathic barriers. Despite the intense pain, he pushed off the barbs, helping them thrust his body against the counterweight.