Beelzebub Girl (15 page)

Maybe you're just standing in a particular spot, or you're overly sensitive to the thunder. Some people complain about a strange sense in their bones right before the onset of rain."

Rolling his eyes, he pulled me closer. "That's called arthritis. I'm pretty sure I don't suffer from that condition just yet."

"Perhaps you will in the future. Make sure you drink your glass of milk every day."

"You're not taking me seriously, Cass."

I smiled and cuddled against him. A blue spark flickered where our skin met. He flinched. "Got to love static electricity," I said, lest he start asking questions.

"If you say so," he mumbled.

I guided him to a car, hoping he wouldn't notice it wasn't the same as our rental which one of Dad's employees returned the day before.

"Everyone around here's used to this phenomenon. Maybe it's time to stop paying attention to it. So man up and get used to it."

"Oh, I'll man up all right." Grinning, he reached out to grab me. I jumped into the driver's seat and shut the door. "Quick reflexes,"

Dallas said, seemingly impressed.

"Yep. Now, get in." I chuckled and adjusted the rear-view mirror, then started the engine as he got in. Time to change the subject before his inquisitive mind focused back on the portal. "Did Amber say anything about us dating?"

"She's cool with it."

"That's what she said?" I pulled out of the parking lot, barely paying attention to the crowded street because my heart was racing in my chest. Usually, I couldn't care less what anyone thought, but Amber played a huge part in Dallas's life and could influence his decisions.

"She said you're great and that she's okay with it if we start seeing each other."

I smirked. "How nice of her."

"I'd rather my girlfriend got along with my family," Dallas said.

"It saves drama."

Drama was exciting. The more tension, the better. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that? "Did you also mention that on our very first date, we decided to skip the dating and move in together? And that it was completely your idea?"

He laughed. "I think I left out the tiny details."

"You're right. Your family approving of me is the most important thing in this relationship." If he noticed the sarcasm in my voice, he didn't comment on it.

Turning the car, I changed lanes and drove past a petrol station into a broad road with dilapidated buildings towering on both sides.

Small shops advertised cheap haircuts and designer clothes, all knockoffs of
Gucci
and
Prada
available for a fragment of the runway price. Children played on the sidewalks next to women clad in tiny shorts and tank tops. As we passed a dark alley, I was sure I heard gunshots and people screaming.

Dallas snorted. "So this is where the stars shop in Beverly Hills?

It doesn't look like Rodeo Drive."

"Only the ones that plummet at the box office." I peered at a guy in what looked like a trench coat selling fake
Rolex
watches in front of a fast-food restaurant. "I'm taking a shortcut." From the corner of my eye, I spotted a frown on his face. Amber must've said something because he was more suspicious than before.

Two beady, yellow eyes glowed in the headlights. I hit the brake hard. The car came to a standstill, throwing us forward, as an animal as big as a dog scurried by and into the maze of trashcans.

Dallas shot me an irritated glance. "Come on, Cass. What's with all the back alley shortcuts? I'd rather not get eaten alive by giant sewer rats."

He looked so cute with that expression on his face. "Don't tell me a big, tough guy like yourself is afraid of a little dog?"

"You call that thing little?" Snorting, he looked up at a graffiti image splashed across the concrete wall of a building. Big block letters in a rainbow of colours glared out at us. "Great. We're in gang territory. Can't you just take the main road like everyone else? I'd rather we didn't end up dead somewhere in a gutter."

"Or a wheelie bin." I laughed. "Relax and embrace your inner thug."

"If someone comes near us with a tire iron, I can fight if I have to. Trust me, I'm no wimp."

Definitely hit a soft spot there. I leaned over and squeezed his hand. "I've been here a million times and know my way around." Which was true. Not even New York boasted the same amount of drama and human emotion so, naturally, I came here often.

"If you say so," he muttered.

We stopped at the traffic lights. A group of youngsters crossed the street, yelling and shoving, proud of a crime they'd just committed. I focused and saw hazy pictures flashing through my mind.

Raiding a building. Stealing half a pound of drugs. I closed my eyes, slowly inhaling their elation caused by a surge in adrenaline. There was something else though. The air around them darkened, carrying the imminent scent of disaster and pain. Unbeknown to them, they were about to die.

"We shouldn't be here," Dallas whispered. "Please just drive."

I opened my eyes again and turned to face him, only now noticing the colour had drained from his cheeks. The bond was slowly making him sense a bit of how I felt. He wasn't used to having a sixth sense so, naturally, he didn't know how to handle it, or so I thought.

The lights changed to green, but the youngsters lingered in the middle of the street. Two large, hooded figures appeared on the sidewalk behind them and pulled out guns. My knees started to tremble, but not from fear.

Dallas opened the car door when I grabbed his arm. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”

“Those are just boys, Cass. I can’t watch them die and not do a thing. Stay here, call the police, and lock the doors.”

A sense of thrill washed over me. I could barely discern his words. The hooded figures raised their guns and aimed.

Don't let him go,
Kinky shouted in my eardrum. Since when was he shying away from a bit of drama?
You'll lose him if he gets stabbed
or shot.

I peered at Dallas's face, still scared and confused but willing to risk his life to save someone else's. Kinky was right. If Dallas got hurt, I’d lose the love of my life and I'd be bound to Hell forever.

"Pinky, stop them," I whispered even though helping defied every rule in Heaven and Hell. Literally. Not even I was allowed to intervene in such a situation without authorisation from a higher source like Dad, or the other big guy who happened to be Mum's boss.

How?
Pinky wailed.
I don't have the power.

Tell them to be nice and love each other,
Kinky said.
If you
mess up, you'll be stuck in Hell with Cass forever.

Oh, no.
Tears shimmered in Pinky's eyes.

Is he going to cry?
Kinky mocked.

I don't want to be stuck in Hell.
Pinky's thin voice turned into a long howl. The poor mite was terrified at the outlook just as much as I was.

"What are you waiting for? Get out there!" I muttered under my breath. Pinky sighed and disappeared.

Dallas yanked his arm away and fled out the door. A horn honked, then another. The youngsters started to shout obscenities at a
Rolls Royce
with gold flames on the sides and hood, magenta spokes, chrome rims, and dark-tinted windows. I rolled my eyes. A towering giant with the biggest arms I’d ever seen in my entire life walked toward Dallas swinging a tyre iron. My heart leapt in my chest. I was surprised the guy didn’t fall over with the ton of gold necklaces he wore around his neck like
Mr. T.
from the
A-team
. I had to do something, but what? Freezing time would've been a good choice, but I couldn't. I only have the power to do that once a year, and I already used that option up at lunch with Mum and Dad when their arguing gave me a headache.

Rushing toward them, I craned my neck to get a better glimpse when I noticed the shiny halo hovering in mid-air. One of the hooded guys held up a hand to the other as Pinky whispered in his ear.

Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened. Dallas squared his shoulders, exchanging a heated conversation with the muscular man. Something about, 'Leave the kids alone and get the hell of here.' The man shoved him hard, but it wasn’t enough to deter Dallas. He shoved him back. I was happy my man wasn’t a wimp and could handle himself, but this guy was dangerous and could pull out a knife. Dallas’s tough guy act was no match against a blade of steel. We needed to get away before a fight erupted resulting in a shooting.

"Get rid of the kids…now!" I whispered, knowing Pinky could hear me.

The lights changed from green to red. The hooded figures hesitated; their agitation was palpable in the air. The youngsters started shoving the driver. It was a matter of seconds before they took out whatever weapons they were carrying and caused yet another atrocity in our already brutal world.

If I had to, I’d jump in there and claw out everyone's eyes before they lay a single hand on the love of my life. Who was I kidding? There was also the problem of stepping into the heart of the drama. The currents could be too strong and I might not have the willpower to protest and stop what was about to take place. No matter how much I wanted to, my fallen angel nature wouldn't let me.

A thud clanked on the ground. The muscular guy had dropped his tyre iron and hugged Dallas, mumbling something like, "I’m a lover, not a fighter."

Dallas eased from his arms. “I don’t swing that way, man.”

I inched closer and pulled Dallas away, shouting over my shoulder, “Yeah, he loves you, too. Got to go. It’s been a blast."

“Thanks, dude,” the guy said.

“Cass!” Dallas yelled. “Get back in the car.”

I smiled and jumped into the driver's seat. “Looks like you diffused the situation.”

He shook his head. “That was weird. One minute the guy wanted to kill me and the next he wanted to hug me like I was his best friend.”

“Got to love crazy California, huh?”

I started the engine as the hooded figures put away their guns and turned on their heel. Pinky appeared on my shoulder, his eyes were filled with pride.

"Didn't you forget something?" I muttered.

“Oh, thanks. My wallet fell out of my pocket." Dallas reached down to pick it up.

I was talking to Pinky. "What about them?" I whispered.

Pinky whimpered and vanished again, only to materialise over the youngsters' heads a moment later. His eyes were closed, his arms wide-open, stretched out to the side as though in meditation.

Why's he praying? Kinky said.

I shook my head, signalling that I didn't know. He must be appealing to the youngsters' conscience. I could only hope they had one. But it wasn't the youths who backed off. Holding out his hands in a peace sign, the driver turned away and walked slowly to his vehicle.

The shouting continued, but the crowd of kids slowly dissipated as the lights changed from red to green again. I revved the car and sped off.

The deep lines around Dallas's mouth told me he was still confused what just happened. Too bad he was about to experience another surprise within the next ten minutes.

"Please tell me you're not taking yet another shortcut," Dallas said.

I killed the engine. "We're getting out."

He narrowed his gaze and peered out the window at the busy street with rundown housing complexes to both sides. "Why here?"

"Because we wouldn't find a parking space on Rodeo Drive. It's only a minute or two away. Walking's healthy." Smiling, I jumped out of the car and shot a fleeting look at the dirty alley to our right. Next to it, the dark brown building with its boarded windows and peeling plaster gave it an even more menacing flair.

"Maybe we could shop another day," Dallas said. But he followed me out nonetheless. His gaze swept over the rundown area, lingering on a group of tourists emerging from a house on the other side of the road. One would think, after living in London for most of his life and travelling to so many countries, he should be unperturbed by crowds, but as usual Dallas proved any cliché wrong.

"If you could settle down anywhere in the world, where would it be?" I asked, inching closer.

He hesitated, his eyes still darting about uneasily. "If I tell you, can we go there this very second?"

"Maybe."

"Your air-conditioned house."

I turned to face him. "You're so full of it. You hate the heat in California."

"Well, I'm thinking I'm loving your house right now. Watching the game on TV with a bowl of popcorn and an ice cold drink with you snuggled up in my arms sounds like heaven."

"You don't like cities very much, do you?" I grinned and held out my hand. He grabbed it and grimaced.

"I abhor them. It's like being caged in with nothing but dust and exhaust fumes to breathe."

I waited for the traffic to slow down and stop at the traffic lights before I pulled him across the street. "Rodeo Drive's right over there. You can smell
Gucci
and
Armani
from here, or so it's said."

"Really?" He shot me an amused look. "All I can smell is the bins over there and rotting garbage spilling out of them." He stopped and took a whiff. "I think someone's having cabbage for lunch."

I winked. "Maybe it's
Chanel's
new perfume."

"If it is, don't expect to get it as a Christmas present." He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me against his chest. His gaze glazed over, lingering on my lips. He wanted to kiss me. I groaned inwardly. Seriously? This was the most perfect moment he could find for our first kiss, surrounded by waste and smog?

I pulled away, disgusted by the aroma of onions wafting past.

"We came here to shop, so shopping's all you’re getting."

He grabbed my hand, pulling me back into his embrace as he whispered, "I thought you'd appreciate a guy who shared the same interests."

That's why he offered we pay Rodeo Drive a visit? A smile spread across my lips. "I thought by agreeing to come here I was doing you a favour."

"You're not into shopping either." His mouth moved closer, his hot breath caressed my cheek, making it tingle. I felt a strong pull toward him, hurrying me to pull him close and never let go. My emotions overwhelmed me, making me choke on my breath.