Hell Bound (Seventh Level Book 2) (15 page)

“Forever isn’t long enough,” he whispered.

* * * * *

Mark slipped the clean shirt on just as the air filled with screaming. With a dry pair of shoes and socks still on the bed, he dashed out of his bedroom and ran as fast as he could down the curved staircase. The sight meeting him at the bottom stopped him in his tracks.

“What the he—”Mark caught himself. “What is going on down here?”

Justice was sitting on the sofa smiling while Kathy was on the other side of the room with both arms wrapped around Cole. As soon as Kathy saw Mark, she pointed at Justice and screeched, “This man is trying to steal Cole!” The child in question struggled until he twisted out of her arms and ran over to join Justice.

She chased after Cole, grabbing him just before he could climb onto the couch. “Cole, stay with me. You don’t know where this man has been.”

Justice laughed and turned toward Mark. “I like her.”

Kathy struggled to keep Cole from escaping again. She leveled a cold stare on Mark. “You know this guy?”

Mark ran his hands through his wet hair. As soon as his heart stopped trying to climb out of his throat, he walked over to stand next to Justice. “Justice, this is Kathy Sullivan.” He turned toward Kathy. “Kathy, this is Justice. He’s in charge of ground’s security.”

“Ground’s security,” she repeated as if she’d never considered such a thing. Seeming to switch tactics, she raised her eyebrows. “That’s it, only Justice? The man doesn’t have a last name?”

The sofa creaked as Justice lifted his massive weigh off it. He walked over to her and offered his hand. Instead of taking it she took a step backwards and clutched Cole even tighter against her chest.

Justice crossed his arms. His smile never slipped. “My name is Justice. Where I am from, last names are irrelevant.”

While Kathy was busy trying to make sense out of Justice’s explanation, Cole slipped out of her arms again. He tried climbing Justice’s leg, so the muscle-bound man picked him up.

Stepping into the conversation before Kathy decided to call 9-1-1, Mark took the spot between her and Justice. “Wade has a crazy stalker and I’m afraid she might decide to do something horrible to attract his attraction, something like kidnapping Cole.” He nodded at Justice. “Justice is just pulling your leg. Of course, he has a last name. It’s Smith.”

The bald giant quirked an eyebrow, and Mark tried silently conveying he should go with the flow. Not missing a beat Justice smiled and nodded.

“Mr. Smith?” She rolled her eyes and took Cole out of his arms. “Okay. Whatever. If you don’t want me to know your last name, that’s fine.”

As if sensing it was all the explanation she was going to get, she turned to Mark. “Did you feed Cole his lunch?”

Knowing he was in big trouble even before he answered, Mark looked at his bare feet. “He wanted cereal.”

Somehow, Kathy’s eyebrows rose even higher and her lips thinned out so much they all but disappeared. “I’m never leaving Cole alone with you again. You had one thing to do while I went home to pick up more clothes, and you couldn’t even do it right.”

Justice patted Cole’s head. “Don’t leave again without taking me or Mark with you and don’t take Cole out of this house without me. In fact, the more he stays in his room the safer it will be for the both of you.”

If they had been in a children’s cartoon, smoke would have been pouring out of Kathy’s ears. Her voice notched up at least three octaves. “Oh yeah and who are you to be giving me orders? I’m here as a favor to my best friend, Morgan. I’ve never taken orders from any man, and I’m not taking them from an oversize Mr. Clean.”

She jutted out her chin and dared for Justice or Mark to contradict her. When neither of them said anything, she turned on her heel and headed toward the stairway. She spoke again when she reached the first step. “I’m taking Cole to his room.” She turned and glared at them. “And not because you told me too, Mr. Smith. It’s his naptime and he’s not used to all the commotion.” She made a point of looking directly at Mark. “I’ll talk to you again later about why it’s important for a growing boy to eat a nutritious meal and not junk food.” She stomped all the way up the staircase. It might have made more of an impression if Cole hadn’t been trying to climb over her shoulder the entire time. The struggle took away some of the dignity from her grand exit.

As soon as she was completely out of sight, Mark turned to Justice. “Let’s go outside. We need to talk.” He didn’t wait for a response before heading out toward the backyard.

Neither of them spoke again until they were outside. Mark made certain the patio door was closed. “Okay. Who are you anyway? Every time there is trouble, there you are. You go from working the door of the Collector’s Club, to security for a man stalked by a demon. There’s something I’m not seeing here.”

Instead of appearing ruffled by Mark’s indignation, Justice merely folded his arms across his chest and drew in a deep breath. “I am the keeper of the doorway between heaven and hell. It’s my job to ensure justice is served.”

Mark might have brushed off Justice’s explanation, but his years on the police force had taught him a lot about people. His gut said Justice was telling the truth. Of course, it didn’t hurt he had seen too much shit already. “Okay. Let’s say I believe you. Why are you here, or better yet, why haven’t you stopped Pamela from tormenting Wade?”

“It is not in my nature to interfere in deals already made and I’m not here for Wade.”

Confusion crowded Mark’s brain. “Morgan?”

“Cole.”

Justice’s one word answer sent a chill down Mark’s spine. “But he’s just a baby. What possible gain is there in such a thing?”

“Wade signed away his first born child’s soul for fame and fortune.”

Mark rocked backwards as if Justice had struck him in the face. “The man I know would never have done what you’re accusing him of.” He scrubbed his palms across his face trying to sort out his thoughts. “Wade loves Cole.”

Justice didn’t say anything, but his expression clearly said he wasn’t used to anyone questioning his integrity. After a moment, he finally said, “If it’s any consolation, Pamela tricked Wade into signing his name. He has no clue the contract is real.” For a fleeting moment, a muscle ticked in Justice’s jaw as if he was biting back his words.

Mark gritted his teeth before asking, “What is it you’re not saying?”

Justice took a deep breath. “We have the chance to save two people’s souls. You do understand Pamela is only an illusion, don’t you? She existed at one time, before the demon Septem absorbed her wicked soul into his own. He uses her likeness to walk among men. His own appearance is too hideous and hers is attractive enough that Septem can seduce almost anyone he chooses.”

It took Mark a few seconds to take in the overload of information. “You said we could save two souls. Who else is at risk, and what can I possibly do to stop such a powerful entity?”

Justice glanced away uncomfortably, as if not wanting to answer, and when he met Mark’s gaze once more, his eyes burned with an emotion Mark was hard-pressed to explain. It was anger, passion, and possibly a bit of desperation all mixed together. “Please understand, I’m not supposed to interfere. There is one reason why I am here. Just one. Kylie asked this of me and even then neither of us realized—” He broke off, shaking his head, finally adding, “Her friendship is precious to me, and so it is vital you do not fail.”

The shock of hearing Justice refer to Kylie as if she were still alive was immense. It was one thing for the man to know Liam, but Kylie, that was different. “Tell me,” Mark demanded.

“Anne. We can save Anne’s soul.”

Mark wanted to call him a liar, but he could see he was telling the truth. “Do you know where Anne is? Is she okay? She just disappeared and it was almost as if she never existed. Everyone in New Orleans claimed she’d returned to Nashville and everyone in Nashville claimed she’d moved to New Orleans.” He didn’t say his heart felt as if it had been cut in half ever since. Even though they had only known each other a short time, he had fallen in love with her.

Justice seemed to understand he needed some time, so he watched and waited until he had Mark’s full attention again. “She’s safe, in a manner of speaking. She offered herself to Septem to save Kylie from a terrible fate.” Mark opened his mouth to point out Kylie met a terrible fate when she was murdered, but Justice cut him off. “There are worse fate’s after death than mankind can fathom. For Kylie, having her soul used to hurt Liam would have been the ultimate eternal punishment.”

Although Mark had always known Justice was Liam’s inside man with Wade, he’d been afraid to thoroughly the question him since he was unsure of how much Justice knew about Liam. Not to mention, Mark seeing a dead Kylie very much alive and sitting in his kitchen would sound crazy to anyone who’d not seen it with his own eyes. However, now that Justice was the one to open the subject, Mark wanted to know what he knew.

“Before Anne disappeared, she said Kieran had killed Kylie.”

With a slight dip of his chin, Justice confirmed Anne’s words. “He did.”

Mark scrubbed his hands over his face, and when it didn’t help clear his mind, he threw his hands up. “I don’t understand what’s going on. Ever since the first moment I heard the Trace sister’s names, I have been floundering in a world I don’t know anything about and no one explains. What the hell is going on? How does Kieran, a man who, for all appearances, is nothing more than the owner of a nightclub, fit into this whole thing? I mean, it’s seems only fair for someone to tell me what I’ve been pulled into.”

“It’s complicated.”

Mark growled. “No fucking shit it’s complicated. I’d worked as much out for myself.”

Justice glanced up at the sky as if seeking answers before sighing heavily. “Kieran is Liam’s father.”

“Huh,” Mark said for lack of anything more intelligent.

A mirthless laugh fell from Justice’s lips. “You landed in the center of the ultimate family battle. To make a long story short, if Anne hadn’t sacrificed herself for Kylie the entire world would have suffered for Liam’s loss. But,” he added with a smile. “Anne did even more than she realized. She gave Liam the key to saving Cole and herself.”

Hearing there was a way to save Anne was enough for Mark.

“Okay. What do we need to do?”

Justice flashed an approving smile. “We need Liam.”

Chapter Nine

“Did you do all of the necessary background checks?”

Both Mark and Wade looked over at Liam at the same time. If the man in question noticed all of their attention was suddenly directed on him, he didn’t return their interest. Liam stood like a statue guarding the front door just as Mark had instructed him to do an hour earlier.

Fortunately, Wade and Morgan had been too busy chasing Cole and unpacking for Wade to ask why Mark felt the need to hire an extra security guard, until now.

“He came highly recommended.” Mark consoled his conscious by telling himself his answer wasn’t exactly an outright lie. Liam had—at one time— been one of the best detectives on the New Orleans’ police force. There was no point in bringing up the fact he was now one of their ten most wanted fugitives.

Wade turned and looked Mark square in the face for several uncomfortable minutes before finally saying, “Okay. I trust your judgment, but when this thing with Pamela is over with, I want to cut back on some of the security personnel. It feels more like a prison than a home around here.”

Mark nodded. “I agree.” He waited a heartbeat before adding, “I wouldn’t have added another man if I hadn’t felt like the situation warranted it.” He cleared his throat. “Pamela showed up here again Saturday night.”

Mark’s statement snagged Wade’s full attention. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“It didn’t seem necessary. I got rid of her and she hasn’t been back since, but it did show me we were sadly lacking on manpower outside the house. One incident was all I needed to realize I couldn’t keep an eye on things inside and outside round the clock. Kathy left to pick up a few things to bring back here. I sent Peter with her, so I was a man short, and I was trying to keep an eye on Cole while watching the security cameras. Cole decided to play a game of hide-and-seek. With our manpower stretched too thin, Pamela used the opportunity to get onto the estate grounds. She made it as far as the pool before I intercepted her.

Mark waited an uneasy moment while Wade absorbed the information. He knew it was likely Wade might decide to fire him for allowing Pamela to get close to his son. There was no doubt in Mark’s mind if Wade knew how close Pamela had been to Cole, he would be thrown out with his luggage before he had a chance to say a word in his own defense.

“You did well then. We can’t let Pamela get near Cole or Morgan. She’s obviously insane. The next time she trespasses, call the police. If she won’t listen to reason, then we’ll use the law to protect ourselves. I’m tired of her games. I finally have the woman I love and a beautiful son. I’m not risking their lives or happiness over some delusional nut I picked up early in my career. I want her completely out of our lives.”

Mark clapped a hand onto Wade’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about Pamela. She’ll have to come through me to get to you or yours.” He nodded toward the house. “Go be with your lovely bride and son. I’m on top of things out here.” He stayed rooted in place while Wade walked over and spoke briefly with Liam before heading back into the house. As soon as the door closed, Mark indicated to Liam he was going to take another walk around the grounds. As brave as his words had been while attempting to reassure Wade, he had an uneasy feeling all morning something wasn’t quite right.