Soul Of A Man (3 page)

“That doorway is not yours, Adoni.”

“But I want to go there; it’s so beautiful.” Adoni became petulant. Being young, she was attracted to the beautiful doorway.

“It is, but yours is just as beautiful.” Cara inexorably moved the girl forward. It was as if there was a path only she could see.

Suddenly a bright light was before them. Cara stopped before they came within touching distance, mere inches away.

“It’s not as large as the other one.” Disappointment and fear were the emotions Cara sensed within Adoni as well as something Cara couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Darling, the size doesn’t matter, only what is inside. Your doorway is just different than the other, not better or worse.”

Adoni nodded, relieved. “Will I see you again?” Cara turned and looked into the bright light, studying it for several minutes.

“Yes, you will see us again and soon.” Cara tried to hide the apprehension she was feeling from the girl, but Zerina and Broni knew something was wrong.

“Go, Adoni. My sisters and I must leave, and I want you safe before we go.”

Zerina and Broni began to feel a disturbance around them. Broni’s instincts to protect Adoni again flared within her, but she was unable to move. Holding each sister by the hand; if she released Cara, her and Zerina would be lost in the dark maze, but if she released Zerina, then she would be lost alone.

Cara pushed Adoni toward the light, and as soon as she entered the light, she disappeared.

Cara turned toward her sisters. Clasping Broni’s hand tighter, she hurried through the darkness. “Do you feel the disturbance?” Cara spoke quietly.

“Yes, we must hurry, Cara. Someone is following us.” Broni kept her voice firm, not wanting her sisters to feel her impending sense of doom. Her feelings were never wrong; they had saved more than one soul.

“No one should be here. I am the only one able to follow these paths.”

“They are following us, they wish to destroy us.” Broni’s battle instincts were surging through her body. She wanted to stay and face the approaching enemy, but would not risk her sisters’ safety.

“Whatever happens, we can not release hands. You will become lost and disoriented without my help,” Cara spoke hurriedly, feeling the danger draw nearer. She was practically running through the corridor. “Can you tell what it is?”

Both women shook their heads as Cara rushed along the unseen path with her sisters desperately trying to keep up.

“We’re almost there.” Cara could see their doorway just ahead. They each were praying to reach the doorway before whatever danger stalking them struck. They were inches away from the doorway when they were suddenly hit with a power surge, knocking them apart.

Cara heard her sisters’ screams at the same time she felt as if she had been struck by a massive fist in her head. Helplessly, she tried to keep from losing consciousness. She knew it was a losing battle, so Cara attempted to simply stay alert long enough to find her sisters. Seeing a movement to her left, she saw Broni flung towards a particularly small and dark doorway. Dread filled Cara at which doorway Broni had unwillingly entered.

Quickly, she tried to find Zerina, she was beginning to lose hope when Cara saw her struggling to pull herself out of a doorway when she lost her battle and was dragged backwards as if an invisible hand had grabbed her. Cara knew she was in danger and unable to help her sisters now, but at least she knew how to find them.

Cara started crawling along the dark path, but her sisters’ doorways were no longer there, vanishing as each entered. With the doorways closed, Cara was unable to follow. She anxiously searched for one that could at least be used to access her way home. She was about to give up hope when she saw a small doorway to her left, but knowing where it led, she was going to pass it, even as she felt herself grow weaker. There was one further away that held the possibility of being able to follow Zerina.

Crawling on her hands and knees, she was about to pass the small doorway when she heard a voice calling to her. Turning to look in the doorway, she feared she was wasting precious time, barely able to focus, but she heard her name called again. One of her gifts was to be able to see inside each doorway, and unless she was mistaken, that was her aunt Destiny calling for her.

Swiftly changing directions, she began crawling toward the doorway in which she saw her aunt standing. Of all the doorways, Cara would have chosen this doorway last. It would provide many difficulties that would be hard to overcome. Cara barely made it through before she lost consciousness, sensing the doorway closing behind her.

Cara hoped Destiny knew what she was doing leading her here, but doubted she would have made it much further. At least she knew where she was, having visited here many times.

Pain burst behind her eyes and Cara, for the first time, realized what many of her souls felt at their death. However, no one was there to help her, to show her the way home.

***

Fate stood on the balcony of her Palace, staring at the sky before her.

Destiny walked to her sister’s side. “Have you found them?”

Tears streaked down her checks. “They are mortal.”

Destiny also stared at the dark sky, reading the same twinkling lights Fate was observing. “Only a God can retrieve them now. We have so many enemies it will not be safe to send anyone after them.”

“There is one,” Fate’s voice broke. “He hates me, but he will not betray them.”

Fate turned back toward the star-studded sky and began weaving a pattern. Twinkling lights moved, slowly adjusting positions, circling a small light that was barely visible.

Destiny reached out and grabbed the arm closest to her. “What are you doing? You cannot interfere.”

Fate roughly pulled her arm out of her sister’s reach, resuming her weaving. “I am not interfering, I’m assisting. Cara needs help immediately; she took the worst of it trying to protect her sisters.”

Destiny watched the pattern Fate spun. A gasp escaped when she finished, turning pale when she saw what Fate had maneuvered.

“You are sending him to help her? Are you crazy?” Destiny could not believe what her own eyes were telling her.

“No one else can protect her as well. He will keep her safe until we can retrieve her.”

“He will not help her, he will destroy her! Do not do this, Fate. It is too dangerous.”

Angrily, Fate snarled at her sister. “Why did you lead her to that doorway?”

Destiny took a step back from her sister. “She couldn’t make it further…”

Fate was so angry she shook. “Just as I now have no choice? He is the only one strong enough to protect her. Hopefully, we can get her from him before he does too much damage.” Fate took a last look at the sky and saw that things were going accordingly before she turned and headed back inside the Palace.

“Where are you going now?” Destiny questioned.

Fate answered without turning back, “Where I swore I would never go again. To see Odin, but first I plan to change.”

Destiny followed Fate up the marble staircase to her room, watching her change her gown—always white—to another shearer one. The lowered neckline showed much more than a glimpse of her breasts; it barely covered them. Her red nipples were clearly visible through the shear fabric. The gown hugged her figure tightly, showing her still firm stomach and flaring hips. It also provided a hint of the vee between her thighs and her long, trim legs. Diamond-studded sandals flashed as she moved around her room.

“Out to impress?” Destiny stared in amusement.

Fate shrugged. “I want you to go to Cara. Watch out for her, help when you can.”

Destiny nodded. “Broni and Zerina?”

“I have already sent others to help them. They are in danger, but not as immediate as Cara.”

“Who did you send?” Something told her she didn’t want to know, especially when Fate’s face turned red. She didn’t look her in the eyes, giving Destiny a feeling she wasn’t going to like her sister’s answer. 

“Valentine will be assisting Broni.”

“Who are you sending to Zerina?” Destiny didn’t try to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

“Jinx.”

“Now I know you have lost your mind. Valentine I can understand, he’s their father, but Jinx? She’s more likely to get Zerina killed than help her.”

“I have to take that chance.” Fate brushed out her dark hair, leaving it loose. Odin liked it that way. She planned to use every asset she had to get Odin to help. The stubborn God could not be pushed to lend his help, but maybe he could be seduced.

Chapter Three

“Come on, I need a beer. Tomorrow is our last day on this job, so let’s celebrate,” Billy wheedled.

The three other men in the cramped hotel room looked at the young man as if he had lost his mind.

“We’re beat, kid. We all have a few years on you; it’s been a long job.” The men all looked like they had been through a war zone. They had just constructed a building, which should have taken over a year to build, within seven months. Each had worked their ass off to reach their bonus if they completed the job early. They had worked together before on many construction jobs and got along well together.

“Jericho, how about you?” Billy turned to the man lying sprawled on his bed, having just taken a shower.

“I’m out for the night. You’ll find nothing in their local bar except trouble. Besides, I’m headed home after they give our pay. I have a long drive ahead of me. Being half asleep and nursing a hangover is just asking for trouble.”

“Ohio?”

“No thanks, kid.” The oldest member of the team was often the most ready to head out for a cold beer. The fact that he said no in itself spoke of the men’s weariness.

“Well, I guess I’m on my own. See you guys later.” Billy left the room whistling.

The next morning the men were drinking their morning coffee, impatient for the last of the inspectors to finish. Barring any failures, the men would all be paid. Personal vehicles were already loaded and gassed, ready to head out to their various homes. Jericho watched the men talk as he walked with the inspectors. This part always clenched his gut. Sometimes you got some real assholes who only liked the aggravation failing an inspection could cause; others were just looking to get their palms greased for the passing sticker.

The inspector bent and pulled a wire. “The cover’s not right.” Jericho saw the official looking at the men hanging around and trying to estimate how much he could get for holding the job up.

Jericho didn’t argue. “Yes, it is. We passed two other inspections in this state with the same electrical cover.”

The inspector started to argue—money flashing through his mind along with the weekend getaway with his girlfriend that a bribe would buy—right up until the moment he looked into Jericho’s eyes. He didn’t just take a step back, he took two. He had been around a lot of roughneck’s during his work, however none had ever made his blood run cold. You didn’t have to ponder why he was foreman of the job and how he had kept over a hundred men under his control to get a job of this magnitude done without incident and on time. He was a mean son of a bitch. His palms weren’t going to get greased with a bribe; this man was more likely to cut them off first.

Shaking, he bent down to give the cover another cursory look. “It will do.” He hurriedly started writing on his clipboard and then handed Jericho the green sticker showing the inspection had passed before walking quickly to his car. The sooner he got away from him, the better for his health.

Jericho walked over to the men waiting. “It’s a go. Start lining up and I’ll hand out the pay.” He frowned as he turned toward the onsite office, noticing a missing truck. “Where’s Billy?”

Ohio shrugged. “He never returned to the room last night or this morning before we left.”

Rick laughed. “Maybe he got lucky.”

Ohio laughed, too. “It would be a first.”

“I agree. Rick, drive over to that bar he went to last night and see if you can find out where the kid is.”

“Ah, Jericho, Billy can take care of himself. I want to get home.”

“Not a man leaves town until we find Billy. We came into this town together and we’ll leave together.”

No one argued with him as Jericho headed to the office. His desk was by a window so that his eyes were constantly on the site. He had passed out several of the men’s pay when he saw Billy’s truck drive onto the site, parking next to Jericho’s own truck. When Billy emerged, Ohio immediately lit into the kid. Jericho heard the yelling in his office.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I had a flat.” Billy couldn’t hide his guilty expression.

“Boy, if you got laid and overslept, just say so. You don’t have to make up excuses to me. I’m not your mama.”

Billy turned bright red and shook his head.

“You better get to the office. Jericho’s been looking for you.”

Billy got in line with the rest of the crew. When his turn came, he couldn’t look Jericho in the eyes.

“Sorry I’m late, boss.”

Jericho nodded. “Since you’re the last one in, you can do clean up duty.”

“But, Jericho, I really need to get out of town. I mean, I need to head home.”

Jericho studied the young man. His instincts were telling him that Billy was hiding something, but as long as it didn’t involve the job, it was none of his business. There was no quicker way to lose a good crewmember than to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.

“You know the rules; last one in does cleanup.” Billy nodded. Once Jericho gave an order, he expected the job carried out.

“Hurry up, kid.” Jericho watched as Billy left the office and began picking up trash around the site. There wasn’t much as Jericho expected the men to pick up after themselves.

After Jericho paid the last of the men, he did a final walk-through of the building. It was his responsibility to check to make sure all the windows and doors in the building were locked.

He was walking out of the building when four police cars pulled onto the lot.

Jericho tensed. This was not a good sign. When the police sent out four squad cars, you could bet that it was going to be a major fuck up.