The Angel of Death (The Soul Summoner Book 3) (32 page)

He shook his head. “I’m not touching those shoes.”

I whimpered.

Enzo grabbed my arm and helped me onto solid ground. “Thank you, Enzo.”

He tipped the bill of his camouflage hat. “My pleasure, ma’am.”

“Sloan,” I corrected him as Warren walked up beside me. “Just call me Sloan.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Detective McNamara,” Enzo said. He held up a set of keys then tossed them to Nathan. “You and I can bunk together in the gold Jayco.”

Nathan nodded and started off across the yard.

“Come on,” Enzo said to us. “I’ll show you two to your home away from home.”

Three wobbly and rusted steps led the three of us inside the largest soup can I had ever seen. The carpet had been stripped out, leaving only the sub flooring. There was half of a kitchen, a coffee pot, no television, two twin bunk beds in the corner, and lawn chairs instead of furniture. I put my hands on my hips. “I feel like Mother Mary in the stable in Bethlehem.”

Warren laughed.

Enzo knelt down and turned on an electric heater that was on the floor. “I don’t recommend running this all night for safety reasons, but you shouldn’t need it once you go to bed. There are sub-zero sleeping bags in the closet with hand warmers you can toss in the bottom.”

“Is there food?” I asked, moving closer to the heater.

He stood and pointed to the cabinets. “MREs and bottled waters. There’s also a small amount of hot water if you want to take a shower, but I suggest you make it fast.”

“Do you know when we might see Azrael?” Warren asked.

Enzo shook his head. “No, sir. He didn’t give us an ETA.” He held up a finger. “But he did have me pack a rifle case for you. It’s in the back of the car.”

Warren nodded. “I’ll come grab it.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

As the two of them left the camper, they passed Nathan at the bottom of the steps. He held up the backpack he’d brought for me. “I forgot to give Sloan her bag.”

Warren tipped his head up in approval, then followed Enzo into the darkness.

Nathan came inside and looked around. He pointed to the lawn chairs. “At least you have furniture. We’ve got hard-side coolers to sit on in our camper.”

“It’s better than a jail cell,” I said. “I wouldn’t have made it through another night in there. Thank you.”

His eyes fell to my feet. “I tried so hard to get you out of there, Sloan.”

I bent to look him in the eye. “You did get me out.”

He shook his head. “Not fast enough. I know firsthand what that place does to you.”

“It’s over now.”

Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t. Instead, he handed me the backpack. “There’s a toothbrush in there. I know you can’t stand not being able to brush your teeth.”

He remembered my freaking toothbrush.
 

The simple thoughtfulness was enough to bring me to tears again.

I wanted to hug him, but I couldn’t. Swallowing back every emotion inside me, I pulled the backpack into my arms instead of the man holding it. “Thank you, Nathan,” I whispered.

Neither of us spoke for several moments, then finally, he put his hand under my chin and tugged at my lower lip with this thumb. His eyes were fixed on my mouth. “I need you to do something for me,” he said quietly.

I blinked up at him.

His lips spread into a thin smile as he met my eyes and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Please go wash your feet.”

I laughed and wiped my eyes on the back of my sleeve…his sleeve. “Shut up, Nathan.”

He smiled. “I’ve actually missed hearing you say that.” He stared at me for a second, then he turned toward the door. “Goodnight, Sloan.”

He opened the door, just as Warren stepped up on the first step outside.

Nathan stood back out of his way to let him in. Warren came inside and put the big, black rifle case down on the counter.
 

Nathan nodded toward the door.
 
“I’ll see you guys in the morning if none of us freeze to death.”

“Hey,” Warren called out as Nathan stepped toward the door. He reached out his hand to him. “Thank you, Nate. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Nathan nodded and gripped Warren’s hand. He smiled over at me. “Of course.”

When he was gone, Warren came to face me. His eyes were bloodshot with heavy, dark bags under them. “Come here,” he said, pulling me into his arms.

All at once, I fell apart. My knees went weak as I cried, but Warren held me tight against him. He stroked my hair as he eased me over to the bed.

I was a mess for a lot of reasons. Adrenaline was leaving my bloodstream, and a slight case of shock was settling in. I hadn’t really slept in…I literally couldn’t remember when. On top of it all, I was pregnant—enough said.

But I was mostly a mess because I was tired of being dishonest. Dishonest with Nathan, dishonest with Warren, and dishonest with myself.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked at my baby’s father. “I need to talk to you.”

He brushed my tears away with his thumbs and studied my face carefully. “Not tonight.” There was a perceptive resolve in the way he studied my face. “It’s nothing that can’t wait till tomorrow.”

24.

The sound of a car’s engine woke me from a deep sleep the next morning. I sat up and looked around the dingy camper. Warren was gone, and I was alone. I shimmied out of the cozy sleeping bag and into the brisk mountain air. Male voices were outside. One of them was Azrael. I hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth, then slipped on the sneakers Nathan had packed for me. My flip-flops were in the trashcan.
 

A fist pounded against the front door. “Anybody hungry in there?” Azrael called out.

I ran across the camper and threw the door open, only touching the top step before jumping into his unsuspecting arms. He laughed as he set me on the ground. He pulled back and tucked my tangled hair behind my ears. “You gave us quite a scare, young lady.”

I hugged him around the neck again. “You saved me.”

He shook his head. “My son and McNamara saved you. And Taiya. I only provided the ride.” He squeezed my shoulders. “And the FBI won’t find you till we’re ready for them to.”

“How can you be sure?” I asked.

He winked a black eye at me. “You don’t walk the Earth for thousands of years without picking up a few tricks along the way.”

I laughed and looked around for Warren. I spotted Nathan instead sitting at a picnic table with a plate of eggs and bacon and a large blue thermos. “Where’s Warren?” I asked.

Azrael pointed to the trees in the distance. “He’s out with some of my guys securing the perimeter. Did you sleep well?”

I smiled. “Your son is home. Of course I did.”

Several men in multi-cam were carrying boxes, bags, and military-grade weapons from two more SUVs, one of which was pulling a large white trailer.
 

I put my hands on my hips. “I still can’t believe you own Claymore.”

Azrael shrugged. “We all have our secrets.” He gestured toward the table. “Let’s get you some breakfast, and then I’ll answer all the questions you want. I’m sure you have lots of them.”

“You bet I do,” I said with a warning tone.

“Good morning,” Nathan said as we approached.

I smiled and sat beside him. “Morning.”

“Morning,” he said, handing me a plate from a box on the ground near his feet.
 

Azrael sat across the table from us.
 

“Who made breakfast?” I asked, lifting the lid off of a cast-iron skillet.

Nathan glanced toward one of the other campers. “Enzo.”

“God bless him,” I said as I piled eggs onto my plate.

“I trust you were in good hands last night,” Azrael said.

I nodded. “Your team was great.”
 

“They really were,” Nathan agreed.

Behind us, the loud rumble of a motor fired up. I turned in time to see one of the soldiers driving one of the biggest, camouflaged ATV’s I’d ever seen. I counted four, maybe six, seats. Another ATV followed behind that one. I chuckled. “I didn’t know they made ATV buses.”

“We call them HOKs,” Azrael said. “High-occupancy karts.”

I used a piece of bacon as a pointing device, motioning all around the camp. “I don’t understand though. How is it you came to own one of the biggest private military companies in the world?”

He sprinkled a ton of salt onto his food, far more than any human heart should have to suffer. “I started it when Warren joined the Marine Corps. I had to find some way to keep up with him. Turned out to be a profitable idea.”

“But how did he not know his own boss?” I asked.

“Claymore has thirty thousand employees and contractors spread over four continents. I’m everyone’s boss and no one’s.” He pointed to the guys who were still carrying stuff in and out of the campers. “These guys are part of a core group I work with directly, but they’re an exclusive bunch. Most people who work for my company never see my face.”

I thought back over everything Warren had told me about the company he had worked for in various capacities since his release from active duty with the Marines. I found it hard to believe that after three years there would be so much disconnect between him and the company’s owner. Then it occurred to me the disconnect was certainly intentional. Azrael would have made sure to stay off Warren’s radar, all while calling the shots like an intergalactic puppeteer.

My mouth dropped open. “Just after we met, Claymore offered him a lucrative transfer to the West Coast.” My fork clanged against the plate when I dropped it. “That was you!”

Nathan scooted closer to me on the bench.
 

Azrael stared at me without speaking.

Bits of information were snapping together in my mind like loose pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. “
You
offered him the job in Oregon, didn’t you?”

He nodded slowly.

I gasped and covered my mouth. “You tried to split us up!”

Nathan scooted even closer to me. “He did split you up,” he mumbled.

“Wait.” I looked at Nathan. “What do you mean?”

Nathan pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.

I shot my gaze back at Azrael, who was holding up his hands in defense. “Sloan, you must understand how detrimental this child has the potential to be for all of us.”

“What did you do?” I demanded.

He hesitated.

I threw a slice of bacon at him. “Azrael!”

“The US government has contracted my company for years to handle situations all around the globe, so I have plenty of friends at the Pentagon—”

I jumped up from the table. Nathan’s hands grabbed me to hold me back.

“You had him recalled to the Marines!” I yelled.

Azrael stood and stepped away from the table—away from me. “I may have suggested he would be able to deal with their terrorist problem in Palestine. I knew Warren would be able to find the body of Shallah.”

I lunged at him over the table, but Nathan stood and held me tight. “I’m going to kill you!” I screamed.

“I told you she’d take this news well,” Nathan said sarcastically over my shoulder.

A couple of Azrael’s soldiers had cautiously started in our direction. Azrael held up a hand to stop them.

“Nathan, let me go,” I ordered.

He didn’t. “Sloan, you’re going to hurt yourself. Consider the possible outcomes of this. He’s the Angel of Death.”

“Yeah? Well, so am I!”

“Dude, she has a point,” Nathan told him.

Azrael still kept his distance. “Hate me if you will, but I would do it again if it might save us from this fate. Surely, you must be feeling the same way.”

I pointed an angry finger at him. “I would never wish Warren away from me.”

“Perhaps not, but your world and mine are now at stake,” he said.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to relax but it was hard. I wanted to claw his angel eyeballs out.
 

Nathan shook my shoulders. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s sit back down like civilized people and talk this out.”

I huffed, but I sat down.

Cautiously, Azrael returned to his seat as well. “I’m sorry I deceived you, Sloan.”

Refusing to look at him or accept his apology, I stabbed at my eggs with the fork.

Nathan squeezed my shoulder. “It’s water under the bridge now. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

Azrael wiped his mouth on a napkin and leaned his elbows on the table. “Sloan, are you aware of who you met during your time in jail?”

“Ysha. How did you know who the lawyer was?” I asked.

He smiled. “The name, Abner. It literally means
the father of life and light
.”

“Seriously?” I asked.

“Seriously.”

“Was it Abner you went after?” Nathan asked.

Azrael drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Not exactly.”

“Then what were you doing while I was rotting in prison?” I asked.

Azrael frowned. “You’re so dramatic.”

Nathan’s eyebrow peaked. “Still a valid question.”

“I was preparing,” Azrael said, “to lead Ysha here.”

My head snapped back with shock. “You were doing what?”

His smile was wild and mildly frightening. “It’s the perfect plan, really. Here we have the upper hand. There are no witnesses, no risk for human casualties, and we’ll be ready.”

I laughed toward the sky. “You’re insane! What if Ysha shows up with all his friends?” I asked.

He rubbed his palms together. “I’m counting on it.”

“Even if those friends include Phenex and Kasyade?” I pointed between me and Nathan. “We took on just one of that trio by ourselves not too long ago. It didn’t go well.”

He jabbed his thumb into the center of his chest. “You underestimate me, my dear. And you certainly underestimate yourself.”

I cackled in mockery. “I think I’ve done an excellent job at proving exactly what my estimation is lately. I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours barely containing my bladder because I was locked inside a building with petty thieves and wife beaters!”

He stood and leaned on his arms toward me. “You chose those bars, Sloan Jordan. You weren’t locked inside anywhere.” His words stung almost as much as the look in his eyes.