The Soul Healer (5 page)

“I’m trying to figure out what you could possibly be arguing about with your hot boyfriend,” Chloe said calmly. “Poor, innocent Rafe. You were probably trying to jump him in the car, like you tried to jump him in your bedroom—”

“
Nobody
was doing any sort of jumping, Chloe!” I glared at her. “And for your information, what happened that day in my bedroom was completely innocent.”

She
laughed. “Right, so that’s why Rafe is banned from the second floor.”

“No, he’s banned because Dad loves ruining my life.”

“Who loves ruining your life?” Dad asked, coming down the stairs.

I elbowed Chloe in the side as she started laughing again. “No one.”

“No, really,” he said, “what were you girls just talking about?”

Chloe opened her mouth. “Se—”

“HOW EXCITED WE ARE TO GO TO VERMONT TOMORROW,” I proclaimed loudly over her. Dad gave me a strange look, probably wondering if I had been drinking with Rafe. Great, another thing for him to give me hell about.

“Hmm,” was all he said. Dad glanced at the clock on the wall. “Speaking of, you girls better head to bed. I want to get up early tomorrow, remember?”

Chloe stopped laughing to groan. “Why, Dad, why? Why must you torture us with early mornings?” She slid off the couch and dragged her feet to the stairs.

Dad smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “Because it’s my greatest joy in life.”

“You need a hobby.”

After Chloe vanished upstairs, Dad came over to me. “Gabi, you too. Go to sleep now. I need you to help me with the maps tomorrow.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, giving him a small smile. “That’s what the GPS is for.”

“You know I don’t trust that thing.” He paused, looking me over. “Is everything all right, honey? I didn’t expect you home so soon, honestly. I thought you’d want to spend as much time as you could saying goodbye to Rafe.”

Thanks to stupid Chloe, all I could think of was the various ways I could have been saying goodbye to Rafe, but then I remembered our fight and my stomach soured. “No, the evening kinda sucked, to tell you the truth. We had a fight and… now I have to wait a week to find out if we’re okay or not.”

Immediately Dad sat down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. I leaned against him, the way I used to when I was younger and had had a bad dream. “Honey, I’m sorry. But I’m sure it’s nothing. I see the way Rafe looks at you. It scares me, you know.”

I let out a surprised bark of laughter. “Why does it scare you?”

“Because I see how much he cares, and I know I’m going to lose my little girl to him.” My mouth dropped open because that was the last thing I expected my dad to say. He chuckled softly at my stunned expression. “Despite what you may think, I do want you to be happy, Gabi.”

“And you think I can be happy with Rafe?” I can’t believe I had just uttered that sentence. Until the big blowup tonight, I
had
been happy with Rafe. Stupidly, madly, happy.

“I know so.” He patted my
knee before getting up. “And that’s why I’m not too concerned about your fight. I know tomorrow you’ll be on the phone with him while I’m struggling to read the map and drive the car at the same time.”

“That’s why I bought you a GPS!”

He raised his brows. “So you could ignore me and talk to your boyfriend?”

“Exactly.” I smiled, feeling infinitely better. Dad was right. I would call Rafe tomorrow, and we would fix things. Wait a week? Was he crazy? There’s no way he could go that long without talking to me. “Thanks, Dad. I feel better now.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” He pointed to the half-empty carton of ice cream. “Can I put this away now?”

I clutched my stomach, making a face. “Yes, please. I ate too much!”

“I hope it doesn’t keep you up tonight,” he called over his shoulder. “Remember, early morning tomorrow!”

“Stop reminding me!”

A few minutes later, Dad went upstairs. Still I sat on the couch, staring into space, waiting for…what, exactly? I wasn’t sleepy, which sucked because tomorrow I was going to be in full pissed off zombie mode. (Seriously Dad, why did we need to get up so early!) Maybe I’d goof off online for a bit before trying to fall asleep.

As soon as I stood up, I heard a quiet knock at t
he door. I paused. It was 11:30.
No one should be coming here this late.
I felt an icy trickle of fear. What if it was a demon? Holy crap, what if it was a demon who had come to get me right after I told Rafe I didn’t need him to protect me?

Or maybe it’s Rafe, you stupid girl. Why do you automatically think demon?

It had to be Rafe! He realized we were both being stupid and had come to apologize. And I’d gratefully accept his apology and tell him I was sorry myself, and then we would do some kissing and—

I ran to the door and threw it open. “I knew you couldn’t stay away!”

But it wasn’t Rafe on the other side—it was Evan. He looked at me sadly as he lifted his bandaged right hand. “I’m really sorry about this, Gabi.”

There was a flash of silver light, and everything went black.

Chapter Seven

Cold, cold, cold. Why was I so freaking cold? Had Dad turned the heat off? Was this his way of getting us out of bed at such an ungodly hour? I groaned, fumbling for my blankets.

“This is the one?” an unfamiliar male voice asked.

My eyes shot open. Who the hell was
that
?

No, better question.
Where
the hell was I?

Instead of my nice, comfy bed, I was sprawled across a hard, ice-cold cement floor. Scrambling to my feet, I discovered I was in the middle of an empty warehouse. There were no windows, but bright, white lights lit the interior
, hanging underneath the gray beams that crisscrossed across the ceiling.

Crap.
I hugged myself, realizing I was in trouble. Big trouble.

In front of me stood the man who had spoken, flanked by Evan and another unfamiliar guy, probably a few years older than Evan. I ignored him, my gaze homing in on the
first man. He was dressed in what appeared to be an expensive black suit, complete with a blood-red silk tie. Thrown over his shoulders was a long, black coat. Well, the guy had good fashion taste, I had to give him that. No manners, though. Here I was, freezing to death in my pajamas, and he hadn’t even offered me his coat. He wore his brown hair short, and his matching brown eyes, currently locked on me, were cold, dangerous. I didn’t like him. He obviously had absolutely no problem with kidnapping a sixteen-year-old girl in the middle of the night, and that scared me.

When Evan took a step
toward me, I jerked backwards, crashing into a gray pillar. Pressing my back against the cold steel, I gave him my best death glare as memories of Evan magically knocking me out came flooding back. “Stay the hell away from me, Evan.” I couldn’t believe I had risked my relationship with Rafe by protecting Evan, and this was how he was repaying me! I should have let Rafe choke him!

He paused, one eyebrow raised. “I was just going to give you my jacket, Gabi. Thought you might be cold.”

I crossed my hands over my chest. “No, I’m fine. I’m hot, actually. You don’t feel hot? Man, I’m almost sweating to death here!” Never mind that my teeth were chattering so badly Evan was probably having a hard time understanding what I was trying to say.

Evan sighed. Peeling off his jacket, he tossed it at me. I let it drop to the floor. Rolling his eyes, he said, “Put on the jacket, Gabi.”

“No.”

Evan looked annoyed, but he didn’t press the issue.

Wise move, that.

“So,” I said. “Anyone want to clue me in on what I’m doing here? Or are we just going to stand around staring at one another?”

Creepy Suitman cleared his throat. “A few months ago, I received a very interesting phone call from Evan, someone I never expected to hear from ever again. He had written us off, wiped his hands clean long ago, you see.

“But it wasn’t the phone call that was interesting. It was what he had to say.”

My heart was pounding fast enough that I was worried I was going to have a heart attack and drop dead right then and there. Because if this guy was who I thought he was, I was so screwed.

I hoped I could kill Evan before I died of my heart attack, though. At least then I could die relatively happy.

Creepy brushed imaginary lint from his coat (he probably practiced that super villain move in the mirror) before continuing. “Apparently, Evan had nearly died that night, and you, Gabriella Harkins, healed him.”

“Gabiella,” I corrected automatically.

Creepy frowned. “Excuse me?”

“My name is Gabiella. There’s no ‘r.’”

“That’s a strange name…” He looked thoughtful when he said that, like he was trying to remember something important.

“Well, you’re a strange guy, so I guess we’re even.” I shook my head. “Who are you, anyway?”

He pulled himself up to his full height. (He was about my dad’s height, so nothing too impressive compared to Rafe the Giant.) “I am Charles Adler, director of the New York branch of Silver Moon.”

Trying not to let my fear show, I sneered. “
Woop-de-doo. Is that supposed to impress me?”

Charles shot Evan a disapproving look. “You didn’t say she would be difficult.”

“Actually, that’s exactly how I described her,” Evan replied. “I told you she wouldn’t be agreeable if you made me kidnap her.”

So if you knew that, then why did you do it, Evan?

“I needed to know if you were telling me the truth, or just wasting my time.” Charl
es directed his next question at me. “Is it true?”

I decided to keep being difficult.
“Is what true?”

His dark eyes flashed with annoyance. “Are you a Soul Healer or not?” His raised voice echoed across the warehouse. I wondered if anyone out there would hear him shouting, but I doubted it. It was late, it was snowing—all the sane people were indoors,
sleeping
.

I bit my lip. “Okay, I still hate you and want to make your life a living hell, but I’m telling the truth when I say I have no idea what a Soul Healer is.”

“Did you or did you not heal Evan?”

“No clue.”

“Excuse me?” Again Charles turned to glare at Evan.

“Hey
, man, she goes into a trance and passes out and doesn’t remember it after waking up.” Evan shrugged. “I told you all of this. Multiple times.”

“Yes, but I want to hear it from her.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” I cut in. “Except that I want to go home. Take me home. Now.”

Charles smiled and it was so
creepy
, ugh. Nightmares forever. “Home? You’re not going home, Gabriella.”             

“IT’S GABIELLA, YOU STUPID—”

“Whoa,” Evan broke in, waving his hands. “Came down, Gabi.”

“
Calm
? You want me to be
calm
after you kidnapped me!” Who the freak was Evan kidding? I thought he had been acting all this time, but I guess he really was that stupid.

“Enough!” Charles said. He walked up to me, and I made to run away, but his hand snaked out, clamping around my wr
ist. I struggled, although I don’t know why I bothered. It wasn’t like I was going to get out of his ironclad grip anytime this century. “If you’re not going to behave, then I will just have to force your hand.”

And on that particularly frightening threat, he began dr
agging me across the warehouse.

Chapter Eight

“Let me go!” I exclaimed through gritted teeth, trying to kick at Charles’ legs with my slipper-clad feet. He ignored me, steering me
toward the other guy in the warehouse, the one who had been watching silently the entire time. He was probably around twenty, with reddish-brown hair that could use a good cut. His eyes were a very pale blue, almost gray, and he wore a bored look on his face as he observed poor me getting my arm wrenched out of its socket by mean Mister Charles. Obviously, I couldn’t look to him for help.

I sent him a death glare. He responded by
winking
.

Ugh.

“Gabri—” Charles paused and cleared his throat. “Gabiella, this is Jonathan, a member of Silver Moon.”

“Wonderful,” I deadpanned.

Charles yanked me over so I was standing directly in front of Jonathan. He raked his eyes up and down my body and sneered. Double ugh. This guy was disgusting. Reminded me of Christian, actually, which was definitely
not
a compliment. “Cute pajamas,” he said. “That whole flannel look is dead sexy.”

“Come a little closer and I’ll show you how dead sexy I can be—”

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” Charles interrupted. “Are you or are you not a Soul Healer?”

Was this guy a little slow or something? “I told you, I don’t know what that is!” And eve
n if I did, I wouldn’t tell him anyway.