“Like you care.”
“I take care of what’s mine.”
He pushed me down on the phone junction box.
“I expect you to sit here quietly and let Hank check you over.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Ed’s going to shoot you with his tranquillizer gun.”
I turned my attention to Ed. “You would really shoot me?”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes ma’am I would.”
“Prick.”
Sloan’s hand clamped around the back of my neck and he growled. “Behave Zelda, or I’ll put you over my knee.”
The beast would, too. “Sorry Ed, but dealing with a bunch of testosterone challenged men has made me a bit cranky.”
“Yes, ma’am, I can see how it would.”
I winced when Derek tightened his grip.
“You’re pushing it.”
“Just saying.”
Hank pulled out a blood pressure cuff and eyed me warily. “Ma’am?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He wrapped the cuff around my arm and pumped it up.
Derek tilted my head up. “I need to have a word with Dixon and I want you to be sitting right here when I come back.”
“Yes, sir.”
He dropped a hard kiss on my mouth and strode off.
“Twenty says the boss hits him,” Hank said.
Ed watched him stride over to where a dozen officers stood around a patrol car. “Not a chance with all the cops around.”
Both men pulled their weapons and jumped back like scalded cats when I grabbed my purse.
“Relax guys; I’m just going for my wallet. I want in on the action, too.” I pulled out a twenty. “See?”
“Real easy now, hand me your purse,” Ed instructed, his tranquillizer gun pointed at my chest.
Giving him my best, I wouldn’t hurt a fly look, I carefully handed it to him. “A bit on the twitchy side, aren’t you?”
“No ma’am, the boss said you took down Dixon.”
“Yeah, so what?”
Ed snorted in disbelief. “So what?”
“No man, woman, cop, or felon has ever taken Dixon down, including the boss and believe me he’s tried, repeatedly,” Hank added.
“Really?” That brightened my rather dismal day. “Guys always tend to underestimate me. Just ask your boss.”
“The Commander won’t make that mistake again,” Ed stated confidently.
“Probably not.” God, I hated smart guys. They made my job so much more difficult. I handed Hank the twenty. “I think Derek will hit him, too.”
Hank took the money and gave me a bottle of water. “You’re still a bit dehydrated. Try not to dump it over the boss’s head this time.”
“Spoilsport.” I twisted the cap off, took a swallow and watched the show.
Derek opened the back door of the patrol car where a thoroughly pissed Dixon sat, leaned in and punched his cousin hard in the face.
Dixon swung around and kicked Derek in the chest, knocking him back into the cops standing behind him.
His teeth bared in a snarl, Derek yanked Dixon out of the patrol car and hit him again. The police officers charged in and separated them.
My radar went on red alert. Opening my psychic eye, I reached out searching for the cause.
The image of the beat all-to-hell pilot formed in my mind. Giggling insanely, he crawled along an old tumbleweed filled irrigation ditch. He was close but where? Oh shit! He was right behind me.
The pilot erupted to his feet, raised a pistol and aimed it at my back.
“Watch out,” I shouted, ramming my shoulder into Hank and slamming him to the ground.
A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly exploded in my right butt cheek. My body immediately went numb.
The ungrateful jerk had tranquillized me. Holy Mary Mother of God, I couldn’t move! “Granny!”
“Die you fucking bitch,” the pilot screamed and opened fire.
Bullets whizzed over my head.
Hank jumped on top of me and more gunshots rang out.
Through the ringing in my ears, I heard a frantic Ed say, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Granny Annabel, I thought she was trying to escape.”
“She saved your lives,” Granny answered in a monstrous voice.
Holy crap, she was using her scary voice.
Derek bellowed, “What in the hell happened here?”
Then again so was nasty CIA agent. Hands lifted me and I could make out the fuzzy outline of Derek’s furious face. “This had better not be her blood.”
“No, sir, it’s mine,” Hank hastily answered.
“It’s just a flesh wound, sir.”
“Bella must be closely guarded while she sleeps” Granny commanded.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Derek responded, cradling me against his chest.
Aw. How sweet. The world faded to black.
Chapter Eleven
Hot. Why was it so friggin’ hot? Was the air-conditioner broken again? What was that awful wailing? Geezus, it sounded like someone was strangling a bunch of cats. My neighbor’s choice of music had always sucked but wow! This was way beyond creepy. It was as if…. Crap!
I pried my eyes open and realized I was lying on a hard stony floor. Waking up like this was never a good thing. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I looked around.
An immense cavern lit by flaming torches stretched out before me. Strange contorted rocks reared from the floor. Some seemed to writhe in nameless agony, while others clawed at the air as if to escape some unspeakable horror.
A jolt of raw fear shook me. Oh dear God! I’d been dropped into the Cavern of the Damned!
“Dammit Aunt Sophie, I don’t have time for you and your stupid games.”
A raspy hiss of a voice answered, “It’s not a game. My master summoned you.”
I bolted to my feet and spun to face her. “This is nothing but another dream.”
“Is it?”
She stepped into the light and I frowned.
Something was seriously wrong with Aunt Sophie.
For one thing she was way too tall and her red silk robe barely disguised an oddly bulky body. My aunt’s facial bone structure was more than a bit off and her skin didn’t seem to quite fit. “You’re not Aunt Sophie.”
The creature laughed and the skin sagged obscenely. “She said you were a smart girl.”
Cold horror knotted my stomach. It was wearing my aunt’s skin. Please, please don’t let it be the serpent king of the Ninth Hell. My voice came out as a squeak, “Asmoday?”
“Correct.” He slid closer.
Omigod! Omigod! Omigod! It’s him. It’s him.
Keep it together. Keep it together. Fuck it! I let out a mental shriek, “Granny! I need help. ”
“The old one cannot help you.”
Holy Mother of God, he was reading my mind.
Asmoday cocked his head. “That holy one cannot help you either. You are alone.”
“Good to know,” I babbled. “What did you do to Aunt Sophie?”
“Do you care?”
“Ah… Not really just curious.”
“Curiosity can be fatal.”
“Okey-dokey then, forget I asked.” I backed away as the smell of rotting flesh hit me. Whooeee!
I guess they didn’t have water in the Ninth Hell.
The demon smiled, revealing two long curved fangs. “You find my scent unappealing?”
“I’m not into dead things.”
“Your aunt likes the taste of death.” A long red, forked tongue slid suggestively over his borrowed flesh.
Nausea rose in my throat. Oh God, had she actually fucked that thing? “Aunt Sophie’s stomach is a bit stronger than mine. She’ll do just about anyone or anything to get the power she craves.”
“True and the foolish female failed to read the fine print in our contract.”
I looked around desperately for a way out. If I just had a shit load of salt and a blessed cross, I might live another hour. “She actually signed a contract?”
“In blood and it clearly stated that I am to be obeyed in all things.”
A hysterical laugh bubbled from me. “My aunt’s not really good at following orders. She likes doing things her way.”
“I soon discovered that fact.” Asmoday licked his lips obscenely. “Her punishment was most delicious.”
“Is she dead?”
“No, that would have been too merciful.”
Asmoday gestured.
Horrific screams filled the cavern and an instant later, my aunt appeared.
Every nerve in my body twanged with shock and denial. She had been skinned alive. Blood oozed from her exposed muscles and her breasts hung in long, meaty strips.
I flinched when I noticed her torn and bleeding crotch. It looked like something had tried to chew it off.
“Not chewed, she was raped by a thousand demons,” Asmoday corrected with a creepy relish as he ripped off a hunk of her breast and ate it.
Aunt Sophie shrieked in agony, collapsed to her knees and pleaded, “Please master, I’ll do anything you want.”
“Yes, you will.” With a flick of his fingers, my aunt vanished.
Amoday turned his attention to me and licked his lips again. “Such a pure soul. I shall enjoy eating it.”
Drawing on every ounce of power I had, I shouted, “Tempore. Cuidamn. Monstrata. Desopsuit de cruce! Go back to hell you fiend.”
For a fleeting instant, a bolt of pure light danced around Asmoday and then sputtered out.
The demon laughed, an awful sound that send chills slithering down my spine. “You have no power here, human.”