Between heaven and hell.., p.14
Between Heaven and Hell 2, page 14
Harrington supplied rapid details of our little situation at the pub.
“The coppers are going to find five blokes busted up in those cars,” he told her. “Not life-threatening injuries. Jasmine here is as good as anyone I’ve seen.”
“Our friends across the pond requested that we specifically keep any mention of their operatives out of our records,” Mrs. Davies replied. “Given how efficient they were at securing our agent, I’m inclined to show them some respect on that front.”
The older woman turned to the three of us.
“Audrey hasn’t spoken about what happened when you were taken to the Skylight. Our predictive modelers went mad the moment you appeared there, and they didn’t calm down until you appeared again. It’s why we were so quick to deploy our people.”
Breeze didn’t meet her eyes.
She was probably still embarrassed about the kiss.
I’d have to get it out of her head one way or another.
“I spoke to a creature called Etrius,” I said. “I’m pretty sure he was an archangel of some kind and the celestial sponsor of the Family. He said that they were charged with finding a certain artifact, but they got sidelined from too much contact with the Skylight.”
“Is that why they wanted you?” Jasmine asked.
“It’s my best guess. Bradford cut his own throat to fuel transportation upstairs. We left him there, which might be awkward if you’re looking for a body.” I paused to consider just how much to tell Davies. “I made a Contract with the archangel.”
Harrington choked on his tea.
Mrs. Davies pinned me under a wintry stare.
“We needed to leave and I didn’t see any other options. And I involved your operative. I understand it wasn’t my call, but I wanted to make the best of the situation. Any disciplinary action you want to undertake should be directed at me, not at her. It was my call.”
“What, precisely, did you arrange?”
“The angels want something called the Soulscythe. I’m pretty sure our organization is tracking it down as we speak. I said that we’d get it for them, but in return, they had to teach Audrey how to be a Conduit to the Skylight. Etrius gave us his word and bound himself in a Contract. He even went so far to say that she was suitable for the role.”
“Holy shitting fuck, mate,” Harrington muttered.
“You did this without her consent?” Davies demanded.
“He asked me first,” Audrey replied firmly. “He could’ve taken it for himself.”
“And why would you do something like that?” Mrs. Davies asked.
“People have been throwing around words like cooperation lately,” I said. “I know the score here. You don’t trust us, you probably don’t like us, and you’re keeping us on board because we’re useful to you. I thought I’d throw you a bone.”
“Less a bone and more the entire skeleton,” Mrs. Davies said quietly.
“I know the OGI. I’ve worked with you people before. And I know how my people work. They’ll probably want to skin me alive for this. And I figured it’d be useful to have you owe us a favor when we need to call it in. I don’t know the extent of your capabilities, but Audrey seemed like the right fit.”
“That’s absurdly generous of you,” Mrs. Davies said slowly.
“Don’t worry, I’m not expecting anything in writing.”
“This Soulscythe that the angel spoke to you about. Did it give you any indication of where it might be and who stole it?”
“Apparently we’ve already got the tools to figure it out. I don’t even know what the thing is. But I’ve got to be the one to find it. I figured that you could find it in your heart to continue this joint operation until such time as we fulfilled the Contract and everyone goes home happy.”
“I’d need authorization from my superiors.”
“Then get some,” Jasmine suggested. “Otherwise we’ll be taking over and running this operation ourselves. You know that he’s offering you an olive branch.”
“I do,” Mrs. Davies said. “Excuse me. I’ll hand over the brief to our analysts and speak to the board. Until then, it’s my pleasure to extend every comfort we have available to the three of you. Audrey, you’ve earned yourself a rest. Harrington, you’re on leave as her personal protection detail.”
“I love bodyguard duty,” Harrington said.
“You’re not looking to get back to your family?” Audrey asked.
“Mum and Dad can wait another week. Besides, Briarbridge is comfier than London.”
“I commend you all on work well done. Things were messier than I might’ve liked, but you made the best with what you had, and you secured the Crown a new asset that may very well prove to be worth her weight in gold. Excuse me.”
Mrs. Davies gave each of us a nod, a warm smile, and left us in the lounge.
Harrington stood up and cracked his knuckles.
“Right,” he said. “Time to do something I’ve been starving for.”
“If you start dancing, I’ll throw you out the window,”Audrey warned him.
“Please, I’ve got some class,” Harringon said with a laugh.
He strolled into an adjoining chamber and returned with a tray. A crystal decanter and a set of glasses sat atop it beside a well-worn wooden box. He set it down on the glass-topped table between us and started pouring glasses.
Audrey took her glass and slammed the liquor down before he could finish.
“Hold on,” Harrington protested.
“I haven’t had a drink in three months,” Audrey reminded him. “Pour me another.”
Jasmine leaned her head on my shoulder and placed a hand on my thigh.
“Are you worried?” she whispered.
“It’ll work out,” I said.
“Bull’s gonna be pissed,” Breeze warned.
“I know. But the capital he gets from it is worth the short-term loss,” I said.
“I’m not talking about Audrey,” the occultist said. “Whatever this scythe is, he’s going to want to keep it or put it back in the White House. You’re taking it straight upstairs and the only tradeoff for him is goodwill.”
Harrington offered her a glass.
“Let the higher-ups bang their heads off each other,” he suggested. “We interrupted your holiday, and that’s a wrong that needs to be righted.”
Breeze took the glass and sniffed it.
Her eyes widened in appreciation.
Harrington distributed the rest of the tumblers and held his up to us.
“Here’s a toast to the scariest motherfuckers I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, and to an operation well completed,” he said. “I know we all got off to a rough start, but I’d like to think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Audrey lifted her tumbler to us.
“Thank you,” she said. “And it’s a pleasure to meet each of you.”
We drank, expensive whisky burned its way down my throat, and Harrington opened up the box beside the decanter. The distinct whiff of Cuban tobacco rolled out of it and he passed it around to all of us. Audrey took one without hesitation. Jasmine turned him down, I joined her, and Breeze hesitated when it was her turn.
“Go ahead,” I told her. “We’re not going to think less of you.”
“I shouldn’t,” she said. “I don’t want to turn you off even more.”
“Impossible,” Jasmine assured her. “Enjoy yourself.”
Breeze beamed at her. Harrington refreshed our glasses, cigar smoke wafted up into the air, and an easy silence fell between the five of us. Jasmine studied Audrey a little more before she finally broke it with a question.
“How do you find the OGI?” she asked.
“The pay’s good, the work’s terrible, and I love it,” the spy replied. “I didn’t realize it was you until Michael mentioned you were together. How long has that been going on?”
Jasmine and Audrey quickly fell into a brief history lesson. I stood up, stretched an aching set of muscles, and wandered over to the window while the others chatted behind me. The chopper took off from the airstrip outside. I heard Breeze laugh behind us.
A smile touched my face.
I’d made some strange friends in the last few days.
But they were solid people. Good operators. Old instincts warned me that they were temporary and it wouldn’t be long before we were all back in our old roles. Harrington joined me at the window while the girls chatted away behind us.
He handed me a refreshed glass.
“It’s bloody good to see you back in one piece,” Harrington said.
“I’m surprised we made it, if I’m honest.”
“Can I ask you something?”
I shrugged in agreement.
“That Nephilim thing. What was that all about?”
“The angels told me it was just Bradford tripping balls,” I said.
“You don’t think he was onto something?”
I eyed him.
“That’s a weird question to ask.”
“I only asked because angels aren’t historically friendly with humanity,” Harrington explained. “I’ve never heard of a personal Contract between a human and an angel. You might be breaking some records somewhere. And I’m wondering if there’s something about you that made this Etrius thing decide to use you as his gofer.”
“People keep saying weird shit to me,” I hedged. “I don’t buy any of it.”
“Why not? We live in a bloody weird world, mate.”
“We do,” I agreed. “But I don’t get paid enough to be the chosen one.”
Harrington laughed at that.
“Fair, mate, fair. How’d you fancy a bit of shooting later?”
“Jasmine’s probably dying for some,” I said.
He glanced over his shoulder at the girls.
“Something happened up there with you and Breeze.”
“Sure did.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” I said. “Nothing personal, though.”
“Your business,” Harrington agreed. “Oi, Jasmine. Audrey. How would you like to go put some rounds downrange? I’ve been starving for a good shoot for weeks now.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Audrey said. “I’m in.”
“Why don’t we turn it into a game?” Jasmine asked.
“You’re gonna put money on it and lose?” Harrington challenged. “Alright, Miss Vasiliev, you’re on. Get a coat, and I’ll go raid the safe downstairs. See what we can come up with.”
Jasmine leaned into Breeze’s ear and whispered something to her.
Breeze nodded quickly and her fingers tightened against her glass.
Audrey gave me a knowing look. Jasmine slid up to her feet and the three of them left Breeze and I alone in the lounge room. Adrenaline jacked up my breathing, and I swept the room for easy-to-see cameras. I knew I wouldn't find them.
I was just nervous. And I shouldn’t have been.
I liked Breeze. Breeze liked me. And Jasmine.
And Jasmine had been encouraging us to make something happen for weeks now.
I slid around the back of the sofa and settled down beside the occultist.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she said.
She didn’t meet my eyes.
“Listen, Michael,” Breeze began. “I don’t know what happened. I know why you kissed me—to help me focus—but it was tactical. It was the right thing to do. Whatever they had going up there was some strong stuff, and we can chalk it up to that.”
Breeze stared down into her glass.
“No,” I said softly.
She shot me a startled glance.
“I’m not just chalking it up to that, Breeze. I like you. So does Jasmine. I think the reason I haven’t done anything about it is because it’s unprofessional and we didn’t want to tie ourselves to you. We’ve always had one foot out the door in the SIA.”
“I’m giving you an out,” Breeze said.
“And I don’t want it. We don’t want it.”
“But Bull—”
“I don’t care what he thinks,” I said. “I’m pretty sure he knew that this would happen anyway, and it doesn’t matter.” I reached over and touched her hand. “Jasmine wants you. I want you. And I think you want us, too.”
“I don’t do relationships,” Breeze protested weakly.
“Any reason why not?”
“It’s a long story.”
I took the empty tumbler from her hands and poured her another scotch.
“We don’t have anywhere to be,” I said. “Talk to me about it.”
Chapter 17
“Why?” Breeze asked.
“Because it’s important to you. And to me. And to Jazz.”
She hesitated.
“It’s not exactly a happy story, Michael. I’m all kinds of fucked up.”
“That doesn’t track from what I’ve seen, Breeze. And I happen to like fucked-up, in case you haven’t noticed.” I leaned back into the sofa and sipped at the scotch. “I’m not pressing you. You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable with it.”
“If we’re going to get involved, you should know.”
“There’s an argument that we’re already involved,” I said lightly.
Breeze’s mouth curved into a rueful smile.
“I guess you’ve got me there. We’ve seen some shit.”
“Is this to do with how you got recruited?”
“Yeah. Bull didn’t tell you anything, I don’t think. I asked to have it scrubbed off the record, and it’s why I owe the SIA so much.” Breeze drew in a deep breath. “I grew up in Canada. You can probably tell from the accent. My parents were normal enough people, nice enough in their own way. They were hard people.”
I noted the past tense and nodded.
“My dad wasn’t around, and my mum worked at the local high school. I didn’t see much of either of them, and that can mess with a kid’s head. I started acting out. Skipping school, skateboarding, doing shit like that. Had a couple of near misses with drugs.”
She reached over to the ashtray where she’d left her cigar.
“I met this guy. He wasn’t a drug dealer or anything, just some idiot who I thought was cool. We started dating, doing all the usual shit you shouldn’t do when you’re sixteen. My dad wanted to kill him, and that just made me want to hang out with him more.”
Breeze took a long draw at her cigar.
“He had this crew of friends who were into the occult. It started off as small stuff. Wearing the bracelets, the charms, casting spells and shit. We were all high and messed up and we didn’t know what the hell we were doing. I didn’t believe in any of it.”
“But it was real.”
Breeze nodded.
“I have no idea how they got their hands on it, but they found an old book on actual demonology. It was advanced stuff, taught to occultists from years ago. They found a name in there, and we spent a week setting up the ritual. Candles, chalk, blood, all of it. We probably smoked an entire half-ounce each before we tried it.”
“Bull said you were a natural,” I said quietly.
“There might be something to that,” Breeze agreed in a wooden voice. “We did it. We called up this demon, and he possessed Graham. He went completely berserk. Started calling all of us meatbags and shit. He killed the two others. Just snapped their neck like they were nothing.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I thought I loved him, Michael. I really thought I could bring him back. I couldn’t believe what was happening, so I ran. I left the circle behind like an idiot, and he got free. Did you ever hear about that massacre in Alberta eight years ago?”
I shook my head.
“I was out of the country at the time.”
“Graham just ran straight for the school. He tore through kids. Little kids. They didn’t know what was happening. They couldn’t have known. Then he ripped my mum’s throat out with his teeth. Started fucking eating her. I didn’t think, I didn’t know what to do, so I ran for my dad.”
Breeze’s eyes welled up and her voice got thick.
“The demon had my scent. He came after me once he was done. He was laughing the whole time when he hit the worksite. My dad and the other guys came after him with whatever they had on hand. Graham still killed four of them before my dad got his hands on a drill and punched a hole in his skull.”
Tears tracked down her face and her voice got unsteady.
“Breeze. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Tell that to the town,” Breeze managed. “They all knew what happened. They knew that I’d called up something. Graham’s mum tried to kill me with her car after that. My dad found out about mum, and he turned me over to the cops. They didn’t know what to do with me. Chalked it all up to drugs. I had enough in my system.”
“They put you in prison?”
“I was in jail for weeks before the trial. That’s where Bull found me. He took me in, faked my death, gave me a new name. That’s why I’m Brianna now.” Breeze dashed tears away from her cheeks and met my eyes. “The last guy I fell in love with became a demon and killed my mother. I haven’t really been with anyone since then.”
Her hands shook, and she almost dropped her cigar.
I took it from her with soft, gentle movements and returned it to the ashtray.
“You got better after that,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Breeze replied. “None of it matters. I still called up a demon and got those people killed. My own family thinks I’m dead. I’m just this floating mess.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer.
Breeze dropped her glass a second later and lost control. She sobbed into my chest and I held her close. Her warmth swelled into me and I just held her close. My mind raced over the details and pieced it together.
No wonder Breeze was so fiercely loyal to the SIA.
She owed them everything. That was the lever that Bull had over her.
She couldn’t go solo or escape. He’d always have one marker to call in.
“I wish I could take it all back,” Breeze whispered. “I wish I hadn’t done it.”
I squeezed her tighter and stroked her hair.
