Tirade (Heven and Hell #3)(12)
Author: Cambria Hebert

I still wasn’t sure that thread was gone. Well, the one Sam destroyed was gone, but then Beelzebub told us he left behind more than one. How many, I didn’t know and since sending Beelzebub into a pit of churning flames wasn’t enough to kill him, I was left wondering when he would reclaim his place inside my head and begin torturing me again.

A huge, wet mesh bag flung through the air and landed with a solid thud at my feet, startling me and I jumped back automatically, getting into a crouch, ready to pounce. I couldn’t see what was in the bag because it was so dark here away from most of the streetlights, but from the smell, I would say it was probably a bag of seafood. More laughter sounded and one of the men on the boat leapt over the side, landing in front of me. The bag lay between us and I wondered about its weight and if I would be able to lift it and throw it at him.

“Look what we got here,” he called.

I didn’t relax my stance because that’s what he wanted me to do. He thought he could intimidate me into dropping my guard. Little did he know that Beelzebub made him look like the tooth fairy.

“I was looking for someone, but it’s clear he isn’t here,” I said loudly, confidently.

“I can be whoever you’re looking for.”

I started walking away, backward, keeping my eyes on the man. Then another jumped down behind me. If I went to either side, I’d go off the dock into the black water. That was not an option. I turned so my back was to the water and I could see both men.

Because it was dark, I couldn’t make out much other than they were both big, smelled, and thought they were tough. Slowly, I slid my hand down the strap of my bag, allowing it to disappear inside.

“Why don’t you come on up to the boat and we’ll show you around.” The man to my left said.

“No.”

The man to my right was farthest away and he casually stepped over the bag of seafood. When he moved, so did the man to my left—lunging at me, trying to catch me by surprise. I pulled my hand out of my bag and plunged the dagger into the man’s leg. He screamed and fell to his knees. I turned and hit him dead-on, which sent him spiraling into the sea.

I turned toward the remaining guy and held up the dagger, darkened with blood. The man stood in front of me, his eyes bouncing between me and the water to my right. Then he glanced at the dagger.

“What’s a little girl like you doing carrying around such a thing?”

I sensed some movement behind me and wrapped both my arms across my chest just as two vice-like arms closed around me. Instantly, I threw both my arms down, loosening the hold the man had on me. He released me, trying not to get caught by the dagger’s blade. I dropped onto the dock floor and crawled through the surprised man’s legs. He grabbed hold of my foot and I turned, lashing out with the dagger. The man cried out and yanked his bloodied hand back.

“You’re crazy!” the man yelled hysterically.

I jumped to my feet and watched as he backed away. The other man was helping his buddy out of the water while trying to keep an eye on me. He was stupid. I caught him off-guard and sent him into the water right next to his friend.

The entire crew on the boat was standing around, silently gazing down at the scene. Clearly, they’d come to the conclusion I wasn’t as innocent as they thought. I backed away from them, keeping my body tense, the dagger visible until their images faded and I heard them scrambling to help their buddies back on the boat.

Only then did I let out a relieved breath of air. The ferry was loading passengers and I hurried on, checking behind me to make sure I wasn’t followed. As I boarded, I held the dagger between myself and my bag so no one would wonder what I was doing with such a wicked-looking weapon. I could have put it away, but I wouldn’t have felt safe. There were only a few passengers because it was getting late, so it wasn’t hard to find a spot that was completely empty. I chose a seat away from the railing of the boat, placing my back to one of the walls that made up the little room where the captain steered the boat. The bench was hard beneath me, damp and cold. I pushed away the discomfort and looked again at the way I came, making sure no one followed.

Only after I was convinced I was alone did I slide the dagger back into my bag and slump against the wall. The burns on my arm were throbbing and my limbs were trembling. I couldn’t wait to climb into Sam’s truck, blast the heater and take a deep breath of the air that still smelled like him. With that, my eyes filled with tears. I failed. Again.

Not liking the direction my thoughts were going, I straightened and dashed the tears away. So I didn’t have a plan to get Sam back. So what? I’d go with my back-up plan and just go down there and do what I had to do to break him out. If he had to be the one to get the Lucent Marble, then he had to be the one. Now, if only I could figure out when the next bus to hell was…

The ferry whistle blew, signaling it was ready to leave the dock. As we pulled away, I looked back at the island and the lights glowing in the cobblestone streets. It didn’t seem near as beautiful as when I arrived. I didn’t so much hear something but felt it and my body tensed anew. My eyes scanned the area, but there wasn’t anything there. I heard a low thud and I jumped up, still searching the shadows for something, someone.

I stood for what seemed like forever, waiting for an attack, but none came. Just as I was about to sit back down, there was a flash of something at the railing. The dagger appeared in my hand before I even thought about grabbing it. There was another thud followed by something slowly rising over the railing. At first, I thought it was a demon, but the hands that gripped the sides were much too human-looking, as was the leg that came over the side next.

Before I knew it, there was a wet slap onto the floor of the boat and a man stood up from his crouch. He was dripping wet with dark hair hanging in his eyes. His black T-shirt was soaked and sticking to every one of his chest muscles. His cut-off jean shorts were soggy with ocean water.

He hadn’t looked at me once, but he had to be aware of my presence.

I knew he was.

Because even in the dark, I could see that he had no aura.

I stopped breathing when he looked up. His eyes were as dark as his hair and I hadn’t known until this moment that people were capable of having such dark eyes. Something cold slithered up my spine.

He silently stared at me for a long moment before completely disregarding me and shaking like a wet dog. Cold droplets of water sprayed my bare arms. When he was done, he looked up. His hair was no longer in his eyes but standing out wildly around his head.