First Kill (Heaven Sent Book 1) Read online

  The guilt of tossing her best friend’s lifeless body into a ditch would stay with her forever. The memory would haunt her. She hated what she’d done. She hated herself, but she didn’t want to spend her life in jail. How many times had she been chided for being selfish? Here was the proof she was. She had a good idea who’d given Libby the cocaine, but she couldn’t prove it. And she couldn’t let Libby’s parents believe Libby had relapsed again. They’d been through so much. Libby worked hard to make them think she was well. No, the best thing to do was to ditch the body, so that’s what she’d done. Then, she spent hours cleaning her car, dying her hair, moving funds between accounts, and packing. She hadn’t had any sleep in over twenty-four hours.

  “Fuck me,” he said as he leaned back in his chair with his arms resting on the sides. “Now I see why you want to leave.”

  She set the box on the nearby vanity. “I’m going to head to Texas. I think Ethan will let me stay with him for a while.”

  Troy arched a brow. “The old lover?”

  She’d met Ethan her when she was a sophomore in college. They hit it off fast and had been a couple for two years. His parents had divorced during his final year of school. His father moved to Texas to start a business and Ethan decided to go with him to help. She hadn’t seen him since, but they stayed in touch.

  “I don’t know if I’ll stay there permanently. I don’t know about anything right now except I have to go.”

  Not only did she need to leave town to avoid the law, she had to get away from anything that would remind her of Libby. With time, she hoped to clear her conscience, if it was even possible.

  Troy straightened and looked point blank into her eyes. “I’m here for you anytime you need me.”

  “I know. Thank you.”

  He twisted to face his mirror and then bent under his vanity. As he dug inside a computer bag, Emily fished the pouch from her purse. When she lifted her gaze and the pouch, Troy faced her with a paper-sized brown envelope in his hand.

  “I’ll have a passport ready in a week. This should hold you over for a while,” he said as he gave her the package. “It has your new ID, vehicle registration to the Honda and the new one you purchased, birth certificate, social security card…”

  “You’re amazing,” she said as she peeked inside the envelope.

  “Yes, I know,” he said flatly, yet very matter of fact. “Now, Raymond is expecting you at midnight to exchange vehicles. Make sure you’re on time. He likes to bitch a lot.”

  She laid the package on her lap. “I really appreciate this.”

  “I know honey, and remember, you’re paying.”

  Speaking of which, she handed the diamonds to him. “Take good care of these.”

  His eyes enlarged. “The family jewels. Literally.” He held the cloth bag in his palm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Their mine according to my grandmother’s will.”

  “Did you take anything else?”

  “No, but I could have. The way I see it, they owe me. I had to buy my own car at seventeen and pay my way through college. They’ve given Erin everything. She hasn’t worked for a damn thing,” she said with bitterness in her tone.

  “Smart move not to touch the cash.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m willing to bet they’d call me a thief and no good daughter publicly if I had.”

  He held the pouch in front of her. “I’ll ask again. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  She took a deep breath as she stared at the bag in his palm. The diamonds held some sentimental value, but the monetary one meant more. “Sell them. I don’t care anymore.”

  As he bent and hid them in his bag under the desk, she stood. If she was going to make it to Columbus, Indiana, by midnight, she needed to get going.

  Troy noticed her standing and rose from his chair. “People are going to look for you.”

  “And you never saw me.”

  “No.” He put his hand to his chest. “I didn’t, but others from the party might step forward if her parents go public with her disappearance.”

  “Her parents will tell the police to look for me first since I’m her best friend. Since I’ll be gone, I’ll be the prime suspect. I know this. That’s why I asked for a new identity. Hopefully they won’t find me if I stay far away.”

  “My documents are good quality. You shouldn’t have any problems.”

  “Did you have any trouble getting them?” she asked as she lifted the strap of her purse over her arm.

  “Nope. You’re Carrie Reynolds, just as you had asked.”

  “Excellent.” Now she could access the overseas accounts she’d set up.

  “Get rid of your phone on the interstate. Buy a cheap one and call me tomorrow.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yes, stay in touch.” He gave her another hug.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” she said.

  “You already have.” He lowered his arms. “I’ll let you know when I’ve sold them.”

  “Stay out of trouble.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  She wasn’t sad as she headed to the door. Although she’d miss spending time with him, she knew she would see him again.

  “I expect to hear from you,” he said right before she swung the door open. “I will hunt down your big ass if you don’t contact me.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be in touch.” She gave him an air kiss before she walked out.

  After leaving the club, she got in her car and headed for Indianapolis. She drove on the main interstate until she reached Merrillville. For fifteen minutes she drove around the town before she found a good place to toss her cell phone. She hated parting with it, but she’d already transferred her photos and valuable information to a secure email.

  She returned to the highway leading to Indy and decided she’d stay on it for two hours. Then she’d take a different route in case the police were looking for her vehicle. As long as she didn’t get lost, she’d make it to Columbus by midnight.

  Darkness replaced the sun in little time. Traffic thinned the further away she drove from Chicago. Although she preferred to speed, she refrained from doing so and drove only five miles per hour above the posted limit. She listened to the radio for a while and sang several tunes to avoid feeling down in the dumps. But no matter what, she couldn’t stop pondering over the different ways she could’ve helped Libby fight her drug problem.

  When she’d reached her two-hour limit, she pulled over at a gas station. She grabbed a snack, relieved her bladder, and then purchased an atlas. After she returned to her car, she studied the state map and found an alternate route to take. She was back on the road, heading toward Indy, within minutes.

  The path she’d decided to take led her down dark country roads. She passed several towns with small populations. Traffic was next to nothing, so she sped a little more. She drove through a place called Lebanon. It reminded her of Gary and for a while, she’d thought she’d made a wrong turn somewhere. When she saw a sign for Indianapolis, the touch of panic she’d felt disappeared in a flash.

  Emily yawned and lowered her speed as she drove on the lonely road. The vast land and darkness encouraged her lethargy. She’d been awake for far too long and needed sleep. She planned to find a hotel after she exchanged her vehicle.

  She was traveling along a hilly dark road when she spotted an animal run across. Fearing there might be others, she lifted her foot from the pedal. She switched on her bright beams and cruised at a lower speed. As she coasted down a hill, she spotted something in the middle of the road further ahead. She hovered her foot over the brake while she squeezed her eyes to focus.

  “What the hell?” she said to herself. She slowed her vehicle to a crawl. Although she was exhausted, she doubted her eyes were playing tricks on her.

  A naked man was lying across the pavement. He had short dark locks and muscles everywhere as if he were some athlete. He lifted one of his arms and she widened her eyes. Obviously,
the man was alive. She steered away to avoid driving over him, but curiosity chewed away at her. She wanted to get a closer look. After she passed the body, she braked hard and the vehicle jerked.

  With the car stopped, she shoved open her door. She left her vehicle running as she approached the naked man. A quick glance in both directions revealed no other cars were near. The nearest house appeared to be miles away. She scanned the nearby area to make sure she wasn’t walking into some kind of sick prank. The flat and quiet land revealed no signs of others. Stranger yet, she couldn’t locate any clothes.

  She stopped at his side and took in the full view of him. The man dripped of one hundred percent pure masculinity. Every curve, dip, ripple, and bump looked perfectly sculpted. He had the kind of body most women fantasize about and it appeared free from any blood, cuts, tattoos, piercings, or flesh wounds. His chest had a trace amount of hair, barely noticeable, and he had small brown nipples. Lower, she followed the thin trail of hair from his belly button leading to his groin. His flaccid erection lay among a thin patch. She swallowed hard as she stared at him. Her cheeks warmed. Even limp, he was impressive compared to other men she’d seen.

  He turned his head toward her. “Hello.”

  She opened her mouth, but words didn’t come out. Questions flooded her mind. How did he end up in the middle of the nowhere on the road? Did he pass out? Was he an alien? If he was, she’d let him take her back with him to the mother ship.

  “Where am I?” he asked, but all she could do was stare and hope bugs didn’t fly into her welcoming mouth.

  He sat upright and flexed his arms. His big muscles expanded. What did a man have to do to get that kind of physique? Work out every night of the week?

  He rose to his feet without a single stagger. As he stood unwavering, she presumed he was sober. The lack of cuts or bruises suggested he was uninjured. By all accounts, he appeared quite healthy.

  He took a step toward her and she took a few back.

  “Wait. Please. I won’t hurt you,” he said. “Please, I need your help.”

  She stared at him in awe and utter shock. The last twenty-four hours had been out of control and the worst in her life. She had no clue how the sexy man in front of her ended up naked and alone on the road, but since he’d asked politely for help and didn’t have any weapons on him, except for the one south of his navel, she decided to give him a chance. Besides, what harm could come from picking up such a fine, well-endowed man?

  Chapter Three

  Andrew stared at the young woman gripping the steering wheel. Her black locks with blue streaks brought back memories from the early 1980s when the punk scene had been popular. He loved that decade and wondered if the style had returned. Her bangs hung above her blue eyes. Underneath them, she had puffy dark blotches. He suspected she needed sleep, but he dared not bring up the subject, fearing it might irritate her. She had light freckles on her nose and cheeks. He could barely see them, but the light above their heads helped. She’d left it on after they’d settled in the car. Her pink lips looked perfect for kissing. She had a slim figure and breasts that fit her size, either B or C cup if he guessed right. She had an innocent type of look, though she had to be far from it since she had a pinkish glow for an aura. Still, she was beautiful to gaze at.

  The dashboard of her vehicle was different from the last one he’d seen. It was rounder and sleeker. A tape deck was missing, but it had a thin wide slit above the radio. Compact discs had been popular in his day. He suspected the slot was for playing the round discs. In heaven, most people didn’t have cars. Only important people had them. There were buses and trains to travel small distances or state to state. The majority walked or rode bikes in their local areas. Trucks delivered food to homes and stores. Andrew was glad to see not much had changed in the auto industry, although he would’ve enjoyed seeing flying cars.

  The visor hanging near his head had a sliding door. He gave it a gentle push to the side. The mirror showed his reflection hadn’t changed. He was grateful for that. He’d checked his manhood and athletic body. Thank goodness he’d been sent back to Earth in the same body. He’d worked hard to stay in shape before he’d died and if he had to live with a different size penis, he wouldn’t know what to do.

  He lifted the visor before he turned to his new lady friend. “Thank you for the ride.”

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Andrew.”

  She glimpsed at him. “Andy what?”

  “It’s Andrew, not Andy,” he said, a bit testy.

  “Oh, sorry. What’s your last name?”

  “Just call me Andrew.”

  She pressed her lips together and frowned. He sensed her discontent, but he didn’t see a point in sharing his full name.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “Emily.”

  He noticed she avoided gazing at him. Did his nakedness bother her? He wondered if she was bashful. Surely, she didn’t think he had an unappealing body. But he couldn’t be certain. Maybe if he had something to hide his erection she would be more willing to look at him.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have any extra clothes, would you? Preferably for a man.” He looked behind her seat and spotted a cover and a bag containing bottles of water.

  “No, but there’s a blanket in the back you can use for now.”

  He twisted and reached between the seats. His arm brushed against hers and she inched away from him. After he pulled the blanket to the front, he placed it over his lap.

  The dark road had a lot of hills and curves. He hadn’t seen a single vehicle in either direction. Since they hadn’t passed many houses, he guessed they were far from a city. But where? And what year was it? Did Earth look the same since he’d left it in 1989? He wished the sun were shining so could he see more.

  She peeked at him from the corner of her eyes. “This is just too weird.”

  “What?”

  She took her eyes off the road briefly. “You.”

  “So you don’t stumble across naked men in the road very often?”

  She grinned and he thought it went well with her face. He would encourage her to smile more often.

  “No, you’re the first,” she said. “How did you end up without any clothes in the middle of some country road?”

  “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  The temptation to feed her some story played in his mind. If he told her the truth, she might pull over and force him to get out. He needed help and right now, she was his only chance at getting it.

  “Try me,” she said.

  “Could you first tell me what year it is?”

  Her brows scrunched. “2016.”

  “Oh.” He nodded. “Good.”

  He inhaled a relieving breath. Since he’d only been gone twenty-seven years, he suspected he could fit back into society with ease.

  “What year did you think it was?” she asked.

  “I didn’t know.”

  “How could you not know?”

  His mouth hung open. He was at a loss of words. “I … forgot.” He swallowed. “Where are we?”

  “Not too far from Indianapolis,” she said with crooked brows.

  He suspected she was trying to figure out why he’d asked such questions.

  “I’ve been there before. Nice city. Do you live there?” He wanted to change the subject so he could learn more about her.

  After they went up a hill, she glanced at him. “No, I’m from Chicago.”

  “Really? Me too.”

  She shook her head. “So how did you end up in Indiana? And tell me the truth or I’ll pull over. Don’t tell me some alien bullshit.”

  The annoyance in her tone warned him he had to be careful. He didn’t want to make her angry, but he feared she wouldn’t accept the truth. Somehow, he had to convince her he wasn’t a bad person and he wouldn’t harm her. He’d always been honest with people and believed it was best. But he feared telling anyone he’d been sent from
heaven to destroy demons might cause problems.

  “Obviously, I’m not an alien,” he said as he glanced down. Black ink had formed on his forearm in the little time he’d been in the car. The writing read ‘Harold Dillons’. A Pittsburgh address appeared underneath the name.

  “What the fuck?” She braked fast.

  He braced his hands on the dashboard while the tires squealed. The vehicle came to a quick halt.

  She touched his tattooed forearm. “What is this? How did it get there? I know it wasn’t there before.”

  “You’re right. It wasn’t there before.”

  She grazed her fingers over the writing. “Tattoos don’t magically appear.”

  Her soft touch felt good to his skin and other parts of his body. He hoped she wouldn’t notice any movement under the blanket.

  “I suppose they don’t,” he said.

  She crossed her arms. “Answer my questions or you can get the hell out of my car.”

  He held up his palm to her. “Okay, okay. But like I said, you probably won’t believe me.”

  “Let me be the judge.” She shifted the gear into park.

  He took a deep breath. “I’m an angel from heaven. I’ve been returned to Earth to kill demons. The names of them appear on my arm.” He hoped he’d shared enough to satisfy her.

  She stared at him with the all too familiar I don’t believe you expression.

  “It’s the truth,” he added. “No alien bullshit.”

  “You said you were from Chicago,” she said.

  “I was. Born and raised. And died. My parents and I were in a car crash during the winter of 1989. We died and went to heaven.”

  She shook her head. “This is crazy.”

  “Of course it is. Why would anyone believe me?”

  He turned his gaze to the front window. He was screwed and not the way he wanted to be. He suspected she was going to ask him to get out and then he’d have to walk naked in the cold to find shelter, clothes, and food. How could the council think he could fulfill his sentence when he didn’t even have a pair of underwear? His punishment was unfair.

  “So … you’re an angel,” she said, collecting his attention.