Hell Bound (Seventh Level Book 2) (6 page)

Meeting his eyes again, she purred, “But I’m asking now. A girl should know everything about her lover, shouldn’t she?”

“You think I don’t see through all these coy questions?” He licked the side of her face and laughed. “Why not? Maybe it’s time you know who I am.” He lazily twirled, as if spinning on a fashion runway. After facing her again, he stroked himself making her stomach turn. “I’m ruler of the Seventh Level of Hell and Kieran’s right hand man. He trusts me in everything.”

He strolled over and leaned forward until their noses touched. His breath was hot on her face. “You were mine long before you agreed to exchange your soul for your sister’s. You stupid bitch. I could have taken you any time I wanted you. You didn’t honestly think that weak male human by your side could have protected you once I decided you were mine.”

Tears welled up in Anne’s eyes, thinking of Mark and how close they had become in such a short time. He had tried his best to help her figure out what had happened to Kylie those last few weeks leading up to her death. Something about the handsome police detective had made Anne fall hopelessly in love with him during the short time they had been together. Over her lifetime, she had many regrets, but not letting Mark know how she felt before leaving to strike her deal with Pamela was at the top of her regret list.

Septem wiped away a tear that was running down the side of her face. “You dare cry for him after pledging yourself to me?” He let out an ear-deafening roar that rattled the bars of her cage.

Anne shrank back in an attempt to get away from his rage, but in a matter of seconds he was ripping through the bars and reaching in to pull her out.

* * * * *

Mark wasn’t sure what to expect from someone as famous as Wade Collins. However, one thing was certain—he never expected the superstar would interview him personally for the open security position. The downtown apartment where he scheduled his appointment was located in the fancier part of town and looked expensive but not opulent. It was one of the many reasons he was caught off guard when Wade opened the door at his knock. As far as Mark could tell, there wasn’t anyone else home, much less the large staff he’d imagined stars having.

His second surprise was the man himself. He seemed so normal. If Mark passed him on the street, he would never realize it. He was dressed in relaxed-fit jeans, ratty t-shirt, and he needed a shave. After a quick introduction, Wade led him into a small office with nothing more than a desk and two chairs inside. Oh, there were also a few golden records and awards sitting around, but they weren’t prominently displayed. It was almost as if they’d been set aside and forgotten. Mark waited until Wade took his seat behind the desk before claiming his own chair.

“This is not what I expected,” Mark said without thinking.

“What were you expecting?” Wade asked sounding curious.

Mark shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess a secretary or something.”

Wade laughed before admitting, “I don’t like people, and I doubly don’t like people who take up unnecessary space in my home. I’m moody, quiet, and I don’t sleep at night. The last thing I need is someone underfoot making me feel as if I have to fake it.” That made sense to Mark and he found himself nodding along as Wade continued. “I also don’t like someone doing the hiring for me. I want to size people up for myself. I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Ledoux.”

“Please call me Mark,” Mark said interrupting him and Wade nodded.

“Okay Mark. My lawyer—who’s a snake by the way—thoroughly investigated you and has advised me not to hire you.”

“I’m not surprised,” Mark admitted.

“But what he thinks of as good character is a bit different from my own beliefs. As I said, he’s a snake, but while it’s a good quality in a lawyer, it doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in his people judging skills. Being as how it’s me who needs securing and not him, I’d prefer to decide for myself.”

“That makes sense to me.” Especially since it gave him a better shot at getting hired, but Mark didn’t feel the need to add his thoughts on the matter.

“I assume you’re aware of the reason why he advised against you?”

“Yes sir,” Mark answered. “I was fired from the New Orleans’ Police Department under suspicion of withholding evidence pertinent to an ongoing murder investigation.”

“Did you?”

Mark held his gaze steadily refusing to back down. “It depends on who you ask.”

“I’m asking you.”

“Then yes. I did.”

“Why?”

There wasn’t a single hint of accusation in his voice so Mark decided to answer honestly. “My friend was accused of a crime he did not commit. I’m not saying that because he’s my friend. I know it to be a fact. He’s not guilty and I won’t cooperate with an investigation that condemns an innocent man.”

Wade sat forward taking him by surprise. “Good. That’s the kind of loyalty I’m looking for. Now, how did you end up in Nashville?”

“I followed a woman here,” Mark answered honestly causing Wade to chuckle.

“This job would require you to relocate. Is that going to be a problem?”

Mark continued holding his gaze while attempting to hide his emotions. “No sir. There is nothing holding me here any longer.”

Glancing away, Wade stared at some point past Mark’s shoulder, but Mark didn’t think he was seeing anything other than whatever was inside his head. “I have to be honest,” Wade said after a moment. “I’ve been on the road for the better part of two years now. I’ve made a lot of smart investments and a lot of money. Most of all, I’ve figured a few things out. The biggest thing I’ve learned is, I don’t care much about the money. Now, I don’t say as much because I have it therefore I can. I say it because it’s true. My heart—in more ways than one—is and always will be in Texas. I love music, and I don’t reckon I’ll ever change, but I was happier singing for my supper. How do you feel about Texas?”

“It’s hot, just the way I like it.”

A grin flashed across Wade’s face at his answer. “That’s good because I bought a club there. Unfortunately, even though I’m done with the limelight. It’s not done with me, and I find myself in need of someone full-time. I can hire guards and whatnot, but most of the people who apply for this type of job do so in hopes of reaping the rewards of road life. There won’t be much travel at all. I’m no longer touring. I don’t party. Honestly, I don’t even drink any longer. With any luck, there won’t be too many screaming fans beating down the door. I want a steady, full-time, and loyal security man who doesn’t mind a low-key job.”

“And relocation,” Mark reminded him.

“Yep. That’s a big one,” Wade agreed. “As I said, my heart is in Texas. I’ve already hired Justice to work ground’s security, so he’s really only hanging out with me here until I find the right person.”

Calling on his years of interrogation experience, Mark managed to keep the surprise out his expression as he turned in the direction of the man standing guard beside the office door. Mark couldn’t remember the last time he’d allowed anyone to sneak up on him, and this man had kept his presence hidden throughout the entire interview, but those details only played a small role in Mark’s shock. He’d met this particular man before.

The corner of the massive bodyguard’s mouth lifted as he openly enjoyed Mark’s discomfiture. They’d only met once and it had been a brief encounter, but Mark would never forget it. His baldhead and hulk-like build had nothing to do with Mark’s inability to wipe away the memory of him. It all came back to Anne. The last time Mark had seen Justice, he’d been working the door of a nightclub in New Orleans, and Mark suspected the person responsible for Anne’s disappearance had been inside.

Mark scrambled for something to say and came up blank. Finally, in some lame attempt at holding onto his composure, he simply said, “Nice to meet you.”

At Justice’s nod, Mark turned his full attention toward the interview with Wade. His determination to land the job tripled. Months had gone by with no new leads on Anne’s disappearance, and since learning of Wade Collins’ need for a new guard, a whole new world of clues had appeared.

Weighing everything Wade said thus far, Mark decided honesty would be the best way of ensuring he got the position. “I didn’t apply for this job in order to live the high life. As you know, I worked homicide when I was on the force and I saw more than my fair share of the underbelly of society. I need the work, and while I can’t afford to be picky, I’ve also had all the excitement a person can stand for one lifetime. I’d much prefer a quiet life.”

Wade held his silence for a few minutes and Mark wasn’t a hundred percent positive he wasn’t about to get shot down. Finally, Wade asked, “How do you feel about country music?”

“Do I have the job?”

Wade gave him a short nod. “I think you do.”

“Then I can learn to love it.”

* * * * *

Morgan

Dallas, Texas

She never thought she’d die at work. That’s what sucked the most. Morgan always imagined she’d go quietly in her sleep at the age of ninety while surrounded by a horde of grandchildren. Then again, she supposed that was everyone’s dream. Instead, here she was fighting for her life in the empty alleyway behind the bonds office she hated with a passion. It wasn’t enough she’d been forced to work at this horrible place surrounded by the lowest of life’s population under a boss who she secretly believed to be the devil. Now, she was going to die here too. It was crazy the sheer number of thoughts a person could have while disaster surrounded them. Pain exploded across her cheek as the guy attempting to steal her purse, landed a solid blow to her face. It only pissed her off more. It wasn’t she wasn’t willing to give it up as much as she was unable to. Somehow, in his attempt to snag it from her shoulder and run in the opposite direction, the purse had twisted around her lower arm in the exact way needed to keep her attached to the man.

Why hadn’t she listened to her mother and married the nice boy who would’ve let her stay home and raise babies? Because he was too nice, she reminded herself as she stomped her attacker’s toes, and he twisted her arm at an unnatural angle in retaliation. Crying out in pain, Morgan dropped to her knees and her vision swam. She was praying to pass out when the man disappeared. In her pain-induced haze, her mind couldn’t grasp her surroundings any longer. He simply was there one moment and gone the next.

The vice twisting her arm relaxed and a shot of fire raced up the side of her body as the blood rushed back through it. Her stomach heaved, and the ground rushed up to meet her as the darkness finally claimed her.

Wade

Without an ounce of hesitation, Wade used his famous name to stay at Morgan’s side. It wasn’t a coincidence he’d been in the parking lot at the same time as her. He’d been making sure Morgan got home safely from work for two months now. Some might consider it stalking, but Wade preferred to think of it as proving his love from a distance. Tonight of all nights, he’d been running a few minutes behind. When he thought of what could’ve happened to her, he wanted to beat the shit out her attacker a second time. Lucky for him, Mark had been there to step in to keep Wade from killing the guy.

After arriving at the hospital, Morgan’s doctor had attempted to make Wade leave and refused to release any information about her condition until he’d used his name to take care of things. Now Morgan had the best room money could buy and he’d been left alone to watch over her. Chances were good her job didn’t have great health insurance and he didn’t want her to have to worry over the cost. She would always be his, whether she chose to be with him or ended up married to someone else. He would never allow her to want for anything. He’d tried to forget her, leave her in peace, and then give her distance, but in the end, everything came back to her. Even if she could never forgive him, he would never love anyone else. He’d tried a few times to forget her, but she was the one for him and always would be.

Her hair was a shade darker now and even with the heavy bruising on her face, she was still more beautiful than any other woman in the world. Only because he’d not looked away from her face since she came back from surgery, did he catch the slight fluttering of her eyelids. A flash of blue irises shone out at him for half a second before falling closed again.

“You were right.” Her voice sounded almost as if it hurt her to speak.

Leaning forward, Wade rested his weight on his elbows near her hip. “That doesn’t happen often. What am I right about?”

She didn’t open her eyes, and he wondered if she was truly awake, but she answered, “You said parking lots are dangerous.”

Despite the situation, he was still smiling like an idiot. It had been so long since they’d spoken to one another. He just wanted to be with her. “They are,” he conceded. “But, I don’t remember saying so.”

“I feel heavy.”

A shot of panic ran through him and he glanced at the machine keeping track of her heart rate. No alarms were sounding and everything held steady. He breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s probably the anesthesia,” he said, more to reassure himself. “They had to put a screw in your wrist. It was pretty fucked up.” Having to say the words reignited his anger. No one would ever touch her again. He would make sure of it.

She stayed silent so long he thought she’d gone back to sleep. He almost leaned back in his seat when she spoke again holding him in place. “The first night we met, you said parking lots were dangerous, and you were right. I’ve lost so many things in them.”