Immortal Memory (Book One) (11 page)

That only made it worse. Simra turned
away before she would start crying and walked into the coffee shop.
She inhaled the strong aroma of coffee. The mellow acoustic music
caused Simra’s tightened muscles to loosen with delight.

The people swayed to the talented young
singer’s calming tune on the small stage in the front. A harmonica
was attached to a metal band around the woman’s face. She also
played the guitar. The musician with short dark hair and
black-framed glasses sang magically as she performed. Her voice and
music sent delicious waves of delight through Simra. For a second,
all was forgotten about the evil around her.

Then, she spotted Jeff
sitting by a window. He sipped on a cup of coffee in his
hand.
Simra was reminded of the reason she
came in that instant. For the first time, going to see a musical
performance with him wouldn’t be fun like the old days.

Her blood turned cold from the fear of
losing him to an enraged demon. Faith. She must hold on to what
little faith she had inside of her.

Simra smiled when she saw her friend
waving. The detective motioned for her to come and take a seat
beside him. She rushed toward him and gave him a tight hug.
Something horrible was about to happen. Simra almost sensed it.
This night seemed to have already happened, but she must trust
God.

“Jeff, I’ve been so worried about you.
Glad you’re well. What'd you find?”

His smile waned when she mentioned
finding something. “Did Mandy decide not to come? I followed Quint
to the quarters today, and something bizarre happened. I can’t
explain it. It also seemed to stun Quint and the other drug
dealers.”

Simra placed her hand on Jeff’s, which
rested on the table. “Mandy’s taking care of Grandmother at the
lake house. I’ve witnessed incidents since Tristan’s death that
can’t be explained either. So, please, tell me.”

“Is Zach here, or did he
stay?”

“He's outside guarding the place. So
what happened?”

The detective leaned forward and
described everything he witnessed in a hushed voice. Jeff seemed to
not wish for others to hear the odd experience. Simra gasped when
he told her about the tire airing up by itself. The wheel of the
drug dealer’s car became flat. Jeff explained how it saved him from
the dangerous situation in the quarters by magic. Zach must have
been there to help her friend.

The way the angel of death helped Jeff
warmed her heart. Maybe Zach wasn’t anything like his brother.
Perhaps the charming angel could be trusted. Zach seemed to want to
protect her, her family, and friend. The angel was doing everything
he could to destroy the demon forever.

“Jeff, it was Zach.” Simra explained
more about the angel and demon. She told him about Lucinda's
journal.

Her friend’s eyes lit up. “There's
something else. I researched Dr. Zach Hanley. He drowned in the
lake while fishing a year ago. There were also twins in Lucinda's
younger days named Zachriel and Azazel Hanley. Azazel Hanley was
wanted for murder years ago, and Zachriel was a detective. Both
brothers disappeared after the murder. According to the newspaper
article, Azazel and Zachriel were both involved in the cult. I'd be
careful around Zach too if I were you.”

Simra felt the blood drain from her
face. "Oh my…”

Quick movements snatched her
attention outside the window
. Zach clasped
his hand around Tristan’s neck and shoved him against a
truck.
Never did the angel appear so
aggressive and out of control! She and Jeff needed to get out of
there.

Simra turned to Jeff, rose from the
table, grabbed his hand, and started to run. “Both brothers are
outside the shop. We have to leave. Now! I'm not allowing anything
to happen to you.”

Jeff followed her into the face of
danger. “Wait!”

Chapter 12

"Do not be afraid of those
who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of
the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." -Matthew
10:28

Simra hurried out the doors of the
coffee shop and into the cool night air. She scanned the parking
lot for any people. Everyone was inside the coffee shop and
listened to the young musician. The people didn’t seem to notice
what took place outside the windows. Jeff gazed from Simra to where
she looked several times. He followed her into his car without
Tristan and Zach noticing.

The demon slipped from his brother’s
grasp and stepped behind him. Tristan grabbed a handful of Zach’s
hair and pinned him against one of the vehicles. Simra ached from
her heart getting broken again. Zach tricked her worse than Tristan
did. They were both fallen angels! However, a part of her couldn’t
bear to see Zach defeated.

Simra dialed the number to Mandy's
phone, and her cousin answered. "Sim, is everything
okay?"

"No, Jeff found out some things about
Zach. He's just as evil as Tristan, Mandy. You and Grandmother have
to leave now! Take her back to your place, and I'll meet you there.
Jeff's bringing me now."

"Oh my! Okay, we're on our
way."

Zach seemed to have hidden his true
form all this time. They must stay away from him. Simra’s main
priority was keeping her family safe. There must be another safe
place other than the lake house.

Jeff sped down the road. "How are you
going to stay away from Zach and Tristan? You know they'll probably
find you, right?"

"It seems my only option is to rely on
God. I know I've never really had a relationship with Him. But I
think it's time to start trusting Him. After all, He's kept me safe
all this time. What are you doing about Quint tonight? Isn’t he
supposed to meet you in the quarters for his money?”

“Yeah……actually, there’ll be disguised
cops follow me into the quarters where I met him. We’ll arrest him
tonight. No doubt about it. I believe God's been the One keeping
all of us safe. There has to be somewhere safe from Tristan and
Zach.”

Simra recalled how a person involved
with drugs lied most of the time, and her heart thumped with
madness. Maybe Quint had other plans. Maybe the drug dealer knew it
was a setup to arrest him.

“We'll figure something out if Mandy's
place isn't safe. I also don’t want you or anyone else to get
harmed.”

Jeff eyes wavered. “Yeah. I’ll do my
best to stay safe. But I don’t know what to expect with an evil
angel and demon on our hands. Quint will be handled
properly.”

“Jeff, can we stop by my house to pack
a few things? I won't be home for a few days.”

“Of course," Jeff replied, making the
turn down Simra's neighborhood.

Simra knew this would be the best
opportunity to pack since Zach and Tristan were both distracted.
She dug through her clothes in the closet and in the dresser. Simra
stuffed them, her phone charger, and toiletries into a large
suitcase. Everything in the house appeared the same as when she
came with Zach. Tristan left all their memories scattered through
the house.

The pictures of Tristan and Simra
together, which he left in the den and bedroom, drew a heaviness in
her throat. The Burberry cologne still suffocated her. Everything
sucked Simra back into a dreadful past she longed to forget. His
letters were strewn across the floor, and she crumbled up one of
them. Silence filled the room, and the cold breath of evil seemed
to close in on her. A hand grasped her shoulder, and she jerked
back in response.

Simra turned to see Jeff behind her.
“Sorry to startle you, Sim. I noticed everything of yours and
Tristan’s everywhere.”

Simra snatched one of the love letters
from the floor and ripped it to shreds. “I trashed them. He must’ve
found them, collected them, and brought everything back to me.
Tristan’s manipulative and possessive. He’s only doing this to win
me back.”

Jeff gave Simra a look of apology.
“Don’t allow him that control over you. Give it completely to God.
He helped you live through all that madness with Tristan in the
past. God will give you the strength to survive it
again.”

Simra gave Jeff a warm smile and
squeezed him with a tight hug. “Thank you for being so supportive.
Your kindness and friendship means the world to me.”

“I love you, Sim. Now let’s get to
Mandy's. I've got to meet the guys soon." He led Simra out of the
house.

"I love you too, Jeff."

They got into the car and drove away.
The lights of a vehicle behind Jeff almost blinded Simra after a
while. The person tailed Jeff's bumper for far too long.

Jeff frowned and squinted his eyes from
the blinding lights in the mirror. “I wish this crazy driver would
back off my tail. I'm driving fast!”

Jeff made a wide turn onto another
road. Simra’s heart dropped to her stomach. The street lights
revealed a familiar dented vehicle speeding after them into the
neighborhood. The engine fired up louder, and the car raced after
them.

“Jeff, don’t go to Mandy's! It’s
Tristan’s Dodge Charger!”

Simra’s heart bled because of the
danger she placed Jeff into tonight. How could she have placed his
life into the hands of a mad, enraged demon? Maybe she and her
family really were safer at the lake house.

Jeff grabbed his two-way radio and
alerted other cops in the area. They responded in
seconds.

Jeff replied and told them the location
he was headed. "We'll be there in five minutes at the most. Can you
get there in that amount of time?”

The officers responded, "Ten-four,
we're on our way."

Simra’s heart hammered against her
chest. “You think it's the drug dealer?"

"I saw a similar car at Quint's house
today. He must've been parked by your house and saw us."

The bright lights on the front of the
car grew closer and blinded them more. Tristan’s headlights ducked
under the rear of Jeff’s vehicle. Simra felt the blood rushing from
her face as she jolted forward.

The Dodge Charger rammed into them with
a brutal thrust. Jeff’s car swerved to the other side of the road
and back into the proper lane. They might be killed by this insane
driver! Simra had to protect Jeff and her family to the best of her
ability tonight. She would prove to herself that she could do it.
Without a lying angel!

The car backed away from them. Then, it
sped up in a rush. The Dodge jammed into them when it caught up.
Jeff’s vehicle dove off the road and into the ditch.

The other officers were supposed to
meet him at this spot. No other houses or cars were around them.
Mandy lived in the middle of nowhere. Simra touched a small dab of
blood oozing from her brow.

Jeff, who appeared unwounded, remained
seated in the car. "Don't worry. I have a gun, but he probably has
one too."

Simra lifted her head to the
stars above the pine trees after seeing Quint get out of the
car.
God, please watch over us. Surround
us with Your presence. Amen.
Simra began to
regret how she ran away from Zach. Her eager heart raced to go back
in time.

Quint reached into his pocket and
pulled out a pistol. "Ya lying fool! Ya are a cop and involved wit'
her. Step outta' tha' ca'! Both o' ya! I'm 'bout to kill ya both
afta' I get my money. Now both o' ya owe me a million in
cash."

Jeff turned to Simra and nodded as they
stepped out of the car. Simra’s feet froze to the ground, and her
body grew numb.

"I'll kill you myself if you kill him
or my family."

The drug dealer clicked his gun and
prepared to shoot her. “No one kills anyone but me. Got it? Ya new
boyfriend, dis cop, will die right now.”

Simra couldn’t control her lips from
parting with surprise. Zach rushed from the thicket of pine trees
and made it to the drug dealer before Quint shot at Jeff. Simra
blocked the detective. Her muscles tightened.

She jerked back when the thug pulled
the trigger. Her breathing halted. The bullet didn’t hit her. She
turned to Jeff, who didn’t get hurt either. Gazing up, Simra saw
how Zach eased the gun in another direction. The crook didn't
realize Zach was there.

Quint fired at Jeff and Simra again.
The loud boom of the pistol made Simra’s bones almost jump out of
her skin. Zach kept easing the gun in a different area. The drug
dealer aimed at a sign and hit it right in the center. The thug
tried to shoot them again. Zach caused Quint to fire in a different
direction.

The crook’s eyes narrowed with
confusion when he gazed at the weapon in his hand. Simra gathered
all the courage within her to run toward Quint. They needed to
steal the gun before it was too late. Zach protected them. Maybe
they could take the pistol without getting shot.

She motioned for Jeff to help her knock
Quint down. One of them could grab the weapon from his hand. Jeff
wrestled him to the ground. Simra snatched the hard barrel of the
gun from the thug. Sirens whirred in the distance and came closer
by the second.

Simra aimed the gun at Quint and kicked
him in the groin. She hissed at him between clenched teeth. “Never
touch my family again if you want to stay alive.”