Read Online Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore - Free Book Online

shut.
    He watches the transaction, leaning against the door. Damien hates this kid. Baby Joe. He never, ever stops talking.
    They lift the girl from the car. Her hands and feet are wrapped in duct tape, her head covered with a dark pillowcase. That, too, is taped shut.
    But something’s wrong.
    There’s no fear here. He can’t smell it. He can’t taste it.
    He strides toward the Cadillac. “You drug her?”
    Baby Joe answers, “Na. Knocked her with my piece. She’s awake now.”
    Then she should be afraid. She should be very afraid.
    Damien yanks at the tape on the pillowcase.
    “I got it, boss,” Horacio says, pulling a knife from his boot. He cuts through the tape and pulls the pillowcase away. “We don’t want to damage the merchandise.”
    The girl stares back at him. Brown eyes, auburn hair. Petite. Attractive. A good fit for Henry Madison. But there’s something wrong with her. She’s not afraid. He can see it in her eyes.
    “What’s your name?” he growls.
    She lifts her chin, defiant.
    “Helene.”
    “We can’t use her,” he says.
    “What do you mean you can’t use her?” Baby Joe says.
    “We need girls, boss, and she’s perfect.”
    “I’ve got another girl coming. We’re not using this one.” He pulls the sidearm from his belt and shoots her in the stomach.
    The shot throws her against the car, her eyes wide, blood spreading across her shirt.
    “Whoa! Whoa!” Baby Joe backs away.
    “Boss . . .”
    Their indignation builds as Damien watches the girl, completely collected, disappear and reappear within the span of a second. As she rematerializes, she plants the controlled power of both her fists into his sternum. He flies backward several steps, landing in a crouch.
    Her shirt is unmarred. There’s no evidence she was just shot.
    “Like I said, we can’t use her.”
    Horacio just stares. His eyes wide, his lips curled. Baby Joe’s hysterical. He curses and backs away. Damien points his gun at the boy, anything to shut him up.
    But Helene moves fast, stepping in front of Baby Joe.
    Damien laughs. “You think he’s worth saving? You’re a fool. I’ve had my claws in him for years.”
    She doesn’t answer. But Damien knows. He’s encountered this ridiculous optimism before. A sadistic soul like Baby Joe’s still has potential, they think—can still be saved.
    She steps toward Damien with an air of authority. “You won’t touch him again.”
    Rage shakes him. His natural desires are taking over, and he’ll have to transfer soon. He needs the release of flight, but how strong is this little angel challenging him?
    “He’s been bought with a price,” she says. “It’s a gift I pray he lays hold of.”
    And then they’re gone, Baby Joe’s cries disappearing with the rest of him.
    Instinct pulls Damien into the Celestial. He can’t afford to be blind to this realm while there’s a Shield about. His black wings unfurl and push him back several paces, away from her last position. But she’s gone already.
    Her wings sound high above, and he turns his face to the sky.
    The height to which Helene has already risen is a challenge for Damien’s tarnished eyes. He can barely see her, and the odds of catching her are diminishing with each second. But he wants that boy. He wants Baby Joe. Not because the kid has value, but because the boy belonged to him. Belonged to darkness, and now light is staking a claim.
    Next to him, Horacio curses. Panicking as those around him vanish. Thick, gooey globs of fear bubble out of his nose and ears. They leak slowly from his eyes and mouth, running down his chest.
    Damien knows the Shield won’t let a man die, not if she can prevent it. Not even a man like Horacio. The optimism of the Shield is sickening, but it is certain and steadfast, making it, above all else, predictable.
    Damien is nearly on top of Horacio when he transfers back to the Terrestrial. His sudden reappearance causes the man to trip and fall. Damien pulls his gun from its