What is it about my heart? She clutched her T-shirt, then shook her head. No, wait. Lets do it your way for now. Lets put some distance between whatever is after us and find a place to rest. Im so tired. And hungry. Theres a town about ten miles ahead. Basically a truck stop with a diner.
And a dive bar?
I was kidding about the drink. Unless you want one?
He shook his head.
Can we stop at the truck stop?
Her eyes pleaded, and Bron felt a twinge in his chest that hed not felt in a long time. Compassion? Or perhaps just hunger. He hadnt eaten and was hungry. Had to be hunger.
A human woman sat beside him. She was not a part of the mission. The heart wasnt supposed to be beating. Nor was it supposed to be inside the chest of a pretty woman who had an insatiable curiosity for the paranormal realm andthat damned camera. She couldnt be allowed to have such damning photographs of anything from the paranormal realm. Would she post them online? A million hits? That was something he must not risk.
Yes, something to eat, he muttered. And a room for the night.
You honestly dont think its safe for me to return to Thief River Falls?
Do you?
She considered it a few seconds, drawing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms about them as she shook her head. No.
Hed rent a room. She could sleep. And he could make sure all the photos she had taken were erased.
* * *
The truck stop sat before a small motel featuring fewer than ten rooms in the back lot near a sunflower field. The decor sported dark wood paneling and pine furniture with rough-cut carvings of grizzly bears on the headboards and the chair arms. Red-and-yellow plaid curtains matched the bedspreads. Kitschy country. Bron had seen the inside of enough motel rooms and hotels not to care anymore. As long as the bed was halfway comfortable and there was running water, he was satisfied.
Kisanthra had made a beeline to the bathroom as they entered the room, calling out that she wanted to freshen up and that might take a while so not to worry about her.
He wouldnt worry about her. Unfortunately, their paths had crossed, and now he did have to deal with the situation. Find and seize? Unlikely.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Acquisitions. It was late, and the office was overseas, which put their time early in the morning, but dispatch, a 24/7 position, answered. He asked her to patch him through to the directors messages and left a short one.
The Purgatory Heart is in someones chest. Unable to seize. I await further instructions.
If that didnt get the point across he didnt know what else would be required. The director would probably pull him from the mission. Bron had never taken an innocent life to gain an object hed been assigned to retrieve. Not unless that life threatened him or others, that is. And in that case, it generally was not an innocent.
But could he leave the heartand the womanjust like that?
Sitting on one of the two twin-size beds that had seen better daysprobably better decadesand facing the bathroom door, he listened to the water splash in the sink. A vampire had almost sunk his fangs into her neck. Kisanthra Lewis wasand would bepursued by every degenerate that could pick up on the universal vibrations. She was not safe. And while it wasnt his job to play babysitter, he had inadvertently been the one to lead those aggressors to her.
He couldnt walk away. He had to ensure she was safe. Yet how to do that? So long as her heart beat in her chest, he felt sure shed be a target.
The director had said the heart had been grasped by a soul from Purgatory. How was that possible?
There were a lot of times he didnt completely understand the nature or power of the items he had been ordered to retrieve. Didnt matter. He had a job; he carried it out. He looked forward to the next mission and the next. He enjoyed the adventure, the quest and, oftentimes, the race for the prize. The satisfaction in completing a task that very few could. He did not require accolades, only another assignment. The next fix.
But never before in his nearly one hundred fifty years of working for Acquisitions had such a race to the prize involved ensuring the safety of a human woman. This was a twist he wasnt sure how to handle. And even if he did, he didnt want to.
He didnt get involved with human women romantically. That way lay heartbreak. And unfathomable grief. He would never be forgiven for one moment of indiscretion with a human woman and the results that had followed. Nor did he deserve such forgiveness.
He hadnt thought about that time for ages. Had been so involved in his work that he hadnt afforded a moment for regret. And now, in the midst of a strange connection to this human woman, memory had chosen to bombard him with images of a sweet blond child, alone and...beyond hope. So precious and fragile.
That horrible, horrible day. It had been his fault! All because hed chosen to dally with a human woman.
Pressing his hands to his temples and shaking his head, Bron shook away the image. The best thing he could do now was get Kizzy out of his life as quickly as possible. Because he didnt need the grief of memory or the tease of her sexy scent. She was pretty and tough and independent. All things that attracted him to a woman.
But she had no fangs or wings or the ability to shift, so that made her dangerous to his very soul.
Ill take her home. Maybe Acquisitions can assign a watch to her for a few days.
He couldnt be responsible for her safety. Because he wasnt capable or, rather, didnt want to remain in such close proximity to her.
The bathroom door opened, and Kizzy wandered out, twisting her hair into a ponytail as she did. He hadnt noticed if shed worn makeup earlier, but now her face was clean and fresh. A sweet, fruity tease clung to her skin. More of that seductive perfume?
He quickly looked away, finding the remote on the nightstand to look busy.
That felt good to wash my face and take a few minutes to regroup. She wandered to the bed, where shed dropped her camera bag.
Damn, hed forgotten to go through the camera. Distracted by morbid memories. Hed wait until she fell asleep. Her focus was fixed on the LCD screen on the back of the camera.
Wish I had a toothbrush, but a hand towel worked well enough. You want to use the bathroom? Its all yours.
I will. Im just going to, uh...
She eyed him up and down, setting aside the camera. Stand guard?
He nodded.
She plopped onto the bed and toed off her red shoes. Reclining, she pushed back the coverlet and shoved down the sheets with her feet. Propping up the pillow, she sat back against it. So, tell me about this Purgatory Heart.
Bron exhaled and pulled the curtain back before the window. He didnt want to do this. But she had a right to know. Maybe if he answered her questions now, that would put an end to them, and he could focus. And be done with her.
I was commanded to retrieve the heart and return it to Acquisitions, he offered. Thats how my assignments work. I get an electronic dossier on the object, a location if available and off I go. I had no idea the Purgatory Heart would be inside someones chest. Nor do I believe the Director of Acquisitions knew that.
At least, he hoped Ethan Pierce had not known such information. What kind of duplicity would that be if hed been sent on such a task? No, Pierce had been the director for two centuries. He was solid and trustworthy.
At least, he hoped Ethan Pierce had not known such information. What kind of duplicity would that be if hed been sent on such a task? No, Pierce had been the director for two centuries. He was solid and trustworthy.
She pressed her fingers over her breast. Feeling her heartbeats? So Ive got to keep one eye out for you and a big butcher knife? Not like I havent been through that before.
He gaped at her.
Not like that. She swept a dismissive hand before her and yawned. I mean, no man has ever come after me with a knife before. Without my permission. You know. She shrugged and splayed out a hand. I had open-heart surgery eight months ago. Got a nasty scar down my chest. She lifted her shirt just enough so he could see a thick red scar vertically climbing her chest wall. So I suppose, if when the time comes and you do intend to take out my heart, you can just use the cut here line.
Thats... He didnt know what to say to that. She was too blasé about the possibility of such a hazard. Truly, her fear manifested strangely. I wont do that, Kisanthra.
You dont sound very sure of yourself. Im too tired to care right now. And hungry. But I think Ill fall asleep before I can look up the diners number for takeout. So why were you tasked with finding my heart? Is it important? You said you retrieve objects of magical nature. I know this heart isnt magical.
Its a portal to Purgatory.
She lifted her head from the pillow and gave him a wide-eyed assessment. Deep brown eyes that held such curiosity while at the same time managed to disturb him. Because her gaze compelled him to wonder about her. What made her tick? What did she see through those eyes when she held the camera before them?
Bron nodded in confirmation. How fucked was it to learn your heart could allow others access to Purgatory?
That is so crazy. Youre saying someone can get to Purgatory from my heart? By...using it? How? I didnt think Purgatory was a real place. Im not even Catholic!
It exists. And in the wrong hands, your heart could provide an entrance to the place. Should that occur...things could get out.
What kind of things? Her wide eyes beamed fascination.
Souls. Bad things. Im aware that Purgatory is populated with Toll Gatherers and the souls of the dead. But thats not important, because no one is going there by means of the heart.
You mean my heart. Its not the heart. Its mine. Right here. She thumped her chest. Still beating. And Im not willing to give it up anytime soon.
He nodded. As you should not. But as Ive said, I had expected to find...an artifact. A preserved heart or some such. Not one still beating. The photographs show the objects bear a burned handprint on them.
Photographs?
Bron sighed and tugged out his cell phone. As he scrolled to the dossier files, he considered whether or not he should show her classified Acquisitions information. But then he clicked on the link to the museum, which was on the internet for anyone to access, and handed her his phone.
She scrolled for a while and read the website. That stuff looks fake. Anyone could have burned a handprint into a book or bucket and called it that. Or Photoshop! You actually believe this stuff? She handed him back the phone.
I thought you said you believed in the unbelievable?
I do, but Im not stupid. Check the Snopes website. Im sure it debunks that museum.
All files are fact-checked and verified as genuine before they become an assignment. I have no reason to doubt the validity of the objects value or use. He tucked the phone away in a pocket. The tracker led me to you. Ive never doubted witch magic before, and Im not about to begin now.
She placed a palm over her chest and closed her eyes. With a nod, she seemed to accept his statement. This is so out of my pay grade. And I dont even have a salary. But Im willing to listen and learn. To believe.
A willingness is more than most can manage. He hooked a hand over the end of the stake holstered at his hip.
Do you always carry that stake?
Always.
Ive seen the crossbow you carry. That was cool. What other kinds of weapons do you have? A knife?
In the truck Ive a bowie knife and a garrote. The crossbow and some other weapons. Why do you ask?
I suppose a bowie knife would do nicely to cut out my heart. Just needed to know what Im dealing with.
Kisanthra, Ive promised you that I will not cut out your heart. He cast his gaze toward the window but couldnt see beyond the curtains. How to make her believe him? And why did he care? My word is always good.
Except when he had been younger, and ego had ruled his life, and hed done whatever hed pleased whenever hed pleased with whomever hed pleased.
Hell, this trip down memory lane could prove brutal if he did not strike it from his thoughts right now.
What makes it a portal? she asked.
Her curiosity was a good sign. He hoped. While he sensed her fear, it was also balanced with a tremendous dose of curiosity. She should not fear him. And if she were to keep her head about her if any other paranormals came after her, then she would be much easier to protect than a screaming madwoman.
Ive been told such a heartyour heart, he said, bears the handprint from a purgatorial soul. Such as is shown in those artifacts from that museum. Someone gripped it and, well, Im not sure how that can have happened. Thats where I lose all sense of rationality with this situation.
So you have as much trouble believing as I do?
The best he could offer was a noncommittal shrug. Because, really? It was pretty far out there. But again, he did not question his missions. Sometimes it was simply better not having all the facts.
She suddenly clasped both hands to her chest. Eyes tracing the bed covers, she winced and shook her head.
He could sense her increased breaths and smell the worry on her. Kisanthra? What is it?
She shook her head frantically. Nothing. I...nothing. I think I just need to sleep this off. She snuggled down into the sheets. Right. Thats it. Maybe a good nights sleep will see me waking up from this crazy dream. You going to sleep?
In a bit. Im going to stand watch for a while.
Fine. Me and my Purgatory Heart will just catch some shut-eye.
He turned to face her bed, and just when he almost reached to smooth a reassuring hand down her shoulder, he cautioned himself. Not necessary to protect her in that manner. Youre taking this very well.
How else should I take it?
Not sure. Are you sure youre okay?
Im tired, Bron. I appreciate you looking after me today. And I just want to not talk to anyone right now if thats okay with you.
Fine. Well talk in the morning and decide what next to do.
Sure thing. She pulled the sheet over her head.
Chapter 5
Kizzy pressed her shoulders to the brick wall. A hint of orange on the horizon teased at daylight. Standing in the shadows, she clutched the camera bag to her gut. The T-shirt she wore could have been warmer. She shivered, but not so much from the touch of chill in the air.