Deadly Vision (36 page)

“I think it’s more that he’s going for women he thinks are betraying the men in their lives. Look at our last victim. She was dating a married man. In his eyes, that’s a sin.”

Wade nodded. “Okay, so if James is
The Priest
, where would he take Fallon? Another church?”

Gil looked over at the screen. The man looked so much like Charlie, he felt as if he were staring at a ghost. “Fallon’s different. He doesn’t see her as just a soul he needs to purify. To him, she’s an angel sent to save him. I don’t think he’ll follow the usual pattern.”

“That makes things more difficult. Without a starting place, we’ve got nothing to narrow down the search.”

Gil paced across the room, running over what Fallon had said.

I went to a large room. I felt like I’d been there before, but not really been there.

“How can you be somewhere, but not really
be
there?” He hadn’t realised he’d said the words aloud until Wade answered him.

“I’m not sure. Maybe you could dream you’d been there. Or seen it on TV.”

He spun around nodding at Wade. “Or maybe you went there in a vision.”

Wade stood up, already reaching for his coat. “One of the other crime scenes?” he asked, following Gil out the door and down the stairs.

“Not a church. The warehouse.”

Wade paused as Gil ran across the parking lot and jumped in his truck before racing after him. “What are you talking about? What warehouse?”

Gil motioned to the ignition and Wade shoved the key in and turned it over. “The warehouse where we met the weapons dealers. The warehouse where Charlie died.”

* * * *

“Wake up, Angel. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Fallon heard the voice muttering in the distance, but couldn’t seem to open her eyes. Her body was cold and sore, the hard feel of concrete beneath her. She tried to turn, but her arms were locked behind her back. She froze, shaking some of the fogginess away as the memory of what had happened returned.

“I know you’re there, Angel. Open your eyes.”

A set of strong hands wrapped around her shoulders, giving her a firm shake. She winced at the sudden burst of pain through her head and forced her eyes open, staring into the face of her captor. His eyes were hazel, his lips smooth and pink, and his hair a dappled mixture of blonde and grey. He looked down at her, a smile tugging at his lips as he cupped her chin in one hand. She stared at him, unable to believe who was standing before her.

“Charlie?”

She hadn’t meant to say the name out loud and winced when
The Priest
tensed, squeezing her jaw between his fingers. “Not quite, my dear. But close.”

He released his hold and she fell back, groaning as her head grazed the floor. Lights dazzled across her vision, blurring his face. When they finally faded she looked back up at him, seeing him more clearly this time. While he still looked like Charlie, she could tell he was much older than the other man would’ve been. Lines feathered out from his eyes and his forehead was creased from years of hard work and worry. She scooted backwards when he bent down closer to her, pushing her back against a wall. “Who are you?”

“Forgotten me already, Angel?”

“Your real name,” she whispered.

His eyes narrowed and, for a moment, she thought he might strike her. “I no longer go by
that
name. That man is dead.”

He stood up and stepped back, his eyes distant, haunted. She chanced a quick glance around. She was back in the room she’d seen in her vision. “Where are we?” she asked, the overwhelming sense of déjà vu returning.

He looked around the room, sadness flickering in his eyes. “Back where it all started.” He looked back at her. “Where it all will end.”

* * * *

Wade pulled in front of the warehouse, steering the truck into the shadows. Gil shifted in his seat as the truck rolled to a halt. He didn’t need to see the black Mercedes parked by a dumpster to know Fallon was inside. He could feel her.

“Should I call for backup?” asked Wade.

Gil stared at the Mercedes for a moment, then turned to face Wade. “He works alone. Besides, the last thing we need is to make him panic with the sound of sirens.” He stepped out and closed the door, drawing his Glock. “I’ll go in here. You circle around the building and see if you can flank me. I’ll try to keep his attention. With any luck, you might get a clean shot at him.”

Wade shifted uneasily as he looked at the large building. “Are you sure you should go in first? Maybe I should take the main entrance, just in case…”

Wade didn’t finish his sentence, but Gil knew what the man was thinking. Just in case Fallon was already dead. Just in case he was walking into another crime scene with her on centre stage. “No. She’s still alive.”

“We both know…”

“I’m not going to let her down,” he interrupted, clenching his fists to still the sudden trembling. “I can’t lose her.” He waved his hand when Wade moved to speak. “I know. But no matter what’s waiting for me in there, I owe it to Fallon to be the one to confront him.”

Wade lifted half his mouth into a cocky grin. “Then I guess I’ve got your back,
partner
.”

Wade took off, disappearing behind the building’s far wall. Gil turned back to the hinged doors off to his right. He hadn’t been through those doors since that fateful day with Charlie. He’d lost his best friend that day, and he’d be damned if he’d lose Fallon too.

He moved to the door, careful to open it slowly. The first area was cold and dark. There were several rows of stacked pallets off to his left, their presence nothing more than shadowy ghosts in the shifting light. Another doorway wavered to his right, the pale light of the next room glowing beneath the steel slab.

Gil stared at the door, unable to move. That’s where it’d all fallen apart. Where the blood of his partner still stained the floor. He’d managed to carry him several rooms over, away from the spray of bullets, but it hadn’t been enough. Charlie had died. And then he’d lost Fallon to his own foolish pride.

The faint whisper of voices crept through the stillness, shattering the memories. Gil crept to the threshold, his back pressed into the wall. He could hear the mumble of a man’s voice.
The Priest
was in there, but he couldn’t tell if Fallon was alive or dead. He took a deep breath, clenched his jaw and opened the door.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Priest
moved back towards a small pack. He kept his eyes locked on hers, his lips pulled tight. She knew he was waiting for her to make a move, but she knew better than to try and run. With her arms bound behind her back and her head still spinning, she’d be an easy target. Better to wait until he was close. One strong knee to the groin followed by a few strategic kicks might be enough to give her the time she needed to make an escape.

He smiled at her, as if he could read her thoughts. She looked away, trying not to think about what would happen if she never got the chance.

“Don’t worry, Angel. I’m not going to treat you like all the others. You’re special.”

He rummaged through his bag, removing a large knife. It was longer and thicker than the small, precision instrument she’d seen him use on the other woman, but much more intimidating. There was only one purpose for a blade that big.

“I thought you were going to tell me everything?” she parried, hoping to keep him distracted.

“Why tell you, my dear, when you already know.” He flicked his thumb across the edge of the knife. “There’s a reason you called me Charlie.”

“You look just like him,” she whispered.

“Or perhaps, he looks just like me.”

“Oh my God.” The words flowed from her lips just as the image hit her. She’d mixed it up. “You’re his father.”

The Priest
smiled at her. “See. I knew you’d figure it out.” He turned and looked around the room. “Now we just have to see if lover boy can figure it out too.” He looked back at her over his shoulder. “A fitting ending, don’t you think?”

Fallon looked around the room. She could’ve sworn she’d been there before, but it still felt wrong. She looked down beside her, her breath leaving her lungs in one quick hiss as she stared at the blood stain on the floor. “The warehouse.”

She hadn’t realised he’d heard her until his voice broke the stillness. “Right again, Angel. The very place where evil took my son from me. But not for long. Soon, he’ll be back with us.”

“No matter what happens here, it won’t bring Charlie back. Please. If you’ll just let me, I can get you the help you need.”

The Priest
laughed, but it was hollow, empty. “I’m not crazy, Angel. I don’t need
that
kind of help.” He took a step closer. “Your power is all the help I’ll need.”

Fallon shook her head as he moved slowly towards her. “But I don’t have any power. I’m not really an angel.”

“Now, now. We both know that’s not true. Or do you think I’ve forgotten our previous meeting? Though I must say, you’re much more alluring in the flesh.” He stopped at her feet. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m only sending you home.”

Fallon tried to scoot away as he knelt down and pulled her up, holding her tight to his chest, the cool metal of the blade touching her skin. She closed her eyes, knowing her only chance was to launch an attack, when his body tensed, and he wrapped his other arm around her waist.

“I wouldn’t try anything if I were you, Angel. Besides, we’ve got company…and right on schedule.”

The Priest
turned and pressed his back to the wall, holding her in front of him as he faced a doorway off to their left.

“Smile, Angel. Our moment of glory has arrived.”

* * * *
 

Gil stood in the doorway, his muscles tensed, his Glock pointing straight out.
The Priest
had Fallon tight to his chest, a knife wavering by her throat. But it didn’t matter. At least she was still alive. And nothing the bastard had done to her was going to change the way he felt. He loved her, and he’d spend a lifetime showing her just how much.

The man smiled at him, as if he’d been waiting for him to arrive. Gil shuffled forward, his eyes fixed on the knife. If the creep gave him any indication he was going to use it, he’d take the shot, even if it meant clipping Fallon’s shoulder in the process.

“Hello, Gil. How nice of you to drop by. I was starting to think you hadn’t figured it all out yet.”

“Put the gun down, James, and no one will get hurt.”

The Priest
cringed at the sound of his name, a firm scowl etching across his face. “James Cutter no longer lives in this body,” he snarled, shifting Fallon in his arms, covering more of his body with hers. “I’ve been reborn.”

Gil took a step forward, his focus still locked on the knife. Fallon gasped as the point nicked her skin. “Fine. Whatever you say. Just please, don’t hurt her.” A single drop of blood welled at the wound and he felt his chest squeeze. He couldn’t lose her. Not when he’d finally gotten her back. “Tell me what you want. I’m sure we can make a deal.”

The Priest
laughed, stroking the ends of Fallon’s hair with his other hand. “I don’t want anything from you. I’ve got everything I need right here.” He ran a finger down Fallon’s arm. “You’re only here to witness the miracle I have in store.” He flashed Gil a knowing smile. “I think you’ll like it.”

Gil held back the growl in his chest, as he watched the man caress
his
woman. He could tell the mere touch of the bastard’s hand sickened her, but he could only hope she’d hang on. James was obviously too worked-up to try anything fancy. “And what miracle is that?”

James smiled a toothy grin at him. “This is where I raise the dead,” he said, his voice cold and calm.

“Nothing you do here can bring Charlie back. Believe me. If there were a way, I’d have found it. He was more than just my partner. He was like a brother to me. But he’s gone.”

James snarled and pulled his arm back, scratching Fallon’s skin. She stiffened in his arms and it was all Gil could do not to empty his clip into the man. But he didn’t have a clear shot, and he wasn’t about to take a shot through her. “That’s where you’re wrong. Charlie’s still with us. His spirit hasn’t left yet. He wants to come back.”

“Even if that’s true, killing Fallon won’t bring him back.”

James laughed like a man with a secret. “Oh, but it will. Didn’t you know that whenever a fallen angel is returned to heaven, a single soul is released?” He gazed at Fallon’s head. “She’s so lovely. I’ve been waiting for her for a long time. I knew the moment she appeared in the church, she was the answer to my prayers. The others were a test. A show of my commitment. Now God has graced me with the power to bring back my son.”

Gil felt the heat rise in the room. There was no way he’d be able to reason with the man, but maybe he could keep him talking long enough for Wade to find them and get off a shot. “I thought angels were pure? If you know Fallon and I are lovers. How can she be an angel?”