Pure Hell (Seventh Level Book 1) (19 page)

She was pretty damn certain he meant anything at all and she was considering it. He was a handsome man. He was nice and he could kick some ass if the need arose. What more could a woman trapped in hell ask for? She ignored the tiny voice in her mind, the one calling Liam’s name. That voice was the stupid girl part of her, which didn’t know when to let things go, but Kylie knew. It was over. It hurt. She wasn’t happy about it, but she was also angry, very, very, angry. He’d lied to her about being a demon, or at least he lied by omission. Then got upset with her for not telling him something she didn’t even remember until five minutes before his father kidnapped her. Fuck Liam, her big girl side decided. She could have whomever she wanted and Justice was looking very fine at the moment. Snagging the front of his shirt, she hauled him forward. She was certain he could see the determination on her face. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he closed the last inch standing between them.

He gave her all the time in the world to back down. When she didn’t, he lowered his mouth to hers. With a man his size, she expected a rough biting kiss, but Justice’s lips were cool and firm against hers. It was a sweet kiss filled with promise, by a man who would treat her with respect. It tore at her heart.

Pulling away, he threw his head back and groaned loudly. “I cannot believe I am going to say this but, you know Liam didn’t have a choice right?”

The knife that stayed constantly lodged in Kylie’s chest twisted at his words. “Yes. He would have hated me if he had chosen me. I didn’t want that.”

“I’m only saying this because, as much as I love rebound sex, we all know how awkward it can be. Apparently, awkward turns me on because I’ve been turned on all day. You have to admit we’ve had our fair share of it today. I don’t want you to disappear on me and I can’t pretend you’re not in love with Liam.”

Kylie shook her head, half in refusal to acknowledge the truth in his words and half in amazement she’d understood them. “You’re a rambler. I would have never guessed.”

He clutched the box of shoes to his chest. “You wound me.”

“As if,” she said, playfully punching him in the arm. He snagged her hand and held it to his chest. His face sobered.

“Honestly, Kylie. I like you and I don’t care for many people. You’re extremely sexy which is very hard for the male in me to ignore, but I don’t really have any friends.” His confession left her stunned. Lost in her own drama as she was, she’d not considered what he endured on a daily basis. “Living in between heaven and hell the way I do, it messes with your head.”

She understood. They’d found a friend in each other in an otherwise harsh reality. It was new and fragile. Being of the opposite sex, it was also confusing. Neither of them wanted to lose it. She loved Liam to the point it destroyed her. She would not let it cost her the only friend she had.

“You’re a wonderful man and if you steal me a dress to match my shoes then I will love you forever.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “As I said, you’re perfect and you have a deal.”

* * * * *

Alcohol only somewhat dulled Liam’s emotions since he was only half-human, but even somewhat was a relief. He’d managed to snag a table before the roadside bar had become so packed with people it was impossible to breathe and he hadn’t moved since. The waiter kept his glass full and his thoughts to himself. It was the perfect relationship. Neon beer lights hung on every available wall space casting a funky glow on the room. Women wearing too much perfume and men wearing too big belt buckles each searched for someone take home for the evening. The dark energy rolling off Liam in waves ensured they all avoided him.

A slight change in the pitch of their constant noise caught his attention and for the first time all night, he lifted his eyes from the wood table to see what was going on. Justice was plowing his way through the crowd. The men moved aside willingly, with downcast eyes, while the women stepped intentionally into his path in hopes of snagging his attention. He stepped around them as if they weren’t there. Seeing Justice moving around in the mortal plane was enough to pique Liam’s curiosity. The black scowl covering his face had Liam downright mystified. He’d never seen Justice as anything but completely indifferent. That was Liam’s only excuse for not reacting as Justice lifted his hand and planted his fist in the center of his face. Liam’s head snapped back from the impact and a sharp pain exploded through his head.

“That was for Kylie,” he growled. Before Liam had the chance to recover, a second blow snapped his head back once more. His teeth cut into his lip and blood filled his mouth. “That one was for me.”

Leaning over, Liam spat blood out on the floor and caught sight of two bouncers in matching yellow shirts moving in their direction. They drew up short when they caught sight of Justice and looked more than a little relieved when Liam waved them away.

Justice leaned his forearms on the chair across from him and waited patiently for his vision to level out from the blows.

“Are you finished? Do you feel better?” Liam asked once the pain began to subside. Funnily enough, it didn’t occur to him to defend himself and not a hint of anger surfaced in spite of Justice’s attack. Luckily, the damage would heal before the hour was out.

“Not really. No.”

Liam’s chuckle turned into a wince as the move pulled at his split lip.

“No you don’t feel better or no you’re not finished?”

Justice glowered at him, obviously not seeing the humor in the situation. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“While you decide, I’ll order another drink.” Liam waved the waiter over, but the man stopped dead when Justice leveled his stare at him. Justice pointed in the opposite direction and the man wasted no time obeying.

“I want you at least half-ass sober in case I need to hit you again,” he explained. Liam was already too drunk to see the reason in his logic.

“Have you ever seen the walls inside Kylie’s apartment?”

Okay, Justice had his attention. “Of course. When did you see the walls inside Kylie’s apartment?”

Lifting the chair, Justice slammed it back down onto the plank floor as if dropping his gavel. “Stay on track! Do you have any idea what she endured at the hands of your father? Do you honestly think she deserved her fate? All she wanted was to not be alone or different and he used the knowledge like a vice until she broke. You can’t honestly think she knew about you or what he had planned for you?”

“Was that another rhetorical question?”

This time he didn’t see the blow coming and his chair rocked back onto two legs from the impact but he managed to balance it out before it tipped all the way over.

“I’m not playing with you, boy,” Justice growled.

Liam held his hands up showing his defeat. He knew Justice wasn’t playing and neither was he. In truth, he wanted Justice to hurt him the way he deserved. It was only fair the outside of him matched the inside.

“I’ve never for one second believed Kylie knew a thing about my father’s plans.”

Justice shook his head as if he couldn’t believe his own ears. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked quietly, but once again, he didn’t wait for Liam’s answer. “I know you had no choice but to leave her that first night. There are times, if you back down, you’ll be backing down the rest of your life. That was one of those times. However, every night since then, you’re just a lowdown son of a bitch for those nights because there has been nothing stopping you from going to her. Do you truly understand what she went through every day?”

Liam did understand but he knew Justice was beyond hearing it. “It was endless days of grasping at one strand of hope after another in an attempt to make it through another day. Hell yeah, she made a mistake when she fell for Kieran’s promises, but her biggest fucking mistake was believing in you. Despite the fact she had done nothing to deserve it, she begged you to leave her there so you wouldn’t damn yourself.” He scoffed. “Hell, for a moment in your father’s office, I believed in you too.”

Suddenly, Liam was stone cold sober and he could no longer look Justice in the eye. He couldn’t deny a word he said.

“Your father is an evil bastard and you will never hear me say otherwise but that doesn’t mean he is wrong.”

Liam’s head shot up. “How can you say such a thing?”

Justice shrugged. “Because, it’s the truth. Everyone does have their place in this world and we don’t get to decide where that place is. There is a greater plan than we can see and we all play our part. You might not care for yours, but guess what? Tough shit. Them’s the breaks. Do you think most of the people who wind up in hell deserve to be there? Hell yeah, they do,” he said, answering his own question. “There are a lot of shit people out there and being a reaper is the same damn job you’ve done as a cop only for a higher purpose. You are not your father. There are others who are just the same as Kylie. Kieran knows exactly where and when to put the precise amount of pressure on a person until they snap. It doesn’t make that person bad. It makes them human. Your father doesn’t possess a human side the way you do. You have empathy for people he will never understand. The thing that pisses me off the most is that you have the power to help the people he hurts. Yet you choose to do nothing because you’re too scared to try.”

Halfway through Justice’s lecture, bile rose in Liam’s throat, which had nothing to do with the large amount of alcohol he’d consumed. He made himself sick. The fact was everything Justice said was the truth. He wasn’t scared to stand up to his father, but of becoming an imitation of him, or worse, failing the world the way he had Kylie.

“I don’t know how to help them,” he admitted.

“There is always a loophole or there would be no justice in the world.” Justice flashed a quick smile over his bad pun before turning serious once more. “It’s too late for Kylie but no one should have to live in fear the way she did.”

The mention of Kylie’s name brought every ounce of self-loathing inside him to the surface. “Those people aren’t my problem.” He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth and he watched any respect Justice felt for him drain away.

“Then we’re done,” Justice said as he turned to walk away.

“When did you see Kylie’s walls?” Liam called at his back before he could stop himself. Justice turned around but continued walking away backward. Throwing his arms wide, he gave Liam a short bow.

“What do you care? She’s no longer your problem.” On that note, Justice disappeared from sight.

Chapter Eight

At the first knock, Kylie stared at the inside of her front door in confusion. By the second, she moved to stand closer unsure if she was hearing things or not. When the tapping happened a third time, there could no longer be any doubt, someone was at her door. Going up on her toes, she looked through the peephole but there wasn’t anything to see. The hallway was empty. She spent a minute shifting from foot to foot and chewing on her bottom lip before throwing the door open. If something bad was going to happen then it was best to get it over with fast.

Met with nothing but silence, her shoulders fell. She’d almost been looking forward to a break from the monotony. Kylie moved to close the door but a bright yellow object wrapped in cellophane on the floor caught her eye at the last moment. Stepping out into the hallway, she checked both directions before picking the package up. It was a shower cap. “How odd.”

Turning it over in her hands, she found a slip of paper taped to the back. She read the words printed on it.

For your next spying expedition

Kylie covered her mouth as a loud snort escaped. She checked both directions again but the corridor was empty. Giving up, she went back inside her apartment with her prize in hand. She knew it was from Liam. It couldn’t be from anyone else, but she couldn’t help but wonder why he’d done such a thing. With her mind racing, when another quick succession of tapping landed on the closed door at her back she nearly jumped out her skin. This time she threw it open wide without bothering to check first, but she was still too slow. A white shoebox sat waiting for her.

“In case your expedition bores you,” she said, reading the words written on the lid aloud. Pulling it open, she found a blue shower massager inside. Her cheeks felt sore from smiling as she stepped back inside and set the box down on the table. Determined to catch him, she pressed her ear to the wood and listened for any sign of footsteps in the hallway. There wasn’t as much as a single creak to give him away before the knock landed. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she opened the door even though she knew she wouldn’t be quick enough. A fluffy stuffed alligator wearing a goofy smile and a note tied around his neck waited for her to take him in. She hugged him to her chest while reading his tag and carrying him inside.
How can you be scared of this?

She didn’t even make it a step before one solid blow landed on the door and she was reopening it again. This time, she didn’t bother checking the hall as she scooped up the book from the floor. It was a journal. Without waiting to go back inside, she flipped open the cover. Tiny hearts were drawn at the top of the first page and underneath were the words, “I thought you might need a new journal for your new beginning. In my mind, it starts out this way—I met this guy named Liam. He’s really hot, great in bed and he loves me more than anything in the world.” The words blurred in front of her as tears filled her eyes. Staring at the floor, she blinked rapidly against them. The pain she thought had settled into a dull ache roared back to life proving how wrong she’d been. A pair of black work boots stepped into her line of vision and she followed the line of them upward until she was staring into Liam’s eyes. The glowing embers burning in his gaze the last time she had seen him were now gone. The blue she’d come to adore was back in place except now they were smudged with black lines underneath. Liam looked exhausted and wary. The alligator and journal fell from her numb fingers.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me.”

Incapable of doing anything else, she threw herself bodily at him, half climbing him and half dragging his mouth to hers. She bit at his lips while desperately stroking his tongue with hers. If it would only be this one kiss then she wanted to draw every sensation she could from it and keep it close to her heart. He tasted exactly as she remembered, the same as the most savory dessert that would go straight to her ass. His hands were everywhere at once. She wondered if he too was memorizing the moment just in case.