Slipping the Past (24 page)

“I love you,” she murmured and traced around the small bump of his nipple. “Whatever happens, know that will never change.”

Gabriel cupped her chin and brought her gaze up. “Marry me. After this is over.”

Jocelyn stared. “Excuse me?”

“I said—”

“Reapers don’t marry.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore. Marry me.”

“I….” He couldn’t walk away from being an Enforcer. It didn’t work that way. Didn’t he understand they wouldn’t let him go? Ever.

“For the love of God. Would you just say yes and let me worry about the rest?”

Here. Now. Forget about the past or what might come in the future, her heart begged. Jocelyn smiled and her heart stuttered against her ribs. “You really mean it.”

“Of course I mean it….” He lifted a brow. “You’re torturing me on purpose.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you’re torturing me on purpose or yes, you’ll be my wife?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Gabriel’s hands slid into her hair and he pulled her into a kiss. “It’s a good thing you said yes, or I might have had to seduce it out of you.”

“Can I change my answer?” She’d let him have this moment. Who knew where they would be tomorrow? If only she could see the future on demand. But whatever it was, this felt right.

Gabriel pulled her back, taking the breath from her lungs as he seized her mouth and her heart.

Three hours later, they stood on the outskirts of the orchard. The branches of the peach trees hung barren, stripped of their fruits, angry skeletons against the moonlight. Gabriel tugged her hand. “It’s okay.”

Jocelyn swallowed and stared in, unable to move forward. “I can’t. I know what’s in there.”

“You can do this. Point out the spot and you can go sit in the vehicle. I’ll dig up the bodies.”

She nodded and followed. “I can smell the blooms, hear the children laughing. The screams of the women as he murdered them.”

Gabriel stopped. “A vision coming on?”

“No, a memory.” They started walking again, rounding a curve in the road between the trees. “The slave quarters were over there.” She pointed to the left at decaying brick foundations. Leaves crunched under their feet. “I think it’s a little bit farther. There was a well in the middle of the orchard where they drew buckets of water for the horses. There’s a bank over on the back side of the grove. He buried them there.” Jocelyn stopped and pulled her glasses off. “The moonlight under these trees won’t bother me much. I need to get my bearings. See it as I used to.”

She opened her eyes and sucked in a breath. “Here.” The ground sloped down from the orchard, toward a field. The bank ended at the remains of an old irrigation ditch, now filled with bushes.

“You okay to go back?”

Jocelyn shook her head.

“Sit here.” He held her hand while she sank to the ground. Energy shot through her veins, quickening her heart beat. She pressed her fingers into the damp earth, trying to ground out the buzz coursing through her blood and the fear balled in her stomach. The ground bled pain. It wanted her to hear, to feel—to know. She hugged her knees to her chest and shivered.

Gabriel walked another ten feet from her location, where the bank dipped across the surface, and stuck the spade in. “This looks like a good possibility. How deep?”

“Shallow. He didn’t waste time digging deep holes.” She closed her eyes and listened to the shovel as it bit into the earth.
Thunkf, thunkf, thunkf
. Gabriel pitched the soil, but she couldn’t look for fear of sinking into a nightmare. Each shovelful he took accelerated her heart.

The hair rose on her neck and she opened her eyes, glancing over her shoulder into the dark. Something flitted through the trees. Perhaps a ghost? “Could you hurry?” Jocelyn raised her cuff to her mouth and began to gnaw, her eyes shifting from tree to tree.

Thunk
. Gabriel chopped down into the earth again.
Thunk
. She shivered as a dull thud echoed back.

“I found something.”

“I know.” Jocelyn rose to her feet, and stared at the hole, swallowing, waiting for a skeleton to crawl out.

Gabriel rammed the shovel into a pile of dirt and bent down, pulling out a round object covered in mud and roots.

Jocelyn balled her hands and glanced away, unable to bear looking at the remains. She could feel the young woman’s pain. She’d been unable to save her. Any of them. Each murder scarred her soul, as though their deaths were her fault.

The monster tortured them to hurt and punish her for things she’d done. If she looked at another man, smiled, or did anything to displease him, he’d made her suffer by forcing her to watch while he raped and murdered. He’d used their lives to control her, and it was because of her they were dead. She pressed a hand to her head and rocked. “She was so young. I should’ve stopped him.”

Gabriel looked over and studied her. “It wasn’t your fault.”

She shook her head. “No. It was. He wouldn’t stop. He did these things because of me. He did it to punish me.”

“This crime needs to be brought to the attention of the DSLE. He’s the one who killed.” Gabriel set the skull down, wiping his hands on his jeans. “This should be enough.”

Something moved in her peripheral vision and Jocelyn twisted around, scanning the darkness. “Gabriel.”

He raised a finger to his lips and walked toward her, pulling her into his arms and wrapping his coat around her. He backed them into the shadows.

“Look over to the left,” he whispered.

Yellow energy danced around the outline of a man, standing by a tree.

“Over a little farther.”

Jocelyn shifted her gaze toward the well. Blues, purples, greens. Electric auras floated around like ground fog.

“Enforcers.”

“Yes, and if I’m not mistaken, we’ve got more behind us.” Gabriel eyed the road they’d come down, and pulled the staff from his back. “We’re surrounded. We won’t get far.”

“They can teleport.”

“Not this group. I know the rookies and I know senior officers by their energy. I see one that can—the squad leader—and I’ll keep him occupied. Run and don’t look back.”

***

Gabriel stepped away from her and swung his staff. Sparks jumped along its surface. “Come out into the open.”

“Give yourselves up,” an Enforcer called back, his accent and voice familiar.

“Diego?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Ian? Didn’t come to do the dirty work himself?”

“We’ve been sent to collect you both. Ian’s got another assignment. Come along peacefully or we’ll take you by any force necessary.”

Diego knew why he was here, knew what Gabriel investigated, and his suspicions. The tone of Diego’s voice told him a lot more than his words. He believed him and had come to warn him. He knew something, but Gabriel wouldn’t have a chance to ask until later. Unfortunately, Diego’s squad had come with him. Department SOP, standard operating procedure. His friend had managed to bring the less-skilled along, telling him even more. He wanted them to escape.

“When do I ever do anything peacefully? You know me better than that, Diego.”

“And so I do.” The other Enforcers stepped from hiding.

Diego teleported in front of him and spun a set of wrist restraints, taking up a defensive posture. “You really want to do this the hard way?”

“I’m not going with you and neither is the fugitive.” He lowered his voice, addressing Jocelyn. “Run.”

Diego gave a slight shake of his head in warning. “She can’t, they’re too close.” He blew out a breath and whispered. “I thought for sure you’d have sensed us coming and would’ve been gone before we arrived. You’re slipping,
mi amigo
.”

“I was distracted.”

The corner of Diego’s mouth curled.

Jocelyn grabbed Gabriel’s jacket, panic pounding through her blood. He could feel her fear radiating toward him. If he felt it, they had to feel it, and would be on her in seconds if she did flee. Diego was right, it was too late.

“Get behind me, Jocelyn, and stay there.”

Diego rolled his shoulders. “It doesn’t have to be like this. We’ve been friends for a long time, transferred from off-world together. You gonna throw it away for an unforgiven?”

He damn well knew he would. Another hidden message? “She’s innocent, Diego.”

“Not according to the warrant.” Diego locked gazes with Gabriel. Both men began to circle.

“Who determines their guilt?” Gabriel used his shoulder to shift Jocelyn out of Diego’s path, blocking the Enforcer’s access.

“We have readers.” Diego attacked, driving Gabriel back. Energy popped and hummed at contact, shoving both men apart. “They don’t make mistakes.”

“What about intentionally?” Gabriel slipped to the side, keeping Jocelyn between him and the reaper. His gaze never left the advancing Enforcer. “What if they are corrupt? Who polices the readers?”

“You broke the law, Gabriel.”

“Did I?”

Diego stepped back and held the restraints up. “Prove you didn’t.”

“I wasn’t gardening. I was digging up bodies. She’s wanted for the crime of murdering her husband, here at this plantation.”

Diego eyed the hole. “Go on.”

“Her husband raped and killed several women, burying their bodies in the pecan grove. When he attacked a pregnant slave, Jocelyn hit him with an iron poker to stop him.”

“How do I know what you say is true?”

“There’s a body in that hole.”

Diego kept his weapons raised, but lowered his voice so the others couldn’t hear. “You were right about Ian. I found plenty to question. I came to make sure the proof didn’t get destroyed and used the warrant as an excuse. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come alone. I can’t let you go, but I can give you a head start.”

“The others?”

Diego grinned. “Rookies.” He lunged, and Gabriel dodged his attack. “Ian’s set you both up. He claims you’re the one snatching the torch-tops out of the city. He’s convinced them you’re looking for a soul to take in Jocelyn’s place and a body that looks like hers as evidence you made the capture. They’ve issued a warrant for your arrest. Nine counts of suspected murder. Ian claims he’s seen you kill them.”

“Why?”

“Not sure. But I have a theory. I think he’s after the kid, Nate Miller, because he holds evidence that could clear the charges against Jocelyn. And I believe sometime in a past life you really pissed him off. He’s got a raging hard-on for you,
mi amigo
.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” What wasn’t Diego saying that he didn’t want Jocelyn to hear? Whatever it was, it had to do with Nate and from the look on his friend’s face, it wasn’t good.

Diego raised a brow, staring into Jocelyn’s eyes while he spoke to Gabriel. Again, some kind of silent message and he wasn’t going to disclose it in front of her. “Heard you pulled a toxic stunt on top of that building. I think it deserves a repeat.”

“Toxic or not, I don’t think I could again.”

The other Enforcers began to close in. “You better try, because I can’t stop them and you have about sixty seconds and I’m ordering them to detain you. Got my orders.” He winked. “Of course if you smacked me upside the head and knocked me out….” Diego feinted to the left and came around in an arc with the restraints, moving so fast his form blurred. “Watch the face. It’s a pride thing.”

Gabriel ducked, narrowly missing Diego’s attack and swung the back end of his staff around, catching Diego in the side of his head, dropping him to the ground. Diego groaned.

Gabriel pulled Jocelyn into his arms. “I love you.” He captured her mouth, taking the breath from her lungs. Energies whirled around them, blurring the encroaching reapers’ shapes. He intensified the kiss, pulling energy from wherever he could find it. It would take a miracle to get out of this.

A tug on her energy and Jocelyn’s knees gave. Gabriel pulled her in tight, holding her, drawing on her soul. A roaring built, occupied the space around them. The world faded into darkness. Jocelyn slammed her palms against his shoulders. He was taking her soul, feeding on her energy and she knew it. Her heart began to pound against him and her fear increased. He could feel it and it was just what he needed to pull off the vanishing act of the century.

Gabriel tightened his hold. A buzzing filled her head. No. He couldn’t take her soul—wouldn’t. But as she pushed against him in an attempt to break the draw, he intensified his efforts, sending her world reeling.

Josephine knocked on the door. She sucked in a breath and smoothed down on her skirts. She needed to warn him and had taken a grave chance by coming alone. Widow Dover was spreading rumors of a relationship between Caleb and herself, rumors that had reached the constable and brought Caleb’s morals into question, as well as her own. A town meeting was to take place in a fortnight to discuss the matter.

The door swung open and Josephine’s stomach dropped. The widow stood in front of her, a smug look on her face. “What brings thee out at this hour—unaccompanied?”

“I need to speak to Caleb.”

“He’s not here.”

“I—”

“Who’s there?” Caleb called from the other room.

“No one.” The widow slammed the door in her face.

Josephine blinked and her throat constricted. What was Widow Dover doing here? Perhaps what she’d said was true and Caleb planned to marry her. What other explanation could there be for her being in his home at night? Shocked, barely able to breathe, Josephine ran for her mare.

“Josephine. Wait.” Caleb’s voice came from behind her and footsteps followed. She brushed her tears away and ran faster. She couldn’t bear to face him. Not here, not now.

Caleb caught her as she entered the stall. He swung her around and pressed her against the barn wall. “Wait. I can explain.”

“Why is she here? She claims you have asked her to marry. Do you love her?”

“She lies. I promised to take care of my brother’s family and that was my intention tonight. She brought my nephew for me to counsel. She said he needed a man’s guidance. ’Tis thee I love. Thee I need.”