Soul Catcher (9 page)

She didn’t have a response, couldn’t argue with his logic. She remained silent until he placed her safely in the car, relieved. She kicked off her shoes.
He’s right
, she thought resting her head against the seat. Women did things to impress other women. Getting the guy was the ultimate trophy. She knew exactly which trophy she wanted to mount. Laurent glanced over at her when she giggled, probably thinking she was losing it.

At the door, she thanked Laurent for a great night. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. Before she said goodnight, she started to ask more about Jacque, but at the last minute decided against it. She had to close Jacque’s chapter in her life before she lost herself in the fantasy. In the short time she spent with Jacque, he had won her over. She could be herself around him, no need for pretense. He had seen her for who she was, not the supermodel on the magazine cover, living a life not really her own.

Chapter Ten

The BlackBerry buzzed incessantly, jumping across the nightstand. “Who the hell’s calling at this hour?” Angel cursed under her breath. The clock glowed 4:42 a.m. in neon green lights. She rolled from the middle of the bed, snatching the leather case and unsheathing the phone.

Shit. It wasn’t a call. The message popped open and subject line read,
Your First Job
, prompting Angel to sit up and turn on the lamp. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she studied the message again.

From: Luc Devlin

Your First Job

June 20, 2010

Target: Antione Luison, Vampire

You have four days to complete this mission. Tell Antione I can’t wait to see him again.

Missing you,

Luc

Lucifer is such an ass
, she thought, staring at the brightly lit screen. Etienne’s party would be a perfect spot to gather Intel on Antione. Laurent probably had information about this vampire. His brain was like her personal Google for the supernatural world.

The plush, suede-covered headboard squished under Angel’s weight. She brushed her hair out of her face, leaning her head back into the billowy softness. She hadn’t expected a job so soon. She just finished training with Marie last night. The last few days had been packed with combat, magic, and partying. When she wasn’t practicing her Voodoo, Laurent swept her away to mingle in the spectacular and sometimes seedy supernatural underground. Her body hurt, her energy was drained, and her head pounded from too many Cosmos. Covers snatched over her head, she drifted back to the sweet bliss of her dreams where Jacque waited for her.

The sun streamed through the window warming her face, awakening her for the second time that morning. Like an agile feline, she hopped out the bed and headed to the bathroom for her morning rituals. Her hand shook as she brushed her teeth. She was disturbed by the new assignment, not sure if she was ready yet. Everything happened so quickly; she hadn’t had a chance to process it.

She emerged an hour later, refreshed and radiant. The BlackBerry lay in the middle of the bed, where it landed after she read the message earlier. Picking it up, she scanned the numbers programmed into the contact list. She found Laurent’s number listed just under Isabella’s. The site of the girl’s name twisted a knot in her stomach, and she hit
delete
to make it disappear. Dialing Laurent’s number, she waited.

“Hello,” a deliciously smooth voice answered on the other end.

“Hi. Laurent?” Angel couldn’t quite make out who it was, yet it had a familiar ring.

“I’m sorry. Laurent’s in the shower. Can I take a message?”

“Sure. Tell him Angel called, and I need him to call me back as soon as possible.” The line went silent on the other end. Maybe the guy hung up. “Hello?”

“A-A-Angel?” His deep baritone had gone up an octave.

Her heart stopped as his name slipped from her lips. “Jacque?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer. His silence ate away at her like a river cutting through a canyon—slow but definitive.

“Yeah...how are you?” his labored breath whispered through the phone.

The phone shook against her ear, the sound of his voice evoked feelings she wish she could deny. “Okay, I guess. What about you?” She wanted to let him go, needed to let him go, but fate continued to throw him in her path.

“Good. Busy. Do you really need to speak to Laurent now? I can go get him.”

“It can wait a bit. I’ll see him later for the party anyway.”

“Whose party?”

Chit chatting with Jacque as if nothing ever happened felt odd. She answered the question anyway. “Etienne Fouche’s. I met him a few days ago at Club Utopia.” This wasn’t the conversation she needed to have with Jacque. She wanted to tell him she missed him. Wanted to know why he hadn’t called. She was cracking. It was time to hang up.

“Oh. I hear you’re the belle of the ball around New Orleans. Everyone’s talking about you.”

She thought she caught a hint of longing in his voice. “Well, we’re just about wrapped up, which is good since I got my first assignment already.”

“What do you mean you already have an assignment? Who is it?” Jacque demanded.

Angel calmed her voice, hoping to hide her fear. “I got the email this morning. I have to bring in Antione Luison. He’s a vampire.” She longed for the safety of his arms, but she gave up the right when she chose herself over their relationship.

“That mother-fucker! He’s not planning to let you work out your agreement. Not if he’s starting you with Antione.”

“What’re you talking about? You’re starting to scare me.” She collapsed on the bed as her legs wavered.

“Sorry, Antione’s one of the most ruthless vampires alive or
undead
rather. He was a bastard when he was human. When he died, he should’ve come to Hell. But before Lucifer could keep him, he was turned into a vampire. He’s been wreaking havoc for centuries.”

“Leave it to the Devil to find a way out of a deal. Well, it’s not like I got many options. I have to find him and bring him in.”

Wood smashed in the background, and Jacque cursed under his breath. “I’ll have Laurent come see you. We’ll have to discuss a strategy on how to get rid of Antione. I’m going to kill Luc when I see him!”

“Okay. I’ll wait at the house until I hear from him.”

“Angel, please be careful.”

Angel prayed the longing in her words were lost in the transmission. “I’ll do my best. It was good talking to you, Jacque.”

“I miss...you know it was good talking to you, too. I’ll have Laurent contact you.”

The dead air lingered several moments before she forced herself to hang up. The caress of his soothing tone beckoned her to open her heart to him. His beautiful face danced in her mind. The memories of his emerald-green eyes haunted her. She imagined her hands exploring his rock hard chest and washboard stomach. The scorching touch of his lips singed on her skin. His concern gave her hope—hope she couldn’t afford to hold on to. Her heart was too fragile to sustain losing him again.

Against her will, Angel forced herself downstairs. She slumped into a stool at the granite island in the kitchen. Her forehead hit the counter with a thud.

“What’s the matter,
ma chérie?
” Marie asked.

Angel jumped, realizing she wasn’t alone. “Where do I start?”

“At the beginning, little one.” Marie patted the chair next to hers and poured another cup of coffee.

“
Grand-mère
, how do you know when you love someone?” The words came out before she realized she said them.
Love?
Was this really what she felt for him?

“Ha. Love is an elusive creature. It has so many faces I cannot give you one answer to the question.”

Angel tore off pieces of a napkin, making a small pile of confetti in front of her. “Can you love someone you hardly know?”

“I think some people have a natural attraction to one another. An attraction too difficult to break. If you couple it with emotional compatibility, the magnetism is undeniable.” Marie reached over and squeezed her hand.

Her head hung low, Angel focused on the grain of the wood table. “I miss him so much. And hearing his voice again almost broke me.”

“Who,
chère?
”

The thought of him forced a smile to her face. “Jacque.”

“Oh, child. You don’t do anything the easy way, do you? Of all the available men, you fall in love with an Underworld Demon. Lucifer’s nephew, nonetheless.” Marie shook her head, staring into the dark liquid in her cup.

Angel wiped the tears with the remnants of her napkin. It was time for her to toughen up. “I know I can’t have him. It was stupid of me to fall for him. I know he’s probably not thought about me since we.... Anyway, I made a mistake.”

“You’ll find someone who’ll love you the way you deserve.”

“Thanks for listening. I shouldn’t be crying over a man. I have much more important things to think about. I got my first assignment today.”

“Who?”

“Antoine Luison. I heard he’s some badass vampire. Jacque was pissed when I told him.”

Marie cocked her head to one side as she concentrated on Angel. “Was he now? You called Jacque?” Her eyes narrowed as she waited for Angel to answer.

“No. I called Laurent to let him know about Antione. Jacque answered instead. I guess hearing his voice has brought on all the crap about Jacque.” She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face.

“When will Laurent be here? I would like to run through a few more practices to make sure you have everything. Conjuring the elements is difficult. You’re only the third person, outside of myself, who inherited the gift. It’s a strong power to possess.”

“I don’t know. Hopefully soon.” Leaning back in her chair, Angel released a deep breath, exasperated.

The dining room was staged as their ritual area. The table served as a makeshift altar filled with statues and candles. Angel chanted the protection spell with Marie. A haze of blue smoke surrounded her as she knelt before the eclectic array of items. She called upon the power of their ancestors to watch over Angel. The spell was supposed to be insurance in case her weapons failed.

Calling the elements required massive amounts of energy. The gift couldn’t be used too often. She needed to learn to control this power. It was the only active gift she possessed. Fire was the easiest for Angel to control. Marie said each of them had a dominant element, which attached to their aura. Fire linked with passion and intensity. Angel examined her strengths.
I don’t see those traits as my strong suits, but who am I to argue with fate?

After her session with Marie, she went out to the backyard to practice her hand-to-hand combat, taking all her frustrations out on the punching bag hanging from the large magnolia tree. The neighbors probably thought she was a nutcase or martial arts crazy with all her training equipment out back. She also rented a place outside the city to practice with weapons. Too risky to have them around the house.

Stripping out of her workout gear, she changed and took a swim. The water relaxed her. She held her breath and dove to the bottom of the pool, skimming the smooth tile with her fingertips. The light refracted through the water and bounced off the multi-colored glass. She relished the beautiful serenity as she hovered along the bottom until she was forced to come up for air. When she broke the surface, Angel realized someone stood on the patio, blocking the sun. With her head thrown back, she pushed her hair and the water away from her face for a better view.

A smile broke across her face when Laurent threw a kickboard at her. She blocked the board with her arm and waded to the edge of the pool. As she pushed herself out of the water, another shadow caught her attention. At the sound of Jacque’s voice, she almost fell back into the water.

“Hi, Angel.”

Her stomach fluttered with nervous butterflies. Looking up, she desperately sought his face. The sun radiated behind him, making it difficult to see. “I hope you don’t mind me just dropping by.”

The sight of him stole the words off her tongue and melted her like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Penetrating green eyes smiled at her through dark-hooded lashes so thick it any woman would be envious. She sucked in a breath as she took in all six-foot-five inches of his masculinity.

His well-worn jeans hung low on his narrow hips with the bottom of his vibrate green T-shirt tucked just behind the silver buckle of his belt, showing off the tight expanse of muscles underneath. With the sun behind him, his olive toned skin and his dark brown hair glowed in the rays of light, likening him to a Greek god.

She tried to rise, but her legs were limp noodles, shaking beneath her. Laurent put his hand out to help her. Standing, she fought the urge to caress the beautiful face she thought was forever banished to her dreams. Her body failed her by reacting to his presence when her mind decided to block him from her heart, the same fickle heart, which pounded in her chest at the sight of him.

“Hi, Jacque. What brings you Topside?” Electricity tickled her spine when she said his name.

“You...of course.” He stepped closer, filling the air with his spicy musk scent.

The answer caused her heart to sing, but she couldn’t afford to waste energy on romance right now. “Do Lucifer and Isabella know you’re here?”

“I didn’t know I needed permission from them. Would you like me to leave? I don’t want to be anywhere I’m not wanted.” His eyes searched hers, making her burn from wanting.

Marie answered the question before Angel could respond. “You’re always welcomed here, Jacque.” Her graceful glide showed her poise and elegance. She kissed Jacque on both cheeks and greeted Laurent in kind.

Angel folded her arms across her chest in surrender. “Of course, you’re welcome. You have to excuse me. I’ve had a long morning. It’s apparently affected my manners.
Grand-mère
, will you entertain our guests while I shower and change?” She slid the towel off the back of the chair and wrapped it around her waist.

“Don’t worry,
cher
. I’ll take care of them. Would you gentlemen like a drink?” Marie took Jacque’s arm and ushered him back into the house.

Angel snatched Laurent’s arm, jerking him backward. “A little heads up would’ve been nice.”

“And miss the look on your face?” A mischievous grin crawled over his face. “A pair of Johnston Murphy shoes—two-hundred fifty dollars. Look on Angel’s face when she saw Jacque—priceless!” Laurent followed her as she stomped into the house, continuing to mock her as Angel picked up her pace.

***

She rummaged through the dresser for something to wear when a knock interrupted her. Jacque opened the door and entered the room, before Angel could answer. She tightened her hold on the towel, pulling it snug around her body, and looked away from him, shielding her from the magnetic attraction of his beauty. She wanted to crush herself against him, feel his lips on her, and lose herself in the headiness of his smell.