The Awakening Read online

  “Turning you in isn’t something he’d do. There’s no percentage in that. Killing you, though? That sends a message. You were right, Kat. He was going to kill you as soon as he had the bag. Then he was probably going to come over here and pop Brody, too. That’s the way these guys work.”

  “So, what do we do?” she asked.

  Baldwin looked like he wanted to answer but deferred to his brother when Brody spoke.

  “You said this guy claimed he was hired for this job, right?”

  Katarina nodded.

  “So, that means he’s almost certainly a contractor. Works for whoever has need of his services and is willing to pay his price. That’s good.”

  “Why is that good?” Katarina asked with a frown.

  “Because he’s probably not reporting back on a regular basis. No details have been given to whoever the cash belongs to.”

  “Sorry,” Katarina said. “I’m not getting your point.”

  “Kill the fuck-stick and the information he has dies with him,” Baldwin rumbled. “They might send another guy to look, but by then you’ll have had an opportunity to clean some things up so it’s not so easy to connect the dots.”

  Katarina’s mouth fell open as she looked back and forth at Brody and Baldwin.

  “That’s murder! Premeditated, in fact! Are you crazy?”

  “Kat, you’d be dead right now if you hadn’t realized what he was going to do and convinced him the cash was somewhere else. Brody probably would be, too. I don’t believe you can make this guy go away. Not the way you described him. Returning the cash isn’t good enough. Either he gets off on the killing or he has orders to deliver some punishment and make a statement. Doesn’t matter. There’s only one way I see you getting out of this.”

  “Oh, my God,” Katarina moaned, putting her head in her hands.

  “I don’t like it, either,” Brody said, pouring more whiskey in his glass. “But I’m not seeing another option.”

  “So, this is what we’ve become?” Katarina asked. “The kind of people who sit around and decide the best solution to a problem is to just kill someone?”

  Both men stared back at her without answering. After a couple of seconds, Brody looked away but Baldwin’s gaze was steady.

  “I’ve been solving our country’s problems that way for ten years, Kat. What I can tell you is I’d rather see someone with bad intentions die than the people I care about. Sometimes, killing is the only answer.”

  Katarina looked at her friend for a long time, slightly shocked that she’d never realized this was who he was. She knew he was a Marine but had never thought about what the war had done to him.

  “I have to go,” she said, starting to get to her feet.

  She didn’t make it. Exhaustion and no food since the previous day had taken their toll, and the whisky had finished her off. Like a balloon deflating, she lay over and sank into the plush sofa cushions. After a moment, Brody retrieved a blanket and spread it over her. Nodding at his brother, he went to be with his family.

  Baldwin sat unmoving, rifle on his lap. His eyes were constantly scanning across the front windows and door.

  Fourteen

  Katarina woke with a start. She was back in the meadow, lying on the grass next to the brook. Sitting up, she looked around but was alone. And for the first time in several days, she felt safe and calm. Peaceful.

  She didn’t move for a long time, then tentatively reached out and brushed the surface of the stream with her fingers. The water was crystal clear and cool to the touch.

  Getting to her feet, she began to wander, exploring the lush clearing. Butterflies swarmed around her, tickling her face with their wings. Reaching the edge of the forest, she kept going, surprised there was no undergrowth to hinder her passage.

  She walked for what seemed a long time, eventually coming upon another picture-perfect meadow, only this one had a small cottage nestled beside the brook. Hesitant to leave the trees and reveal her presence, she stood in the shade and watched for several minutes.

  “Hello, Katarina.”

  This time the voice didn’t startle her and she looked around to see Zophiel with a friendly smile on his face.

  “I figured you’d show up sooner or later,” she said.

  “Please forgive my tardiness. I had something to attend to.”

  “Are you going to answer my questions this time?”

  “I do not believe I have refused to answer previously. Delaying an answer until you’re ready to hear it is different than refusing to respond.”

  “Are you always this infuriating?”

  A rumbling laugh started up and lasted for nearly a minute, then he stepped out into the meadow and turned back to her.

  “Shall we?” he asked, waiting patiently.

  After a moment, Katarina came forward to walk by his side.

  “You’re not drugging me, are you?”

  “No, my dear. I am not. This place is simply a dimension you have forgotten how to see or enter. I’ve only given you some assistance in coming here.”

  “You say things like that and I immediately think I’ve been drugged. What do you mean by dimension?”

  “The world you know is a dimension. Think of it as a page in a book. The pages before and after are also dimensions. Identical in many respects, but also very different. Do you follow?”

  “I think so. You’re telling me this is a different dimension?”

  They had reached a picnic area near the cottage and Zophiel pulled a heavy iron chair out from a table, holding it in invitation for her. Once she was seated, he lowered his tall frame into another and brought out his pipe.

  “Yes,” he said once the pipe was going. “But back to my explanation. The three pages of the book. If one looks at them in the correct way, the hidden pages are visible. But if one does not try, nothing is ever seen except the page you’re reading.”

  “Why are you showing this to me? Why am I here?”

  “I already told you, my dear. Evil is once again on the rise, probing for weaknesses between the dimensional boundaries. Occasionally they find a rift and a few slip through into your world to possess some unsuspecting soul.”

  “Evil. This sounds like an old bible story.”

  “It’s not a story,” he said, puffing away on his pipe and peering at her.

  “Right. And I suppose you’re talking about heaven and hell and earth?”

  He stared at her for a long few moments before continuing.

  “Close. Heaven, purgatory and the abyss. There is no earth or hell. Those are strictly human interpretations of reality.”

  Katarina watched him smoke the pipe and shook her head.

  “Fine. I’ll bite. Explain it to me.”

  “This,” he said, extending his arms in an all-encompassing gesture, “is what you think of as heaven, though it’s known by many names. And contrary to popular belief, this is not some reward at the end of life. This is our home.”

  “Our?”

  “Souls. That unique spark that sets us apart from all other living creatures.”

  “Okay. Fine. So, what is it where I live?”

  “Purgatory.”

  Katarina stared at him a beat then shook her head.

  “Purgatory is hell,” she said.

  “Actually, no. Besides, there is no hell. When a soul here in heaven commits a sin, it is sent to your dimension, which is purgatory. Not as punishment, but as a test. An opportunity. It is given a chance to live a life and show that it is worthy of returning here. An opportunity to redeem itself, or at least do no worse. If it fails, it is doomed to the abyss for all eternity.”

  “What did I do? Why am I in purgatory?” she asked.

  “Ahhh, the one question I must refuse to answer. A soul must make its own way in your world. Demonstrate it is worthy of being returned to heaven. If you had knowledge of your sin, it would influence your decisions and behavior.”

  Katarina thought about that for a moment before asking a
nother question.

  “You said something about evil escaping the abyss.”

  “I did,” he said. “Would you like to see?”

  When she nodded, he stood and led her to the cottage’s door. When he opened it, she could only see darkness, but he took her hand and she followed him across the threshold and stopped in wonder.

  They stood on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York City. Spread all around them, the city lights shone like precious stones in the darkness of night.

  “This is the world you know, Katarina. The world that evil is determined to destroy.”

  “Why?” she asked. “What is gained by destroying purgatory?”

  “Because that will open the gates of heaven to them.”

  Turning, he beckoned for her to follow as he walked to the elevator. The doors opened without him pressing the call button and as before it was completely dark on the other side. Tightly gripping Zophiel’s hand, she followed and gasped in shock when they crossed the threshold.

  New York lay in ruins as fires raged out of control. The air was foul with smoke so thick she could only imagine there was a perpetual darkness. Demon screams sounded and she caught her breath when two of them climbed into view.

  They were just as hideous as she remembered, and they approached with their grotesque tongues constantly sampling the air. She began to shrink away, wanting to run for the elevator, but Zophiel held tight to her hand.

  “As long as you are with me, they cannot see or harm you,” he said. “Do not let go of my hand.”

  Hardly breathing, Katarina watched in revulsion as the two demons began tearing at the stone surrounding the elevator entrance. Their horrible claws made an ear-piercing screech as they tried to dig their way through, but didn’t leave a mark on the surface.

  “What are they doing?” she whispered.

  “Trying to find a weakness. A path to your world.”

  “I don’t understand. If this is real, why has no one ever seen one?”

  “They have, and so have you.”

  “No way,” Katarina said. “No way I’d ever forget---”

  “Look!” Zophiel said, pointing.

  One of the demons had found a soft spot in the stone. It attacked the location with a fury, digging with its claws which pulled out progressively larger chunks until daylight was visible. With a scream of delight, it plunged into the opening and disappeared. The second one tried to follow, but the stone had already repaired itself. In a fit of rage, it threw itself at the wall, but was unable to even mar the surface.

  “It made it?” Katarina asked.

  “It did. And by now it will have found a host to possess.”

  It took a few moments for Zophiel’s words to register.

  “Possess? Like I saw the other night?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Exactly like that.”

  “Why? What good does it do them to possess a human?”

  “Possess the right person and their goal of destroying your world is suddenly achievable. In fact, it has nearly happened more times than you would care to know.”

  “How do we stop them? There has to be a way!”

  Zophiel nodded and looked at her with a smile.

  “There is, Katarina. But that’s for another time. Now, you have to go back. There are things you must resolve, first.”

  “Wait! There’s something else.”

  Zophiel stood watching her.

  “Liam. Tell me about Liam! What did you mean we always find each other?”

  Zophiel sighed as he considered her question, then led her back through the doorways until they were again seated in the meadow outside the cottage.

  “What would you like to know?”

  “Everything!”

  Zophiel chuckled and took several minutes to get his pipe going again before leaning back and looking at her.

  “I will not tell you everything, my dear. After all, what is life without a little mystery?”

  He held up a hand, silencing her before she could object.

  “As I said, Liam is your champion.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Quite literally, it means the man of two spaces. It also means mighty man. But what you need to know is that he has loved you and died for you for... well, let’s just say for a very, very long time. It is quite unusual, the bond between the two of you, and is much of what makes you special.”

  “So, we’re soulmates?”

  Zophiel threw his head back and laughed.

  “No, my dear. That is a term invented by humans who know not of what they speak. You and Liam are... hmmmm... perhaps I was hasty in dismissing the description. Suffice it to say there is a bond that has never weakened and is always restored whenever you are reunited.”

  Katarina was quiet for a minute as she considered his words.

  “You said loved, but you also said died. He’s died for me?”

  Zophiel nodded somberly.

  “You saw one of the times for yourself,” he said, staring intently at her.

  “One of? How many are there? And why?”

  “How many? Oh, my dear. In a war that has raged since evil was cast out of heaven, the deaths have become innumerable. As far as why? I have asked that question myself, but do not have the answer.”

  “Does he know?” she asked. “About us, I mean.”

  Zophiel shook his head.

  “No. And you cannot tell him. He would not be able to understand. All he knows is what he feels for you, but he doesn’t know why.”

  “He wouldn’t understand? Why not? If I can, why can’t he?”

  “That discussion is for another time, my dear. Remember. You cannot tell him. Now, you must be going.”

  “Hold on---"

  Katarina opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Baldwin with a rifle across his lap. He was alert, smiling when he saw she was awake.

  “What time is it?” she mumbled.

  “Oh seven thirty.”

  She lay still for several minutes, then pressed up into a sitting position.

  “Did you sit there all night, watching over me?”

  “No big deal,” he said.

  Katarina pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders and thought about standing, but that didn’t translate to movement.

  “I had the wildest dream,” she said.

  “You were talking in your sleep.”

  “Really? What’d I say? Hope it wasn’t embarrassing.”

  “Couldn’t understand most of it. Only one word. You said it a couple of times. Purgatory.”

  Fifteen

  “Sign this.”

  Brody had come into the room before Katarina had worked up the energy to get off the sofa. Placing a thin sheaf of papers on the coffee table, he held out a pen and waited as she stared at it with bleary eyes.

  “What’s this?”

  “Paperwork to sell half of Matt’s practice to Baldwin. Janice’s sister emailed it over late last night and I just printed it. I’ll have a cashier’s check for the two hundred K for you by lunch.”

  For a long moment, things weren’t clicking for Katarina. With yesterday’s events and the very vivid dream about Zophiel, she’d forgotten all about the plans she’d discussed with Brody.

  “How can we go through with this?” she asked.

  Brody hesitated a moment before placing the pen atop the papers and sitting down.

  “What happened doesn’t change anything,” he said.

  “Of course it does!” she cried. “How can it not? They’re going to keep coming, Brody. We’ll never be able to touch that money and we’ll never be safe.”

  He watched her closely then took a deep breath to gather his thoughts.

  “The genie’s out of the bottle, Kat, and there’s no putting it back. Circumstances haven’t changed, they’ve only been complicated. But we can deal with complications.”

  She turned to meet Baldwin’s eyes, hoping for a voice of reas
on.

  “You can’t be on board with this.”

  “I am,” he said. “Ten years in the Corps, shrapnel in my back that can’t be removed and what have I got to show for it? VA insurance and a “Thank You for Your Service” when someone finds out I’m a veteran.”

  “Kat,” Brody said, then waited until she’d turned her attention back to him. “You know the situation. If there’s another option, I’m all ears.”

  She stared at him for nearly a minute then looked down at the papers. With a sigh, she picked up the pen, flipped to the last page and scrawled her signature without reading a single word of the document.

  “I’m going home to clean up.”

  She tossed the pen onto the table and stood, letting the blanket drop onto the sofa.

  “My guys will be right behind you,” Baldwin said, getting to his feet and pressing a speed dial button on his phone.

  She thought about protesting but remembered the terror of being surprised inside her own vehicle. With a nod, she picked up her purse and headed for the door.

  “We’ll get through this, Kat,” Brody said.

  She paused without looking back.

  “Will we, Brody?”

  He didn’t answer and after a few more seconds she stepped outside and gently closed the door.

  Driving home, she frequently glanced in the mirror at the SUV trailing her. Knowing there were two heavily armed Marines watching her back made her feel better, but she was still worried. She was in over her head.

  Taking the money out of the plane had been an impulse decision. A reaction to looming financial ruin. Then the whole thing had taken on a life of its own, gathering momentum until she was being carried along on what felt like a tidal wave of poor choices. Now, she and Brody were both in legal as well as mortal danger, all because of her.

  No! Not because of her. Because of Matt’s selfish and immature actions that had put her in this mess. Why couldn’t he have just stayed with his old job? So what if he’d been passed over for elevation to senior partner status? He’d had a great salary and they didn’t owe nearly half a million dollars to the banks. And for what? So his bruised ego was soothed when he walked into his ultra-luxurious office suite? The office that had yet to see a new patient?