"GOD DAMN IT!"
Bible shouted as he watched the monitor shatter into static. The screen flickered wildly—a consequence of his secret surveillance camera being obliterated by a bright flash of magical energy.
Unable to spy on the events in the Vodou priest's altar room any longer, he had to assume the worst: Charlie Morningstar was free of Samedi's control, and if true, chances were that his priest was dead or severely incapacitated.
And that Angel was alive and free, and they would be coming for him.
Hitting the call button on his desk, he shouted, "Give me an update, NOW!"
"Sir!" A voice crackled through the speaker: "All contact with the squad leaders has ceased. Most of the surveillance cameras have been destroyed, and those they missed show only bodies on the grounds."
"My merchandise?"
Taking on a terrified sound, afraid to share the next bit of news, the voice replied, "No contact from anyone at the cells, either, sir."
Rage blinded him to the absurdity of his following ice-cold command: "Take your gun and go eliminate the intruders and get my girls back, now!"
"Fuck that! You're on your own." The line went dead.
Screaming into the comm, he received only static in response. Glowering at the useless monitor, still spewing static, he punched the screen, shattering it, then ripped it from its mount and threw it to the floor.
Turning around, he jerked open a drawer on his desk, fishing out a black button the size of a nickel and a thin rectangular remote, slipping both into his breast pocket. Opening another drawer, he took out his Glock and set it on the desk in front of him.
From a box on the desk, he picked up a cigar, bit off the end, and lit it. The smoke enveloped him as he savored the familiar flavor, which calmed him down considerably. He needed it, accepting that he'd lost control of himself in the moment, and the situation couldn't be fixed if he didn't regain his composure.
For the next few minutes, he slowed his breathing and heart rate, letting go of the rage so he could master his thoughts and emotions. He was the superior intellect here, after all.
Shifting into critical thinking mode, he deduced that the demon princess would enter, pretending to be restrained by Samedi's spell, and present Angel as a gift. He would happily accept her offering, and of course, his former sergeant would act as the injured captive to make the ploy convincing.
Then, he'd order her to come stand beside him, and she would quickly obey, stepping into the binding circle drawn under the large Persian rug a few feet from the office entrance. The blood circle would trap her in place, and once he'd killed Angel in front of her, he'd recite the binding spell and make her his.
Finally, he would violate her next to Angel's cooling corpse, ordering her to remember what her dead lover had meant to her. From there, she would spend the rest of her days as his sex slave while he used her to take control of all his clients' assets. He would be set for life and untouchable.
Drawing on his cigar, he smiled at the plan and fantasy. "Come, Angel. Come to me, and let's end this."
He didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, he heard movement in the hallway, footsteps echoing on the concrete steps.
Setting the cigar in the ashtray, he rose, picked up the gun, and slipped it behind his back at his waist. Seconds later, the door swung open with a quiet creak. Despite everything he had heard and seen about Charlotte Morningstar, he was unprepared for what poured through the doorway.
Dark black strands enveloped the entrance, and an almost inhuman form appeared among the writhing mass. A demonic voice, barely recognizable as female, spoke before the blackness receded. "I've brought you a gift, per my master's orders."
Angel tumbled out from the pitch black mess, grunting as he hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"Welcome, Charlotte Morningstar." Smiling triumphantly, Colonel Robert "Bible" Tag glanced down at Angel. "And Kevin, wonderful to see you again, my boy."
"It's. Angel!" Spitting defiantly, he punctuated the curse with a mocking, "Sir!"
Moving around the desk, Tag took four large steps to approach and scowled down at him. "You forget your rank, soldier. You're supposed to salute a superior officer."
"I know. Show me one and I will." Angel locked eyes with his former commander, his voice carrying pure contempt, "But you? You're a disgrace to the rank, the uniform, the service, and the bible. You're not the word of God, Tag, just a depraved old man." Pressing his luck, he taunted with a sneer, "and a limp-dick failure, 'Colonel.'"
Colonel Tag snarled and struck Angel in the ribs with his leg, forcing the air from Angel's lungs as he fell to his side. Flexing his shoulders to work out the tension, Tag turned his gaze to Charlie. "Samedi ordered you to follow all of my commands, correct?"
Charlie worked to keep her voice steady as she answered, "Yes, sir."
He saw a flicker of concern pass her eyes, which confirmed his suspicions. It was time to spring the trap. "Come, my princess, come to me. Together, we shall end Angel's miserable, wretched life!"
"Yes, sir," she repeated obediently.
Shifting back into her hybrid form, she bowed her head to him and entered the room. She noticed Angel give her a knowing look, and she pressed her lips together before moving past him. When she stepped onto the rug, a sharp tug jerked her shoulders as an unseen force suddenly seized her. A familiar, piercing pain stabbed through her body, and she screamed.
"Charlie!" Angel shouted in response to her scream.
Behind him, Tag's laughter rang out like breaking glass. "Just as I expected."
Looking up with blazing eyes, Angel glowered as Tag knelt beside him and slapped him hard on the back.
Gesturing toward Charlie, the colonel clicked his tongue in disappointment, "Did you honestly think I'd be so stupid as to not prepare for anything? I saw the events that took place inside Samedi's altar. I saw your sister break his spell. I knew you'd try to pull this ruse! I learned a lot from watching Samedi and drew a trapping circle for your bitch."
Drawing back, Tag punched downward, striking Angel in the back of the head and knocking him face-first into the floor with a dull thud. "You disappoint me, son. I expected you to be smarter than this."
"Angel!" Charlie cried out. She glared darkly at Tag, "Leave him alone, you motherfucker!"
"You got quite a mouth on you, princess. I shall look forward to using it well." Cupping his crotch, Tag laughed. Sliding the Glock out of the hem of his pants, he pointed it at Angel's forehead. "Get up!"
Wiping blood from his lip, Angel rose slowly to his feet, eyes fixed on the gun. "You really want to take the easy way out and end this with a bullet to my head, Robert? We used to talk often about having one real fight to see who was better. Why not now?"
"Really, Kevin?" Shaking his head, the older man studied him. "Are you genuinely attempting to goad me? Go after my ego?"
"Honestly? Yes." Shrugging as he shifted into a defensive stance, Angel continued, "because you have one, and shooting me won't satisfy it. I know you as well as you know me. You're enraged because I've been a thorn in your side for years, and you didn't even know it was me. You want to hurt me. Shooting me is too quick, and you'd regret missing the opportunity."
"Why risk you getting the upper hand?" Tag raised the gun's barrel at Angel's forehead, his finger finding the trigger. "That's the fool's option."
"Then why are you still talking, Robert? You haven't pulled the trigger." The challenge hung in the air between them. "You want this fight just as much as I do. Admit it."
Tag heard Charlie yelp. Giving her a quick glance, he saw steam rising from slight burns on her skin. She'd tried to break the circle and failed. She wouldn't be a problem.
Glaring while holding her injured hand, the princess called out, "You're scared! I can smell the fear on you, Robert." Taunting him, she added, "Angel would wipe the floor with you, and you know it!"
"Oh, please." Sighing, Tag replied, "You two are so pathetic." Slipping his finger around the trigger, he paused. The temptation was growing.
"Charlie's senses are beyond what you can imagine. If she smells your fear, then I'm right." Tightening his lips, Angel growled, "You know you can't beat me. Maybe ten years ago, but you've grown old and feeble."
Spitting, the colonel eased his finger off the trigger. "Save it, son. I've heard all the taunts before. You forget who taught you how to think? How to plan for every contingency? To study your opponent and become him?"
"Oh, trust me, sir. I didn't forget."
"I think you have." Sneering, Tag continued, "After all, I tricked your bitch. How could you not see this coming? She'd fallen for it once already, down at the altar. And you know me, son, that I'd be ready for her if you two came for me."
Angel's stance faltered, and he cast a worried glance at Charlie.
"You realize it, too." Taunting him back, the older man pressed, "You're not the man you once were, Kevin. The murder of those kids broke you. You went rogue because you couldn't handle the service anymore. It's you who's weak and pathetic. This moment proves it."
"Then what do you have to lose?" Firming up his position despite the words, Angel gestured for him to fight. "Come on. You made me kill children, Tag. Children! You owe me this."
Tag exhaled slowly and studied Angel with predatory eyes. He shook his head and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot cracked through the room like thunder.
"NOOO!" Charlie screamed and rammed against the invisible circle, crying in despair as it sparked against her skin. Through shedding tears, she looked for Angel.
He stood perfectly still, a smoking bullet hole having pierced the wall behind his left ear. "You missed," he whispered through a shaky sigh.
Backing up, Tag set the gun on the desk, "No. I hit the target I intended. But you are correct, my boy. There is a debt to pay." Cracking his knuckles until they popped, he touched his nose with his thumb, "You owe me a lot for messing up my business. Beating you to a pulp won't get my money back, but it'll be cathartic, and you'll make a fine example to anyone else who dares think to cross me."
"Then bring it," Angel snarled. "Bitch!"
"Gladly."
Stalking forward, the colonel kicked his left foot out to drive Angel back.
Blocking the kick, Angel knocked Tag's leg aside and threw a punch. The older man countered with his forearm and swung forcefully. Seizing the arm, Angel slammed his head forward, hitting Tag in the nose. Blood spurted from his nostrils as he staggered back.
In response, Tag quickly grabbed the back of Angel's head to hold him steady and drove his knee into his stomach. Gasping, Angel stumbled back, doubled over, and wheezed.
Tag advanced to close the distance and threw a powerful right cross. Angel ducked under the punch and responded with an uppercut that snapped his opponent's head back. Following through, he grabbed the colonel's shirt and spun him around, using his momentum to slam him against the office wall. Plaster cracked behind Tag's shoulders as he bounced off and swung wildly.
Sidestepping the haymaker, Angel quickly delivered two body shots to his opponent's kidneys. Grunting from the impact, the heavier man swept his leg low. Angel leapt over the sweep but landed off-balance, giving his opponent a chance to tackle him. Both men fell to the ground and rolled across broken glass from the shattered monitor. The sharp fragments bit into their skin, leaving thin trails of blood on the hardwood.
Ending up on top, Tag rained punches down. Angel covered up, deflecting most of the blows with his forearms, then bucked his hips to throw his attacker forward. As the colonel's weight shifted, Angel wrapped his legs around his waist and rolled him into a submission hold. The older man's face reddened as Angel's arm tightened around his throat.
Desperate, Tag drove his elbow back into Angel's ribs repeatedly. The third strike loosened the younger man's grip enough for Tag to grab Angel's hair and slam his head against the floor. Vision blurring momentarily, Angel felt his opponent scramble to his feet.
Rolling away just as Tag's boot crashed down where his head had been, Angel dropped into a crouch and swept the supporting leg. Tag fell hard on his back with a loud grunt, and Angel moved quickly, landing powerful punches to his face. Only three connected before the colonel pushed off with his feet against Angel's chest and hurled him across the room.
Angel hit the desk, sending papers flying in all directions. His opponent was already moving, grabbing a heavy glass paperweight from the floor. Tag hurled it at Angel, who ducked as it shattered against the wall behind him in an explosion of crystal fragments.
Following up with a charging tackle, Tag drove his adversary back over the desk. Both men crashed onto the floor on the other side.
As they grappled on the ground, Angel pushed up with his palms to get to his feet, but Tag spun around and delivered a powerful kick with his boot's sole, hitting Angel in the chin. He felt a tooth loosen as he was pushed onto his side, blood pooling in his mouth with a metallic taste.
Regaining his footing, Tag lunged at Angel, who managed to roll out of the way, causing his attacker to crash to the ground. With determination, Angel pushed himself up to gain some height, then drove down with an elbow strike to the back of his opponent's head. The impact sent Tag face-first into the hardwood floor with a sickening thud.
Swiftly, Angel seized Tag's arm, pinning it between his legs, and wrapped his other arm around the thick neck, pressing the palm of his hand against his wrist to choke him out. The older man's face began turning purple as he clawed desperately at Angel's forearm.
Growling, the colonel pried at the constricting arm with both hands, shifted his body, and managed to put Angel on his back. He positioned his elbow and slammed it into Angel's kidney. The younger man gasped from the sharp pain. Feeling the pressure ease, Tag struck again.
Angel let go, and Tag turned, delivering multiple body shots with his fist to Angel's ribs. Coughing hard and tasting blood, Angel desperately reached up to rake Tag's eyes with his fingernails.
Screaming, Tag rolled away. He quickly got up and wiped his eyes, brushing away tears that threatened to cloud his vision. Following him, Angel lunged for his legs, wrapped his arms around his knees, and pulled with all his strength.
However, being a heavier and stockier man, the colonel clasped his fists together and slammed them down like a sledgehammer into Angel's back, causing him to fall onto his knees. Spitting at him, Tag raised his fists to strike again.
In desperation, Angel slipped his arm between Tag's legs and thrust upward with all his remaining strength! The impact on Tag's groin caused his face to flush red, and he groaned, dropping forward against Angel's shoulder. With a powerful push, Angel lifted the colonel onto his shoulder, then tilted back, sending him tumbling over and crashing onto the floor with a wet smack.
Groaning in pain, Tag whitered on the floor, clutching his crotch. With his opponent fallen, Angel stepped to the desk and grabbed the Glock. Turning, he limped back to Tag, who was struggling for air, and pressed the gun against the back of his head.
"It's over, Tag. Stand down."
Face toward the floor, Tag fumbled for the small device in his breast pocket. Lifting it out, he fingered the button and laughed through spittle and broken breath, "And here I thought you were smart." He pressed the button firmly.
Electricity surged through Angel's body, locking him in agony, as the Glock slipped from his fingers. Shuddering, he dropped to his knees, eyes wide, drool pooling at his lips.
Charlie screamed, "KEVIN!"
Laughing harshly, Tag jumped up—appearing no worse for wear—and kicked him in the face. The blow cracked Angel's cheekbone, and he crumpled down.
Glancing at Charlie, who was panicking inside the circle, the colonel pointed at the black button between Angel's shoulders. "What he's feeling, my slave, is twenty thousand volts racing through his nervous system, courtesy of a tiny yet effective taser I slapped on his back earlier."
Pressing the button once more, Angel's body slumped to the floor. Grinding his knee into the small of Angel's back, the victorious colonel laughed down at the fallen man, "I was never in danger of losing our fight, my boy, and you never goaded me. I knew I'd have the advantage the whole time!" Clicking his tongue, he sneered, "You really have lost your touch, Kevin. I'm so ashamed of you."
His vile, bloody face looked at Charlie. "Get ready for a show, princess."
Charlie swallowed and licked her lips. "Please. Please let him go."
"And why the fuck would I do that?" Tag scoffed.
"Because. Soon you will control me. I am the Princess of Hell, more powerful than any demon to ever walk in Hell. In time, I will rise above even my father. No one, not even Angel, can stop you with me standing at your side."
"I like the sound of your pleas, princess." Looking down at Angel, he placed the gun on his forehead. "Beg."
"What?" Charlie's voice cracked.
"Beg for his life. With all your heart, beg for him. I want to hear you grovel!" Tag demanded.
"I love him. I love him with all of my heart," she exclaimed. "As long as he's safe, I will never fight your control over me. He will be your insurance of my servitude!"
"I'm impressed." Rubbing his bruised chin, Tag rolled his shoulders, took a couple of steps forward, turned so that his back was facing Charlie, and shifted the gun to lay against Angel's forehead. "Impressed by her ability to tell a good lie, that is."
Angel sneered up at him. "When Charlie makes a promise, she keeps it. You could ask Samedi. If he still had his head."
Laughing deeply, Tag replied, "So the bastard's dead? I thought so! How wonderful!"
"What happened to you?" Angel focused his eyes on the colonel's. "You used to be a decent man."
"Wait? Seriously," the older man chuckled, "You want a fucking reason? A motive? For all of this?"
"Yes!" Angel hissed, "Goddammit, yes! You were my mentor! My hero! Why did you fall like this?"
"Fall? I never 'fell', Kevin." Shaking his head, Tag continued, "My entire life has been about accumulating power, strength, and control over those weaker than me, which is everyone. I used the service to build my connections and my network. And I'm a fucking pervert! I love kids, and so do my clients. The money and sex—so satisfying."
"Monster!" Charlie's demon eyes sparked as she paced in the summoning circle.
"Yes!" Tag laughed, "I am a monster! I've been a monster since my childhood. And I'll be one till the day I die. But now the monster will own a demon! And you know what?"
Pressing the muzzle hard into Angel's forehead, he continued, "You could have had a part in all of this! You were the best I'd ever trained! I did love you, son! I really did! But you had to go and have a bleeding heart! Had you returned to me and told me the mission was a success, and I'd seen what I wanted, I would have offered you the opportunity to be my right-hand man. You honestly think I want to kill you? I don't. But no one goes against The Bible, son. My word is law!"
"You're right." Angel's voice trembled as he sensed the end approaching. Swallowing hard to steady himself, he continued, "It was your training that got me here. I can't deny that." Curling his fingers into fists, he cursed Tag, "But I also became the man I am today because of you, searching for redemption and rescuing lost souls. Which led me to find and fall in love, and be loved by the Princess of Hell herself."
Charlie choked at his words.
"Sentimental bullshit." Tensing his finger around the trigger, the colonel replied, "Goodbye, Kevin."
"Which is why you failed."
Pausing just enough, Tag sighed loudly. "And how the hell did I fail?"
"Because you forgot one thing." Angel let a small smile cross his lips as he raised his eyes to meet the colonel's.
"And what is that, dear boy?" The older man smiled back.
"I trained my own partner."
Tag's smile fell fast as his eyes widened with understanding. Shit!
Spinning as fast as he could, Tag raised his gun toward Charlie and fired three shots. The bullets slammed into the door frame of the office, missing her completely. Missed her because she was no longer in the circle. Instead, she appeared at his right flank, enveloped in her full black demon form.
Screaming, Tag aimed his gun at her and fired twice into the black swirl. Suddenly, the darkness evaporated, leaving the colonel confused.
Unbeknownst to the colonel, Charlie had shifted into her human form, dropped low, and rolled past his leg to kneel beside Angel. Swiftly reappearing, she grabbed the black button from his back and threw it aside, all while summoning Angel's gun and pressing it into his hand.
As Colonel Tag spun around to shoot again, Charlie fired a burst of demon fire that struck his gun, knocking it from his grasp with a burst of blinding light.
Regaining his focus, Tag fixed his eyes back on the pair, and he froze. He saw the princess glare at him, and though she was in her human form, her eyes blazed crimson. But it was Angel's eyes that, for the first time in Tag's life, instilled genuine fear into his black soul. Cold realization settled in the pit of his stomach.
Colonel Robert 'Bible' Tag had lost.
For Angel, time stood still. In that one instant, everything that Tag had done to him on that fateful day—the lives of the children he'd been tricked into taking, the guilt that had shattered his soul, the sleepless nights haunted by their faces, the journal full of failures—all of it shifted from crushing burden to crystallized purpose.
The redemption he'd been chasing for years, the forgiveness he'd desperately sought, was finally within his grasp. Exhaling slowly, Kevin Angelus Collins tuned the world out, sent a silent prayer to Heaven asking the children to forgive him, focused on the target before him, and softly squeezed the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through the room.
Shock froze Tag's features as he glanced at the pair briefly before lowering his gaze to his chest. Curious, he saw a red stain spreading outward from where his cold, shriveled heart sat between ribs. No. Not possible. He touched the spot, felt the warm wetness, and was surprised by the lack of pain. He'd been shot many times before, but this was different—surreal, dreamlike, as if it hadn't happened to him or he was just a witness to someone else's death. The great Bible couldn't fall like this. He couldn't.
Dropping to his knees with a thud, Tag paused briefly, then fell on his back. Looking up at the ceiling as Charlie and Angel hovered over him, he whispered, "H…how?"
Moving to hover over him, Angel pointed the gun at him. "I knew you would be prepared for anything I could think of," he shifted his eyes to the princess, who had come to stand next to him. "So, Charlie took point. This was her idea."
Taking out her amulet from under her shirt, she explained, "Cassie imbued this with a breaking spell, similar to the one that freed me from Samedi's control. With all Angel told me about you, I expected you'd lay some kind of snare for me. I played the part, letting you believe you had me trapped, so you would not think of me and focus on beating up Angel. While you were distracted fighting him, I whispered the spell and was freed. I waited for Angel's cue, then made my move."
Re-tucking the amulet beneath her shirt, she licked her lips, her eyes flashing a bright ruby red, and grinned at the dying colonel. "4D Chess, bitch!"
Tag's lips moved, forming a smile of admiration, and whispered almost to no one, "Bra…vo."
Then the last hint of light, of life, disappeared behind Tag's eyes.
Crouching down, Angel pressed the gun against the colonel's chest and checked his pulse. Confirming that Robert 'Bible' Tag was really dead, Angel stood, flicked the safety on his gun, and tucked it into the waistband of his pants.
He then gave Charlie a confused look. "What the heck was that?"
Feeling proud of herself, Charlie smiled coyly and winked. "Catchphrase!"