“So, reincarnation is really a thing?” I had a friend when I was in grade school whose family had moved to DC from India. His family followed Hinduism, and his mother would talk about karma and samsara, as they called reincarnation.
“Sure it is. A lot of work goes into creating souls, you know. As humans recycle plastic, metal, and glass, the universe recycles souls. The between is where experiences are reviewed and lessons are learned, and hopefully, the soul corrects the mistakes they made in their life and are reborn to do better the next time.” EZ stopped and reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out what looked like a smart phone.
“We’re getting closer. They’re taking you into surgery to deal with the bleeding in your brain, so we better hurry.” EZ flipped the device so I could see Holden walking next to a gurney as he held my hand.
At a set of doors, the nurse stopped. “This is it, Mr. Rose. End of the line. We’ll keep you updated.”
Holden leaned forward to kiss my hand. “I love you, Avery. I need you. Please fight.”
My knees buckled at his words, and I fell to the... Whatever we were walking on.
EZ chuckled as he and the dogs stopped. “It must feel amazing to hear someone say something like that to you. It’s not my purpose to experience those things, but it’s nice to see how it affects humans.”
“What’s your purpose if it’s not to love and be loved?” I couldn’t fathom the emotion I’d heard in Holden’s voice, and I would fight like hell to get back to him so I could look into those beautiful blue eyes and tell him I loved him, too.
“Much like humans, we in the afterlife are created like this.” He swept his hand down his body. “I was created to assist with crowd control, more or less.”
I decided, for my own sanity, not to further explore what he meant. Maybe it was like the Mafia, the more you knew, the less likely you were to get away? I was taking no chances. I had a man who loved me, and I wanted to get back to him.
“Is there any way I can help with this? Can the dogs sniff Hal or Happy out?” They were some sort of canine I assumed, and I knew that humans used dogs for things like hunting, bomb and drug sniffing, and tracking escaped inmates. Maybe those big dogs on the black leashes in EZ’s hand had similar abilities?
“If I had something that smelled like either of them, probably they could, but I don’t have anything.” EZ patted each dog on the head before returning his attention to me.
“How were you tracking them before? You showed up at Two Bitches and you were on their trail. What were you doing then?”
“One of Hal’s victims was helping me, but that soul has gone for rebirth. I’m on my own, now.” EZ shrugged.
Okay... “Aren’t there more of his victims to help look for him? Do they live somewhere that we could go talk to them and ask for their help?”
EZ gave me a half-smile. “Hal was executed in 1965. His victims have all been rebirthed. We kept them separated from where Hal was located for less trauma to those who were harmed by him. Like I said, he escaped, but it wasn’t without help. Once I get him back, I’ll then go after his accomplice. We have very few rules here, but if they’re broken, the consequences are endless.”
I swallowed hard as I looked at the dogs. “What are their names?”
EZ smirked. “Hellfire and Damnation.”
That made me laugh. Who knew a demon—or whatever he was—had a sense of humor.
“I have Holly’s heart. Can they smell me? Would that help?” I was up for trying anything that would move the process along.
“Hell, it can’t hurt anything. Just get on your knees, please.”
I glanced at him, and he chuckled. “You don’t want them putting their weight on you if they get on their hind legs. They need to smell your heart. They won’t hurt you. I don’t think they would. Just don’t make any sudden moves.”
Without thinking too much about what he said, I knelt and didn’t move a muscle. EZ touched my chest, and both dogs sniffed for a few seconds before they wandered around for a minute. One of them, Damnation, maybe, growled in a direction—I think. It was all just cloudy to me.
“Come on. This might work.”
Damn, I hoped so.
Chapter Twenty
Holden
A peck on my shoulder had me lifting my head from where I studied the floor tiles in the surgical waiting room. A woman stood to my left with an arched eyebrow as she glared at me. “Who are you? Doyouknow how my son is?”
“Still in surgery, I’m afraid. You must be Avery’s mother.” I stood and extended my hand. “I’m Holden Rose.” She didn’t shake it, so I shoved it into the pocket of my jeans.
“Yes, I’m Betsy Langhorn. Do you know what happened to Avery” She seemed a bit standoffish, but maybe it was my shitty attitude because I knew she drove Avery insane. He’d mentioned after his accident that his parents were overprotective, especially his mother.
