Bewitching Jolene (Book 3) Jacobs Broken Mercenaries

chapter 16

Jolene

This is my first invite to a meeting. When Elliot got back from his errand, he surprisingly knocked on my door and asked me to come. 

Wherever he went or whatever he did put a serious twist to his mood. I've never seen him so out of it. I cracked a joke about knocking, and it went right over his head, not to mention he didn’t look at my chest once.

The meeting is held in the library. There are two unfamiliar faces I've never seen before. A short Latino girl and a guy covered in tattoos. Elliot introduces us while seating me at the table. We’re all waiting on Jacob, who left shortly after Elliot got back. I'm awkwardly staring at the door because I don’t know what else to do. I'm not very social, and right now, I'm highly uncomfortable. Suddenly, Jacob appears from midair. I jump, startled, looking to see if anyone saw it, but not a single person in the room looks surprised. Rubbing my eyes, I tell myself not to freak out.

“One of Raphael’s girls suffered an unusual and horrific death last night. We have reason to believe it's something we’ve never dealt with before.”

Jacob looks around at everyone, me included. I can feel the tension, and I file the mystery away in the deal with later pile, which is getting really full.

“Do any of you recall the story of the three?”

The creepy dude finally talks. His voice is three octaves deeper than any I’ve ever heard.

“A species version of the boogeyman. He rises on the cuff of an apocalypse to eradicate the innocent and strengthen the wicked. The end of all ends.”

That doesn’t sound fair.

“Wouldn’t that be plural? Bogeymen, the three?”

I look over at the blonde girl, Amanda. She doesn’t seem the least bit affected as she calmly corrects the undertaker's grammar.

“Well, there are three, or so the story goes, but the three is one being who holds three sins inside of him; pride, greed, and lust. The sixth comes after, he holds the next three sins; envy, gluttony, and wrath.”

Okie Dookie this must be metaphorical, I hope.

“What about sloth?” Amanda supplies. Of course, she's well versed in the biblical sense. She looks like a preacher's daughter. I wonder if she's always been a part of this place or if it’s relatively new. I have the feeling this conversation is supposed to affect me, but there's nothing that surprises me anymore, I feel kind of numb.

“That’s where the story ends. When he comes, it's said time stands still. Hell-fire rises, scorching anything left living. Hell's creatures walk the earth. The angles reign down from the sky, their wings ripped from their flesh before they fall... If any humans survive, they will wish they were dead.”

Are they serious? Jacob reveals a thick text and places it open on the table. The leather sleeve is worn and discolored. It looks like it's been around a long time. I sit up higher to take a peek. It’s the description of the three. I can't make out the words, but I can see the picture. What I'm expecting is a grotesque and enormous creature. What I see is a man with no face.

“What makes you think a single murder is the start of some apocalypse?”

This comes from the Latino, Rosa. it’s a valid question I was asking myself; in my head, of course.

Elliot answers her.

“I recognize the symbol.”

Jacob lays pictures on the table. I'm befuddled at first, but when my brain registers the image, I gag. Elliot rubs my back, then suddenly stops, correcting himself. It's too bad this is one time I wouldn’t mind a little comfort. I tell myself not to be disappointed he’s finally backing off. It's what I wanted, right?