Chapter One
âDo you believe in monsters, Eden?â
Eden Swain ran a hand through her tangled blond hair as she shifted the phone from cradling it between her shoulder and head to her hand. Sitting up and leaning forward, she no longer felt drained. The woman on the other end of the line had her full attention.
âI donât know. I believe in evil, if thatâs what youâre asking.â
âThe devil inside?â the woman asked.
âYes, something like that, I guess.â
âIâm not talking about the evil inside men. Iâm talking about the forces of darkness. Demons and the like.â
Cold tendrils of air caressed Edenâs neck and face like a loverâs touch. Instantly, goose bumps rose on her arms and shivers raced down her spine. She looked around the office, seeking the source of cool air, but no windows were open. Glancing up, she searched for air-conditioning vents. There were none.
âDo you mean scaly red skin, black horns and a forked tongue?â Eden joked, trying to lessen the tension she could feel rising through the phone line.
The woman sighed. âDonât be stupid, Eden. You know better than that.â
Gripping the handle tightly, Eden pleaded into the phone. She didnât want to lose this one. For some reason, the woman had opened up to her. She couldnât let her fondness for sarcasm ruin the effort the woman had obviously made to pick up the phone and call the suicide help line.
âI want to understand. I want to help you.â
There was a long pause. Eden could hear the womanâs heavy breathing on the other end. It was labored, as if she had been runningâor was scared out of her mind.
âI know you do, Eden. You tried before but I just donât know if you can.â
âWhat? When? Do I know you?â
The woman disconnected.
âHello? Hello?â
There was no answerâonly silence. Slowly, Eden set the handset down in its cradle. Rubbing a hand over her face, she cursed under her breath. Sheâd blown it again.
From the moment sheâd answered the call, Eden had sensed a real opportunity to help the woman. It was as if the woman had phoned her, not just the help line. And maybe that was true, considering her last few words. Before the woman had started talking about monsters, Eden had felt sheâd made a connection. A real one. However, it had snapped once the woman started rambling about evil and demons.
Maybe she had been on drugs and needed someone to talk her down. It was just that sheâd seemed so lucid when theyâd first started speaking. Sheâd sounded like an intelligent and very together person. Eden knew too well the dangers of drugs and drug usersâthey were unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Sheâd learned that the hard way.
Reaching for the glass of water on the desk, Eden noticed the tremble in her hand. She needed a real drink. It was getting harder to stay sober. Sheâd promised herself that she would not drink on the job, but with each desperate call from one person to another, her thirst had become nearly insatiable. Each time she picked up the phone, she imagined a glass of scotch in her hand instead.
The self-induced torture was killing her, which was probably what she was hoping for. Masochism 101.
âWhy donât you go home?â
Eden looked up at the shift supervisor, Allison, and nodded.
Putting a hand on Edenâs shoulder, Allison squeezed gently. âYouâve been here for five hoursâthatâs enough for one night. Go home and get some sleep. Some real sleep.â
Allisonâs meaning was clear. Get some sleep not induced by alcohol. Eden couldnât remember the last time she had fallen asleep sober. Maybe before the shooting.
Standing, Eden grabbed her leather jacket from the back of the wooden chair and slipped it on. She bent down, retrieved her bike helmet from under the table and slid it over her mop of disheveled curls.
âBe careful on that thing, hon. Itâs supposed to rain later tonight.â
Eden witnessed the uneasiness in Allisonâs eyes and winced inwardly. âNo worries, Allie. Iâm good.â
Saying nothing, Allison just nodded and went back into her little office in the corner.
The moment Eden opened the back door to the alley, the cool crisp air surrounded her and elicited shivers up and down her spine. A cold mist peppered her face. Glancing up into the dark sky, she hoped that she got home before the rain was unleashed. By the fresh tang in the air, they were in for a good downpour.