Time Jacker by Aaron Crash (nonfiction book recommendations .TXT) 📕

The question caught him off guard. Then he remembered neither Gabby nor Bailey could read him, and so they didn’t know about his past, or anything about his soul, not really.

He let the question hang in the air. They’d been quiet, whispering, and none of the church people had given them dirty looks. They were fine to keep talking, especially now that they weren’t hugging each other or holding hands.

“I’m fine with most laws,” Jack said quietly. “What I don’t like, and what my family doesn’t like, is when people break them and nothing happens to them. Bending laws is okay, but to break them and hurt other people? No. And while most people are fine, there are some bad, bad people in the world. Those people need to be reminded there are consequences for their actions. In my family, personal responsibility for one’s actions is important. That is what I believe in, and what my family believes in—that and protecting the innocent and the weak from getting hurt by bad people.”

“What about throwing that rock through the glass patio doors?”

Jack grinned. “Yeah, not my best moment. I lost it for a bit. My moral compass didn’t much like that. But in the end, the Tarringtons are not good people. They prey on the innocent and weak. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“They don’t have as much Nefesh as others,” the angel conceded, “but if you are about personal responsibility, when you do something wrong, you atone for it, not someone else, and better yet to atone on someone’s behalf, like you do for your mother and your aunt. I think you can’t argue that.”

Jack could, but he wasn’t in the mood. Life was gray. He’d learned that in the police academy, and it had changed him forever. Sometimes when you did something shitty, it was the right thing. And sometimes when you did the right thing, you were punished for it mercilessly. Should there be laws? Yes. Otherwise, the meanest motherfucker rose to the top and stayed there. That made protecting the innocent and weak all the harder.

Jack smirked. “Did I mention I got a D in my ethics class? I took a few college classes back in the day. I could never understand a thing that Immanuel Kant wrote.”

“Why didn’t you become a policeman?” Gabby asked.

Jack stared into those blue eyes. It was a long story. It was a painful story. In the end, he didn’t want to talk about it. Hell, he’d spent years running from the truth. “Maybe I didn’t become a policeman so I could become a Time Knight. Or is it the Time Knight? Do you know what that means?”

Gabby shook her head. “I don’t. I was as surprised as you were when he said that. But the Clockwatcher has special sight and special knowledge. Like how he knew about Kerrata and Annie. And why he didn’t pull the hammer back on the revolver. I think a part of him knew you would walk out of there with the pistol. We have to be careful. We are on a righteous mission, but that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down, even for a minute.”

“Agreed.” Jack stood. “Let’s go check on Bailey. We need to help her.”

“We do.” The angel joined him in the aisle. Gabby gave the prayerful people a last warm smile, drinking in their Nefesh before they both left the church. Outside, the sun was bright, the birds tweeted happily, and it was a nice autumn day.

Gabby playfully punched his arm. “We need to take Bailey to where the dancing girls remove their clothes for patrons. There are lots of horny men there, and while there’s not that much Nefesh at such a place, there will be some.”

Jack stopped. “You had my same idea. We take her to a strip club, though Bailey did like to cruise churches looking for horny people.”

Gabby rolled her eyes. “Because she likes a little soul with her lust. Obviously. Let me tell you, Bailey is not a normal demon.”

“And you’re not a normal angel.” Jack gave her a playful little push.

“No, I guess not,” Gabby agreed.

“How can there be Nefesh at strip clubs?” Jack asked.

“People, Jack,” Gabby said with a laugh. “People everywhere have souls, and there is healing, and friendship, and fun everywhere. It’s what humans do. The dancers are friends, or have customers they like, or coworkers they like. It’s all just people.”

“Sometimes,” Jack said. He’d been in places with very little soul, and even less fun. “But we shouldn’t underestimate the insanity of strip club politics.”

The angel sighed at the truth. “I know. I don’t like to think about that. Let’s just get our Bailey fixed up.”

They hurried to the car.

Jack had to smile at what the angel said. Our Bailey.

The sex demon was feeling better. As they pulled out of the church parking lot, Bailey blinked. “Did I hear something about strip clubs? I know exactly the right one.”

Jack was relieved the succubus was conscious. And he started getting excited. “Do we have another Wanda situation?”

Bailey was still a little gray, but her lust brightened her eyes and smile. “We definitely have another Wanda situation.”

Jack drove a little faster. Tuesday evening, before dinner, in a strip club? It wasn’t prime time, and so the pickings might be slim. In the end, he was very wrong about that.

Chapter Twenty-Two

JACK TURNED ONTO A back road and drove toward the industrial section of Plum Creek: machine shops, storage units, and a few seedy bars. The Cupid’s Arrow Gentlemen’s Club was on the southernmost edge of the city. Beyond it was just sagebrush, cottonwoods, and not much else.

Bailey was awake but still a little out of it. “Can’t you two just kiss? I need some lust, Feathers. You’re not fucking helping.”

The angel threw a worried glance over her shoulder. “It’s not that simple. If I kissed either one of you, all