The Devil's Due

By Parker Williams

The Devil’s Due
Artie Middleton and Ben Nelson have faced everything thrown at them and come out stronger individually and as a couple.

They’ve lost friends, and learned the painful lesson that nothing good comes without a price. Now, Artie’s unwitting part in an insane plan to destroy all supernatural beings has pulled him front and center into a battle for survival.

When Ben becomes a pawn in the scheme, Artie must decide what he’s willing to risk to protect his family. It’s a question that must be asked when the devil finally demands his due.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Parker Williams
• Release date: Nov 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781941841389

Parker Williams

Parker Williams is a bestselling author of MM romance and suspense. One of his recent works was nominated for the Lambda Literary Awards, and several books have been runners-up at the Rainbow Awards. Parker loves the written word. A chance encounter with an amazing author changed the course of his life as he began to write the stories his men were whispering to him. With the help of some amazing friends and a community of writers he’s proud to be part of, Parker continues telling stories of love, hurt, comfort, and sometimes tosses in a little angst for fun. He believes in love, but also knows that anything worth having requires work and sacrifice (and maybe a little hurt runs smooth, and he enjoys writing about it. Parker lives in Milwaukee, WI, with his husband, Paul, and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Most days you’ll find him on Facebook, sharing stories and pictures of the zoo, or even about Paul, who is always good for a laugh and comfort too). The course of true love never. Website: www.parkerwilliamsauthor.com Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor Facebook: www.facebook.com/parker.williams.75641 Email: [e-mail]

Book preview

The Devil’s Due

Four of Clubs Five

PF 2015 Collection

By

Parker Williams

Copyright

The Devil’s Due: Four of Clubs Five is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Parker Williams

Edited by Jae Ashley

Formatting by Author.Services

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Pride Press.

ISBN: 978-1-941841-38-9

Warning: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Contact the publisher for further information:

[e-mail]

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following trademarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Bluetooth: Bluetooth Sig, Inc.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and character, Glory): Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The Princess Bride: The Princess Bride, LTD.

Contents

Copyright

Acknowledgements

Diamonds and Dust

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

About the Author

About PF 2015

Also Available

The Devil’s Due

Artie Middleton and Ben Nelson have faced everything thrown at them and come out stronger individually and as a couple.

They’ve lost friends, and learned the painful lesson that nothing good comes without a price. Now, Artie’s unwitting part in an insane plan to destroy all supernatural beings has pulled him front and center into a battle for survival.

When Ben becomes a pawn in the scheme, Artie must decide what he’s willing to risk to protect his family. It’s a question that must be asked when the devil finally demands his due.

Chapter One

The soft rush of air, the sound of cards slapping against one another, the thrill of winning the pot. Artie glanced down to look at his hand and frowned. His cards were blank. He looked up to ask what was going on, when he saw who he was playing against. Bart, Sabine, and Tempest. He gasped when their heads popped up, and they fixed him with their gazes.

Finally noticed us? Bart asked. That’s the problem with you, Artie. You never notice. You’re supposed to be some great and powerful psychic, but you never understand. Why is that?

Artie opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was parched, and only a small squeak came out.

Never thought you could be tongue-tied, Sabine said, then cackled. It wasn’t like his usual rich, sonorous voice. This time it grated like nails on a chalkboard. Artie tried to stand, to move away from his friends, but couldn’t make his muscles work. He glanced around wildly, needing Ben to help him, but his fiancé was nowhere to be seen.

I’m very disappointed, Artie, Tempest groaned. I gave up everything for you. My life, the family I dreamed of having, and maybe even my immortal soul, just so you could live. And what do you do? You fritter it away, like none of it mattered to you at all. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less.

N-n-no. That’s not— The voice that came out wasn’t Artie’s. It was roughened, harsh.

Tempest dealt another card to each player, then clucked her tongue. Doesn’t look like you’re doing so well on this hand, Artie.

He didn’t want to look down. He knew the cards were still blank. Yet, despite his misgivings, he had to see. Everyone else had numbers and suits, but his hand was empty.

This isn’t real, Artie insisted.

Tempest shrugged. As real as you want it to be, I guess.

But how?

You’re the psychic. Maybe what you’re seeing is the future. The one that started when Sabine and I sacrificed our lives for our friends, and you all turned around and spit on our graves.

We didn’t—

Just as well as, Sabine cut in, waving his hand. Then he turned to pin Artie with a stare and sneered. I died for you, Artie. All of you. I wanted to keep my friends safe. Tempest sacrificed her life for you, because she knew the world needed you. Yet, you sit here, playing cards with us.

But why the three of you?

As one, the three of them flipped their cards over. Each had a pair of eights and aces.

Dead man’s hands, Artie. You know what that means. Let’s see your cards.

His hand trembled as Artie reached out and flipped the cards face up. Eights and aces.

Bart laughed. Looks like we all pulled the same hand, hey?

But I’m not dead, Artie whispered.

Not yet, Tempest replied, shuffling the deck again. But the night’s still young.

Artie lurched out of bed, his heart hammering and his stomach threatening to rebel. It couldn’t possibly have been real, yet he could still smell the gentle notes of jasmine he always associated with Tempest, and the chill in the air that pebbled his skin whenever Bart had come around. He got out of bed and grabbed the terrycloth robe from the bathroom door, then walked through the house, flinching as shadows in the yard seemed to swell and swallow all the light. He wished Ben were home, but he’d gone with his Odd Squad teammates, Danny and Clint, to investigate a lead. Artie knew the truth, though. They’d found out something about the demon—well, one of the demons, anyway—that had their sights set on him. Despite Jet, Travis, and Sam telling them all that it would come down to Artie, Ben had refused to allow him to face the trouble alone. They’d fought about it, and Ben had stormed out of the house. That had been three nights ago.

But, in true Ben fashion, he