Welcome to the second novel in the Riley Trilogy. This book is the second installment in the life of Riley, the Archangel of Purgatory. I have written this prelude to assist those readers, who have not read Riley, in order that they may better understand the story line and Riley himself.

In Riley, the story begins with a young boy who is living on an army base. He is being kept there because he has supernatural powers the army wishes to exploit. He is being raised by Dr. Jacob, who discovered Riley’s abilities when he was born and whisked him away from his biological mother to the secretive camp called the Lab.

Suddenly, control of the Lab is taken over by General Luker, who decides he would like to use Riley's powers for personal gain. Dr, Jacob objects and is killed by Captain Legault, General Luker's right hand man. When Riley finds out, he decides he no longer wants to help the army and following a battle with Captain Legault, escapes from his prison into the desert, where the army follows him in an attempt to kill him. He accidentally turns into a bird and discovers he has talents he was not aware of and uses the bird shape to elude the army by flying into a cave. They follow him into the cave but Riley manages to kill all of the elite soldiers. You’ll have to read the story to find out how. He then decides he's going to live in his other world, the one calling to him every night in his dreams.

Upon arriving in his new world, Riley discovers he is the King of the seventh level of Purgatory and is sworn to defend it against the demons that wish to invade and take over. Following a brief period of training where he learns how to open portals to other worlds, as well as honing his other skills, he discovers the army of Satan has broken through the gates of Hell and is invading his territory. Now he must find a way to protect Purgatory. To do so, he must leave his castle and search out the four mystical swords, which would release the four dragons of Purgatory. With the help of Dragonets, and his friend Nelson, he embarks on a journey which will take him to the far corners of his world. During his journey, he meets many strange characters and faces many life or death situations.

One final task is to become a true Archangel. He still inhabits a human body and must find a way to become complete. To do so, he must locate a mysterious character by the name of Yelir. Yelir managed to steal the dragons from Riley, forcing him to go into the dragons' lair to defeat Yelir. Only then could he be reunited with the dragons. After a horrendous battle, Riley finally becomes a full Archangel and is then able, with the help of the dragons, to fight back the demons and restore peace to Purgatory. Once peace was re-established, Riley decided he wanted to find his human mother. He now embarks on another adventure entitled Riley--Eye in the City....

General Luker threw open the door to his office, letting it slam against the wall. He grinned when his workers darted back to their desk. He loved to torment them.

"Peter! Do you have that report ready yet?" Peter, a thin, wimpish, university grad, jumped when he heard his name.

"No… no sir. I haven't finished the research sir."

"Why not? I told you I wanted it by two. It's now one forty-five. Get your ass in gear!"

"But sir, it'll take another hour to get the results back from Washington…."

"Don't give me any of your smart-ass university jargon. Do it, or I'll personally kick your ass down the stairs to the mail room." The phone rang, interrupting his tirade. His head jerked toward Jeanna, his secretary, who was holding the phone up for him.

"Who is it?"

"General Brown, Sir." Luker walked over and yanked the phone out of her hand.

"Dave, how's it going?"

"Not bad, Luker. What's happening over there?"

"Not much, except that I can see right down my secretaries blouse." Luker laughed as Jeanna blushed and covered her cleavage. "I'll take this call in my office!

Luker put Dave on hold and headed for his desk. He pulled out a cigar and picked up the phone. "So Dave, how's life in Hawaii?"

"Never better. Listen, do you remember the pilot who was rescued in the desert?"

"Which one?"

"The one who survived the helicopter crash."

"Oh yeah, that one." Luker's stomach turned. He remembered the pilot telling him that Riley, his sworn enemy, had gotten away.

"He keeps talking about some kid who heals people. What do you want me to do?"

"Find some place and have an accident. Perhaps, a malfunction on the next chopper he flies."

"What if there's someone with him?"

"Screw 'em. As long as his mouth is fixed." Luker hung up the phone, making sure Dave couldn't answer him. The pilot had always bugged him. He was a loose end that needed to be cut off.

"Jeanna, get your lovely ass in here!" Luker let go of the intercom button and looked at her through the plexiglass windows surrounding his office.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was filled with anger, but the fear of losing her job stopped her from talking back to him.

"Yeah. I noticed your headlights were on earlier. Come here so I can talk to ya!"

Luker grinned when her face turned beet read. She glared at him, but picked up her pencil and walked toward his door.

"Come on. Move faster or get your ass back to the kitchen where you belong."

General Luker could only watch in horror. The creatures were ransacking his office, killing his workers before they could flee. He shoved his chair aside to get behind the desk and reached down to open his safe. His fingers were trembling too hard to get the combination correct, but he tried repeatedly.

He screamed as a huge dragon-like creature slammed into the Plexiglass, only to be denied entry. Luker quickly returned his attention to the safe, anxious to get his hands on the gun he had stowed away for emergencies. Drops of sweat fell onto his arms as he furiously tried the combination again.

Another crash rocked the interior windows. He looked up and saw several human forms, the skin on their faces long gone, leaving behind only bones. They were trying to ram the glass with coat racks.

"God Almighty, please help me." He gave up on the safe and looked around for an escape route. In a panic, he picked up his chair and tried to break the windows behind him, not caring that he was ten stories up. He had already realized that dying from the fall was much better than dying at the hands of these creatures. Again and again he threw the chair, only to have it bounce back at him.

His room suddenly became very hot and he found it difficult to breathe. He loosened his tie, trying to suck more air into his lungs. His head started to swim and he fell to his knees. Looking for help, he glanced up at the interior windows and noticed they were covered with monsters, their eyes glaring at him while their breaths fogged up the glass. Their blood-stained saliva ran down the windows, forming pools of liquid where the Plexiglass met wood.

He started to get up, thinking he would hide in his washroom when pain exploded in his chest, spreading through his body like a runaway train. He collapsed on the floor again, this time screaming from the intense pain that sucked the wind from his lungs. He crawled toward the bathroom, which was just to the left of his desk, when he noticed shoes walking toward him.

"Having a bit of trouble?" The voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Lucas looked up and saw a child standing there, his steel-blue eyes cutting into him. "Riley!"

"Yes, I told you I'd be back."

"Damn you. This time I'll kill you." Luker spat at Riley. He put his hands on the floor and pushed up, trying to get back on his feet. All his pent-up rage fuelled his adrenaline, allowing him to stand and face his archenemy. "Come here so I can rip your throat out."

"What's the matter, Luker? Having problems with your heart?"

"Nothing's wrong with my heart, you fucking asshole. Just wait 'til I get my hands on you!" Luker tried to lunge at Riley but pain ripped through him when he stretched out his arms, forcing him to retreat and grab his chest.

"Here, let me help you."

Luker watched helplessly while Riley's hand entered his chest and grabbed his heart. He felt a sudden calmness fill him as his heart was being squeezed, then the pain disappeared. He looked at the kid with wonder, like an animal which had just been saved.

"How'd you do that?"

"Simple. I just removed the source of the pain." Riley held out his hand for the General to see.

Luker looked at the object Riley held. It took him a few seconds to understand, and even fewer more to scream when he saw his heart, still beating, in Riley's hand.

General Luker sat up in bed, his pajamas soaked with sweat from the nightmare. He wiped his forehead with his hand and checked it to make sure it was sweat and not blood that was dripping into his stinging eyes.

His wife stirred beside him, her sleep disturbed by his movements. He quickly got out of bed, his mind still flashing the dream in his eyes. Feeling his mouth parched, he walked over to the bathroom on wobbly legs to get some water.

A movement across the room startled him, making his army training fly into high gear. He crouched into a karate stance, ready to fight, only to realize it was his own reflection in the full-length mirror. He stood up, willing his heart to calm down, and continued to the washroom. His eyes scanned every dark spot, trying to see if anything lurked there, ready to pounce.

He turned on the bathroom light, squinting at the sudden brightness, and walked over to the sink where he stripped and dried himself off with a towel. While he stared into the mirror, he replayed the dream over and over in his mind. Luker had almost been killed by Riley several times, and had sworn that he would get him.

"He's back." He stared at his reflection, filling his glass with water. He downed the water and smirked into the mirror. "Riley's back and someone is about to die."

PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

Joey Bornello waited patiently on the bench, scanning the passengers getting off the bus from Taos, New Mexico. He glanced at his watch and noted that it was nine o’clock, PM. It was starting to get late. He was on the lookout for young girls running away from home, seeking fame and fortune in San Francisco. What they didn't know, was what he was going to give them. A place to stay and a full time job, hooking for him on the downtown streets.

Joey was born in a small town in Sicily. His father moved them to the United States when he was four years old and had flourished in the new country. He began making a lot of money and Joey was enjoying his newfound freedom; free from the overwhelming poverty of his hometown. But that all changed when, one night, the doorbell rang.

He still remembered his mother opening the door and police officers bursting in. They told her that her husband had been killed and they had a search warrant. The police officers ransacked their house, while his mother lay on the floor crying for his father. It was a moment he was never going to forget, or forgive.

At the age of ten, Joey was taken under the wing of Tony Morelli, the Don of the Mafia in San Francisco, making him an honorary officer in memory of his father. Soon, Joey was running bags of money from the bet shops to Tony, avoiding the police while he dashed in and out of different clubs.

He killed his first man at age fifteen and had killed twenty more by his next birthday. His specialty had become cops, which he religiously killed in memory of his father. Tony rewarded his loyalty and devotion by giving him his own turf to manage. He became chief of the prostitution ring that enveloped the downtown core of San Francisco and suburbs. Soon after, he was given the nickname Brutus, partly for the way he treated his pros, beating them if they didn't meet his quota, but in truth it came from the way he acquired new talent.

Joey learned the quickest method was to capture young girls running away from home. He would then have them submit to him, both body and mind so they wouldn't run away from him. To accomplish this, he would grab them off the street and bring them to a special soundproof room he had constructed in an apartment he owned. There, he would tie the girls to a bed, shoot them up with heroin and repeatedly rape them, until their will to fight was gone. If the girl was stubborn, he would have different guys rape her, sometimes ten times a day, until she complied with his wishes.

Once the girls were hooked on heroin and dependant on him, he would give them an assignment with the promise of beatings if they didn't perform and hand over the quota of money he demanded. When he felt the girl was too old to be part of his stable, she would either be dumped into the river or sold to the white slave market. Then he would start all over and recruit another to fill the spot in his harem.

His keen eyes spotted the girl as she got off the bus, carrying a backpack on her shoulder. He knew she was a runaway just by the way she glanced around, trying to get her bearings. He looked at her body, the jutting of the breasts, the shapely curves and knew she'd be able to bring in good money. He estimated her age at about fifteen, the perfect age for life on the streets. Most of the time, his girls ranged from the age of fourteen to twenty one, but he also wasn't adverse to using girls fourteen, if they showed well and looked older than their age.

He stood up, pointed to the girl, and nodded to the bodyguards. The two guys quickly left the bus station while Joey followed the girl. She was too busy checking out the night-lights to notice she was being pursued. He followed her down the street until they came to an alleyway. Suddenly, a car came speeding out of the alleyway and stopped, its back door directly in front of the girl. The door popped open and Joey, who had moved right behind the girl, shoved her into the backseat and climbed in beside her.

"Move! Move! Move!" He jammed a rolled up sock into the girl's screaming mouth as the car lurched forward. It fish tailed as it took a right hand turn down the main street, its tires squealing.

Cloe Zimmerman had always been told she had a bright modeling future ahead of her. At age thirteen, she won the Miss Teen USA pageant and was billed as the next Miss Universe. At least that's what her mother was telling everyone. At four foot six, she weighed ninety-five pounds and had waist length dirty blond hair. She had an oval face with hazel green eyes that would sparkle when she spoke.

Her life was dedicated to becoming a model, practicing day and night on her runway technique and makeup. She took drama classes, speech classes and any other possible subject that would help her make it big.

Her life had been ideal up until the age of fourteen when her father lost his job. He had been employed as an autoworker for the last twenty years, but when the plant downsized, he was laid off and couldn't find any work. Her mother took a night job to keep food on the table, leaving Cloe and her two brothers, Kyle and Norman, alone at home to face their father's drunken rampages.

She stopped taking classes since there wasn't enough money, and wondered if her dreams would ever come true. She slipped into a depression and felt her ideal life had turned into a nightmare, keeping her from her destiny.

Her real nightmare started when her father came home drunk one night, yelling that everyone thought he worthless. She had retired to bed and was listening to him smash things in the living room. Her brothers were sleeping over at their friends' house, something they now did regularly, leaving her alone to deal with her father. She was about to fall asleep when her father opened her bedroom door and slammed it against the wall.

"Well at least my little princess hasn't abandoned me."

"What's the matter, daddy?" Fear creeped into her sluggish mind when she saw the look on his face.

"I just want someone to talk to." He walked over to her bed and moved his hand under the sheets to caress her leg.

"It's late daddy, and I need my sleep."

"I won't stay long." His voice was low and almost hypnotic. His mind seemed to be elsewhere and she could feel his hand moving up her thigh and into her private area.

"What are you doing daddy?" She moved her hand down to push his away. He simply pushed her hand aside and continued. Suddenly, he pulled the sheets off and climbed into her bed. He then proceeded to pull off her nightgown, surprising her with his quickness. He managed to get it off, then grabbed her right breast.

"Stop it daddy!"

He backhanded her across the mouth, stunning her. The pain spread through her face. Knowing she was too small to fight him, she lay helpless. He removed her panties, then his clothes and quickly mounted her. She screamed in pain when he raped her, threatening her with death if she told anyone, especially her mother.

The sexual and emotional abuse continued for a year, until her fifteenth birthday, when she decided enough was enough. After supper, and before her father came home that night, she quietly left and boarded a bus headed for San Francisco to stay with a pen pal. She hated to leave her mother and brothers behind to deal with her father, but she couldn't take it anymore and felt it would be better to leave rather than to let other people know what was happening.

Now she was in a car, being mauled by two guys. She tried to scream for help but was stopped when something was shoved into her mouth. When she tried to escape they punched her in the side of the head, stunning her. She felt her shirt being lifted and her bra being removed. Hands dug into her pants, digging for her vagina, spreading her legs. Soon the men's fingers were violating every part of her body, she screamed and struggled. Panic seized her and she began to shake uncontrollably and hyperventilate, remembering what her father had done.

Minutes later, the men quit what they were doing and the car came to a stop. Cloe, crying uncontrollably, felt herself being dragged out of the car, through a steel door and into an elevator. Once the elevator stopped, she was dragged into a room and thrown onto a bed with side-rails. Her wrists were tied to the headboard and her ankles tied to the railing, spreading her legs wide.

The men ripped off her clothes, leaving her naked. One of the men took the sock out of her mouth and leaned over her, brandishing a needle, laughing in her face.

"Hey, girly. My name is Joey and welcome to my family." Joey jammed the needle into her arm. She screamed when it hit bone. "This'll calm you down."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Let's just say we need more money and you're going to get it for us." Joey started to laugh as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Why me?" Tears streamed down her face.

"Because you're a beautiful girl and that's what our clients want. Wha'd ya think? That you could just leave home and waltz into my world? You should'a stayed home, Bitch."

Cloe shook her head in disbelief. One moment she was riding the bus on her way to fulfilling her dreams. Next she was tied to a bed, getting gang-raped. Her desperation turned to anger and she squirmed violently, trying to free herself.

"My father will find you and kill you." Her eyes were blazing with fire.

"From where? New Mexico? Don't think so. By the time they find you, if they do, you'll have fucked thousands of guys and you won't even want to see your family anymore." Cloe shook when she noticed the other men taking off their clothes. "'Sides, if you don't cooperate, you'll be layin' on the bottom of the river. Now, what're ya gonna do?"

Cloe tried to squirm away when he grabbed her chin. She didn't see the punch coming, only the white light that exploded in her head. Her body jerked with shock and her mind reeled in an effort to get back her senses but this proved more difficult now the drugs were starting to take effect. She opened her eyes and, through a blurry film, saw the guys laughing, drinking beer and staring at her. Then, just as Joey unbuckled his belt, the doorbell rang.

"What the hell?" Joey motioned to the others and grabbed his gun. The men also reached for their holsters, arming themselves as they looked at Joey. "Nobody knows 'bout this place. Carmen, find out who it is and get rid of 'em."

"Yes sir." Carmen opened the bedroom door and headed toward the front door. Cloe, her eyes wide with fear, watched Joey lean against the wall, trying to listen to the conversation. She heard the front door open, a sound of surprise coming from Carmen, then a thud as something heavy hit the floor.

"Carmen?" Cloe could see fear in their eyes when Carmen didn't answer. Joey nodded to the other man who then raced into the room, shooting his gun at whatever target was there. Again, all Cloe heard was the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, then silence.

"Shit!" Joey cringed up against the wall, his body trembling with fear. He slammed the door shut and edged along the wall away from the door, sweat pouring down his face.

Cloe screamed as an arm came crashing through the wall, impaling Joey through the stomach. The arm, covered in blood, reached up and grabbed Joey by the neck, squeezing until his eyes bugged out. Then he was pulled back through the wall with such force that she heard his bones snapping. They bent in ways they were not designed to bend. She could hear crunching noises coming from the other room. She strained her neck to look through the hole, trying to see what was happening, but her mind was not responding. The drugs started to take over and she had the feeling she was floating off the bed. Suddenly the noises stopped. The silence was disturbed only by the voices screaming in her head.

She strained her ears, trying to catch the sound of anything at all. Even through the fog in her head, her fear was growing. Thinking she would be left to starve in the bed and feeling desperate, she strained to pull her body as close as possible toward the hole. Suddenly, a huge eye appeared, staring at her. She screamed when the creature forced its dragon-like head through the hole, its jaws, full of razor sharp teeth, snapping at the air as if it were trying to get at her. It howled and shook its head, then pulled back through the wall. She could see it dancing around the room, ripping at the bodies that lay on the floor.

She laid in bed, her body shaking violently. She kept saying no, over and over again, trying to reassure herself that it really wasn't happening. Her mind was being fogged by the drugs and it was hard to concentrate. Silence came from the other room and she was just beginning to calm down when she heard someone approaching. Fear seized her and she strained against the ropes, trying to break free. Her wrist bled from her frantic actions and she screamed when the door opened slowly... revealing a young boy standing there, looking at her.

"Please help me." Relief flooded over her when she realized that it was just a kid. He stared at her, then turned and walked away from the door.

"No! Please help me!" Cloe started to cry again, this time in desperation. She fell back into the bed, wishing she were dead. She heard footsteps again and he reappeared, this time holding a blanket in front of his face. Cloe watched him carefully cover her body, keeping his eyes closed.

"Thank you." He opened his eyes and looked straight into hers. She stared into those bright blue eyes that threatened to mesmerize her.

"Come on. We don't have much time." The boy removed the ropes from her wrists and ankles. Cloe sat up and was about to crawl out of the bed when the door slammed open, followed by a police officer.

"Police! Freeze!"