by D.L. Cox
“Not yet,” Nat warned.
Kim turned cold serious. “Well, the next time you want to ask me some questions you better have a warrant. And any questions about Clash Holdings should be directed to their legal representation.”
Nat pulled a small notepad and a pen from his pocket. “And who might their legal representation be?”
“Find them the same way you found me,” she snapped and stormed off.
“I’ll be in touch,” Nat called out behind her.
Kim didn’t respond. Nat smirked and tapped his pen on the notepad. Kim’s reaction told him he was onto something. He was sure that someone on his list would cave and spill the beans about their role in Simon’s organization.
***
Simon had been in his penthouse relaxing when Tracy called and said he’d better get down to his office. He didn’t know what to expect when he got there. Tracy stood alone in front of the TV screens with a remote in her hand.
“What is it?” Simon asked.
“We had a situation in Stanton.”
Simon sighed. “The lab?”
“Yes,” Tracy said and aimed the remote at the TV’s.
A video popped on the screen showing footage of Sheba killing the three men in the conference room. The angle of the footage revealed there was a hidden camera in the clock on the wall.
Tracy said, “In addition to this, the lab was robbed.”
Simon walked up on the screen and watched it closely. “Play it back to before she pulled the gun.”
Tracy did as she was told and Simon studied the footage.
“Stop it and rewind it to the same spot again,” he instructed. He watched it and said, “One more time.”
“They cleaned the lab out and destroyed whatever equipment they didn’t take,” Tracy explained as Simon watched the footage.
Simon stepped back and rubbed his chin. “That’s strange.”
“What?” Tracy asked.
Simon took the remote, rewound the footage again, and paused it right after Sheba drew her gun. “Look,” Simon said. “They didn’t sense her intentions. They had no idea that she was intending to execute them.”
Tracy slowly nodded. “That’s the second time in less than a week. Maybe it wasn’t the sword.”
Stacy walked in with a folder and said, “I got something very interesting on our boutique owner.”
“That’s much needed good news,” Simon said.
“She’s—” Stacy started and stopped when she saw Sheba’s image on the screens. “Right there.”
“What?” Simon asked.
Stacy pointed at the screens. “That’s her. What is that?”
Tracy said, “That’s surveillance footage from Stanton. Tony’s team was finalizing the kill on that proposed stock sale when she showed up to the meeting and executed them.”
“Well,” Stacy said. “That’s what she does, and she does it very well.”
Simon frowned. “Excuse me.”
“She’s a corporate assassin,” Stacy revealed.
“Who does she work for?” Simon asked.
Stacy paused and said, “Mostly, us.” Simon and Tracy looked at Stacy like she was crazy, and she explained, “She’s Thomas Corbin’s daughter, and one of his key assets. Her boutique’s a cover.” Stacy pointed to the screens. “This can’t be a coincidence. She met with Tess and then knocked off three of our demon lords within twenty-four hours.”
Tracy said, “The question is whether or not she’s acting on her own or under Thomas’ instruction.”
“That’ll be simple to answer,” Simon said. “Call Thomas in.”
Stacy headed for her desk and doubled back. “One more thing.”
“What?” Simon barked.
Stacy reluctantly said, “I got a call from an executive at one of our investment firms. She said she was approached by a guy from Homeland Security.”
Simon thought for a moment and replied, “That’ll have to wait. They’re probably just fishing again. If it gets out of hand with them, I’ll call my contact in Washington and have them back off.”
Stacy bit her bottom lip. “The firm is the same one we’re using to funnel money into the Stanton plant.”
“Just get me Thomas,” Simon snapped.
***
Kim sat in the living room of her Irvington, New Jersey townhouse going over financial records. The coffee table was covered with spreadsheets and financial reports and a laptop sat on the sofa next to her. There was a knock at the door and she huffed and puffed as she walked over to it.
“Who is it?” she shouted.
“PJ sent me,” Phil shouted from the other side of the door.
Kim looked through the peephole and swung the door open. “What is it?”
Tess, Izzy, and Saleena stormed in aiming handguns followed by Phil. Kim dropped to her knees and threw her hands in the air.
“Don’t kill me,” Kim begged.
Phil shut the door. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to harm that pretty little body of yours.”
Kim spat at Phil and said, “PJ’s going to cut your throat.”
Phil pulled a plastic bag from his pocket. “I’ve heard more than enough. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Izzy and Saleena grabbed Kim by the arms while Phil threw the bag over her face. Kim struggled to break free, but they pushed her onto her back and held her down while Phil cut off her air supply. Her attempts to break free grew weaker by the second and then her body went limp. Phil kept the bag over her face for a few minutes and then finally removed it and checked her pulse.
“She’s dead,” Phil announced.
Izzy sat Kim’s lifeless body on the sofa and then they stood around waiting for a demon to possess her.
Phil asked, “How long does it take?”
Izzy replied, “Not long.”
Kim’s body twitched and her pupils turned fiery red. She aggressively jumped to her feet, and Saleena touched her cheek and she instantly calmed down.
“Relax,” Saleena told her.
Kim dropped to her knees and bowed her head in submission. “Princess Saleena,” she said in a demonic sounding voice.
Saleena pulled her to her feet. “Stand up.”
“Then it’s true,” Kim nodded eagerly. “You really crossed over and you’re fighting Simon for his spot on earth?”
Tess looked bewildered. “How does everybody know that?”
Kim shrugged. “Hell’s buzzing with rumors about it.” She turned to Saleena. “Can I stay and join you. Please,” she begged.
Saleena cut her eyes at the others and told Kim. “Only if you look into that human’s mind and tell me what she’s been up to.”
A light bulb went off in Kim’s head. “I’m in this body alone, aren’t I?”
Phil nodded. “It feels strange, doesn’t it?”
Kim closed her eyes and savored the feeling. “Oh, she’s been through a lot, and she knows a lot.”
Tess smiled. “Good. Now tell us what she knows about Simon’s money.”
Kim pointed to the financial reports. “She’s been funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into off shore bank accounts. It’s a bunch of dummy corporations that will simultaneously make huge purchases from an aluminum plant in Stanton, North Dakota.”
Tess frowned. “Why?”
“This human doesn’t know,” Kim sighed. “But she believes there was something very shaky about the plant in Stanton.”
Saleena asked, “Is there anything helpful in that brain of hers?”
A devilish grin cut across Kim’s face. “She knows the access codes to the off shore accounts, and she’s responsible for transferring the money when the time is right. She also knows where one of the most powerful drug smugglers in the US lives.”
“PJ,” Phil muttered.
“That’s right,” Kim said.
<
br /> “We don’t have much time,” Tess said. She grabbed the laptop and turned it to Kim. “Can she access those accounts online?”
“Yeah,” Kim answered. “It requires a combination of passwords, but she knows them all.”
Tess slapped her thigh. “Let’s transfer the money.”
“To where?” Saleena asked.
Tess plopped down on the sofa. “I haven’t exactly been open about everything I had going here.”
Saleena’s eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean?”
Tess confessed, “I had expected things to get rough between me and Simon, so I set up a few things in case I had to go underground.”
“A few things like what?” Saleena pressed.
Tess took a deep breath. “I had a trust fund set up that owns a majority stake in one of Europe’s largest textile manufactures.”
Izzy slapped his forehead. “No wonder you weren’t worried about spending our money. How much is your trust fund worth?”
“I don’t know,” Tess answered. “I’ve been chained up in a basement for ten years.”
“Check now!” Saleena ordered.
“All right, all right,” Tess muttered and typed on the laptop. She used a password to log onto an exclusive European Bank’s website and then typed in another password to log onto the web page of her trust fund. “According to this, my executor has been busy.”
Izzy eyed the screen. “How much is it worth?”
“Two hundred and thirty million,” Tess announced.
“Wait,” Kim said, pointing at a list of financial transactions displayed on the screen. “This human has dealt with this trust fund.” She put her finger on a transaction with Clash Investments. “They’ve been purchasing equities from Clash Holdings. They’ve spent the last eight years trying to purchase the Stanton Plant. Then something came up and Clash Holdings stalled talks and started raising money to funnel into the plant.”
“Why would he be doing that?” Tess whispered.
Saleena asked Tess, “Who’s he?”
“Eshu,” Tess stated like it left a bad taste in her mouth.
Saleena gasped in surprise and started pacing. “Are you serious? Eshu is my father’s eyes, hands, and feet on this planet. How could you not tell me that you were in bed with him?”
Tess sat down the laptop. “I didn’t feel it was time to mention the trust fund, so I didn’t think to mention my relationship with Eshu.”
“Relationship,” Izzy and Saleena said in unison.
“Human’s would call him my husband,” Tess admitted. “But it’s been an awkward long distance relationship since I crossed over with Simon. Eshu crossed over five or six times a month to be with me. But he had to fit me in between the work he does for your father.”
Saleena sighed. “No wonder you know so much about my father’s plans for me and my brother on earth.”
Fire burst from Saleena’s eyes and her hands turned lava red. She grabbed Tess by the throat and lifted her up. “What else are you not telling me?”
Tess struggled to breathe. “Your father has another seed planted here on earth. It’s neither demon nor human and will be more powerful than both.”
“Where?” Saleena barked.
“I don’t know,” Tess swore. “But Eshu provides for it, and only the Host can destroy it. Simon knows nothing about this.”
Saleena released Tess and shook her head. “No more withholding information.” She kissed Tess on the forehead, branding the outline of her lips onto Tess’ skin. “I bind you by the devil’s pact. Think about breaking it and you shall return to hell forever. Understood!”
“Yes,” Tess nodded as the brand disappeared. “I have other bank accounts that Eshu doesn’t know about. We can transfer Simon’s money into the trust fund and then empty the trust fund into the other accounts.”
Saleena said, “Do it.”
Tess grabbed the laptop and said, “My trust fund also owns and operates a highly secured office building in Connecticut. It was supposed to be my safe house but Simon captured me before I could make it there.”
Izzy asked, “Does Eshu know about it?”
“Well, yeah,” Tess said. “But let’s be real. Eshu can find us any time he wants. He’s on the sidelines on this one. We set up at my facility, and at least we’ll see him or Simon coming. Besides, I got my own private army on payroll there.”
Izzy exhaled in frustration. “It probably would’ve saved a lot of time if you had told us this sooner.”
“No,” Tess argued. “We still have to knock off Simon’s human network, and that’s something we have to do on our own in the field.”
Saleena looked at Phil and Kim. “Not anymore.”
Saleena kissed Kim on the forehead and bound her by the devil’s pact. Kim giddily suggested, “Phil and I can snatch up the human called PJ, kill him, and then enlist the demon who possess his body.”
Phil nodded. “Then we can find out who he knows and do the same thing to them.” Kim and Phil kneeled and bowed their heads, and Kim said, “If that’s okay with you,
Princess Saleena.”
“First,” Saleena said. “Let’s transfer this money and go to the building in Connecticut. Then I will tell you what to do.”
Chapter Thirteen
Thomas didn’t know what to expect when he got the call that Simon was sending a car to pick him up for a face to face meeting. Simon had been one of his top clients over the last decade, but he had only met him in person one time. Thomas assumed Simon had a very important job lined up and brought Marcus along for the trip. He thought about Sheba during the ride. He was starting to realize that Sheba wouldn’t willingly take the helm of the family business. Although he reluctantly accepted that she was no longer the heir apparent, he wouldn’t just let her walk away. He had invested too much money and she was too great a resource. He was determined to keep her on board, but he didn’t know how he would do it yet. He pushed thoughts of Sheba from his mind as the car pulled up to Simon’s headquarters.
Thomas ran his hand over his distinguished looking gray hair and turned to Marcus. “Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. You don’t say a word unless I tell you to.”
“Yes Sir,” Marcus agreed.
Stacy and Tracy greeted the father and son when they stepped out the car. Thomas stood as tall as Marcus and the two shared the same smile, which they flashed at the twins.
Thomas said, “What have I done to deserve this red carpet treatment? Two beautiful ladies.”
The twins abruptly turned. “Follow us,” Stacy ordered.
Marcus glanced at Thomas and Thomas shrugged as they followed them inside. Stacy and Tracy didn’t say a word as they took the elevator up to the third floor. Thomas and Marcus tensed up when they stepped off the elevator and spotted two heavily armed men in black combat fatigues standing in front of Simon’s office door. Marcus tapped Thomas as they followed the twins into the office, and Thomas motioned him to be cool.
Simon sat on the edge of his desk staring at the blank TV screens with the remote in his hand. He stood and greeted each of the men with a firm handshake. “Glad you could make it,” Simon said.
Thomas nodded. “Anything for my number one client.”
Simon cut his eyes at the twins and then back to Thomas. “But I’m not your only client, am I?”
Without hesitation, Thomas said, “Of course not.”
“I have a problem,” Simon stated flatly.
“Well,” Thomas said, “Solving your problems is my business.”
Simon eyed Thomas closely. “This time you may be my problem.”
Thomas didn’t flinch. “Is that so?”
Simon motioned to Marcus and then asked Thomas, “You run a family business, right?”
Thomas instantly sensed something accusatory in Simon’s tone. “You can say that,” he said slow and deliberate.
“Ask it,” Thomas replied with a shrug.
“Who hired you for the Stanton, North Dakota job?” Simon asked bluntly.
Thomas began to understand the reason for the meeting, but he didn’t blink. “I wasn’t hired for any job in North Dakota.”
Marcus stood there stone-faced with his eyes locked on Simon. He suddenly felt naked. His father had convinced him not to bring his gun. He sized Simon up and assumed he could disable him with his bare hands if he had to. Of course his assumption was based on the notion that Simon was nothing more than a man.
Simon scratched his chin. “How loyal are your children, Thomas?”
Thomas immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t know how much Simon knew, but he decided to cut his losses. “My two children are extremely loyal.”
Stacy immediately corrected Thomas saying, “You have three children.”
“Oh, I understand,” Thomas sighed. “No, I have a son and a daughter, but I also have an adopted daughter, Sheba. She’s a little headstrong. I use her from time to time, but she likes to do her own thing.”
Marcus caught on to what his father was doing and clenched his teeth as he tried to maintain his composure. Simon pointed the remote at the screen and the footage of Sheba popped on. Thomas and Marcus watched in stunned silence.
Simon rewound the footage and paused it on a frame of Sheba shooting Tony. “Is that Sheba?”
“I can’t believe it,” Thomas whispered feigning surprise.
Marcus played along and sighed, “It can’t be.”
Simon sat the remote down. “I need to know who hired her.”
“Like I said,” Thomas replied. “She’s headstrong. We haven’t exactly been on speaking terms over the last several months. I can’t help you.”
Simon laughed. “I don’t need your help. I know where she works and where she lives. I brought you here to make sure you were not in on this. I’ll handle your Sheba,” Simon paused. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“Of course not,” Thomas assured. “Business is business, and this is your business, not mine.”
“Good,” Simon said and patted Thomas on the back. “If she contacts you, don’t mention this little conversation of ours.”
Marcus suggested, “Maybe I could get her to tell me—”
