Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7)

by Glenn Bullion

  Six men showed up in a matter of seconds, from different parts of the dock house. On seeing Alex, four of them raised guns. He threw his hands up, truly afraid. His demonic powers were strong, but a single bullet to the head or heart would kill him. He wasn't immortal. Only Jack Kursed could lay claim to immortality, and he needed a witch's curse to achieve that.

  "Whoa! Whoa, guys!" he said. "Don't shoot! I just want to talk, and if you shoot me, you won't find Lisa."

  They glanced at each other, angry and confused. Alex recognized the men from the day before, the ones who rammed Lisa's car and tried to kill them both.

  One of them took a step forward and pointed his gun at Alex's head.

  "Where is she?"

  "Listen. You have to stop this. You have to leave Lisa alone, for your own good."

  Two men in the back spoke.

  "That's him! That's the guy I was talking about."

  "The one you said flew away? I've told you to lay off the shit. It's frying your brain."

  "I'm fucking serious!"

  "Shoot him in the leg. He'll get talkative real fast then, I bet."

  The man leading the pack lowered his aim and pulled the trigger, but Alex was already gone. He felt the bullet pass harmlessly through his leg and bounce off the ground behind him. Despite being safe, his nerves were still rattled. His intentions were good, but he'd risked his life.

  "Shit!" Nate said, grabbing his shoulder. "Are you hit? You alright?"

  "Yeah, yeah. A bullet going through you will always get the blood flowing."

  The men argued and shouted.

  "Where the fuck did he go?"

  "You missed him!"

  "What the hell is going on?"

  Nate shook his head and gestured to the wall.

  "Let's go."

  Alex scowled as his lip twitched.

  "Not yet."

  "Dude. You're not convincing any of these guys that crime doesn't pay."

  "I know." His demeanor changed as he watched the men. They aimed their guns at the shadows, looked at the ceiling above. "But I don't like people shooting at me."

  In a fair fight he wouldn't have stood a chance against any of them, much less all of them. It was a good thing he'd stopped fighting fair long ago.

  Victoria had been training him. She'd taught him half of surviving any battle was mental. He had to be willing to cock his fist back, swing as hard as he could, and deal with the repercussions that followed. She also taught him to use his strengths, and punching wasn't something Alex was good at. He tended to hurt and bruise his knuckles. Punching was always a last resort.

  Luckily for him, he had many other options.

  "Alex," Nate said, his voice shaking slightly. It was one of the rare times he didn't address his friend as man or dude. "What are you thinking? I watched a diner full of rednecks kick the shit out of you the other day."

  "I guess it's a good thing these guys aren't rednecks."

  They didn't stand a chance.

  The first victim fell easily, almost without a fight. Alex appeared in the living realm just long enough to kick him in the back of his leg and ram his head into the table nearby. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, drawing the attention of the others. They barely had time to raise their weapons before he was gone again.

  He ran across the room, running through two of them to get to the man on the outside of the group. He lowered his shoulder and tackled him, sending him into the wall before vanishing again.

  "Where is he?!"

  Alex smiled as he stalked them. Their fear grew, and along with it, his power. He appeared behind another and grabbed him with the claws of his wings, ripping flesh and muscle. Tossing him across the room into one of his partners took no effort. The wall splintered from the impact.

  Two men remained. He could have simply vanished, but that would force his wings away, and he didn't feel like dealing with the already impressive back pain. Folding his wings in front of him, he ran forward as they opened fire. Some bullets penetrated the skin on his wings, bringing about a stinging sensation, but otherwise did no harm. It was nothing that wouldn't heal over time, or even faster with a soothing flame bath.

  The same couldn't be said for Lisa's would-be murderers.

  He lashed out at the final two men. One was the victim of his claws, the other from a lack of oxygen due to a wing covering his mouth. Six men lay at his feet in various degrees of hurt. Their blood joined Lisa's.

  Nate stood not far away, his mouth open. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but simply looked at the carnage around them. Another rare moment of silence.

  Lisa limped her way back inside. Alex turned at the sound of her. She leaned against the wall, holding a metal pipe she found outside. Her eyes fell on the unconscious men.

  "I…thought you might need help."

  "No. But thanks, anyway."

  CHAPTER 17

  Alex sat with his feet up on the dashboard of his truck. Both windows were rolled down, and he let the weather nearly nudge him into a nap. Very soon, he'd be starting the long drive back to Baltimore. It wasn't a drive he was looking forward to. Kylie and Nate were talking about not accompanying him on the trip back, but instead go their own way. Have fun, see the world, perhaps go on that date they talked about.

  But it wouldn't be a lonely drive. His beautiful wife would be joining him, and he was quite sure they'd find ways to liven up the journey home.

  "Yo." Alex jumped at the voice. "Dude, you falling asleep?"

  "Nope. I'm wide awake."

  Nate was standing next to the door, an amused smile on his face. Alex sat up and took in the unfamiliar surroundings one more time.

  They were twenty miles outside of Stewardtown, sitting in the parking lot of a prison. Only Alex and Nate had made the trip. Cindy was with Meagan Sinclair at her home, officially putting the finishing touches on her daughter's case. Alex had fulfilled his duties to Kylie's satisfaction, including an entire day split between Meagan's home, the park, and the movie theater the day before.

  There were moments of sadness. In between the laughter on the beautiful back deck overlooking the Sinclair property, Meagan would reach out to hold Kylie's hand. Her fingers passed through her daughter's. Meagan would never be able to hug her daughter again, or watch her graduate, get married, have children.

  But with some assistance from Alex, she could see Kylie smile, maybe even fall in love.

  "I found him," Nate said.

  Alex nodded, but leaned back again in his seat. He collected his thoughts, preparing himself mentally for what he was about to do. Also, more than anything, he simply wanted to enjoy the weather. He wanted to get experience with the business side of Demons LLC. Contracts, signatures, paperwork. But part of him was thankful for Cindy giving him a break.

  Even if it was for a trip for one last task.

  "Well?" Nate said. "We came all this way. Do you want to get in there?"

  "In five minutes."

  Nate nodded and stepped into the truck. He walked through Alex's legs to settle into the passenger's seat, drawing a scowl. Alex didn't like when ghosts walked through him.

  "Ah, this is nice," Nate said, propping his own feet up. "Just us dudes, out on the roads, checking out prisons, nice and relaxed."

  Alex chuckled. "Yeah. Good, normal fun. So, what do you and Kylie have planned?"

  "I have no idea."

  "You've been talking with her more than me lately. Is she really okay? With not knowing who killed her?"

  "I think so, believe it or not."

  "You definitely helped with that. I really appreciate you helping out on this whole thing."

  "It was all of us," he said, suddenly sounding much older than his actual age. "Me, you, Cindy, that gorgeous vampire, and everyone else back at your house. We all helped. Even Zoey. Hey, speaking of Zoey…so what's up with her? It looked like Zoey and Kylie were finally getting along again last night."

  Alex laughed at the memory. It was difficult
constantly touching Cindy, Meagan, and Zoey, so everyone could be a part of the conversation, but he handled it as best he could. During the movie, Zoey threw popcorn at Kylie, only to watch it fly through her and bounce off the seat.

  He knew Zoey had a long way to go.

  "It's a start, at least. I know Victoria wants to get in touch with her."

  "Is Victoria's hair naturally red like that?"

  "Don't let Kylie hear you."

  "I'm just kidding. I like Victoria, but Kylie is the total package."

  Alex shook his head. Now he could add spirit matchmaker to the Demons LLC website.

  "Dude, we should really get going. He might not be there too much longer if we keep waiting."

  He knew Nate was right. He was stalling for time, not looking forward to the chore ahead of him. But it had to be done, for Detective Lisa Nash's sake.

  "Alright. Let's get moving."

  The pair left the truck and headed for the prison. Nate led the way, knowing exactly where he was going. They walked through walls, prison cells, a cafeteria, several offices. Alex kept his eyes focused straight ahead, not wanting to look around him. The last time he was in a prison was a terrible experience. It was deserted, extremely haunted, and it all ended with him helping Victoria and Kevin kill a powerful vampire with magical powers.

  Nate took him to the prison library. It was fairly empty, except for a few inmates hunched over computers, and another taking a nap in a chair.

  "There," Nate said, pointing. "That's him, right?"

  Alex nodded, recognizing the man from the pictures he'd seen. Lisa still kept the one from the newspaper on her wall. Charles Wallace, the man that was determined to kill her.

  "That would be him. You should go wait in the truck."

  "Why?"

  "This is a part of me I don't like people seeing."

  "You mean worse than beating the crap out of a bunch of armed guys?"

  "Much worse."

  "Well," he said, flinching. "Okay, then. I'll see you."

  "I won't be long."

  Nate vanished, and Alex focused his attention on Charles. The man sat at a computer, but read a physical book instead. He was the master of his world, his empire, even from prison.

  He hoped Charles enjoyed it while it lasted. Today was the last day.

  Alex sat next to him.

  "Hi, Charles."

  Charles jumped, nearly dropping his book in the process. He didn't like to be startled, and glared at Alex.

  "Who are you? Where the fuck did you come from?"

  Alex wanted to get right to the point. He wasn't good at threats. He'd seen Victoria and Jack in action, and would never compare to the two of them. But he had to give it his best shot.

  "Detective Lisa Nash."

  A smile, almost a snarl, formed at Charles' lips.

  "What about her?"

  "You're going to leave her alone. Forget about her."

  He laughed. "Or what? What will you do? Kill me?" He looked Alex up and down. "Kid, I don't think you could kill a cold."

  "I've never killed anyone, with my own hands. I have friends that do that for me." He sighed, knowing it would come to this. He snatched Charles by the wrist. "Let's go meet them."

  "Hey, what—?"

  The library began to deteriorate. The computers, desks, chairs, all vanished. The walls chipped and fell away, leaving a decayed ruin, as if time had been pushed to fast-forward. The ceiling crumbled around the two of them, leaving a wide-open view of the sky. Instead of the warm afternoon blue, or even a star-filled, crisp evening, a red haze hung over them.

  The temperature shifted, uncomfortably hot for humans, perfect for Alex. He had to struggle to hold in a smile when the moans started. The shadows moved and slithered. Shapes began to form out of the darkness, a claw here, a horn there, until the shapes began to form creatures.

  The creatures skulked forward. Some were larger than others. Some had two legs, others six. One had blood dripping from its jaw, perhaps the result of a ghost somehow finding its way into a realm it wasn't meant to.

  "Masterrrrr…."

  The smile finally escaped. With the smile came a stabbing sense of guilt. There was a time not long ago that he hated the demon realm. He hated that he was connected to it. He hated that there were terrible creatures out there that thought of him as Master. He hated that fear gave him strength.

  That hate was long gone. He didn't enjoy killing, certainly didn't enjoy ripping apart a human or ghost, like his demons did. But there was a relaxing aura to the realm. He was in his home away from home.

  "I know it's been a while," he announced, backing away from Charles. "But, maybe, I've brought you a snack. It's up to him, really."

  "What?" Charles said, eying up the horrors surrounding him. "What is this shit?"

  "You're going to leave Detective Nash alone. You'll never get near her. You won't even think about her."

  "Fuck you."

  Alex frowned, trying to think of what could possibly be going through Charles' head. Did he think he was hallucinating? That none of the terrors around him were real?

  "You're going to keep your men away from her. I was going to bring them here the other day, but really, that wouldn't have done much. You're the one who calls the shots. So, what do you say? Deal? You leave her alone, and I won't leave you here."

  "I'm going to kill you," he said, through gritted teeth.

  Alex joined his demons in forming a circle around Charles. He patted one on the head as they made a path for him.

  "Everyone always thinks death is the worst thing there is. Charles, these things won't kill you. You can't die here, and time works differently. They'll feast on you forever, ripping you apart, and putting you back together. Please, for your own sake, just say Detective Nash is safe."

  A demon swiped at Charles, barely missing his face. He took a step back. The fear poured into Alex, but the defiance never left Charles' face.

  "When I get out of here—"

  Alex had enough. There was only one way to get through to him.

  "Go ahead, guys," he said. "Just a nibble."

  The first few demons pounced. One ripped at his cheek while locking its crooked teeth into his shoulder. Charles tried to fight, for about a second and a half, until another four-legged demon bit him behind the knee. One went for his throat, but Alex jumped in the way, holding up his hand. The demons reluctantly obeyed.

  "There is no getting out of here. Detective Nash—"

  "She's safe!" Charles shouted. Apparently all it took was some pain to change his mind. Alex didn't blame him. Being chewed on by a demon, he didn't imagine there was much that could compare. "I won't touch her!"

  Alex reached for Charles' wrist, but stopped short. His eyes met with the demon latched onto Charles' knee, who happened to have three eyes. He gave a small nod, and the demon ripped muscle and tendon away. Charles' howled as the other demons closed in.

  "Wait. No more," Alex said.

  "Masterrrrr. Playyyy."

  "Not today. Sorry."

  He took Charles' wrist, and the demon world faded around them. They were again in the prison library. The normally quiet atmosphere shook at the sound of Charles' cries. His leg continued to gush bleed, soaking in the carpet. He would never walk without a limp again.

  Alex gave him a slap on the cheek, letting his demonic facial features creep to the surface.

  "I'll be watching you," he said. "Behave."

  He'd vanished before the first fellow inmate arrived. It didn't take long for the small crowd to gather. They shouted for help, tried to help Charles to his feet. Charles didn't see any of them. He searched manically around him, pushing people away, looking for Alex. He was afraid for his life, and the nightmares would be with him the rest of his life.

  Alex smiled as he backed through the humans around him. He'd done his job.

  *****

  Alex let out a sigh of relief as he slowly parked in the motel lot. He could finally see the li
ght at the end of the tunnel. There were no more chores, except for the long drive ahead of him. All he wanted was to get home and watch TV on the couch with Cindy.

  His wife was leaving the motel room when he pulled up. Kylie followed her, which was a strange sight. Cindy wasn't aware the ghost was even there, but Kylie trailed her anyway, as if they were best friends.

  "Don't tell Kylie about our trip today. That's just between me, you, and Cindy."

  Nate leaned forward to get a better look at Kylie. He smiled warmly as the ghost of his dreams pushed hair out of her face and adjusted her glasses.

  "Cindy knows?"

  "Of course. She knows everything."

  Cindy already had their luggage gathered under a light, which was struggling to turn on under the dusk sky. She stood waiting with her hand on her hip, looking like only she could. Kylie broke away to meet Nate, who was walking through the truck to get to her. Even though ghosts didn't feel physical contact the way the living did, the two hugged. Apparently even a few hours apart was too much for young, blossoming love.

  Nate leaned in for a kiss, but stopped short, embarrassed. Kylie was having none of that, however, and finished the job. Alex laughed at the show only he could see.

  "Hey, stranger," Cindy said. "Going my way?"

  He smiled as he climbed out and helped load the luggage in the truck.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

  "Yeah. Detective Nash won't have any problems." She grabbed and squeezed his hand. That one simple gesture reminded him that Cindy would always be with him, always support him, through everything. "How about over here?"

  "Everything is signed and done. Meagan paid us for an entire week."

  "Wow. That's mighty nice of her."

  "Well, there's a catch."

  Alex wasn't surprised. "There always is."

  "She wants to see Kylie, every now and then. She's willing to come to Baltimore."

  He frowned at the idea. It certainly wasn't impossible, rather the opposite.

  "Is that smart?" he asked. "Is that even healthy?"

  "I don't know. If Kylie is around, and they both want to talk, who are we to argue? We hang out with a vampire and a witch. We're probably not the best judges of healthy."