by Michael Todd
Katie smiled politely and pretended to be reading the papers in front of her.
“Aren’t you bothered by the demons?” the younger one asked Katie. “I haven’t slept soundly since the thing happened. I’m terrified to go out at night. I’m terrified to go to any big gatherings, or even look people in the eye.”
“Absolutely,” Katie lied. “I mean, I had a feeling something was going on. You can’t really have that many human beings without some of them choosing evil. There was always a chance some people would side with the demons.”
“So true,” Robert replied with an uncomfortable chuckle. “And here they say lawyers are the evil ones.”
The others laughed, and Katie faked a chuckle to avoid suspicion. She wasn’t scared of those bastards at all, but then she had been in a close-quarters battle with evil for a while now.
Lunch ran for another twenty minutes, and Katie was relieved when Robert clicked the television off and continued with the signing. She stopped listening so closely and he stopped explaining as much, which allowed them to move a little faster through the final papers.
When the last paper was in hand and the money had been confirmed in escrow, Robert stood up with a smile on his face and held a packet out to Katie. “Here is your copy of the documents, your keys, and your building pass. Your deed will be mailed to the address at the residence. It usually takes a couple of months.” He smiled warmly. “Congratulations on your purchase.”
She grinned and shook everyone’s hand, feeling an unexpected twinge of excitement. The real estate agent came in and gave her another big hug, but this time Katie leaned into it. She finally owned her own place, and to top it off it was a dream condo overlooking Central Park in New York City—something she’d never imagined she would have.
Iris beamed at Katie. “You have everything you need? Oh, and before I forget, the numbers to your two parking spots in the garage under the building are in the packet.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “Two spaces? That will be heaven!”
Pandora snickered. If you want extra parking spots, there are plenty in hell. I can probably even arrange for them to be next to one crushed Ferrari.
Hush it.
Katie extracted herself from the real estate office after about ten more minutes of congratulations and near-tears from Iris. When she got to the sidewalk, she spotted a small Italian eatery a little way down the block. She decided to make Pandora happy and stop in for a bite to eat. She had skipped most of the catered lunch, since she’d just wanted to get on with the signing.
How about some good old Italian as celebration before we go back to the hotel to grab our stuff?
Sounds good to me, big shot. But I definitely want the fettucine this time.
Whatever you want is on me —as long as you take care of it before we fly.
I like that, moneybags. We need to keep this up.
3
Timothy was headed to the armory to check in with Joshua and spend a little time interacting with other people. He spent too much time alone in the IT room. Monitoring the intel took up most of his time, and when he started to feel completely disconnected from life he knew it was time to seek out company.
However, his idea of a quiet hour with Joshua was taking a little longer to put into action, since he had been stopped every five feet by someone surprised by his rare emergence from the IT room. He’d barely made it inside the armory door when the unexpected call came in from the guardhouse.
He picked up the receiver with a sigh and leaned against the wall next to the phone. “Timothy speaking, what’s up?”
“There’s a guy at the gate,” came the reply.
He frowned. “Who is it?”
“Some IRS guy—George Overhill. He says he wants to speak to the agent of the estate or her representative. You and Joshua are pretty much the only ones here with any authority, so I guess you can add that to your list of duties while the boss is away.”
“Fabulous.” Timothy sighed again and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just send him to the armory door with an escort. I’ll meet him there.”
“I’ll send Dave.” The soldier hung up.
Timothy pressed the receiver against his forehead. What in the world would the IRS want with Katie? She was a mercenary, proclaimed dead by federal authorities.
She’d saved their asses at every turn.
Joshua strolled up beside him with his clipboard tucked under his arm. “Everything okay?”
Timothy pursed his lips and replaced the receiver. “Mm-hmm? I suppose. An IRS agent is looking for Katie, and now I get to be her representative. Unless you want to take a stab at it, of course.”
Joshua smirked. “Do you mean that figuratively or literally?”
“Whichever you choose,” Timothy told him with a wink. “I don’t judge...much.”
Joshua laughed and patted Timothy on the shoulder. “You got this. Besides, maybe he’ll be hot or something.”
Timothy snickered. “Unlikely. IRS agents are usually boring middle-aged men with comb-overs. But maybe? These days you can never be too sure.”
“That’s it. Keep the faith.”
Timothy straightened his t-shirt and hitched his gold-detailed jacket onto his shoulders. He checked the cuffs of his jeans to make sure the turn-ups were crisp, and even leaned down to rub a smudge off his shiny red-leather loafers. He sighed over always having to fix his wardrobe. Between the wind, the sand, the dust, and the armory, he could never keep himself put together to his standards.
“I love that jacket.” Keira, one of Joshua’s workers almost swooned.
“Oh, this old thing?” He giggled and waved her off. “I got it at this adorable little vintage store in Vegas.”
“You don’t mean Ann Marie’s?” she asked excitedly.
He grinned. “Yes! I should have guessed you would know. You’re always on your best fashion behavior, even in this dirty old place.”
Just then, there was a loud rap on the front door.
Keira looked up wide-eyed, not used to visitors. She clutched her clipboard to her chest and gave Timothy a sideways glance. “Who’s that?”
Timothy’s lip curled in displeasure. “Just one of Lucifer’s smaller-and-less-deadly-but-equally-annoying creations. The IRS.”
Keira grimaced. “What do they want?”
Timothy let out a deep breath and shrugged. “I suppose I’d better go find out. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck! You’re gonna need it with the damn IRS.” She shuddered and went back to her work.
Timothy took a deep breath to steady his nerves and headed to the door to face the agent. Damn his nerves.
I think we may have found some common ground at last, his demon remarked.
What do you mean? Timothy asked.
Nobody likes the taxman. The demon chuckled dryly. Just throw some of that attitude of yours his way. You will be fine.
You’re right. He walked over and flung the door open with a dramatic flourish. He flipped his non-existent long hair over his shoulders and looked down at the agent, who was holding his badge up awkwardly in front of him.
Timothy scrunched his nose as he ran his eyes over George’s sweaty white short-sleeved button-up shirt and pocket protector. The few strands of hair he had were plastered to his shiny skull by sweat. Timothy stepped out of the armory and pulled the door almost closed behind him. “Oh. What a disappointment.”
“We usually are,” George remarked dryly.
Timothy shrugged as though that were a given. “What can I do for you?”
“I am here to see Ms. Maddison or her representative.”
Timothy folded his arms. “She is the boss, but she isn’t here. She’s away on…business at the moment. I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“Lucky you.” George chuckled to himself as if it were a joke.
“Yeah, lucky me.” Timothy frowned and began to tap his foot.
George took no notice of his impatience. He handed over a packet o
f papers and jotted something down on a notepad in his hand. “You have been served with papers for Ms. Maddison in accordance to Internal Revenue Statute Seven-Six-Nine-dash-C, in conjunction with the federal government of the United States.”
Timothy lifted an eyebrow and flipped quickly through the papers. He looked back up at the sweaty agent and shrugged. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
George wrinkled his nose at Timothy. “Give them to your boss when she gets back from her business trip. She’s being audited.”
Timothy narrowed his eyes at George’s flippant tone and flipped through the first few pages again, then he twisted his frown into a smile and backed up into the armory.
“I will make sure it’s all taken care of.” He grinned at the straight-faced soldier, then stepped back and slammed the door in George’s face.
George put his finger up to say something but stopped when the door almost hit it. He stood there for a moment and made sure he’d given the man all the legal information necessary, then headed back to his car.
The soldier stared at him for several moments before he jumped back into his Humvee to lead George off the property.
George wiped his forehead as he drove past the signs at the turnoff, which he now gave a lot more credence to. He was thankful that it was over with. “That wasn’t too hard. No grizzly roadside death today, George.”
Meanwhile, inside the armory, Timothy leaned against the door with a smirk on his face as he read closely through the papers. “Fuck you, IRS. Your agency is just hellspawn. Seriously, the woman saves your asses every day, and you’re still trying to suck her dry? This is a new dawn, and I’ll be damned if I let you screw with my boss.”
You’re already Damned.
Which is why this is going to be so very sweet. Timothy laughed in a low rumble, stopping suddenly when he realized that Keira and the others were staring. He had the perfect plan.
All he had to do was figure out if he could pull it off.
Katie grabbed her bag from the hotel room and looked around one last time to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind, then made her way to Angie’s room.
Angie answered the door with a Krispy Kreme donut in her mouth and a pen behind her ear.
Katie burst out laughing. “Oh, boy, looks like we got you hooked.”
Diabetes for everyone! Pandora cheered.
“Mmmm.” Angie grunted and opened the door before taking the donut from her mouth. “How did it go?”
Katie handed her the file and smiled. “We’re all set. The keys are in there. The assigned parking and the card keys to get onto the elevators are also in there, so anyone working on the condo can use the service elevator. I called management and explained that you would also be living there and that there will be workmen and contractors going in and out over the next couple of days. They shouldn’t give you any grief, but call me if there is a problem.”
Angie looked over the contents of the packet and smiled at Katie. “Sounds good. Don’t worry about a thing, I’ve got this covered. You go and catch your plane. The work jet is at the airport, and they are expecting you. I had them put lunch on board because I didn’t know if you ate. Oh, and some donuts for Pandora.”
I like this girl. She’s good. I never had a female slave before. In the past, they were always hunky males. In loincloths…mmm.
Loincloths, really? Anyway, Angie’s not my slave, she’s my...I don’t know. Assistant?
Same difference. You’re all slaves to the man.
Like demons are to Lucifer?
Shit, you’ve got me there. Pretty much.
“You got it all covered, then.” Katie smiled. “You have your tasks while I’m gone. Call me at any time for anything, okay?”
Angie waved her toward the door. “Don’t worry about all this, just go see your mom. I bet she will be more than happy to see you.”
“I sure hope so.” Katie sighed. “Okay, I’m off. Take care.”
Angie walked Katie to the door and waved again when Katie looked back at her from the elevator.
Katie smiled warmly and returned Angie’s wave as the doors closed. It was nice to have someone there, someone she was starting to believe she could really count on. She was no Calvin, but then again, who was?
She returned her key at the front and checked out, letting them know that the general would be expecting the bill. She paid for Angie’s room, and told them to charge anything else before her assistant checked out to her card.
The concierge watched her leave for the Town Car she’d requested. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Katie slid into the back seat of the car and took off her glasses to clean them. “The airport, please,” she told the driver.
“Right away.” He nodded, looking askance at the hint of red in her eyes in the rearview mirror.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. “General Brushwood, this is unexpected. How are you?”
“I’m good, but concerned.”
“Why? What’s going on?” Katie pressed the button to raise the glass divider between her and the driver. “Is there an incursion?”
“No,” the general reassured her. “I heard you were leaving New York and heading back to Vegas.”
Katie’s mouth fell open. “How... Never mind, it’s not important.”
His dry chuckle rattled over the line. “I know everything,” he told her. “But Katie, they still need you there in New York. Things are unsettled, and the possibility of a demon uprising after the show in Times Square is higher than ever.”
Katie rubbed her forehead with her hand. “General, have you been watching the constant reruns of that battle on the news? It’s all that’s on.”
The general’s voice showed his pride in Katie. “I sure have, and it makes for some damn good television for once. You are the shining star of New York.”
He was missing her point. Katie sighed and tried again. “But when you saw the footage, did you recognize me?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Well, yes. You are pretty unmistakable. Why?”
“Don’t you think that if you recognized me and Calvin did too, my mother wouldn’t know my face when she saw it?”
This time the silence on the other end stretched for a long, drawn-out moment. “Shit.”
Katie snorted. “Yeah, you’ve got that right. I’m heading to Vegas to break the news to her. I think it would be better to do it in person.”
The general sighed. “Okay, but I have to ask that you get back within thirty-six hours. We need you in New York.”
Katie leaned back against the leather seat. “Not a problem. I have the jet on standby for the next two days.”
“Good. I hope she is happy to see you.”
“Me too.” Katie put the reunion from her mind for the moment. “So, other than that, how are things on the home front?”
“There have been a good number of battles, and one pretty big incursion on the West Coast. There have been military casualties, and a couple of our special ops boys got their gas masks pulled during a smoke grenade campaign. That one’s still going on, actually.”
Katie drew in a sharp breath. “Ouch. Were they Damned?”
“Yep, but luckily we were able to get them to safety pretty fast. They are both recuperating. I’ll even hazard a guess that they’ll be enjoying some downtime while they heal. Their teammates finished the cleanup.”
“Well, I’m glad they were okay.” She relaxed a little. The general’s men were in good hands, and they would recover in time. Katie had debated with herself over the risk that one of the Damned would be injured by one of her company’s weapons. However, they all knew the risks, and it didn’t deter them.
That made them even more heroic in her eyes.
The general read her tone. “Don’t blame yourself, Katie. We all knew it would happen eventually. I’d just hoped it wouldn’t be so soon.”
“You
knew that I was concerned about this.” She sighed. “At least we know now that Damned can survive the grenade smoke if we get medical attention in time.”
“Absolutely,” the general agreed cheerfully. She heard rustling papers. “All right, I have a meeting, and you have a flight to make. Keep me updated, and if anything changes, contact me immediately.”
“Will do. Stay safe, sir.”
“I’d tell you the same, but you’re a glutton for a rowdy time.” The general laughed. “Oh, one last thing. Congrats on the new condo. You’ll have to show me around next time I’m in the city.”
“Consider it an open invitation,” she replied. She ended the call and put her phone away with a puzzled frown.
She still had no idea how he got his information so fast.
The car pulled up to a back gate at the airport and Security escorted it to the hangar where her jet was waiting. The driver took Katie’s luggage out of the trunk, pointedly not noticing the clinks and clanks of the guns. The baggage handlers loaded the plane while Katie boarded.
She grabbed a sub and two donuts and put her feet up, ready for takeoff. Once the plane was in the air and had reached cruising altitude, she picked up the plane phone and dialed Calvin.
She missed his reckless ass, and was hoping that his vacation would be over soon. She was tired of fighting demons without him, but he deserved a nice, peaceful, relaxing vacation—something he had been looking forward to for a while.
Of course, with a knight-in-shining-armor streak a mile wide and a damsel in distress appearing almost as soon as he set foot in Cabo, it hadn’t started out so relaxing. Katie hoped his time in San Diego with his damsel was a little more restful.
“Hey there,” Calvin answered in a low voice.
Katie chuckled. “Hey, Clint Eastwood! You staying out of trouble?”
