“Of course.”
Before I knew what was happening next, I was being escorted to the elevator. His hand was on my back as he gently guided me along the hardwood floor. I couldn’t hear his shoes, but mine were squeaking noisily, covering the sound of Harley’s continuous keyboard tapping.
Such a stupid thing to concentrate on, Abby.
He pressed the down button and turned me by my shoulders so he could look at my face. “Be careful,” he whispered. “Peter Piper isn’t dangerous by himself, but he’s idiotic enough to follow someone who is. Do you understand?”
“Why don’t you give me more information then?” I was surprised he’d come to that conclusion by simply looking at Piper’s file. What kind of notes did this guy take? And how could I get my hands on them?
“Have dinner with me tonight, and we can discuss it.”
“I wouldn’t even if I could.”
“You’re working?”
I didn’t answer. I may have wanted to lick whipped cream off his body, but I didn’t trust him to know any more about me than he already did.
“Lunch tomorrow, then?”
“Not going to happen.”
He drew in an annoyed breath and pulled a business card out of thin air. “Take this. Call me if you change your mind, day or night. Or if you feel like you might be attacked again.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What would you do about it?”
“Prevent it from happening, of course.”
Chapter Six
I left Simeon’s building with my cheeks hurting from smiling too wide. It was insane that I’d gotten a rush from just talking to him. Then again, I’d spent five years wondering what a conversation with him would be like. We hadn’t wasted much time talking the first time around. But my point for the visit hadn’t been to satisfy some weird fantasy...although strangely it had. The point had been to get info on Piper. And to prove to Judd I wasn’t afraid.
I hadn’t gotten any new data on Piper. And my fears had been faced but only to instill a new one altogether. I’d successfully avoided Simeon Keller for five long years. Now, it seemed I’d unintentionally given him a reason to want to contact me. Who knew he’d respond that way about his ex-employee getting into trouble? Or that he’d care who’d hurt me?
My VW was waiting for me at the curb where I’d left it. I got in and checked my face in the mirror. Still smiling. Apparently, the new fear hadn’t kicked in for me yet. Did I want to see Simeon again? Was I out of my mind?
Probably on both counts. Blah. I wondered if there was some sort of Angel therapist out there somewhere. Maybe she could talk me out of my stupidity. Maybe she could prescribe some sort of medication I could take to make me good. You know, get the bad thoughts out of my head. None of the other Angels ever had this problem. Why did I?
Simeon’s building was a few miles west of the football stadium, about ten miles from where Demon Control was located. Traffic was already a mess, so the drive was fifteen minutes longer than I’d anticipated. I avoided road rage by singing at the top of my lungs to Aerosmith’s Angel, my all-time favorite song. Those guys really knew how to write lyrics.
When I finally got to my parking space, I cut my engine and pulled out Simeon’s card to take a better look at it. On the front, his name, office, fax, cell phone number, and email were printed in silver lettering on a black shiny background. Appropriate. I flipped it over and noticed a phone number and address in ink with the word “home” above it.
My mind went directly to envisioning what Simeon’s home might look like. More importantly, his bedroom. I imagined if it was anything like his office, it was masculine with dark wood, leather, and sleek lines. Sexy. Everything about the man exuded sex, so why would his residence be any different? He probably had red or maybe black silk sheets on a big huge four-poster bed. I wondered if he’d ever tied anyone up to those posts. I wondered if—
A knock on my window startled me out of my guilty thoughts. I looked up to see Judd staring down at the card in my hand. He didn’t look happy.
“Where have you been? And why haven’t you been answering your phone?” His voice was muffled through my closed window.
I glanced at the little clock attached to my dashboard to see it was thirty-five minutes after my shift was supposed to start and then further down to where my cell phone sat uncharged on my passenger seat. Shit. I hadn’t been thinking about the time at all. My visit with Simeon had lasted too long.
Judd opened my door and waited for me to get out. “Abby, I could wring your neck. You got beat up last night, and today you decide to be late, making me think it might’ve happened again or maybe even something worse. I think that’s a pretty shitty thing to do to a guy.”
“Sorry, Judd. I lost track of time.” I stepped out and wrapped a quick hug around his stiff body. I guess this was his way of saying he’d been worried about me.
He slammed my door and headed to the elevator. I followed behind, amused by his reaction. Since when did Judd get mad at me for being late? I was always late. And so was he. He had no room to be angry with me.
I pushed the number two button, and the doors closed, locking me in the elevator with Mr. Pissed-off-for-no-good-reason. He stood against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. I noticed for the first time that he was clutching a manila folder in his hand.
“What’s that?” I asked. Judd didn’t usually walk around holding anything other than a can of soda.
“Simeon Keller’s file. I was about to hunt you down. Figured you went to see him.”
“Huh. Well, you were right, but you didn’t have to worry.”
“I wasn’t.” He met my eyes finally.
“Whatever. You wanted to be my big bad hero, didn’t you?” I teased. “You wanted to save me from the evil half-breed, didn’t you?”
He cracked a smile. “The only person you need saving from is yourself. What am I going to hear from the rumor mill this time?”
“Absolutely nothing. I was very good.”
“For once.”
I ignored that. “What got you all keyed up if you weren’t worried about me?”
“There’s something going on at the office. Lois called an emergency meeting in ten minutes.”
The elevator doors opened to the office. The usual dull ambiance in the room was replaced by the buzzing of whispers. Everyone was probably trying to figure out what the meeting would be about. I was kind of curious myself considering what had happened yesterday.
I trailed Judd to his cubicle. Our discussion was not over.
“And you didn’t want me to miss it?” I held back a laugh. This was so unlike Judd.
“Actually, I thought the meeting was going to be about you and the reason why you weren’t here.” He sat down and dropped Simeon’s file into the tin trashcan by his desk. “I overreacted, I guess.”
“You guess?” I snagged the folder back out and sat cross-legged on the floor. “Why don’t you just admit you care about me?” I opened it and started reading through. The last time I’d looked at Simeon’s file was five years ago.
“And give you a big ego? I don’t think so.”
“Judd, your momma didn’t hug you enough as a child,” I joked absently as I read.
Simeon hadn’t had a strike since the one I’d given him. Interesting. Most demons went through three strikes like they went through Hustler magazines.
What also grabbed my attention was that his home address we had on file didn’t match the address on the back of his card. Maybe our system wasn’t as efficient as we thought. We did rely heavily on the information MOG gave us. Other than notes we took and reported from the streets, she was our only source. And from what I heard from her yesterday, her visions weren’t entirely reliable.
I flipped the page, remembering what I’d found intriguing about his case before. Simeon aged while full demons did not. Although it was obvious he aged slower than humans did. The records showed he was born sixty-nine years ago, but he appeared to be in his earl
y thirties. There was a note to have his photo taken after every deportation. I wondered if there was more about that in his extended file. What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on that.
I went back to the first page, the one with his most recent photo on it. He wasn’t smiling, so his dimple didn’t show. However, his eyes were just as piercing, and his lips... I traced my finger over them. His lips were—
“Abby, please do not tell me you’re fantasizing about a goddamn demon while sitting less than two feet from me.” Judd scowled down at me in disgust.
I closed the file. “I’m not. I was wondering about his age, that’s all.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Horrible liar. What is it with you and this guy?”
I stood and picked Simeon’s card from my back pocket. A distraction was in order. “Here. Why don’t you update his address? Looks like he has a new one.”
Judd took the card from my hand and examined it. “You know you could give him a strike for not reporting a change of address.”
“He did. It’s right there in front of you.” Demons were supposed to report any address change. It had been part of the Powers That Be Pact, but with all the other menacing things demons did, Angels rarely enforced the rule. It was silly, really.
Before he could argue, Lois’ voice boomed from the speakers. “All Angels and staff must report at once to the meeting room.”
Judd handed the card back to me. “I’ll update it later. After you give him his strike. You have to follow the rules, Abby.”
What did Judd know about rules? He never followed any.
“You’re being a real putz today,” I informed him.
“And you’re being irresponsible and foolish.” He maneuvered around me. “I’m going to the meeting. See ya.”
I waited until he was down the aisle before I lurched into his chair and typed in Simeon’s name into the search engine. I was just curious about the guy. It was research about half-breeds, really. There wasn’t anything irresponsible or foolish about wanting to know more about your targets. It was part of my job.
I printed out every bit of data Demon Control had on him, stuffed the papers into the manila folder, and headed to the meeting.
The room was packed by the time I got there, so I stood next to Pauline against the wall in the back. She gave me one of those phony smiles, and I returned the favor. It surprised me she’d left her post as MOG’s receptionist for this thing. As I looked around, I realized almost every Demon Control Angel and Ex-Angel from every shift was in here. Great. Something big had happened or was about to.
I scanned the room for MOG, but she wasn’t in sight. I still needed to ask her if she’d located my attackers. If Judd hadn’t distracted me with his temper tantrum, I probably would’ve remembered to go see her.
Lois stood at the front of the room and cleared her throat, sending a hushed wave of silence. She looked out at everyone over the top of her thick-rimmed glasses.
“Bless you all for coming,” she said. “I apologize in advance for MOG’s absence. She’s unable to be here due to more pressing circumstances.”
I noticed Judd sitting in the third row. He turned to scan the room until he met my eyes and then gave his attention back to Lois. No smile. No funny crude hand gestures. Nothing. Apparently my best friend had become my babysitter overnight. I didn’t like it one bit.
Lois continued her overly rehearsed speech. “I’m deeply saddened by the reason we are all gathered here today. And it’s my great displeasure to inform you that two of our Angels have been seriously injured in the line of duty.”
A collective gasp filled the room. Judd eyed me again. Heaven and MOG only knew what exactly the man was thinking. I hadn’t been seriously injured. But I was anxious to hear who was and how. And if it was because of my lack of finding and deporting my attackers. My stomach turned over at the thought.
Lois went into a long-winded sermon about demons being vessels of wrath and any of them who harmed an Angel will be doomed to suffer God’s fury.
Would she just get to the point?
“And ye shall keep the charge of sanctuary.” Blah, blah, blah. “That there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.”
What? I raised my hand, regressing to my Angel Academy years when I’d needed every scripture translated for me.
Lois ignored me. “Our two beloved Angels who’ve worked hard and selflessly during their dayshift position have lost their only weapons. Their thumbs sliced by a gang of foul, revolting demons. We shall stay strong like warriors. We shall continue on our task to protect this earth from sin. We shall overcome.”
I raised my hand higher and waved it. If I understood correctly, Lois was saying two Angels were attacked and had their thumbs cut off. What I wanted to know was if MOG knew if their attackers were my attackers.
Lois sighed. “Later, Abigail,” she muttered and lifted her chin to continue. “As a precaution, MOG has ordered that Angels go out in pairs until these heinous sinners meet justice.” She spewed out another few scriptures and then released everyone but the evening shift Angels.
Judd didn’t move from his seat, so I went to sit by him. He was grinding his teeth and narrowing his eyes at the table in front of him. He only did that when he was thinking about how much he missed street work. I bet he was boiling over to get out there and stomp some demon ass.
Lois finally approached me while the room bustled with Angels leaving and/or finding a partner. “We’re not discussing what happened yesterday, Abigail. MOG has given me explicit instructions to stay the course.”
“But could I talk to her to see if she’s located my attack—”
“Shhh. We don’t need to upset the Angels any further,” she said under her breath. “MOG has no new information. And that is why she’s in deep visionary mode and cannot be bothered. Do you understand?”
It didn’t sound like a question. She walked away, terminating my chance to inquire about anything else. I guess I’d have to do my own investigating.
I turned to Judd. “I know these are the same demons. And it’s all my fault for allowing MOG to convince me it wasn’t a real threat.”
“I’m going with you.”
“Where?”
“I don’t give a shit what they say. I’m going to be your partner, and we’re going to find these fuckers.”
I smiled at him. There was the Judd I knew and loved. However, I highly doubted MOG or Lois would allow him out on the streets for any reason. I wasn’t going to be the one to burst his bubble though.
The room started calming down, and I glanced around to see pairs of Angels holding hands. How freaking adorable. I was pretty sure if I took Judd’s hand, he would think I was losing my mind. Not that I wanted to hold his hand.
I strummed my fingers on the table impatiently, wondering which Angel Lois would pair me with. I didn’t see any leftovers standing around. Judd wasn’t even supposed to be in the room. All the other Ex-Angels had gone back to their assigned jobs. It didn’t look like Judd intended to move from his spot.
“Pauline,” Lois called out. “Over here.” She pointed to me.
“What?” Judd stood and his chair loudly clanked into the table behind him. “Are you nuts?”
Lois’ glasses dropped to the tip of her nose. “Pardon?”
“Pauline has no street experience. You can’t send her out there with Abby. You might as well tie them up and throw them to the demons.”
I was insulted. “Excuse me? I don’t even need a partner. I’ll do just fine on my own.”
“I’m going with you.” He turned to Lois. “I’m going with Abby.”
“No. You’re going back to your desk. And Pauline is pairing with Abby.”
“Fuck that,” he said, causing another round of gasps.
Lois inhaled a sharp breath. “Young man, either you go to your desk or you’ll be detained in your apartment for the remainder of the shift, writing MOG a letter explaining why you feel it’s appropriate to disres
pect a senior Angel. Then we’ll let her decide what she’d like to do with you. I heard we’re in need of a janitor.”
I could hear Judd’s knuckles crack as he stormed out of the room. He was fuming, and I couldn’t blame him. He was right about Pauline. She had zero experience when it came to law enforcement. Having her with me was going to be no help.
“Okay then.” I looked at Pauline, who didn’t seem too thrilled about the prospect either. “Let’s go see what cases they have for us. You up for it?”
She forced a grin. “Should be exciting.”
I led the way to the Demon Case Distribution Station, otherwise known as Bertha’s cubicle. I didn’t need to describe Bertha. Just think of Pauline but maybe five pounds heavier and two inches shorter. Same blonde hair. Same blue eyes. Yeah, they all looked alike.
Bertha was our Angel for sorting out the demons and their actions from MOG’s description of her visions. MOG typed out a narrative of the felonious scene, including names, locations, and actions and then emailed it over to Bertha. Back in the day, it was all on paper. Not fun. Then Bertha located the demon’s file, added MOG’s testament, printed it out, and left them on a rack for the street Angels. Bertha was one busy lady. I never bothered her unless I really needed to.
I pulled out the file on top and showed it to Pauline. “Ever done this before?”
She shook her head. She wasn’t much of a talker, which was fine with me.
“I take three to six cases, depending on if one of them is a third strike. Those guys tend to run, so they take longer. I flip through the file to see who I’ve got and if they’re in the same vicinity. You don’t want to go after a guy in Estes Park and then have to drive all the way over to Brighton for the next one. Takes too long. Thankfully, the majority of them are right here in Denver.”
I opened the file and skimmed through. “Huh. A director of pornography. This one should be fun.” I tucked it under my arm and pulled another file. “This demon is up for his third strike. I remember giving him his second. Most of his strikes are for causing bar fights. He finds it amusing when the humans knock the crap out of each other.” I grabbed the next folder in line, and my heart did a cartwheel. It was a file on Simeon. “Damn it.”
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