by Laurèn Lee
Adriel sprinted out of the bank to find Joseph with one horse and a frightened expression. “I have to go,” he said without another glance at his friend.
He didn’t pack, and he didn’t say goodbye. Adriel left with the bag of money on his person and the horse under him. Adriel didn’t even bid farewell to the woman he courted, and no one from Oklahoma ever saw or heard from him again.
Adriel spent the long and winding trip to the East Coast with one thing in mind: wealth. He and his family grew up poor in the Midwest. They were lucky if they had one meal a day.
Both men bent over and howled in laughter. In an instant, Adriel rushed the filthy hitmen and knocked them sideways. He grabbed both their shotguns that stood at arm’s length and pointed each of them at the men.
“What’s so funny, fellas?”
“You’re a dead man walkin’ if you want to try and kill George Cunningham,” one of them said. “He ain’t ‘gon give you stakes in his business. Even if he's dead as a doornail, someone else will get it.”
“Are you two idiots going to help or not?” Adriel grew impatient.
“No, I don’t think we are,” one said. “We got one whore off the street, so our business is done here.”
“So, be it,” Adriel said.
Then he shot both scoundrels square in the head.
6
After several episodes of Making a Murderer on Netflix—the irony not lost on them—Liam proposed a new activity for Charlotte. “What do you say to a nice candlelit dinner, my love?”
“I say I’d rather eat dog shit than go out to dinner with you.”
“My, my. You’re quite feisty. I like it!” Liam reached to stroke Charlotte’s cheek, but she pulled away.
“Please, Liam. How many times do I have to ask you to just leave? I don’t love you anymore. Get out of here!” She teared up as the frustration overwhelmed her.
So much had happened in a short amount of time. She went from being happily engaged, to mourning the potential loss of her fiancé, to losing part of her soul, and then there was that part about finding out the man you love is an evil bastard. Now, Adriel was gone, and she was stuck with Liam, a demon. She wished more than anything it was all just a dream. Unfortunately, without a soul, she didn’t have much to bargain with, even if it was possible to alter reality.
“I’m not leaving, Charlotte. In fact, I don’t plan on ever leaving, and neither will you,” he said.
Charlotte slumped back onto the loveseat, feeling as though she’d been sentenced to a life of servitude. He hadn’t tied her up or restrained her, but he might as well have. She felt trapped like a mouse cornered by a ferocious tiger.
“Go put on a tight, little dress, and we’ll go paint the town red,” Liam offered.
“I’d rather paint the town with your guts,” Charlotte mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Oh, nothing,” she trailed off.
“Get dressed. Now,” Liam warned.
Charlotte dragged herself into their bedroom and began her typical ritual for going out: hair, makeup, finding the perfect outfit. She poured herself a glass of wine to sip on while she dressed too. If she’d ever needed a drink, it was now. After another glass of wine, Charlotte’s confidence in applying her makeup greatly decreased. She didn’t care, though. Maybe if she looked distraught enough, he wouldn’t take her out in public.
“Splendid! Lovely! Dashing!” Liam clapped as Charlotte closed the bedroom door behind her. Charlotte chose a simple navy blue dress with a matching blazer. At first, she put in the Tiffany earrings Liam bought her for her birthday last year, but she decided to take them out. The jewelry was another reminder of the man she once knew.
“You look even more ravishing than I remember.”
“And, you sound more like a game show host than I remember,” she said sourly.
Charlotte stood by her car in the driveway and waited for Liam to get inside the vehicle. She wanted nothing more than to drive. It would be the only way she’d be able to exercise the tiny bit of control she still possessed.
“Oh no, darling. We’re not driving tonight.”
“Uh, then how are we going to make it to dinner? Are you expecting some ghoulish chariot with hellhounds to take us to the restaurant?”
Liam chuckled. “Very dramatic. No, I’ve ordered us an Uber.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “How very clever of you.”
Their Uber driver pulled up, and a wave of relief washed over Charlotte’s face. A human buffer was exactly what she needed to keep Liam at bay, even if just for a few minutes.
“Where are we going?” Charlotte asked cautiously.
“One of my friends invited us to dine at his restaurant on the other side of Downtown,” Liam said.
“Who?” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “I never heard you mention a friend who owned a restaurant before.”
The Uber driver spoke broken English and must have felt the tension in the back seat as he remained silent during the ride.
“Oh, he’s a new acquaintance.” Liam grinned.
“Great,” Charlotte mumbled. A new acquaintance couldn’t be good, especially considering the company Liam liked to keep, like the men who helped him murder an innocent girl.
Siri announced from the front seat, “You have arrived at your destination.”
The Uber driver waved faintly as Charlotte and Liam stepped out of his car. Charlotte noticed the driver sped off rather aggressively, and she wished he could have taken her with him. She’d rather be anywhere in the entire world than with Liam, her demon fiancé.
Charlotte looked up to the restaurant’s sign and read the name out loud, “The Heat,” which had flames licking the letters.
“Cute,” she said.
“I thought so,” Liam snickered.
He opened the door for Charlotte, and darkness greeted them in return. The lights were dimmed, but each table carried an assortment of candles spread across the length of the silky, maroon tablecloths. Charlotte shivered and wondered if she’d entered Hell on Earth.
The hostess greeted them with a gleeful smile and deep cleavage. “Liam, it’s so great to see you again. Dominic mentioned you might be stopping in. Right this way.”
Charlotte shot a glance toward Liam and wondered when he’d managed to make all these new friends. After all, he’d been in a coma for the past several days. As they walked to their table, heads turned immediately in their direction. Charlotte’s heart pounded as she looked into the eyes of the strangers glaring at her: all the eyes appeared red as blood, just like Liam’s, and just as Adriel’s had been. Demons surrounded her in every direction. She couldn’t see one pair of human eyes in the entire place.
Out of habit, she grabbed Liam’s arm for support. He turned back to her, raised his eyebrows twice and winked. Charlotte let go and sneered. She’d have to break that bad habit sooner rather than later.
Where had he taken her? Surely, this wasn’t a normal restaurant. Did regular people come in here? Were they allowed? So many questions swirled in Charlotte’s head, dizziness swarmed her consciousness.
The hostess pulled out a chair for Charlotte, and she carefully sat down. The hostess’s shiny black hair reached her tailbone, and not a stray piece stood out of place. She wore crimson lipstick as deep and burgundy as her eyes, which stared directly at Liam. Charlotte could have been invisible for all she knew. It seemed as though everyone wanted to steal a glance at Liam. Although, one demon in particular, blew her a fiery kiss… an actual kiss made of flames that licked his mouth. Charlotte cringed and turned away. It seems like even demons could be perverts.
“Can I get you two anything to drink before your server comes over?” the hostess asked them both, but only gawked at Liam.
“Two glasses of your finest red wine,” Liam said. “Tonight, we’re celebrating.”
“Right away!” the hostess answered, patting Liam’s arm.
“Liam!” Charlotte whispered. “What is this pl
ace?”
“It’s a demon bar, didn’t you know?” He smirked.
“Jesus Christ,” Charlotte said with her head in her hands.
“Here’s your wine.” The hostess returned with two glasses, still ignoring Charlotte.
Charlotte picked up her glass and downed the wine in one gulp. “Why don’t you bring the bottle?”
Liam chuckled and nodded, giving the hostess his seal of approval.
“Why are we here?” Charlotte asked. She glanced around and couldn’t spot another human in any direction.
“I already said as much. We’re here to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what, exactly?”
“My new powers,” he whispered, his eyes glowing. He held out his hand, and a miniature flame appeared on his palm. “Oh, and our reunion. I missed you, baby.”
Charlotte groaned and again, the patrons turned around to stare. Many, Charlotte noticed, nodded to Liam and some even winked or gave him the thumbs up. She returned their glance with a “what are you looking at?” glare.
“How do you know all these people?” Charlotte asked in a hushed tone.
“We met,” he began. “In Hell.”
“You met all of these people, uh, I mean demons, in Hell? When did you even go there?”
Liam looked around for a few seconds and grinned. “I visited for the first time while unconscious. It’s quite cozy in here, isn’t it?”
Charlotte grabbed Liam’s glass of wine and downed that one, too. It was going to be a long night.
7
Past
“No good sons o’bitches,” Adriel harped as he walked back to the Cunningham’s. “What is the world coming to if you can’t hire a couple of low lives to do your dirty work for you?”
At least now, though, George would be happy he killed the bastards. Although, he couldn’t exactly bring up his desired reward in the form of shares of his business as his daughter lay dying. Adriel wondered what exactly Mary Elizabeth had done to piss off the men in the woods and apparently their cousin. Considering their appearance, though, Adriel assumed she’d probably just rejected them or told them to go away. Adriel was sure Mary Elizabeth wouldn’t have anything to do with scum like them except tellin’ ‘em to get to gettin’.
George Cunningham’s ostentatious estate came into view. The yard had grown silent, and not a soul lingered outside. Adriel stepped on shattered glass left on the lawn, and a shard ripped through the sole of his boot, cutting the heel of his foot fiercely.
“Son of a bitch!” he cried and hopped on his other foot in pain.
“Adriel!” the man from earlier called out. “Come inside. George is asking for you.”
Adriel nodded and limped hastily toward the house as a man held the door open for him.
“Did you get ‘em?”
Adriel smiled. “Sure did.”
George, burly and sobbing, reached for Adriel and pulled him into his arms. He squeezed him tighter than a mama bear holding on to her cubs.
“Why, Adriel? Why would they hurt my little girl?”
“I don’t know, sir. I honestly don’t know. They didn’t say much of anything.”
“I’m happy they’re dead, but it’s still not going to bring back my daughter,” George sobbed. “She was my only child.”
The other men in the room backed away, unsure of how to handle George at his darkest moment. Despite his sorrow, fury rattled in his voice and revenge glowed in his eyes.
“Did you get their names?”
“Yeah, uh, I think so,” Adriel mumbled.
“Good. Take my men with you. I want you to burn their houses down. Kill whoever’s inside. I want them all gone,” George roared.
“Are you sure?” Adriel asked.
As fun as the task sounded, Adriel hoped George would reward him for killing his daughter’s murderers in the form of doing business together. However, at the moment, Adriel realized how silly that sounded. The man was grieving for his daughter. Surely, business was the last thing on his mind.
“Dead certain,” George responded cooly.
“You have my word, then,” Adriel said, prepared to placate him.
George clapped him on the back, and the gesture shook Adriel’s body to its core. George was a very large and sturdy man. He could tackle a tree and knock it over if he tried.
Then, as promised, Adriel led a dozen of George’s closest confidants into town to end the lineage of Mary Elizabeth’s killers. They rode horses like cowboys, and Adriel felt eerily like he was back in the wild, wild West. About ten or so men followed Adriel, which made him feel like a king. It felt good to be a leader again.
Back in Oklahoma, he had a crew of sturdy men. However, after the bank robbing incident, all the men ratted him out to save their damn skin. Adriel found out his closest friends tossed out his name faster than a terrified mare in a storm when he saw a paper in the next town over. Adriel remembered seeing his name printed large and bold for all to see. He skimmed the article so as not to arouse suspicion and nearly turned around to hunt down all the men who turned him in. It wasn’t worth it, though, no matter how angry he felt. He couldn’t go back; he could only move forward.
Adriel and George’s men arrived at one of the killer’s houses, or rather, shack, and everyone noticed smoke pouring out of the chimney. A fire was already burning, so all they’d need to do now was make it a little bigger and ensure no one could escape. Power surged through Adriel as he nodded toward the men. They leaped over their horses and landed hard on the cobblestone road. The horses grunted nervously, but Adriel soothed his own with a calming whisper and a loving pat on the side of its belly.
George’s men swigged the bottles of vodka they brought along, then poured the remains around the shack. They sniggered, and Adriel shushed them several times. He couldn’t fail George, which meant these men couldn’t abandon him. Adriel stepped around the house to ensure none of the doors could be opened from the outside; the men used leftover firewood they found on the side of the house to prop underneath the door handles. Whoever was inside was in for a wild ride.
Once the home was properly doused in alcohol, Adriel lit a match and tossed it against the side of the house. It ignited instantly, and the flames glowed in his pupils. First, a woman yelped; then, children cried out. George’s men, sufficiently drunk, looked at each other nervously, but Adriel reassured them. Adriel’s heart sank a touch, though, when the children’s cries died down. It only meant one thing: children were dead, too. But this also meant he was one step closer to appeasing George. One step closer to convincing George to give him a stake in the canal. It was all coming together.
“One down and another to go!”
They waited until all the shrill cries for help stopped and then rode a few miles over to the other man’s house. They followed the same steps and lit the second house on fire. Same as before, pleas for help and shouting erupted from inside, but no one was there to help them.
Adriel grinned and watched the smoke rush to the sky. He didn’t stop to think about the consequences of his actions. He didn’t care that he’d murdered innocent women and children. All he cared about was snuggling up to George enough to gain stock in the canal.
A large chunk of Adriel’s soul disappeared that night, and he stood one step closer to demonhood. Greed had led to murder, which led to evil slowly taking up the real estate of Adriel’s heart. Little did he know, he was grooming himself for the Devil to take hold.
8
“Why did you bring me here?” Charlotte groaned, her eyes glassy and cheeks reddened.
“Did you forget already? We are celebrating, my love.”
“I honestly can’t think of one thing to celebrate,” she slurred.
The waiter brought the check, and Liam slid a crisp Benjamin across the table to him. His eyes also revealed a deep crimson glow, and he bowed as he accepted the cash.
“Keep the change, my friend,” Liam said slyly.
“Thank you!”
“What the hell, Liam? Why is everyone staring at you like you’re some god?” Charlotte asked.
“Well, love, because I am.” Liam winked.
Charlotte finished the second bottle of wine on the table and stumbled as she stood up.
“We’re not leaving yet. Where do you think you’re going?” Liam asked curiously.
“I need to get outta here.” Charlotte wobbled and swayed like a feather caught in a light breeze.
Liam smirked. “And go where?”
“Anywhere!”
“When will you accept that you’re mine, Charlotte?”
“Never, because I’m not yours. I’m my own damn person, asshole.”
A deep roar erupted from Liam. Patrons turned toward him with curious eyes. “Humans are hilarious, am I right?”
His faithful audience replied with haughty agreements. A demon from a few tables away shouted, “You da man, Liam!”
“Thank you, thank you! Although, I’d say I’m more like the dem-man,” Liam joked with a chuckle.
Charlotte rolled her eyes and pretended to vomit into her hands. “You’re unbearable.” She grimaced.
“You love me, though.”
“No, I don’t, Liam.”
“Nonsense!”
For the next hour or so, Liam rambled about various demons he met in Hell. Charlotte didn’t want to feed his new ego, though. Instead of listening, she imagined where Adriel was and if he was safe. At one point, she’d have done anything to get rid of Adriel and for Liam to wake up. Now, she wished more than anything for Liam to disappear and for Adriel to be by her side. Life is funny that way: sometimes you don’t realize the person you need the most is standing right in front of you.
“Are you listening, Charlotte?” Liam tutted.
“Actually, no,” she responded airily.
Liam leaned back in his chair to stretch, and his rock-solid abs peeked through his raised tee shirt.
“Like what you see?” he asked, catching Charlotte’s stare.
