Charlotte's Pact (Demons in New York Book 1)

by Laurèn Lee

  29

  Present

  “Come in!”

  Charlotte opened the door, relieved she had Adriel behind her to back her up.

  “Charlotte? What are you doing here? I thought you were a potential client coming for a meeting.”

  “Oh, I just figured I’d stop in and surprise you! I’ve brought a friend along as well,” Charlotte said nervously.

  John looked slightly confused and craned his neck to see who Charlotte had brought with her. Noticing John’s bewilderment, Charlotte turned around to see Adriel had disappeared. She was on her own.

  “Oh, looks like my friend must have had to take a phone call,” she grinned, trying to pull herself together.

  “No problem. How can I help you? Please make it quick, though, I am still expecting a client to come in.”

  Charlotte felt anxiety take over and her heart raced as though a gun was being held to her head. She had been depending on Adriel to help her with the last kill, not disappear and leave her all alone.

  “I, uh, just wanted to give you an update on how Liam is doing.”

  “Wouldn’t a phone call have sufficed?” John mentioned quietly. Looking at his watch, “Well, is he okay?”

  “He’s still in a coma,” Charlotte said somberly.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything else?”

  Before Charlotte could answer, John’s office phone began to ring. Saved by the bell, literally.

  “I’m sorry, I have to take this,” he said, not sounding even slightly apologetic.

  Charlotte breathed an exasperated sigh of relief. A phone call would certainly give her a few more minutes to make up a game plan. However, she couldn’t help but focus on John’s temperament thus far. She wondered if Liam treated people this callously at the office as well.

  “Yes, I understand. We will reschedule for next week. Sure, sounds good. Thank you for calling.”

  John thrust the phone back in its cradle.

  “My meeting was canceled. So glad I stayed at the office late. What kind of asshole cancels last minute?,” he mumbled.

  Charlotte smiled. Maybe Adriel hadn’t left her high and dry after all. Just then, a brilliant idea popped into her head.

  “Say, want to grab a drink since your meeting was canceled?”

  John looked at his watch again. “Well, my wife is expecting me home soon,” he trailed off.

  Charlotte pouted, “Please, John? I’ve been terribly lonely with Liam in the hospital, I could use some company.”

  She noticed John crack a smile and look her up and down, sizing her up.

  “One drink couldn’t hurt, I suppose. Shouldn’t you let your friend know we are going out?”

  “Oh no, it’s fine. I’m sure the call was very important.”

  “If you say so. Let me take care of a few emails, and I’ll meet you in the lobby in about ten minutes, okay?”

  “Sounds good!”

  Charlotte closed the office door behind her and felt palpable relief wash over her. She had bought even more time for herself to construct a plan. But, she still had no idea how she was going to kill John. Thinking through possible scenarios, Charlotte entered the elevator and shrieked.

  “Hello,” Adriel said, casually leaning against the elevator wall.

  “Nice of you to show up,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

  “And you thought I had abandoned you,” he smiled.

  “Well, when someone is right behind you then suddenly disappears, abandonment is typically the natural reaction. Smooth move canceling the meeting, by the way.”

  “Smooth move inviting the prick out for drinks!”

  “Wickedness seems to come easily to me now,” Charlotte admitted.

  “It’s wonderful not having a soul, isn’t it?”

  “Amazing,” she responded sarcastically.

  The elevator doors opened once again and Charlotte noticed the receptionist had gone home for the night.

  “Aw, your bonnie lass went home.”

  “No, she’s right next to me,” Adriel said winking.

  Charlotte’s face went flush and she gazed down at the floor, hoping to hide her reaction.

  “Anyways,” Charlotte said changing the subject. “Are you joining us for a drink, or are you going to disappear again?”

  “I’ll be there, in spirit. Or, lurking in the shadows. Either way, you’ll be safe. Can’t say the same for Mr. Chapman, though,” he smirked.

  “Where should I take him?”

  “Somewhere dark. Buffalo have any desolate dive bars?”

  “Dive bars? Buffalo is full of ‘em,” Charlotte snickered.

  Charlotte whipped around as the elevator doors opened behind her, revealing John stepping out and walking toward her. She didn’t need to look glance beside her, she knew Adriel had already disappeared.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I know the perfect spot.”

  About fifteen minutes later, John and Charlotte arrived at their destination by way of a taxi. John paid the driver and stepped out to open Charlotte’s door.

  “Such a gentleman,” she cooed.

  He smiled unabashedly with his head held high. Little did he know what was going to happen tonight.

  Once Charlotte exited the taxi, John turned around to see their rendezvous location.

  “This is it?” John looked towards the bar and noticed the lime green flames against the purple building.

  “Yes! I love this place, ever been?”

  “I wouldn’t step foot in here if someone paid me,” he sneered.

  “Well, I don’t have any cash on me, but I can buy you a drink,” Charlotte offered, holding onto John’s arm tightly.

  She could tell she had peaked John’s interest with her overly friendly touch. They walked inside the bar and John looked as though he had stepped into a third world country.

  “It’s unique, right?” Charlotte asked over the rock-n-roll music.

  “It’s certainly, interesting,” he said with his nose crinkled.

  Luckily, two seats were open at the bar and Charlotte eagerly pulled John over before and other patrons could claim them.

  “We’ll take two shots of Patron, please,” Charlotte asked.

  “We only have well tequila,” the scruffy bartender responded.

  “Sure, that’s fine,” Charlotte said.

  “So, why did you want to come here of all places?” John questioned, uncomfortably.

  Charlotte hesitated to answer and instead looked around the bar. She noticed Adriel standing against the far wall, with an amber liquid in hand. She assumed it was whiskey. He smiled broadly at her and Charlotte could feel her stomach fuse into knots. She wished more than anything Adriel had been sitting next to her, instead of John.

  “Charlotte?”

  “Oh, sorry! I thought I saw someone I knew,” she recovered. “I used to come here in college, I figured it’d be a good idea to come back and get down and dirty.”

  She mentally cursed herself for saying something so cheesy, but John didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he inched his chair even closer to Charlotte. She could feel the warm of his breath against her neck.

  “You want to get dirty, huh?” he smirked.

  “Oh yes, I love getting dirty.” The pair took their shots and slammed the glasses back down upon the bar.

  “Two more!” John yelled to the bartender.

  For the next half hour, Charlotte suffered John’s ranting about work, his wife and children. It seemed he didn’t have a perfect life, after all. However, Charlotte knew his dirty little secret so she could hardly feel bad for the man. If anything, his misery was only a small slice of the karma he deserved.

  He kept his hand on her thigh the entire time they talked. He gripped her leg so tightly, she could barely swivel in her seat. Even sitting down at a bar, John had to keep control of the female in his company.

  She wondered when it would be time to
make her move, whatever the move may be. She hoped Adriel would advise her soon, though. Charlotte wasn’t sure how much longer she could take playing nice with John.

  “Well, I gotta take a leak.”

  “Hurry back!”

  As soon as John slid out of view, Adriel sat down, startling Charlotte.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Adriel! He’s a total pig.”

  “You’re doing a great job. He seems halfway in the bag about now,” Adriel noticed.

  “Oh, he’s probably farther than that.”

  “Here.” Adriel handed her a crinkled up tissue.

  “What’s this?” she asked curiously.

  “You have about thirty seconds before Mr. Playboy returns. Quickly, put these in his drink!”

  Charlotte opened the tissue and noticed five unmarked pills within her grasp.

  “What are these?”

  Adriel looked at her deeply, urging her to make her move quickly. He walked away, resuming his position across the bar. Charlotte knew he was right, she had seconds to spare until John came back. If she didn’t contaminate his drink now, she’d most certainly have to endure another hour or so of drunk babble before he’d have to go to the bathroom again.

  Glancing around to ensure no one was paying attention, Charlotte removed the pills from the tissue and plopped them into John’s drink. The pills fizzled but then dissolved quickly. Luckily, it seemed as though no one around her noticed, not that it would be easy to see in the dim light of the bar. The other patrons were also too busy hanging on each other or stupidly glaring at the TVs in front of them to pay attention.

  “There you are, pretty girl!”

  Charlotte jumped; John had returned. He began stroking her hair and she had to choke back the vomit oozing up her throat.

  “I’m here,” she said shyly. “Drink up! I want to buy our next round.”

  “A lady who loves to drink, I like this. Too bad my wife wouldn’t drink with me if I begged her to,” he stammered. “The woman won’t even sleep with me anymore, let alone go out.”

  John finished the remainder of his drink in one gulp as Charlotte’s pulse quickened. John looked accomplished, but within seconds his demeanor changed drastically.

  His eyes began to bulge and panic swept across his face. He clutched his chest with one hand and held onto Charlotte’s arm for stability with the other.

  “John, are you okay?” Charlotte asked. She had genuinely no idea what was about to happen.

  He let go of her and began to stumble backward. He crashed into several other bar patrons, much to their dismay and belligerent outcries.

  Within another minute, John’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the filthy floor. Shrieks erupted from around the dank establishment and one person wobbled went over to John and checked his pulse.

  “Call an ambulance, man! I think this dude’s dead!”

  Chaos discharged and panic set in. Someone had dimmed the music and turned the lights on a brighter setting.

  “Time to go,” Adriel said, suddenly at Charlotte’s side.

  “Is he really dead?” Charlotte gasped.

  “Yes.”

  Adriel steered Charlotte out of the crowd and stepped outside. Sirens could already be heard coming down the street.

  “Ready?” Adriel asked extending his hand.

  Charlotte didn’t answer but grabbed Adriel’s hand in earnest as they disappeared from Allen Street without a trace.

  …

  Adriel and Charlotte landed back in the condo within seconds.

  Charlotte, visibly shaken, announced, “Holy shit, we just killed someone!”

  “As opposed to the two other bodies on the premises?”

  “Yeah, but we killed him in public! In broad daylight!”

  “Technically, it’s nighttime,” Adriel corrected her.

  “Adriel!” Charlotte shrieked, pacing around the living room.

  “Calm down,” he said.

  “Calm down? Calm down?” Charlotte was screaming now.

  “I’m going to go to jail to live the rest of my life being someone’s prison bitch!”

  “You watch too much Netflix,” Adriel said. “This will never come back to you.”

  “How do you figure? The cameras in the office building show me and John leaving together! Someone at the bar surely saw us together, and maybe someone even noticed me putting something in his drink!”

  Adriel moved towards Charlotte and forcefully sat her down on the couch. He sat down next to her and took her hands in his.

  “I promise, none of this will come back to you. The cameras did not capture you at the building as they were turned off. The pills in John’s drink were his own. The autopsy will show he had simply taken too many Viagra” Adriel winked.

  “Viagra?” Charlotte asked incredulously.

  “Yup. Didn’t you know Viagra and cardiac nitrates are dangerous when mixed? Unfortunately, for poor John, it seems he wasn’t wholly aware of the side effects,” Adriel grinned.

  Charlotte’s breathing began to slow and she leaned back against the couch.

  “Promise?”

  “I’ve promised this before, and I’ll say it again. Nothing bad will ever happen to you while you’re with me.”

  “Okay, I believe you,” she conceded, squeezing his hand.

  Adriel leaned back against the couch with Charlotte, letting her head rest upon his shoulder.

  “What are we going to do about John’s body? I thought we had to deliver all three bodies to the boss man?”

  “I’ll retrieve it in due time. Don’t worry, your part is over. I’ll handle the rest.”

  Relieved, Charlotte briefly closed her eyes and fell asleep against Adriel.

  30

  Present

  Charlotte abruptly woke up the next morning, still with her head on Adriel’s shoulder. He was sound asleep so she carefully stood up to make herself a cup of coffee from her Keurig. Charlotte crept through the quiet condo noticing the sun brilliantly shining through the windows. She had no one else left to kill and she clung to Adriel’s promise she’d be in the clear.

  Life is good.

  With coffee in tow, Charlotte sat down on the outside patio overlooking the water. She reminisced about the events leading up to this quiet morning. Just a little over a week ago, she was happily engaged and on the way to visit her best friend to celebrate.

  Since then, she’d participated in the murder of three evil men, begun an affair with a demon and willingly gave away her soul. She knew she wasn’t dreaming, but it felt surreal all the same.

  With every passing minute, she felt her heart distance itself from Liam and become more drawn to Adriel. Charlotte looked down at her engagement ring, pulled it off and began twirling it around her finger.

  It was just a piece of jewelry, after all. However, it symbolized so much more. It symbolized her future with Liam, it symbolized the undying love she had once felt for him and it symbolized her faithfulness.

  She thought back to her vision of Liam participating in the heinous act of destroying and eventually ending the young waitress’s life. They weren’t married, yet he had already broken all of his promises to her. He lied, he cheated, and he’d stolen. He stole a human life and he stole her hope for a bright and prosperous future. She’d never be able to forgive him and she’d never been able to forget either.

  Without any further hesitation, Charlotte wound up and threw the ring into Lake Erie. She no longer wanted to be reminded of the evil man whom she had so desperately fallen in love with. She knew then, once he woke up, she’d either disappear forever or even better, she’d kill him too.

  “Thinking bright and cheery thoughts this morning?” Adriel asked, joining Charlotte on the patio.

  “You could say that,” she said.

  “Everything will be okay, Charlotte.”

  Charlotte nodded her head, not entirely sure she believed him this time.

  “As much as
I’d love to continue seeing you plan another murder, I think it’s best we get ready to go.”

  “Go?” Charlotte questioned.

  “Yes, my boss will be expecting us soon.”

  “Good ‘ole Lucifer,” Charlotte said, feigning an accent.

  “Why don’t you go change, and I’ll make you another cup of coffee.”

  “Thank you.”

  Charlotte ventured to her room in search of a new outfit to wear.

  She dug through her drawers and chose a plain black long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. She ran a brush through her hair and checked the mirror. She still glowed with effortless beauty.

  I wonder if I can live without my soul forever?

  “Then, I’m afraid, you’d be just as heartless as I,” Adriel answered, stepping into her bedroom.

  Charlotte sniggered, shaking her head.

  Eager to get the bodies out of the condo, she and Adriel went into the spare bedroom where Greg and Charlie were stored.

  “I’ll touch the bodies, then you’ll hold my hand, and we’ll be off,” Adriel said.

  Charlotte noticed a third body had appeared.

  “John?”

  “That’s right,” Adriel said.

  “Won’t his family want the body for the funeral?”

  “It seems as though someone signed a request for a closed casket,” Adriel winked. “Another body will go in his place and the family will be none the wiser.”

  “You’re always on top of it,” Charlotte said. “What about Greg and Charlie, though? Won’t their families want to know where they’ve gone?”

  “I have a feeling their wives will be overjoyed they’ll never have to deal with their bastard husbands again. Either way, it’s not our problem.”

  “Let’s get this over with, then,” Charlotte moaned.

  “You got it toots. It’s time to meet the Devil.”

  And they vanished from the room, with three lifeless bodies along for the ride.

  31

  Present

  Charlotte, Adriel and the bodies instantly arrived at the cemetery. Despite it being early afternoon, a dark fog blanketed the area creating an illusion of twilight. The only audible sounds were those of distant cries of an owl or two in the woods. Not even the wind dared to reveal itself.