by Michael Todd
Pandora snickered, and Katie shrugged. “As if I get a vote, but I will try. Normal demon-hunter shit only, check.”
“Got it,” Damian confirmed.
“Come on, Damian.” Katie smirked. “We get to take your namesake back to New York and get her all tucked in with her new family.”
“You’re an ass,” he said, following Katie out the door.
“Am I going to have to bring tissues?” she asked. “You know I don’t deal well with men who cry. I just want to make sure you have something to blow your nose on.”
“I hate you,” he said pleasantly.
Katie laughed. “That is not nice, considering you are a man of the cloth.”
“You sound like your demon.” He chuckled.
Finally! Pandora squealed.
Stephanie parked her car and left her bags in the back grumbling to herself about missing out on one hell of a sale. She took the stairs to Korbin’s office, stopping for a moment as Damian and Katie came down the hall. Damian was scowling and Katie was laughing, so she knew she was giving him shit about something.
“Hey, guys!” Stephanie smiled. “Anything I should be warned about?”
“He’ll tell you.” Damian shook his head. “It’s always something, right?”
“Yeah.” Stephanie nodded and continued down the hall.
She walked into the office and sat down, watching Korbin shuffle through paperwork and jam it angrily into the shredder. She lifted one eyebrow but let him finish, never having seen him in a tizzy before. When he was done, he straightened up and let out a huge puff of air. He looked at her and nodded.
“Sorry for pulling you from your shopping,” he grumbled.
“Yeah, well, now you owe me a pair of Jimmy Choos.” She smirked. “So what’s up? You look like your head is going to explode.”
“We need to get rid of as much evidence of Joshua’s stuff and the business as we can in twenty-four hours,” he told her. “What can you do with that?”
“Hmmm…” Stephanie leaned back in her chair, thinking.
She sat there for a few moments, rolling some ideas around in her head. There was a lot to get rid of, and unfortunately it was all too heavy just to load in the back of the truck and take off with. Plus, there was some serious ductwork involved with some of the equipment. She knew she would need professional help moving things, and on very short notice—which brought it down to the almighty dollar.
“How much do I have to work with here?” she asked.
Korbin gazed at her for a moment, then sat back and closed his eyes. She knew he had expected it to be done without money, but that just wasn’t how the world worked. Even with the guys, it couldn’t be done that fast. She needed professionals, and that meant a budget. Finally he leaned forward and blew out another large breath of air, rolling his eyes.
“I don’t know. What can you do with fifty thousand?”
Stephanie didn’t answer the question, just nodded and popped out of the chair to make her way out of the office. Korbin shut his eyes as the door closed behind her. He shook his head and turned back to his paperwork grumbling under his breath.
“That woman is inscrutable,” he whispered to himself. “She is going to bleed me dry by the end of all of this. Nothing will go right, not a goddamned thing. Why can’t it just be easy?”
He finished shredding the paperwork and picked up the phone, calling his contact at the airport. He had to put a short-notice trip to New York together for Katie, Damian, and Ella or they would never get out of Las Vegas in time. The last thing he needed was a smart-ass, a priest, and an unstable Damned floating around when the government arrived. He had enough headache on his plate as it was.
“Hey, it’s Korbin,” he began. “I need to put together a quick flight from here to New York, leaving in a couple of hours… No, it’s not an emergency per se, I just need to get some of my people back there as soon as possible.”
The guy put him on hold and transferred him to the pilot, where he explained it all over again. The pilot was a lot easier to work with, and pulled up all the information while they were on the phone. When that was done, he figured it was the perfect time to talk about choppers.
“I had a more personal question to ask,” Korbin began. “I want to find out about acquiring helicopters—or one helicopter—and I need you to tell me what kind would be best.”
“Are we talking the kind that was used before, or a tourist helicopter?” the pilot asked.
“Not tourist,” Korbin replied. “Something like what we used before, only this time we’re not renting. I need to get a helicopter for full-time use, and probably hire maintenance technicians for it as well. Oh, and at least one pilot who would agree to be on short-notice call out of the Las Vegas area—a discreet pilot, preferably with combat experience, just in case we…uh…hit bad weather or something like that.”
“Sometimes I think you are worse than our new trainee.” Damian smiled. “You have gotten too big for your britches.”
“Is that a fat joke?” Katie asked, looking back at her ass.
Damian rolled his eyes and held the door to the main living area open. The two of them entered and found Ella talking with Eric in the living room. She had an innocent look on her face, so Katie knew something was up. Eric was sinking into it, too—just like a man. Ella had him wrapped around her little finger so tightly he didn’t even hear them come through the door.
“I know that Katie and Stephanie are girls,” she cooed. “But I’m just not built for this, you know? I am fragile and sensitive. I shouldn’t be forced to kill or be killed; it just isn’t right. For a man like you it comes easy. You are strong and brave, but me? No way, I need to be in a gentler setting…maybe helping the poor or working with animals or something. Demon or not, I am not a bad person, and all this is just too much to deal with.”
“I under—” Eric stopped and looked at Katie.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Katie raised an eyebrow at Eric. “Ella, go get your stuff packed. We have to go back to New York.”
“Really?” she said excitedly. “Oh my God, I have missed my family so much. I can’t wait to get back home and have a good cup of coffee and just relax. My bed has been calling for me, for sure.”
“Ella…” Katie stopped her before she could leave the room. “This isn’t like that. You are Damned now, and unfortunately there is nothing you can do to change that. You were pronounced dead when that demon entered you, before you were taken away by John’s team. You can’t just show up at your parents’ house. That is the way these things work. I know that’s hard to understand, but you are going to your new base.”
“You mean back with the freaks who did this to me in the first place?” she asked, irritated. “To the team that pushed me off on other people? I wasn’t good enough for you, so now you are sending me back to them.”
“You were always going back there,” Katie reminded her, feeling badly for the girl. “We are going to work with you there.”
“Whatever,” she snapped. “This is all just more bullshit.”
Ella stomped down the hallway and slammed her door, rattling the already-crooked pictures on the wall.
Katie looked at Damian, who sighed and rolled his eyes before going to his room to pack. Katie shook her head and turned back to Eric. The man had a bewildered look on his face, as if he had no idea what had just happened. Katie calmed herself and walked over to sit down next to Eric, and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“What?” he blurted.
“The female demon, otherwise known as ‘Ella,’ just took over your body,” Katie told him. “Like, worse than the demon you already have inside you.”
“What the hell?” He shook his head. “We were just talking. I mean, she was telling me about her life before this. She seemed so genuine…until a second ago. I would be mad too, but she doesn’t get it, does she? Well, fuck.”
He shook his head when he reached the correct conclusion.
“I
got suckered, didn’t I?” he asked, lowering his head.
“It’s okay.” Katie laughed. “It happens, but you are now a veteran here. You have to take a firm hand; don’t allow the newbies to give you a sob story. We got lucky with you and Jeremy—and Stephanie, for that matter. You guys were all gung ho, ready to take on the worst of the worst. Even I didn’t give them as much trouble as she has, but we are going to see it more than not and you need to be ready for it. You can’t let them break your heart. You know there are no other options here.”
Eric sighed. “She was really good at it.”
“Yeah, I have a feeling that had nothing to do with the demon inside her.” Katie looked down the hall. “I think she has been perfecting the art of sob stories for a very long time to get through life. She is super-smart and reads people very well, and she saw you as the perfect target. You aren’t a leader, you have kind eyes, and you were ripe for the picking. It’s really not your fault. She conned you like a guy cons a girl at a bar trying to get laid. She was trying to get you to free her from the invisible cage, but the thing is…she put herself in that cage. If she doesn’t get with it, she is going to end up dead during an incursion.”
“I mean, seriously?” Eric asked, looking Katie in the eyes. “What was I supposed to do in that situation? It has been scientifically proven that females have the ability to warp men’s minds. It’s biological; like, born and bred into you girls to do that to us.”
“Well, you do have a point.” Katie smiled and patted him on the arm. “You definitely have a point.”
Chapter Thirteen
Katie looked out the plane’s window after Ella had fallen asleep with her headphones in and music blaring. Damian was several seats back, working on a sermon for the next time he led a service at the church he had gotten involved with. There was a silence in the plane that she wasn’t used to, and though she could have used a little extra shut eye, she wasn’t tired—not in the least.
What do you think T’Chezz is doing right now? Katie asked Pandora. Like, right in this moment in the fiery pits of hell.
I dunno, Pandora grumped. Probably torturing a soul or commanding his minions or taking a shit or something.
You guys take shits? Katie asked.
No, she admitted, but it was something a human would understand.
I meant, what are his plans for the future? Katie rolled her eyes. For us, for Earth, for the humans. Trying to figure out his next move is really our only choice right now, and you know him the best. We can’t allow him to get his forces back together. I saw the size of his leg and I don’t think I’m ready take it out, much less his whole body. Dude was huge! Unless you have any better ideas?
I should have just taken care of him when I thought about it decades ago. Pandora sighed. That would have been the simplest thing for me to do. I guess I could possibly work up some plans; something that would create a weapon that would destroy him.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about, Katie exclaimed. Let’s think about how to end this, not just prolong the fight.
You do realize that if I create a weapon that can destroy him, I will eventually be destroyed by it as well, Pandora pointed out. I don’t like the sound of that.
We can all be destroyed, Pandora, Katie admitted. At some point the question isn’t whether it is demon versus human. It’s about who are you closest to. It has to be who deserves to be here, not what species you are—if you can consider demons a species. I know it sounds romantic in theory, but we humans have been fighting about that very thing amongst ourselves forever.
And how far have you gotten? she asked. You still kill people over the color of their skin. I would have no chance.
Well, I can’t argue with you, but I would fight for you, Katie told her. And throw your ashes somewhere pretty when you were evaporated.
Right. She chuckled. Like the city dump.
It’s on the list, Katie agreed.
You know what I need to do? Pandora sounded excited. I need to start a bucket list, and on that list I will put having sex this high in the air.
It’s called the mile-high club. Katie snickered. Many people have joined the mile-high club.
I’m sure you haven’t, prude. Pandora scoffed. Though I have to say, I’m impressed there is already a name for it. You humans really are just simple carnal creatures.
Right, but you understand that it’s not just an opportunity to see how many different places you can have sex, right? Katie asked.
I mean, what else would it be? Pandora asked. It’s a sex bucket list. There are a whole lot of places on this planet I wanna get it on.
Yeah, but who with? Katie asked.
Whoever! Pandora laughed. Whoever I fancy at that moment.
But there is so much more to sex than what you are trying to do, Katie disagreed.
Oh, no…not the romance thing again. Pandora sighed.
I’m serious, Katie continued. It’s about love. About being together in a way you aren’t with most people. It’s a connection, something that draws two people together, and a way for them to bond on a very intimate level. Love is amazing, and it makes sex that much better. I have had sex with someone I loved and someone I didn’t, and the times with the person I loved were so much better. It was not only sensual, but it was freeing. I felt completely comfortable opening myself up to him. It’s a feeling you can’t put on a bucket list, that’s for sure.
Love? Pandora laughed. Have you seen what demons are made of, Katie? Have you noticed any ingredients even remotely like love on the list?
I think I have, Katie insisted. I think when you aren’t looking, you let the secret out every once in a while.
Pandora chuckled. Girl, whatever you are smoking, thank Ella for me.
Stephanie and Joshua were standing on the sandy road in front of the old base. The sun was high in the sky. Suddenly a bunch of eighteen wheelers rolled over the hill, blowing their horns and heading right for the compound.
Behind them were hot rods, jacked-up cars, and motorcycles, everyone looking more than a bit out of place. Back at the old house Stephanie had made some connections with the gang members in the area.
She had gone straight over there when she found out what needed to happen, and offered cash money for anyone who would help with some “real labor.”
The guys were more than happy to oblige, so they grabbed their friends and headed for the base. Stephanie stood in the center of the road holding a large stick in the air, wielding it like a conductor’s baton. She was happy to have the company, happy to get the boys some cash, and really happy to get everything out of there before the military official was set to arrive. She knew it would be tight, but she wasn’t going to give up.
Calvin stood to the side and watched as everyone parked and jumped out of—or off—their vehicles and gathered around Stephanie. She gave them all instructions about what had to happen, and sent them on their way to get the work done. She slapped the guys on the ass with her stick as they went past her, moving them in the right direction and putting a little pep in their step.
At first Calvin thought they were giving her hell, but after a while he realized they were playing around with her like she was with them. They all had an incredible amount of respect for the woman, and he figured it wasn’t the first time that she had helped them out in one way or another.
The guys from the trucks operated the cranes, getting the heavy machines out of the building and into the beds of the semis.
The rest of the gang members and the ladies who were there to help were able to get most of the machinery out of the place and onto the trucks by midnight.
They hauled ass in and out of that building, impressing Calvin and making Stephanie very happy. When they were done, she handed each of them an envelope and gave them the address of where to drop the stuff.
While Stephanie took care of the guys Joshua slipped away, wandering back into the building and down the stairs.
The place was empty; no sign tha
t he had even been there. The cabinet that had housed the weapons was gone, as was the equipment, and even his bed and desk. He felt sad, like he had been uprooted.
It had been the first time he had felt comfortable since his parents were alive. Stephanie came up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, resting her chin on them.
“Don’t be sad,” she told him. “This was just a building. This isn’t your past, present, or future. All the girls, all the dreams, and everything else is on those trucks, barreling down the freeway and heading straight for your future.” She stood back and walked around to face him. “I won’t lie, this was a really great start. It was a way to get the business off the ground and give you a place to lay your head, but you were just in junior high here. Let’s take you up a notch to high school, and when you get on your feet there, we’ll boost you all the way to college.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Joshua said reluctantly. “I think I feel good about the future. What happened here will always be in my head, but I am ready to start fresh. Move forward, you know?”
“Me too, darlin’,” Stephanie responded. “And you did really good here.”
“Oh, and speaking of the future…” Joshua began. “I am going to talk to Katie and the others, and I think they are going to be really excited. I was looking some stuff up the other day on the dark web, and I came across a site that sold guns and such. I almost didn’t go to the site, but then I realized they might have what I need, and after about two hours of scrolling through their stuff I found these machines. They are made of a special super-strong and super-durable metal, and I think that they might be perfect machines to help create the 9mm bullets I promised Katie.”
“That is fantastic,” Stephanie exclaimed, putting her arm around his shoulder. “I think she will be very happy, and that is something we really need.”
