by Michael Todd
Where do you come up with this shit? Katie asked. “Skin balloon?”
“You okay?” Eric waved a hand in front of her.
“Yeah,” she said, shaking the far-off look from her face. “Just thinking, is all.”
“Yeah, well, you aren’t going to be the only badass in here for long,” he told her. “Not that the others aren’t awesome, but it’s obvious who takes care of shit.”
“That’s not true,” Katie said. “We all have our special skills. If it were true, Korbin and Jeremy wouldn’t have saved that school bus full of kids.”
“Oh, agreed,” Eric said, wiping his forehead with a towel. “But there’s definitely something different about you.”
She nodded her agreement. “Yeah—I’m insane. Being on the team, running a business, and apparently checking in on you guys too. It’s the voices in my head.”
Damn right. Pandora snickered. You could all use voices like mine in your damn heads.
Like we need tumors, Katie shot back.
Did you just compare me to a growth? Pandora asked, wonder in her voice.
“Well,” Katie said, clapping her hands together and ignoring Pandora. “You want to do some sparring?”
“Hell, yeah,” Eric said, walking into the center of the pit. “I’ll take it easy on you.”
“Well, thanks.” Katie chuckled.
They circled slowly around each other, both crouched in defensive positions. Katie watched the movements of his legs and arms. He stepped forward quickly and jabbed but Katie dodged, nodding her head as she slapped his hand aside.
Eric chuckled and tilted his head back and forth, stretching his neck.
Katie stepped forward, but leaned to the right when he attempted to kick her in the chest. She grabbed his leg and spun him around, pushing him playfully.
“You are doing better.” Katie laughed, bouncing up and down. “Just don’t react too soon.”
The two sparred for over an hour, Eric not once hurting Katie in the least. He almost had her down at one point, but she swept his legs and stood back up, laughing.
He was having fun with it…almost too much fun.
Katie knew he would be good for their team, but he would have to watch himself and not get too cocky.
When she was done there, she thanked him for a good workout and walked off toward weapons. She figured she and Calvin could end the day with some training in that area.
All the while, though, her mind was on the Seventy-Two. She wondered what else that book had to say.
Chapter Three
The sun was starting to go down as Katie sat on the edge of her bed, combing her hair after getting out of the shower.
She had worked on the bow and arrow with Calvin for the afternoon, figuring if Joshua could ever get the spray down they could put it on the arrows’ heads. She thought it would probably be good to know how to use the weapons in the armory, especially since she now owned a weapons manufactory.
Either way. she would end up taking it out for a test drive in the coming days.
Katie looked at the book, but her stomach growled, letting her know just how hungry she was. The guys had picked up chicken and potato salad and such but what she was really in the mood for was some delicious Italian food.
She had been craving it for like a week, but hadn’t really felt like going out with her normal babysitter.
Korbin never let her go anywhere alone unless she left without telling him, which was a serious breach in the rules. Korbin had questioned her on occasion, and she didn’t want to experience those occasions any more often than she already did.
Katie walked over to her closet and stood there a moment looking in, then pulled out some clothes.
She got dressed and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
The desire for Italian wasn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon, so she figured babysitter or not, that was her destination for dinner.
She left her room and made her way to Korbin’s office, laughing at the guys as they chowed down on fried chicken. It wasn’t often that they were all quiet at the same time, but with their mouths full they really had no choice.
Katie thought about messing with them, but her hunger for everything Italian had taken over like a storm.
She still couldn’t figure out why she was so damn hungry in the first place.
Either way she wasn’t going to sit around and be miserable, and the thought of fried chicken made her groan, so instead of saying anything she nodded at Calvin as she passed and climbed into the elevator. She leaned back against the wall as it took her down to the office, thinking about the book, the company, and everything that was going on. Her life was interesting; no one could take that away from her.
When she reached Korbin’s office, he had his head down and was typing something with emotion. Katie leaned against the frame and cleared her throat. He looked up and stopped typing, sitting back and nodding permission for her to come in. She smiled and meandered into the office, looking around.
“How was training with Eric?” he asked.
“All right.” Katie shrugged. “He thinks he is the fucking Hulk right now.”
Korbin pursed his lips, considering her information. “Should we be worried?”
“Worried?” She shook her head. “No, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him. You don’t want him to take stupid risks, and possibly get him or someone else killed. From what we can tell the demon inside him isn’t very big, but if it really wants to take over it could make a move. If he doesn’t dial his excitement at being Damned down just a bit, he could find himself on the opposite end of the stick.”
“And that wouldn’t be good at all.” Korbin sighed. “Well, thanks for sparring with him. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I was going to go to Bootlegger Italian Bistro on Las Vegas Blvd, the south side. They have some good Italian food, and I am craving Italian horribly,” Katie told him. “I figured I’d give you a heads-up, so you could send your spy after me while I was out. Unless you just want me to take him with me, like last time?”
“You are perceptive.” Korbin shook his head. “But no, not this time. Go have your Italian. Be safe, enjoy. The guys are all having a great time up there with their mound of chicken.”
“I know, I saw that,” Katie replied, laughing. “And are you sure? I mean, you normally want me to have a nursemaid. You know, with all those creepy people out there and how fragile I am, I could easily be pulled into a candy van.”
“You could.” He laughed, leaning back in his chair. “But I think I will go on faith here.”
“Thanks, boss.” She turned to leave.
“And a cannoli,” he added.
“You know,” Katie agreed, turning back around, “I think that for a little bit of freedom, a cannoli can be arranged. Any specific kind?”
“A traditional one.” He laughed. “None of that fancy shit.”
“Right. I’ll make sure to order it that way. ‘A cannoli—the traditional kind, with none of that fancy shit.’”
“Hey, I bet you that you wouldn’t be the first person who said that in a restaurant,” he surmised. “I grew up in an Italian household, so I tend to get a little picky about my cannolis.”
“Now you’re making me nervous.” She chewed on her lip. “Will the cannoli be up to Korbin’s standards? If it’s not, I just want to put out there that it is not only not my fault, I will not pay the punishment for it.”
“Ehhhh,” he said, squinting one eye, “all right. You drive a hard bargain, but that’s fair. No cleanup duty for you if the cannoli sucks, but that doesn’t mean I won’t go to this restaurant just to give them a piece of my mind.”
“Of course, boss.”
Katie walked out of the office laughing and shaking her head. Some days Korbin could be the most intimidating man on Earth, but on other days he was quite enjoyable to be around.
She was well aware he had a lot of responsibilities
, and they weren’t just about keeping the house afloat.
He felt responsible for every human soul in that building, and every human soul outside the building. Katie finally understood what Damian had meant when they first met about Korbin’s need to take care of the world being what would eventually kill him.
She was starting to agree with that statement wholeheartedly.
Katie rounded the corner into the garage and looked at the SUVs, which were parked in rows. She went over to the box on the wall and pulled out a set of keys for the one closest to the entrance. As she walked toward it Joshua climbed into Mamacita’s car, and it headed out.
Katie smiled as the little red sports car blew down the driveway. She stood there for a moment holding the keys in her hand and thinking before turning around and walking back into the complex. She pushed herself hard, running back up the stairs two at a time to Korbin’s office, and stood in his doorway breathing heavily.
“You forget something?” He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “Your lungs, perhaps?”
“Hold on,” she said trying to catch her breath. “I have…a…question.”
He chuckled. “All right. By all means! I’ll wait.”
She raised a middle finger. “Hey, don’t be snappy, or you’ll get a chocolate-chip-cookie-dough cannoli.”
“Oh, God.” He cringed.
She stood up. “So, I was downstairs in the garage, and I watched Mamacita drive off in her little red sports car with Joshua. And it got me thinking.”
“About Mamacita, or little red sports cars?”
“Neither,” Katie said, shaking her head and sitting down in a chair in front of his desk. “Is there some kind of rule against me owning my own vehicle?”
“No.”
“That’s great!” She smiled and waved her arms. “I would totally be a lot less conspicuous driving around in my own car. I could park normally, and no one would look at me because I hopped out of a souped-up, blacked-out SUV.”
“Yeah, sure.” He slowly nodded his head. “Though I think the car dealer might look at you funny.”
She froze. “Why?”
“Well, dead people don’t usually buy cars.” He shrugged.
Katie dropped her arms into her lap. “Shit.”
“Not sure how you would get it licensed and pay for it,” he continued.
“I’m legally dead.” She put her hand over her eyes. “Which is why my bank account was closed and I had to start hoarding my money in my mattress like a doomsday person.”
“Yep,” he said.
“I’m glad I didn’t go in there and question them.” Katie rolled her eyes. “They would have thought I was insane. Well, all right. Never mind.” She stood up.
“Sorry to burst your bubble,” Korbin called as Katie walked out of his office.
As she walked back to the garage she wondered briefly why the Damned weren’t issued new identities, but put it out of her mind in favor of getting some food into her stomach. She’d do something about it later—maybe start a revolution or something. She jumped in the SUV and headed over to Bootlegger, just happy to get some Italian in her. Sure, her bubble had been burst, but it wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last, either.
She parked the car and went inside, smiling at all the memories she had of going there years ago. On the inside the place was classy, with wooden accents, deep browns and reds in the carpet, and wallpaper she was sure was original from when they had first opened.
The waitress showed her into the bar and to the right, into a booth that had a picture of the Rat Pack on the wall. The small plaque above it talked about the members of the Rat Pack who had eaten in this booth so long ago.
The place was history. So many famous faces had gone through there, and still did. The first time she had gone, Celine Dion had come in with a couple of other people. She had almost died. They had a lounge area where there was live music, the bar, a dining area, and a club-like place on the other side that was fairly new.
The place where she was sitting was her favorite, though. She could watch everyone and eat delicious food at the same time.
It was the perfect choice for her, especially after all the stress she had been under. For an hour or two she could feel like a normal girl, not a demon-hunting Damned.
Katie smiled and looked down at the menu, her mouth already watering at the selections. There was the normal Italian you would find at restaurants like spaghetti, ravioli, and pizza, but then there was the stuff she loved to come there for.
The specialty salads, the manicotti, the steaks, and her personal favorite, the Scaloppini di Lorraine. She was pretty sure she could live there if they let her.
The problem at that point was deciding what exactly she wanted to get, and how much she could eat while still leaving room for tiramisu, which was her favorite dessert.
I want everything on this menu, Pandora said. I mean, like, everything.
Calm down, there. Katie chuckled.
I am dead serious here, woman. You have got to scratch my itch, Pandora grumped. Why do you think that you were craving it as badly as you were? Now, we definitely have to have steak, the ravioli is a must, and your veal dish—sure, why not?
Katie, for once, had to admit her insufficiency. I can’t eat that much.
Why not? Pandora asked. I’ll just up your metabolism when you start to get full, and poof—you can eat more food. Now, what time does this place close? We have some serious culinary destruction to get working on.
They don’t close. Katie sipped her water. They are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Pandora chuckled. That should be enough time.
Just don’t kill me Seven style, Katie groaned.
What is that? Pandora asked.
It’s this movie about a serial killer who kills people based on the seven deadly sins. One of the guys died due to gluttony, Katie explained.
That’s brilliant, Pandora said. Let me guess, they fed him to death?
Yep, Katie replied. His stomach burst.
Oh, God, Pandora cringed. That sounds like a delightfully terrible torture.
Don’t get all hell-demon on me at a time like this, Katie said. And by the way, I had no idea that you liked Italian food.
Are you kidding me? Pandora scoffed. I spent almost half a century in Italy shacked up with this hot Italian demon, eating this little old lady’s Italian cooking.
The little old lady lived that long? Katie asked.
Well, when she was animated by two horny demons she did, Pandora replied. That’s not the point. The point is, I pretty much ate from sunup to sundown, and then through the night. As soon as you walked into this place I felt like I was back there on the green hills drinking wine, naked in the sun. The food here smells on-point.
I love Italian too, but for a much less vibrant reason. Katie grabbed one of the small square bread pieces they served. My dad brought me here when I was a little girl. He was Italian, or part-Italian. He loved this place, and because he loved it I did too. Seriously, I don’t know why I haven’t come here before now.
It had been the first real thing the two of them had had in common. They both loved Italian food for oddly different reasons, but still…
When the waitress came to the table, she ordered two appetizers and an entrée to start.
Throughout the night the food poured in, plate after plate. The staff couldn’t believe that a tiny thing like Katie could put down that amount of food. Pandora was true to her word, though; as soon as she started to feel the least bit full she would ramp up her metabolism, and suddenly she would be ready to eat all over again.
She didn’t spend money like that often, but she figured there was nothing better to spend it on than wine and Italian food.
When they had tried everything on the menu that they wanted, they moved over to dessert. Luckily Katie was able to get Pandora to agree on a cannoli and tiramisu, and of course the cannoli to go for the boss man.
&n
bsp; If she’d let Pandora have her way, Katie would have diabetes by the time she left the place. The staff were very friendly, and boxed up some food for her to take with her.
Katie paid the tab and tipped generously, feeling like she could barely carry her body out of the place at that point.
Her pants were digging into her stomach, and her head felt like it was full of marinara sauce. She had definitely outdone herself.
Chapter Four
Damian walked into the living room and looked around. He nodded at Calvin, who was sitting on the couch drinking a bottle of water, then walked over to the window. From the padlock on the door of the company building, it was clear that even Joshua wasn’t there yet. He hadn’t seen or heard Katie come home the previous night, so he was worried about her.
“Whatcha looking for?” Calvin asked, standing up and stretching.
“I’m looking for Katie,” he answered.
“I think she’s still in her room,” his teammate told him. “I heard her come back in like the middle of the night, but she didn’t stop and talk to anyone—just went straight into her room and closed the door.”
“Huh,” Damian mused. “That’s not like her at all. And apparently Korbin let her go out on her own.”
“No shit?” Calvin exclaimed. “It must have been a fluke.”
“I hope so. I guess I’ll go wake her up, make sure that she’s okay.”
Damian walked to her door and knocked as he looked down at his watch. It was six in the morning, and he could hear faint moans coming from inside. He pulled his hand back and stopped, thinking that maybe he’d heard wrong.
He leaned his head against the door and heard another moan come from within. Immediately his cheeks heated; he thought he might have interrupted some private time. He kept listening, though, and realized that the noise expressed more pain than pleasure.
He rattled the door knob, but it was locked. Panic flew through him as the sound became louder. He turned and slammed his shoulder into the door, rattling it almost loose. A groan slipped from his throat when he felt pain throb through him.
