by Michael Todd
By the time Calvin pulled back up to the house in his Jeep, there were at least a half a dozen cops there. He took the gun from the back of his pants and left it on the passenger seat. He didn’t want to approach armed until he introduced himself. He hopped out of the Jeep and headed over, stopping at the cop who was securing the perimeter.
The cop put out his hand. “I’m sorry. There has been an incident. You cannot come past here.”
Calvin nodded and shook his phone in the air. “I’m the one who called you guys in the first place. My name is Calvin.”
One of the other cops put his hand up and called, “Hey, Marv, let him through. We need to talk to him.”
The cop nodded and Calvin reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. The other cop met him on the sidewalk. “I’m Officer Howard. We received your phone call and came straight over. Were there any injuries?”
Calvin shook his head. “Not on our end. I think I hit the perp, though. She drove off pretty fast.”
The cop raised an eyebrow. “You were shooting back?”
Calvin opened his wallet and handed the cop his credentials. “I’m Calvin from Katie’s Killers. The person who attacked me was a red-eyed demon.”
Another cop came up and looked down at the credentials. The two cops stared at each other for a moment, blown away that they were there with one of the famous mercenaries. “We know who you are. Not only have we all watched you guys on television, but some of the guys back at the station worked with your team when you used to come in to help out with incursions. Good to see you are still alive and kicking.”
Calvin chuckled, putting his wallet back in his pocket. “It’s no thanks to situations like this. We were eating dinner and this woman with short blond hair, slender, about five seven, just started shooting through the house.”
The cop’s eyes went wide. “And no one was hit by bullets?”
Calvin looked down at the hole in his shirt and pants. “Well, I guess I got hit, but they weren’t special metal bullets. They were regular, so I was able to work them out.”
He tipped his glasses and flashed his red eyes. One of the cops took a step back, but the other stood firm. He wrote a note on a piece of paper and handed it to the other cop. “Get an APB out on a woman with short hair…”
Calvin leaned forward. “Driving a red Corvette.”
Officer Howard nodded, pointing to the other cop. “Driving a red Corvette. She has a possible bullet wound.”
The other cop nodded and ran off. Calvin looked at Officer Howard. “So, what is next?”
Howard put his notebook in his pocket and looked at the house. “We’re going to get the crime scene investigators out here to comb the area for anything that might help us identify this person. You said she was a demon?”
Calvin nodded. “Infected. But yeah.”
Howard shook his head. “So if we can find evidence—fingerprints, hair, anything—we should be able to run her DNA and prints through the system.”
Calvin looked down at his hands. “What about my family?”
Howard took a deep breath. “Right now, there is nothing we can do except offer them protective custody.”
Calvin pursed his lips and shook his head. “No. I think I got that covered.”
Howard understood. “To be honest, when you are dealing with demons, they just might be safer with you than in SDPD protective custody. We aren’t equipped like you guys are. We’re getting there, but not yet.”
Calvin gave him a friendly grin and reached out, shaking the officer’s hand. “Thank you for doing this. I’d like to get back to my wife if that’s okay. She’s pregnant, and she’s pretty shaken up.”
Howard handed him his card. “Of course. We have your number from the call, but get ahold of me anytime you want. We are going to do our best to get to the bottom of this. If anything else happens, though, please pick up the phone and call us immediately. We may not be Katie, but we can definitely back you up if you need it.”
Calvin nodded. “Thanks.”
He turned and walked away from the house, glancing back at the mess that was left in the wake of the incident. The fence was torn to hell, sand was thrown everywhere, and the front window was completely gone. There were bullet holes peppering the whole front of the house, and chunks of wall missing inside. The mole sauce that had been made for a family celebration dripped off the table onto the floor. Their once peaceful and comfortable home was tainted by the stench of demons. And Calvin hated it.
He jumped in the Jeep and headed out, shaking his head at the peel-out marks in the road. As he turned onto the bridge, he looked out over the ocean. He was tired of putting his family in danger, but that was the life he’d chosen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one Sofia had consciously chosen. Still, he knew she would not go anywhere. She loved him too much.
Nate cleared his throat, getting Calvin’s attention. Sorry I couldn’t work faster on you.
Calvin chuckled. Are you kidding me? You were fine. My last demon took years and years to even speak to me. You saved my life, and you made it possible for me to save my family’s lives. That definitely is more than I ever thought would happen.
Nate laughed. Well, don’t get too mushy. I do it for the perogies, the pizza rolls, and the chocolate cake. If you kick the bucket, I’ll be sent back to hell and forced to eat fucking kittens. I hate when the fur gets stuck between your teeth.
Calvin wrinkled his nose as he pulled into the hotel’s parking lot and went around the back to park in front of the room. He turned the lights off and sighed, then slowly got out of the car. He stood in front of the door and knocked. “It’s Calvin.”
He could hear someone undoing the locks, and the door creaked open. Sofia’s father peeked out. He nodded and opened the door. The man glanced at Sofia, who was curled up in the bed. Calvin patted him on the shoulder and walked over, pulling himself up behind her.
She grabbed his hand and sighed. Calvin felt terrible. He didn’t even know what to say to her. There was no sugarcoating it. They had all come close to dying, and it was completely his fault. “I’m sorry my visit is turning out like this. I swear I would never have come here if I had known that this would happen. I would have never put you in danger.”
He leaned over Sofia, seeing her nod, a smile moving over her lips.
“I have to say,” she murmured, “I’m sort of getting used to it.”
Katie put her last shirt into the dresser and tucked her suitcase into the closet. Pandora sniffed. Now what?
Katie yawned. Now we meet to go over everything.
Katie grabbed a pen and a notebook and walked out of her room, shutting the door behind her. She looked to her right and smiled, seeing Juntto walking down the hall, his body morphed into what looked like Einstein, only young. “Nice lab coat.”
Juntto chuckled, his body morphing back into a smaller Juntto form. “I scared Angie when she got out of the shower. She jumped right out of her towel.”
Katie laughed. “Mission accomplished.”
The two walked through the apartment into the dining room, where Korbin was already sitting at the table with a blueprint in front of him. He looked up at Katie and Juntto and smiled. “I made coffee if you want some.”
Katie and Juntto didn’t say a word, just beelined into the kitchen and grabbed big mugs of coffee. When they came back out, Katie sat down at the table, clutching her coffee in both hands after dropping her notebook and pen. “You would think after traveling all over the world, moving through dimensions, and visiting hell, jet lag would be non-existent in my life.”
Korbin chuckled. “Your human is showing.”
Katie laughed and looked down at the blueprints. “So, the fort. We are talking walls, guns, and…”
Korbin put his finger on the tower structure. “A special tower that looks out over Notre Dame.”
Katie nodded. “Right. Okay. So we are not only protecting the city, or at least part of it, we are protecting the cathedral
.”
Juntto wrinkled his nose. “Why are humans so obsessed with those things? It’s just a building.”
Korbin put up his finger. “Normally I would agree with you, but this specific cathedral has a unique system of catacombs underneath. It is a known place of power and has had issues with demonic gatherings in the past. The demons are drawn to those tunnels. We are charged with making sure that the fort is capable of protecting the area.”
Juntto groaned, rubbing his face. “So why not just knock down the building and get rid of it?”
Katie looked slowly at Juntto. “Because it’s Notre Dame. Don’t you have structures in your dimension that stand for your history and your people and played a role in your civilization?”
Juntto rubbed his chin and nodded. “Actually, yes. The great phallic statue of Cherry Sticks.”
Korbin put his hand to his cheek, trying not to laugh. “I want to not ask, but my mind won’t let me. What is it?”
Juntto shrugged. “Easy. It’s a big statue of a cat’s dick. Cherry Sticks was one of our king’s cats. He was very famous. Influenced a lot of people.”
Katie raised an eyebrow. “The cat or the king?”
Juntto snorted. “The cat, of course.”
Katie glanced at Korbin, who shook his head. Katie blinked and looked back down at the blueprints. “So, these walls… They are pretty high?”
Korbin nodded. “Yep. About twenty feet.”
Juntto leaned forward, gazing at the drawing. “Will the city allow even taller walls?”
Korbin furrowed his brow. “I mean, I’m sure they would allow anything that would keep them safe. Twenty feet is pretty tall, though.”
Juntto sat back, taking a sip of his coffee. “Some of the demons they have down there are pretty fucking tall. I met some that would literally tower over me at my largest. If they come through, your twenty-foot walls will be nothing more than a small hindrance in their movement.”
Korbin tapped the pen on his lips. “That is a really good point. I guess I should have thought about demons like Moloch and T’Chezz.”
Juntto shook his head. “Think bigger, and with fewer brains. They have barely any fear of anything, and once they are locked onto their target, they will do anything to get to it. They will destroy, murder, and even kill their own. Soulless creatures, even worse than the normal demons that lurk around.”
Katie looked at Juntto, confused. “Those demons have souls.”
Juntto shrugged. “Sure. That’s ultimately what they are. They are souls manifested into a physical form that shows who they really are: snarling, disgusting, savage beasts. A lot of them used to be humans of the worst kind. They were murderers, rapists, and serial killers. And their souls suffer in hell.”
Katie nodded. “I guess that makes sense. That’s how they enter human bodies, and why they can be exorcised.”
Angie stepped through the doorway of the dining room at that moment, putting her hands in the air and twirling in a circle. She was wearing a pink peacoat, a black pencil skirt that fell right below her knees, and white-tip black heels. Her hair had been curled into ringlets. Her large rimmed sunglasses hid her eyes but couldn’t even begin to touch the smile that was radiating from her cheeks.
She walked over and kissed Juntto on the cheek. “I am ready for my day out. Baguettes on the river, coffee at a café, and shopping on the Champs-Élysées. Oh, my dreams are coming true!”
Juntto lifted his eyebrows. “Do I have to come?”
Angie tipped her glasses down and stared at him before giggling and shaking her head. “No, silly. I know you have a big scary wall to build that will be covered in lots of pew-pew guns. Figured I wouldn’t be much help in that department.”
Katie gave her a knowing grin. “Weren’t you supposed to be assisting me?”
Angie hummed, skipping around the table. She leaned down and kissed Katie on the cheek. “I am. I know your shoe size.”
Katie laughed. “Have fun, and be careful out there. You never know what might be hiding around the corner.”
Angie trotted through the house, yelling back at her, “Fashion and beauty, too much for the eye to behold. I will be back with stars in my eyes and France in my heart. Mwah!”
They listened, waiting to hear the door shut. Korbin laughed, tilting his head back. “She is quite the personality.”
Katie smiled. “That she is. She is so different from when I first saved her from her abusive ex. Then she was meek, timid, and quiet. Now… Well, now I’ve created a monster.”
Juntto rubbed his temples, nodding. Katie patted his shoulder. “Let me guess—she has been this way since you told her you were going to France.”
Juntto nodded. “From the very second. I’m serious. Down to the second. One minute she is Hygge, the next minute she is prancing around the living room in white gloves and a big puffy skirt, humming to herself. She didn’t sleep for three days. She stayed up reading every website she could on Paris and all the things to do here.”
Katie covered her mouth, giggling. “A girl can dream. It is obvious you have just helped her fulfill one of hers by giving her a trip to France.”
Juntto sighed. “Mmhmm. Now if I can just keep her from driving me nuts…”
Katie, Juntto, and Korbin spent all day going over the plans for the fort. They listed all of the supplies Katie brought and then created a separate list of all the guns and ammunition they would need before they were able to move on to the next phase. They went through three pots of coffee, and an entire plate of sandwiches that had been left in the fridge. By the time Angie got back, they were all ready to take a break.
Everyone immediately split up, ready to do their own thing. Juntto and Angie headed out for a somewhat romantic dinner at Crêperie Brocéliande. Angie spent the time telling him about every single thing she’d seen and done during the day. Juntto thought her excitement was adorable, which was good because it was the only thing that kept him sane throughout the recital. That, and the fact that Angie never stopped him when he continued to order more and more crêpes and cider as they sat there in the French night air with instrumental music playing melodically.
Korbin, however, had already been out to see the city, and without Stephanie, he didn’t feel it was as magical. Besides, he knew if he explored too much without her, she would kill him. He knew this because she had told him at least a dozen times. Instead, he headed to the gym, trying to make sure that he could keep up when an incursion occurred. During the last one, he had found himself a bit out of breath, and not as strong as he used to be. The only cure for that was a really good workout at least five times a week.
Korbin had asked Katie if she wanted to join him, but she opted for a flight around the city, buzzing by the Eiffel tower, which was all lit up at night. Her wings beat strongly as she looked down at the couples kissing on the lawn under the lights. She shook her head, not knowing whether she was grossed out by the love on display or jealous that she didn’t have it.
Pandora chuckled. Probably a bit of both. You know you’re missing your burning hunk of musician love right now.
Katie rolled her eyes. No. I am capable of missing romance without a specific person in mind.
Pandora scoffed. Yeah, right. You…
Katie put her hand out as she soared around the tower. Shhhh. Do you feel that?
Pandora focused in. Yep. There is danger somewhere around here.
Katie narrowed her eyes, finding the cause of the tingle right below her at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. There was a mugging in progress, and Katie was ready for action. She folded her wings to her back and rocketed down, landing on one knee between the mugger and a young man with his hands up. She slowly stood up and nodded to the guy, watching him run off, yelling “Thank you” as he went.
She turned around and found herself staring at a broad male chest. Slowly she tilted her head back and found a very tall mugger holding a knife towering over her. In broken English, the mugger grumbled loudly, “Yo
u think you can take me, little girl?”
Katie slowly began to smile and batted her eyelashes. “Oui oui, motherfucker.”
She reared back, jumping high into the air and pounding her fist straight into his face. Landing, she whirled, kicked him hard in the side, and knocked him to the ground. Pandora giggled. Ah, to be under the lights of Paris. So much love in the air.
12
Calvin nodded at Sofia’s dad. They were trying to be quiet as they moved around the hotel room. Both Sofia and her mother were still sound asleep. “Breakfast? Want to come with me to pick it up?”
Sofia’s father gave him a thumbs-up and they quietly exited, carefully shutting the door behind them. They jumped into the Jeep with Calvin behind the wheel and headed three blocks down to a donut shop. Normally Calvin would walk, but he didn’t feel it was safe enough for that. As they pulled up to the shop, he put the car in park and took a deep breath.
He looked at her father. “I want to take a second to truly and sincerely apologize for everything. I would have never put Sofia’s life in danger like this, or that of our unborn child. I had no idea anyone was after me. I’ve spent the last month working on building forts, with some intermittent fighting here and there. But never was I hunted down or zeroed in on to kill. I will get to the bottom of this. I swear it.”
Sofia’s dad sat quietly for a moment before responding, “Calvin, it is not a surprise that my daughter’s life is in danger. She is my baby girl. I have taken care of her and raised her the best way I knew how, so watching her almost get riddled by bullets was a shock to the system. That being said, there is no question that my daughter loves you with every fiber of her being, and I can tell from the way you protect her that you feel the same about her.”
Calvin nodded. “That is very true. I have loved Sofia from the moment I set eyes on her. Part of me wanted to run away in order to keep her safe after we got back to the US, but I know that she is just as unsafe without me as with me. Probably safer with me, because I can protect her. I know we didn’t do things the way you would have liked us to. I wanted to marry her and she wanted to marry me, the key part there being her wanting to marry me. She wanted to do it immediately, and you know her. Once she’s got something in her mind, she goes through with it no matter what it takes.”