“When Mark arrives, I’m going to ask him his plan. I’m not going to ask him if he killed the candidates.”
“Succinct.”
“I try.”
We shared a smile.
“I’ve missed this,” I blurted out. Liam and I wore matching looks of surprise before he responded with a ghost of a smile.
“If you could go back, would you make the same choice?” Liam stared intently, waiting for my answer.
I hesitated. Go back 400 years? Our flirtation was always fun, but it wasn’t my destiny. “Probably,” I admitted and he nodded.
“Have you thought about how you’ll ask him?” Liam deftly changed the subject.
“So it doesn’t sound like a trap?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ll just play on his expectations.”
“Yeah?”
“If he knows I’m a demon, he wouldn’t have expected me to die. He has to figure I’ll want to know more. He almost certainly expected me to call a meeting like this.”
“At your home?” Liam pursed his lips.
“Less threatening that way. More open.”
“Maybe.”
“Probably.” I shrugged. “He and I have been playing this game a long time.”
“Indeed.”
That unreadable look passed over Liam’s face again. The doorbell rang.
“He’s here,” I said needlessly.
“I’ll hide in the bedroom.”
I bit my lip at the image. Liam smiled wolfishly before loping out of the room. I crossed to the front door in seconds, took a deep breath, and opened it with authority.
CHAPTER NINE
Mark Mammon was a handsome man, and knew it. He sidled close to me in the open doorway and offered a sly smile.
“May I come in?”
Taken aback, I hesitated in responding.
“You asked me here, remember?” He winked.
I shook my head. “Of course, come in.” I stood to the side and he sauntered past. Hand on my hip, I watched with increasing irritation as he made himself right at home on the living room couch. He crossed one slacks-clad leg over the other.
“Are you coming?”
“Mmm-mm,” I mumbled and followed his path.
Heat rolled off of him. I inched back further from him on the couch. His knowing smile snapped me out of it. I was a demon, too. Why was I letting him get to me?
“Thank you for meeting with me,” I started. “You must be wondering why I invited you here.”
Mark’s black eyes stayed on my face, unblinking. Two could play that game. I allowed a bit of red to glow around my pupils. His smile slipped a fraction, but there was no exclamation of surprise. That answered the question of whether or not he knew I was a demon.
“On the night of the bus crash, you texted me. Why?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” His look of confusion was convincing. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe it.
“You expected me to be on the bus,” I pushed.
“We were both supposed to be on the bus.”
“Why weren’t you on the bus?”
“Last minute change of plans.”
“That was convenient.”
“For you, too.”
“Did you know the driver never hit the brakes?”
Slight rise of his eyebrows was the only indicator that my question surprised him. “How do you know that?”
“Sources. You didn’t answer my question.”
“I didn’t.”
That stymied me for a moment. “What changed in your plans to keep you off the bus?”
“What changed in yours?”
I thinned my lips in displeasure.
Mark laughed. “I can do this all night.” He leaned his elbows on his knees. “Why do you care about the crash?”
“Why should I care if someone tried to kill me?”
He shrugged. “They didn’t succeed.”
“No. It’s almost as if they didn’t know I was a demon and couldn’t be killed that way.”
Mark rolled with my admission. “Or they had some other intent.”
I lifted an eyebrow.
“Maybe the goal wasn’t to kill all the candidates. You’ve been around. You know what the reduction in candidates means. It’s easier now. It’s just between you and me,” he said with a grin. “With only two candidates, one of us will have the majority in the primary election in five days, and then there won’t be a need for a general election later in the year.”
“Technically, the other names remain on the ballot, this close to the election. People can still vote for any of us, even the dead ones.”
He frowned and I smiled.
“You’ve been around so long and you didn’t know that?”
He coughed and my smile widened.
“Besides, possibly someone may still try to kill me. Or you,” I added, watching for even the most minute of reactions.
“That’s true. Anything could happen.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know more about it, would you?”
Mark coyly smiled. “What more could I know?”
“Nothing, I guess.” I bit my lower lip, an action he didn’t miss. “How did you do it?” I finally just baldly asked him.
“Hypothetically?”
“If you wish.”
“How would I do it?”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
I stood. “I think we’re done here.” This was one of those times I wished for my enchanted bullets. Immortal demons could be killed; you just needed the right weapon. He infuriated me.
He rose and smoothed imaginary wrinkles from the front of his navy-blue cashmere sweater. “Thank you for the invitation. This has been… educational.”
“Indeed.” I walked toward the front door, listening to the sound of his footsteps behind me on the marble.
At the doorway, Mark took my hand and kissed it. “Until next time.” I snatched it back, ignoring his grin, and flashed red eyes. “Now, now, Barbara. That’s not necessary.”
I watched him until he got in his car, then I closed the door. I didn’t slam it, though I really, really wanted to. When I turned around, Liam was standing next to the couch, that unreadable look on his face.
CHAPTER TEN
“That went well,” I spat out, stalking over to stand beside Liam. His face softened. He took my hands in his, startling me.
“It wasn’t that bad. We learned more information.”
“Like he doesn’t know how local elections work?”
Liam laughed and released my hands. We sat on the couch, knees inches apart. “Yeah, we did learn that,” he agreed.
I rolled my head in a circle, releasing tension from my neck. “I don’t know why I let him infuriate me. I’m a demon who’s been in power here for years.” That unreadable look passed again on Liam’s face. I considered commenting this time, but it vanished almost as fast as it arrived.
“I understand you’re… dissatisfied with how that meeting went.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“No doubt. I think, though, we should focus on what else we learned.”
“Ah, that angel positivity,” I quipped and Liam chuckled.
“You had that once, too,” he reminded me.
I sobered. “That was a long time ago. But, you’re right. Although he didn’t acknowledge it, I think we’re safe in assuming our presumption was correct, given his hypothetical.”
“An assumption about our presumption? Say that three times fast,” he joked.
A giggle escaped before I could demand he take this seriously. “I don’t think I can,” I said instead. “You know what I mean!”
“I do,” he said softly. The energy between us thickened. I wondered if he could see my desire in my black eyes as clearly as I could see his desire in his blue ones. He blinked and glance
d away, breaking the moment. Disappointment flooded me.
Back to business. “We confirmed indirectly he’s the killer – or at least arranged the killing. He also suggested I’m still on his hit list. Not that he’d be successful,” I boasted.
“You’re that confident?”
“When you have a built-in warning system…”
“Of course.”
No need to mention I wasn’t sure if my precognition was on the fritz. I’d stick with being confident; it was my area of strength, after all.
“I trust you’re not suggesting we not worry about him.”
“Absolutely not. He’s a danger. Possibly to me physically. And politically.” Liam and I wore matching frowns. I suspected his frown had a different meaning. No reason to speculate on that now.
“Plus, he could hurt other innocents,” Liam reminded me.
“Right, right. Our goal remains unchanged,” I concluded.
“I’ll speak with Catherine, Mia, and the others. Catch them up on tonight’s meeting. Our goal is still to get him to confess. I’ll speak with them about how best to approach that, since tonight you basically asked him, and he refused to answer.”
“I think we’ve shown the direct approach won’t work. We need to sneak up on him, verbally.”
“I’ll let you know what they say.”
“Thanks. And thanks for being here tonight.”
“Of course.” Liam offered a crooked smile.
Impulsively, I leaned in to give Liam a hug. He tensed and I began to pull away, then his strong arms encircled me. He felt good. This felt good. An angel and a demon wouldn’t have a future together – I had made sure of that years ago – but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy this time.
“I have to go,” he whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
I pulled back and offered him my own crooked smile. “I know.”
“I’ll let myself out.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Liam rested his hand against my cheek for a moment before standing. He walked toward the front door, his shoes silent against the marble. I continued staring at the door after he was gone, until the swirling mist informed me of an impending premonition.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I reclined on the couch, hoping this premonition would clarify what I had seen before. A man appeared in the haze. I frowned. It was the same man as before, still only visible from behind. Dark hair. Feelings of love, hate, power, and betrayal. A frustrated growl slipped out. This wasn’t helping. I didn’t need a repeat of the prior premonition.
As if hearing my unspoken gripe, the vision faded and a new one appeared. I sighed. Olivia Williams again, blue eyes sparkling, a half-smile on her face. Blue hair contained in a French braid. The smile dropped and Olivia stared, seemingly at me, beseeching me.
To do what?
Olivia turned and walked away. After about ten feet, she stopped. My breath caught in my throat. This was different from last time. She glared at me over her shoulder. When I didn’t seem to “get it”, she shook her head and gestured that I should follow her. My vision of the image zoomed in and she smiled – before blinking out of existence.
The dark-haired man replaced her. I squished my eyes closed tighter, willing the man to turn around so I could see his face. The mist obscured even the texture of his hair. His head dipped back. In pain? In joy? The image vanished and my eyes popped open.
I realized with a start that I was drenched in sweat. This was an unwelcome development. A frown flitted across my face as I considered this new premonition. The dark-haired man, I still assumed, must be Mark or Liam. I bit my lip in concentration. Maybe I could be more certain if I figured out the emphasis on Olivia. Because the premonition definitely emphasized her.
Olivia’s apparent irritation; I assumed that was with me. But why? She beckoned me toward her. Again, the question of why reverberated in my brain. She had been important to my visions before, and here she was yet again. If my precognition was back on track, it was even more important for me to correctly figure out its intention with these images.
Olivia beckoned me. That much was clear. And it was related to the dark-haired man. Given those overriding emotions, especially of hate and betrayal, I felt safe in believing the dark-haired man was Mark Mammon.
What would Olivia have to do with Mark? Like a lightning bolt, if that wasn’t too cliché, it hit me. Olivia came to my premonition before when she was being targeted by a hitman. She wanted me to reach out to her… for assistance in removing the source of the hate and betrayal? I ruminated on this possibility.
What if?
I organized my thoughts.
What if the premonition was telling me that Olivia could solve the problem with Mark? I didn’t fully know her background. My previous premonition featuring her had never clearly stated her importance. I’d just trusted that she was important.
But I’d heard rumors that Olivia had taken care of supernatural beings in the past. Could she be a contract killer like Evie’s sire had been?
I sat up and snapped my fingers. That had to be it. The premonition was telling me to hire Olivia to kill Mark.
A voice at the back of mind reminded me I had never killed anyone before and that maybe now wasn’t the time to start. I stomped on that little voice.
If my visions were accurate again, I didn’t want to disregard one. Just because it had gone sideways before didn’t mean this was the wrong choice.
With another shake of my head, I walked to my home office to fire up my laptop. The last I heard, Olivia was in New Mexico.
I dashed off a quick email to a contact there requesting information.
That voice in my head reminded me of the disastrous last time I tried to hire a contract killer. My fists clenched on the desk. This time would be different.
A ding announced a new email and I scanned it quickly. My contacts were good. I called the number listed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice,” I greeted the blue-haired ethereal woman now seated on my couch. I didn’t normally like to conduct business in my home, but that seemed to be the way this situation was staying. A nervous energy trilled through me. Something about this woman… being. I wasn’t entirely sure what she was. She wasn’t human, I could tell that.
“Thank you for sending the private jet for me,” Olivia Williams responded, an odd glint in her bright blue eyes. “I’ve never traveled on one before. It was an interesting experience.”
“It seemed the most efficient. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I paused, taking in her flowing white shift, and regal bearing. She looked like an angel, if I was being honest. A knot formed in my stomach. Was I about to make another huge mistake?
No, I had to trust my instincts. How much to tell her? She stared at me impassively, waiting while I wrestled with my inner thoughts. So serene. Screw it.
“In four days, a primary election for the mayor of Las Vegas will be held. A fatal bus crash reduced the field to myself and one other candidate, Mark Mammon.” Her eyes narrowed for a moment at the name. “Do you know him?”
“I do.”
Distracted from my purpose, I switched directions. “What can you tell me about him?”
“What do you already know?”
“He’s a demon older than I am.”
Olivia nodded. “Indeed.”
“That’s all I really know. I could give you the details of the names my investigator ran down, if you’d like. All it does is confirm those basics. He’s a demon older than I am,” I repeated.
“Mark… Mammon,” she stumbled at his last name, “was friends with Caesar.”
I gasped. That made him Roman, as I’d suspected. Also, over 2000 years old.
She held up her hand. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Interesting that she didn’t say that was all she knew. I returned to my original goal. “I under
stand that you take care of problems.”
Olivia gave a Cheshire-cat grin. “That’s one way to describe what I do.”
Her response threw me. “How would you describe what you do?”
“I reward and punish behavior.”
Hmm, okay. “That’s an interesting description,” I said cautiously, mind swirling. Maybe my sources were wrong?
“What is it you would like me to do?”
I seized on her earlier words. “I would like you to punish someone for his behavior.”
She nodded. “Mark Mammon, I presume. For what?’
“For killing the other mayoral candidates.”
She tilted her head. “You have proof of this?”
I reddened. “It’s fairly well acknowledged.”
“It is.”
I couldn’t tell if this was agreement or simply confirming what I had said. I felt flustered. “I’m also worried that he may still try to kill me,” I added. “He implied as much to me.” She nodded again. “There’s only four days until the election…” I continued before trailing off.
“You would need this situation handled before that deadline.”
Once again, I couldn’t tell if this was agreement or simply confirming she understood what I had said.
“Your eyes are glowing,” she said.
The conversational tone calmed me. “Apologies.”
She waved off the apology. “The situation will be handled before the deadline.”
“Um, great?”
“I’ll be in touch.” She grinned again and stood from the couch. “I’ll see myself out.”
When the door closed behind her, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. I had done it. Mark Mammon would be a problem no more. And then I could get back to managing this city and the paranormal underworld.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Butterflies fluttered in my belly and I nearly rolled my eyes at myself. Nervous like a teenage girl before a first date. When Liam texted to invite me to lunch, I didn’t even try to deny the thrill that went through me. It dimmed a little at the location choice – Soprannaturale, a paranormals-only café near my office. To say a demon would not be welcome there would be an understatement. But maybe Liam didn’t know that.
Paranormal Talent Agency Episodes 4-6 Page 12