Paranormal Talent Agency Episodes 4-6

by Heather Silvio

  “To win the election.”

  “Why?”

  “Why, what?”

  “Why do you want to win this election? Why Las Vegas? Why now? You’ve been around over 2000 years. If you want power, there are larger regions.”

  A look of consternation flashed across his face. “Someone’s done their research.”

  “Mm-hmm.” No reason to tell him Olivia told me that little tidbit.

  “I don’t want so much power that I draw unwanted attention,” he answered.

  “That’s it?”

  “What’s your plan?” he asked instead.

  I cocked an eyebrow at him. “To win the election.”

  “Touché.” He laughed. “That’s all?”

  “What else is there?”

  “What about seeing me punished for what I did?”

  Mia’s visit and entreaty to rejoin them flitted through my mind. “You mean my throwing you under the bus, as you so quaintly put it?”

  “Yes.” His smile dropped.

  “I don’t care about any of that,” I lied.

  “Really?”

  “I said what I needed to in order to knock you down a few pegs in the polls. With only two days left before the election, I’m giving the citizens something negative about you.” I shrugged. “That’s all.”

  Now Mark quirked an eyebrow. “That’s all? Why don’t I believe that?”

  “Because you’re not a very trusting demon?”

  He chuckled. “Listen, Barbara. I don’t know what the group—”

  “Group?”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “The ones connected to that talent agency.” He looked baffled by the idea of an investigative talent agency and I snorted.

  “They’re more effective than you might think,” I mumbled.

  “Anyway, I don’t know what they’ve told you. But they lied.”

  “If you don’t know what they’ve told me, then how do you know they lied?” I thought my question was rather obvious. Still, Mark’s face darkened.

  “I can imagine what they’ve said.”

  “And you’re here, why? To correct the misinformation?”

  “They probably told you that Olivia could take care of me, right?” His triumphant smirk told me my shock showed on my face. “They did.”

  I nodded.

  “They’re lying.”

  “They are?”

  “Did they tell you who – or rather, what – Olivia is?”

  Curiosity got the better of me. “No, they didn’t, actually. I presume you know?”

  “She’s an archangel.”

  My eyes widened and I leaned back against the couch. “Wow.”

  “You know what this means, right?”

  “Of course,” I snapped. “She can send beings to hell.” I slyly smiled. “That’s what they meant, then. Olivia will send you back to Hell once they can prove you killed those people.”

  His face tightened. “Or, they’ll send you back.”

  Blood drained from my face. “They wouldn’t.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “They’re after you.”

  “This time. What happens when you do something they don’t like?” He stayed silent, no doubt watching the emotions play out across my face.

  Was this all a trap? Would Olivia send me to Hell after taking care of Mark? As punishment for trying to get my former minion Robin to kill Jackson? Or even for hiring Olivia to kill Mark? Would Liam go along with that?

  “You’re here to convince me to work with you, so neither of us gets sent to Hell?” I clarified.

  “Yes. I have a plan, but it will only work with your help.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “You need to mislead the talent agency group for two more days.”

  “Until after the election.”

  “Then, regardless of outcome, you and I can run the paranormal underworld together.”

  “We’re supposed to trust each other?”

  “We both have everything to lose if we don’t.”

  “Until the election,” I corrected. “Once one of us loses, the winner could easily choose to disregard this agreement.”

  He frowned. I was genuinely surprised that had not occurred to him. His face smoothed out. “We could make a pact.”

  Now I frowned. I had never made a pact with a fellow demon before, and wasn’t entirely sure how they worked. “I’m not comfortable with that.”

  “Then what do you suggest?”

  “We’ll just have to trust each other.”

  “Sure, I can do that,” he said easily.

  I hoped I wasn’t making another mistake, but holding onto my power was my destiny. I gave up so much, suffered in Hell even, for my destiny. And if I had to make a verbal agreement with another demon to hold on to my power, then so be it. Besides, it stung that the Paranormal Talent Agency group lied to me about Olivia. I couldn’t trust them; why not throw my hat in the ring with Mark? I nodded my agreement.

  “Here’s my plan,” he stated, and laid out the next couple of days.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Thank you all for coming,” I greeted the group scattered around my living room, seated on the couch, and chairs brought in from the kitchen. Mark had left an hour earlier after I made my flurry of calls and texts. Liam, Catherine, Mia, Jacob, Jackson, and Olivia stared at me. No Evie, of course; daylight didn’t mix well with vampires.

  “What is this about?” Catherine asked.

  “I met with Mark today.” I ignored the gasps in response and held up my hands. “It’s not what you think.” Well, actually, it was undoubtedly exactly what they thought. Time to disabuse them of that. The best lies contained mostly truth. “He showed up here unannounced.”

  Liam watched me with hooded eyes.

  “He asked me to join him against you.”

  “What did you tell him?” Mia asked.

  “I countered by asking why I should join with him. I wanted to get an idea of his game plan.”

  “How did that go?” Jacob asked.

  “He offered for us to team together to mislead you and, whatever the actual outcome of the election, we’d rule the underworld together.”

  “Interesting,” Robin commented. I looked at her for more. She remained silent, only exchanging a glance with Jackson.

  I made eye contact with Liam. This next piece was critical. “He told me that Olivia had the power to send him to Hell and that he assumed that was your plan.”

  “He did?” Liam asked.

  “He did. I was surprised to hear that Olivia was an archangel.” I took a calming breath before my eyes glowed red, and switched my gaze to the archangel in question.

  “We planned on telling you, Barbara,” Olivia explained.

  “You did?”

  “Yes. Honestly, we weren’t sure if you were aligned with us or not,” Mia answered.

  “Well, after I recovered from my shock, I asked Mark how I could trust him.”

  “He did try to kill you,” Jackson pointed out.

  “Not really. He knew the crash wouldn’t kill me. But, he had no real answer regarding me trusting him.”

  “How did the conversation end?” Liam asked this, his casual tone seemingly forced.

  “I told him I couldn’t trust him and that if I were him, I’d leave town before Olivia had the chance to send him to Hell.”

  Olivia leaned forward in her chair. “What was his response?”

  “At first he tried to argue that he was safe because you couldn’t prove he had done anything wrong.”

  “This isn’t a court of law,” Jacob commented with a shake of his head.

  Olivia was nodding. “True, Jacob, but you all know that Mark is right. Without true belief in his guilt, I am unable to do anything.”

  “What about past wrong doings?” Catherine asked.

  “That gets complicated,” Olivia side-stepped
. She looked at me to continue.

  “I told him that I intended to assist you in bringing him down. Literally,” I added with a twisted smile. “He didn’t like that and decided being here wasn’t worth all this trouble.”

  “He did?” Catherine asked, her mouth dropping open.

  “He did. I think he’s planning on approaching New York. Bigger market and all that,” I added.

  “Just like the entertainment industry,” Catherine chimed in with a laugh. “Sorry, occupational hazard.”

  “What does everybody think?” Jacob asked the group.

  Brows furrowed, frowns surfaced, and several sets of shoulders shrugged. They were definitely not sure. Of me. Of what Mark allegedly said. I caught myself tapping my fingers against my thigh and stilled them. I couldn’t appear uncertain. I waited them out. It was important that they came to this conclusion on their own.

  Mark and I had agreed we wanted to buy ourselves some time until the election. If they believed he left town, the little group would disband. And once he and I shared the power, we’d be unstoppable.

  Power was my destiny; and my visions told me repeatedly that for my future, even if the details weren’t clear, I needed to remain in power.

  “Okay,” Olivia said. “For now, we should operate as if this is true.”

  I bristled at the implication, though wasn’t too irritated, since technically, I was lying and she shouldn’t trust me. Oh the tangled webs we weave.

  “Will you be leaving town then?” I asked. Olivia gave me an odd look and I hurried to clarify. “To go to New York after Mark?”

  “Not just yet,” she answered slowly. “I’ll wait and see how the election goes.”

  Disappointment hit me. Mark and I had hoped that once she believed he’d left town, that she’d follow after.

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Of course not, Olivia. I would just hate for you to waste your time.”

  “How magnanimous,” Robin sniped.

  I glared at her. She needed to get over the whole minion thing; she’d willingly signed the pact with me, I didn’t force her.

  “It makes sense,” Jackson commented. “Since his name is still on the ballot. He could have lied to you. Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you’re telling the truth.”

  I nodded; how to spin this? I wasn’t going to convince Olivia to leave, so I needed to show I supported the group. “You’re absolutely correct. This late in the election cycle, there’s no legal way to remove any names from the ballot. Makes complete sense to just wait.”

  “Thanks for letting us know,” Mia said. “And thanks for joining back with us.”

  A flurry of guilt rose at her genuineness. “I like to pick the winning side.” I ignored Robin rolling her eyes at the comment.

  Jacob stood. “Thank you, Councilwoman. We’ll be in touch.” At this clear signal to the others, they stood and, after putting chairs back in the kitchen, headed en masse toward my front door. Liam held back some. I wondered why.

  After the others exited, Liam paused at the door. His foot tapped, a sure sign of his nervousness.

  “Did you want to stay?”

  Liam wordlessly closed the door and walked to my kitchen table. He waited for me to take a seat before joining me.

  “I know this is hard for you,” he began.

  You have no idea, I thought, but didn’t say. “Hmm-mm.”

  “I caught your little joke at the end, about the winning side.”

  “That wasn’t really a joke.”

  Liam reached for my hands and I let him. “Maybe not. You’re still trying to come back.”

  “I am?”

  “Don’t you see that.” The earnestness in his tone reignited my guilt over lying. “After all this time, you’re starting back down the path of good. Don’t you remember the beginning?”

  “The 1500s were a long time ago,” I said, biting my lip.

  Liam chuckled. “They were; and a long way away.”

  “Not anymore,” I corrected. “They have nonstop flights from Las Vegas to Ireland daily now.” We shared small smiles.

  “You gave your life to save others,” he continued, voice straining as he tried to convince me of his argument.

  I shook my head, yet didn’t remove my hands from the warmth and comfort of his. That day in the village, protecting the children from the marauders, was so long ago. I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t remember the feeling of dying, Liam dying by my side, bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Then the love of the white light that made me an angel. Liam squeezed my hand in the present.

  “Yes. You did, and you are. I know it feels foreign. It’ll come back to you.”

  “It will?” I whispered.

  “It’s like riding a bike.”

  “Which I’ve never done.”

  “Never?”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Consolidating power,” he said, unable to disguise the bitterness. His fingers tightened on mine.

  “Something like that,” I agreed. Turned out the wish for power hurt when you got cast down to Hell. But only briefly.

  “Maybe.”

  “Yes?” I didn’t understand his comment.

  “Maybe, when this is all over, we could try again.”

  My heart soared at the statement. Then it fell down to earth. I shook my head again. “Let’s not rehash that old argument. I made my choice.”

  Liam stroked my jawline with his knuckles. “You did, once. Yes. But you don’t have to make the same choice again. You’re already making different choices than you have in the past,” he insisted.

  “True.” I leaned my head into his fingers, enjoying the feel of his skin on mine. “Maybe,” I finally agreed and a wide smile lit up his face. I thought he might kiss me. Instead, he released me and stood.

  “Let’s wrap this up so we can move forward.”

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and followed him to the door. When it closed behind him, I leaned my forehead against the cool wood.

  What was I doing?

  Could Liam and I really turn back time and try again?

  Was Mark lying to me about Olivia?

  No, the Paranormal Talent Agency folks confirmed she could send both of us back to Hell.

  I had to protect myself. Even if it cost me my heart.

  I’d stick with the plan. While it was disappointing that Olivia wasn’t leaving town, that didn’t change anything. Tomorrow morning, Mark would launch the second step.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Good morning in the Valley,” Elizabeth Addison’s cheerful voice greeted viewers to her morning show, Entertainment Daily. I lounged on my couch, cup of coffee – black, of course – in hand. The camera panned to show a man in a sharp charcoal suit sitting in a blue chair across from Elizabeth. The camera panned back to her now-solemn face.

  “As many of you know, Mark Mammon is running against Councilwoman Barbara Knollman for the position of Mayor. The councilwoman came on this show and implied certain things about Mr. Mammon. He is here today to set the record straight.” She turned to face him and nodded. “Mr. Mammon, what do you want the viewers to know?”

  “First, thank you for allowing me this opportunity to clear the air. And, second, thank you for supporting this city with everything you do.” Elizabeth preened at the praise and I rolled my eyes. Oh, get on with it, Mark!

  Mark stared into the camera lens, which obligingly zoomed in on his handsome face. “Let me start by saying that this is not an attack on the Councilwoman,” he began. “She’s as much a victim in all of this as I am.” He straightened his not-crooked tie and thinned his lips. “This pains me to say. The bus crash that killed the other candidates was intended for me.” His eyes glistened as if fighting back tears.

  “Without providing details—” He held up his hand to stop Elizabeth from asking any questions. “—in order to preserve the ongoing investigation, I hav
e been targeted. And lives have been lost as a result. Because of this, I debated dropping out of the race entirely. I would hate for something to happen to the Councilwoman in an attempt to get to me.

  “But,” and his eyes became steel, “I will not hide from those seeking to harm me. I know I would be good for this city. And whether the citizens of Las Vegas vote for me tomorrow or not, I want them to have that choice. So many of their choices have already been taken away.”

  The camera switched to Elizabeth. I chuckled at her jaw dropped open. She snapped her mouth closed and smiled grimly. “And, there you have it folks. These are sinister times.” The camera pulled back; Mark opened his mouth to speak. Elizabeth jumped in with a finger raised.

  “Just one more thing, Mr. Mammon. What does all of this have to do with the paranormal underworld?” She smiled sweetly.

  He floundered in his response. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

  “I know you’re newer to Las Vegas, but you may have heard about my series of exposés regarding the supernatural beings that call Vegas home.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ve heard unsubstantiated whispers that the city council has something to do with the local governance of these beings.”

  Having figured out where Elizabeth was going, Mark recovered. “I wouldn’t know anything about that, Elizabeth,” he responded, voice slick as an oil field.

  “Are you denying that there’s a connection between the supernatural underworld, the acting industry, and the city council?” she pushed, all traces of a smile vanished. The brunette human could certainly be tenacious.

  “I do not,” he enunciated. “I simply wish for the opportunity to guide my adopted home to the greatest heights possible.”

  Elizabeth swung her head to face the nearest camera and grinned. “As many questions as answers. Don’t forget to tune in on Friday for my latest Mythical Being of the Week segment. Have a wonderful day in the Valley,” she signed off and a commercial played.

  I wasn’t sure what impact those last questions would have, but Mark put on a great show. I figured he’d call in about a minute. I set my coffee mug down on the table just as my phone rang. Perfectly predictable.