by Michael Todd
This conversation is enthralling. Pandora yawned in Katie’s mind. I mean, how am I supposed to concentrate on anything else while learning about the drinking habits of a mercenary priest?
Then do something else, Katie replied.
Like what? It’s not like I can go out for a walk. Jackass McJackass rather failed to give me a few pointers before I came topside this time. She sighed. Oh, look there’s a television. Why are they spinning that big wheel?
What? Katie turned to look at the television. Oh, it’s a game show.
A what? Pandora asked, interested.
A game show, Katie said. People go on there, play the game and try to win prizes and money.
Fascinating, Pandora remarked. Do they pay to go on it?
No. They usually apply and get chosen, but that one is based on the audience. You buy a ticket, go sit in the show audience, and they randomly choose audience members to participate.
They are so excited, Pandora said.
Mostly because they get to be on television. Katie chuckled. People will do anything to be on television. There are these things called “talk shows” that people make up crazy stories to get on.
Like that Oprah lady?
Yeah, but she is legit, Katie said. I’ll show you later.
Mmmhmm, Pandora said, lost in the show.
“So how is your demon?” Damian asked, noting her distraction.
“Fascinated with the game show on the television,” Katie replied, “but altogether a pain in the ass.”
I heard that, Pandora told her. But the answer is… Fuck! How the hell did they solve that with only three fucking letters showing? Are you cheating, you white hussy?
Katie ignored Pandora’s byplay.
“Demons being a pain in the ass is rather normal.” He laughed.
“I have a question.” Katie stirred her tea.
“All right, shoot.”
“Why can’t demons survive out of the body?” She took a sip of her tea.
“In a way they can,” he answered. “The new ones need a body to adjust, but there are the spirits, and the possessions.”
“Oh,” Katie said with a confused look on her face.
“You know what?” He leaned back and eyed Katie. “I think it’s time you learned something.”
“Okay,” she said. “What is it?”
“It’s better that you see it in person rather than hear about it,” Damian told her, taking a sip of his beer. “We’ll finish lunch and head out.”
2
Korbin and Calvin drove through the city to the Grand Hyatt, where the other team leads were staying.
They made their way through the marbled lobby and the loud casino, the music of slot wheels rotating and clicking floating through the air.
The smell of smoke and stale drinks floated from the VIP lounge as they passed by. Calvin glanced at the very well-dressed men gambling away their money like they were playing penny slots, then shook his head and jogged forward to catch up with Korbin. They turned a corner and walked into a large private banquet room separated from the chaos.
Korbin smiled kindly, greeting the six people sitting around the large mahogany table in the center.
He glanced at Calvin and nodded toward the two empty seats in the center of the table. They walked over as Calvin stared at the unfamiliar faces.
This was Calvin’s first time accompanying Korbin to one of these meetings, so he was gun-shy.
“It’s good to see everyone,” Korbin said. “Are you guys having a good time in Vegas?”
“I have to say it’s one of my favorite spots,” a dark-red-haired woman said, looking at the guy to the right of her. “I definitely gambled too much last night.”
“It has a way of sneaking up on you.” Korbin laughed, pointing to his right. “Everyone, I would like you to meet my team leader, Calvin. Calvin, these are the leaders and team seconds for our part of the United States main branches. The man at the end is Brian Hudson, leader of Hudson’s Hitmen and his second-in-charge, Chloe.”
“Nice to meet you.” Calvin nodded.
“Then there is William Hunt of the Huntsmen and his second, Melvin,” Korbin said, nodding at the tall salt-and-pepper-haired man. “And on the other end here is the always amazing Amy Brown of Amy’s Assassins, and her second, Jack. We have all been working together for a long time.”
“Very nice to meet all of you.” Calvin smiled. “Now, I know Hudson’s Hitmen. They are our neighbors in Washington, Canada, Alaska, and Oregon, but where are the rest of you?”
“I am in charge of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho,” Amy said.
“And we have Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico,” William said.
“Very nice. It’s great to meet you all,” Calvin said, nodding and looking at Korbin.
“We all heard about the commune.” William looked at Korbin too. “It sucked that you guys were left alone, though I think one of the sub-groups sent in help for the innocents, right?”
“Yeah.” Korbin nodded, sitting down by Calvin. “Just busses, not fighters, but still very helpful.”
“And how is Katie doing?” Amy asked. “I have to be honest, she hit a few people right in the heart with that poem she read. Pretty insightful for a girl who hasn’t been on the teams for that long.”
“Working out really well,” Korbin supplied. “She definitely has a lot more grit and insight than I thought she would. I didn’t expect much when we first rescued her from being a demon sacrifice. A rough start, but she has risen to the occasion more than once. She has become a serious asset to the team, and a good teammate on top of that.”
“You lost two team members during that commune event, right?” Brian asked.
“Technically we lost one to that event—Armani. Garrett was successfully exorcised that evening. We found that, after losing Armani and seeing the blood bath, Garrett was losing his hold on himself. It was either exorcism, or he was going to end up falling to his demon. We couldn’t have that happen. It was too important to the team and to him personally to at least try to make it out of the whole thing alive.”
Calvin looked sideways at Korbin as he talked about the exorcism.
Korbin said nothing about Katie and her involvement in that whole process.
Calvin didn’t know exactly what had happened, having been put out of the room for the event itself, but he knew that Katie had been instrumental in the success of Garrett’s exorcism and that she had grown in importance to both Korbin and the team in the days since the commune. Calvin figured if Korbin didn’t mention it, he had a really good reason not to. In time, he would probably figure it out.
Or he’d just ask.
“Well, we never like losing good men, but if he went by way of exorcism and got his life back, that is the best that we can hope for,” William said.
“Agreed.” Amy smiled. “That makes today even more important, because now you need two people and you have the first-round picks this time.”
Everyone pulled out their tablets and brought up the list of candidates for that round. Amy read each of the candidates’ information out loud, then sat back and looked around the table. Calvin was sure they all knew who they wanted, but they were waiting for Korbin to reveal his picks.
Korbin waited a few seconds too long, playing on everyone’s impatience. Sometimes you got your fun in the smallest of places. “Well, my plan is to grab Eric Byrne and Jeremy Crofts.”
“Damn it!” Amy popped her hand on the table. “I was going to go for Eric myself as a heavy, but also for medical backup.”
Korbin smiled. She had stolen one from him in the previous draft.
“You are the first pick this year,” William said. “So I am fine.”
“I’m curious, Korbin…why take a chance on Eric?” Brian asked.
“Garrett, my last medic, was infected, but didn’t want to be with us,” he answered, thinking aloud. “I figured that didn’t work, so I am going with the fact that Eric wants to be in, b
ut he’s not infected.” He shrugged. “I figure it can’t hurt to try at this point.”
“Whatever will do the job,” Amy said, nodding. “I can understand that. Maybe I could do with a hot-headed girl on my team.”
Calvin just smiled, wishing her luck. They already had their own hot-headed girl.
Katie stared out the window of the SUV as she traveled away from the main Strip and into the more residential areas of Las Vegas.
One thing she had never thought about was the fact that not everywhere in Vegas was shiny and perfect like the Strip. There were actual downtrodden areas, and that was precisely where Damian seemed to be taking her.
She fully expected for him to turn into a driveway in front of a small beat-up house with an overgrown lawn sporting maybe a bicycle or old car. However, he made a right and drove straight. She scrunched her forehead as she looked at the gated front of a large white home, which was several stories tall.
He pressed a button on the front gate and leaned slightly out the window.
“It’s Damian,” he called. “Friend of Armani.”
The gate slowly slid open and Katie quietly looked around the property. Everything was exquisitely groomed. There wasn’t a speck of trash anywhere, and the house looked like it had just been dropped there in the middle of the low-income area. She bit the inside of her cheek and watched as Damian pulled around to the front and parked the car. She didn’t want to be rude and ask why this house had been built in this exact location, but it was pretty obvious she was curious.
“You look like you have a question.” Damian smirked.
Katie looked back at the gate, and the houses outside, then toward the house they were in front of. “I’m surprised to see a house like this in this area,” she replied. “It doesn’t really fit in with everything else.” She looked at Damian. “I’m really not trying to be a bitch.”
You come by it naturally? Pandora quipped.
Shut the hell up, Katie responded. Adults talking here.
From the lack of a comeback, Katie figured she had gotten a point that time.
“You’re not.” He chuckled. “But it fits better than you might guess. The ladies here…they have a benefactor. Someone who takes care of them; looks out for them, and keeps them out of trouble.”
“Like a house mom?” Katie asked.
“Something like that, I suppose.” He wore his semi-permanent secret smile as he got out of the SUV.
Katie could tell she was off, but she had no idea what was going on or why she was there. She shrugged, got out too, and followed Damian up to the front door.
He pressed the doorbell, then stood back and waited with his hands behind his back. Honest to God, he was rocking on his feet.
What the hell was his trick?
Quiet footsteps approached the door inside, and a beautiful blonde about Katie’s age answered the door and smiled. She seemed slightly confused by the priest and the girl at the door.
“Hey.” Damian smiled back. “I’m here to speak to Mamacita.”
She nodded and moved to the side to allow them to walk in. She put her finger up and Katie moved to the side, looking around the entryway. The floors were covered in slick light-colored marble, and there were large ornate vases sitting on small tables to the side and a large staircase in front of them.
I felt like this was familiar, Pandora said.
Why? Katie asked.
This is a brothel, she answered. I can smell the lust. There are also a couple succubi here, but they aren’t inside anyone; they are in spirit form. They feed off the sex and inject it back into the atmosphere.
Demons can do that?
Certain ones can, she said. Succubi are incredibly hard to get rid of, and their powers are strong. They’re different from your run-of-the-mill drooler munching on flesh, but powerful none the less.
You seem to dislike them, Katie said.
They are an annoyance. They can be a serious annoyance, actually. Pandora grunted. These I don’t mind so much, because they are just helping the atmosphere.
“This way,” the girl said, coming back.
Katie followed Damian and the girl down a long hallway to a lounging room of some sort. To the right was a door, and to the left was a sitting area. The girl stopped and turned toward us.
“You can go right in. She is waiting for you.” She smiled.
“Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll just be a second,” Damian said kindly.
“Okay,” Katie said, walking awkwardly over to the couch.
She sat down and looked around the room, trying not to stare as Damian disappeared into the office. There were generic paintings on the walls of places Katie had never been to, and probably would never go.
Everything was ornate, and now that she knew it was a whorehouse she felt slightly uncomfortable sitting there by herself. She couldn’t understand why he would bring her there. Could he not wait to do this stuff when she wasn’t around?
Why do you seem more nervous sitting on that couch than you do facing down a flesh-eating demon? Pandora asked.
Oh, I don’t know, Katie said. Probably because a man of the cloth brought me here. I thought they were chaste, giving their life to God or something. Why in the world would he bring me all the way out here to make me wait while he sins against his own life choices?
I know you’re young, Pandora said. Try to understand that no matter what clothes they put on, how nice they are, or what religious symbol they hang around their necks, men are men. They have needs and wants, and when they take over…well, no hanging man on a cross, or whatever he believes in, is going to change his mind. Why now? I have no idea, but I guess when you need it you need it.
He could have at least left me in the car, she grumped to herself.
Just then the door flew open and a middle-aged woman whom Katie assumed was the main mistress walked out. She was dressed in a tight blue skirt, bustier, and suit jacket. Nice outfit, but not something you would wear to work…well, normal work.
Her heels made her look tall, but she was a petite person in reality. Her mascara was running down her cheeks. She held a tissue to her nose and shook her head, then leaned into the girl who had led them there in the first place.
“Bring Alicia, Natalie, and Sabine,” she directed.
The girl nodded and ran off down the hall, knocking on three different doors. Slowly the girls emerged, looking normal—not that Katie knew what she was expecting them to look like.
They walked in and smiled at Katie before turning toward Damian and Mamacita.
“Ladies,” she said, shaking her head, “Armani has passed away. Something happened at work; there was an accident, and I’m told he perished. He will not be here to visit and help you anymore.”
The girls teared up and grabbed each other’s hands. Katie thought it was a strange reaction to display for someone they slept with for money, but maybe this house was different than the others. Mamacita walked forward and wrapped her arms around the girls, squeezing them tightly, then backed up.
She indicated the priest. “This man represents Armani’s legal and financial affairs,” she said, turning to Damian.
Damian stepped closer. “Ladies, I wanted you to know that Armani had set up college funds for you for a total of four years, and upon graduation you will each get twenty-five thousand dollars,” Damian told them.
Whoa, Pandora whispered. Who would have thought?
“This is Katie,” Damian said, pointing at her. “She is the back-up representative for Armani’s bequest to each of you.”
Katie smiled, but didn’t know exactly what to say. She was ashamed of thinking badly of Damian, when it was obvious that he was trying to do a little good in the world while he was still in it. Of course he never let anyone else know, which made the whole thing strange to her. The three girls walked over to Katie and hugged her one at a time.
“You knew Armani?” one of the girls asked.
“Yes, though not very well, apparently
,” she replied, still confused.
“He was always so sweet to everyone here,” another of the girls said. “We met him in a bar one night, and he found out what we did for a living. From that point on he was constantly here, helping us and pushing us to be better.”
“He never accepted sex,” the third girl added. “He would come and just listen to us; comfort us, and help in any way that he could. There was never any awkwardness or shame with him. We felt like we mattered, like we were more than just our jobs. He would even take Jasmine’s kid brother to class on Tuesday mornings when she was sick.”
“I’m Jasmine,” the first girl, who had red cheeks, said. “Armani was an amazing guy. He never judged, just understood that we did whatever we needed to for survival. He was there to help us become better people.” She looked down. “You were lucky to know him.”
Katie looked at them all and snuck a glance at Damian, whose face wasn’t divulging any secrets. “I may not have realized that before, but I do now.”
3
The ride from the house back to the base was quiet.
Both she and Damian were contemplating the heaviness of what they had just done. Katie felt badly, but at the same time she was incredibly proud of her teammate for being the man she had thought he had been on the inside.
Damian enjoyed giving her a perspective outside her own, but knew she needed some time to process. When they pulled up in the garage and parked, Katie turned to Damian.
“Thank you for showing me that,” Katie said. “For involving me.” She moved some hair out of her face. “Armani was a surprising guy.”
Damian nodded slowly. “That he was.”
The two got out of the car and headed up the elevator to the living quarters, but when they walked inside the place was empty. Katie knew that Korbin and Calvin were with the other leaders. Derek would be around there somewhere, probably looking at memes.
Before Katie could head to her room, there was an announcement over the speaker.
“Katie, Damian, please report to the office,” Derek called.
Katie sighed and turned around, climbing back into the elevator and heading down to the training floor where the office was. She yawned, covering her mouth, and Damian just looked at her and nodded. It was obvious they were both ready for a nap and some quiet, but that wasn’t in the cards.