Minor Demons

by Randall J. Morris

  “You’re pretty good with numbers.”

  “It comes with time. I wasn’t all that great with them before I started dealing.”

  “Anything else I should know?”

  “Yes.”

  Andres handed him a scrap of paper with a phone number on it.

  “Commit that to memory. That’s my number. Call it from the burner phone if you need me. I’ll try to stick around for a while, but I have other things that I may need to take care of... and I’m sure Diego already told you to...”

  “Always delete the call history and dispose of the burner phone. How often do we get new burner phones?”

  “Daily. If you see anything suspicious, just destroy it right then. We can’t let our burners becoming evidence if some self-righteous cop tries to take a shot at Diego.”

  “Any other advice?”

  “Yeah. Work hard and make some goddamn money. If I’m going to have to play babysitter, I expect to get paid.”

  Carlos thought about shooting Andres in the face right there. He didn’t need his help and definitely didn’t want to give him a cut of his money, especially when it sounded like Andres planned on being lazy and not doing much to help. Although it was just a stray thought, Shadow stepped in to counteract it.

  You can’t do anything about him now. Diego sent him to watch you. If you don’t like him, remember to find a way to make him pay in the future. You’ll need him for the present.

  Shadow saw Diego nod slightly as if the thought made sense. He then saw him relax the hand on his gun. The van came to a stop.

  “You go ahead and get started. I’m going to take a nap in the van.”

  Carlos again put his hand on his gun, but relaxed it a second time.

  “Who gets the money for the candy and gum and other things that I sell?”

  “Again, you’ll get a cut of the profit. It isn’t worth much though. It’s just what we do to not look as suspicious. If you try to make a living selling that stuff, it won’t work out.”

  Carlos finally couldn’t tolerate his superior tone any longer.

  “I’m not trying to make a living off of selling them, dumbass! I just wanted to know that I would get a little extra income from selling them.”

  Andres, who had been lying down on the van floor to relax, got up and punched Carlos in the mouth. His bottom lip started to bleed.

  “You don’t call me a dumbass. Now unload the cargo and make me some fucking money while I sleep.”

  Once again, Carlos was prompted to shoot him, but he did as he was told. He loaded all of his newspapers and drugs behind the counter and restocked the other items. Before long, a line had formed. Mostly children came and bought candy bars and other little toys that he had on display. Carlos took note of the sales he made in a small notebook. He began to panic as he realized that it has been nearly two hours and he hadn’t sold any meth. As he thought that, a man in patched up jeans and a hoody approached his stand.

  “Where’s Andres?”

  “He’s... taking a break. I’m working this stand now.”

  “I usually buy some... stuff... from Andres.”

  “You can buy the same stuff from me.”

  “Oh really? Sweet dude. Same prices?”

  “Yes. Prices haven’t changed.”

  The man in the hoody leaned in and whispered in Carlos’ ear.

  “I’d like an eightball, man.”

  So much for code phrases. Carlos put an eighth of an ounce bag of meth inside a newspaper and handed it to him. The man in the hoody slammed his hand down on the table and released two bills. He then walked away. Carlos looked at the bills and saw that the man had left two hundred dollar bills. He had overpaid by eighty dollars. When Carlos realized the man’s error, he tried to see where he had gone but realized that he had left the park. He knew he couldn’t get up from his stand to search any further, so he simply decided the guy was an idiot. Carlos was sure he would meet plenty of those in the meth business.

  Leech cut in this time.

  Don’t tell Andres about the extra eighty dollars. You need it more than he does. Just pocket it. It’s for your son.

  Carlos cautiously looked around and then pulled eighty dollars in twenties from his cash box. He added it to his wallet and grinned.

  “I guess today will be a little more lucrative than I thought it would be. That’s what you get for napping in the van, Andres.”

  CHAPTER 29

  As Carlos continued to sell throughout the day, he realized that he didn’t have to tell anyone a price. He also realized that they were all overpaying. It wasn’t hard to figure out that Andres was skimming off the top. Meth heads were stupid, but there was no way they were all this stupid. His cut for the day if he just took 15% of the prices Andres quoted was around $100. If he kept the extra cash from the overpaying customers, he would have easily over $500. The only question now was whether to tell Diego or pocket the difference and keep his mouth shut.

  Of course, Andres was still a problem as well. Obviously he knew his customers were going to pay more and that Carlos would bring in more. If he decided to keep the money, Andres wasn’t likely to let that happen. He could always just kill him while he slept in the van and figure out what to tell Diego later on...

  Shadow, Leech, and Lilith were unsure how they should approach the situation. While Carlos thought it over, the three demons discussed their dilemma.

  “We should find a way to pocket the money. He’s going to need it.”

  “Andres isn’t going to let him take the extra cash, Leech. The second he wakes up from his nap, Carlos is going to lose everything but his 15%.”

  “Then what do you suggest, Lily? Should we just let him run off with the extra money?”

  “No, we make him tell Diego. Prove his loyalty.”

  Both Leech and Lilith turned to Shadow, appealing the decision to him. He looked pensive for a moment and then presented a third option.

  “We could tell him to shoot Andres.”

  Leech and Lilith exchanged worried looks.

  “If he kills Andres, Diego will kill him Shady. I don’t think that’s the way to play this.”

  “Leech is right. I still think we should just make him tell Diego.”

  “And that leaves him with a hundred bucks for the day, Lily. He owes Diego thousands. It’s time to start reeling in some serious cash.”

  Shadow cut in.

  “We’re going to have him shoot Andres. Not shoot him to kill him, just maybe one in each leg so he can’t run. Then we’re going to have him drive back to the warehouse with Andres in the back of the van. He’s going to drop the extra cash on Diego’s desk and let him know what was going on and how he dealt with it. The likely outcome is that Andres goes away. Diego will realize that Carlos is loyal and Carlos gets a pay bump up to his full 30%. We need Diego to see that he took action and turned Andres in, but we’ll get the added bonus of more money. Any problems with that approach?”

  Leech and Lilith both shook their heads.

  “Good. Now let’s convince Carlos that it’s the smart play.”

  Carlos opened the back door of the van. Before Andres knew what was going on, Carlos aimed his gun and put a bullet in each leg. Andres screamed out and clutched at his wounds to slow the flow of blood. He looked up at Carlos.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Diego will kill you for this.”

  “I doubt it. How long have you been skimming off the top?”

  “None of your business. That’s my money, you’d better hand it over.”

  “Oh I will, but not to you.”

  Carlos pulled a stack of bills from his back pocket and waved it in the air.

  “This is going straight to my cousin. I would deliver your head too, but I figured I would let him decide what to do with you.”

  “I’m going to shove that gun up your...”

  Carlos slammed the van doors shut and got in the front. On the drive back to the warehouse, he made sure to hit
every bump and crack in the road, knowing it caused Andres pain in the back of the van. As he parked and got out of the van, he was approached by the warehouse guards once again.

  “Where’s Andres?”

  “I need to see my cousin.”

  “Did you kill Andres?”

  “No he’s alive... which is more than I’ll be able to say for you if you don’t let me see my cousin. Now.”

  The guards both pointed their weapons at him. The door to the warehouse opened and Diego stepped out.

  “Put the guns down.”

  His guards lowered their weapons.

  “Pretty ballsy, cuz. What makes you think you can command my men like that? Where the hell is Andres?”

  “He’s in the back of the van. I caught him skimming off the top of your prices. While he slept in the van, his customers were overpaying me like crazy.”

  Carlos pulled the cash out of his pocket and tossed the rolled up stack of bills to Diego.

  “That’s several hundred bucks right there. He wanted me to just hand it over to him and take 15% of the normal drug prices. I decided I’d let you deal with him.”

  “Where is he then?”

  Carlos grinned.

  “Back of the van.”

  Diego nodded at one of his guards, who approached the back doors of the van and opened them. There was blood all over the floor of the van and Andres was barely able to lift his head to see what was going on. Diego started laughing.

  “Damn. You fucked him up good. So you shot him in his legs and drove him back here to hand over the extra money?”

  Carlos nodded. Diego approached the back of the van and looked in.

  “Diego, I’m sorry. I figured that guy was a pussy and he wouldn’t say anything. I didn’t mean to...”

  Diego pulled a gun from inside his jacket and shot Andres in the head. He snapped his fingers as he was walking away and his guards approached the van to dispose of the body.

  “Carlos. My office. Now.”

  Carlos followed Diego inside the warehouse to his office.

  “Shut the door and have a seat.”

  Carlos did as instructed. Diego thought for a moment and then tossed the rolled up stack of bills to his cousin. Carlos looked confused.

  “What happened to your lip?”

  “Andres punched me right before I started working and he... started doing nothing in the back of the van.”

  “Not bad, cuz. I guess he wasn’t selling more than the other dealers; he was just occasionally throwing in some of his extra cut that he was taking. Just enough to beat the other dealers and then he pocketed the rest. I can’t believe I didn’t watch that asshole closer.”

  “To be fair, I think you watched him plenty close. You sent me to work with him, right?”

  Diego grinned, as the thought hadn’t occurred to him.

  “That’s a really good way to spin it.”

  “So what do you want me to do with the extra cash from today?”

  “Keep it. It’s your reward for bringing that jackass to me.”

  “So I can get my full 30% from now on? I don’t need anyone else to train me... I understand how everything works now.”

  “Sure.”

  Carlos was going to just leave it at that, but Leech prodded him to make a play for Andres’ job.”

  “And the cocaine dealer spot?”

  Diego raised both eyebrows.

  “I have someone else in mind for that. I’d say I’ve been more than generous in rewarding you for your loyalty today, wouldn’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Don’t overreach. You just started and I would hate for you to start thinking you deserve more than you’re getting right off the bat. There’s room in the ground for more than that asshole that I just killed.”

  “I’m happy with my cut. I was just curious if the spot was available or not. Clearly, it’s not. I don’t mind making the cash I’m making dealing meth.”

  Diego moved closer until he was uncomfortably close to Carlos’ face.

  “So we don’t have a problem here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good. I would hate to be down two dealers in one day.”

  “Trust me. We’re good. I don’t want to be greedy. All I care about is Junior getting the care he needs. I’m going to go see him now, if that’s alright. I’ll see you tomorrow... or you’re welcome to come along if you want.”

  “No, I have to figure out how to deal with this whole Andres thing. Go see your son. Tell him Uncle Diego said hey.”

  Carlos briefly considered reminding Diego that he wasn’t Junior’s uncle, but immediately thought better of it. Diego was probably in a foul enough mood that he would kill the next person to look at him wrong. Carlos simply nodded and left.

  As he was getting into his car, Carlos got a call from a number that he didn’t recognize. He answered his phone as he sat in the driver’s seat.

  “Hello?”

  “Mr. Romero?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is Dr. Frank at the University hospital. We hit a rough patch with your son and we need you to get here as soon as possible.”

  CHAPTER 30

  “What’s wrong?”

  “He’s in surgery. The disease spread to his heart. We’ll know more in a few hours.”

  “And the odds of him living through this?”

  The doctor stayed silent for a little too long.

  “Well?”

  “Not good. Maybe 25%.”

  Carlos sat in the waiting room with his head in his hands. Even all the money in the world hadn’t mattered because he was already too late. He should have turned to his family’s business a long time ago. This was all his fault.

  The demons let Carlos wallow in his despair. As they planned their next move, a small demon entered the waiting room. He bowed in front of Shadow and held up a message.

  “Master Shadow, your uncle, General Cain, requests your presence back in Hell.”

  “What does he want?”

  “I don’t know, Master Shadow. I am simply a messenger.”

  Shadow took the message from the small demon’s hands and read it. Leech and Lilith watched with interest.

  “Leech, you’re going to stay here and keep working on Carlos. Lilith is going back to Hell with me. Both of you need to be ready to fight. The department of lies is coming for me, but the two of you might get caught in the crossfire. My uncle suspects Lucian is after him.”

  Leech shook his head.

  “If they’re after you, bro, I’d rather go with you to Hell and help you fight.”

  “There’s something these ancient assholes don’t understand. They’re fighting, bickering, and dick measuring contests are getting in the way of soul collecting on Earth. I won’t be the same way. You’re to stay here with Carlos. We’ve led him a good ways down a dark path and he’s about to lose his son. We can’t have the angels taking another crack at him while we run back to Hell. I need to leave someone here.”

  Lilith put her hand on Shadow’s shoulder.

  “The last time you left Leech alone, he was attacked by angels. We can’t leave him here. He has to stay safe.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Lily. I’ll be fine.”

  “Stop trying to be a tough prick. Leaving you here alone is not a good idea.”

  Shadow considered his options for a moment when he realized that the messenger demon was still kneeling.

  “Stand up, little guy. What’s your name?”

  The demon stood and Shadow realized that he was a good foot shorter than even Leech. He wore a screech owl on his head and a loincloth but nothing else. As Shadow looked him over for weapons, he saw two small daggers made from bone attached to two belts that crossed his chest. A small blowgun was attached to the little creature’s back. Leech backhanded the messenger demon in his face and he stumbled back several steps.

  “Shadow asked you a question. What’s your name?”

  The demon bowed once ag
ain.

  “My name is Muan. I am a demon-in-training serving General Cain and all of the middle and minor demons in the department of murder.”

  Shadow looked the small demon over once more. It wasn’t a great idea, but he was left without many options.

  “Muan, if I give you a command are you sworn to obey?”

  “Of course, Master Shadow. Any command given to me by a minor demon from the department of murder is a command I will obey.”

  “You’re to stay here and assist Leech in dragging our target, Carlos, down to Hell. You will obey all of Leech’s commands. Understood?”

  “But...”

  “Yes?”

  “Never mind.”

  “If you have a problem, I want to hear it right now.”

  Muan glanced nervously in Leech’s direction.

  “With all due respect, Master Shadow, Leech is a minor demon in the department of idolatry. I am sworn to serve the department of murder.”

  “Muan, I’m also sworn to serve the department of murder. If the message you just delivered to me is true, I have to get to Hell now and fight for my uncle. I don’t have any choice but to leave you with Leech. It’s either that, or I can kill you.”

  “As long as he doesn’t give me any command that would dishonor the department of murder, I will do as you ask.”

  Leech pulled Shadow aside and the two of them turned their backs to Lilith and Muan.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? It seems like that little guy might stab me in the back the second you guys leave simply because I report to General Baal.”

  “He’s used to following orders. I’m guessing this order just kind of... confuses him. His department loyalty is conflicting with his need to follow commands. He’ll be alright. Besides, we don’t really have a choice here.”

  “We absolutely have a choice. We could kill him; we could send him back to Hell. Leaving him here with me might be more of a problem than a slight inconvenience if he decides to stop following me.”