Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7)

by Glenn Bullion

"Bad day?"

  It was. Alex hesitated on confirming. What was his bad day in comparison to what Kylie was going through? She was obviously alive not too long ago. His problems seemed simple in comparison.

  "Yeah," he said. "Definitely not the best."

  "What happened?"

  "Are you sure you want to know?"

  Kylie nodded. Alex admired her compassion.

  The news spread through the warehouse fast. It was all anyone could talk about during the afternoon. Only an hour had passed before everyone knew what Alex already did.

  "My boss lost his wife today. Car accident. His daughter's in the hospital now."

  Kylie gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. "That's terrible."

  "Yeah, it is."

  Alex heard his name.

  "Teague? You talking to yourself again? They make medicine for that shit now."

  Damien and his friends were laughing it up. Alex tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, and moved his mouth very little.

  "Can we—?"

  "Yes," Kylie said. "Let's go."

  He climbed in and waited for Kylie to circle the truck. She stood next to the door and stared, as if trying to solve a puzzle. Sighing, she poked her glasses onto the bridge of her nose. Alex wondered what would happen if she let them slide off. Would they disappear before they hit the ground? Reappear on her face?

  Alex rolled down the window. Behind Kylie were Damien and his crew. Subtlety was out, as there was no way to hide talking to Kylie. She continued to stare at him, apprehension in her eyes.

  "What's wrong?"

  She ran her hand through the door, moving it back and forth like a bucket of water. Alex watched her fingers poke all the way inside.

  "I'm, uh, not good with cars."

  "What do you mean?"

  She looked down to the ground. If her cheeks could turn red, they would have been on fire.

  "I fall out of them."

  Alex said nothing. He'd heard of many problems of ghosts over the years. He'd even helped cope with some of them. Never before did he hear of someone falling out of a vehicle.

  "Really?" he finally said.

  Kylie rolled her eyes. "Yes, really. It just happens. Sometimes, everything's okay. But then, sometimes I fall on the street."

  He glanced over her shoulder to see Damien and the crew giggling and whispering. They kept their eyes low, but the target of their laughter was obvious.

  "Kylie, let's go," he said, trying to keep his voice low. "Before they start filming me and put it on the Internet."

  She took a deep breath as she stepped forward. Alex realized as she climbed in the truck how truly new she was. Every ghost he'd met, and even himself when he vanished, entered a car the same way. The trick was to pretend the door wasn't even there. Lift a leg, and simply slide through the door onto the seat.

  Kylie crawled on her hands and knees through the door. She was slow and tentative, carefully testing every step along the way. Once, she even pushed her glasses onto her nose to keep them from falling, an unnecessary gesture. Her head ended up uncomfortably close to Alex's shoulder. He tried to press against the door to give her more room.

  "Uh," he said. "There are easier ways to get into—"

  "Be quiet, please. This takes a lot of concentration."

  "It does?"

  She said nothing as she righted herself. She gripped the handle above the door, but her hand went right through it. Her posture was rigid, stiff.

  "Well?" she said. "Are you going to drive?"

  Alex shook his head as he laughed. Kylie shot him a glare, but eventually smiled herself.

  "I guess it's a good thing, in a way," she said. "You can still feel embarrassed after you die."

  He pulled out of the parking lot. Kylie seemed as if she were about to be sick, if that were still possible. It was only a fifteen minute drive back to his house, and she was motionless every second of the way. She kept her eyes locked forward, on the road. Several times she wiped at some imaginary bead of sweat on her forehead.

  They were stopped at a red light when he turned to look at her. She glanced at him with only her eyes, without turning her head. She ran her hand aimlessly over the seat, her palm dipping into the vinyl.

  "So. What did you want to talk—?"

  "Please," she said. "Not now. Let's just get back to your house."

  The light turned green. He'd barely moved when Kylie let out a startled cry. He turned to see only her head sticking out of the seat. It was one of the more unusual things he'd seen, and he'd seen quite a bit.

  "What the hell?" he said.

  "Wonderful," Kylie said. She stood up, her hips just above the seat. "This is just great. Damnit!"

  Kylie tried to sit, but was unable to. She reached out with her hands, trying to grab anything within reach. She tried jumping into the seat. No luck there. She drifted back to the ground.

  The driver behind Alex honked the horn. Alex switched on his emergency flashers and gave Kylie an apologetic look.

  "I'm sorry. I have to pull over."

  "No. Just hold on. I can do this."

  She managed to regain her seat. Five seconds passed, and she actually smiled, which must have been the trigger for something bad to happen. Her left leg fell through the truck. She tried to hold it up as best she could with both hands. Alex wrapped his right hand under her knee as he slowly drove through the light. He could only imagine what the other drivers thought as they angrily veered around him.

  "Holy shit, it's working," Kylie said. "I can't believe you can actually touch ghosts."

  "Yeah. Sometimes, I can't believe half the crap I do."

  "So you can hold me here until we get to your house?"

  "Don't take offense, but I'm not holding your leg the rest of the way home."

  "You can feel my leg? Wow, it's so weird. I can feel your hand. I haven't felt much these past few weeks."

  "Yeah, I can feel your leg. And I'm not sure my wife would like me doing that. Are you in the truck?"

  She sighed. "I think so. How much further?"

  "Just a few minutes."

  "Okay. I'll try."

  The rest of the drive went without incident, or conversation. Alex let out a sigh as he parked in front of the house. Cindy wasn't home yet. He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

  "Are you okay?" Kylie asked.

  Alex thought about the last eighteen hours. Exorcising demons, his boss losing his wife, and then Kylie falling into his lap. If nothing else, he definitely needed sleep.

  "Just a crazy day."

  "I promise, I'll try not to be long."

  "Oh, it's okay. You're fine."

  Alex waited on the sidewalk for Kylie, which turned out to be another adventure. She backed out of the truck the same way she came in, on her hands and knees. As she finally stood upright in the middle of the street, a car zoomed by, passing through her. She squealed and froze in place, fright etched in her face. Gingerly, she joined Alex on the sidewalk.

  "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

  "Cars going right through you?"

  "Anything going through me. There's something very depressing about being able to see the world around you, but it not being able to see you."

  Alex nodded as they approached the front door.

  "Sadly, from what I've seen, I think ghosts get used to it."

  It felt relaxing to step foot into the living room. Alex wasn't good at entertaining company, living or dead. The dead offered even more of a challenge. He was thirsty, but was wary of drinking anything in front of Kylie. Would she sink even further at the sight of him drinking a cool, refreshing beverage?

  "Make yourself at home," he announced. His thirst got the better of him. If his goal was to eventually have a career partially working with ghosts, he had to get used to being himself around them. "You mind if I get something to drink?"

  Kylie shrugged as she studied the living room. "It's your house."

  He poured himself
a glass of tea and watched Kylie from the kitchen doorway. She wandered aimlessly with her hands behind her back, after adjusting her glasses once again. She checked out the decor that Cindy masterminded, the few pictures of family and friends spread about. A group photo taken at the beach not long ago caught her attention in particular. Kevin sat on one knee with his arms around Alicia. Alex was playfully carrying Cindy, her feet kicking wildly in the air. Victoria stood to the side, smiling, hands on her hips, watching her friends act like they were crazy.

  Kylie heard Alex enter the living room. He set his tea on the coffee table.

  "Is this your wife?"

  "That's her."

  She scoffed. "Dad would have killed me if I dated a black guy. But no, don't call him racist. Asshole. No wonder Mom dumped him."

  Alex joined her and admired the beach photo. Good friends, wonderful family, great wife. Watching Paul sprint across the parking lot earlier in the day to get to the hospital put his simple life in perspective.

  "That's quite a crew you've got there," Kylie said.

  He laughed. Three out of the five people in the photo were supernatural beings. Victoria, the group's vampire, could actually walk in the sunlight. It was a gift of magic from Kevin, the witch in their group. Quite a crew was an understatement.

  "Do you want to sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the couch.

  Alex sat on one end, and thought Kylie would do the same. Instead, she paced back and forth. He waited patiently for her to stop, or say something, but she did neither.

  "Kylie?" he gently pressed. The next question was ridiculous, he knew, but he had to ask. "Are you okay?"

  "It took me over a week to get here. You were recommended by some other ghosts I don't even know. But they didn't really prepare me. I thought you'd be some ninety-year-old coot in a tower somewhere, studying books all day long. This…" She gestured around her. "Somehow makes it more intimidating."

  "I'm just a normal guy, Kylie," Alex said, not sure if that was what she needed to hear. "I just happen to be able to talk to ghosts. Do you need me to deliver a message? Just want to talk? What can I do for you?"

  She finally stopped pacing.

  "I want to hire you. You do that, right? They told me you sometimes take on cases for ghosts, help them. Can I hire you?"

  Alex held in a groan. Working for a ghost was never easy, even if it was something as simple as being their voice. He always had to convince the target that the impossible was indeed possible. With his powers, that wasn't difficult, but not without drama. Once before, a ghost hired him to reveal a secret bank account to the wife he'd left behind. He was slapped twice and threatened with a knife before the woman would listen.

  "That depends. What for?"

  Kylie wiped a tear from her eye.

  "I was killed. Murdered, Alex. I'd like to know by who and why."

  Alex was quiet. He thought Kylie needed a simple pep talk, some pointers on what being a ghost was all about. Solving a crime was far different than a pep talk. Part of him wanted to turn her away immediately. He needed a break, especially after last night's exorcism.

  But the look on Kylie's face haunted him. She was alone, desperate, lost. He didn't know if he could help her, but he wasn't going to turn her away.

  "Wow," he said, shaking his head. "I'm really sorry."

  She waved her hands in the air.

  "Yeah, everyone's sorry. All the ghosts watching me cry in the cemetery were sorry. All the cops that showed up at my house were sorry. The therapist my mom is seeing, she's sorry, too. But no one can help. Can you help me?"

  The front door opened before Alex could answer. Cindy backed inside and set her purse and laptop bag on the corner table.

  "Hey, babe," she said, turning to face him. "I'm surprised you're not dead asleep in bed. Get your shoes off. I'll make us something to eat. Maybe, if you're still up for it later, we can get back to that scream we were talking about." Cindy reached down to grab the hem of her blouse. She had a habit of stripping as soon as she entered the home.

  Alex leaned forward on the couch, his eyes opening wide.

  "Cindy, wait!"

  She froze in partial undress. Her shirt was almost up over her chest, revealing a black bra and slim stomach. Facing the couch, she comically stood there, unmoving, with her face covered. Her torso was exposed for all the world to see.

  "There's someone here, isn't there?"

  "Yeah."

  "Nate?"

  "No."

  She pulled her blouse down.

  "Ah, thank God. Sorry about that," Cindy said. "And where would this person be?"

  "Just in front of you. You pretty much flashed her."

  "Nice. Sorry, again." A hint of a smile played at her lips. "Maybe you should start leaving a sock on the doorknob?"

  Kylie howled with laughter, prompting a smile from Alex. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh. He was glad she was still capable of it.

  Cindy grabbed her laptop bag. She was familiar with the routine by now. She would work in the dining room while listening to Alex's one-sided conversation.

  "I'll start on dinner," she said. "Just holler when you're all done."

  Alex held up a finger. "Actually, you'll want to stay for this."

  Her eyes lit up with excitement. "A job?"

  "Yeah."

  Cindy turned serious, but still had trouble hiding her enthusiasm. She unveiled her laptop and took a moment to set up next to Alex on the couch. She already looked the part of an executive at a small business. Gray skirt, dark blouse. Alex put a hand on her bare knee, and although Cindy knew to expect someone in their living room, she still jumped at seeing Kylie.

  "Hi," Cindy said.

  Kylie waved awkwardly. "Uh, hello."

  "It's okay," Alex assured her. "Kylie, this is my wife, Cindy. She takes notes on all the work I do for people. Just play along."

  Cindy scolded Alex with a look for his choice of words. He lowered his gaze sheepishly.

  "This is important," Cindy said, then smiled at their guest. "Kylie? Pretty name. Have a seat next to me here."

  Kylie did so, walking through the coffee table in the process. Cindy's breath hitched. She hadn't seen as many ghosts as Alex, or the things they could do. Kylie left no shadow or impression in the cushion as she settled on the couch.

  Cindy poked at the laptop while talking to Kylie. Alex wondered if she knew how sexy she looked. Not many people could handle the kind of life Alex brought to the table. Cindy not only handled it, she excelled.

  "So, Kylie," Cindy said. "You want to hire Alex?"

  "Yes. I want to find who killed me."

  Cindy looked up. Alex squeezed her knee, knowing what she was thinking. She wanted to be professional, but knowing that the young girl next to her was murdered assaulted her emotions.

  "I'm very sorry to hear that," Cindy said, her voice shaking a bit. She regained her composure. "Kylie, listen, I know this might sound terrible, but this is actually a business for us. We have to charge for the work we do. And with you being…."

  She couldn't finish. Kylie adjusted her glasses and brushed hair aside as her lip curled into a smile.

  "Dead? A ghost?"

  "Yeah. A ghost. A ghost can't exactly pay for things."

  Kylie stared at Alex's hand on Cindy's knee.

  "So," she said. "When Alex touches someone, they can see ghosts?"

  "Yeah."

  "Wow. Well, that's it, then. Payment shouldn't be a problem."

  Alex and Cindy glanced at each other. That normally wasn't the case in working with spirits. Payment usually involved finding secret stashes of money, or the combination to a hidden safe.

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. My mom's rich. You let me talk to her, and we can get all that straightened out. Believe me, she'll be more than happy to pay to find out who killed me."

  "It won't be cheap," Cindy warned.

  "It won't be a problem."

  Kylie was certainly straightforward fo
r being so young. Cindy gave Alex's hand a quick squeeze as she pulled up a form on the laptop he'd never seen before. No doubt another piece of information for the database.

  "Okay, Kylie. I've got just a bit of paperwork for our system here."

  Alex and Kylie frowned at the same time in confusion. As much sense as it made for what they wanted to accomplish, paperwork for a ghost simply sounded wrong.

  "Full name?"

  "Kylie Sinclair."

  Cindy laughed shortly with glee as she typed, dropping her professional demeanor.

  "That just sounds like a rich name."

  Kylie smiled, but Alex bumped Cindy's shoulder. He shook his head slightly when she looked at him.

  "Sorry," she said. "Address?"

  Kylie was silent a moment as she glanced back and forth between Alex and Cindy.

  "Uh, does that matter? Do I even have one? I am dead, you know. Do you want my old home address, or the cemetery I was buried at?"

  "Do we need to know that for her?" Alex asked.

  "It's on the form," Cindy said, trying to keep her voice low. "I just thought I'd ask." She looked ahead to the next question. "How did you hear about us?"

  "From a few ghosts in my cemetery. They didn't know you personally, but knew others you'd helped."

  Alex leaned forward and stared at the screen. "You probably shouldn't type that. Where did you get this?"

  "From the Internet."

  "Well, it's a dumb form."

  Cindy agreed. "Yeah. I should probably change it around a little."

  Alex leaned forward. It was time to say his piece. The business part, filling out forms, that could come later.

  "Kylie—"

  Cindy stopped him. He'd taken his hand off her knee. She wrapped her hand in his own, allowing her to see Kylie once again. Kylie smiled at the simple display of affection.

  "You want me to find out who killed you?" Alex continued.

  Kylie nodded. "Yes."

  "And that's all?"

  "What do you mean?"

  Alex gestured to himself. His sweatpants and tee shirt were still dirty from the warehouse.

  "I'm not a cop. I can't arrest anybody. I've gotten lucky before, scared people into running to the police. But that's not a guarantee. And I'm definitely not going to kill anyone. I can find your murderer, but he may still be a free man, or woman, after that. Just knowing who it is…is that enough closure for you?"