by Ivy Sinclair
I took the pile of clothes from her. “Thanks. That would be great. Give me a second.” I turned and put the clothes on the bed. I gathered up the clothes I had been wearing and frowned at my jeans. I was fairly certain the bloodstains weren’t coming out.
“We can mend that,” the girl said, taking a tentative step into the room. “My mother created a cleaning agent that works better than any detergent that you’d find in a store. It’ll get that stain right out.”
“What’s your name?” I asked her. The more I saw these people that lived in a demon’s sanctuary, the more curious I was about them.
“Eleanor,” the girl said, scuffing her toe against the floor. “But my friends call me Ellie.”
“Well, perhaps I’ll be able to call you Ellie someday then,” I said with a smile. “I’m Paige, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I handed my soiled clothes to her. It felt a little strange having someone else do my laundry, but I had to admit that I had far bigger issues to be concerned with at the moment.
The girl’s face broke out in a wide grin as she nodded. “I know your name, Ms. Matthews, and Mr. Stone’s too. Everyone’s been talking about you since you arrived.”
“It’s just Paige,” I said. “And I’m sure Mr. Stone would be fine with you calling him Riley.”
The girl looked shocked as her cheeks flushed. “Oh, no, ma’am. It’s important to address adults by their formal titles. But thank you for your kindness. I need to go.” The girl spun on her heels and was bounding down the stairs before I could say anything else.
The bathroom door opened, and I saw Riley standing there looking at me with a lazy smile. He was wearing different clothes than before, so clearly they had found something else for him to wear as well. He rubbed a towel against his damp hair.
“Hey, beautiful. I thought I heard your voice.”
I smiled back but didn’t know how to respond. I had never been in a real relationship in my life. Between my jumbled thoughts and the butterflies in my stomach, I thought I’d be lucky to form a coherent sentence at all. Especially when Riley’s eyes roamed up and down my body telling me exactly where his thoughts had wandered.
“I hope you didn’t use all the hot water,” I said, tossing my hair over my shoulder trying to not let on how he affected me.
Riley tossed the towel onto the vanity and moved toward me. When he reached me, he put his arms around me and pressed his long body against mine. Then he kissed me, and I lost all track of time for what had to be several long moments.
When he pulled away, I finally was able to catch my breath. “You were saying?”
I lightly slapped his chest. “Is that the way you are planning to shut me up from now on? Kiss me silly?”
His lips nuzzled next to my ear. “Sounds like an excellent strategy.”
I laughed as I gently pushed him away. It was strange, but I liked it. I liked him. A whole lot and may even more than that. “Let me get ready. Then I think we should talk. Like really talk. I have other things that I want to tell you that Bruno told me. It’s important.”
His face turned serious. He ran his fingers down the side of my face. “I know, and we will. I’m not good at any of this stuff, but I want you to know that we’re in this together. You aren’t alone anymore.”
I felt the tears spring up in the corners of my eyes. I pushed against his chest harder now. He was neatly bringing down all my walls, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about any of it yet. “I know. Thanks.”
“I’ll meet you downstairs,” Riley said. Then he turned and headed for his room.
Now time seemed to speed up as I hurried into the bathroom with my clean clothes and got into the shower. Even though my body ached to stay under the warm spray for hours, I felt the pull of a renewed sense of urgency. Riley and I had been back together for hours now, but we still hadn’t had a chance to talk about what happened while we were apart. I was eager to hear what information he had found out from Abigail. It must have been good if he was willing to make a blood pact over it.
Half an hour later, I emerged from the bathroom feeling even better than before. I felt as if I had washed all the pain and anguish of my captivity away, and I felt more optimistic than ever. I touched my slightly swollen lips and smiled. Riley Stone had quite the effect on my life. No matter what happened, I was glad that I had met him.
As I descended the stairs, I heard the sounds of laughter coming from the back of the house. I followed them through to the kitchen, and for a moment I paused at the threshold. The kitchen overflowed with people. Men and women of all ages and sizes were bustling about the kitchen preparing food and talking with each other. Children of various ages scampered in and out of the back door winding between the legs of the adults. In the midst of all of it, Riley sat at the center of the table with a coffee cup in his hand. In his black t-shirt and pants, with a frown on his face, he stood out like a sore thumb.
He caught sight of me and his eyebrows raised. Others in the room realized that I was there as well, and suddenly a line formed in front of me. They each enthusiastically greeted me as if I was a member of their family, and introduced themselves. I was so shocked that I forgot their names almost immediately even as I shook hands with the men and exchanged hugs with the women.
Then Eleanor stood in front of me smiling shyly. Another woman stood beside her and took my hand in hers. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Matthews. I am Sarah. You met my daughter, Eleanor, earlier.”
“Oh, yes, and please just call me Paige,” I said. “She was very helpful, and complimentary of your laundry skills.” I wasn’t sure what made me blurt out the lame words, but I instantly wanted to take them back.
But Sarah just laughed and waved her hand in the air. “It’s amazing what you discover when you take the time to work out simple problems. Please, come and sit. Would you like some tea?”
“That would be great,” I said, grateful that the introductions seemed to be over for the moment. Everyone had gone back to their duties, and Sarah guided me over to the table. Before my butt even touched the seat, a cup of steaming liquid appeared in front of me.
“I know it can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but everyone in the community is thrilled that you are here,” Sarah said. “We don’t have visitors often, and Abigail told us that we are helping you and Mr. Stone avoid some nasty business. We are happy to provide any assistance we can to those in need.”
If it was possible, Riley’s eyebrows climbed further up his forehead. It was obvious that he was reading something else into Sarah’s words. But I had come to depend on my gut feelings about people, and I sensed nothing malicious about Sarah’s intentions toward me.
“Thank you,” I said. “How long have you lived here, Sarah?”
“Abigail found me about eight years ago. It was just after my husband passed on. We came here, and our little family has flourished. It was a true blessing. Life here is so much simpler and peaceful. I love it here. This is the perfect place to raise my family.” I could understand that. After spending four years running for my life, having a place to call home was something that I knew other people took for granted. “I have to get back to assisting with the evening meal. If you or Mr. Stone need anything, just let me know.” Sarah nodded to both of us, and then moved back to the sink.
“Why don’t we step out on the porch?” Riley cocked his head toward the back door.
I understood. There were too many ears around for us to be able to speak freely. I took my cup and stood up. I smiled to each person as I followed Riley out the door. As soon as we were outside, I filled my lungs with fresh air. The afternoon sun was just starting its descent toward the horizon, but again I was struck by how idyllic the scene around me appeared.
On the far side of the lawn, I saw rows of picnic tables. More people that I hadn’t met yet were lying down tablecloths and straightening the tables preparing for the evening meal. It appeared that the entire community would be eating together.
“This
is just like a scene in a movie,” I said. “A simple life with no cares or worries about the outside world.”
“We’re only seeing what they want us to see,” Riley said, pitching his voice low. “You can’t forget that every person here was recruited by a demon who has a mission to help return her Goddess to this plane of existence.”
I felt a flash of frustration. “Do you always insist on thinking the worst of people?” Riley’s look of surprise at my tone was priceless. “These are just people, Riley. People who were looking for a better life for themselves and their families. I understand that Abigail is dangerous, but these people don’t mean us any harm.”
Riley’s face tightened. “I don’t trust anyone blindly. I’ve seen far too many ‘innocent people’ turn on me if it benefits them. I guarantee that any one of these people would do the same. We have to tread lightly here. Obviously they outnumber us by a lot.”
“When I lived on Calamata Island, Benjamin and I would spend hours debating the idea of people’s inherent leaning toward the darkness or light. I realize now that seems pretty stupid. I was arguing philosophy with a freaking archangel. Of course, he believed that the issue was black and white. I just think that there are so many shades of gray, and it’s silly of us to dismiss that. Humans are more complex than that and to paint with such broad strokes does our entire race a disservice.”
“Benjamin again,” Riley said with a sour look on his face.
“Are you kidding me?” I dropped my voice to a harsh whisper. “Are you still jealous of him? After what just happened between us?”
Riley stepped closer to me. “Just because his brand is removed doesn’t mean that his feelings are magically gone. And I know that no matter what you say, you do care about him. You do realize that, at some point, he and I are going to come to blows over you, right? Because I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go now.”
“Quit acting like some kind of ape,” I said. My blood boiled. “The thing that the two of you keep ignoring is the fact that I have a choice in the matter.” I took a deep breath. Riley and I had just made up, and then some. It wasn’t going to help matters if we continued to nit-pick on irrelevant details. “Riley, I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I’ve chosen you. So can you let that go? If and when I ever see Benjamin again, I’m telling him the same thing.”
Riley’s face softened. He sighed. “Okay. You asked me to trust you, and I do. I just can’t stand the thought of losing you again.”
I put my hand on his arm. “Assuming I’m not possessed by some Goddess of Death and Destruction, you won’t.”
“Speaking of that,” Riley said, his eyes wandering over my shoulder, “It’s about time that we talked about that. But first, we have to have a safe place to talk.” He pointed behind me.
I turned around, and I saw what he was looking at. A black van skimmed along the drive taking its time moving towards us. Riley looked at his watch. “He’s at least an hour early. I’ll have to think about giving that kid a raise after all. Come on.”
Grabbing my hand, he dragged me toward the front of the house.
CHAPTER SEVEN – RILEY
As I watched the tall, thin figure emerge from the driver’s seat of the van, I moved even quicker across the yard. I had the feeling again of hundreds of eyes watching me, but I didn’t care. Klein had brought me everything I needed to turn this game back around to our advantage. I wasn’t so bold as to think that I could take on a legion of demons, but I was pretty sure I could handle a few dozen humans and two demons. Piece of cake.
I dropped Paige’s hand only to move to embrace the man who came around the front of the van and was looking at me as if I had dragged him into some remote corner of Hell.
“It’s good to see you, buddy,” I said. I was surprised at the slight wobble to my voice.
A tentative slap on my back was my answer and then Klein pulled away looking at me with his eyebrows raised. I knew that was because of my reaction to seeing him again. I didn’t hug. I think that I barely acknowledged Klein most days of the week. But it was nice to see someone from home and to be able to remember that a week ago I had a normal life. Or as normal a life as someone like me could have anyway.
“Did you get hit on the head?” Klein asked, his tone suspicious. “You’re looking at me like I’m one of your ghosts.”
I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Nope. I’m very glad you are real, and you are here.” I stepped to the side and cocked my head toward Paige. “Klein, this is Paige Matthews.”
Another raised eyebrow. “She’s the dame you were sent to find on Calamata Island?”
I didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know what Klein was thinking. It wouldn’t be the first time that I got a little more personally involved in a case, although what was happening now was nothing like those times before. Of course, there was no way for Klein to know that.
“Riley saved my life. Three times now,” Paige said, offering her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Klein.” I watched them both frown at each other as they looked each other up and down. So far, the introductions were going smashingly.
“He’s only saved mine once, so I guess you’ve got a few up on me,” Klein responded. He didn’t elaborate.
“During one of my jobs a few years ago, I came across a few demons who were trying to extract information for their demon official from a nerdy, techno geek,” I said. “Since I like mucking up demon official plans, I killed them and offered the geek a job.”
“I see,” Paige said.
“Klein takes care of research and logistics for me,” I said.
“Field work is not part of my job,” Klein reminded me as he looked around for the first time. “I’m guessing the fact that we’re in the middle of BFE Iowa, and I had to come get you means you are up shit creek with some demon official without a paddle. Again.”
“Let’s step inside the van, and we can talk about it,” I said, conscious of the fact that Klein’s arrival had drawn an audience. I saw several of the community members lingering on the front porch, and felt the presence of more of them behind me.
“Mr. Stone, might I have a word?” Abigail’s voice caught my attention. I looked over and found her standing at the bottom of the porch steps. She didn’t look happy at all.
“Klein, how about you give Paige a tour of the van? I’ll be there in a minute.” I shot Klein a look that told him in no uncertain terms that my directive wasn’t open for questions. He threw his arm up indicating the passenger side of the van.
“Sure. This way, Paige.”
I nodded for Paige to follow Klein. She appeared reluctant, but luckily didn’t question me either. The sooner I could extricate ourselves from Abigail and Fernando the better and our rescue posse had just arrived.
I took my time crossing over to Abigail. With Klein and my gear here, I had less to fear from her influence. “What can I do for you, Abigail?”
Her eyes were on the van. “You didn’t mention that you were inviting anyone else here. That was something that you should have discussed with me. I’m surprised that he was even able to find it in the first place.”
“I am a private investigator,” I said with a slightly mocking tone. “That’s what I do for a living. Find things. Look, I appreciate what you did for me and Paige, but I’ve told you all along that I would leave as soon as it was possible for us to do so safely. This is our ride. With any luck, we’ll be out of your hair in the morning.”
“Ms. Matthews seems to be enjoying her time here,” Abigail said. “She needs to be allowed to rest and recuperate from her experiences. Dragging her all over the countryside hardly seems wise given the fact that every demon on earth is now looking for her.”
“And you are the naïve one if you think that I think she’s safe here for any length of time,” I said slowly. “Plus, we both know that when it comes to pure intentions toward Paige, yours are questionable at best.”
“It is her decision,” Abigail said with a sn
iff. “We can provide protection for her. If she wishes to stay, she will be welcomed.”
“Nice to know,” I said. “I’ll make sure she takes it under advisement.”
“At the very least, we should continue our discussion that we started in the cemetery,” Abigail said.
That was the first thing she said that really got my attention. “I thought you told me everything about the Eva myth.”
It was Abigail’s turn to laugh. “You think that I was able to boil a thousand years of folklore into a ten-minute conversation? You compliment me, Mr. Stone.”
Dammit. She knew that she had thrown something at me that I couldn’t resist following up on. She might be lying, but on the off chance that she did have something else to share that was important, I couldn’t leave it.
“I need to debrief with my man,” I said.
Abigail nodded. “That’s fine. Dinner will be ready shortly, and the three of you should join us. As we agreed, I will tell you what I know.”
Or she’d tell me just enough to keep stringing me along. I snorted and gave a short nod. Then I turned on my heel and headed toward the van. I pulled open the door, ducked my head, and climbed inside.
Paige and Klein occupied two of the three chairs that sat around a small table. There was a squat supply rack that covered one wall of the inside of the van. On it were various weapons as well as what most people would think was a spice rack. Those were the herbs that I needed for my summoning spells. The other side of the van held two computer terminals. Klein had rigged it up so that no matter where we were, we’d have network access and the ability to tap into satellite, cellular, and other encrypted databases.
I had saved Klein’s life because it was the right thing to do. I gave him a job because the kid was fucking brilliant. It didn’t hurt that he also had a photographic memory. My regular PI business had tripled since he came on board, and his intel had kept me off most of the supernatural radars.