The Intern Diaries Bundle

by D. C. Gomez

  I pulled into Abuelitas’ parking lot and the place was deserted. I didn’t think she would close the restaurant because of the parade. Maybe Jake was responsible for this phenomenon. I didn’t believe Abuelitas’ clientele would be afraid of the devil.

  Considering the place was empty, I parked right in front of the door and walked in. Abuelita was waiting for me inside, and Jake sat at a table in the back, drinking Horchata and eating chips. The laid-back décor of the restaurant clashed with his fancy white suit, although he looked rather comfortable sitting there.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked Abuelita.

  “He paid me to close early,” Abuelita told me, looking over her shoulder at Jake. “Be careful, dear. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Abuelita gave me a tight hug, and that hug told me if I said the word, she’d send the devil to hell in flames. She was loyal to a fault.

  I smiled and squeezed her back, holding on to her for a few extra seconds before I let her go and stepped towards the devil. She gave me another quick look before walking around the bar and disappearing into the kitchen. She wouldn’t be far away if I needed her, so that helped calm me, and somehow, I even found the confidence to hold my shoulders high as I sauntered to him, a sway in my step much similar to Katrina’s. I didn’t have time to dally, so I took the seat in front of Jake without waiting for an invitation. This was Abuelitas, not the Cave, so I would play by my own rules.

  “If you are here to complain about your stupid hotel, Constantine said we are not paying,” I told Jake as I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, doing my best imitation of the Godfather.

  “That monstrosity! Please, Isis.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I should give you a present for blowing it up. Hell is bad enough without adding that eyesore to the mix.”

  “Why would you ever let anyone build it, then?” I asked, even though I knew the question wasn’t important at all. “And why are you here,” I added. There, that one was definitely important.

  “You heard the saying, when the cat is away, the mice will play?” Jake said shaking his Horchata and taking a sip. “Would you like one? These are delicious.” Jake pointed to his drink.

  Before I could reply, Abuelita was in the room bringing me a Horchata, a bowl of chips, and guacamole.

  “Here you go dear,” Abuelita told me as she placed the food on the table. “Would you be needing anything else?” Abuelita asked Jake.

  Abuelita hardly served her customers, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t the perfect hostess.

  “No, thank you. Everything is perfect,” Jake told her like he’d read my thoughts.

  “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” She narrowed her eyes at Jake, letting him know she would go to bat for me if need be.

  When Abuelita was gone, Jake added, “She really cares for you.”

  “I have a great support system,” I said and I meant it. I was blessed to have them. “So why are you here?” I didn’t have the time for a social call.

  “Back to business, of course,” Jake said with a smile, dipping one of his chips in my guacamole. I wondered if he was trying to get killed by Abuelita. “It appears my mice have been very busy lately,” Jake added, staring out the window.

  We were silent for a minute. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but I decided not to waste the opportunity to enjoy Abuelita’s chips. Her homemade salsa was to die for, but the guacamole was sinful. I had no idea how she made it and I didn’t even care because I would never be able to make it myself. I was savoring my piece of heaven when Jake started talking again.

  “Do you know the rules of the game?” he asked me.

  “I barely know the rules of my job. I am pretty sure I have no clue about yours,” I told him between mouthfuls of chips.

  He laughed. “Eventually you should give in and read your manual.”

  “At this point in time, I will need to find it first,” I said, trying to chew and talk.

  “You are a stubborn girl at times,” Jake eyed me carefully. “Our rules are simple, Isis. We don’t interfere directly with human affairs,” he said. “We can whisper to them, entice them, bargain with them, or even give them gifts. You would be surprised what humans would give for a little bit of comfort or power. Easy way to pass the time until judgement day gets here. I worked too hard and lost too much to lose the earth now. It seems after all this time, I underestimated the cunning of my own people.”

  “Let me guess. You are not behind all this,” I said, and the words came out a little more sarcastic than I intended.

  “Why would I give you a pass to hell if I was?” Jake asked.

  “To have your minions capture me.” I glared at him. It was still a fresh wound, what could I say?

  “You were in no danger. All you had to do was summon me.” Jake snapped his fingers when he spoke.

  “What do you mean by summon you?” I asked, leaning into him.

  “You know. The way people summon demons. How else?” He spoke to me as if I had a clue in the world about what he referred to, which I didn’t. It kind of pissed me off.

  “Dude, really?” Did he honestly think I had any idea how to do that? “You do remember I’m Christian? Summoning demons is pretty much forbidden. Where would I learn how to do that?” I said, and my voice echoed around the room, but I couldn’t help it. Jake had lost his mind.

  “Constantine should have shown you,” Jake answered.

  “You obviously don’t know Constantine that well.” That cat would be damned before he trusted the devil for backup.

  “True,” Jake conceded. “I’m glad you both got out. How is Kat?” he asked in a gentle tone.

  “Ready to kill you, but I’m sure you knew that,” I told him. I really wanted to know what had happened between them. It had been bothering me since I saw them together at the Cave. I wouldn’t ask Katrina, but I figured the devil would be a safer bet. Before I could talk myself out of it, I asked, “What happened between you two?”

  Hopefully, I hadn’t pushed my luck too far.

  “What do you think happened?” he asked instead.

  I rolled my hands into fists. Why couldn’t people just answer a question?

  “A really ugly breakup.” That was my first guess.

  “You could say that,” Jake told me. He was quiet for a minute and I thought he wasn’t going to say anything else, until he did. “I was ordered to stay away or pay the consequences.” He gave me a sad smile. I couldn’t believe it. He actually cared about her, at least it looked like he did. I had to take that with a grain of salt, though. The devil was a master at deceiving people.

  “Oh please. Do you actually expect me to believe someone threatened you and you were afraid of them? Who was it, Jesus?” I had a hard time thinking anyone else could be that powerful.

  “It wasn’t me who was going to get hurt,” Jake told me, and my stomach dropped.

  The idea of someone I cared about getting hurt because of me was unthinkable. I actually felt sorry for Jake.

  “Does she know?” I asked.

  Katrina was miserable, and she deserved to know the truth.

  “No and she won’t,” Jake added in a stern tone. “Now stop playing matchmaker and let’s get to business.” He gave me a hard look.

  I nodded. “Alright. Give it to me, then.” No need to push my luck more than I already had.

  “The earth is mine, Isis, and I’m not planning to lose it—especially to one of my own. I need you to stop this mess and get Ginny back.”

  Was Jake actually trying to give me orders?

  “Hold up now,” I said, my voice way too loud for the small space. “Two things. One: you do know I don’t work for you, right? I already have Constantine for that, and I don’t need another one of him in my life.” I huffed. “Two: how do you know Genevieve?”

  “No, you don’t work for me directly,” Jake told me. I opened my mouth to reply, but he raised his hands, stopping me. “Everyone has emissaries on earth. Consider yourself mine. Thi
s is just me whispering in your ear. I could get closer if you prefer.” The last part came out in a silky tone that sent shivers running down my spine.

  Damn the devil, I thought. Damn him all the way to hell.

  “Stay on your side of the table and whisper from there,” I told Jake.

  Unlike Katrina, falling in love with the devil would never be in my hand of cards.

  “That’s what I figured,” Jake said. “And yes, I know Ginny. How do you think she met Arthur? Only at the Cave would those two species ever cross paths.”

  Now he really had my undivided attention.

  “You set this whole thing up?”

  “I would love to take all the credit, but I introduced them a few times and gave one hell of a reference letter.” Jake cleaned his hands, which made me think our meeting was almost over. “I never expected for them to fall in love. That was a plus.”

  “Why? What do you get out of that relationship?” I pushed, and maybe a little too hard, but I really wanted answers and Jake had never been this helpful.

  “Ginny is one of my favorites. She manages my personal garden in hell,” Jake said. Her father is an arrogant bastard. He needs a little humbling.”

  I chuckled. That was hilarious coming from the devil.

  “Now I need you to get her back,” he said.

  “Yes. You keep saying that, but how and why?” All these backstories were fabulous, but I needed real, hard facts now.

  “Simple, Isis. Everyone picks a player to represent them on earth. Up to this point, I have stayed out of it because the outcome didn’t affect me.” Jake sat up straight and stared at me. “This game has gone too far, and the end could bring about a war I don’t feel like playing in. Tag my dear, you are my representative. You will find your little friend Noah and his partner in the housing project in front of your airport. They are in the second to last house at the end on the right-hand side.” Jake stood up and straightened his lapels.

  “Are you serious? You knew all that information the whole time?” I said in a growl, almost pounding my fists on the table. I was going to kill the devil.

  “Not the whole time. Your boy just moved to Haven recently,” he said in a calm voice. “I have spies everywhere. Unfortunately, nobody has seen Ginny since you lost her. I recommend you hurry before those two move again.”

  “Wait. Let’s get something clear. I am not your emissary or representative,” I said, needing Jake to understand.

  “Whatever you say dear,” Jake said, hearing me but not really listening. “Let’s just say I have a bet and my money is on you. Do try not to blow up the whole town. I like Texarkana being Haven now. I can actually get really good TexMex again. If it makes you feel better, call the info my apology for your incident in hell. Now we are even.” He walked around me and touched my shoulder. “Isis, your friends are right. Never trust a demon,” he purred.

  “Including you?” I asked.

  “Especially me.” He gave me a sly smile. “I need your expertise today, but trust me, I will do whatever it takes to get your soul. So be careful.” He fixed the bottom of his suit, then walked out the door.

  “You get all that Abuelita?” I asked her as I got up from my chair.

  “He is right about not trusting him,” Abuelita added as she came to the dining area.

  “So, do I go to the airport?” I asked.

  “Do you have a choice?” Abuelita frowned at me.

  “Nope,” I said because there was nothing else to say. We were out of options.

  “In that case, you better hurry.”

  “Great,” I told her and gave her a hug.

  “I’ll call Constantine and fill him in,” Abuelita told me. “Isis, be careful. There are powerful forces at play,” Abuelita added. Her words sent goosebumps dancing down my arms. Nervous energy bounced through me, and I didn’t know if I had the strength to finish this. But I knew I had to try.

  I jumped in Ladybug and headed to the airport. We didn’t have a lot of time, so I texted Bob to meet me there with Katrina. Abuelita could fill them in on the details.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The Texarkana Regional Airport was less than fifteen minutes away from Abuelitas. A small blessing. Bob texted back to wait for him. I figured I would recon the area, then wait outside for the cavalry. It was dark when I made it to the airport, but I got there in record time. Worry chewed through my stomach. I had to spy on a dark wizard that consulted with demons—definitely not the most appealing decision I’d ever been forced into making.

  Ladybug could be recognized by any supernatural being in the area, too, so parking on the same street was out of the question. I decided to park in the airport parking lot, then made my way to the location Jake had described. I had never noticed these houses before, and they were pretty nice. I hoped the neighborhood had insurance against dark wizards and demons because they were going to need it.

  Either everyone was at the parade or hiding somewhere, but the neighborhood was empty, which made things a little creepier than I liked. I walked around the house and looked through the windows. At least that was my intent, but all the windows were covered with aluminum foil, which was crazy. These people could work for ADT because they took security seriously. I thought I saw some lights coming from one of the windows on the far end, so I made my way in that direction and reached the window. I was pretty impressed with myself until I heard a tree branch snap. Spinning around, the last thing I saw was a two-by-four by my head.

  My head pounded, and when I tried to open my eyes, I couldn’t see anything. They were covered with some kind of dark material. After I got control of my racing heartbeat, I took an inspection of the rest of my body, which wasn’t easy not being able to see it. I couldn’t move my hands or feet but to wiggle them, and I could feel a rope digging into them when I tried. Well, that was just great. I wouldn’t be getting away by running that was for sure. Something was also covering my mouth, and it felt like duct tape from the texture of the material. I could also tell I was on the ground on my side, like I’d been thrown there like a sack of potatoes.

  There was good news, though. I was pretty sure I found the bad guys. Either that, or I found a serial killer, and neither of those things was good news for me.

  “David, what are you going to do to her?” a male voice asked. He had a soft voice, too. Almost feminine.

  “I told you already, we need a sacrifice to bring the boss over,” David answered, at least I assumed it was him.

  “What exactly do you need for a sacrifice?” the soft-spoken male asked.

  “Blood, Noah. It always requires blood. Why is that so hard to understand?” David yelled, and his voice was rough, almost cold.

  “You can’t kill her. She works for Death,” Noah said, almost panicking.

  It took me a minute to put it all together. I was their sacrifice. Me. I sure hoped Noah would be a little more persuasive with his whole “you can’t kill her” talk.

  “We are not going to kill her, just take some blood from her,” David told Noah.

  And that didn’t make me feel any better at all. In fact, I could feel my heart beating through my temples and my ears were ringing. I needed to get the heck out of this place, and fast.

  “David, nobody was supposed to get hurt,” Noah said, almost pleading. “The plan was to save Genevieve from those evil vampires. Not to start a war. She will hate me when she figures out what happened. I just wanted her safe.” Noah sounded like he moved farther away when he finished speaking.

  The good news about being bound was your other senses become sharper. Of course, that only happened after the panic went away and some form of rational thought kicked in. I was able to notice when Noah and David got closer or farther away from me. Not that it did me a lot of good.

  I really needed to start paying attention when people told me to be careful.

  “Noah, this is for the greater good,” David said in a soft tone, as if he was trying to calm Noah down. “Do you rea
lly think the princess wants to have a monster of a child? We are helping her as well as humanity. When the boss takes his rightful place next to God, people will come to see the error of their ways and repent.”

  Oh my God! David was nuts. I didn’t need a PhD in psychology to diagnose this looney-toon. He was going to set lose a demon on earth with my blood, and he thought somehow that would get him to heaven. That man needed a new bible to read. His was a little distorted.

  “I don’t know. This is getting out of control,” Noah said, this time a little closer to me. “And who are those guys you gave Genevieve to? Where did they take her? They looked dangerous. What if they hurt her?” At least Noah was focused on the safety of the princess.

  “Everything is under control,” David told Noah.

  “No, it isn’t,” Noah snapped. “Everything is not under control. Nothing is going according to the plan. Where is Ginny?” Noah sounded angry, finally.

  “Shhh, keep your voice down. You are going to wake her,” David told Noah.

  Unless they had a collection of prisoners, I assumed they were talking about me. I made sure to relax as much as possible. I wanted to appear like the people that were sleeping on sandy beaches, without a care in the world, which was really hard when listening to people planning to bleed you to death.

  “Oh please. Like it makes a difference. You are planning to kill her anyways.”

  Thanks Noah, I thought. Way to make a girl feel better.

  “Either way, I’m sure her friends will be here shortly,” David told Noah. “I don’t need them listening to our plans. They might try something stupid to stop us.”

  “Of course they are going to try to stop us. So is half of the world,” Noah told David and he sounded far away again. That boy was making me dizzy with all his moving around.

  I wasn’t sure if they could see me or if they were paying any attention to me, but I needed to do something. My hands were in front of me, so obviously these two were not criminal masterminds when it came to prisoners. They didn’t even bother tying my arms to my body. I didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself, but I needed to check if they took my weapons.