The Devil You Know (Ceasefire Series Book 1)

by Claire Marta

  “What?” He questions back with a squawk. “That’s a good thing! Mavi doesn’t have enough dick in her life.” His black jean clad legs are resting idly on the top of the table, ankles crossed. Large pink flowers are dotted all over his white shirt.

  “Leo.” Gabriel warns. He’s in a no shit mood. That’s easy to tell. Today isn’t one of his good days. Blue eyes cold, lines of stress are fanning out from the corners of his mouth.

  Pouting Leo gives a little sniff, crossing his arms sulkily over his chest. “Fine, I’m zipping it, but it’s not my fault you’re all cock phobic.”

  Tossing my leather jacket over the back of my chair, I playfully smack him on the back of his head. “Enough dick talk. Save it for later.”

  Gabriel cuts straight to what’s got him so wound up. “Hell’s in a state of civil war.”

  The silence is deafening for a second.

  “When did this happen?” I ask, dropping my backpack at my feet, as I sink into my seat. This was something we never expected. Lucifer has a tight reign over his domain.

  He’s been King for so long it’s unimaginable that anyone would have the balls to move against him.

  “A few months ago, and we’re only finding out now because we don’t have any contacts down there. It’s a mess. All seven Hell dimensions under Lucifer’s rule are involved.”

  “Do we know how it started?” Snatch plucks at his oversized, brown, woollen sweatshirt fretfully.

  Sighing, Gabriel rubs the bridge of his nose. “His four Generals decided they wanted their own Kingdoms and conspired against him to get it.”

  “So, we don’t have to worry about them too much if they’re fighting among themselves. Sounds like time for a holiday.” Leo makes to rise.

  “You’re fucking kidding, right? Earth is a world they all want to conquer. Things just got worse, as in a shit storm, the end of the world, if they succeed.”

  Pulling a face at the Angel, Leo plonks back down. “Well fuck. You never have good news for us, do you?”

  Gabriel snorts. “You want to live in a fairy tale, go work at Disney. These fuckers are mean, and we can’t underestimate them in any way.”

  More shit for us to deal with. Not like this war has ever been easy. We’re always knee deep in someone else's blood and body parts.

  Pushing up onto his feet, Gabriel grabs the laptop he’s got open on the bar. “I want you to intercept this transport. One lorry. Two cars. Ten demons at most. I want what they’re delivering.”

  “And what is that, exactly?” I ask. Bracing my forearms on the table, I lean closer. Going in blind is something I don’t enjoy. He knows that.

  “You’ll know it when you see it.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Cryptic much?”

  Jabbing a button, he brings up photos of what he wants us to hit. “Just do the job and get it done. No survivors. I don’t want anyone left who can identify you. Phone me when you have it.”

  Studying the picture, I take in every detail. We have the route. Schedule. Number of bodies accompanying it. A piece of cake as long as nothing unexpected pops up. The fact he’s not telling us what the item is niggles me. But I know better than to ask questions. It won’t get me anywhere.

  “We have until this afternoon to prepare. Caesar we’ll need something to take out the wheels and weaponry.” I state.

  “On it.” Our weapon specialists nods. He looks more than pleased he’ll get to try out some of his new toys.

  “Snatch, you’ll need to confirm the guards are all demonic in case they have anything else up their sleeves.”

  “I hope not.” Snatch responds, eye twitching. “Anything stronger than our average demons and it’s going to get messy.”

  Standard grunts we can handle. It’s what we usually face. Soldiers who obey orders without question. They’re generally used for fights with no abilities apart from being sturdy.

  Like any army, Hell has ranks and specialised battalions with different jobs. Warriors are different. More weapon skilled. Berserkers —they’re usually dipped in blood lust and won’t stop until either they or their target is dead. Soul takers are the bargainers. The ones who convince you they can give you whatever you desire in exchange for your soul. They have the ability to teleport. From there, the different list of demonic breeds grows with the powers they wield. Right at the top are the generals over the legions. Then the Devil himself.

  Rogue generals, I have to remind myself. That has to piss Lucifer off. Not that I care. They can all stay in their own dimensions and rot.

  “Leo, if you can stay sober the rest of the day, we’re going to need your powers.” I tell him, catching his glance already straying to the bar. He’s desperate for a drink. Hands shaking, it’s there in his expression. I’ve seen it often enough.

  Releasing a long breath through his teeth, he nods. “Fuck, it’s going to be a long day.”

  “You’re no good to us drunk.” I warn. “You can study the route they’ve picked and find the best place for an ambush.”

  “I’ll help.” Snatch jumps in.

  “Let’s get to it then. No time to waste.” Gabriel rumbles, leaving the laptop in Snatch’s hands.

  Caesar is the one I’ll be coordinating with. His expertise go hand in hand with mine. Anything he has that will give me an edge, I’ll eagerly accept.

  “Mavi, I want a word.”

  Flashing my boss a look I’m uncertain from his body language if this is going to be good or bad.

  Crap, this is not what I need. Following him out back, I mentally flip through anything it could be. I seem to constantly be on his shit list.

  “I didn’t get the chance to give you your present the other night. The boys left your other ones here as you didn’t take them with you when you snuck out.”

  “You got me a gift?” It’s really not what I was expecting. Gabriel isn’t what I would call thoughtful.

  Rolling his baby blue eyes, he nods. “Don’t look so shocked.”

  We’re standing in his cluttered office. This particular Archangel is a hoarder. Books are piled this way and that on the shelves he’s somehow managed to cram into the room. Papers are stacked high on his desk. He needs a housekeeper or an assistant.

  Searching though some boxes piled on a chair he turned back with two of them, both wrapped in red shiny paper.

  “Here.” He shoves them awkwardly into my hands.

  Leaving one on the edge of his messy desk, I eagerly undo the first one.

  A gun. It’s beautiful. Reverently, I run my fingers over the silver metal. A stainless steel 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol. The handle is decorated with pearl. Real pearl, not the fake kind. It must be worth a fortune. In the next box is a holster. It’s the kind that fits on a belt. Perfect for concealment.

  “It’s better than the other one you carry. Something more special,” Gabriel tells me.

  “You blessed it, didn’t you?” I ask, unbuckling my belt. I’m so excited it takes me two attempts to get it free. Sliding the leather through to a comfortable place, I do it back up again, wearing it on my hip. Easy access when I will need it the most.

  “Yeah, it has an angelic blessing.” He confirms, carefully equipping the pistol in its new home. “You should give it a name. Something to make it unique.”

  “Neat!” I’m fully loaded and more than lethal. Angelic blessings put demons down. As in they don’t get back up. Other weapons can be good, but it tends to get messy the amount of times you have to hack and slash to get the job done.

  “Don’t go getting a big head now, Mavi. You know you’re not invincible.”

  The sound of an explosion robs me of my reply. Loud and violent, the force makes the windows shake.

  “What the fuck?” Gabriel is out the door before I am. With his big tattooed body tense, I can see he’s unpleased.

  Pushing Caesar, Snatch, and Leo out of the way where they’ve congregated by the front door, he strides outside.

  Leo grabs my arm before I can get
past. “Best to stay in here, Puddin,” he advices.

  Worry is etched over his face. Whatever has happened, it’s not good. From Snatch and Caesar’s silence they also agree.

  Shaking off his hold, I walk out into the sunlight.

  Thick and dark smoke is rising from a hunk of twisted metal. Flames leap, hissing and burning.

  It takes me less than a millisecond to realise what’s happened.

  My bike. Fuck.

  “Not so tough, now are you, bitch?”

  Locking my eyes on the owner of the voice, I recognize the green skinned demon. The same grunt from the other night. Douche aka Colin.

  “You really don’t have a clue who you’re dealing with, do you?” I’m down the steps before he can even blink. “You blew up my bike and now I’m going to be your mother fucking nightmare.”

  “A whore who thinks it’s fun to play with big boy toys,” he scoffs. “You think you’re something special, but believe me, you’re nothing but a dumb human who’s going to wind up dead soon with what’s coming.” He laughs back. His friends join in.

  The urge to shove a gun in his face is strong. In my mind’s eye I can see myself pulling the trigger. Splattering his brain matter all over the road. Watching a red puddle growing around him as he breathes his last breath. The satisfaction it will bring.

  A hand closes around mine.

  Glancing down, I realise I’ve already reached for my gun. Gabriel’s restraining grip is holding my wrist. Fuck, this is a first. I’ve never been that impulsive. Not like this. My darkness has its time to play, it’s never made me careless before. Killing a demon here would mean an end to my arse. Rules in Cease Fire I’ve always been careful to follow.

  “Take it easy.” Gabriel rumbles softly, giving my skin a squeeze. “He’s not worth it.”

  Letting my arm relax, I shake out my fingers.

  “You’re dead.” The words are a promise. This demon is a problem I will not hesitate to put down later. When he steps out into London, I’m going to know about it.

  He sneers. Lips curling back in a look of malice before he strides off with his entourage.

  I track green skin’s movements. He’s a dumb shit for starting something in the middle of the day. How he’s lasted this long, I don’t know. Son of a bitch.

  “Your ride is totally fucked,” Snatch points out.

  “No shit.” I snap back.

  I’m more than pissed. I’m raging inside. Seething with it. No one fucks with my stuff. No one.

  “Mavi, let it go. There’s nothing you can do about it here,” Gabriel advices. “You got work to do. Focus on that.”

  I’ll let it be for now, but revenge will be mine.

  Scanning the growing crowd, I scowl. Nosy bastards. Any type of drama and they’re all out here watching to see who draws first blood.

  A tall dark figure catches my eye. Fritz. The soul collector is standing within the safety of a doorway. Peering from beneath his black, messy bangs his red eyes are fixed on us.

  I narrow my own.

  What’s he doing here? After despatching my last mark, I didn’t think I would be seeing him again.

  My awareness startles him.

  Shimmering, he vanishes into the shadows like a ghost.

  Chapter Six

  Wheels hiss as the spike strip laying across the road does its job puncturing tires. Easy and effective. Swerving sideways, the lorry tries to regain control over the tarmac. Brakes screech violently.

  That’s my cue.

  Vaulting over the short wall, I sprint towards it. We’ve picked the perfect location. It’s out of the way right next to an industrial estate. Some of the buildings have been left abandoned.

  The weight of the new pistol feels good in my hand. Gabriel chose well.

  I clock the men climbing out of the four SUV’s. Big, muscular, they give off the demonic vibe. The dark shades they wear are also a tell. But I need to be sure before I start shooting.

  “They’re all demons,” Snatch confirms, yelling from somewhere behind me.

  It’s all the go ahead I need.

  I deal with my darkness by letting it come out and play in times like these.

  It’s always there.

  Wanting a release.

  Whispering.

  Awareness ripples through the males. They know their cover has been blown.

  I start firing before they even have a chance. Pulling the trigger, I don’t lose eye contact as my bullets punch neat holes in the foreheads of the first three. They go down fast. With blessed ammo, it doesn’t leave them breathing.

  Fear is only in the mind. Shutting it down is something I’ve found easy to do. I never let it take over. That causes mistakes.

  Raising their own guns, I note they have AK47’s. Fuck. Cheap, easy to operate, and rarely jams.

  Bullets start flying as they open fire.

  Ducking behind a wall, I automatically reload. “Leo!”

  “On it,” he shouts back.

  Taking that as a given, I step back around into the fray.

  Human disguises evaporating like mist, what lays beneath is now visible. Short horns curl up from their heads. Noses bulbous, they snarl between thick rubbery lips.

  The sound of Caesar's Glock firing rings out. To my left a demon goes down.

  With precision, I despatch another two.

  That catches the other’s attention. Rounding on me, they take aim. I can see their red eyes focused on me with deadly intent.

  Where the fuck is Leo? There’s no sign of his bright pink and white shirt anywhere in sight.

  “Dazzle.”

  It’s the only warning I get from Caesar. Screwing my eyes shut, I still manage to see the blast of the stun grenade through my closed eyelids. It lights up the air so bright it can burn retinas. When I peek, pinpricks of colour dance through my vision. Before me, the demons are in chaos. Blinded, they bump into each other as they panic.

  As if by magic, they’re thrown backwards.

  “About bloody time,” I snap, darting a glare at the telekinetic. “What were you doing? Scratching you arse?”

  “Ah sweet Jesus, she’s got that look in her eye again,” Leo warns, before taking a swig of his hip flask.

  He’s lasted most of the day without booze. Should have known it was too good to be true. It makes me wonder when he slipped? On the way here in the van? He was in the back after all. Not much I can do about it now. No time. Once we get back to base, I’ll leave it to our boss to deal with him.

  “Which look?” Caesar asks from his hiding spot.

  “The one where everything is about to get messy.”

  He’s right. I’m still pissed about my bike. Douche might not be here, but these poor fuckers are.

  Striding towards the males pinned by Leo’s powers on the ground, I take them down without mercy. A single bullet right between the eyes.

  “Fucking bitch.” The last one spits.

  Gesturing with my weapon, I circle it slowly towards his different body parts. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” In for a penny, in for a pound. Shooting him in the foot, he screams.

  “Oops, sorry, twitchy finger,” I sing song, skipping closer towards him, watching him bleed.

  “You’re fucking crazy.” He drags himself backwards. He’s not going anywhere. I need to be sure they have what we came for. Insurance is always good.

  “Mavi, play nice.” Leo scolds, his cheeks flushed, eyes already glazing. Drunk bastard.

  “I always play nice.” Slamming my foot into the demon’s face, I make sure to knock him out. We’re ready for a party, but getting him in the building I prepared especially can be tricky if he’s conscious. They like to fight. Pain is something they’re used to. What comes next has to be beyond a normal interrogation.

  “Get him inside, if you still have enough coordination,” I instruct, holstering my weapon.

  “I can assure you I am not that wasted.” He blusters, raking a hand through his blonde hair.

>   Wiggling his fingers, Leo levitates the male into the air. It saves us carrying his heavy arse.

  Directing him forward, he manoeuvres him right where we need him to be. It doesn’t take long to get him inside the room. It’s bare. An unused concrete shell.

  The metal chair is bolted to the ground.

  As the demon’s body droops onto it, Snatch helps me chain him up. The restrains are made from stainless steel and secured to the floor. They’ll keep his arms down. We don’t need him getting loose.

  Heading back outside, we check the lorry. It’s empty. Lucky for us this place is abandoned with no audience to alert the police.

  “God damn it.” I shout, punching the door. Have they been tipped off? This could have been a decoy.

  “Gabriel would’ve warned us if this was a set up.”

  I nod at Caesar. Our Boss is always careful.

  “Where in the fuck sake does this leave us now?” Leo asks with a frown. “We’re knee deep in demon bodies and shit to show for it.”

  “It’s a good job we kept one alive then.” Snatch points out. “Mavi can do her thing.”

  He’s right.

  Stalking about into the warehouse, I flex my fingers. We need answers. Whatever the fuck is going on we won’t be leaving until we have them.

  “Leo, go keep a look out.” I order. We don’t need some arsehole sneaking up on us now. They still might have back up.

  Giving me a salute, and a chug from his hip flask, he heads back outside.

  Snatch and Caesar remain. They linger in the back, half hidden by the shadows. I can practically taste their nervousness. This part disturbs them.

  Grabbing a handful of our prisoner’s greasy hair, I yank his head up. “Wakey wakey.” Using the back of my hand, I slap him hard.

  One second he’s limp, the next awake. Struggling, it takes him a moment to work out his predicament. This is one of the fun parts. When they realise they have no means of escape. Any normal person wouldn’t get excited over this. But when have I ever been normal? Not once in my entire life.

  “What the fuck? Let me up.”

  Letting go of his locks, I stroll to where he can see me. “Sorry, not happening.”

  I straddle his lap. That gets his attention. Hard ridge rising beneath me, I can’t help but grin.