The Devil You Know (Ceasefire Series Book 1)

by Claire Marta

  A familiar figure is standing by the bar.

  Fritz.

  The gangly soul taker is watching me through the fall of his black locks, red eyes hidden behind a pair of shades. Raising a hand, he gives me a wave.

  “Snatch, wait here.”

  Weaving my way through the crowd, I head in the demon’s direction.

  “Do we have a problem? Are you following me? Because fuck a duck you keep popping up.” I asked, eyes narrowed.

  “No. This is my regular haunt when I’m off duty. Can I buy you a drink?” His expression is hopeful.

  “You’re cute, but not that cute. Any idea what’s got everyone afraid?” He has no reason to tell me, but with his friendly mood I might as well try.

  Fritz leans closer. Over the top of his dark glasses I see the red flash of his irises.

  For a moment I’m caught in how pretty they look. They remind me of blood cradled in crystal. Deep crimson.

  “There’s a high-up in the club. Rumours say he’s a big deal downstairs.”

  One of the Generals? Or Lucifer himself? Fuck. Whoever it is they’re bad news.

  Fearful gazes snake our way.

  Fritz’s lips tilt in a smile. He doesn’t seem concerned.

  “Thanks.” I’m getting an unpleasant vibe cracking through my Zen-like buzz. Instinct is something that’s kept me breathing this long. I know when to heed it. Heels clicking, I move away from the bar.

  “See you around, Mavi.”

  The way he says the words sends a shiver over my skin. He’s stalking me. Double Fuck. I really don’t need a pestering hellion.

  Making my way back to Snatch, I take his arm.

  “We need to leave now.”

  “Trouble?”

  “Sounds like it could be.” I mutter back, directing him towards the front exit.

  “That guy was a demon,” he whispers back. Of course, he would pick that up being a sensitive. With the amount of demonic presence in the place I’m surprised he’s not bugging out. Red eyes are tracking our movement all over the place. Hunters after prey.

  “I’m aware of what Fritz is. We’ve met a few times before.”

  “You mean he’s—”

  “Yes, the one I keep helping accidentally,” I confess. Max’s potent pleasure is still clouding my brain. Remembering I'm not wearing underwear, I giggle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  Snatch frowns. “Why?”

  “It will ruin my bad arse reputation.”

  “You two aren’t going anywhere.”

  Turning to the sultry voice, I recognize Mistress Talia. Her demonic eyes are glowing with malice. Still dressed in tight purple leather she has a crop in her hand. Flanking her, are two gimps. Black, body hugging latex clings to every inch of the females, hiding their identities. I can see their eyes gleaming from the slits. Red. More demons.

  “Succubus’s female sex demons.” Snatch tells me helpfully. “They’ve been known to drain life force during sex.”

  “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised in a place like this. Sorry, but we’re leaving.”

  “I don’t think so.” Talia replies, tilting her head with a smirk. Tapping the handle of her crop against her bare thigh, her stare runs insolently over us. “You’re Gabriel’s best assassin?” She mocks with a snort. “He must be getting desperate.”

  “Look, we don’t want any trouble,” Snatch assures them.

  I giggle at that. These bitches aren’t going to move without a fight.

  “Find something funny?” Talia glares.

  “Yes, the fact you think you’re going to stop us.”

  The gimp twins stalk forward.

  “There’ll be no problem collaring you and keeping you here as food.” One of them sneers.

  Looping stray strands of my long red hair behind my ears, I grin. Danger lurks behind my pretty face that not everyone sees. They have no idea what they’re dealing with. Demon or not, I will still take them down.

  “Oh fuck.” Scuttling back, Snatch gets clear.

  My grin widens. It’s time to dance.

  Gimp number one attacks me fast.

  Dodging her sloppy punch, I catch her with a blow to the jaw. Hissing, she tries to repay me with a strike, but I deflect it.

  Grabbing her head, I jerk it down, her face connecting with my raised knee. Stumbling back, she attempts to stem the blood pouring from her broken nose.

  “Holy shit, you’re not wearing any panties!” Snatch squeaks.

  The distraction costs me. Pain erupts from the point of impact as gimp two slams a punch into my solar plexus. It’s hard, but not enough to bring me down. Only wind me.

  Stepping back, she easily evades my counter punch.

  Lips curved up, she’s wearing a cocky smile.

  This bitch is going to bleed. Growling, the darkness inside me stirs.

  “You’re going to pay for ruining my sister’s nose,” she tells me, tone confident.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll soon be wearing a matching one,” I spit.

  “Here.” Mistress Taila calls, throwing her the crop.

  Catching it, she cracks it across my shoulder before I can block.

  Agony blazes along my arm.

  Biting back a scream, I jerk gingerly away.

  “What’s the matter? Can’t stand a little pain?” She taunts.

  Oh, she has no idea. Pain in the right circumstance is something I enjoy.

  Finding my resolve, I lunge forward.

  It takes her by surprise.

  Whacking the crop down, it sears my cheek as she captures it by its edge.

  Ignoring the sensation, I follow through with my actions.

  Tilting my head back, I slam my forehead into hers with momentum. She goes down hard, hitting the ground.

  For a moment I see stars, but I quickly shake it off.

  Gimp one charges me.

  Retrieving two daggers from my garter belt, I toss them with perfect aim.

  Screaming, she clutches her shoulder where the blades have embedded deep through the latex of her costume.

  “Do I have to do everything myself?” Mistress Taila’s beautiful features twist with distaste.

  Snapping her fingers, someone from the crowd tosses her a whip.

  The very thought of her striking me with it sets my rage spilling over.

  My control begins to slip. Common sense fades as the darkness within me takes over. Consuming me from within. A red haze shimmers before my eyes.

  The next thing I know I’ve disarmed her.

  My front pressed into the demoness’s back, I have her in a restraining hold.

  Coiling the whip around her throat, I pull it taught. Her long fingernails scratch desperately at my hands, attempting to loosen my grip. I welcome the pain. The claw marks she leaves in my skin just makes me strangle her harder. Struggling, she fights to breathe as she chokes. I itch to dig one of my knives into her peachy flesh. Drive it deep until blood spills.

  “Mavi! Christ, let her go. People are watching.” Snatch’s panicked voice filters through my lust for destruction.

  Blinking, I see the sea of faces around me staring in shock and fear. Fuck. This is the last thing I ever thought I would do. I’ve screwed up. Let things get out of hand.

  Releasing Taila in shock, I back away.

  Gasping, she falls to her knees and clasps her neck. Shooting me a look of hate, her lips twist in displeasure. “Get the fuck out and don’t ever come back. No matter who you’re with. If I see you again, you’re dead.”

  Chapter Eight

  Clucking my tongue, I examine the mark running along my cheekbone. A long red angry welt. I’m lucky the crop the night before missed my eye. It hurts like a bitch. Ghosting it with my fingers, it stings. Tucking the compact mirror away in my bag, I check my phone.

  “Thanks for letting me crash on your spare bed last night. You’ve got a really nice place.” Snatch murmurs where he’s sitting besid
e me on the bus.

  “Sure, no problem. Thanks for getting me home in one piece.” Not glancing up, I check my messages.

  None of my team have been to my flat before. Caesar always picks me up a few streets away. He doesn’t even know the house number. This is a first. And it feels awkward.

  I’ve never needed anyone to take care of me before. Yet Snatch did. Taking charge after we left the club with me still high. He had known exactly how to cope with me from his own experience with drug use.

  After coming down, it left me exhausted. I’d barely been coherent, but he had managed to get my address out of me and get us safely back. Everything else is a blur. Sounds. Sensations. Fragments of broken intense dreams of fondling hands and icy lips.

  “This is our stop.” Snatch tells me with an elbow to my side.

  Shoving my phone away in a pocket, I grab the two plastic bags laying at my feet, swaying with the motion of the vehicle.

  Bus coming to a halt, we both hurry off.

  The safe house we use is in Camden town. It’s clean, secure. Ground floor for easy access, it holds all the basics anyone might need. Generally it’s one of the best places to lay low. The reason I picked it.

  Even this early the streets are busy. It doesn’t take long for us to reach the flat.

  Scanning up and down the road I make a quick mental note of the cars and people. It pays to be careful.

  Extracting the key from the pocket of my leather jacket, I open the front door. The sound of the TV is playing softly. Somewhere else, I can hear music from a radio.

  “Morning, I’ve brought you breakfast.” I call.

  Snatch trails after me.

  Leo appears in the kitchen door. “About bloody time.” He complains, swaying as he comes to greet us. Dark blonde hair a mess it looks as if he’s been running his hand through it in agitation. As per usual he’s dressed in something overly bright and clashing.

  “Where’s Caesar?”

  “Cassandra touched him so he’s freaking out in the bathroom hyperventilating or some shit.”

  Alcohol. The smell is heavy on his breath.

  Fucking fantastic, our lush is already making a head start on getting himself plastered and it’s not even ten am yet.

  Shoving the bags of food into his arms, I shoot him a questioning look. “Cassandra?”

  “The girl you dumped on us yesterday afternoon. We managed to get her name out of her, but nothing else.”

  She speaks. Maybe we can get something useful out of her. She must know why the demons were after her. It could enlighten us as to why our boss wanted us to rescue her.

  “Where is she?”

  “In there watching TV. What happened to your face?” Leo asks, gaze zoning in on my cheek.

  “Someone hit me with a crop.”

  A grin creeps up his mouth, expression turning knowing. “Ooh la la, someone had a kinky evening!”

  Ignoring him, I head down the hall to the bathroom.

  Caesar hasn’t had an attack for months. Mostly to do with the fact we abide by his wish not to engage in physical contact.

  Pressing my ear to the closed door, I hear running water.

  “Hey, you ok in there?”

  “Go away.” Comes the muffled reply.

  “Caesar...”

  “Just give me a while.” It’s gruff, but I know he’s recognized my concern.

  As silence stretches, I know I’m wasting my time. He’ll be out when he’s ready. Whatever time he needs we have no choice but to give him.

  “Did you fuck Snatch last night?”

  Swivelling, I find Leo directly behind me, arms crossed over his chest, dark blonde eyebrows raised in enquiry.

  “What? No.” I respond, stepping past him. Seriously? Where the fuck is this coming from. It’s way too early for his kind of shit right now.

  “Then why did he stay at your place? Was he the one giving you a good cropping?”

  Groaning inwardly, I roll my eyes. I should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut. “Because we bumped into each other and he needed a place to crash, that’s all. We did not do the naked rumba or anything else your dirty mind can come up with.”

  It’s not really a lie. I’m not about to tell him Snatch took me home when I could barely look after myself. I just hope to God Snatch kept that information to himself.

  “But you did get laid.” Leo persists, eyeing me up and down. “I recognize that post amazing fuck glow.”

  “You know I don’t divulge personal stuff. Why don’t you go eat something and sober the fuck up?”

  “Still an uptight bitch.” He taunts back with no heat to his words. He’s just being a catty drunk.

  Flashing him the middle finger, I go in search of Cassandra. It’s time I had a chat with our charge.

  Crossed legged in front of the TV, she’s watching cartoons, wearing a pair of fluffy pink pyjamas. With the dirt gone from her skin, the hollowness of her cheeks is more pronounced. She looks like a child more than a young woman. Long, black hair, loose and clean, it ripples around her shoulders as she moves.

  “Are you hungry?”

  Gaze shifting my way, her big blue eyes blink up at me.

  “You think it’s your fault, but it’s not.”

  Confused by her words, I frown. “What?”

  “None of it is,” she continues, her voice strangely serene.

  I stare at her blankly. Maybe her time with the demons has driven her nuts. They’ve been known to break the minds of captives as well as their bodies.

  “Nathan.” She says the name softly.

  Everything inside me freezes. How does she know? No one here does. My team are in the dark about my family ties like I am about theirs.

  “What is she talking about?” Snatch asks, absently rustling through the paper bag of breakfast sandwiches.

  Anxiety twists my stomach. “Nothing.”

  Delicate fingers clutch my wrist, stopping me from rising. “You can’t stop fate. It’s like fighting against the sea. In the end it will drown you. That day was one of those moments. There was nothing you could have done to save him. No one expected that of you at ten years old. Not even your brother.”

  Ripping free, I stumble away. “Shut up. Shut the fuck up.”

  Cassandra doesn’t pursue me. Instead, she turns back to watch the TV as if nothing occurred. It’s creepy as fuck. Her show leaves me with the desperate need for space.

  “You’ve got a brother?”

  Rubbing my wrist self-consciously where she touched I slink back until I’m beside the window. “We still don’t know what she is?”

  I don’t want to answer his question. This is pushing past my comfort zone which has already been dented. Making me feel things I generally keep on lock down. I don’t need the lines to blur. Not now. Not ever.

  “No idea.” He responds right before taking a bite of his sandwich.

  “I know a guy who might know.” Caesar’s appearance in the doorway startles us all.

  Pained green eyes meet mine beneath his tartan cap. It makes me wonder if something more happened between him and Cassandra. Did she spook him too?

  Cup of coffee in hand, Leo joins him. “I thought Gabriel told us to stay put.”

  “He did,” I confirm.

  “But he’s not telling us everything, is he, and that’s not like him, is it, Mavi?” Snatch licks his fingers smeared in ketchup. “And I don’t know about anyone else, but it’s giving me a bad feeling.”

  Glancing out the window, I hum in my throat. “Can your guy keep his mouth shut? Whatever she is we don’t need someone who will rat us out for easy money.”

  “His reputation is iron clad. He won’t say a word.” Caesar assures me, rubbing his thick beard.

  “Fine. Set up a meeting.” I tell him, gaze on the guy down on the street. He’s leaning casually against a wall as if he’s waiting for someone. Something about him seems off. I’m not sure what it is. It’s just a feeling. A certainty tha
t he is out of place. By now, I know to trust my instincts.

  “Get your shit together. This place has been compromised. We take the back way out.”

  Snatch shuffles up beside me. Peering through the curtain, he checks out my view. “Who do you think he is?”

  “Could be a demon.” Leo murmurs, joining us to look. “Do you think you were followed?”

  “It’s possible. All of this is feeling hinky right now.” Slipping my new 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol from the holster on my belt, I check it over. Gabriel’s blessed ammo are loaded. If demons are lurking, there won’t be a problem getting rid of them. Hopefully, that’s all we’ll be facing. With all the supernaturals hidden in the city who take bounty hunting jobs we might have a problem if there’s a price out on Cassandra’s head. Why the fuck has our boss left us in the dark? It goes against everything we’ve been through before.

  “Caesar, can you bring your van behind the building? I want to leave as unnoticeable as possible.”

  Giving me a nod, he strides out the door.

  “What about her?” Leo questions, before taking a sip of coffee.

  Completely unaware of the danger around her, Cassandra giggles at the antics of several cartoon characters. She’s in her own world.

  “You and Snatch make sure she gets dressed.”

  Stalking to the corridor, I secure the locks on the front door. We don’t need any surprises. One of the reasons I picked this location was because of the escape route. Swiftly moving into the kitchen, I roll up the carpet in the middle of the floor. The metal of the hatch hidden below gleams in the morning sunlight filtering through the window.

  Hooking fingers in the small hole at the side, I heave it open with a grunt. Steps lead down into the inky silent blackness. The smell rising is overpowering. Covering my nose with my hand, I try to adjust breathing through my mouth. It’s handy having a sewer running right beneath. Makes a perfect undetectable getaway exit.

  The sound of Snatch and Leo’s voices talking are a drone from another room. Hopefully they’re getting the girl ready. We don’t need any more unforeseen problems.

  Riffling through a drawer, I find two torches.

  “We’re ready.” Snatch tells me as they troop in.

  Cassandra is in a pair of light blue jeans, a heavy knit red sweatshirt, and trainers.