That part was true. Rémy had hardly used his suspicion to gain anything from Niko. Although it could be argued he had used it to convince Heidi to suck his cock, she had obviously done so willingly, even happily. Niko hardly made a case for coercion, and he was eager to get to the cemetery, so he pretended to storm off in a huff and made for the staircase.
On his way to the clothes machine, someone knocked at the front door. Niko had seen Rémy answer the door three times since arriving at this house. All three times, Rémy had turned away a beautiful woman, so naturally Niko answered the door now.
Unfortunately, it was no beautiful woman at the door. There stood Marvin Simon, the redeemer who assisted the downtrodden. His fist was raised to knock again, and he looked bursting with happiness at some piece of news.
“Arise and awake!” declared the spoon-headed fellow. “After studying the Testament of Solomon further, I have come with a fresh revelation!”
Sighing deeply, Niko stood back and allowed Marvin to enter. This was going to be the longest day of his life, but if it meant being fully restored to the present with Sabine, it would be well worth it.
Chapter Thirteen
“Are you sure you don’t think I was holding out on you?”
Heidi sat on the edge of the bed and adjusted her heeled sandals. It had never occurred to her that any duplicity was involved in Rémy’s decision to not tell them his hunch about the beads. It was a hunch—that was all. “Not at all, Rémy! Why waste our time with a hunch?”
“Um…because it sure as hell got me a pantload of sex?”
Heidi laughed. “So the question is, do I think you’d stoop to withholding vital information just to get laid? Oh, hell, no. Rémy, you’re a ladies’ man, and you’re not gay. So that rules out A, wanting me, and B, wanting Niko. I’m sure you can go twenty-four hours without sex. That leaves the only reason you’d want sex with us being, well…that you sincerely and honestly think it will help Niko’s cause.”
“Well.” Rémy looked abashed. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’ve been known to do duplicitous stuff in my life in order to get laid.”
“Just not with us. Why would you jeopardize such an important relationship? You heard Colette, and then other people have reiterated what she said. We are all witnesses, forever entwined. You have nothing to confess or apologize for, Rémy. Both Niko and I had ‘congress’ with you willingly. It’s all good.”
She stood to go to the bathroom, but Rémy caught her by the wrist. “Well, there’s another thing. I, ah—I heard you talking to Niko after our scene.”
Rémy’s eyes swam with a new emotion Heidi had never seen in him before. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Really? What was I saying?” She truly couldn’t remember.
Rémy let go of her arm. It was defeat she saw in his eyes. Defeat! Rémy Lafitte, President and COO of Corsair Software, well-known playboy—he was defeated! “I heard you tell him you love him.”
She didn’t know what to say. “Well. I do love him. I believe in our destiny. If I live here, I presume he will, too. I hope you allow us to share a bedroom.”
Her words stung Rémy! He pulled back as though burned, cringing into the dresser. “I…I don’t think I want that, Heidi. I thought the three of us were equal. But now you’re bringing all sorts of jealousy and competition into the picture.”
Heidi frowned. She still didn’t understand why Rémy would be hurt in the slightest by her pairing up with Niko. “Jealousy? Who said anything about jealousy? You can still go your own way with your, ah, your women.”
Rémy flung a frustrated arm toward the ceiling. “See, Heidi? You just don’t get it, do you?”
She had to admit, “No, Rémy, no, I don’t! What am I failing to see here? You want the three of us to be equal.”
“Yes! How hard is that to understand?”
“Equal! Meaning…” Well, she wasn’t really sure what that meant. Did Rémy somehow intend to participate sexually or romantically in her relationship with Niko? She was overjoyed to be having this adventure with such a painfully handsome, debonair man as Rémy Lafitte, but she knew she wasn’t meant for him. He was too, too handsome. He would grow tired in a few months and stray, even if he had good intentions. He was just too accustomed to getting his way with supermodels. And why would she ask a man with a dozen supermodels on his hands to become monogamous with her? Or her and Niko, as he seemed to be requesting. “Equal. You don’t want me and Niko sharing a bedroom. You want to…share in it, too?”
“Exactly!” Rémy seemed hugely relieved she had discerned his intention. “That’s what I mean! I mean, there probably isn’t a bed big enough for the three of us, but that’s the sort of thing I’m talking about. I mean, I don’t want to be shut out of your…love. I don’t want to be the odd man out, standing on the sidelines. I want to participate.”
Heidi blinked at him. “But do you love us?”
Rémy didn’t answer immediately, disappointing Heidi. If he had to think about it, why was he demanding a share of the action? He finally said, “I know I could come to love both of you. It’s just been such a whirlwind, such an unexpected adventure. You’ve got to give me some time, a few days at least. I know that I don’t want either one of you leaving. Not leaving New Orleans, not leaving my house.”
Heidi smiled wryly. “You’re very possessive.”
“Well, I don’t really know if I am or not. I’m not accustomed to having relationships where I demand fidelity. The last woman I was monogamous with was Amber two years ago, and I wouldn’t consider myself terribly possessive. Heidi, you and Niko have gotten under my skin. For the first time in a long time, I really want to be with someone. You two go way deeper than a one night stand hookup. Just agree to stay here, and we’ll see how it plays out. Only I don’t want to catch the two of you doing it in the vertical bath or anything. Not without me.”
Heidi had to laugh at his reference to Niko’s shower. Still, she had some concerns. After all, she had just met Rémy less than twenty-four hours ago. Conjuring up spirits in a graveyard. Of course she had googled his company and checked out the performance of his stocks, his status with the SEC, looked at his balance sheet, that sort of thing. She wanted to ensure she wasn’t dealing with an unstable heir who was a few feathers short of a whole duck. Everything had checked out. The company was legitimate, soluble, and thriving.
“Let’s see what happens at the cemetery, at midnight tonight. Marvin said the closer to midnight, the more assistance the demons can be, but the more they can also stomp us to smithereens. Why don’t we concentrate on that?”
They both turned, startled at the sound of the front door slamming downstairs.
Heidi sighed. “Another one of your women.”
Rémy was listening intently. “No. Might seem like another woman. But I think it’s Marvin in the flesh.”
Marvin? They both went onto the landing where they could peer down into the foyer. Niko was still in Rémy’s bathrobe, and Marvin was waving an idealistic forefinger around. It sounded like he was saying, “I have come with a fresh revelation!”
“Good Lord,” muttered Rémy, and leaped down the staircase.
Heidi went to use the bathroom first, so by the time she joined them in the foyer, Rémy was saying, “I’m not so sure I want to call on old Baal-Berith, Marvin! Last time he chopped someone’s head off, and then he took over some poor moron’s body at that second line. I think we’re playing with fire, with forces we’re not prepared to tangle with.”
Marvin jammed his hands onto his hips. “Now, just why do you think I gave you that damned sword? Where is it, huh? Where is it? Because you’re going to need it, buddy. We’re here to fight the good fight, not go down like cream puffs with the cream squeezed out, like disemboweled sacks!”
Rémy held out calming hands. “We’re not going down without a fight, Marvin. The sword’s right here, see? But can’t we confront these demons with a bit less fire and brimstone?”
Niko add
ed, “Without any more mortals being beheaded?”
“Impossible!” spat Marvin. “You’re going to have to use your ring to call upon Baal-Berith and confront him like a boxer, hand to hand! Good Lord! What got into you that made you so timid and frail? Niko, surely you must agree with me. Direct confrontation is the only way!”
Niko repeated, “Without more people having their heads chopped off?”
Marvin sounded as though he lectured a child. “Well, now, don’t you need to break some eggs to make an omelet?”
Aghast, Heidi broke through the ring of men, slicing the air with her hand. “Marvin, I think what they’re trying to say is, is there a reasonable certainty that all of us will make it through this fight with our heads still attached to our necks? We’re not trained fighters. Well, maybe Rémy is, with Jean Lafitte’s egun helping him. It makes sense that he carries the scimitar.”
Marvin nodded. “All right, all right. I see your point. It’s reasonable for you to want to make it through intact. Of course. That’s only logical. I just get carried away sometimes by the excitement of a fresh crusade.”
Heidi wondered for the twentieth time about Marvin Simon, redeemer. For a man who looked like he hadn’t seen this much excitement since the new PlayStation was released, Marvin sure was gung ho about doing battle with demons. She asked Rémy, “Did you have your private investigator look into that burner phone?”
“Yes. He just reported the phone that texted the pentalpha is owned by a guy named Michael Angel. Someone had a wicked sense of humor. We could only narrow his location down to a two-block radius around the St. Louis cemetery.”
A laugh burst from between Heidi’s lips, no matter how hard she tried to stay serious. “Michael Angel? Wow, someone really went through a lot of effort to set us up. We didn’t even know until this morning when we found the book that we were even looking for a ring from the archangel Michael.”
“Yes,” mused Rémy. “It’s actually physically impossible for anyone to have set this up, even if they were a criminal mastermind.”
Marvin flailed his arms. “Oh, don’t you see? Why do I have to beat you over the head with a hammer and a St. Andrew’s Cross to get you to see what’s so plainly obvious?”
Niko filled in the rest for Marvin. “It’s not being set up by any mortal, Rémy. This is a hundred-percent, dyed-in-the-wool, true-to-life, honest-to-God demonic attack going on here, and we need to be on top of it in order to win.”
Marvin held a palm out to Niko. “Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, Rémy, you sound as though you’re satisfied with giving up your gold and putting Sabine and Niko as your top priority.”
“I am.”
Heidi’s heart swelled when Rémy made this declaration. She knew she, too, had been falling for Rémy, but she was afraid it was more his dazzling good looks—and perhaps bank account—that was swaying her traditional mind, her hormones. She was afraid she wasn’t able to look past his beauty and riches to really, truly fall in love with the man. But he seemed sincere in giving up the gold quest—for now, at least—to get Niko and Sabine out of their living hell. Only a truly good-hearted, sincere man would do that. A real shallow playboy would have just taken all the sex he could get but abandoned Niko and Heidi to their fates.
Could it be true that he wanted more with Niko and her? She had not dared to believe that such a devastatingly handsome man would ever be interested in dumpy old her. Maybe, just maybe, their being bound together as witnesses was getting to him, getting under his skin. Maybe the three of them did have a future. He had not struck her as gay in the slightest, but he seemed to make a special exception for Niko. Maybe it was their spiritual entwinement that aroused these feelings in Rémy. But Heidi couldn’t deny it anymore. The future wouldn’t just be her and Niko. Rémy wanted to be there, too.
“Good,” said Marvin. “While the three of you were busy playing with your nipple clamps and sensual massage oils, I was busy actually reading The Testament of Solomon and doing actual helpful research.”
Niko pouted. “We thought that the ‘massage oils’ would help with our quest. Turns out it only helped with certain people’s sexual satisfaction.”
Marvin drew back, offended. “Well. I certainly don’t wish to hear anything about coitus or butt plugs or swinging from chandeliers.”
“Who said anything about butt plugs?” asked Heidi. Marvin did seem well-versed in the sex toy business. “So what did the book tell you?”
“As it turns out, Solomon’s last demon encounter involved capturing the wind demon, that obnoxious old Ephippas who harassed you earlier when you were temporarily stuck back in Everlost.”
“Is that so?” asked Niko. “Pray tell, how did he capture the wind—Ephippas?”
“Well. Solomon sends a servant boy with his ring—that would be our ring tone—to capture a wind demon who is harassing Arabia. The boy holds a wineskin against the wind with the ring in front of it, then ties up the bag when it’s full. He brings the bag of wind back to Solomon, and with Ephippas’s power, a cornerstone”—Marvin wiggled his eyebrows significantly at everyone—“that everyone thought was too large to be lifted is moved, displaying the entrance into the temple.”
Everyone fell silent as they gazed at each other. Marvin’s meaning was clear, but for one thing.
Rémy asked, “Who is the ‘servant boy’? You? You are our servant.”
Marvin said, “I thought that at first. But you boys have to fight your own demons. I’m thinking it’s Niko, since you’ve got a bone to pick with Ephippas.”
“I can’t argue with that,” said Niko.
Rémy asked, “But what could we use for a wineskin? We just polished off a couple of wine bottles. Will that do?”
Marvin shrugged. “As good as any other old wineskin.”
Rémy dashed off to the kitchen, returning with one of their empties. “Here, I made sure the cork fits back inside.” He placed it on one of the bottom steps of the winding staircase. “Now. Marvin, I’d really like it if we didn’t force Heidi to come on this adventure with Ephippas and Baal-Berith and all. We need Niko, of course, and you seem to need me and my sword, but I don’t see why Heidi needs to endanger herself—”
Marvin’s reaction was instantaneous. “Of course she needs to come! She’s one-third of your triumvirate. Otherwise we wouldn’t have the right balance of spirits, destinies, and personalities. Now, listen. In order to call forth Ephippas”—Marvin shrugged, as if it didn’t matter—“or Baal-Berith, whichever comes first, all we have to do is make your burner phone ring. You got it? Good. Let me call it from my—”
“No!” shouted Rémy, with his hand shielding the burner phone he’d stuck into a cradle on his belt. “Wait! We’re not ready!” Heidi was flattered when Rémy turned to her and said with bugged-out eyes, “Heidi. Go into the living room. Get out of here. Now.”
It was too late. The burner was already blithely tinkling out the Bob Marley tune as Marvin cheerfully called it from his cell.
Marvin said, “Okay, now, Niko, you take that wine bottle and—”
Rémy shouted, “Heidi! The living room! Now!”
Heidi was torn. As much as she wanted to avoid having her head forcibly removed, or even any of her organs rearranged, she wanted to fulfill her part of the triumvirate. So she was halfway leaning on one leg in the direction of the living room when the tiny, slimy creature appeared at Niko’s feet. Looking like a wizened troll with enormous blue eyes and wisps of hair combed over on its lizard-like skull, it stared at Niko ravenously. Its giant claws started to reach for the skirts of Niko’s robe as Niko tremulously asked, “Is this Ephippas?”
Its voice was as gravelly as an old blues singer. “Call me Beelzebub.”
Heidi shrieked to hear that the thing could speak. This time she really did start to run into the living room.
However, the demon leaped on her shoulder, sinking some sort of tentacle between her shoulder blades. Men were shouting, graspi
ng at the demon as it stuck its poisonous stinger directly into her spine as though meaning to paralyze her.
All Heidi could do was grip onto the newel post of the staircase with both hands while the demon snarled into her ear. “I won’t let Niko come into your time. And I’m taking you back into his!”
She heard herself wailing, a high-pitched siren-like whine. “Rémy! Use your sword! Get this thing off me!”
It clutched at her with talons of steel while the men bellowed and yelled.
“Use the ring!” shouted Marvin.
“How?” Rémy shouted back. “You need to call me again to make it ring!”
“Use the damned sword!” yelled Niko.
“No!” shrieked Marvin. “The ring, the ring! Here!”
Marvin must have broken away to speed dial Rémy again. Heidi was nearly sobbing in desperation as she felt the stinger slide around her spine like a cold blob of mercury, her nervous system soaking up its poison. Relief washed over her to hear the first notes of the redemption song, and Rémy held it up to the demon.
Immediately the tentacle unfurled itself from Heidi’s spine. Someone lifted the thing from her shoulders, and it parted with a malevolent hiss. Panting, tears finally streaming down her face, Heidi collapsed at the foot of the stairs, still clinging to the newel post.
“Now the sword!” yelled Marvin. “Now the sword!”
Rémy had the goblin in one powerful fist, and he smashed it to the Persian carpet. It landed with a dull thud as though filled with fluid, sprawled like a sickening, dying rodent. Rémy snatched the sword and, with glinting blade, cleaved the demon in half as it snarled like a cornered skunk.
“Oh, God!” Heidi held her palms to her eyes. Men yelled, stomped around, made a general ruckus of things. When she dared peek through her fingers, Beelzebub was gone.
Niko squatted near her, smoothing her hair with his hand. “It’s all right, Heidi…shh…Rémy got the demon. He’s gone now. He can’t hurt you.”
Redemption Song [Midnight, New Orleans Style 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13