Protected by the Damned BoxedSet 2

by Michael Todd

  “Right?” Stephanie wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and took a deep breath. “Oh, sometimes this job is way too much fun.”

  “Yeah, for you, but since I was technically the lead in this operation, I have to go brief the boss.” Katie groaned as she got out of the SUV.

  “Oh, you’ll be fine. Just don’t tell him about the dress-up.” Stephanie giggled.

  “Or me knocking out an innocent,” Eric added. “That would get me taken right off this detail. Actually—”

  “Nope, you are on it for life,” Katie interrupted, patting Eric on the back as he walked through the doorway. “We will haunt you if you try to get out of it.”

  “The worst part is, I believe you.” Eric waved to them and climbed the stairs.

  “I’ll see you guys in a bit.” Katie headed toward Korbin’s office.

  “Good luck,” Stephanie yelled.

  “Right,” Katie muttered to herself. “You got this.”

  Are you just a pussy, afraid of the boss-man? Pandora asked.

  Can you stop with the p-word please? Katie griped. It’s so vulgar and gross.

  You think your pussy is gross? Pandora asked. That explains a lot.

  Oh my God, stop! Katie grimaced. Not mine, the word.

  All right, Pandora agreed. Stop being a clam? Stop being a vagina? A vajayjay, a wet trap, a mound of pleasure, a—

  Just stop! Katie put up her hand. Call it whatever you want.

  Then I shall call it “Henry,” Pandora announced proudly. So, stop being a Henry.

  You are impossible. Katie shook her head. Do not call my vagina “Henry.”

  You said I could call it whatever I wanted, Pandora argued.

  Just be quiet, Katie replied, knocking on Korbin’s door.

  “Come in,” Korbin yelled.

  How about “Albert?”

  Katie ignored Pandora and went in, the familiar smell of sweat and man mixing in her nose. She made a mental note to be as far from the training facility as she could get when she picked her room.

  The last thing she wanted was to smell the gym all day long; that musky, damp smell that every gym had.

  “I’m glad to see you in one piece.” Korbin nodded to the chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat. From the reports, you took out quite a few minor demons and two strong ones. That will be a nice payday for you and Stephanie.”

  “And Eric,” Katie added. “He was part of the team, so he deserves something from it.”

  “Good call.” Korbin made a note. “So, how did it go? Any problems?”

  “Nope,” Katie replied, picturing the guy in the tutu. “In fact, at the first one we took two demon guards down and found the target, who was covered in orange facial mask, belting out Queen. That one was pretty easy.”

  “Ugh.” Korbin grimaced. “Early or late Queen? Demon or not, put him out of his misery if it was the wrong one.”

  “I know, right?” Katie smiled.

  “And the second one?” Korbin asked, looking at Katie.

  “It was pretty bad boss, I won’t lie.” Katie chuckled. “Seriously, you should have seen it. Stephanie was a monster in there. She wanted that asshole politician but no one in the bar would point him out, so what does she do? She warns them that she will kick everyone’s ass until she finds him. Next thing you know, you have human and possessed alike lining up for a piece of her. I mean, some of these guys were huge, looming like two feet over her with biceps the size of her body. That didn’t deter her; she kicked all their asses. I think she should be good on practice for at least twelve hours with the workout she had.”

  And what did you do? Pandora scoffed. Drank Martinis and let me do the dirty work.

  “She is quite the handful,” Korbin agreed. “Though I did get the report back from the police department.” He looked down at his notes before his eyes looked up to Katie. “There is something in here about a man in a tutu?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Katie replied, sitting up straight. “He must have done it to himself. You know how crazy those demons can get.”

  “Yeahhh.” Korbin rubbed his chin. “But apparently he wasn’t possessed, just unconscious.”

  “How did you know that?” Katie asked.

  “I didn’t. It was a test.” He laughed.

  Tell him about the cosmo, Pandora grumped. Oh, and the bartender you tried to hit on after he was already out.

  I did not, Katie grumbled. I was thanking him for being subjected to our ridiculousness without running screaming out the door. How dare you!

  Even numbnuts took down a guy in the alley. Pandora scoffed. I mean, he was innocent but he could have been a demon. If he was, Eric would be a bigger hero than you.

  Stop being so cranky, bitch, Katie snapped at Pandora. Besides. I was back-up, spelled K-A-T-I-E. You may have sucked the demons out, but I’m telling you right now—I’m the one who got you close enough, especially after that little show you put on for the guards. You’re lucky I didn’t let myself get beat up.

  Um, yeah, I’m offended by the word bitch, so I’m gonna need you to change that up. Pandora snickered.

  Fine, Katie replied. How about “dickhead?”

  Katie went up the stairs, slightly embarrassed after Korbin had started laughing at her. He could tell she was in a fight with Pandora.

  She really needed to work on that face of hers. People were going to start thinking she was insane, which wasn’t that far off since her demon was a complete pain in the ass.

  She walked into the living room, heading toward her room to relax before getting in some evening training. She had learned very quickly that when Pandora stepped back, she needed to not only tighten her body but the moves she was using as well.

  “Hey, how did it go?” Eric asked from the couch, He was drinking a Coke.

  “Okay.” She put the back of her hand to her mouth as she yawned. “They put the tutu in the police report but not the guy behind the dumpster, so you’re clear.”

  “Damn it,” he moaned. “That was going to be my out.”

  “I told you.” Katie smiled. “In it for life.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they keep saying,” he replied under his breath. “So what are you up to now? I’m going to go over to the new base and check on the hospital setup. You want to tag along?”

  “Nah.” She yawned again. “I am suddenly feeling too tired for life. It’s probably Pandora fucking with me again, but either way, I want a serious nap.”

  Damn right it’s me, Pandora grumped.

  “Okay.” He sighed. “You should probably get some good shut-eye.”

  “I hope so,” Katie replied. “I promise though…the next free night we have, we’ll catch up on soaps.”

  “I will definitely hold you to that.” He smiled, grabbing an apple and turning to the book in his lap. “Have a good sleep.”

  “I will.” Katie smiled and went toward her room.

  She walked inside and shut the door, pulling off her clothes and tossing them in the basket as she headed toward the bathroom. They had driven through the night to get back, stopping several times for food, which was another reason Katie couldn’t understand why Pandora was so grumpy.

  She brushed her teeth and pulled her long hair into a messy bun, then dragged herself toward the bed, falling face-first into the covers when she reached the end. She pulled herself up to the pillows and snuggled in with a content smile on her face, but as soon as she shut her eyes she opened them again with a look of irritation on her face.

  Really? she asked.

  Yep, Pandora replied. I just shot up your adrenaline. You don’t get sleep until I say so.

  What is your problem? Katie asked, sitting up in the bed and throwing the covers back.

  You promised me something and you have not even thought about it, Pandora grumped.

  Oh no? Katie demanded, jumping up from the bed and stepping over to her dresser. She grabbed some papers from the drawer. Then what is th
is?

  Katie sat back down on the bed and spread out the papers she had taken notes on; they were all about the cars she was considering. Pandora cleared her throat.

  Okay, I’m satisfied, she agreed, taking the adrenaline away. Good night.

  I… Katie began, suddenly feeling totally exhausted.

  Out she went, already lost in a dream world.

  You’re welcome, Pandora whispered gently.

  Charlotte tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the music, humming along. She really loved driving, especially on a road trip like she had been on, hunting down info for Korbin’s team.

  The sun was just coming up, and she knew that she was getting close. She had driven all over the country since the last time she talked to Korbin, and it was time for a check-in.

  She had spent so much time on this that she had completely stopped writing for the underground publication. She would probably start again, but it was a hard decision; she saw the world differently at this point.

  Now Charlotte knew the truth—the actual truth, not just the conspiracies. People in her profession went their whole lives without finding out the truth about their stories, especially since most of them were made up. Now that she knew that truth, it would be a struggle to acclimate back into the world that she had known.

  She wasn’t that girl anymore, no matter how hard she tried to be.

  The GPS directed her to take a left off the highway and down an old two-lane road she was pretty sure no one else would be using any time soon. She drove farther into the desert, finally seeing the top of a big tower in the distance. When she saw a sign she slowed down, reading it out loud to herself.

  “Deviating from the path could get you killed. Explosion probable, blowing you into fifty-seven pieces or worse.”

  Charlotte snorted as she started toward the base again. “I mean, what could possibly be worse than that?”

  She slowed down again, reading the next sign.

  “It could be fifty-eight. That would be worse.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing they had put those signs there on purpose. At least they had a sense of humor.

  She still didn’t know how they held it together like they did. She was pretty sure she would be a basket case if she became Damned and had to join a mercenary team, or whatever they considered themselves to be. Finally she got to a pair of wide metal gates with a watchtower in the center. There was no one there, but the righthand gate slid open as she approached. She noticed the blinking of a small camera as she passed.

  “Good cameras.”

  She drove to the center of the base and parked her car with the team’s SUVs. She wasn’t sure where the parking lot was, but she figured if they were parked there, she could too.

  Charlotte put the car in Park and got out, shielding her eyes from the sun and looking around the compound. She could tell from the new cement and the smell of roofing tar and fresh paint that they had put some serious work into the place.

  It was nice, and actually looked like a real military base. She turned when she heard a door shut and waved at Korbin, who was walking toward her, shielding his face from the blowing sand.

  “Hey!” He shook her hand when he approached. “Let’s go in the tent behind you and get out of the wind.”

  “Okay.” Charlotte nodded, catching a mouthful of sand.

  They walked into the tent and Charlotte looked around, watching the shadows created by the wind and sand beating against the tent. There was a small table and some chairs, so she followed Korbin over and sat down.

  “You want a water?” he asked, reaching into the cooler to the left of the table.

  “Sure,” she replied, crunching sand in her teeth.

  “How was your drive?” He handed her a cold bottle.

  “Not bad,” she told him. “I came from San Diego this time. I went home to take care of some stuff there while I was waiting for you to be available.”

  “Sorry about that.” He nodded, opening his water. “This construction is taking up most of my time. I’m either here working, or I am in my office at the other base in the middle of the night trying to finish up the planning. It’s definitely been an eye-opener, but in the end we will have a safe and secure place.”

  “I’m sure.” Charlotte nodded. “I’m sorry about your other place. I heard there was a fight?”

  “Yeah.” Korbin sighed. “It was definitely rough, but most of us made it through. Now we are rebuilding stronger and better.”

  “That’s all you can do,” she offered.

  “So anyway,” Korbin replied, sitting up straight. “Tell me what you’ve learned, what you’ve heard, and anything and everything you’ve picked up.”

  “It has been a challenge, since I’m not Damned,” Charlotte admitted. “The possessed know I’m not, the non-possessed don’t care who I am, and all the people that I need to follow have shining red circles in their eyes. It has taken some serious reconnaissance.”

  “Hold that thought for just a second,” Korbin said pulling out his phone and holding it in the air. “I want Katie and Calvin here for this…if I can get a damn signal.”

  Korbin made a note to have Derek install a signal booster—communications would certainly be critical in attacks—then stood up and walked to the opening of the tent. He finally found a signal and calling in the others. Charlotte sat quietly, entranced by the whipping of the wind against the white canvas walls.

  She wanted to go home, but until she helped get this infestation under control she was destined for the bunker.

  Chapter Five

  “Sorry it took me a second to get over here. We were putting in the last of the guns,” Calvin offered as he walked into the tent. “Charlotte!” He went over to her, opening his arms wide. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?”

  “Oh, you know, doing some black ops shit.” She laughed as she gave him a hug.

  “Charlotte was just about to tell us what she had learned from all her hard work.” Korbin smiled. “She has been working harder than any of us.”

  Charlotte blushed. “I doubt that.”

  The three greeted Katie as she came in and grabbed a water.

  “So,” Calvin flipped the chair backward and sitting down, “hit us with it.”

  “Well, one of the things I found was a plot to infiltrate humans,” Charlotte began, pulling out pictures of the demons she overheard. “I was chasing down a politician in Arizona and happened to be standing in the right place at the right time. They were having a little meeting about it. It’s going to take place out there. That’s all I could find out, but I’m pretty sure if I go back I can find out a hell of a lot more, and maybe even get us into the event.”

  “Well, that sounds promising.” Korbin rubbed his jaw, thinking. “That’s great work, Charlotte. I would appreciate it if you did go back out there and see what you can dig up.”

  “Not a problem.” She nodded. “I already packed a bag. Everything else I found out is old news to you guys. New to me, but that doesn’t do you much good. I didn’t realize this issue was getting so big, at least not until I heard about your base and what happened there. Then this news of the incursion, and my head began spinning a bit.”

  “It’s ok.” Calvin leaned forward, putting his hand on hers. “And if it ever gets to be too much, just tell us.”

  Her eyes opened in surprise. “Are you kidding me? I’m all about this.” She laughed. “This is exactly the kind of reporting, minus the actual article, that I’ve wanted to do my whole career.”

  “Good.” Katie stood up, waving her goodbye. “Then I wish you luck, and we will see you soon. I’m sorry to listen and run, but I have to get back to helping Derek before his head explodes.”

  “Me too,” Calvin agreed. “But not Derek. I tried that IT stuff; not my cup of tea.”

  “Thanks, guys.” Charlotte watched them walk back out of the tent.

  She turned to Korbin. “I guess I’ll hit the road then
. At least get close before I have to stop to sleep.”

  “Before you go, I wanted to give you this,” Korbin told her, pulling a thick manila envelope from under the table. “I’m sorry it’s in cash, but we don’t really have checking accounts.”

  “What is this?” Charlotte asked, cautiously accepting the envelope.

  “It’s ten grand,” Korbin replied. “It’s a bonus for all the hard work that you do for us. You have brought us, and continue to bring us, intel that is priceless, and it’s not the safest job in the world. In fact, I guess it wasn’t a job until I paid you. Think of it as hazard pay, but be careful how you spend it. I wouldn’t put it in your bank account.”

  “Why not?” Charlotte looked at him.

  “It’s a red flag to the government,” Korbin explained. “The government…they ignore the team’s spending habits, but they won’t ignore you. You are a subcontractor of sorts, and not on their radar. I think it would make things more difficult for you if you were. We don’t work for them, but they like to act as if we do. Being technically deceased, we can get away with giving them the finger, but they can take you for all kinds of things.”

  “Yeah, I don’t need that.” She laughed. “Especially since this is my sole priority right now.”

  “Good. Just spend wisely. They won’t really notice if you aren’t writing checks or using credit cards. I mean, how would they?”

  “You’d be surprised what they can find out,” she answered, putting the envelope in her bag and rolling her eyes. “They probably know when I sing too loudly in my car.”

  “Um, good point,” Korbin agreed, standing up. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “Thank you.” She followed him out of the tent and back to her hatchback.

  He looked down at the young reporter. “I really want you to be careful out there, Charlotte,” Korbin told her. “I don’t like that you aren’t protected.”

  “I am pretty good at sneaking around.” She shrugged. “But still, I appreciate your worry. I feel like I’m actually contributing to something doing this, and it just feels right. Plus,” she gave a flash of a smile. “you helped me find my family.”