“We have no ill intentions,” the asshole with the roses replied, offering the bouquet to me. “Our boss wishes to apologize for his lack of foresight in this matter, as he was unaware of how interesting a woman you are.”
Having read Lorenzo Gallo’s file, I recognized when that meant he wanted to take me to his bed whether or not I wanted to join him, but he’d use enticements before settling for rape. I accepted the roses, opted against sniffing them in case they’d been laced with something, and transferred them to my mother’s vase on the end table. She’d always kept an empty vase out just in case flowers wandered her way and required containment. “Apologies won’t bring my brother back.”
“He is aware of that, and wishes to discuss an arrangement with you, which is why he is so eager to learn if you’ll be accepting his invitation.”
“I have a condition.” The last thing I needed was to go anywhere private with a known rapist and murderer, so I’d have to do my best to arrange the situation to protect myself while leading to his downfall. “I want to pick the location, and he has to pay for it. If he’s going to be sending roses, then I may as well enjoy the wining and the dining while listening to whatever proposal he may have in mind. I get to pick where we go, but I’ll keep his proposed date and time. If he wishes to change the proposed date and time, you know where to find me.”
The two assholes exchanged glances, and after a moment, they shrugged. While bereft of roses, the asshole who’d brought them in nodded. I gave him credit; while he had more scars than sense, he had enough brain cells in his skull to recognize when to be wary.
I’d enjoy sending his ass to the Devil’s many hells and refining the art of torture on him for his long collection of sins.
I’d seen parts of his file, too, and he’d crossed every last one of the Devil’s lines.
Fine lines separated revenge, vengeance, and justice, and I meant to dance on them all with a ballerina’s grace. When I finished, the triumphs would balance the tragedies, and I expected I’d earn my place in the Devil’s many hells before I finished my work.
Another reason crept into the back of my head, one that wouldn’t have mattered to me the day before yesterday.
When little Kanika grew up, there would be filth in the world still, but I would personally eliminate some of it so she might never experience the terrors they inflicted on others. That alone would make eternal damnation worth my while.
Somebody had to care what happened to her in the future, and there was nobody else.
“We’ll let him know,” the asshole replied. “And should he wish to meet with you sooner?”
“I’d rather not. Family is important to me, and he’s broken mine. I doubt any offer he can make will do any good, unless he’s willing to bargain with the Devil to undo what he’s done.” If he wanted to get screwed by the Devil instead of me, the final destination mattered more than the method, as long as the asshole found his way into a dungeon where I could sink my claws into him.
I’d have to ask Belial to loan me the riding crop again, as I bet it’d be an excellent tool in my arsenal.
“The Devil?” the asshole blurted.
“I’ve been told by an angel the Devil is the only one who might be able to help my brother now, and I’ve nothing to offer him.”
Well, except the right to count my spots to his content, and I intended to withhold my spots as much as necessary to get what I wanted. Trusting the devil to have only counted two spots while I’d slept classified as a moronic move on my part, but the Devil came across as the kind who enjoyed his victories and found no satisfaction in taking the easier road.
I understood and respected that. Hell, if I’d been in the Devil’s shoes, I wouldn’t have counted any spots at all because the game couldn’t be half played. I’d have to find out if the Devil had endured even more frustration because of my exhaustion.
Poor Lucifer. He’d survive. Maybe.
“If you’d had the money, you wouldn’t be in this position in the first place,” the asshole conceded. “It is unfortunate he, until now, had been unaware of you and your exotic beauty.” The fucking asshole stared at my chest, as did his buddy. “He would have accepted other forms of payment on your brother’s behalf. Perhaps an arrangement can be made.”
I read between the lines, but as I needed to play the game, I ignored the implication I could sell sex to cover my brother’s debts. “I’ll think about it, but I have to get ready to go to work.”
Someone knocked at my door, and tempted to scream at the invasion of people I wanted nothing to do with, I checked the peephole to discover the Devil had come calling, and if I hadn’t known better, I would’ve believed him to be an unusually hot human in a black suit. To my amusement, he’d gone with a bright blue tie for a splash of color. I opened the door. “What can I do for you?”
The Devil smirked and held out an extra-large iced coffee. “It’s not chocolate, and it’s not on your pillow, but I figured you’d prefer this in its mostly frozen state rather than melted and messy.”
If spot counting while passed out got me my favorite treat, I’d put some serious thought into driving the Devil mad with my criteria for being able to count a single spot. I accepted the drink, took a sip, and sighed. “Enjoy your math lessons yesterday?”
“My tutor became sadly unavailable. May I come in? I noticed you have company.”
Fucking assholes, both of them, I mouthed to the Devil.
He smiled, and the rather unfriendly nature of his expression intrigued me.
Who knew something as simple as a smile could be full of promise and lies?
“Sure. They were about to leave.” I took another sip of my coffee, wondering how much of a fight the succubi would put up once they realized the Devil could be trained to be the ultimate morning provider of necessary treats, such as iced coffee. If he brought me treats after skipping his owed spot counting, there was hope for him. Poor succubi, unable to train the Devil to be a provider of excellent treats. Maybe I needed to go take over the place to teach them how to train the Devil properly. “Is there anything else I can do for you gentleman?”
They glared at the Devil, as though they expected their scarred faces to deter my divine guest. When that didn’t work, they left, muttering curses the entire way to their black car parked at the end of my driveway.
I waited until they were out of sight before closing the door and returning my brother’s gun to its rightful place on the entry stand. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“I forget how tiring my presence can be for mortals.”
“It was more I’d been up way past my bedtime than anything else. Yesterday had been long and hard. What time is it?”
The Devil checked his cell phone, which was far smaller than the portable bricks most carried with them, oddly flat and compact, with more glass than plastic. “It is a little after two.”
Shit. To be on time for work, I needed to teleport three hours into the past. “I’m blaming you when I get fired for not showing up at my job.”
“I will offer you a competitive salary for access to a single spot per day.”
As he hadn’t specified it needed to be a new spot, I considered his offer. “Monetary incentives only, with a five minute minimum and a thirty minute maximum of how much affection you can display to the spot of my choice.”