As they walked, Reed worked judiciously to keep his connection to Eve at bay. At the moment, the less she knew, the safer she’d be. He had no choice but to trust that Cain and the guards would keep her safe for now. Cain was a prick, but he wasn’t idiotic enough to jeopardize her life over personal issues.
“To say I’m surprised you came to see me would be an understatement,” Chaney said, after they’d walked a couple of blocks. “Are you here about the breeding operation?”
“No. I’m well aware that Grimshaw’s hellhound whispering days are done.” Reed had moved on to the next problem in line.
“So, then,” Chaney glanced at him. “What do you want?”
“I think we’d better start off with what you want. Are you taking part in the bounty hunt for Evangeline Hollis?”
The Alpha’s stride faltered, a mistake Grimshaw would never have made. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It didn’t matter that Reed had no intention of following through with his plan. Just discussing it aloud—especially to an Infernal—scared the shit out of him, but he needed a bargaining chip to get things rolling. Later, he could work on the logistics of the double cross. There were a lot of bigger fish in the pond than Eve, even with her ties to him and Cain.
“Well, you’re still up here,” Reed continued. “So I could take that as a sign that you’re not interested in collecting the prize. But it’s such a rare opportunity to participate in the kind of free-for-all we’re seeing in Orange County now.” Reed kept his gaze straight ahead. “I thought every ambitious demon was pursuing it.”
“Like you said,” Chaney muttered tightly, “I’m still here and I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment. Besides, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Right.”
They reached the park and turned into it, taking a winding cement path toward a cluster of sheltered picnic tables. The night air was temperate, the breeze light and pleasant. Around them, Reed could sense wolves watching, moving, even though he couldn’t hear them. They kept downwind and he wondered if they thought he was stupid, or if they were just poorly trained.
Stopping abruptly, Reed said, “Then we’re done here.”
Chaney rounded on him, slightly hunched as if prepared to pounce. His lip curled back, revealing pointed canines. “You didn’t step out of your comfort zone for nothing,” he growled. “What do you want?”
Reed shoved his hands in his trouser pockets. “I want Raguel back.”
“What the fuck? Since when is he gone?”
It was clear the Alpha was clueless about the archangel, as evidenced by the strength of his reaction compared to the one he’d had to the mention of the bounty hunt. Sammael was cunning enough to know that the knowledge would be more valuable to upper-level demons when kept a secret; whereas for lesser demons, sharing would be of greater benefit.
Chaney straightened, his eyes glowing yellow in the moonlight. “Whatever it is, I want in.”
Reed hid his satisfaction behind a bored mien. “It will take more than enthusiasm to get the job done.”
“And it’ll take more than vague references to missing archangels to get the rest of what you need from me?’
So. . . the Alpha had a little bite to go along with his bark.
Rocking back on his heels, Reed asked, “Were you privy to the discussions Charles had with Asmodeus?”
“I was privy to everything.”
“Excellent. Let’s get him involved again.” The overly-ambitious king of Hell needed to be dealt with as well.
Chaney’s head cocked to one side. “I take it you’re offering your brother’s whore in trade? I’m not sure that’s fair. An archangel for a green Mark.”
“Sammael clearly thinks she’s valuable.”
“But you don’t?”
“Like you said, she’s Cain’s whore,” Reed drawled, fists clenching in his pockets.
“You two still haven’t gotten over yourselves?” Chaney laughed, the yellow of his eyes softening. “His promotion must really sting.”
“You assume I couldn’t have prevented it, had I wished.”
The narrowing of Chaney’s eyes betrayed his renewed unease. It was best if the Alpha didn’t get too comfortable around Reed.
Clearing his throat, Chaney said, “Ah, well... Works in my favor, doesn’t it?”
“I’m also willing to discuss sweetening the deal, but first, I need to know that Raguel is alive.”
“I’ll get to work on that.”
Reed extended his hand to the Alpha. When the gesture was accepted, his mouth curved.
The Alpha began to scream, then howl, his knees giving way so that he kneeled before Reed like a supplicant. As dark forms rushed out of the bushes and - leaped over backyard fences, Reed released him. Chaney held his injured hand in the palm of the other, gasping.
“You should memorize that,” Reed suggested, gesturing to his cell phone number now seared into the Alpha’s palm, “before it heals.”
Chaney’s head tipped up toward the moon and his true visage shimmered just beneath his mortal guise. As his pack bounded toward them, his mouth widened into a terrible maw, his yellow eyes glowing from pain and the resulting bloodlust.
Reed sketched a quick bow, then shifted to Gadara Tower.
* * *
“You hired bodyguards to protect you from... demons?” Riesgo asked carefully.
“Um.. .“ Eve’s mark heated, even though she hadn’t yet voiced the lie.
“Do you believe the reverend is a demon?”
“No! He’s a pain in my ass, but he’s not a demon.” He shook his head, as if she were a troublesome and frustrating child.
“Those two are guarding you like they expect something to run onto the field and tackle you.”
“How do you know so much about guards?” She shifted in an effort to get more comfortable on the cold metal bleachers. Mark or not, a hard seat was a hard seat.
He bent forward, putting his forearms to his thighs. “I was born in Inglewood, raised in Compton, and nearly killed in a knife fight when I was fifteen.”
“Gangs?”
“Sureno.”
“Wow. Is that how.. . ?“ Eve touched her cheek in echo of his.
“No. Got the scar in the Rangers.”
She nodded to herself. That made sense. Military service explained the confident, capable, yet dangerous vibe he gave off as well as the knowledge hinted at by his comments.
Eve wondered if he’d joined the priesthood as a way to save his life. Most gangs were “blood in, blood out”—you killed someone to get in and you had to be dead to get out. But a priest’s robes would be a hard barrier for a would-be killer to get past.
Fact was, the majority of the United States population believed in a higher power.
He steepled his fingertips. “The Army gave me a way out of South Central. God gave me a way out of the Mexican Mafia. Okay, so I’ve told you mine. Now, you tell me yours.”
“It’s a long story, and one you wouldn’t believe anyway.” She reached up and tightened her loosened ponytail.
“Try me.” He bumped shoulders with her. “The Lord keeps bringing you back my way. There’s a reason for that.”
“Father. . . Trust me. If the Lord is deliberately pushing me into your life, that’s not a good thing. Not for either one of us.”
“We won’t know until all is said and done, oh ye of little faith.”
“You don’t understand me, Father. And I sure as hell don’t understand you. Don’t you read that Bible you preach from? God isn’t perfect. He’s just like everyone else. Have you read the Book of Job? First, God brags to Satan about how loyal Job is. Then, when Satan bets him that Job will turn against him if they make him miserable enough, God takes the bet.”
Riesgo’s gaze was on Montevista as the Mark abandoned his position on the lower right infield to head toward Sydney. “Do you have any idea how many times the Book of Job is tossed out as an argument, Ms. Hollis?”
“Eve,” she corrected.
“I expect you to be more original, Eve.”
She smiled without humor. “Have you ever considered that Job’s story might be a piece of a larger whole? Maybe Job is a construct that represents the entirety of man. Maybe his tale is a parable and not absolute truth. Maybe Satan and God are still trying to win that bet.”
The priest turned his head to look at her. “You’re attributing mortal qualities to God, like the Greeks did with their gods. The One True God is above those frailties.”
“Really? I don’t get that from the Bible,” she muttëred. “What I get out of the Bible is a God so high on himself that he has minions running the show while he lounges around listening to cherubs sing his praises endlessly.”
“I can put up with a lot, Eve.” There was an edge to Riesgo’s voice. “But disrespect and blasphemy aren’t on the list.”
She blew out her breath in a rush, suddenly feeling very weary. “I’m sorry, Father. I don’t mean to belittle your beliefs. It’s just that I’m never going to see God the way you do. It’s like we’re looking at different sides of the same coin. Please don’t ask me to come around to your side.”
“That’s my job,” he said gruffly, looking obliquely at her. “I bring God into the lives of others.”
“God is in my life, Father.” Eve looked him at him squarely, willing him to see the truth of her words in her gaze. “We’re working out our issues in our own way. But, in the meantime, that dude on my corner is seriously driving me insane.”
“What do you suggest I do about that?”
“You can come and vouch for me.”
“Vouch for you,” Riesgo’s half-smile returned. “For all I know, he could be right about you.”
“Ouch.” Crossing her arms, she straightened.
“Okay, how about I take you to my office first? Have you been to Gadara Tower? It was voted Anaheim’s most beautiful property a couple of years ago.”
He reached over and patted her on the knee. It was a grandfatherly gesture, but his touch was so hot it surprised her. The contact was brief, over as soon as it began, but the heat lingered. “Give me directions to your place. I’ll run by there in the next couple of days and talk to him.”
“Thank you,” She returned his earlier bump to the shoulder before standing. “I owe you one.”
“Yes, you do.” He rose in an economical, yet graceful movement. Power leashed with an iron fist. “We’re having a potluck picnic at the church in three weeks. I expect you to come. Bring your boyfriend and those two—” He looked toward the field and frowned. “Where did they go?”
Eve’s gaze followed his. Montevista and Sydney were nowhere to be seen. She engaged her mark- enhanced vision, but delving into the darkness beyond the reach of the powerful field lights was impossible without the nictitating lenses that engaged only when she, too, stood in the dark. “I don’t know.”
She started down the bleacher steps with growing apprehension. The moment her foot hit the dirt, a flash of white caught the periphery of her vision. Too fast to be mortal. Lightning-quick, Eve darted after it. It was faster than she was, feinting to the left and right. Several seconds later, she found herself on the pitcher’s mound again. She ran back to Riesgo. The priest was presently rubbing at his eyes with his fists.
“I must be wiped out’ he said. “My vision’s getting blurry. One second, it looked like you were over there. Then the next, you were right here.”
Catching his elbow, she tugged him toward home base. It was rarely good to be cornered, but at least she’d have one less side—their rear—to worry about defending.
“What are you—” He quieted, sensing her preoccupation. Without another word, he bent and picked up a metal baseball bat. Sans the collar and dressed in black sweats, he looked like someone you didn’t want to f**k with. . . if you were mortal.
Eve’s brows rose, but she put her back to his and tried angling him to face the corner. He, being the chivalrous type, tried to maneuver her the same way.
The flash of white came again, but this time it stopped in front of her. An Infernal such as she’d never seen, with white hair and eyes. He was wearing an ice-blue and silver Halloween costume that included a doublet and bombastic hose.
Her connection with Reed allowed her to recognize the demon inside the getup.
“Azazel,” she greeted grimly.
“Hello, Evangeline.”
Riesgo positioned himself shoulder to shoulder with her. “Is this the guy that’s after you?”
“One of them.” Eve sent up a request for a flaming sword. She wasn’t too surprised when nothing happened. She widened her stance and raised her fists. The demon laughed, a sound made more maddening for its rich, deep tone.
This Infernal was clearly confident about his skills. “Stand easy, Evangeline.” The unknown voice rumbled through the air from no discernable source.
The ground shook and a fissure opened. Blood rushed upward from the depths like a geyser before settling into the shape of a man with massive, beautiful crimson wings.
Satan. Eve knew who it was without any help.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God,” Riesgo breathed. He made the sign of the cross with his free hand.
“Mary can’t save you, priest;’ Azazel said, with a malicious smile. “God won’t save you either.”
Fear blossomed in Eve’s chest like a spreading stain. The Prince of Hell was impossibly beautiful, far more so than even Sabrael. His skin shimmered as if coated with gold dust. Shiny black hair fell halfway down his back, rippling and writhing with a life of its own. The silky tresses moved sinuously, covetously; caressing him as a lover would, framing a face that could not have been more perfect. His irises flickered like flames, while his mouth curved in a smile that was terrifying for its seductiveness. The urge to undress and spread her legs for him was strong enough to tug Eve forward one step. She jerked herself to a halt by clinging to Reed in her mind, like a snapping flag anchored to a pole.