Page 21

Two dark objects swooped overhead. I jerked forward, craned my neck, my heart palpitating at the base of my throat—

Just crows.

Demons couldn’t track me down this fast.

My gaze flicked to my phone.

Fuck it. I picked it up and navigated to his number. I stared at his name a moment, then chucked it into the passenger seat, fuming.

There were about a thousand demons left in existence, less than twenty on earth itself. If I had succeeded in destroying all the portals before they caught on, I would have trapped their kind in their own world, ending their predation on humans once and for all. Then I would have had only twenty unsuspecting, lesser demons to kill.

Without their beloved portals, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Hell, they’d probably die on their own of some human borne disease before I got the chance to do the job.

But now, thanks to my sloppiness, and thanks toher, it would be Jame Asher versus all of demonkind.

They would come pouring up through the portals, flooding out from the gates of hell, sniffing me out like bloodhounds and feeding off human misfortune like a pestilence.

One man against a thousand demons.

I didn’t stand one dick of a chance.

Finally making up my mind, I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.

Linking with the dashboard via Bluetooth, it rang over my Hummer’s speakers.

He answered.

“Jame fucking Asher... you better have a damn good reason for calling me after two years, you son of a bitch.”

Brad Hawkins, former best friend, best man at my wedding, my daughter’s godfather... the closest thing I had to a brother and the only family I had left.

“What, you sitting by the phone waiting for me to call?” I said. “Get a life, dickhead.”

“What’d you do this time, Asher?”

I dragged my hand down my face, thinking how to phrase this right. “One slipped through my fingers. I don’t know, this stupid portal master. He knows who I am... he recognized me.”

Silence.

“Listen, there’s an opening at my firm,” Brad said finally. “It’s entry-level, but it’d be something to get you on your feet...”

“Did you hear me?” I said.

“Pay’s shit, I know, but the commission structure’s gravy. Give it a few years, you’ll be raking it in—”

“Does it sound like I give a rat’s ass about your commission structure?” I spat. “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, I heard you. You fucked up. What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know...help me!”

“I don’t do that anymore.”

“Look, I captured a female, too. Some kind of healer. You’d probably know more about her... I need your expertise on this one, bro.”

“I have alife, Asher.”

“Bullshit. You and me, we know these animals. We practically grew up with them. This is what we do, Brad... this is whatyoudo.”