Page 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Delia seriously couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this. Did Caleb have some kind of demonic powers of persuasion in addition to all those other otherworldly abilities, like teleporting and shapeshifting?

Maybe so. At this point, it probably didn’t matter so much, not when she’d already pulled the trigger.

After lunch, she’d called Robert Hendricks and told him she had some new information she needed to discuss, and was wondering if he could make some time for a short meeting?

He’d agreed at once, although he’d added that he had appointments all afternoon and hoped she wouldn’t mind coming by around six.

No argument there. Or rather, although she couldn’t help being uneasy about meeting the man after dark, she knew that postponing their confrontation until the next day wasn’t an option. Not when both she and Caleb wanted to get this over with.

They’d gone to her house to plot, partly because it was closer to the casino than Caleb’s place in Winterwood and partly because they’d both agreed that, since nothing untoward had happened at her home, it just seemed safer to be there. Sure, they’d splashed what felt like gallons of holy water around his house, but still, it was on the demons’ radar, and that meant it felt safer to be somewhere else entirely.

The plan was simple enough. Since Robert Hendricks was already expecting her, no one would think anything strange about her going up to his office on the tenth floor of the hotel. And because Caleb could travel anywhere in the blink of an eye, they decided he would be gambling a few blocks away at the Palace Station, a casino he rarely visited and one that never seemed to have any kind of demonic activity. At the same time, he’d have his Airpods in and would be listening to her conversation with Hendricks, ready to jump in the second something went wrong.

On the surface, that all seemed fine. At the same time, Delia couldn’t help being uneasy at the idea of having Caleb in a different hotel entirely. Sure, he could travel in an instant…or at least, he said he could…but she still didn’t like knowing her only backup wasn’t there in the building with her.

But because they couldn’t risk having any demons in the vicinity pick up on his presence, they didn’t have a whole lot of options.

Going to her house also allowed her to change out of her jeans and sweater and into a skirt and blouse and jacket and heels. Robert Hendricks had always seen her in work clothes during the times they’d met, so she didn’t see the point in arousing any suspicions by appearing casually attired at his office.

When she emerged from her bedroom, she thought she noticed a flicker of admiration in Caleb’s dark eyes, although he sounded businesslike enough when he spoke.

“I don’t think we should drive over there,” he said. “Casinos have security cameras everywhere, and I don’t want them to get any footage of us arriving in the same car. It’s better if we teleport and appear in a spot without any surveillance.”

She crossed her arms. Just in case things got messy, she’d worn one of her less favorite shirts, the stiff black one that always made her feel like an FBI agent or something. “You just said they have security cameras everywhere.”

“All right, almost everywhere,” he amended, then got up from the couch where he’d been waiting for her. “But there’s a service hallway just off the kitchen that doesn’t have any. It’ll be the best place for us to appear.”

A frown creased her brows, telling Caleb she wasn’t too thrilled by that suggestion. “And have someone carrying a tray of wings and jalapeno poppers out to the casino floor stumble over us?”

“It’s better than arriving in one of the restrooms and having the security cameras see us the second we walk out the door…and risking someone really looking at the footage and picking up on any discrepancies. The last thing we want is for someone to notice that we never went in.”

Maybe he had a point there. And while Delia could see why he didn’t want the cameras in the parking structure to get any images of them arriving in the same car, she knew he was relying on luck to make sure no one walked out of the casino kitchen at exactly the wrong time.

Then again, he must have a whole hell of a lot of luck in his back pocket. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to free himself from Hell in the first place.

However he’d managed it. He hadn’t provided much detail on that point, and she hadn’t pressed the issue, not when it was still somewhat unbelievable to her that he’d been trapped there at all.

Well, she’d worry about that later. She had much bigger claims on her brain space at the moment.

“All right,” she said, and looked over at the clock that hung on the wall opposite the fireplace. “Five minutes until six. We should probably get going.”

He nodded, then came over to where she stood a few feet away from the sofa. “You’ll need to hold on tight,” he said as he extended his hands.

This was the part she really wasn’t looking forward to. Not touching him, per se — his fingers were warm and friendly as they closed on hers — but just the idea of somehow folding space to get them from here to there.

No other words. Just an odd little blink of darkness, and then they were standing in a corridor that looked very plain and industrial compared to the flashy, neon-lit casino floor just a few yards down the hall.

It was deserted, just as Caleb had predicted, and Delia began to let out a sigh of relief —

— only to have him press her against the wall in a faux embrace when a server wearing one of the Dunes’ brightly colored uniforms emerged from the kitchen, a tray of appetizers in one hand.

“Just play along,” he murmured in her ear.

As much as she wanted to push him away, she knew doing so would only alert the waitress that they were loitering in the hallway for some other purpose than grabbing a kiss in a location that had few observers.

So she allowed him to continue pressing his body to hers, although she noticed he didn’t try to steal a kiss. This close, it was impossible to ignore the strong muscles in his chest, or the faint warm scent that must have been his alone, since he’d showered at her house that morning, and she knew she sure as hell didn’t have any cologne or aftershave in her guest bathroom.

“All clear,” he said a moment later, stepping away so she could regain her balance.

She ran her hands down her skirt and straightened her jacket, telling herself that the slight shakiness she detected in her fingers had everything to do with their close call and nothing at all to do with the way they’d practically been kissing just a moment earlier.

Before Delia could comment — not that she even knew exactly what she planned to say — he pulled his phone and a single Airpod out of his pocket. “You ready?” he asked as he inserted the earbud in his left ear.

A few moments earlier, she would have said yes. Now she knew she felt way too off-balance and wanted to scold herself for being so susceptible to his physical proximity.

Never in a million years would she confess such weakness to him, though. Instead, she gave him what she hoped was a brisk nod. “I’m ready.”

“I’m going to call you now,” he told her, then touched his phone’s screen.

A second later, her phone started ringing from inside her purse. “Okay, we’re good,” she told him as she accepted the call, and he nodded.

“Perfect. The coast is clear again, so I’m going to bip out of here. Just remember that I’ll be listening the whole time. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Delia thought she had plenty to worry about no matter what he said, but she didn’t bother to contradict him. “Then I’ll head upstairs.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging squeeze…and then promptly disappeared.

Whew. Maybe someday she’d get used to all this.

Doing her best to look unruffled, she reached up to smooth her hair and then headed out to the casino floor so she could make her way over to the elevators. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying much attention to her, but why should they? It wasn’t as if Robert Hendricks’ offices on the tenth floor were locked off in some restricted penthouse. Anyone could go up there…although she had a feeling that any interlopers who tried to go into his office without permission would soon find a security guard escorting them off the premises.

She’d been invited here, so Delia wasn’t too worried about getting hauled away for trespassing. No, she was much, much more concerned about exactly what the hell she was supposed to say to Robert. Caleb seemed certain he was their villain, but she wasn’t nearly so sure. Although she’d already decided that her part-demon client was the one who deserved her loyalty the most, she still didn’t think it was the best idea in the world to napalm the bridges she’d built with Mr. Hendricks.

And yet, here she was.

Head up, she exited the elevator and made her way to his office. Today, the double glass doors that opened onto the space were unlocked, signaling that he was waiting for her, so she went on in.

He’d been standing by one of the windows, watching the ever-changing neon lights of the Strip, but he turned around almost at once and sent her a pleasant smile.

“Delia. Thank you again for accommodating my schedule and coming at the end of the day. I hope I haven’t interfered with any of your plans.”

Right then, the only plan she had in mind was the one she and Caleb had cooked up together…and maybe grabbing some takeout afterward if she somehow managed to survive this encounter with her dignity intact.

“No, not at all,” she said, wishing Robert wasn’t acting so nice. This would have been a lot easier if he was some arrogant asshole who thought everyone else on the planet had been put there to serve him. “I’m glad you could take the meeting — there are a couple of things I needed to talk to you about.”

His expression revealed nothing except simple curiosity. “Have you learned something new?”

Oh, she’d learned a whole bunch of things. Whether any of them were particularly relevant to his activities was a whole other question.

“There’s definitely been some detectable demon activity,” she replied. “A couple of attacks.”

At once, Robert Hendricks’ brows drew together. “Not against you, I hope.”

“No,” Delia said quickly. “I’m fine. And it wasn’t the sort of thing that would have sent anyone to the hospital.”

Well, she hoped not. Caleb had mentioned a traffic accident, but he hadn’t seemed too worried about the other parties involved. Was that because he’d seen them walk away, or was it simply that he was part demon and therefore didn’t give a shit?

She didn’t want to believe that of him. Also, she’d seen his face when he talked about his mother. Those fleeting expressions of guilt and worry…yes, and of sadness…didn’t seem like the sort of looks a being who cared about no one other than himself would have worn.

“That’s good to hear,” Robert said. Then his head tilted slightly as he regarded her for a moment. “Do you have any idea who might have summoned the things?”

Talk about giving her an opening she could drive a tank right through.

She pulled in a breath.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” she replied, glad that she sounded so steady, so brisk and unconcerned. “You see, I’ve uncovered some evidence that suggests you might have been the one to do the summoning.”

For the longest moment, he only stared at her. Surely as soon as he opened his mouth, he’d tell her how ridiculous she was being.

But he didn’t.

No, instead, he began to laugh.

His reaction was so surreal that for a second or two, Delia wondered if he’d somehow misheard her. After all, who in the world would break into cackles of almost hysterical laughter after being told they were a possible suspect in a series of demon attacks?

After a few seconds, though, he seemed to regain control of himself, although he still grinned at her like a shark who’d just swallowed a whole school of minnows.

“That’s quite the imagination you have, Ms. Dunne,” he said. “I’m sorry for the laughter just now, but I couldn’t think of how else to respond.”

A flat denial would have seemed much more appropriate, but she thought it better not to provoke him too much.

“It’s not my imagination,” she replied, mentally adding, Although it could be the imagination of Marvelous Marva. “Some of the clues just don’t add up.”

His expression abruptly sobered. “And your accusations don’t add up, either. For one thing, why in the world would I hire a demon-finder if I was actually controlling a bunch of them?”

She’d already pondered that angle to the problem, so she didn’t even hesitate as she said, “Because it wasn’t your own demons you were worried about. No, you were much more concerned about the one who’s been winning all that money off you and the other casino owners. Probably you were thinking that if I reported on any of your pet demons, you could just ignore my findings. I guess my question is, why would a guy like you be messing around with summoning demons in the first place? The corner office and the big salary weren’t enough for you?”

“I’m afraid you have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, his voice flat, all humor gone, and she crossed her arms.

“Maybe I don’t. In that case, please enlighten me. Why were you the one to approach me and not some other casino exec? Were you trying to keep tabs on me so I couldn’t figure out what you were really up to?”

His eyes narrowed, and in that moment, the first trickle of fear moved down Delia’s back. If asked, she would have said that Robert Hendricks was a pleasant-looking guy, someone who took care of himself but didn’t try to roll back the clock and use a bunch of treatments that only made him appear desperate rather than fifteen years younger.

Now, though…now she saw the cruelty in his gaze and the set of his mouth as though viewing them for the first time.

Maybe she was.

“What if I double what I’m paying you?” he asked, his words an echo of Caleb’s offer during lunch. In Robert Hendricks’ case, though, she doubted he’d upped the ante merely to make their arrangement even more appealing.

No, he wanted to see if he could buy her off.

“People are getting hurt,” she said. “Someone’s probably going to die if all this crap keeps up. There’s no amount of money in the world that would let me stand by and watch that happen.”

His lips thinned. “Then I’m afraid we’re at an impasse. And that can mean only one thing.”

She began to ask him exactly what he intended by that comment…and then took a step back in horror.

Red glowed from his eyes, and his face began to shift and stretch, mouth widening and baring pointed yellow teeth, while his features sharpened and his skin grew scaly, morphing into the stuff of nightmares.

Into a demon, in fact.

Without thinking, she reached into her purse, fingers scrabbling for the little purification kit she always carried with her…and its accompanying bottle of holy water.

“Back off, demon!” she cried — more to warn a listening Caleb about what had just happened than because she thought Robert Hendricks…or whatever the hell that thing was…would actually heed her warning.

And she splashed about half the vial’s contents onto the creature.

It screamed and recoiled, smoke bubbling up from its flesh everywhere the holy water had hit. A second later, Caleb appeared right in front of her, blocking the demon from physically retaliating. Even in the strain of that moment, he’d kept the borrowed face he wore when they’d appeared in the hallway outside the kitchen, and she couldn’t ignore the stab of relief that went through her.

With any luck, the demon would have no idea of who he was dealing with.

“Get back!” Caleb yelled, and she did as she was told, knowing this was not the time to argue.

If he wanted to play macho demon slayer, he was welcome to do so. Besides, he presumably knew what he was doing, while Delia knew she sure as hell didn’t. The holy water had worked, but she’d already used up half of it, and she had a feeling the bit that remained wasn’t going to be enough to get rid of the creature that had possessed Robert Hendricks’ body.

Or maybe he’d been a demon all along, and she’d been lulled into a false sense of security by the supposedly normal life and background Pru had dug up about him.

Well, they could figure all that out later…if she and Caleb survived this encounter, of course.

The demon hissed at him, baring yellow fangs that were the polar opposite of Robert’s straight white teeth. “This is no concern of yours, demon,” it said, and Caleb only grinned at the thing.

Delia could see why. If the demon had addressed him that way, then it probably had no idea who he really was and thought he was another full demon like it. Obviously, a regular mortal would never have been able to pop into existence out of nowhere the way Caleb had just done.

“Oh, you’ve made it my concern,” he replied. “I don’t know what kind of game you’ve been playing here, but it stops now.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a vial of holy water identical to the one Delia still held, then splashed some of the blessed liquid on the creature. It screamed in agony, so loudly that she thought it was a good thing Robert Hendricks’ office was located down this corridor away from the guest rooms, or someone surely must have heard it and called security…or come to investigate for themselves.

What they would have found would require a level of explanation she didn’t think she was capable of right now.

But the demon was also backing away. Clearly ready to finish the thing off, Caleb pursued, throwing more holy water at the creature, tossing the used-up bottle aside once it was empty before pulling another one from his jacket pocket.

Exactly how many of those things did he have? And where had he gotten them?

Well, that part was easy enough to answer. He’d probably gone poking around while she was in the shower this morning, somehow sensing it would be better to be armed with the only weapon that seemed to work against the things.

The whole time, the demon screamed and writhed…right until the minute when it reached the back wall of the office, one that was covered in glass and let in yet another jaw-dropping view of the Strip. Neon light silhouetted the demon’s ugly form.

And then it disappeared.

“Coward,” Caleb said, turning toward Delia and wearing what she could only describe as the ultimate in shit-eating grins.

She was about to return the smile — and stopped when a heavy arm snaked around her throat and dragged her backward.

“Never let your guard down, my dear,” the thing growled into her ear, even as her heart pounded and the pits of her disliked black shirt grew damp with sweat. Then it looked across the room at Caleb. “Drop this whole thing, or your girlfriend here gets it.”

Caleb’s eyes met hers, and then he gave a very small nod.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said, his tone conversational. “Just a partner in crime, I suppose.”

The demon made a hissing sound that might have been its version of a laugh. “Not a very good pair of criminals, I’m afraid.”

“Maybe not,” Delia remarked, a little surprised how calm she sounded, considering the way her body had reacted when the creature grabbed her. She was trying not to breathe in too deeply, because man, that thing stank worse than a port-a-potty at a music festival. “But we still have a few tricks up our sleeve.”

With that, she dumped the rest of her bottle of holy water on the creature’s arm, while at the same time ramming the spike of her stiletto heel right into the big, scaly foot that had busted its way out of “Robert’s” nine-hundred-dollar Manolo Blahnik loafers.

Even though the shriek it let out was loud enough to rupture an eardrum, Delia couldn’t help experiencing a surge of gratification…of power…at its reaction.

These things weren’t invincible.

At the same moment, Caleb blinked over next to them and splashed more holy water on the demon, causing its flesh to smoke and bubble. Its grip on her throat loosened, and she took a step backward, gasping for air.

Another splash of holy water, and then Caleb intoned, “I banish you, Calach! I send you back to the unholy realms!”

It hissed again, even as it spat back, “You’re no priest! You don’t have the power!”

“I don’t need the power,” he said, looking remarkably calm. “I’ve got the holy water. More importantly, I know your name.”

The demon snarled, but Caleb appeared unimpressed.

“Go to Hell, Calach,” he said, and splashed two more vials’ worth of holy water right in its face.

Unearthly flesh began to melt like a candle left out in the sun. The demon screeched, clawing at the holy water glistening on its scaly skin, which only served to accelerate the ruin of its hideous visage.

And then it disappeared.

Delia looked around wildly, sure it must have just blinked to another corner of the office, but no, it really was gone.

“You banished it?” she asked. “I thought you needed an exorcist for that kind of thing.”

“Nope,” Caleb said cheerfully as he came over to her. “That demon wasn’t possessing anyone.”

“But it looked like Robert Hendricks — ”

“It did,” Caleb cut in, although in a friendly way, as if he was trying to keep her from tying herself up in knots over the situation. “And it probably started out by possessing him. But then it would have just…taken over.”

A shudder worked its way down Delia’s spine as she thought of Robert Hendricks’ friends and family going along as if nothing had changed, and all the while, a demonic creature had usurped the face and body of the person they thought they knew.

“Anyway,” Caleb went on, “once it was no longer possessing him and instead had only stolen his identity, the demon could get banished by anyone armed with a little holy water — and its name.”

“Which you knew,” she replied, knowing her voice sounded way too shaky.

“I did,” he said, and his dark eyes practically danced with mischief. “You spend a couple of years in Hell, you learn a few things.”

“Well, thank God for that,” Delia said.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and then they both burst out laughing.