14. CHAPTER #2
Indy’s ears still rang, and he continued to swat angrily at Mr. Heiss. “Maybe you could have let me step out of the room before murdering someone?”
“And risk you being taken again? No.”
“You’re such an asshole!”
“Can you stop yelling?”
“No!” Indy waved his arms. “I can’t! Because someone fired a gun right by my fucking head and I can’t hear shit now! You could silence the conversation but not that? Asshole!”
Mr. Heiss did not look impressed, and he snapped his fingers.
The ringing stopped.
“Okay! Thank you!” Indy shouted.
Mr. Heiss glared. “Why are you still yelling?”
“Now I’m yelling because I’m mad!” Indy snapped. “You just, you—!”
“What?”
“You killed that guy like it was nothing! Like he was nothing!” Indy tried again to pull away from Mr. Heiss, but Mr. Heiss held firm. Not being able to break free only made him madder. He couldn’t explain the sick feeling bubbling up in his chest or why he was so angry to begin with.
It wasn’t like he’d forgotten who Mr. Heiss was—what he was.
And yet, Indy was struck with a strange sense of disappointment, even disgust. It had been so easy to throw that imp’s life away, so effortless, like he was nothing but trash, and…
Oh.
What did that mean for Indy?
“He was a traitor, a snitch, and yes, he was nothing,” Mr. Heiss said calmly, though his rage glittered right there on the surface of his cool mask. “I will do whatever I have to in order to protect what is mine. My territory, my property—”
“Oh, big talk!” Indy huffed. “Does that mean you’re still gonna kill me? Because I’m nothing?”
“I am doing what is needed to protect you—”
“Me? Protect me?” Indy sneered. “No! You just want Dill! Need him to protect all your valuable shit, right? Need to have a fancy Artifact all for yourself? Here, wanna try cutting off my hand again? Maybe you’ll get lucky and Dill is taking a nap!”
Mr. Heiss narrowed his eyes and grabbed Indy’s chin firmly. “I protect what is mine and I do not fucking care what it takes. Now. Shut up.”
Indy stared stupidly.
That was not an answer he had expected.
Did he mean Indy? Was he saying Indy was his too?
Mr. Heiss crashed their lips together in a blistering hot kiss.
Also unexpected and completely eliminated Indy’s ability to think. It really wasn’t fair for a demon to be this good of a kisser. Mr. Heiss was firm and commanding, always completely dominating and holding Indy there with only that small touch to his chin.
Indy collapsed forward against Mr. Heiss’s chest and moaned.
Okay, fine.
He’d let the stupid kiss continue for a few more seconds and then he was really going to let Mr. Heiss have it.
Just another couple of seconds.
Yup.
Any moment now.
Uh-huh.
Mr. Heiss curled his arm around Indy’s waist and pulled him in closer.
He fanned his fingers out across the small of Indy’s back, dipping him as he continued to completely claim every inch of Indy’s mouth with deep swipes of his long tongue.
It was in that moment Indy knew he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Fuck.
Indy finally got enough brain power back to pull away, panting. “Hey, you cheated.”
“Is it really cheating if it’s so effective?”
“Fuck you.”
“Later. Business first.” Mr. Heiss paused, and he slid his hand to cup Indy’s cheek. “My intention is not to upset you. The things I do, however, are necessary.”
Indy scoffed. “Is that your idea of an apology?”
Mr. Heiss bristled. “Is it adequate?”
“No.”
“Hmm.” Mr. Heiss frowned. “Later.” He laid a hand at the back of Indy’s neck. “Let’s go.”
“That’s it? You think one fucking kiss is gonna—hey! Ow, ow, ow!” Indy squealed as Mr. Heiss dragged him toward the Walmart. “Safe word, bitch! Come on! You know I like it raw, baby, but ow, ow—”
Mr. Heiss gentled his touch but did not let go, keeping Indy close as he strolled to the doors. They opened at their approach, either automatic or as a result of Mr. Heiss’s power. There was an audible series of pops, like firecrackers going off inside a metal pot.
Indy looked up in time to see the fading remnants of what may have been some kind of protection sigils.
The last symbol he made out looked like a wiggly tongue, much like the one Mr. Heiss just had in Indy’s mouth.
Everything else before him, well, was pretty much a Walmart but it was a Walmart in an episode of The Walking Dead.
Empty, dusty, and smelled like rank piss.
Lovely.
Mr. Heiss brought Indy beyond the abandoned registers into the body of the store, but they were far from alone. There were dozens of demons clustered at each end cap, some in human form but most were not, and they all bowed their heads respectfully as they passed by.
Jesus Christ, the air was so tense and tight that Indy could have stuck his dick in and fucked it.
Seeing so many demons here before them made it much less likely that the sigils Mr. Heiss destroyed had been for protection, but Indy didn’t have any other idea as to what their purpose would have been.
Wiggly tongue sex.
Ass-eating sigils.
Whatever.
A section of the aisles had been removed and several long tables set up in its place. The tables were divided into separate workstations, each one appointed with a small fluorescent lamp, small machines, plastic trays, test tubes, and some other laboratory equipment Indy didn’t recognize.
The pills, however, were familiar.
While he was no expert, this was clearly a spot for manufacturing drugs.
Tanze and Underwood were present, and they both looked like shit. They seemed to have all of their limbs or whatever back, but their faces were gaunt and exhausted. Didn’t seem like Azazel had been exaggerating about how bad off they both were still, but at least they were alive.
Mr. Heiss barely gave either of them a glance when they walked by, but Indy waved.
Only Tanze perked up and waved back.
Underwood glared.
Azazel stood at one of the tables, human until he tried some of the residue from the pill-cutting table. His demonic form flickered through, and he grimaced. “Yup. That’s it.” He looked to Mr. Heiss. “Bodies are over here.”
Mr. Heiss stopped short, his arm curling around Indy. “And?”
“It’s, uh…” Azazel glanced at Indy before looking back at Mr. Heiss. “It’s Mr. Klotz and Mr. Stein.”
“Understood.” Mr. Heiss hummed thoughtfully before asking, “Have you ever heard of a drug called Howl?”
“What?” Indy blinked. “Wait, are you talking to me?”
“Yes.”
“Howl?” Indy snorted. “Subject Howl? Yeah. Devil’s Vein. Monster Mash. Avax. Mawtrex. Fenrava.” He cut himself off there when he realized Mr. Heiss was staring at him intently. “What?”
Mr. Heiss frowned, his brow pinched in what may have been concern.
Indy stared right back at him. “I am a literal sex worker at a demon sex club, and you’re surprised I know about monster party drugs?”
“And what do you know?”
“That’s like being surprised that penguins have icy dicks.”
“What do you know?”
“Or, like, hmm, werewolves hate clogs.” Indy grinned. “Not the shoe, but an actual clog because of their hair. Fur? You get it.”
“Indy.”
“Okay, okay!” Indy groaned lightly. “I know it’s supposed to be like ecstasy for those of the not so human persuasion. Lots of guys would shoot it up before our, ahem, alone time. Then they snorted it. And then just popped pills.” Indy shrugged.
Mr. Heiss narrowed his eyes. “Mr. Kalt was never concerned?”
“About what? Monsters fucking me while they were high?” Indy scoffed. “Or bringing in drugs he didn’t get to profit off of?”
“Either.”
“As long as they didn’t get rough with me, he didn’t seem to give a shit. Fucking monsters was not exactly my first spread my legs for money rodeo. Humans do the same thing.”
Mr. Heiss weighed that for a moment, quiet for several beats before asking, “Did you ever see any side effects?”
“From monster sex? The urge to have a cigarette, an ice pack for my ass, and a long nap.”
“The drugs.”
“No, I don’t think…” Indy resisted the urge to make a snarky comment to really think about it.
“Okay, one time. Last year? A lizard dude got a little weird, kinda aggressive, and then just passed out after switching between colors ten times. He even shifted between human—” Just like Azazel did only moments ago.
“—and, like, his monster form a bunch of times.”
“That’s it?”
“That I have personally seen and can confirm was Howl? Yes.” Indy crossed his arms and looked away. “Trust that no one, man or monster, needs to be high to be a dick, okay?”
Mr. Heiss reached for Indy’s cheek.
Indy turned to lean into his hand without hesitation.
Christ, what was he doing? He was supposed to be mad at Mr. Heiss for murdering someone right in front of him. Somewhere, Pavlov was having a great ol’ time cackling in his grave because there was no denying how Indy responded to Mr. Heiss’s touch.
“Boss!” Azazel called out. “We got, uh, a visitor.”
“Who?” Mr. Heiss didn’t look away from Indy.
“Hey there!” a voice called out.
Oh God, it was that Nyp fucker.
He had on another horrible purple suit with a red bow tie, which meant he owned more than one, the thought of which made Indy want to gag.
He strolled right up to Mr. Heiss with a cheerful smile.
“Looks like you got a bit of a mess on your hands, huh? Howl being made right here in your brother’s territory? Not a good look.”
Mr. Heiss turned to snarl at Nyp. “Unless you have any information—”
“Oh, but I do.” Nyp beamed. “We’ve all heard about that dealer at Chuck E. Cheese dealing Howl, but no one knew where he was getting the product. The old facility at that flower shop was shut down, everything coming in through the docks was destroyed, and the Smiths were all arrested, right?”
“They’re dead,” Mr. Heiss said flatly.
“Ah! Not Liam.” Nyp wagged a finger.
“Excuse me?”