Chapter 35
It's Still Not Real Bacon
After introducing Glenda to Nathan and explaining her role, Chuck updated her on what had been discovered.
Now the witch was leaning back in the booth, staring at the ceiling in deep contemplation.
She’d punctuated the re-telling with gasps and squeals, drawing more attention to their group than Malachi was comfortable with.
His pointed stares and snarky comments went ignored as Glenda fluttered her hands, her bangles clanging like a wind chime in a hurricane.
“Goddess be,” Glenda finally gasped. “This is much worse than I imagined.” She whirled in a colorful flutter of scarves and grabbed a startled Malachi by the sides of his head, planting a large kiss on his nose.
“Thank the Goddess you’re here protecting our girl.
Never thought I’d be indebted to a demon like this, but I’m so glad you’re here, Malachi.
Comments on my driving and personal fashion choices aside.
” She grinned then, ruffling his ears and turning back to the table.
Now her eyes narrowed, and she pointed an accusing finger at Bennett. “You.”
Malachi used a paw to try to scrape the kiss from his nose, gagging at the smear of bright purple lipstick staining his skin. He glared at Chuck as she worked to stifle her laughter and focused on Bennett instead.
“Yeah. Me.” Bennett sighed and ran a hand through his short sandy hair.
“Look, I don’t know what the best thing to do here would be.
So Chuck, however you want to handle it, I’ll go with it.
If you want me to take the fall for Gavin’s death, I will.
If you want me to admit it was Roger and I killed him, I will.
You’ve deserved the truth, and I deserve to be punished.
” He hung his head as he folded his fingers together on the tabletop, patiently awaiting her verdict.
For agonizing moments that seemed like hours, the tension and silence stretched between them.
The air was fraught with unease like a palpable miasma.
Finally, Chuck shook herself as if waking up and reached slowly across the table.
She gently laid her shaking fingers over Bennett’s hands and squeezed.
“Nathan, no. It wasn’t truly Roger, and I know you were trying to do what you thought best in an impossible situation.
We need to figure out who is truly behind this, because,”—she swallowed heavily—“I don’t want you to lose Blake. ”
Malachi growled, fuck that! He stabbed you! He tried to kill you. He deserves to be locked up. No offense, Nathan, I’m sure you’re a great guy and all. But Blake tried to KILL Chuck.
“He’s right,” Bennett offered quietly. “Blake tried to hurt you, and that’s also my fault.
I should have stood up more, been there for him when I noticed he seemed different.
He started coming around two weeks ago, acting like he wanted to rekindle our relationship.
Prior to that, Blake hadn’t spoken to me in almost a year.
Blamed me for things not ending well with his mother, especially when she died six months ago in a car accident.
Which is true to an extent. I was more married to the job than her, but I was so glad to see him, I overlooked the signs.
” He shook his head and hunched his shoulders forward as if the weight of the universe was pressing him down to the laminate surface of the table.
If he could become part of the wobbly furniture coated with layers of despair and grime, he probably would have.
Dammit, Malachi huffed and flopped to the floor. At Chuck’s inquiring glance, he rolled his eyes. It’s hard to be mad at the guy when he’s so damn agreeable. He covered his eyes with his paws. Gross, you’re rubbing off on me and making me… barf… nice.
Glenda released a booming laugh at his words and offered him a treat. “Good boy, Malachi.”
Staring at him in fascination, Bennett opened his mouth and closed it, then opened it again. “Okay, I know it’s off topic, but… you’re a human. Or human-like, but you like dog treats?”
Peering incredulously at Bennett from beneath his fuzzy eyebrows, Malachi snorted. Dude… It’s bacon.
“It’s not real bacon,” Chuck muttered under her breath.
Before Malachi could voice his retort, she carried on louder, “Look, I know this is a mess, and there’s a lot of blame to sort through for years, but I think the most important thing is we figure out who this is and stop them before they kill me. ”
Barking loudly, Malachi shouted, NOBODY is killing you. They’ll have to kill me first. And that ain’t happening, sweetheart. Hackles on his neck standing up, Malachi ignored the terrified shouts as other customers jumped from their seats at his outburst.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to take the dog outside if you can’t…” their server started to say but was quickly quieted when both Bennett and Chuck flashed their badges and snapped, “K-9,” in unison.
The server scurried away as Chuck turned to Malachi. “Calm down, Mal. I only meant that figuratively. Of course no one is going to kill me. Neither you nor I will allow that to happen. I know that.”
I don’t like it anyway. Don’t say things like that. I can’t lose you, Kelly, not now. He put a paw on her leg and leaned into her. I don’t care how undemonly that is or how weak it makes me look. Kelly, I’m never leaving you. I… I…
“It’s okay, Malachi,” Chuck reassured him. “I don’t think it makes you weak at all. If anything, it makes you stronger to go against your nature like this.”
A clatter drew their attention as the server dropped the coffee pot on the floor. “Sorry,” he squeaked. “I thought you were talking to the dog.” He laughed nervously as he squatted to start picking up the larger pieces.
Exchanging glances, the three humans and one dog all nodded, silently agreeing they needed to carry this conversation somewhere else.
Chuck’s house, Malachi declared, I want to be on two legs and in clothes. Well, clothes if you two are coming with us. He released a wheezing laugh that had the server hurrying to the back, looking over his shoulder like he expected Satan himself to follow in pursuit.
“Bad dog,” Chuck sighed.
At Chuck’s house, Reena was once again cuddled like a baby in Glenda’s arms while Malachi went to get dressed.
When he returned, Reena flailed her legs in an effort to get down and yipped at him until he took her from Glenda and rocked her.
The witch laughed good-naturedly about it, while glancing at Nathan from the corner of her eye.
Nathan was staring at Malachi with concern etched deep into his forehead, looking like he’d aged a decade in the last hour. “So, do I call you Malachi or Evan?” he inquired lightly.
“Malachi.”
“Evan.”
Chuck and Malachi glared at each other. Finally, she looked away, and he smirked before turning to Nathan.
“Malachi, if it’s just us, but Evan—gross—if we’re around others.
Is that doable? Because I hate that fake-ass name.
I was named for my great-grandfather, who was an archdemon, a major honor.
And Evan is a douche name. Not quite as bad as Jaxon, but still, ugh.
” He tickled Reena under the chin, and she wheezed happily.
“Isn’t it Re-re?” he cooed and sauntered into the kitchen, the Chuglet tucked in his arm, paws dangling in front of her looking for all the world like a miniature kangaroo with an underbite.
Nathan simply stared after him, mouth hanging slightly open.
He turned to Chuck and closed his jaw with an audible snap of his teeth.
Then he shook his head and laughed. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.
I mean… your dad was an angel. You’re half an angel.
Malachi is a demon. I met another creature pretending to be an angel, and we’re pretty sure it’s another demon.
And you’re a witch?” he glanced at Glenda.
When she bowed her head regally, he huffed out another short laugh. “What about the other dog?”
“Reena?” Chuck snorted. “She’s just a dog, but she does like reality TV.” She glanced up as Malachi came back in and handed her a glass of wine. Nodding in thanks, she smiled softly.
Winking, Malachi turned to Glenda and handed her one as well.
He gave a slight bow to her blushing thanks and moved over to Nathan, handing the man a beer before flopping on the couch near him.
He had his own beer in one hand and Reena in the other.
“So, where were we?” he tilted the bottle back and took a long pull before sighing happily.
“Wait.” Chuck jolted slightly. “Where did that beer come from?” She squinted at him.
“Oh, I ordered a few things to be delivered,” Malachi replied casually.
Narrowing her eyes even further, her voice low, she sweetly inquired, “With what money?”
Grinning, he wedged the bottle between his knees and snapped; a black credit card with flames flickering across the surface appeared between his fingers. “Demon Express, never leave Hell without it.”
Smacking her hand over her face, Chuck shook her head as she laughed quietly. “Seriously, I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth. One of the things I love about you.”
The room went quiet at her words, and she cleared her throat. “Anyway, so do we have any idea who could have been the person pretending to be the angel? Where do we start?”