Chapter 5
5
Normally my blackout curtains blocked every hint of light, so I wasn’t expecting a glowing object on my bedside table. I sat up with a groan, rubbing my eyes, then reached for the playing card I had left there the night before.
I lifted it in front of my face. The entire surface glowed like there was a light within, the two hearts almost seeming to pulse with life. Having no idea what it meant, I slapped it back down on the bedside table, then sat up with a huff. I could only see the barest hint of light around the curtains, which meant it was just after dawn.
I slid my feet into my fuzzy slippers, then stood, stretching my arms overhead. I usually just slept in an oversized shirt and underwear. Not the most modest of me, but the shirt covered enough. I shuffled out of my room to make some coffee, leaving the card where I had placed it.
I glanced at Braxton’s closed door as I headed toward the small kitchenette where the coffee maker lived. Braxton wouldn’t be up for another few hours, but I had no intention of being quiet. Call it payback for his loud music nearly ending my life. I was supposed to have a day off with no deliveries, but now I knew the devil was going to expect his due.
When or what that was, was anyone’s guess, but judging by the card glowing back in my bedroom, it was probably soon. An actual calling card . How unoriginal.
My watch buzzed on my wrist, startling me. I wondered briefly if it was the devil, though I hadn’t offered him my number. I pushed the button, seeing a familiar number flashing back at me. It was the agency. Or more specifically, my old boss, Dawn. We weren’t exactly friends, but we had known each other a long time.
While my coffee brewed, I answered the call.
“So are you ready to come crawling back yet?“
I glared at my watch. “Go to hell.“
“Which one?” There was laughter in Dawn’s voice.
Pouring myself a cup of coffee even though it wasn’t finished brewing, I carried my mug to the fridge and added cream. “What happened to my replacement? Wasn’t he supposed to be so much better than me?“
“He hasn’t shown up in three days. Bailed in the middle of a delivery. I’m sure he just skipped out. ”
I carried my coffee to the sofa. “Yeah, still not my problem though.”
“You’ll come back eventually. It’s not safe to work on your own out there. All it takes is one delivery to the wrong person.”
Didn’t I know it. “I’m fine. And I’m making twice as much without you. Goodbye forever, Dawn.”
I hung up, then took a long swill of my coffee. I instantly regretted being quite so rude, but I was cranky from the night before, and Dawn would get over it. She always did.
I lifted my gaze as Braxton shuffled out of his room, rubbing his eyes with his big meaty palms. “Could you make any more noise?”
I cradled my mug in both hands. “Better than loud terrible music.”
He moved toward the coffee pot. “Normally I would retaliate with a scathing comeback, but you’re probably not long for this world, so I’ll play nice.“
I gave him the finger, earning just a laugh in return. Soon he joined me with his cup of coffee on the sofa.
“So when do you start work for the devil?“
I shrugged. “His calling card was glowing on my bedroom table. It woke me up.”
His brows lifted. “If that card is what I think it is, you probably want to go back into your bedroom.“
“What are you talking about?“ I stood, suddenly worried.
“Don’t you know anything, Eva? When devils make a deal, they give their victims a token. The token enables the devil to find them at all times. To find them and travel to them.”
Cursing, I set my mug on the low coffee table and jogged the rest of the way to my bedroom. I flung open the door, and the devil turned toward me. He had a pair of my red silk panties dangling from his finger. He wore another suit, or maybe it was the same one. Did devil suits get dirty? Did they have people to do their laundry? It occurred to me, not for the first time, that I was in way out of my depth.
“What in the hells are you doing?” I stormed into the room and snatched the panties from his finger.
He smirked, leaving his finger extended. “A little racy for a glorified messenger , is it not?” His eyes lowered to my bare legs and my fuzzy slippers. “Ah, yes, that’s more what I was expecting.“
Not wanting to toss the panties anywhere visible, I balled them into my fist. “What do you want?“
He finally lowered that outstretched finger. “Your job begins today. In the Bogs.”
I cringed. “The Bogs?”
“Yes. There’s a goblin there that should have information on our quarry.“
I looked him up and down, from his perfect suit, to his shiny shoes, then back to his smug perfect face. I couldn’t help admiring his high cheekbones and the slight uptilt to his eyes. Normally, he would have been just my type. “You mean you don’t already know where your quarry is? I thought all I had to do was collect a debt.”
“That is all you have to do, once you find the person you need to collect it from.” He smiled pleasantly.
I wanted to punch him in his perfect, sexy face.
“I suggest different footwear.“ He breezed past me. “I’ll meet you outside the boundary when you’re ready.“
I turned to follow him with my eyes.
He faced me again, his teasing expression wiped away like it had never existed. “ Don’t forget the card this time.”
“Wait!” I lifted a hand.
He crossed his arms, watching me.
“Do you have a name?”
“Sebastian.” There was a strange whooshing sound, and a streak of black, then he was gone.
Braxton lightly knocked on the open doorway. I had almost forgotten he was in the apartment. At my nod, he came into the room. “You okay?“
I stomped to my bedside table and snatched up the card, glaring down at it like it had betrayed me. “So what exactly happens when you break a contract with a devil?“
Braxton walked up beside me, took the card from my fingers, then slid it into the front pocket of my oversized shirt. “You don’t want to find out, Eva. Just do the job and get away from him.”
I turned toward him with a lifted brow. “And how do you know so much about devils?”
He grinned. “Your new boss isn’t the only sexy as the hells devil around. I had a dalliance with a tall ancient female in the past, when I was young and stupid. Trust me, Eva, just do the job and get out.”
I frowned, tempted to ask more about his dalliance , but maybe I didn’t want to know. Either way, it was good advice. Do the job and get out. But I had a feeling it was easier said than done.