The Quest (16 page)

The elevator dinged, and I stepped back with a gasp. I was burning up, wet and hornier than a cat in heat. Holy cow, what had come over me?

“Come on,” Boss said after the doors opened.

I wiped the edges of my lips as I strolled out behind him. Damn, he knew how to turn me on.

While we strode through the tunnel alone, I wondered if we could get away with a quickie somewhere, maybe in a stairwell. Glancing up, I noticed a camera in several areas near the ceiling. My idea of a quick fuck quickly disappeared.

Boss didn’t say much the rest of the way through the tunnel, and neither did I. In truth, I didn’t feel safe talking. Eyes always watched. Ears always listened.

In the government center, we rode the escalator to the main level, then proceeded to the nearest exit. Cool air swept over me when Boss opened the door.

“Keys,” he said with his palm up in front of me.

I dug inside my purse, found them, then dropped them into his hand.

“Wait until we get on the road before you share your information with me,” he said. “I spotted two gargumen on the building across the street.”

I slowed my pace and shifted my gaze up. Sure enough, two ugly gargumen sat perched on the roof.

“Think they’ll follow?” I asked.

We reached the only parked car on the street. Boss opened the passenger door for me. “They usually do.”

After I slid onto the seat, he shut the door.

“Please tell me we’re not going to try another interrogation?” I asked as he settled behind the steering wheel. Could we take them? Probably, but we’d have to fight them. I wanted to spend time with Jonas, not play games with a bunch of gargumen.

Boss started the engine and shifted the gear. “We’ll visit Jonas and decide what to do.”

He stretched his arm out behind me and glanced over his shoulder. The car backed out of the spot and then jerked suddenly.

“Fuck!” Boss twisted to face the front as a police car veered in front of us with its blue and red lights flashing.

More flashing lights reflected in the side mirror outside my door. Another cop car stopped behind us.

A large, black SUV came to a halt along Boss’s side. As the window lowered, I prepared to duck and grab the gun under the seat. Boss stayed remarkably calm while my nerves were on edge, until I saw the person sitting in the passenger seat.

“Sal?” I asked.

The demon grinned. “Evening, Boss.” He tilted his head back. “Shelley, we need to talk.”

Chapter 11

Glass doors swooshed to the sides, granting Boss and I entrance. We strode through an enclosed walkway, reached another pair of sliding doors, then stepped inside the hospital. Several feet ahead, an older African American man sat behind a tiled desk shaped like a horseshoe. Two walkways branched off from my left. A large waiting area took up the room on my other side with a large pine tree in the center of one grouping of chairs. Instead of Christmas decorations on the fake tree, someone had tied to the branches dainty ribbons with decorated pieces of paper.

“Let’s stay away from the windows,” Boss said with his hand on my back, nudging me forward.

Supporting his plan, I headed for the waiting area. He gave a curt nod to the guard at the desk while I politely grinned. Behind the guard’s glasses, his eyes followed our movements while the rest of his face remained immobile.

Boss had convinced Sal to meet us in a public place. Not many businesses were open in the early hours, but one place always remained accessible and usually busy. It just so happened we needed to come to the hospital anyway.

I sat in one of the chairs facing the tree while Boss took a seat across from me. His gaze focused on the windows behind me. Like always, he remained on high alert, ready to act, ready to fight. He even checked the gun in the holster under his blazer to ensure it was loaded before we left the car.

“What do you think he wants?” I asked.

“Not sure, but he must have something important to say since he called in police backup.”

Nervous energy swarmed within me, replacing the melancholy I’d briefly felt. I twitched my foot, hoping to ease some of the anxiety. Why would Sal ask for a law enforcement escort? What did he fear, or was he trying to make a big impression with me? I didn’t trust the demon. As I thought more about our brief meeting on my first day, I recalled he had said he had news to share. Given only one day had passed, maybe he decided his news couldn’t wait.

“Here he comes with two men.” Boss stared beyond me.

I didn’t bother turning around. The doors swishing open, the pats of their feet, and the ashy scent associated with demons signaled their approach.

Sal stopped in the middle of the chairs, between Boss and me. He wore a dark business suit and shiny black shoes. Like other times I’d seen him, he kept his hair tied behind his head. His gaze stared at the phone in his hands while his thumbs furiously typed.

“Going to a meeting?” I asked.

He stopped typing and slid the phone into the pocket of his jacket. “As a matter of fact, I do have one to attend after this.” He sat down in the chair beside me.

I had the sudden urge to move next to Boss, but I remained calm, cool and swallowed the bile creeping up in my throat.

Hearing whispers, I glanced over my shoulder. A uniformed officer spoke to the man at the round desk. Another officer stood near the door, his hands gripping his waistband while he scanned the outside. Sal’s guards, I presumed.

“The other day when I saw you in the Senator’s office, you said you had news to share,” I said as I faced him. “What is it?” I wanted a quick meeting and not a drawn out conversation.

Sal tugged on the edges of his sleeves with his long bony fingers. “How is your investigation coming along?”

I found it interesting he avoided answering my question. “The investigation is ongoing.”

“Any new developments?”

“I started working in the warehouse last night. You can’t expect miracles.” Irritation elevated my voice.

“Quit stalling,” Boss said. “We know you didn’t escort us here to inquire about the investigation. Tell us the urgency for this meeting or we’re leaving.”

I couldn’t help but grin at Boss’s curtness.

Sal shook his head. “Never a dull minute with you two.” He crossed his legs and met my gaze. “I have information that the Senator believes you are working for her to steal her job out from under her.”

Laughter jumped out of my mouth. “This is why you wanted to meet me?”

He clasped his hands over his lap. “She is a powerful woman, Shelley.”

“Yes, you already told me that. Tell me something new.”

“Does she know Billy Rodriquez?” Boss asked.

Sal shifted his gaze. “Maybe.”

Maybe my ass. The demon knew, and just like other times, he refused to tell us the whole truth. I wondered why he would he protect Billy, unless it was because they were both demons.

“Do you know Billy?” I asked.

He faced me. “I have not met him.”

Finally, a solid answer.

“I hear you have,” Sal said, and the hairs on the back of my neck twitched.

How would he know I had an altercation with Billy?

“Get to the point of this meeting,” Boss said.

Sal rolled his eyes while he inhaled a deep breath. “The Senator has called in all her favors. She has a bounty out for your head.” His eyes slid down to my chest. “Or rather, your heart.”

Lacking words, I simply stared at him. I knew she wanted me dead, but to offer a reward for my heart was downright beyond evil. Who was she trying to impress? The devil?

Boss stood. “Are you saying she is offering a bounty to anyone who will kill Shelley?”

“Not to anyone, only those whom she trusts.”

“And she trusts you?” I asked with a touch of sarcasm. She wouldn’t trust him if she knew he was the mastermind who had me convince her to withdraw from the presidential election next year. “How do I know you’re not trying to kill me too?”

Sal grinned. “You will have to trust me.”

I gazed at Boss.
Is he fucking kidding us?

Telepathy was a great gift during meetings and negotiations. Since Sal only knew me as a half-breed demon, he had no idea Boss and I was able to communicate through our thoughts. Sadly, we couldn’t read Sal’s mind. The gift worked great with humans, some half-breeds and vampires, but not with other breeds.

Shifting my gaze to Sal, I asked, “Did she ask you to kill me?”

“Yes, she did.” His grin widened.

“And you graciously rejected her offer,” I said.

“I told her I’d think about her offer.”

Sal’s admission to consider Galluzzi’s proposal further supported Boss’s idea that Sal wanted something from me. He had a bargaining chip. “Well, at least you’re honest.”

“You and I share something in common. We both detest the Senator. The reasons are not important, but we both seek to get rid of her,” Sal said casually.

I half grinned at the clever demon. We didn’t trust each other, but that one common thread we shared enabled us to work together. Otherwise, I would avoid any dealings with his greedy demon ass.

“What do you want?” Boss asked, standing stiff with his arms folded in front of his chest.

Sal refused to look at Boss. “I believe we can help each other achieve our goals.”

Boss stepped closer, attempting to gather Sal’s attention. “What. Do. You. Want.”

“Tell your partner to sit down,” Sal said with his gaze locked on me.

Boss stiffened.
I want to break his fucking neck.

I gritted my teeth while dousing Boss’s thoughts. Was Sal trying to rile Boss? Goal accomplished.

“You have your guards…” I paused and glanced over my shoulder at the demon by the door. He had his attention fixed on Boss. I returned my gaze to Sal. “And I have mine. Answer the question, and I’ll ask my partner to step back.”

A frown of displeasure quickly formed on Sal’s long face. “Fine.” He uncrossed his legs and shifted them. “I want to offer assistance with your investigation on the Senator.”

“Excuse me?” I thought I’d heard him wrong. He wanted to help me?

“I’m willing to help you with your investigation.”

“Why now, after all this time has passed?” I asked, confused.

“I’m going to repeat my question for the last time, what do you want?” Boss asked, snippy.

Sal glanced up at Boss. “I want Galluzzi humiliated and removed from all public seats forever, and the only person capable of doing it has a bounty out for her.”

I met Boss’s gaze.
This is strange.

I’m more than capable of handling the investigation. Why you?

“What about Boss?” I asked. “He can–”

Sal raised his hand and shook his head. “No, no, it has to be you.”

Boss shook his head.
This is too easy. Something has to be missing.

“Why me?” I asked.

“What sweeter revenge? The person she wants dead the most humiliates her in front of the world. I think it’s beautiful.”

“I think you don’t need us to accomplish your crazy goals,” Boss said.

“Oh, but I do, and you know it. She has connections everywhere. This is the one chance at bringing her down from her high and mighty throne.”

Boss glanced at me.
It still sounds too simple. I don’t like it.

“How can you help me?” I asked.

“First, I can provide a few assistants to help you search for records. Second, you need guards, a contact with the police and word on the street to protect you. Billy isn’t the only one seeking to cash in on the Senator’s offer. I can supply protection, better than what you have now.”

“What about the Senator? If I agree, won’t she find out you’re looking out for me?”

A devilish grin formed on his face. “Don’t worry. I have my ways. She won’t find out.”

Well, at least we knew why Billy mysteriously showed up and wanted me dead. As for Sal’s offer of protection and contacts with the police officers, I couldn’t discount either. Word traveled fast within a clan. I learned firsthand when Sal put a photo of me on the demon clan’s website and listed me as missing. Soon after, a demon recognized me while Tabby and I were shopping for groceries. The demon attempted to bring me to Sal, but I managed to stop him. In the process, the demon shot Tabby. Her near-death experience was one I didn’t want to happen to anyone, especially my friends. Yet here I was, sitting in a hospital because a demon had stabbed Jonas. Had anything really changed since six weeks ago?

“Let me see if I understand correctly. You want me to convict the Senator in front of the world so she’ll never be able to hold any kind of public seat again.”

Sal grinned. “Yes.”

“And you’ll send people to help me search for records, and guards to help protect me?”

Sal gave a single nod.

“What happens if I don’t succeed in finding evidence to convict her?”

He frowned. “Failure is not an option.”

Boss tapped into my thoughts.
You said it best–this is strange.

“You are one remarkable person, Shelley Baxter,” Sal said, drawing my attention to him. “You managed to convince her to withdraw from the presidential election six weeks ago. I didn’t think you could do it, but you proved me wrong. I have confidence in you, and with my help, I believe we can see justice brought to Galluzzi.”

His goals matched mine, but could I trust him, a demon?

“I want to be clear about this. If I accept your help and manage to convict her…”

“Everyone ends up happy,” Sal finished with a smile.

“What if I said I don’t want your help?”

“Trust me, you need it.”

“We don’t
need
your help at all,” Boss said flatly. “We can handle this investigation without your assistants or guards.”

Sal faced me. “As a token of good faith, I’ll share something more with you. That little charmed bracelet you have on has a GPS tracking chip in it. I have access to the code and can find where you are at anytime, just as the Senator does and whoever else is looking for you.”

“I’m being tracked?”

“Yes, you are.”