While Darien’s back was turned, Loren stepped up to the table and scanned the items scattered across it, as Darien was now doing with the shelves behind her. After several minutes of searching, she found a crumpled piece of paper—folded several times—beneath a filthy shovel. She tugged the paper out from beneath the shovel, unfolded it, and read the words scrawled across it.
Four million gold mynet.Underlined.
Devil’s Advocate.
Female. Eighteen/nineteen y/o.
Find her.Underlined three times.
At the very bottom of the page was a phone number, along with the title of another Darkslaying circle and a name.
Reapers… Geller???
It took Loren three painful, erratic heartbeats to realize she’d stopped breathing. The paper was rustling in her trembling hands.
The graverobber had been looking for her, too. Going after the reward he was sure to receive, should he find Loren before anyone else did. But as a warlock, he didn’t have the Sight necessary to track her, so she figured he was looking to hire someone to split the reward with him. And judging from the words scrawled on this paper, that someone was a person who worked for the Reapers.
It seemed Benjamin’s curiosity over the sum of cash Darien had been offered was more of a concern than she’d thought.
“Darien,” she called weakly, the paper crinkling in her hands. “What’s the Devil’s Advocate?”
Darien came to her side, snatched the paper right out of her fingers, and scanned it. He scrunched it into a ball, nearly pulverizing it as his eyes turned black. “Thatcocksucker.”
Footsteps sounded behind them. The two Familiar Spirits, immediately aware of the change in atmosphere, now stood at full attention on either side of Darien and Loren.
Before Benjamin could fully raise his hands in surrender, Darien had his pistol aimed at the space between his eyes.
“I can explain,” Benjamin ground out. The owl on his shoulder gave a low hoot and rustled its wings.
The click of the safety releasing was loud in the otherwise silent room as Darien snarled,“Start talking, asshole.”
14
Darien knew he had two problems to deal with, and he had to deal with them fast.
One of those problems involved the graverobber standing before him, his dirty hands trembling above his head. The second involved the mortal girl at his back, each breath she took shallow and erratic.
If Benjamin didn’t provide Darien with enough of a reason not to shoot, hewouldkill him. And if anyone else had been informed of Loren’s whereabouts during the time that Benjamin was absent, he would need to get her the hell out of here before they showed up—or this place would turn into a bloodbath.
“I can explain,” Benjamin repeated. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
“I sure hope you can,” Darien threatened.
Two dusky faces appeared from behind the tattered curtain, but before Darien could pull the trigger on the other robbers, they raised their hands in unison, stumbling back into the dirt wall so hard a couple pebbles shook free from the ceiling.
Benjamin bellowed, “DON’T SHOOT!Donotshoot, for the love of the Star! Please, Darien—we’re on your side.”
Darien’s index finger teased the trigger, and the eyes of the three graverobbers tracked the movement. “Judging from what I just read—about your intentions for my friend here,” Darien said with a baring of teeth, “I would say that’s a lie.”
“It’s true, alright?” Benjamin’s throat bobbed. “It’s true, Iwaslooking to track her—I won’t deny that. But until you came here today, I had no idea that she was human. I thought the target might’ve been a High Demon or a mobster—someone I wouldn’t feel guilty for offing. But now I see that I was dead wrong.”
Darien’s lethal expression thawed, though only just. “Why do you give a shit about a human life?” he barked, the volume of his voice causing Loren to suck in a breath.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Benjamin’s voice dipped to a fierce whisper as he added, “We all know we would be fools to cross you, Darien. And I don’t intend on dying a fool.”
Three full minutes passed as Darien deliberated. He had the sense that everyone in the room was holding their breath. And the robbers all knew damn well that, should he decide to kill them, they would be dead before they even realized what was happening.
The hard line of Benjamin’s mouth wobbled. His eyes were glazed with a fear that for once in his life he couldn’t hide. Darien had known this man for years—and in those years he’d learned that he was shit at lying. Even without the aid of the Sight, he could easily discern when Benjamin was being honest.
