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He eyed Ilsa over my shoulder, and she stared hard at him. I smirked. Surely, he wasn’t expecting an apology.
Not from my girl.
“Oh shush, it won’t kill you.” Ilsa shot back at him.
I giggled, and we shared a quick glance. Earl chuckled, and my attention was brought back to him. He waved his finger between us. “You two better be careful, human/demon bondings aren’t always approved of.”
“Yes, because as a demon, that’s what I seek… approval.”
His smile dropped. “You better watch your mouth.”
Ilsa shuddered again, but she was staring hard at him. “Let’s get out of here.”
Reaching behind me, I took her hand. “Let’s.” We kept our eyes on Earl as we backed toward the door, only breathing freely again when we were in the fresh night air and on our way down the street.
Back to Emrick’s.
That fucker owed us an explanation.
ILSA
Did the underworld of crime get more complicated because of the involvement of demons, or was it just as dangerous as it always was? I couldn’t decide. It seemed fitting if demons were to come to Earth, most of them would choose that path. As Ray so eloquently pointed out, they could release their need for sex and violence in a relatively consequence-free environment.
Free of consequences most of them wouldn’t give a damn about anyway. They would be protected by the very organizations they helped serve.
Although, if the bloggers were to be believed, some demons were living it up in legitimate high-end corporations, residing in penthouse apartments, and rubbing shoulders with the cream of society.
Somehow, that seemed even more fitting.
Ray hadn’t let go of my hand as we made our way to Urban, and I had considered asking her if she wanted to catch a cab. The club wasn’t exactly close. But as much as the long walk would be a strain on my leg, I’d ignore it because walking and holding her hand, I could almost pretend we were normal.
Thatthiswas normal.
Despite being far from it.
We didn’t speak along the way. We didn’t need to, and there was something nice about that.
Rounding the final corner, the music from the club was audible, thumping its way down the block. Large spotlights swung lazily back and forth, stationed atop the three-story building, and the purple of the internal neon lights spilled out from the windows onto the pathway, stretching out the shadows of those waiting to get inside.
“They’re going to frisk us again,” Ray said.
I nodded, but I hated the idea of going in unarmed, even more than last time. Because now we knew, for whatever reason, that Emrick had set us up. Whether he was hoping we’d kill Earl and take him out of the picture, or Earl would kill us, I wasn’t sure which.
It hardly mattered.
“I don’t think he’ll do anything while the club is full.”
Ray scoffed. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
We stared at each other. “I guess we’ve come this far.”
“Wanna go out in a blaze of glory?” Her eyes twinkled, lips twitching with the hint of a grin.
I laughed. “I’d rather not.” The smile dropped from my face.
That’s what I used to think would be the best ending, what I’d had drilled into me. The only respectful way to go.
But not so much anymore. There was a life to live here, people who needed protection, a growing world of underground crime snaking its way further and further into the city.
