Strangely, Jayden didn’t recall having any cards on her last night. Maybe there had been a stray one in her jacket pocket.
“Thanks.” She took the card from him. “Don’t tell me you came here just to return a business card. Do you need a private detective?”
Cinder glanced at Amanda, then back to Jayden. “Can we talk alone?”
“This way.” She walked to her office and he followed.
Jayden offered him a red leather chair, then she sat in an identical one behind her desk. “What’s up?” she asked.
“This is going to sound strange, but after last night I wanted to see you again.”
This situation was really getting creepy. Jayden had learned not to trust anyone, especially sinfully sexy strangers. “Why?” she demanded.
“I thought there was something between us worth exploring.”
“Do you work for Francois?”
“Of course not.”
“Who do you work for?”
“I’m self-employed.”
“Really. What’s your full name, Cinder?”
He smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Am I under investigation?”
“That depends.”
“I have nothing to hide in this world. My full name is Cinder Wren.”
“That sounds like a made up name.”
Still staring at her with those hypnotic blue eyes, he asked, “Would you like to see my identification?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a driver’s license and handed it to her. It looked authentic. She’d check him out later. There couldn’t be many Cinder Wrens around.
She handed back his ID and when he took it, he caressed her hand with his fingertips. Jayden pulled back, not because his touch disgusted her but because it reminded her too much of her dream.
“Do I pass?” he asked, another smile flirting with his lips.
Something about this guy was just plain
wrong
.
“There’s no test,” she said. “And I have a lot of work to do.”
“Have dinner with me tonight?”
“I’m busy.” She stood, walked to the door and opened it. “Have a nice day.”
His smile faded and he sighed, then he stood and approached the door. For several seconds his gaze locked with hers, and she had the feeling he was going to try to kiss her. Heaven help her, she almost wished he would.
“Goodbye, Jayden,” he said before leaving the office.
Once he’d gone, Jayden closed her eyes briefly and took a moment to collect herself. Generally a calm person, she didn’t like how he affected her. At least she’d probably never see him again. Yet that’s what she’d thought last night.
Before Jayden could close the door, Amanda hurried toward her. The secretary’s green eyes were wide behind her steel-rimmed glasses. “Jayden, who was
he
?”
“That was Cinder Wren.”
“New client?”
“No.”
Amanda grinned. “New boyfriend?”
“No way,” Jayden said, though she tingled all over at the thought of making love with him.
“He looked pretty hot. Nice butt.”
“Didn’t notice.”
Amanda raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been working too hard.”
“And I’m not finished yet. Amanda, I’ll be out of the office for most of the day. Anything urgent comes up, you can reach me on my cell.”
Not only did Jayden have to follow some leads for her paid cases, she wanted to check on Cinder as well.
She was close to uncovering important information regarding Francois and reaching the young woman she had been hired to find. The case was getting hairy, and it seemed like too much of a coincidence that Cinder had appeared last night in the alley.
Sinister left Jayden’s office torn between the desires of his heart and his demonic passion. Jayden was a most frustrating woman. He knew she lusted after him, but she’d sent him away. Last night when he’d gone to her window, he hadn’t intended to make love to her --
Who was he trying to fool? Of course he’d intended to fuck her, but only if she’d wanted him too. The woman had been even more receptive than he’d imagined. Sex with her had been like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He’d fucked and been fucked by many demons, both for pleasure and punishment. Demonic sex wasn’t like sex with a human. Jayden had been so soft and passionate but there had been something else too, something…
Sinister stumbled and nearly fell. He’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of Jayden that he’d missed the elderly man lying on the sidewalk. People walked by and while some glanced at the old dude, no one stopped. Sin approached and squatted beside him.
The old guy groaned and looked up at him through bleary blue eyes. He had a scruffy beard and smelled like he hadn’t washed in ages.
“Are you all right?” Sinister asked. It was a rather stupid question. If he was all right he wouldn’t be lying in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Don’t know,” the man moaned. “I must have passed out. Haven’t eaten in a few days.”
This guy probably conned everyone who walked by. Still, Sinister helped him stand.
“Come on. I’ll get you something to eat,” Sinister said.
The man raised an eyebrow. “You will?”
Sinister nudged the guy toward a nearby cafe. No sooner had they stepped inside than the man behind the counter called, “Hey. He can’t stay here.”
Sinister’s brow furrowed. “Why?”
“Outta here or I’m calling the cops.”
The old guy turned, and Sinister strode to the counter and ordered food to go. Once he had his order, he left the cafe. The old man had disappeared, but with his demonic senses and the guy’s smell, Sinister had no problem tracking him. He found the guy sitting on a bench a few blocks away. When Sinister placed the food beside him, the guy looked up in surprise, then smiled.
“You’re a man of your word,” he said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Sinister turned to walk away.
“Can I ask your name?”
Sinister curled his lip. The last thing he needed was an old bum attached to him. A grin tugged at his lips as he recalled one of the first lessons his mentors had taught him.
No good deed goes unpunished
.
Still he turned back to the guy and said, “Cinder.”
“Cinder, if I ever have the chance to pay you back, I will.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He turned to leave again.
“I wasn’t always like this you know.”
“Can’t you go to a shelter or something?”
“I’d like a job, a way to make my own way in the world again. I’m old, but I have skills and I still know my way around a kitchen. No one’s hiring a stinking old man like me. They think I’ve outlived my usefulness, but I’m still living.”
Any demon worth his claws would walk away. Why was Sinister still standing here and even worse, why was he contemplating something even dumber?
“Anyway, thanks again, Cinder.”
“Right.” He headed down the street, then stopped and turned back. The old man looked up at him, squinting in the sunlight. “Come on.”
“Where?”
“You said you wanted a job.”
“Boy, are you serious?”
“What’s the matter? You don’t actually want one?” Sinister smirked. He’d called the guy’s bluff. Handouts were easier than --
“Of course I do. I just can’t believe it. Son, you’re an angel.”
A shiver ran down Sinister’s spine and he held up a defensive hand. “Get one thing straight. If you want to work for me, don’t
ever
call me that again.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” The man grinned and stood, the bag of takeout clutched in his filthy hand.
The first thing they needed to do was get this guy cleaned up.
“What’s your name?” Sinister asked as they walked toward his car.
“You can call me John.”
When they reached Sinister’s apartment, the first thing Sin heard was Jodi screaming at him from the smoke cage in which he’d trapped him last night. He hadn’t wanted Jodi following him to Jayden’s. At the time he’d locked him up, he hadn’t been sure whether he’d release him. Now with a human around the apartment, Jodi would have to stay put.
“You said you know your way around a kitchen,” Sinister said. “What did you do for a living?”
“I was in service to someone of great means.”
“Right. Then how did you end up on the street?”
“Part of my duty was to look after a young man. When he left home to pursue a dangerous life, I followed.”
“You’re being pretty evasive.”
“I’m still loyal to them -- my employer and the young man. It’s not my place to reveal their identity.”
“Why protect people who let you come to this? I mean, was this young man a child?”
“No, not a child, but --”
“Then as they say, he made his bed, let him lie in it. Watch your own butt. Take care of yourself.”
“You give bold advice for a man who has literally picked up a stranger from the street.”
“Where I come from I’m not considered very smart either. I’m probably the last person who should give advice. I’ll show you the bathroom, so you can get cleaned up. I’ve got some extra clothes you can borrow. They won’t fit that well, but they’re better than what you’re wearing. We can burn yours.”
John didn’t argue. Soon he was singing to himself as he washed in the guest bathroom. Sinister gave him some extra toiletries and went to find him some clothes.
While searching through his closet, he tried to tune out Jodi’s ranting. The little demon scurried back and forth in the fairly spacious cage of smoke Sinister had created.
“I can’t believe you took in a drifter. Right off the street! People like that are our prey. We toy with them. We don’t take them into a deluxe apartment and let them sully the plumbing!”
Sinister turned to him with a vicious grin. “Unless you shut up, I’ll make your cage solid instead of barred. Would you prefer that?”
Jodi sat, his skinny tail swishing behind him, and glared at Sinister. “You only have a month. At the end of it, I’ll be free and you’ll most likely be tortured then cast into oblivion. I’ll relish your every scream, Sinister.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Sinister left the room, locking the door behind him. He brought John trousers and a shirt that would be too big for him. Later if everything worked out with his new “butler,” Sinister would buy him clothes of his own.
“I’m going out, John, and probably won’t be back until late,” Sinister said. “Feel free to look around. The door to my bedroom is locked. Don’t try to get in.”
“You trust me here alone?”
“I’m not worried. Cross me and it will be the biggest mistake of your life.”
“Why do I doubt that?”
Holding the old man’s gaze, Sinister backed him against the wall. “You want to test me?”
“No, not really.”
“Good decision.” Sinister stepped away and headed for the door.
* * *
Late that night, Jayden sat in her office going over paperwork. Amanda had gone home and the office was closed, so Jayden was surprised to hear noise from the reception area.
She took her gun and headed for the door. Normally she wasn’t jumpy, but after the threats from Francois, she didn’t want to take any chances. She opened the door and someone crashed through the window behind her and knocked her to the floor.
Jayden shouted and closed her eyes to protect them from flying glass. In the brief moments before, she’d noticed thick smoke whirling in through the window. At first she thought a freak tornado had randomly struck her building. Then she felt a warm body covering hers.
“Stay down,” said a male voice she recognized.
Cinder!
Her eyes flew open and she struggled to see over her shoulder. He leapt off her as the door flew off its hinges and a man wearing a black ski mask and carrying a gun stepped toward them. Cinder advanced on him and the intruder fired.
Jayden fired before the bastard could shoot her too. She scrambled toward him and kicked the gun from his grasp, though she doubted he’d move again.
At the moment her main concern was Cinder who lay on his back, covered in blood.
“Damn it, Cinder. What the hell are you doing here?” she said, pulling her cell phone from the pocket of her jeans. She dialed 911, then put the phone down to see what she could do for Cinder though she doubted he was still alive. Before becoming a PI, Jayden had been a police officer. Her emergency training kicked in.
“Come on, Cinder, don’t give up on me now,” she said as she worked on him.
His blood covered her and it crossed her mind that she should probably have some protection, but she didn’t want to leave him. Even a few seconds could mean life or --
Cinder sat up suddenly, braced his hands against the floor, coughed up blood, then leaned back on his elbows.
“That wasn’t fun,” he murmured.
Jayden stared at him with wide eyes. Very little surprised her, but this guy always seemed to shock the hell out of her. “Cinder, are you… you’ve been shot.”
“Thanks for the newsflash,” he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He pulled off the shirt and stood, wiping gore off his chest. “What a mess. Can I use your bathroom? Jayden, are you all right? You better sit down.”
He tugged a chair toward her, but she ignored it.
“What the hell is going on?” she demanded. “You just took a bullet in the chest. You flew through my window…”
He held her gaze and smiled faintly. “I guess I owe you an explanation.”
“I’m waiting.”
He stepped toward her and held her gaze. “You won’t remember anything that happened tonight.”
“The hell I won’t.”
His brow furrowed and he waved a hand in front of her. The aroma of smoke grew stronger. “You will forget me.”
“Highly unlikely.” She placed her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on?”
The sound of sirens echoed through the street and she guessed the police and ambulance would arrive at any second.
Sinister walked to the window and glanced out, then he looked back at her. “I have to go. If I stay everything will get complicated.”
“It’s already complicated!”
“I helped you, Jayden. Now you can help me by not telling them anything about me.”
“But I said two people were shot. What am I supposed to tell them?”
“In that case tell them the truth. I ran away.” He blew her a kiss and jumped out the window.