The Book Waitress Series Volume One (26 page)

“Okay, thanks. And you?”

“Fine, fine. Everything’s fine. I’m starving. Aren’t you?” He squirmed out of her grasp and made a beeline for the bagels and coffee.

She closed the door and turned around.
Something’s up and if I know people, which I do, Mallory is at the center of it. Damn her! What has she done?
If somebody didn’t cough up information, she’d just have to pry it out of them. On second thought, maybe she didn’t want to know. Ignorance was bliss sometimes.

Marching into the dining room, she watched as Derek took a seat and Mallory sat down next to him. She observed as he immediately got up from the table, claiming he forgot his coffee, and sit back down in another seat when he returned without said coffee in hand.

“What’s on the agenda today?”

“Good question, Arnie. I think we ought to split up duties. Mallory and Derek, you still need to get some weapons practice in. And I do, too. We need someone listening to the police scanner. You did bring one with you, right?”

“Yeah, I picked one up when I was on the mainland. It should be in one of the boxes I brought over yesterday. I’ll take care of that. If something curious comes over, I’ll alert everyone so we can track the demons down.”

“What’s the demon boy gonna do, Camille? Sit at your side like a slave or does he get his own chores? Where is he anyway?”

“Demon boy has a name. I’d prefer you use it.” Synn ambled in looking all fresh and scrubbed down. He’d slicked back his hair and wore the same jeans and shirt from the house they’d holed up in. They still looked good, but she would have to make time to take him for new clothes.

“Well, there he is. Good morning, Sinner.”

“It’s Synn, Malomar. Get my name straight and I’ll do the same for you. Respect earns respect.”

She smirked and extended a hand to shake as he passed by her chair. “I call a truce. You give as good as you get. I like that.”

He shook her hand and smiled. “And that’s important to me because...?”

“Because I can make it feel like Hell for you up here. But I won’t because I like your spunk.”

“I feel comforted by that fact. Thank you.”

He sat down in the only seat left, next to Derek. Could this morning get any more toxic?

“Good morning, Derek. How’s it hanging?”

“Pretty long from where I’m sitting,” Mallory chimed in.

Derek’s cheeks turned crimson and he coughed on his sip of coffee.

“Ha ha, good one Mal!” Arnie smacked the table with his hand and took a huge bite of his bagel and creamed cheese.

“Thank you. I’ll be here all week. Tickets are on sale at the box office.”

“Well, that’s about enough for me. I’ll be outside killing something if you need me.” Camille pushed her chair back violently, grabbed the closest weapon, and stormed out. She’d taken a long staff with knives on both ends. Oh, she’d have fun with this one.

Once at the side of the library, she stopped and began a series of martial arts moves she’d learned from classes she’d taken at her local YMCA. She never used a weapon during the class itself, but she figured adding the weapon to the moves today could make her that much more lethal. She needed to be lethal. And Mallory needed to know it. Something went down last night between her and Derek, and if it had anything to do with sleeping arrangements, then all bets were off and Derek and she could go screw off.

She stabbed a holly tree to death and sliced open the guts of an azalea bush.

“Great moves you got there. They never saw it coming.”

“Don’t mess with me right now, Derek. From where I’m standing, all I see is your face and Mallory’s taunting me from every tree and shrub. So, it’s best if you just leave me alone. I’ve been terribly accurate as you can see. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt for real.”

“Would you put the stick down so we can talk? Please?”

“No. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to care. I don’t want to have my suspicions confirmed. Let’s just leave it at that. Ha!” She jabbed one end of the pole into the soft bark of an elm tree.

“I don’t know what to say, Cam. I…I….” He put his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoe into the dirt.

She threw the stick down and glared at him, letting the full force of her angry consume her. “You…you…what? You had a moment of weakness? You were lonely and needed what I wouldn’t give you?”

“It wasn’t exactly like that….”

“Oh, you’re going to blame it all on her, then? She took advantage of your fragile emotional state. And don’t forget to tell me that it didn’t mean anything to you. That it was a huge mistake. Or that you thought of me the whole time. How you could betray me? Turn your back on us after what we’ve been through? I guess professing love to each other isn’t enough to claim exclusivity. Go to Hell, Derek, and take Mallory with you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s got a fully furnished condo there already.”

She turned away and picked up the rod again. This time, she did a series of twirling actions with it, keeping Derek far away from her, just the way she wanted it. With nothing left to say, she peered out the corner of her eye as he lumbered, head held low, to the front of the library.

That confirmed it. The two old-time friends had slept together last night. Yes, she’d kissed Synn, and craved more. But she’d drawn the line. And he’d honored it. A demon, of all creatures, honored her wishes and stopped pushing sex on her. Things were going to Hell in a hand basket and she didn’t have the foggiest idea what to do about it. Their relationship falling apart had nothing to do with evil creatures crossing through the portal or with Satan’s eventual crossing either. Could she move past this and work with the two of them? Could they work with her? She wasn’t ready to find out the answer yet, so she put her energies into neutralizing the Ninja boxwood sneaking up behind her.

***

Ziggy took the long way to work. He needed time to think. Paving the road that led to the ferry would finish up tomorrow, and then it’d be just a matter of time before the whole damn thing caved in and somebody got killed in the process. Why, on God’s green earth, did Charlie force him and his workers to pave over a rotting, sinking piece of land? He hadn’t been acting like himself the past couple of days. What had gotten into him?

Being a God-fearing man, if he didn’t know any better, he’d have sworn Charlie’d been possessed by the devil himself. No other reason seemed sufficient to justify the inevitable tragedy sitting in wait like a time bomb. He recalled the unusual red glow to his eyes during their altercation. What could explain that?

At a loss for what to do, he circled his neighborhood a few more times trying to come up with a solution. Should he tell his superiors or not? Charlie threatened his family should he do it. But could he live with the repercussions of his silence? Faced with a losing proposition no matter how he looked at it, he made the only choice he
could
live with.

Determined, he drove straight to the work site, and past it, pushing the gas pedal to the floor. His car smashed through the cone barriers, careened onto the dock, and flew off the pier into the watery depths of
the sound. As the briny water sloshed through the opened car windows, it mixed with his tears. He said the Lord’s Prayer and breathed in deeply, flooding his lungs with the burning liquid. His body bucked and jerked, and as he faded into forever he heard a bone-chilling laugh.

***

Camille was a stinking mess by the time she’d expended all her energy, and she could hear the others still practicing in the back yard when she finally stopped. The dampness of the dreary day seeped into her bones, and as her body cooled down from the workout, it chilled. Trudging up the stairs, she realized that she hadn’t detected any beasts crossing over for a few hours now. Although at present it was a relief, it only meant a busier time of it later.

She sighed, and without announcing her presence, quietly scurried past Arnie, who was listening to the scanner, straight to her bedroom. Robe in hand, she headed to the shower.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

She stopped mid-stride and turned to find Synn in the hallway, frowning.

“I’m stinky and sweaty. I need a shower desperately.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Shit. Come on. I’m in no mood for this right now. I just wanna feel a hot shower pour down over me, please. A sponge bath isn’t gonna cut it right now.” She clung to the last tethers of her emotions and prayed he’d let it go. Situation after situation tested her new resolve to keep the tears from flowing.

“Do you want Satan to snatch you up again?”

“No.” She pouted, pissed and dejected.

“I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll not only wash your hair for you. I’ll scrub you down. How’s that for service, eh? We’ll do it in the bathroom so there’ll be no onlookers.” He gave her a cheesy grin, and she couldn’t help but give him half a smile.

“You’ll do no such thing. And I want to stand in the shower, without the shower on, and you can pour buckets of water on me, okay? Can we do that?”

He grabbed her hand, kissed her palm, and led her to the Ladies Room. “I think I can agree to those terms.” She blushed. How did he make her feel valued when she felt completely worthless?

“I’m so looking forward to this, you have no idea. Thank you. You take such good care of me.”

“It’s my honor and pleasure.” She blushed and walked on.

After they’d entered the bathroom, she locked the door. “I don’t need to have my body exposed to anyone else. It’s bad enough you get to keep on looking at me.”

“You’ve got a beautiful body, Camille. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He turned on the water, let it heat up, and filled the awaiting bucket.

“You’re such a liar.” She scoffed. “How can you possibly think my body’s beautiful with these horrid markings all over me?” She stepped out of her clothes and into the shower, feeling giddy with anticipation and yet completely vulnerable to Synn’s scrutiny.

“I won’t ever lie to you, Camille. You can trust me on that. Now, here comes the rain.”

He poured the bucket over both shoulders, and scrambled to fill it again so she wouldn’t catch cold. In the meanwhile, she soaped up her body. Just as she finished, he was there, ready to pour again.

“Oh God, that feels so good! More, I want more!”

He hurried to fill the container and doused her once more. Handing her a towel, he watched as she wrapped herself up and stepped out.

“Success! Woohoo! Now for my hair.”

She sat in front of the shower stall and leaned back on her elbows, sending her curls to fall behind. She closed her eyes. Synn knew exactly what to do to please her and wash her hair at the same time. She moaned as he massaged her head and neck. The way they were situated, his face was so very close to hers. She looked up at him and in a sudden rush, wanted him in the worst way.

What was stopping her from ripping his clothes off and taking him then? The door was locked. She could do it. All she had to do was say the word and he would make wicked love to her right there on the spot.

So why not? She’d be no better than Derek, that’s why. Now wasn’t the time to fulfill her desires. Not when she still reeled from the devastating blow. She couldn’t use Synn like that, because that’s all it would be—using him to soothe the emotional scarring. No, it was time for restraint and when the time was right, she’d know, and there’d be no holding her back.

“All done.”

She opened her eyes and found his to be smoldering with need. He hadn’t moved away for her to get up. “Great, thank you. I should get dressed now.”

“How about a kiss as payment for services rendered?”

“Oh, you are a dangerous one, aren’t you?” How strong a woman could she be against such a charismatic being? Not very at this point. He’d worn her defenses down with tenderness and sensuality. “I couldn’t possibly deny you such a reasonable request. But only one, Synn. That’s all. I have my principles.” Her body flushed and her heart raced as his lips descended upon hers for a searing, passionate joining.

A flurry of knocks sent Synn scuttling away from her. “Hey! Camille, we got a hit on the scanner! Come on!”

She coughed as she caught her breath. “I’ll be right out!”

They looked at each other and laughed. “You should have seen your face as you scurried away from me. That was priceless.”

“Oh, really? Well, just so you know, I don’t consider services paid in full. That was only half a kiss. You still owe me the rest. Don’t worry, I’ll collect it later.”

“Lord help me,” she muttered under her breath. “Now let’s see what Arnie’s picked up from the police.” She wrapped her wet head with a towel, unlocked the door, and hurried out of the bathroom to get dressed.

Chapter Seven

“I think we got our first hit, folks! Check this out. They’re pulling a car from the sound.”

Everyone crowded around the man with the scanner sitting on a snack table in the living room. Camille made sure to not to stand next to either Derek or Mallory.

“Hmm, okay. What makes you think that a Hell-beast is involved?” Derek hunched over Arnie’s shoulder.

“Who, in their right mind, drives a car off the pier into the sound?” He looked over his shoulder at him as though he’d said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Well, someone desperate and hopeless. Not someone necessarily possessed. Let’s go down to the pier and do some investigative work. Interview any witnesses. We can use my car.”

“I’ll stay here, monitoring the scanner. You two go. Mallory, you’ve got a great way with the women. So if any women saw it happen, you’ll get every last detail out of them.” Camille had to hold back a snort. She was supposed to be great with communicating with women? She didn’t see it. From the moment they met, Mallory had rubbed her the wrong way.

“I am pretty good at that, aren’t I? Okay, let me get my pack and I’m there.” She hurried to the living room and flew out the front door chasing after Derek, who’d already gone for his car.

“Well, I’m going to finish getting ready since they’re gone. Synn?”

“I’m on it.” He followed dutifully behind to the bedroom where she proceeded to detangle her hair and dry it. He sat on her bed, watching her as though memorizing her every feature. She liked that feeling. If only Derek could’ve understood what she’d been through, like Synn did, and accept how things needed to change, it would be so different. But he couldn’t. Not this time. He wasn’t there in the well falling with her, burning with her, or flying out with her in a demon’s arms. And therein lied the disconnect nurturing the growing chasm.

Maybe someday he would find his way back to her. But what about Mallory? She’d turned into quite the complication. Her mind journeyed back in time to a place where meeting someone hadn’t been so dangerous, so problematical, and understood that to go back to that time meant a return to a cloistered life.
Never again! I’d rather feel the pain of heartache and loss than to never have had these feelings of love and desire. At least I know I’m alive.

Before she could pin up her hair, Synn had snuck up behind her and nuzzled the nape of her neck. “Mmm, you smell delicious. Good enough to eat.” She turned and found his lips impossibly close to hers.

“Did you know there’s a disease where people eat their own hair? It’s called Trichophagia.”

He grabbed her possessively around her waist and drew her to him. “Oh yeah? Fascinating. But I’m not interested in eating your hair. I’ve decided to claim the rest of that kiss you owe me by devouring your lips.” Then he took what was owed, unabashedly and hungrily, as though he would never get his fill of her.

How could she complain about something like that? She couldn’t, and wouldn’t. Instead, her eyes shuttered closed, and she gave herself permission to enjoy the heart-pounding experience. Her hands had minds of their own, and slid up his chest to then rest upon his shoulders. He hoisted her up in his arms and continued to feast. Moments went by as she lost herself in his sweet taste and ardent need. Slowly, he eased her back down to earth, releasing her lips only when her feet touched the wooden floor. He kept his hold on her until her eyes fluttered open. Good thing, too, since her legs had curiously turned into wet noodles.

“Services rendered. Payment tendered. Can’t wait to do business with you again, real soon.” He winked at her.

She straightened her clothes and cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I…uh…. Aw, hell. We need to get back out there. Arnie’s probably found something else for us to investigate. Behave, Synn. No more kissing or I’m gonna have to put you in the dog house!”

She stomped out of the room, more to test the strength of her legs than anything else.

“Whoa, geez! You came back just in time. Shh! Listen!” Numbers and letters were flying right and left.

“Arnie,” she whispered. “I don’t know what those mean!”

“I don’t either, but don’t worry. We will soon.” He paused to listen some more and then scribbled those numbers and letters feverishly on a piece of paper.

He turned to his computer, and in a dizzying display, deciphered all the various codes that he’d written down. “Okay, there’s a drunken male pedestrian in the roadway on Sycamore Rd. He’s throwing objects at cars and causing car accidents. There are injuries. He’s holding off police by holding a hostage, female.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all. Very evil-ish. Don’t you think, Synn?”

“Yeah, I do. We should go over there and get a look for ourselves.”

“I’m ready. Let’s go. Arnie, great job.” She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door with Synn following close behind. No sooner had she hit the curb than something dawned on her. She ran back up the stairs leaving a puzzled demon in her dust and raced back into the library.

“Arnie, throw me your keys, I have no car.”

He turned and raised a brow. “You want me to trust you with my car? Are you a good driver?”

“Listen, I really don’t have time for this crap. Now, give ’em over. Please.”

“All right. All right. Here.” He tossed her his keys. “Take care of my baby.”

“Right.” She hurried back out and grabbed Synn’s hand. “Come on, we’re taking Arnie’s car.”

“Want me to drive? I remember how.” The poor guy looked so hopeful, and even gave her a boyish grin.

“I’ll drive, thank you. Don’t want Arnie to have heart failure, and besides you don’t have a license.”

“Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying. I could ‘zing’ us over if you want.”

“No, thank you. Let’s save your demonic travel for special occasions.” He shrugged and got in the passenger side.

Camille hadn’t driven since coming to the island, and it felt great. Her muscles and sensibilities remembered everything, and she instantly turned into the crazy-ass driver she used to be. They arrived at the scene in progress. Shocked, Camille parked close enough to see everything going on. The lunatic still held the hostage in front of him as a shield. Police were shouting things back and forth.

“Seriously? How the heck was I able to get so near? I was sure we’d be parking a mile away. Hmm. I count only four cops out there. Am I right?”

“That’s all I see. I expected to see the SWAT team here. I wonder what’s going on.”

“This island is so messed up, Synn. Okay, let’s keep an eye on him. Can you see his eyes? Are they glowing?”

“I can’t tell yet. He’s too far across the intersection, but he seems to be moving toward us so we’ll see. I wonder if he plans to use our car as a getaway vehicle. Oh, he stopped. Okay. Ahh! Something’s burning me.” He fidgeted in his seat, unbuckled the seatbelt and peeled away the waistband of his jeans. “Shit!”

“What’s going on?”

He slapped at his hip. “Son of a bitch! I think
my
mark is burning.”

She leaned over to see, and sure enough, it glowed a dim orange.

“Well, put it out with your frosty business!”

“I’ll try.” He covered the mark with his hand and willed frozen tendrils to quash the growing blaze. It worked. He shook his hand out and looked down at the eye-shaped mark. “What the hell is
this
all about?”

“
That’s
was this is all about.” She pointed to the man and his hostage headed right for their car. “Look! His eyes are flaming red. He’s one of them, and your mark picked up on that.”

“The cops look like they’re closing in on him, but they can’t risk shooting at him. He’s moving too erratically and they could shoot her instead.”

Loud pops erupted, and like ducks in a shooting gallery, one by one the officers and nosy onlookers fell. The crazed man tossed the woman to the ground and made a dash toward their car, flailing a semi-automatic in the air.

“Shit! He’s headed this way!” Having forgotten why they’d even come, she freaked out. “What should we do?”

He turned around in his seat and scanned the area. “What we’ve been preparing to do. We take him out. Now, back the car up into that field behind us. Go slow enough so he follows, but quick enough that he doesn’t get too close.”

Camille’s stomach roiled, but she did her best to cope with the harsh reality setting in. She would be killing people, demons, un-human beings, from now on, and she’d better get used to it. Putting the car in reverse, she followed his directions and bumped the car over the curb, driving it backwards onto the open field.

“Head over toward the far tree line. Keep as close as you can to the trees along the side. We don’t want to be seen if you can help it.”

“Okay.” She made a concerted effort to maintain speed and control while staying as close to the trees as possible.

He was gaining on them despite her risky lead foot.

“Synn!”

“Easy, Camille. Just a little bit further… and… Stop! Let me deal with this guy, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem. What are you going to do?”

“Use this.” He pulled out the Beretta she’d dipped in the charmed concoction and unlocked the safety. Steadying his arms on the window ledge, he took careful, unhurried aim. The guy was closing the fifty yard chasm she’d created, and fast. She watched in awe as Synn barely squeezed the trigger, and the gun fired, hitting the demon right in the middle of his forehead. He stumbled backward and dropped like a lead sack onto the ground.

Camille had no idea how the beasts would react to the charmed weapons and ammunition, or if the spell even worked. What should she expect if and when Hell’s creatures died? She’d take copious mental notes on this particular one and make sure to write them down when they returned home. Synn got out of the car, gun still trained on the lifeless lump. He nudged the belly with his foot, and a plume of dust wafted into the air. He waved her over. Tentatively, she opened the car door and got out.

“Come on over. Take a look at this.”

She did, and was awestruck by what she saw. The whole mid-section of the demon had collapsed into a pile of ash. She walked around to get a good glimpse of the rest of the body. All the exposed areas had turned the same, kind of like the people of Pompeii.

“Fascinating and scary as hell at the same time.” Synn turned to her, looking as ashen as the dead demon. “I don’t wanna die like that.”

“We’ll just have to make sure you don’t get caught on the wrong end of one of our weapons.”
One more thing for me to worry about.
“What do you suggest we do with him? Because honestly, this is so far beyond me and you’ve had years of experience in this… line of work.”

“Boy, if this ain’t a kick in the pants. I barely retire from my job, and I’m sucked back in again.” He rubbed the back of his neck, pensive.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do, so if this is too much, just let me know and we’ll just stop this train right now.”

His expression completely changed as he laughed lightly and nudged her. “Camille, don’t be ridiculous. I used to kill people without thinking twice about it. Killing these demons will help make up for that in some small way. I can teach all of you what you need to know about running a successful operation like this. We came out here half-cocked. No real plan. We won’t be doing that again. As for what to do with him, well, that’s easy. Nobody’s around except dead people. But that won’t be for long. I suggest we follow the old adage, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. We just have to smash him to bits and mix him in with the earth a bit. We can take his clothes and burn them.”

“Well, that’s just downright gross.”

“I wonder what Arnie’s got in his trunk that I could use. Can you look? I’m hoping for a shovel of some kind. And be quick about it.”

“I’m on it. Anything so I don’t have to keep looking at that.” She shivered and scurried back to the car. The trunk was filled with Arnie crap. A plethora of computer CPU’s mixed with wires, walkie-talkies, and boogie boards, of all things. No shovel. But the boards could work. She brought them over to Synn. “Here, I found this. It’s the best we’ve got. I think I saw a bag in the back seat. We can put the clothes in there.”

“Sounds good. And that board is awesome, actually. It’s gonna make the job go that much faster.”

He worked efficiently, letting his expertise show, and finished smashing the demon corpse to smithereens within seconds. She held out the bag and he placed the clothes inside. She tied the handles together and held it away from her as they returned to the car. Once inside, Synn turned to her while she drove back to the library.

“You’re gonna have to grow a pair if you’re serious about this, Camille. Killing a tree, as you can see, is very different than killing something that looks like a human one minute and a demon the next. There’s no room for emotion here. You have a job to do so just get it done and move on to the next.”

“You make it sound so clinical. I guess it needs to be. I know, all those bushes and trees don’t fight back and they don’t have faces, so it’s very easy to feel victorious while whacking them to bits. I promise, I’ll take the next one, and I’ll do it with total confidence and no squeamishness. Can we talk about something else for a minute?”