Page 58 of Dragon Her Heels

I stiffened. “How long has she been there?”

“She suicided three days ago.”

“Handle the paperwork for me, Lucifer. I’ll take care of her estate and make funeral arrangements.” I’d spoken to Belinda numerous times, and several years ago, after a co-worker had been killed in a car crash, we’d discussed what we had wanted done with our bodies after death. “I know what she wants done with her remains.”

“You do,” Lucifer confirmed in a gentle voice. “Her soul sleeps, and she would never know, you know.”

I considered him, and after a few moments, I understood what he angled for.

He wished to see my true colors.

“She won’t, but I will. Sure, the paperwork will be a beast, the journey itself will be long and tedious, but at least I can find a horse likely capable of carrying me. Think Death is up for that climb?”

Lucifer laughed. “I know he is, as are the other horses, and they can walk over the snow without even leaving footprints. I will make the arrangements so her body can be transported, and you can take her on one last adventure before releasing her ashes and securing her peace. I recommend that you wait until you have finished your races, and then you go with nobody else being the wiser. You are already registering to take time off to rest after the conclusion of the Triple Crown, so slipping away will be of no issue. Belinda can wait that long.”

She could, so I nodded my agreement. “Very well. You will need to handle the permits for transporting human remains, my visas, and transit. I’ll take care of begging the horses for their help.”

“No begging will be required, I assure you. They value what you mean to do deeply—and we have our ways of making certain souls like her understand that they were cherished beyond their deaths. That final gesture will be an excellent conclusion to her long journey, and it will be the true start of yours. Do take care when Mr. Mortani calls you back. He will not be pleased, and he will attempt to plant the same seeds that brought Belinda to her knees and left her without the strength to rise. You are cut from a different cloth, but should that seed be nurtured, it will leave scars, the kind you cannot heal solely from time. As such, I would prefer if all he finds is infertile ground for his scheming.”

I could guess at how he might go about it. “Some problems are easier to solve than others.”

My magic didn’t need a focus, it needed my will and determination, and as long as I took care with what I weaved, I could accomplish a great deal, including leaving the kind of curse on somebody a divine would struggle to unravel.

“I appreciate your confidence, but I’m concerned about the source of it. How many curses have you laid that require a divine to unwind?”

“None yet.” For Belinda, I would, however. Some might call me a fool for trusting the Devil, but who else would know the matter of souls better than him? “Can you tell me, with certainty, who holds responsibility for Belinda’s suicide?”

“I can.”

“Will you?”

“For a price.”

I nodded. All things in life came with prices, and I could accept that. “All right. I’m ready to hear your offer.”

“Mr. Durant is going to view you as a mountain he wishes to climb. You’ve already planted those seeds. In exchange for the names of those who hold full and proper responsibility for Belinda’s death, I wish for you to become a challenge for him.”

I laughed. “I’m already doing that for fun, Lucifer. Are you sure that’s actually a price?”

“Well, some prices are enjoyable to pay. I didn’t say you wouldn’t like the price. However, some of what I tell you will be upsetting.”

“I hold responsibility for her suicide because I left our place of employment, which put her in the position she was in at the time of her death.”

Life began, often with a quiet and distressed wail.

It often ended the same way as well.

I could accept the role I had played, because every action and inaction had consequences.

“You are correct. How does this change things for you?”

“It doesn’t. Let me rephrase my question. Who holds responsibility for her suicide due to deliberate and malicious intent?”

Lucifer smiled. “That’s better. Good.”

He began naming names, all men of higher rank within the company, all of them sleazy in some fashion or another. A notable exception, that of the Chief Financial Officer, caught my attention. “Mr. Noran wasn’t involved?”

“Mr. Noran grieves, and he dare not show it.”