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“I’m aware. But I take no part in their politics. I caught the guy as I was told. I processed and locked him. He’s not my headache anymore.”
“Right. But until Sieg is given his formal sentence, he’s still officially your charge.”
“And your point is?”
“Lilith wants her boytoy back. And what Lilith wants, Lilith gets. If Lilith gets Sieg before Lucifer awards his formal sentencing, you’re going to look very bad in the eyes of the Upper Management. Capiche?”
“It only takes a couple of days for formal sentencing. I processed Sieg yesterday. Today should be his sentencing time.”
Basso shook his head. “Lucifer’s on vacation. It’ll take a couple of weeks for his return. At least.”
Jean-Luc swore. “Why do I always have to deal with shit like this?”
“Your own fault.” Basso crushed the bud of his cigar in the ashtray and drained his whisky in several gulps. “Why do you have to be so good at your job?”
Jean-Luc snorted. Among the contract Hellhounds, he was one of the few who always got his men. Before his demise, he’d been a plantation owner, running a vast family estate in New Caledonia. He didn’t know why the bounty hunting job came almost naturally for him. Perhaps it was because he’d liked hunting when he was alive. He had spent hours honing his skill in his spare time. It was the thrill that made him addicted. And hunting deer, game, or escaped souls from the Pit wasn’t so different after all.
“So, what do you suggest?” Jean-Luc asked his boss.
“Nothing. Just sit tight and do nothing until Lucifer’s back. I’m taking you off rotation until this one is sorted out. The last thing you want to do is to get dragged into a shitstorm when Lilith has one of her tantrums.”
“Merde,” Jean-Luc murmured. “Fine with me.”
“Oh?” Basso looked surprised. “You usually hate idling and vacations.”
“Well, I need one this time. I’m burnt out,” Jean-Luc threw out his excuse. He had never taken a day off since the day he’d become a Hellhound. He had two hundred more years to go, according to his contract. He’d drowned himself in work to forget his pain of losing Selene, his wife. And so far, it had worked. Hellhounds were given seven days a year where they were allowed to roam strictly for leisure purposes. He planned to take one.
Maddie was his reason.
He was planning to ask Basso for some time off after he met Maddie. He wanted to woo her. With a little persistence, he might be able to convince her to become his. For the first time in decades, he felt human again.
Maddie made him feel like that.
And he surely wouldn’t waste any opportunity to claim her. It wasn’t every day he met a woman who set his blood on fire. Just like Selene had once done.
Basso gave him a sidelong glance. Jean-Luc couldn’t guess if his boss really bought it. If Basso didn’t, he certainly kept it to himself. Basso reached into his pocket and extracted another cigar. “You deserve some vacation,” his boss growled. “Just keep your eyes peeled. I don’t like the way things are going right now. Lilith’s tantrums are always a pain in the ass.”
Jean-Luc groaned instinctively. He couldn’t agree more.
* * * *
The rain thickened as Maddie left a local adult bookstore a block away from her apartment building. She was on her way to buy milk and crackers when she saw a man put up a ‘Help Wanted’ sign on the window. She leapt on it and asked the owner about the job. She didn’t care if the establishment was less than reputable, hell, she desperately needed a job. Her mom couldn’t help her with her current situation and she hadn’t the slightest idea where her next paycheque would come from.
The owner of Jerry’s World had hesitated in hiring her. He was looking for a male employee, on account of his store being a holy grail for perverts and weirdoes. But Maddie persisted and twenty minutes after the haggling started, she got the job. The pay still wouldn’t enable to her make ends meet, but at least if she had a job, she might be able to convince her landlord not to evict her next week.
She abandoned her attempt to go to the grocery store and headed home. Jerry, her new boss, told her she could start working today. Maddie wanted to change her sundress to something demure that wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention during her shift.
The rain had turned into a downpour by the time she reached her apartment building. Shaking like a wet dog, Maddie went into the lobby and headed to the stairs. After the incident with the poltergeists, she’d avoided elevators like the plague. There was nothing worse than being confined in an enclosed space with a bunch of nasty spirits and no way out. Stairs were a pain in the butt, but it was better than a metal death trap.
Maddie was out of breath when she finally got to her apartment. She was usually in good shape, but since Aunt Liv’s passing, she felt as if she’d been stretched out too thin. She was halfway to the kitchen when she saw someone sitting on her living room sofa. Half of his body shielded by the darkness. Being accustomed to seeing things that shouldn’t be noticed, she usually ignored what she saw, unless whatever it was started to bug her. But she couldn’t ignore this. She would recognise that trench coat anywhere…
Her throat went dry. “Jean-Luc.”
He rose from the sofa and stalked towards her. For a moment, the room dimmed as the dark shadow billowed behind him, slowly devouring any shed of light in her apartment. Maddie unconsciously halted her breath as he advanced closer. Every cell in her body froze.
“Maddie,” he called out.
His voice affected her like a lover’s caress. The gentle, thrilling rasp made the base of her spine tingle. Out of nowhere, her body reacted to him. A hot flush rushed through her head. Her nipples hardened to attention. Her pussy clenched. Maddie swayed and grabbed the dining room chair.
