The Evening Begins

“And that’s why you always tell an adult when you see something supernatural, instead of investigating by yourself.”

The pack of youngsters thanked Starlily profusely, then scurried off around the corner, eager to get back home and forget the things they had seen inside The Dumpster. Starlily stayed on the scene until the authorities showed up to properly quarantine the boxy Abomination. Once things were taken care of, she hovered back above the buildings and checked in with her demon again.

“I take it that wasn’t the threat we were here for?”

“No,” Eloreth replied, agitation clear in his voice, “It’s still here, somewhere, but it’s faint, difficult to track.”

Starlily frowned, and scanned the city’s downtown district from above. “Well, if it’s been evading us for the past two hours, it can’t be that dangerous, right? We’d have noticed, I don’t know, widespread panic and destruction?”

“That’s what I’m worried about. If this Hellbeast or, worse, Berserker is smart enough to avoid making a scene…”

“Right. Okay, then. Let’s just keep our eyes, ears, and demon-radar-thingies open.”

MEANWHILE ...

Melissa handed her keys to the valet and suppressed the urge to sock the young man in the face when she caught him staring at her ass. She didn’t have much Bloodlust left to work through, and she knew from experience that she could hold it at bay for a while, but it was going to make an already tense dinner meeting even trickier to navigate. She focused on her breathing as she entered the restaurant and allowed her eyes to scan the tables. The host approached her, but before he could ask about her reservation, a broad man in an expensive suit stood up and waved her over.

“Miss Shields!” Edward Roche was an older man, perhaps in his mid-fifties, but he was obviously a powerful man, both physically and financially. Thick arms and a wide chest filled an expensive suit, and his voice was deep, a little gravelly, and impossible to ignore. Melissa put on her best fake smile and allowed him to take her hand, which he slowly pressed to his lips before allowing her to seat herself. As he slid back into the booth across from her, she took a moment to compose herself before approaching the topic at hand.

“Mr. Roche, thank you for seeing me. I trust we’ll be able to arrive at an arrangement that will be satisfactory to both of us.”

Edward Roche didn’t answer Melissa immediately, and instead waved over a waiter to order a bottle of wine and some appetizers. A tired tactic to establish dominance, Melissa knew, but she could hardly object, even if it irritated her. Roche did hold all the power in this interaction, after all.

“I’ll admit, I knew the deal was too good to be true the moment it hit my desk, but I’m not the kind of man who can simply let such an opportunity go, you understand.” Each word was carefully measured and chosen, and Melissa could immediately tell that this was not the first time Roche had been in this position and had this conversation.

“Of course not. I’m more than willing to make sure you turn a profit here, and money isn’t my chief concern.” Roche’s eyes lit up at that, and Melissa silently scolded herself for her poor wording before continuing. “Moving locations at this juncture would simply be too disruptive to our operations right now. As I explained in our prior communications, this whole situation was a bit of a misunderstanding in the first place, and I’d hate for it to be more of a setback than it already has been.”

Roche nodded and poured himself a drink once the wine arrived. He also made a point of pouring another glass and passing it to Melissa. He waited for her to take a sip before continuing, a strange, prickling sensation settling over Melissa as he spoke. “I’m glad that you’re so cooperative, Melissa. I’m sure we’ll be able to reach a solution I’m happy with.”

His wide grin was somehow reassuring and worrying in equal measure.