“There was mention of a pool table,” Elliot offered, twirling the crop like a baton.
“And a TV!” Oz chimed in. “For movie nights.”
Maslow looked like he might stroke out then and there. His jaw worked in furious silence while his gaze ricocheted from one dancer to the next. Each of them stood firm, devoid of fear, and he had no idea what to do with it.
For a long moment, the wraith seethed. Then, with an explosive huff, he threw up his hands and spun on his heel. He stomped toward me, and I backpedaled a step in case he reached for me.
But he didn’t. He didn’t even look at me. Just barreled past and down the hall until he disappeared from view.
When a distant door slammed, cheers broke out like fireworks. Colt flung his hat in the air, Callum and Darby shared a high five, and Oz caught Elliot in a sudden hug that made the smaller man squawk in protest.
Darby turned to me with his arms open like a ringmaster at the end of the show. “Good timing, Cherry. Glad you didn’t miss it.”
I sputtered a laugh, wet-cheeked and breathless and so full of feeling I thought I might float right off the floor. They’d done this forme. Stood up to Maslow, protected each other, and taken the first step toward something better.
I’d done something for them too. Their lives were already changing, already improving, and this was just the beginning.
In two days, things would be unimaginably different. Or just plain unimaginable.
“This is…” I pressed a hand over my mouth, then let it drop. “I can’t believe…” I looked at my family—mybrothers—and drew a shuddering breath. “I have such good news for you guys.”
CHAPTER
FORTY
Beck
Real estate rarely moved fast, but with a demon greasing the wheels, things rolled right along.
It rankled me to help Maslow purchase another property, especially considering how he’d bragged about his Hellish pipeline. It opened the door for him to carry on building his seedy empire, bringing in new demons to drain and dole out to the angels. My only solace was the suspicion that he would be hard-pressed to develop his new investment considering the dam I was about to put in his income stream.
With paperwork in hand and Colette on my heels, I showed up at the Dollhouse at midday. The bouncers didn’t blink this time before granting me admittance. Maslow must have warned them I was coming, and he was bound to be gleeful.
I was too.
Inside, the dancers were on the stage and around it.Music poured from the speakers in a moody, ethereal tune I thought I recognized. Above the floor, Zephyr was suspended in silk, bent in half with the fabric wound around his waist and one leg.
I paused, holding my breath as the music reached its peak. He arched back, perpendicular to the floor, then twisted, and the whole thing came unraveled. His body twirled down the silk like a sideways top until the fabric caught around his ankles. Then he dangled with his arms spread wide, hair almost brushing the floor, fearless.
With an upward curl and a reaching grab, he was upright again and climbing. I could have watched him forever, just as spellbound as the first time I saw him. But Maslow’s voice cut through my trance.
“Beckett!” he called from the second-floor railing.
The shout brought an early end to Zephyr’s routine. He descended in a spiral of silk and landed lightly on the stage floor. His smile was blinding in the spotlight, and he looked so healthy it made my heart pound.
Two days without him had been too long.
“Come on up!” Maslow beckoned, sounding giddy.
Reluctantly, I turned and headed toward the stairs to answer the wraith’s summons. I felt Zephyr’s eyes on me and sensed his anticipation adding to my own as I climbed.
Colette followed at my heels, crisp and composed. She wore a charcoal skirt suit that fit her like tailored armor and a pair of spiked heels that clicked against the stairs. Her sleek ponytail swung like a pendulum with every step. Her face was neutral, but her eyes glittered with mischief.
Maslow didn’t question her presence. Maybe he considered it payback for his visit to my office with his own muscle in tow. Whatever the case, we crossed the threshold into his office unchallenged.
Coletteand I made our way to the pair of leather guest chairs positioned opposite the desk. She crossed her legs and sat while I remained standing, watching as Maslow made a show of uncorking a chilled bottle of champagne and pouring it into two long-stemmed flutes.
He offered one to me. I set the folder of documents down on the desk, tempted to refuse the drink. It felt gratuitous to take anything more from him considering how much he was about to lose. Not that he knew it yet.
