“Probably.”
Sighing, I let out a frustrated growl. “This is so annoying. I didn’t ask those angels to corner me in the street. They’re really fucking creepy.”
“Yes.” He stopped suddenly, frowning. “They are.”
He whistled and called the Legion back to his side. The others slowly fell into place, even Az, as unhappy as he looked about it. Caim clapped his hands and gave them a quick rundown of his newest idea, one I probably would have thought of myself if I hadn’t been so distracted by Az’s stupid lips and stupid scowl.
“The angels could be behind this,” Caim said, glancing at each of the demons in turn. “They’re killing supernaturals, and they’ve targeted several people who were close to us. We’ve been thinking it’s some psychotic supe who’s lost control. But what if that’s not it at all? What ifthey’rekilling anyone playing on Lucifer’s side? They don’t know what we’re doing here. They think we’re loyal to Lucifer. And so Gabe and Suriel show up here and try to get Mia over to their side. She’s human. They want her soul.”
“Hmm.” Az rubbed a hand against his stubbled jaw. “That doesn’t explain why the killer cornered Mia in the alley the other night.”
Stolas frowned. “Mia, did the killer try to talk to you at all? Convince you to leaveInfernal?”
“Not really,” I said. “He was pretty intent on the stabby thing.”
“I saw the killer, too,” Az said. “He was masked, but I saw enough to know he wasn’t Gabe or Suriel. Might have been one of the others though. Raphael or Michael. They both like to keep to themselves. I might not have recognized either of them with that mask.”
Phenex clapped his hands. “Oh, I hope it’s the angels. That means we can have a little fun.”
I gave Phenex a blank stare. “You do know this is my life we’re talking about, right?”
But also, why would they have asked me to spy on the demons if they were behind the killings? They’d told meInfernalwas a cover for something else, and they’d wanted me to find out what. A sudden dose of realization flooded my veins. Did they think the club was a venue for soul sacrificing? And they wanted me to find out if it was. So they could find a way to stop Az and get ahead in their little soul game.
Caim met my eyes. He clearly thought the same thing I did. But he wouldn’t voice it aloud. He was leaving that up to me.
Meanwhile, Phenex had started laughing. “These guys have been fucking around with us for too long. You’d think they would have learned their lesson by now. Last month, they tried to send a spy intoInfernal. Want to know where that asshole vamp ended up?” His voice morphed into a mobster’s thick accent. “He swims with the fishes.”
Chills swept through my body. I sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back. My eyes widened in horror as I stared at Phenex’s cackling smile, turned to Caim’s wince, and then finally landed on Az’s ice-flecked eyes churning with unadulterated anger. Suddenly, I remembered exactly who these guys were. I’d started to think of them as harmless oversized teddy bears, and I’d forgotten a very important fact. They were literal demons. From Hell. They might be trying to save souls, but that didn’t mean they were fluffy bunnies.
They were nice to me now. What happened when they found out I’d been a spy, too? Caim gave me a grim smile. He hadn’t said a word, but I had a feeling he hadn’t been the one to throw the other spy into the Hudson River. It would have been Az.
“I’m really tired,” I said in a small voice. “It’s been a long night. Can we go now?”
Az nodded and motioned for the others to gather in close. They murmured a few words amongst themselves. I didn’t even try to listen. It was too much. I just kept picturing a dead man’s body floating in the Hudson River with fish nibbling his rotting toes. I wrinkled my nose. Ew.
After we said goodbye to the Legion, Az and I returned to his apartment. I couldn’t stop the quick glances his way. Had he killed the spy? Would he do the same to me? I wanted to believe he’d never do anything to harm me. He’d said as much. But did it extend to this? If he believed I’d betrayed him, what then?
He frowned as he caught my one hundredth glance, just as he trailed over to his bar to pour a drink. “You seem on edge.”
“Gee, I wonder why.”
“Not because of that.” Glasses clinked as he tipped the gin toward the crystal goblet. “You keep looking at me.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip, tempted to tiptoe into my bedroom and lock the door behind me. But I took the offered gin and tonic instead. I doubted he’d let me sleep alone tonight. “The spy Phenex mentioned.”
“Ah.” He sighed as he took a sip of his drink. “That.”
“Yes, that.” I frowned. “What did you do to him?”
“It doesn’t matter, Mia.” Az toed off his shoes and trailed over to his black leather sofa that faced the floor-to-ceiling windows. He sank into the cushions, took another sip, and stared out at the twinkling city lights. “He was our enemy.”
“But surely killing him is…a lot.” I took a few timid steps closer to him, my heartbeat frantic. “Maybe he was just someone who didn’t know what he was getting himself into, trapped between your heaven and hell games.”
His eyes narrowed as he turned those piercing eyes my way. A shiver raced down my spine, even as heat curled through me. “He was a vampire, Mia. And he was spying on us. The angels have long guessed I’m hiding something. They’re right, of course, and they can never find out. Do you know what would happen if they do?” He shook his head and leaned back into the sofa. “He needed to die.”
I swallowed hard. So that was how he would see me if he found out the truth.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Az patted the open spot on the sofa next to him. The glow of the city curved across his jaw, highlighting the strong edges of it. He’d unbuttoned the top of his shirt, and his sculpted pecs gleamed like steel. He looked delicious basked in the shadows and the lights. “I don’t know why you’re so wound up about this. It has nothing to do with you. Come sit. Let’s enjoy our drinks.”
