Page 33 of Greed

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Nikolas blubbered.

“Do you like hot pokers Nicolas,” I asked as I stared into the man’s eyes. He seemed hypnotized by the swirling color, his eyes zoning out.

“I…I…please don’t do this,” he cried, but his tears had no effect on me.

Leaning closer to his ear I smirked as I whispered, “because you’re going to learn just how hot hell is, inside and out.” Nikolas whimpered. Pushing myself upright, I smoothed out the front of my shirt. “Greed is a terrible thing when it consumes you, Nikolas. I should know.” I smiled at him, my power still churning, so I knew my eyes were still glowing an unearthly gold color.

“I’ll pay you back,” he said as I made my way toward the exit.

Pausing, I turned back to face the man that had already purchased his one-way ticket to Hell.

“Yes, you will, Nikolas, in this life and the next. Do you know what catches a high price on the market?” The man didn’t say anything other than softly begging me not to do this. “Organs do, and Brill here, well he’s a professional when it comes to extracting organs, aren’t you Brill?”

“Yes, Master, I am,” Brill said and licked his lips, making Nikolas scream wildly once more as he pulled foolishly on the bindings.

“Take anything you can fetch a price for in Hell and dispose of the rest.” I started to walk away and stopped to turn back. “One more thing, when his soul arrives in Hell, find something delightfully terrible to torture him with. You see, Nikolas, you’ll never escape your mistake, even in death. No one steals from me and lives to tell the tale.”

The screams started before the door was closed. I glanced at the time and groaned, two hours until my meeting, and then I had a flight to catch. I guess I wouldn’t be getting any sleep again. Killing humans was such an annoying waste of time.

Minetta needed to get back to work before they fired her. She also needed to get back to the house, where she was pretty sure she had her first delusion. It was a very real sign of early on-set dementia. Or she really did see a creature from god-only-knew-where in her house, and her friend lit up like a living breathing fire entity. Either option was not sitting well with her.

Minetta walked the last of the boxes from the farmhouse to the moving truck and then pulled the door closed. Turning, she leaned against the truck to stare at the home she’d grown up in. The tire swing, although weathered, still gently swayed in the breeze, and she could still picture the animals that she’d tended to each day. The rabbits and horses had been her favorite. Her one regret was being too scared to let her dad teach her how to ride. She’d brush the horses for hours, but the thought of getting on one had her sweating bullets and pulling back like she was the one on a tie chain.

She had no idea who the new owners were, but the key in her hand was the last goodbye to that part of her life with her parents.

Ninety-eight days from the day her dad had passed was all it took until her mom was diagnosed with a disease that had slowly stolen pieces of her mother, leaving in its wake a sweet stranger. She wrapped her arms around herself. This was a lot harder than she’d imagined it would be. Other than short visits to her mom, staying away from the farm for the last couple of years had allowed her to block out what her mother’s turn for the worse really meant.

With her head held high, she made the last trip she’d ever make to the front door. “I love you, mom, I love you, dad. I miss you both every day.” She laid her lips on the key and put it in the mailbox like she’d been instructed. She rested her hand against the door and smiled as a memory of her and her parents smiling and laughing as they sat outside under the sun came to her. That was how she wanted to remember this place, not the sad and empty building it was now.

Wandering back to the moving van, she hopped in the front and headed toward the hospital to see her mom before returning to New York.

“You ready to get going, bud,” she said to Toby, who was snoozing with his head hanging out the window.

Her hands found his soft ears and began to scratch him the way he liked, and he woke and sleepily glanced at her. “Yeah, I’m about that excited too.”

* * *

I stood and rolled out my shoulders as the plane came to a stop. It wasn’t a long flight, but I preferred to use my own wings rather than these terribly loud and annoying metal tubes. I gave Shilo’s shoulder a squeeze, and his eyes fluttered open.

“Oh Sir, I’m so sorry, have we arrived?”

“We have, not long ago. They are just bringing the vehicle over now,” I said as I watched the Lamborghini slowly pull up.

“Smashing, another sports car.” Shilo groaned.

“I’m sensing you do not enjoy my driving.”

“I would never say that, Sir.” The hint of a smile ghosted his features before his face grew serious.

“Of course, you wouldn’t. But you don’t enjoy it, do you?” Shilo looked to the floor of the plane. “I’m not angry. I’m just wondering why?”

“Sir, does the term bat out of hell mean anything to you?”

“I do not drive like how those pesky creatures fly. Do I?” I said as we reached the tarmac.

“I have only tossed my cookies once since I was banished, Sir, and it was while you were driving. That should tell you all you need to know.”

I crossed my arms and sighed. “Fine, you drive. I’ll navigate.” I marched around to the passenger side of the car and slipped in. Shilo stood still, eyes wide as he stared at me. “Well, come on, we don’t have all day.”