Page 65 of The Devil's Dilemma

“Anything new?”

“Nope. Same as always.”

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here day after day, night after night, doing nothing but watch a bunch of losers gamble away their hard-earned money.”

“What’s the alternative? It’s what you chose to do.”

“I need more, Conrad. This isn’t cutting it anymore. I think it’s time to make some changes around here.”

“Is that wise?”

“Are you questioning me?”

He shook his head vehemently. “Nope, not at all. I just thought seeing how you had a good thing going here.”

“Money isn’t everything. I’ve settled, Conrad. Settled for an easy, boring life. I’m the devil, for fuck’s sake, and other than the odd bit of mayhem here and there, what do I do? Prince of Darkness? I might as well not exist.”

“What about Austin? He’s brought excitement.”

The image of him on his knees appeared in my mind, and my cock twitched. I wanted to race back upstairs and fuck him into the mattress.

“It’s not enough. I’m done sitting around waiting for trouble to locate me. Do you know who came to find us earlier?”

“I didn’t recognise them, and I’ve put out a few feelers with some old acquaintances, see if they knew who it was. So far, no joy.”

I had my methods of discovering who they might be, but it might take another call to Mal.

“I want someone outside my apartment while I’m not here. Put one of your best men on it. I can’t have Austin slipping out again, nor do I want anyone sneaking in. The lift is fine, but anyone could walk up the stairs. We’ve become complacent, but no more.”

“Why are you so interested in him?”

“You heard what he said, and between you and me, Mal knew of a long-forgotten prophecy about a boy with a light in his heart. Remember what his mother said? If that’s him, I must be the Prince of Darkness. Until I know what’s going on, we keep him safe.”

How could I explain how I felt about Austin? How he’d interested me from the first time I’d seen him.

No, I’d keep that to myself for the moment.

“I’m going out. I’ll be back by morning.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Stay here, watch the floor, have someone take care of Austin.”

I strode out the door and into the frosty night and called Mal.

“Sorry it’s so late.”

“No worries. Jason’s asleep, and I’m catching up with some paperwork. The lady we employed to replace Zeke still has a lot to learn. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for some men. Not sure what they were. Could have been demons, but pretty sure they were mercenaries. They found Austin today within minutes of him leaving the casino.”

“So, a tracker of sorts?”

“I don’t think so.” I thought about the chip but dismissed that, convinced it was protection from me, not anyone else. “The mark is broken. It has to be something to do with that.”

Mal tapped away on his laptop, swearing under his breath.

“Fucking computers. Hate using them.”

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