Page 10 of Wicked Little Tricks

I glanced at Braxton’s closed door as I headed toward the small kitchenette where the coffee maker lived. Braxton wouldn’t be up for another few hours, but I had no intention of being quiet. Call it payback for his loud music nearly ending my life. I was supposed to have a day off with no deliveries, but now I knew the devil was going to expect his due.

When or what that was, was anyone’s guess, but judging by the card glowing back in my bedroom, it was probably soon. An actualcalling card. How unoriginal.

My watch buzzed on my wrist, startling me. I wondered briefly if it was the devil, though I hadn’t offered him my number. I pushed the button, seeing a familiar number flashing back at me. It was the agency. Or more specifically, my old boss, Dawn. We weren’t exactly friends, but we had known each other a long time.

While my coffee brewed, I answered the call.

“So are you ready to come crawling back yet?“

I glared at my watch. “Go to hell.“

“Which one?” There was laughter in Dawn’s voice.

Pouring myself a cup of coffee even though it wasn’t finished brewing, I carried my mug to the fridge and added cream. “What happened to my replacement? Wasn’t he supposed to besomuch better than me?“

“He hasn’t shown up in three days. Bailed in the middle of a delivery. I’m sure he just skipped out.”

I carried my coffee to the sofa. “Yeah, still not my problem though.”

“You’ll come back eventually. It’s not safe to work on your own out there. All it takes is one delivery to the wrong person.”

Didn’t I know it. “I’m fine. And I’m making twice as much without you. Goodbye forever, Dawn.”

I hung up, then took a long swill of my coffee. I instantly regretted being quite so rude, but I was cranky from the night before, and Dawn would get over it. She always did.

I lifted my gaze as Braxton shuffled out of his room, rubbing his eyes with his big meaty palms. “Could you make any more noise?”

I cradled my mug in both hands. “Better than loud terrible music.”

He moved toward the coffee pot. “Normally I would retaliate with a scathing comeback, but you’re probably not long for this world, so I’ll play nice.“

I gave him the finger, earning just a laugh in return. Soon he joined me with his cup of coffee on the sofa.

“So when do you start work for the devil?“

I shrugged. “His calling card was glowing on my bedroom table. It woke me up.”

His brows lifted. “If that card is what I think it is, you probably want to go back into your bedroom.“

“What are you talking about?“ I stood, suddenly worried.

“Don’t you know anything, Eva? When devils makea deal, they give theirvictimsa token. The token enables the devil to find them at all times. To find themandtravel to them.”

Cursing, I set my mug on the low coffee table and jogged the rest of the way to my bedroom. I flung open the door, and the devil turned toward me. He had a pair of my red silk panties dangling from his finger. He wore another suit, or maybe it was the same one. Did devil suits get dirty? Did they have people to do their laundry? It occurred to me, not for the first time, that I was in way out of my depth.

“What in the hells are you doing?” I stormed into the room and snatched the panties from his finger.

He smirked, leaving his finger extended. “A little racy for aglorified messenger, is it not?” His eyes lowered to my bare legs and my fuzzy slippers. “Ah, yes, that’s more what I was expecting.“

Not wanting to toss the panties anywhere visible, I balled them into my fist. “What do you want?“

He finally lowered that outstretched finger. “Your job begins today. In the Bogs.”

I cringed. “The Bogs?”

“Yes. There’s a goblin there that should have information on our quarry.“

I looked him up and down, from his perfect suit, to his shiny shoes, then back to his smug perfect face. I couldn’t help admiring his high cheekbones and the slight uptilt to his eyes. Normally, he would have been just my type. “You mean you don’t already know whereyour quarry is? I thought all I had to do was collect a debt.”

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