Page 68 of Deal with the Devil

“Zrazduel,” Jessie’s jovial tone filled the receiver. “What fuckin’ timing, eh?”

“What do you mean?” Knox smirked to himself, spinning to face his windowpane. It switched from generic illusion to a street view. Knox searched it like he had every hour, looking for any shifting shadows or infected spawn.

“You delivered to me the same day that I got a nice, juicy rat in my office at the shop.” Knox blinked rapidly as Jessie Bonesaw smirked up into the camera at the top of the doorway. He was arm and arm with someone clearly bound and gagged. “Should I bring them in through the front or the back?”

Knox snickered, plucking up his speaking stone. “Maevin, will you meet Mr. Bonesaw by the loading bay? He’s brought us a very nice present.”

On it.

Knox returned to the call, “Hang a left, Jessie. Maevin will meet you by the loading bay. And…for your generous delivery services, I owe you.”

Jessie wiggled his fuzzy, minotaur eyebrows at the camera as he dragged the human on his forearm away from the front door. Knox hung up the phone before glancing at his pet, peeking up from over the spine of the couch. “Would you like to stay here or interrogate the rat?”

“Hmm, you know, I really am quite tired,” she sighed dramatically, flopping back down onto the couch.

“Really?”

“Of fucking course not!” she roared as she launched up onto her feet. “I’m coming with you.”

“Knew it,” Knox huffed, sliding to his feet.

“Unless you’re ordering me to stay?” She eyed him from the side as if begging him not to.

“I am not.” This interrogation wouldn’t likely get messy. Besides, she’d seemed pleased at his destruction of Hurley thatmorning, and she wasn’t squeamish to violence.Maybe she was starting to adjust…or maybe she kept thinking it wasn’t as bad as Buttons.Maybe his pet had accepted that sometimes, being the good person doesn’t bring the same reward as was promised.

Fuck being a good person. Knox got results.

She slipped an arm through his. His pet leaned against him, her heels clicking against the hardwood. Knox and Amelia made it to the hall in time to catch Maevin pointing down the hall toward the dungeon while two of his muscle creatures dragged a man through the hall. That was the first time Amelia froze as she watched in concern. “Was…no… that’s not…”

“Who?” Knox cocked a brow.

“That wasn’t Kyle the bookie was it?”

Knox’s blood ran cold as his face scrunched up. “He’s supposed to be dead.”

“Yeah, weird,” Amelia breathed, slipping from his arm and rushing to meet Maevin at the corner of the hall. Knox’s cane clicked against the floor with ire as he met the two at the cross section of the hall. Amelia glanced over her shoulder at him. “That’s Kyle.”

“How is Kyle alive? I thought we burned him?” Knox eyed Maevin.

“We did, seems Kyle’s flameproof…or like Rick, maybe he can put himself back together again?” Maevin cocked a brow. Amelia glared at the massive iron doors that led to the dungeon. Without being told to do so, she stormed across the floor and descended into the dark.

“What did Jessie say?” Knox wheeled to Maevin.

“Said a couple of his mechanics heard Kyle was supposed to be dead, so color them surprised when they stumble into him in a backroom tap house that they were gathering rent money from. And he’s got a teen girl cuffed to his wrist. The second Jessie’s boys go to have a word with him, girl freaks and breaks out. Theysaid she ran in the sunlight, screaming like a banshee the whole way, didn’t stop.”

“Gael, damnit, she’s out in the wild and on her own. At worst, Declan will use her to cause a distraction. At best, she’s shivering and hungry in the woods somewhere. Grab whoever you need and go hunting where Jessie saw her take off. I want her back in her room before sunrise.”

Maevin bowed his head, disappearing into a puff of thick smoke. Knox sighed heavily, following after his pet into the dark.Kyle was alive, Rick was alive, Declan was alive…didn’t anybody die and stay dead in this town?

He stomped down the steps into the dungeon, stopping at the bottom step. Kyle was strapped to a post, staring up at Amelia with wide eyes. In her right hand, struggling to hold it up above her head, was his right arm. It was tugging, like a determined dog had the other end of its rope. She stepped back from him further, Kyle squirming.

“Tell me what he did to you!” Amelia snarled.

“Noneya!” Kyle hissed.

“Is that so?” Knox smirked, clicking his cane against the concrete floors.

Kyle jerked, straining his neck and head to catch sight of Knox. “Knox! Hey! Uh, boss man, I know it’s a bit strange to see my mug again, but you gotta understand—”

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