Page 30 of Demon
“It may only be five here, but it’s eight at home.This is sleeping in to me.”
She briefly wondered if duct tape would make him shut up, if only for ten minutes until she could drink her first cup.Then she would be able to handle his cheerful, morning-person personality.She managed to nod, hoping he would take that as a hint and stop talking.Her coffee was almost done, then she could have some.As soon as the machine let out the puff of steam indicating it was finished, she picked up the cup and turned to the refrigerator.Normally she would drink it black, but this morning she pulled out the chocolate syrup and added a healthy squirt before putting the bottle back inside.After a quick stir, she took a long drink, the chocolate adding a nice flavor, but more importantly, it had cooled the drink until it didn’t scald her throat as she gulped it as quickly as she could manage.
She was only half-way through the cup when someone knocked on her front door.Immediately, her gaze flew to Gavin.She stared at him eyes wide for an eon.In reality, only a second or two had passed.The knock came again.
“Since you didn’t plan to be up, I take it you’re not expecting anyone?”
Ronnie shook her head.“Not me.Maybe it’s for you?”
Gavin shook his head as he headed for the front door and the knocking that was coming yet again.
“No one knows I’m here.It can’t be for me.”
There was a moment of silence.Ronnie could only imagine what was happening.If it was her answering the door, she’d be checking the peep hole to see who was out there.
“Looks like your wet dream is here,” Gavin called back.
She heard the dead bolt click open as she tried to figure out what the hell he was talking about.The low rumble of voices made its way to her, but she couldn’t make out what was being said.She was still trying to figure out what Gavin had meant by the wet dream comment, when she heard him calling her name.
“Veronica!”There was a strain in his voice she couldn’t place with just answering the door.
He had to have called her a couple of times without her answering to have started using her full name.She straightened from where she was leaning against the counter and went to see what was going on.
She rounded the corner to see an arm stretched through the door, hand wrapped around her brother’s throat as a voice she couldn’t place growled something at him that she was too far away to make out.
“What’s going on?”she asked, hurrying toward Gavin and the door.
“You okay, firecracker?”a voice came from the doorway.
“Demon?”
“Yeah, babe.You okay?Who is this?”The hand he had wrapped around Gavin’s neck didn’t seem to be squeezing, only holding him.
“It’s my brother.Can you let him go, please?”
“Is that true?You her brother?”
Gavin nodded slowly.Demon stared at him for a couple more seconds then released him before turning to look at her.
“I got more information on Jim Bob and a few other things.We need to talk.”
She stared at him a moment, her mind felt like it was fighting two feet of snow and ice to process what was going on around her.
“Come on in.”She turned around and headed for the kitchen.“I need more coffee.”She drained her cup on the way, then started another cup while she waited for the men to join her.
“Who actually goes by Demon?”Gavin asked as they made it around the corner.
Ronnie looked at her brother for a moment, wondering why he was asking this.He knew who Demon was, they’d talked about him.Then it occurred to her.Gavin didn’t want Demon to know he’d researched him, or at least not yet.She wondered what her brother was up to, but didn’t say anything.She didn’t know where he was going with this.
“It’s my call sign.”
Gavin frowned.“You don’t look like law enforcement.”
Demon shrugged.“The cops aren’t the only ones to use call signs.”
Ronnie wondered why Gavin was doing this.He’d told her he’d looked into the man she was tailing, he knew all this.She shook her head and pulled her cup from under the coffee maker as soon as it finished then turned to look at them.
“Either of you want coffee, help yourself.I need to drink this before I’m ready to deal with either of you.Give me ten minutes or so and I’ll be mostly human.”
