Chapter 10

Lucifer

I shook my head, amazed at her response. “Most people wouldn’t have had the courage to steal from Lucifer, even to rescue someone,” I pointed out. “I still can’t believe you stole from the devil. I never would have guessed that.”

“Borrowed,” she corrected me. “I didn’t know my brother was blamed for it until he called tonight.”

“And you feel guilty,” I deduced.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t feel any guilt about my brother taking the fall for it. Had Rainer not lied and said Desmond had stolen from Lucifer, he’d have ended up in a witch prison, where he very likely would have escaped.”

“It is much harder to escape the demon realm,” I agreed. The prisoners also weren’t given access to phones. Her brother’s call shouldn’t have happened, and it worried me. I needed to find him and make sure he didn’t harass Beatrice again.

“I know. It’s just that my brother has been the boogie man for as long as I can remember,” she admitted softly. “He killed my familiar. I’m certain he’d have killed me, eventually. I have no idea how many people he’s killed over the years.”

The terror and sadness in her voice made it hard to keep my temper under control. Desmond LaCroix deserved to be in Hell, even though I had no right to keep him there. Knowing he hadn’t committed a crime against me, I was technically obligated to release him. The rules didn’t allow me to imprison a warlock who hadn’t wronged me personally. I was also the fucking Angel of Darkness. Screw the rules.

“I’m sorry you went through all of this,” I told her.

“We should go,” she stated, trying to squirm off my lap.

I practically groaned as her cute little ass wiggled around on my dick. The woman had no idea what she was doing to me. If she did, she’d stop moving and scramble off my lap. “Yes,” I agreed in a rough voice. “Grab your purse, and we’ll go.”

Beatrice nodded and wiggled off my lap. Holy Hell! She was going to kill me.

As soon as she walked out of the room, I typed out a quick message.

Lucifer: Beatrice received a call from her brother.

Rainer: WTF? How did he get access to a phone?

Lucifer: Since we have no clue where he is, I couldn’t begin to guess. I want him found.

Rainer: Got it. Once we find him, I’ll question him.

Lucifer: No. Put him in an interrogation room, and I’ll question him. This may be the only time I thank you for lying to me.

Rainer: Beatrice told you?

Lucifer: Yes, she did. That woman is something else. We’re heading out now.

Beatrice looked much more put together when she returned with her purse. I finally took the time to appreciate the beautiful woman standing before me. The green dress hugged her curves nicely. Despite her petite stature, she had a nice figure with round hips and small, pert breasts. Used to being around sex demons, I rarely saw a woman without makeup. Beatrice wasn’t the type to wear makeup. She certainly didn’t need it. With flawless porcelain skin, I could see her cheeks heating as I regarded her.

“You’re beautiful,” I murmured.

“Thank you,” she replied with a sweet smile. “I also want to thank you for listening to me talk about my brother.”

My lips twitched. “You barely talked about him.”

“I talked quite a bit, considering we don’t know each other very well,” she argued. “Don’t forget that I trusted you with a secret that could get me into a lot of trouble.”

“Lucifer wouldn’t be angry with you under the circumstances,” I told her.

“I’d still prefer to avoid having him find out,” she insisted. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“I won’t tell him,” I assured her. “This must be hard for you—opening up after you’ve been through so much.

“You sound like someone speaking from experience.” She squeezed my hand in a gesture of comfort.

I smiled down at her. “Like most people, I’ve had some adversity to deal with,” I agreed. “Mostly, I’ve led a fairly easy life.”

“I always figured there was more stress growing up in the demon realm,” she remarked as she locked the front door. “Granted, I’ve only known sex demons.”

I nodded. “They have a tougher time in the demon realm. Their area is blocked off, but that doesn’t completely protect them.”

“What region do you live in?” she asked.

“Close to the detention areas,” I replied honestly.

We entered the elevator as she mulled over what I’d said. Beatrice didn’t know too much about the demon realm, and she seemed unsure what to ask.

“Many fallen angels live there,” I told her. “We’re responsible for taking on some duties in the prisons, and it’s easier if we live close by.”

“You’re a fallen angel?” she asked.

I nodded. She’d obviously assumed I was a demon of some sort.

“So, you might have met my brother,” she said quietly.

“I haven’t,” I assured her. “Rainer told me about your brother last night.”

We stepped out into the lobby of her building. People stopped to stare. I was used to that. Thankfully, Beatrice lived in a human building. If not, I might have witches coming up to me.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“We have reservations at a restaurant in New York,” I began. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late.”

“New York?” she asked. “Why do we need to go all the way to New York for dinner?”

I shrugged. “It won’t take us more than an hour to get there using the portal.”

“Won’t the lines be terrible at this time of day?” she asked.

She was right about the normal portals being busy at this time of day. Many people commuted long distances for work thanks to the demon portals. I didn’t use those portals.

“I know one that won’t have a line,” I assured her.

Still, she hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, placing a hand under her chin.

“This is some fancy restaurant, isn’t it?” she asked.

“It’s upscale,” I replied. “Where did you expect me to take you? A pizza place?”

“That would be nice,” she replied.

“Really?” I asked. I’d been trying to impress her, and she wanted pizza.

“Or a burger,” she added.

I laughed and shook my head as I led her out to my car. I’d been careful to select one that would be hard to identify. The Tesla was one of my favorites—not because it was good for the environment. It was simply fun to drive.

“Pizza it is,” I relented as I opened the door for her.

“You’re joking, right?” she asked.

“I’d take you to a food truck if you asked,” I confessed.

She giggled at my confession. “I can’t picture you eating from a food truck, Dev. I feel a little bad about you changing your plans like this. Something tells me pizza is a little lowbrow for you.”

“Are you insinuating I’m a snob?” I asked as I slid behind the wheel.

“Not a snob, but you seem like a man with refined tastes,” she replied. “I’ll bet that suit you have on cost more than my rent.”

“It’s hard to say since it was made in the demon realm,” I replied. “For our next date, I’ll wear jeans.”

“Sorry,” she began. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about dressing up or make you think you need to wear something else. You look great.”

“So, you don’t want to see me in jeans?” I teased.

“I liked you in jeans, too,” she assured me.

“You’re quite adorable when you’re flustered,” I told her.

“You’re quite aggravating when you’re trying to make me flustered,” she countered.

“Liar,” I accused. “Where should we go? I’m not familiar with the pizza places around here.”

“There’s a witch owned place in Blackhawk Plaza,” she began thoughtfully. “There’s also a great place in San Ramon. It’s human owned, but they make fantastic Chicago style pizza.”

I nodded. “Let’s try the place in San Ramon.” I’d run into fewer preternatural creatures at a human restaurant, making it less likely someone would blow my cover on our first date.