+1+

"I don't know", I hear Searphina say again but I'm so far behind I can't be sure

"How can you not know ? What's the point of being a spy if you don't know anything?", I can hear Callum's loud voice as he responds in his usual charming way.

I take a deep breath ignoring the sheer exhaustion I feel and run faster, closing the gap between me and Seraphina and Callum. The two of them are ahead of me running in perfect unison, twisting down the crowded Central Park pathway, dodging strollers and tourist with ease.

"I don't know what Helios wants", she says again. I can barley hear, so I push myself to run faster.

"Helios didn't just call Paris and invite him over tonight for nothing. Is he going to kill him ? What's the plan here ?"

Seraphina finally stops running and I manage to catch up to them. She and Callum look night and day with her in and all white athletic dress with gray cutoff tights and Callum in sleek black running gear.

After Sera had left the shop last night, Helios had personally called me and ordered me to appear at Queen Anne's the next evening. I was allowed  no weapons, no backup and to bring our accounts ledger. Our accounts of all things.

I'd made plans via bike messenger to meet Seraphina in the park to discuss how to handle this and Callum invited himself along so he could report back to the others.

"I', she looks annoyed, "I tempted Helios bad temper. He isn't as forthcoming with me anymore."

"Tempted his bad temper ?", Callum had mocked her voice, "What can you not open your legs anymore."

She rolls her shoulder's back, trying to shake off the insult and presumably not kill Callum. I'm careful not to defend her, it would seem unusual.

"If Helios tries to kill Paris I'll do my best to protect him.", she offers,

"Paris ?", Callum questions.

She looks over at me, then back at Callum. She didn't realize what she had said.

"Since when are you on a first name basis with, Paris.", Callum asks.

She just turns and starts running, Callum follows suit. I hope Callum's one track mind will make him forget her. . . casualness. Either way I try not to lag behind. I wipe the sweat out of my face and do my best to keep upright.

"He may want to compromise", she says

"So why does he want our ledger ?", I quickly catch up, moving Callum out the way to run beside her. She notices and runs faster.

According to Sera, Helios had been livid the night he lost his cars and weapons, She didn't elaborate but it was clear she was shaken up by it.

She ran in Central Park alone every other afternoon, so we decided it was our best meeting spot. Plus Helios wouldn't think it out of the ordinary if she was gone for two hours.

I finally slow down and stop running, it takes a couple of feet for Sera ad Callum to notice but they don't stop and I realize they are just trying to outrun each other. When the crowd begins to thicken they dodge around holiday tourist and bustling shopping bags, while keeping an eye on one another.

"You're very formidable", Seraphina says to Callum when I catch up.

"I was a marine, bitch.", he breathes.

"Callum", I snap at him, handing Sera my water.

"What", he says, "Do you think this is going to change the fact that she helped Helios kill our Brothers. Our family ? Whose to say when this is all over she won't be punished for that"

"And who is to say I will.", she asks or more so threatens.

Me. I'm the one who will have to make that choice when this is all over.

"Alright", I cut in, "Enough. Let's go Callum. Sera We need you to be more proactive."

"Just do what Helios says and don't ask any questions. I've got your back. .. Mr. Prince", she says to me but looks at Callum.

Without a good-bye she turns and leave the park. Callum shakes his head as we head out the park and down Central Park East.

"I don't trust her", Callum starts, "You can't go to Helios' alone."

"I have to, it's what he wants. Seraphina needs us as much as we need her, so learn to get along."

"Fuck that", he says, "If we want Helios gone we are going to have to go after him head on. Guns blazing."

I know talking Callum out of this is impossible, and not worth the fights. All I can do is hold him off.

.

"Just hold off until I sign the papers transferring Father's assets to me."

"Fine", he says begrudging, "We're not ready anyway."

"You know", I bring up this topic cautiously, "When I was looking through the ledger I had to disguise the money I lent you for the operation."

"So ?"

"So, It seems like you are producing a lot more ammunition than I gave you money for. Is there something I need to know ?"

"No, Paris. There is nothing you need to know."

Callum smiles and heads towards the subway station. I pause for a second knowing that when Callum smiles, he lies.

+2+

When I arrive at Queen Anne's that night at exactly 9pm I'm greeted by two unremarkable SGI. I take a note from Seraphina and keep my expression neutral behind a pair of dark sporty Ray Bans. A silver pendant with the SGI insignia is heavy against my chest as I am lead up to Helio’s mansion. Helios promised as long as I wore the insignia I wouldn't be harmed in his territory.

I take my time to survey the grounds and I notice Queen Anne’s has come up since my visit a few months ago.There is a fire pit behind Helio’s mansion with a full bar. A new driveway has been paved that leads from the back of Helios' mansion to the main street. Peering at the dorms I can see plastic siding covering the fire damage, he was clearly in no rush to repair it.

The front lawn of Helio’s mansion is now adorned with a shining silver sculpture of the SGI insigina. No doubt any  humans who may wander into Queen Anne’s would probably think it was just a fraternity house. Which wasn’t far from the truth. For some reason the thought made me laugh and the men escorting me slid their eyes to me.

On the first floor I was greeted with the hum of SGI at leisure.The men are loud and rousing. Drinking beer and shouting. When they spot me being led in, the threats start. Followed by  the boos and jeering.  A chorus of 'fuck yous' and glass bottles being thrown at me. I just smiled graciously (and duck) as I walk pass.

I'm lead upstairs to where Helios had moved comfortably into Anne’s old office, it's glass walls overlooking the men below. Helios sits infront of a desk , his trinity of unholy Angels with him.  Titus was to his right, Leon to his left and Seraphina was sitting right next to him. They were dressed the same in a gray t-shirt and cargos.

“Well. . . what do you want now.”, I asked breaking the silence. Setting the ledger on the table.

Helios smiled. Perfect teeth.

And. . . Seraphina ? Well she was staring right at me. Leon and Titus were behind her and Helios barley gave her a second glance to notice. Her gazed moved up and down taking me in,  stopping where I have one ankle over my knee and opening her mouth a little. I had to give Helios credit for what he said to her, she did have a pretty mouth. I give her my best cooked smile.

“I'm sure you know what happened”, Helios started , “It was a tragedy. It’s not easy or legal to procure the artillery my company had.”

When he says company I don’t know if he means war-company or SGI, pmc company. I finally take off my shades and lean forward, with a confused look on my face.

"I'm sorry. . . what happened ?"

He brings his hand down hard on the table. I'm the only one who jumps. I notice Sera breaks eye contact with me and turns unconsciously to Helios. He didn't like my smarmy bastard routine but it was the only thing keeping me from reaching across the table and choking him.

"Don't you fuck with me", He says losing his cool calm, "You signed an agreement. You are not to make moves against me."

"Helios. . . I swear I didn't do anything. I mean can you prove it ? No Demon has done any harm to you. I swear it. I'll do anything to make it right."

I play like a simpering idiot, he knows that. I adjust my shades but don't take them off.

"That's exactly why I've called you here.", Helios says easing back to a calm.

“Well let’s just say I have finally found a use for you and your Brothers.”

---

“Forty percent ?”, I repeated, "You want 40 percent of our profits ? You have no right."

Helios’ head was bent over the leather bound ledger. The past ten years of financial history were neatly organized in my handwriting. Father had decreed that none of our financials could be digitized. . . those things could be hard to get rid of in case anyone got suspicious. I'd spent a century of my life slaving over each and every financial transaction the business had done.

“Consider it a tax for me letting you live”, Helios said pushing the book to me with one finger, " I want 40 percent of all your earnings. In cash. Starting now”

“No. We have a settlement to pay and expenses. We can’t afford to give you 40 percent. We barley have customers thanks to your fatal stunt. People are tp afraid of being blown up.”

My eyes cut to Sera as if she can do something. I can’t afford to loose any more money.

“I”ll make this simple since you still don’t seem to understand how this arrangement works. I can take forty percent while you’re alive or 100 percent when you are dead. The choice really is yours.”

Behind him I hear Titus cocking a gun and shifting his eyes over to me.

“What do you need the money for anyway ?”, I prompted, “You seem to have plenty."

“That’s not your concern”, Helios said, “You don’t ask questions. You simply answer to me now.”

“Helios, you are going to starve us out.”

“Not my problem.”

He flips the book open to the checks and Titus puts the barrel of that gun at my temple. Seraphina's boots sound against the floor as she makes a tiny motion towards me,  then stops herself. No one notices. . . except Leon. He shifts his eyes towards her and then back.

I scribble out the check and tear it out of the book, taking my time.The confidence I'd had was shot to hell.

“Good. I'll see you next month for  another check. We are done here.Take him out the back way”, Helios says to the men who escorted me in, “No need to rile the men up again.”

The two who escorted me in haul me up by my shoulders and push me down the back staircase.  It lets out through what would have been a kitchen but served as a storage area for Helios. When we reach the back door Seraphina is already standing there. She moved fast, the only way she could have made it from the second floor to the backdoor so fast  was by going. . . out a window.

“Helios ordered me to drive him home” she says with a pair of keys in her hands, “Less he decides to blow something else up.”

“That wasn’t me, bitch.”, I say

“Watch you mouth, Demon.”, she spits back.

“Isn’t that a bit beneath you ? Leon would never be ordered such a task.”, one of the men says in a patronizing manner

“I do what I’m told", she says, " You should do the same”

+3+

Outside Seraphina’s bedroom window I can see Helios near the bonfire that’s been going all evening. A group of female Angels are huddled together laughing and smiling at him.

Upon closer inspection I realize he seems more carefree than usual. He steps back and goes into a sturdy handstand while the Angels giggle.

I couldn't stop watching him, waiting for him to slip up and show his true face. I'd been watching him and complaining for the better part of an hour. My elbow propped up on the stack of older journals Seraphina had wanted from Father's study. I didn't know how she could stand to read them, but they seemed to comfort her.

"What the hell does Helios want ?  We could have worked together, you know. Something about Helios is--"

Suddenly, the high pitched chime of metal hitting metal makes my skin scrawl.

“I love that sound.”, Seraphina says thoughtfully. Her voice a bit deeper with adoration, she is of course mostly talking to her knife.

I turn away from the window to where Searphina is lying on her bed, with one knee upturned. She’d pulled a knife from somewhere and was resting the cool metal on her cheek bringing it down to her lips, effectively kissing the flat slide of it.

“Oh”, I said, “right”

She was also only technically dressed in a pair of lacey black boyshorts and sheer black babydoll, held together by very delicate ribbons. The only other thing she had on were matching shiny black leather holsters fastened around her thighs.

Here I was fretting over Helios. That could wait.

I slide my shades back down and walk around to her bed. I reach over, my bare fingers barley touching her thigh. She sighed at the contact of fire and ice.  I reach down and slowly pull one of the knives out of its holster, it makes that same quick high-pitch slicing sound.

“That sound ?”, I said while unbuckling the holders and tossing it aside, “Do you like that?”

“Yes”, she says

I placed the knife on her vanity and  walk back around the bed to her upturned leg. I pulled this knife out much slower, before placing it aside. The sound is deafening.

“That sound too”, I ask unbuckling that holster as well.

“Yes”, she mouths but doesn't actually say.

She grabs my wrist and pulls me on top of her. I’m still dressed so I take no precaution in avoiding any of her exposed skin. I think about Helios cashing that check and brush my teeth against her neck, closing my lips and pulling and sucking around the cool skin at her neck.

“Stop”, she says as lightly as she can, “You’ll leave a mark.”

“Maybe”, I said stopping, knowing she was right., “That’s the point”

She turns to face me, my lips resting on hers. I can tell by the stillness in her eyes that she is serious. Apart from her business to pleasure switch, she'd made it very clear that Helios might notice if she tried to cover any marks up.

"It's the Ray Bans isn't it ?", I say, "Ashe is never getting these back."

I hesitate before continuing a few inches lower. She raises her hips sliding her underwear down, her hands slide into in my hair, and suddenly Helios and his forty percent are suddenly forgotten or maybe being avenged. I hear her breath catch while she tries to hold back a curse. Her hips rise slowly to meet my mouth. I want her to scream my name so loudly Helios hears, I want her to beg me not to sto--

There is a flash of light from the outside window and an engine turns over. I hear yelling, Helios yelling at someone. I turn and realize Seraphina's bedroom window is open.

“What the hell. . .", I start

“Where is Helios going ?”, I whisper closing the window.

She sits up, “What do you mean?”

Sera looks out the window and watches Helios talking to the guard. She frowns and  slips into a robe and goes into the hall, motioning for me to stay. She comes back in seconds.

“Leon and Titus are still here. Everyone is here.  Helios never goes anywhere alone. Ever. This is the second time this week.”

She’s dressed in a matter of seconds and pulling on her boots, it's then that I realize she wants to follow him. I follow her out the mansion’s backdoor, and out a set of hidden entrances in gate. I can see Helios’ car waiting for the outer gate to open.

On the street just ahead of us lights flash on a matte painted black motorcycle parked one block down, Seraphina has the keys in her hand.

“Where did you get that”, I asks

“It’s Helios’. He thinks he lost it in the fire. I though it might be useful, so I spared it."

She puts on a helmet and hands me the other one and soon we are off. She tries to keep a distance while following him and turns the headlight off and keeps the engine quiet. We weave through the streets of Brooklyn and she hesitates as we get on 4-95.

It’s an initially warm night but the cold air is chilly as it whips past me. I try not to lean but I’m curious to see where Helios is heading. We stay on the interstate for 15 minutes and I think maybe we are going  upstate, but the BMW takes the East Meadow exit.

What the hell was Helios’ doing in suburban Long Island ?

The BMW slows down as we hit as empty parkway outside of the suburbs. The BMW turns its fog lights on and I see the side mirrors tilting. The car comes to a halt.

“I think he noticed us”,  I said.

“Keep your helmet on, he won't recognize us.”,

I nod, there is no way he can see us through the visors, especially at night.

She brings the motorcycle to a stop then puts it in reverse. The back window of the BMW slides open, I see the tip of an automatic pointed our way and and someone starts shooting at us.

Seraphina turns  swerving to miss the bullets , The BMW turns too and starts coming after us. Whoever is  shooting is in the backseat and then switches seats to point the gun out the back passenger side window.

“We have to shoot back.”, She shouts at me

“What ? Why?”,  I say back.

"If we don’t attack he might get suspicious. My jacket”

He might think it was her, he might think on of his own was following him. I balance myself and reach into her jacket for the gun hidden there.

“I don’t want to kill him”, I say

“Then be careful”

I squint through the visor as Sera comes to a sudden halt. The car not anticipating this zooms past. The car stops and turns back around. I can see Helio's outline in the tinted widows  as the car come straight for us. I aim and hit my target.

The bullets of course bounces off the bulletproof windows, but they still crack the window. He's getting closer the car coming straight for us.

“Let's Go”, I order

The bike lurches forward and weaves past the BMW charging towards us. She's going way to fast and  the back wheel starts smoking and losing its tread. Whoever was shooting hit our  tire.  The SUV catches up to us and Sera tries  make a u-turn, but she takes it too hard and can’t find her balance.

The whole world seems to tilt and I smell burnt rubber. I catch a glimpse of the BMW now at a halt watching what becomes of us.

“Hold on I--”, I hear the panic in Sera’s voice as she loses her grip and we spin out of control.

We skid off the parkway and dive straight into a dense patch of trees. We are both thrown from the bike, and it slams into the ground catching on fire instantly. My body rolls down a small slope catching every leaf and branch on the way down. When I reach the end I can't even pretend to move.

Seraphina is lying face down in the grass across from me, the visor on her helmet is cracked. I crawl over to her, feeling a few bruises and scrapes on my arms.  I pull off her helmet, her eyes struggle to focus on me.

“You okay ?”

“Sorry”, she says

I put her helmet back on as the BMW pulls up to the road and the passenger starts firing another round, it's dark I don't think they can see us. I want to crawl deeper into the trees but it's to risky.

I hear the click of a gun reloading and throw myself flat against Seraphina , as a hard rapid fire stings against my arm. My shirtsleeve is riddles with wholes

“Come on”, Helios say to the passenger, “I don't see them. We'll be late. I think who ever it was we sent a message.”

The BMW engine turns over and I hear them drive away. I finally let myself breathe.

“We got to go, Sera”, I whisper, “Let’s go”

She groans but stands leaning on me for support, we stumble deeper into the woods. After a few minutes I settle down against a tree, inspecting myself for injuries. Nothing fatal but plenty of scratches. The bullets hurt on impact, but left no wound. 

Sera leans back and closes her eyes. Her leather jacket has been torn, her dark pants ripped to reveal small scratches. She had a few scratches on her face and slight limp , but was otherwise unharmed.

"Open you eyes, baby", I whisper, "You can't sleep. you--we could have a concussion."

She does open her eyes, if only to give me the coldest death stare, more befitting a deadly blue-eyed wolf. I smile to myself. An Alpha wolf. Her eyes do stay open though.

"Sorry", I stammer an apology for the term of endearment, "I--I'm a little out of it."

After an hour we decide it’s safe and head back to the crash site. The bike is totaled beyond repair and recognition. Which is a good thing. My cell phone on the other hand was shattered by the impact of being thrown off the bike.

Seraphina leans down to pick up the casings on the bullets.

“He shot at us”, she says as if just remembering, “ And you threw yourself over me. . .”

“They were regular steel bullets. They don’t have the same effect on us Supernaturals, remember ?”

She pockets the casings and turns to me, she looks very confused.

“That means they don’t effect me either. I would have been fine.”, she says but she sounds angry.

“I know, I think I just reacted.“

“Also you didn’t know that”,  She is practically scolding me, “You didn't  know what  kind of bullets they were. You shouldn't put yourself in danger.  He could have. . . you could have. . .”

“It''s nothing.”

Then after several moment of silence

“Thank you” , she says.

“Anytime.”

+4+

With no other plan we decide to start walking up the shoulder. Seraphina keeps her hands in her pockets and we start walking in unison.

“You’re a little banged up”, I say as we continue down the parkway. It's quiet tonight.

“You as well”, she says, “How are you going to explain that ?”

“Please, me visiting Helios and coming back with bruises is practically expected. No one will think twice. What about you ? Helios might put two and two together if he sees you like that.”

“I’ll just begin a particularly heated fight with Titus in the morning.”, she says

“Titus wouldn’t hit you”, it's more of a question.

“Titus is the only one not afraid of Helios enough to do it.”

“Are the SGI that uncivilized?”

She thinks on this and to my surprise actually answers.

“No--It's just. . . I-I thought the only way to escape my mundane Angel life was to join the Brotherhood, Hmjeu made it sound like sun an adventure. Then when Helios gave me the choice to join SGI. . . as a woman an Angel woman no less. I took it, not realizing it was an even more difficult burden to bear.”

“Sera--”

“It’s not like that’, she said picking up something my tone, “Titus and I simply don’t get along. I appreciate that he doesn’t treat me any differently”

“But you are different”

She stops and turns to me,

“No. I’m not.”

“You are to me. Does that count for anything ?”

“No”, she says and that’s the last word.

“So”, I said flipping the almighty switch back to business, “What the hell is Helios doing in Long Island and who the hell was that in the car with him.”

“I don’t know. I assume it has something to do with why Helios needed that money. .. He’s not using it for SGI . He’s funding something else."

"You don't know it was a man", I remind her. We hadn't gotten a look at Helios accomplice

"He was a good marksman. Too good."

“You’ll have to get closer to Helios”, I say, “Get him to trust you more”

“I’m with him all day and almost every evening, I can’t get any closer to him.”

“ Look Sera, You’re there, you take orders, you protect him and let him fuck you but that’s not going to get him to trust you."

She stops walking

“You think Helios doesn't trust me?”

“I see the way he is with you. He just uses you to make all those other men jealous.”

She lets out a sound that is a mix between a scoff and sigh.

“Those men know better than to bother me. Queen Anne’s was closed off for an entire year. What do you think Helios was doing. . . what do you think I was doing ? ”

“Lifting weights ?”, I added half serious.

“And bodies”, she says then starts walking again, “Doing whatever messy work Helios told me Told SGI to do. Told us to do. He went to beautiful places an did ugly things. So, yes I do think Helios trust me”

“Bodies ?”

“That’s irrelevant,  now.”

This startles me a bit. Sh had been gone ? Halfway across the world and I hadn't even known.A year going to God knows where doing God know what with Helios.  Maybe they'd had the same kind of  year I'd had with Isobel. Maybe there was more to them than what I'd seen.

She doesn't say anything and we keep walking. I figure if we can make it into a town, there is bound to be a 24 hour store where I can call someone.

“How about Boston  ?”, I say after a measured silence.

“What ?”

“Have you thought about going to Boston with me ? I mean you seemed so shaken after blowing up the cars and it would be a day you won't have to fuck Helios."

She rolls back her shoulders and I realize she is pissed off at me again. She puts her hands back in her pockets and we continue walking up the parkway. I see some neon lights in the distance and we come across a rough looking bar next to a strip of adult shops and a dollar store.

I lead us over to the bar, where it seems like the night is just starting.

“I can call Damien to pick us up.”

She doesn’t say anything but follows me into the bar, I hold the door open for her and she rolls her eyes at me.  Everyone is to drunk to notice our disheveled appearance, I go up to the bartender. He does a double take when he sees my scar and it  has become second nature for me to cover my mouth after getting a reaction like that.

“I need to borrow your phone. My girlfriend's bike crashed on the parkway and we need a ride.”

I show him my broken phone as proof. He just drags over the landline

“That’s your girlfriend ?”, he says skeptically. Seraphina stands off to the side with her arms folded awkwardly.

“Why the hell wouldn't it be ?”, I say matter-of-factly. I’d really only said it to get a reaction from Seraphina  but she doesn't seem up to  dispute it.

By the time I get off the phone with a very pissed off Damien, Sera has already washed up in the bathroom and stripped down to a tight black muscle-t and her now fashionably  torn jeans. She is nursing something in a shot glass.

“Damien will be here in an hour”, I tell her.

“I won’t”, she says. She sets the glass between her very full lips and carefully tilts her head back before slowly removing the glass. I try really hard not to concentrate on those lips.

“I’m sorry . . What ? I  want to make sure you get back safe. ”,

“How are you going to explain why I’m here ? Or why you didn’t leave the campus when you were done meeting with Helios.?”

“I’ll say that I saw Helios on the street and called you--”

“And I came just in time for us to follow him ? I don't have a phone--”

“Dammit, Seraphina what do you want from me.”, I snap at her. She couldn't she just let me do something for her, "Damien is not that smart.”

"Callum is. He could find out,  he could turn the others against you. Or blackmail you. It's dangerous--"

“Do you just want me to tell them we’re fucking ? " 

“Heavens’, No” she says like a passing curse and I’m taken aback.

“Are you that embarrassed by me ?”, I say, "Even though you just can't seem to stay away from me or keep your clothes on."

"Enough", she says but I'm just getting started.

"Why do you have to be so difficult Sera ? Stop holding back."

"Enough", she says again.

"Right. I shut up when you want to shut up. We only talk when you want to talk, you kill when you want to kill,  we only fuck when you want to fuck--"

“I just want you to  think”, she snaps, “You keep forgetting I’m not playing your girlfriend. You forget How dangerous this is. Helios kicked a young SGI to death for not doing push ups, he hung Ares for pulling a Demon out of a burning building. I won’t swing because one person says the wrong thing and Helios find out about us.”

“Then we should stop fooling around”, I say, “Let’s just stick to business as usual. Unless you want to fuck in the bathroom.”

She turns the empty shot class over on the table

“Fine",  she stands up.”At least you won't be talking."

“What--fine ?”, I say.

"I enjoy sleeping with you ", she says, "It's not about love or lust. You're safe and eager and I don't get to do many things I like so--"

“ What is the matter with you ? I was joking , plus we were almost got killed.. and I’m pretty sure we are fighting.”

“I’m not trying to be your paramour Paris. We’ve barley known each other a few weeks.  Why do you keep thinking I’m someone I’m not. I’m not Isobel, Paris. I’m not some sweet pretty little vapid self conscious girl who smiles makes you feel good about yourself and props you up”

“ . . .are you calling my girlfriend vapid and self conscious.”

She rolls her eyes at me

“Girlfriend ? When is the last time Isobel even spoke to you. You were professing your love to me hours after she broke up with you."

“Oh, fuck off Seraphina. When I said that I was being  honest. I told you I loved you infront of my brother and I can't really explain why it felt so right to me, I hate that you keep throwing it in my face like a joke, then beg me to make you come.  ”

She slams her glass down on the table again and grabs my shirt with both first and pushes me up against the bar, my feet are a little bit off the ground. So much for not getting attention.

“No one talks to me like that.”, she says through gritted teeth.

“ Don't forget you answer to me. When this is all over I'm the only one who can save you from Anne's wrath. I'm sure if I told Helios you seduced me, he'd thank me and go after you. I'll do it, I'll turn you in to Helios if he promises me my money back. I swear to it.”

I know she’s about five seconds away from throwing me across the bar. My back is ground harder into the bar and the bartender looks at me confused. She leans in close and whispers in my ear.

“Tell me to 'fuck off' and I will tear your eyes out with my teeth and break every bone in your face it will make your scar look like a vast improvement. ”

“If you think violence is the only way you are going to get respect out of me, you’re not as smart as I thought. Now let me go or I will have someone call the cops and you can explain to Helios why you are in a Long Island jail  2 miles away from where he was attacked."

She pushes me back and lets go.

"You just don't understand", she says

A collective breath from the others in the bar is let loose. Seraphina moves to sit at  a booth on the other side of the bar.

By the time Damien arrives in the company van she is long gone. I don’t know if she called someone or if she hitchhiked back, but I get a message from a bike messenger the next morning from her stating that Helios was out all night and didn’t come back until morning, she has found nothing.

Also, because I’m a little self destructive, I did end up fucking her in the bathroom.

+++

Chapter 5

“Damien will be here in an hour”, I tell her.

“I won’t”, she says. She sets the glass between her very full lips and carefully tilts her head back, before slowly removing it. I try really hard not to concentrate on those lips.