Bluffing the Devil Page 8

  His head hung a bit and then he looked up and said, "Okay, let's get out of here."

  "Lead the way!"

  ~

  The diner was truly only a few minute walk and we were there before either of us realized. The walk there was quiet and tense. I started to feel like I was in high school and my boyfriend was about to break up with me or something. It was a strange feeling to have, especially in reference to the guy I was walking with, but who can truly explain emotions properly?

  When we got to the diner, true to form, Rey held the door for me.

  "You don't…"

  "Have to?" he finished my sentence for me. "I know, I don’t have to, but I like to be good at something and this is the one thing I know I can do properly. Please let me."

  "Okay, thanks," I quickly slide my way into the diner and made a beeline for the back, corner booth. That part of the diner was always deserted, especially at four in the morning.

  We sat and the most adorable waiter came over to greet us, offer us coffee, let us know what the specials are and what foods to truly avoid, and then sashayed away from our table to fetch us both a coffee.

  "I'm a demon," Rey muttered abruptly.

  "Ummmm, excuse me?" I asked incredulously.

  "Yes, I have no idea how to do this, I've never told anyone what I am before, but I need to tell you and get this off of my chest. I feel horrible and I hate myself, I just can't do this to you!" His words had started to roll together, but fortunately, being a girl, I was well versed in say-as-much-as-you-can-in-one-breath. "I was sent here to stop your success by any means necessary. To throw temptation at you, and ultimately try to earn your soul for my master, but I just can’t do it. You are a really great person and I've just never seen such a tough woman before. You never fall for anything I say or do and you are so loyal and honest that I just don’t know where these emotions are coming from, but I can't do that to you. I have never even had emotions before, so this is really new to me. Usually, I am contemplating on which person I can use the most efficiently, ruin their name, and run off happily into the night. Even if I could figure out a way to do one of those, you would handle me before I could do the rest. You and your friends are a force to be reckoned with and even someone of my standing doesn't want to come between that."

  A pregnant pause hung heavily in the air as our waiter showed back up with the coffee.

  "I forgot to tell you guys that I am Bo and I will be your server. I mean, I am obviously your server, I just brought you coffee, but I also forgot to ask if you want cream or sugar, so I brought all the essentials for coffee including vanilla and caramel flavoring. I like my coffee like I like my men, sweet and creamy!" He smiled and then trailed off to talk to the cook that had just come out from the back.

  "Sorry for my ignorance and laugh at me if you would like to, but what the hell?" I asked. I was sitting at the booth with him, my mouth agape and eyes round. I was holding my hands in that classic "What the!?" hand stance. I wasn't sure what else to do.

  He chuckled, but the happiness never reached his eyes. "I knew you wouldn't believe me, but I have to try. This might take a minute to explain, so get comfy. You wore the right outfit for this conversation for sure!" His joke was a nice try and good touch for a mood lightener, but I was way too interested in what else he had to say. I brought my legs under me on the seat and leaned in a bit so I could hear him. I also managed to finally close my mouth and put my hands down. See? Success happens in the little things.

  "About thirty years ago, I was killed in an accident. I was on my way to tell my girlfriend at the time that I wanted to break up with her. I had heard a rumor that she was cheating on me and I just didn't want to be embarrassed or humiliated by her anymore." He looked up to meet my eyes to make sure I was listening and nodded before continuing. "I didn't feel any pain in the accident. God immediately rushed in, pulled me out, and tried to take me home to Heaven with Him. On the way there though, the Devil showed up and asked questions, putting false hope and thoughts into my head and gave me a choice. I could make a choice, go to heaven and live a happy eternal life there, or I could get a second chance on Earth. I could make the one that hurt me pay for her betrayal and then serve the Devil as a sort of sidekick here and there when needed. When I agreed to take the bargain, I had no idea that it would be forever, nor did I know that I would be asked to hurt people on purpose that are truly good inside. She's never asked me to do something like this and I took the job thinking that you were some sniveling, underhanded bitch, but after learning more about you, I can see what kind of person you are and I don't understand who would want to hurt you."

  "She?"

  "The Devil is a woman, Alexia," he stated bluntly.

  "Right? And that bitch wears Pradas, and acts all high and mighty. She must want me to take my earrings off and get all ghetto up in here, shoot!" Bo had returned to warm up our coffees and see if we wanted anything else, and had heard a bit of the conversation.

  I chuckled and agreed, "Right? She probably hates my sweats and hoodie look. I might get in trouble."

  Bo turned to walk away and looked over his shoulder, "Girl, ain't it the truth? Devil always be up in our fashion sense and whatnot. I'm all like, don't hate me 'cause you ain't me. Okay?"

  I turned my attention back on Rey and got serious again, "Watch how loud you say things, geez!"

  "See why I wanted to go somewhere private?"

  "Okay, point taken, but… okay, so the Devil is a woman, interesting. Why would she send you after me? I’m nobody special, and have done nothing that I know of to anger anyone."

  "I still don't understand it entirely myself. I was just sent to do a job and usually I just do it, In and out, no big deal. Something about you made me question for even just a moment and then all Hell broke loose in my mind. Pardon the pun."

  "So, what you're saying is, you were sent to harm me, but can't do it 'cause you think I'm attractive? That's lame."

  "It's not your beauty that makes me not want to do my job, though it's a nice perk for once. It's your life and your friends and how you carry yourself that make me question. The people before that I was asked to handle were bad people that hurt many and only thought of themselves. You are not that sort of person. I don't understand why you were chosen, but I want and need to know why before anything else goes on."

  "Very well, I see that and appreciate that you didn't want to just off me or my friends. Awful sweet of ya," I giggled nervously.

  "Thanks, I have my moments," he said stiffly.

  "Don’t we all?" Bo showed back up. "You sure you guys aren't hungry? A couple like you probably worked up a hell of an appetite before getting here. And look at that hour. I know you two must be exhausted. What about a slice of pie, or sandwich? It won't take but a minute."

  "I'm far too exhausted to eat, just the check, please?" I asked.

  "A check for plain ole coffee, no way you guys just enjoy your night," Bo said as he gathered our cups and sugar packet remnants and turned to walk away. I jumped up, shoved a $10 bill in his hand and told him to have an awesome night, snatched Rey by his hand and forced him to follow me.

  "Aww, you didn't have to do that, hun! Thank you! You two behave now!" Bo shouted after us as I dragged Rey behind me. We went around the side of the diner and down the road. I cut through some shrubbery and other random things and suddenly we were on the beach.

  He looked down at me a little shocked. "How did you get here? That was crazy."

  "I am drawn to the water and I needed it. Also, this is a very safe and free place to have conversations without a room full of losers being able to freakishly hang on every odd word we say.

  We both sat on the still-warm sand. I drew my knees to my chest and laid my head down for a moment, trying to soak it all in. Rey sat almost directly in front of me instead of at my side like most people would. He wasn't interested in checking me out he was there for the talk.

  "Okay, so…" I began.

  "Please, as
k anything you want, I'm sure you have a million questions," he interrupted softly.

  "Actually, I'm curious. The Devil, is she like 5'10", legs for days, brunette, brown and gold eyes, sexiest thing I've ever seen?"

  "She's come to you?" The venom in his voice reminded me of why he and I had never been friendly before. Something about him had always scared me.

  "I knew something was off about that chick! I just dreamed about her right before you showed up. She talked to me and asked me what I wanted most in the world and.."

  "Oh God, did you answer her? Please tell me you didn't answer her!"

  "No, of course not, she was asking me to choose between my career, my friends, and Devin. There's no way I could make that choice right now. I mean, I love my friends and I don't think they are going anywhere. I'm great at what I do, but could live without it, and Devin, well, he's not even real."

  "Devin," he said flatly.

  "Yeah, don’t worry about that. He's just this guy I dream about from time to time, no big deal."

  "I know."

  "Wait, what? You know what I dream about?" I said and quickly stood up, sending sand particles all over the place. A bunch went straight into Rey's mouth and he spat and stood also.

  "I am very powerful and am privy to most things that go on in your life so I could have the best line of attack against you. That's my job."

  "What is with all the negativity about Devin? Wait, he is a person!? Like a real, living, breathing person? And you know him?" My excitement must have tasted bad because Rey's face scrunched up like he wanted to cuss, but didn't.

  "He's very much real and yes, I know him."

  "Oh." Finally letting it sink in what Rey was telling me to be true and remembering that Rey is a demon made me sad suddenly about Devin. He must also be a demon. "My dreams have never been better and I've been sleeping more, finally. That must be his skill. Trying to lure me as well, I feel like such a moron. Of course I would dream of a great guy and he turned out to genuinely work for the Devil. Wow. I have a fantastic batting average with men. Some just die, others are completely off limits. I should give up!" I huffed out the end of the sentence and put my face in my hands.

  "Alexia, I…"

  "I'm sorry, Rey. I just don't even think I have the brain capacity to finish this conversation right now. Can we meet up tomorrow before the game and finish? I need some rest and, I don't know, some peace or something. This is insanity!"

  "You will still play in the game?"

  "Yes, of course I am going to play. Are you trying to stop me from playing? Is that your ultimate job? Seems like a waste of time. It's just a little bit of cards, nothing major."

  "No, sweet, being able to play poker with you is a perk of the job. I was tasked with making you fail whenever possible. Build you up then break you down as many times as I could until you crumbled and gave in."

  "You will have to explain that more to me later. Right now everything is blending together and you're starting to sound really far away."

  "Are you okay, love?" was the last thing I heard before the lights went out.

  Chapter 11

  Like a cat on her owner's very favorite black outfit before she leaves the house for an important business meeting, I stretched and rolled and twisted and enjoyed the feel of each of my muscle expanding and contracting across the luscious sheets. Waking up happy was new for me, but not something I would scoff at. I could feel the smile pulling at my cheeks already. I wasn't sure what was making me so happy, but I wasn't going to curse it either. I actually didn't remember falling asleep last night, or dreaming for that matter.

  "Well, good morning, kitten. I'm quite pleased to see you are awake and in such a wondrous mood!"

  I leapt off the bed in the same cat-like fashion and then pulled the sheet and anything else available to cover my exposed skin. "Rey! What are you doing in my room? How did you even get in here? And where are my clothes?"

  "I love to see your bedtime attire, don't be so shy and getting the key was easy," he said with a slight tilt of his head to the Rhea-shaped lump on the floor. "As for what I am doing here, I was checking on you. Stop trying to melt my brain with your anger and relax. Please?"

  "She better be alive and unharmed or I will make you wish you were never born," I growled without hesitation.

  "Oh my little strawberry, I already wish that almost every day. You don't scare me. We have bigger problems."

  "Seriously Rey, did you hurt her?" I tightened my grip on the sheet and blanket toga and scrambled to the floor to check on Rhea. She was covered with a blanket and a pillow had been placed below her head. That saved his life for at least the next minute.

  "She's fine. See? I was nice and made her comfy for you. I needed to get in here with you last night without anyone questioning. I saw Rhea heading back to the hotel so I accosted her. It's not a big deal. Now no one realizes you and I were out last night and Rhea got a peaceful night's sleep. All is well in the world. Now, come to the kitchen when you get dressed, I'm starving."

  I took my time getting clothes on. Apparently Rey had stripped me before putting me into bed. He didn't know how I sleep, so I guess that was nice, but I also didn't like the thought of a demon seeing me naked. Call me crazy or old-fashioned but I just didn't think that my nudity was for the entire world to see.

  I didn't even bother doing anything fancy to my hair. He was lucky I brushed it, to be honest. I threw back on the sweats and t-shirt from the night before and some fuzzy socks and then headed to the kitchen.

  Upon arriving, I saw that Rey was in full swing of making breakfast.

  "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

  "Well, the pleasure is all mine, sweet. Coffee? I'm sure you could use a bit," he asked with a twinkle in his eye as he washed dishes. Yeah, like it's not already suspicious that he was cooking something that smelled so delicious, but he was also doing dishes as he worked. Okay, I might be able to tolerate that.

  "No, I think I'm all set on the caffeine-rush front, I guess. I am not a wake-up-and-have-coffee sort of girl. You know, I'm high on life and all that. Do you want to tell me just what the hell you are doing here presenting me with French toast, bacon, and coffee at this ungodly hour or do I need to get violent?"

  "My goodness, chica. You are becoming so bloodthirsty. I love this side of you, by the way. We will get to that in a moment. But first, finish your breakfast. I have a surprise for you."

  "Nah, I'm good. Let's get this over with," I said with a note of finality.

  "As you wish," he said. He put down the towel, clicked off the stove reached for my hand, and the kitchen disappeared.

  A moment later, I narrowed my eyes and took in the sight before me with as much patience as I could muster.

  "Truly? This is where you have to take me? You're joking right? What kind of asshole monster are you?"

  In front of me was something I never wanted to see again in my whole life. Something I had shut out and felt that I had handled. I had gone through the grief process already and used this memory only as a warning. Never drive anywhere in an emotion filled mood.

  There, on the ground, was Jamison's lifeless body. Standing above him was someone I'd never seen who lifted Jamison up, and calmly walked away with him. I tried to scream, but I had no voice.

  "This is just a vision, you can’t change, or do anything here. Just watch," Rey said in a calm voice.

  Then, the person, who I am assuming was God, though he looked nothing like I had always been told God looks like, stopped and appeared to be upset with someone. He shook his head and the other figure, I couldn't see yet, must have shoved him because he stumbled backward and fell to one knee. He stood slowly, got very close to the other person, and spoke, but I couldn't hear his words. Then he calmly walked off into the setting sun with Jamison still in his arms, until I couldn't see him anymore.

  There was no floating off to the Heavens or any white light, just a calm walk. I wasn't sure if I should have been happy about that,
or still sad. I chose to be happy. If that was, in fact, God, then it meant Jamison was truly in Heaven, and that was definitely something to smile about.

  My focus shifted back to the other person and I realized it was the woman from my dream. She looked angry and dejected.

  "What is going on here? What kind of a joke is this, Rey? I don't understand why I am seeing this. What is she doing here? What am I doing here?"

  "What makes you think this is a joke, sunshine? I am merely showing you what you need to see," he said. I did not miss the hint of sarcasm and tried desperately not to throw it back at him.

  "This is an exchange between God and the Devil. They fought over Jamison because if she were able to corrupt him and use him for her side, he would make her stronger. God fought for Jamison and won, you see? Jamison's truly pure soul saved him from her. That means he was going to be made into an angel. That is the only reason she would have wanted him anyway. One sin doesn't give her enough leverage to keep a soul; it must be many sins, many betrayals, many lies," he looked down and the line across his forehead deepened. Sadness fell across his features before he straightened his face and looked back up.

  His explanation still confused me, but I had an infinite amount of questions I could use to clear up the situation. Whether or not he would answer them was another problem all together.

  "So because Jamison was a good person, she wasn't able to get him, but how could she get you?"

  "That is a discussion for another time, churro. Just remember that I am the awful person you think I am, just in demon form now. Let's leave it there, okay?"

  "The more I speak to you, the harder it is for me to believe you are this horrible person. Why show me this and tell me that Jamison is, or is going to be, an angel?"

  "So you will understand the next thing I must show you a bit better."

  He was standing only a few feet from me and slipped his hand around mine and the world faded away again. This time, when we were again corporeal, we were in a strange, tiny room.