Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

DASH

“Who the fuck are you?”The being in front of me wasn’t human. Its aura was black, so I had to assume it was a demon. I should be scared, but I was more intrigued than anything.

“Ah, it’s all becoming clearer, isn’t it? I’m Beelzebub, the glutton. One of the princes of Hell, at your service.” He tossed the bone from the drumstick into the bucket and bowed. “Come on in. You want a drink?”

“Uh, yeah. I think I’m going to need one.” What the fuck was Beelzebub doing in Jay’s house, and why was he looking like Jay?

“Where’s Jay?” Had the demon eaten Frick?

Beelzebub laughed. “He’s in Limbo with his Alba Protectoris. I’m livin’ the life of Jay. What brings you by? I’m always happy to meet a human. Your minds fascinate me.”

Oh, fuck! Was he portraying himself to be Jay Frick in public? Doing Jay’s job? “Are you doing Jay’s job as an investigator for Children’s Services of Sacramento County?”

The biggest, proudest smile I’d ever seen overtook the man’s face as he wiped chicken grease on his track jacket and extended his hand to me. “I am. Do you have a problem you need me to investigate?”

I wasn’t shaking that greasy hand.

“Mr. Prince of Hell, you’re causing a lot of problems for Jay. What have you been doing with the cases Jay left behind?” In my gut, I knew the answer, and it wasn’t good.

“Well, yesterday, I did a home visit to see if the parents were beating on the kid, Alonzo. His teacher contacted his caseworker, and she called Jay’s boss, who called Jay…me. The boy—he’s thirteen—showed up at school with a black eye and a busted lip. Teachers are mandatory reporters. Who knew?”

The guy threw his empty hand in the air, his other still clutching the damn cardboard bucket. I rolled my eyes. For such a badass, he was a damn clown.

“What did you do about it?”

“I beat the fuck out of the foster dad to show him how it felt. Come to find out, it wasn’t that guy at all. It was the neighbor kid who was stealing Alonzo’s lunch money. The foster parents are okay. That was good to know. The neighbor kid got to see me upset, and I’d guess he’ll never sleep all night again. Wonder how long it takes for a mattress to dry out?” His smirk was damn scary.

Beelzebub flopped onto the couch as though he’d solved the problem. Holy—or unholy—fuck.

“Were you really the best man to take the job? Couldn’t Jay have just taken a leave of absence?”

Beelzebub touched his chin as though he was thinking. He then shrugged. “Maybe, but where’s the fun for me? So, what can I do for you?”

“Can you come to the funeral home with me? Jo says the guy at the apartment who looks like Keir isn’t Keir. Oh, and he’s possessed. Anything you can do about that?”

“The Gatekeeper? Wait, is he missing?”

“If the guy at my place isn’t my fiancé, then yeah, the Gatekeeper is missing.”

“Lemme change. These are my lounging clothes. I’ll be right back. Can we order a pizza or something when we get there?”

It took me a second to remember he was the personification of gluttony. He was a big boy. I guessed it would take a lot to fill him up, if that was possible.

Twenty minutes later, he walked into the massive kitchen where I’d wandered while waiting for him. He was wearing another ugly tracksuit, but this time he had on fancy-ass Jordan trainers that happened to match the tracksuit. He also had a few diamond rings on his fingers.

“You’re going out like that?” I truly wanted to laugh. He looked like a cheap mobster or a wannabe rapper.

“What’s wrong with my clothes? I see humans wearing this shit all the time.” His voice was a little whiny, leading me to believe I wasn’t the first to criticize his fashion choices.

“Where’d you get them?” Nothing against a discount store because I still shopped at them, but he was a prince of Hell. Surely, he could afford something more expensive.

He unzipped the jacket to show a white tank and a diamond chain that would choke a horse. “I copied the look from a famous rapper. I get lots of compliments down there.” He pointed to the floor, but I had a feeling he meant Hell.

“How are you a prince of Hell? You actually seem like a nice guy I’d hang out with.” It wasn’t a lie. Pop used to run with the Sacramento Sinners Motorcycle Club, and Beelzebub reminded me of some of those guys—the ones who weren’t homophobic.

“Don’t piss me off like that kid did the other day.” He stared into my eyes, and I saw literal flames in his.

“Understood.”

We left Jay’s house and went to my SUV. I punched the fob to unlock the vehicle, and Beelzebub got in on the driver’s side before I could stop him. “You know how to drive?” Thankfully, I was holding the keys.

“Humans do it. How hard can it be?” He touched the ignition, and it started.

I hurried around the damn thing and jumped in just as he shifted into drive and sped away. “Slow down!”

I was going to die.

“Hot damn!”

Surprisingly, he stopped at the first light we came to and glanced at me. “You’re going to make dents in the dash.” He was probably right. My knuckles were white, and my nails were leaving little crescent shapes.

“D-Do you know where you’re going?” I was surprised I got that much out without puking on the floorboard.

Beelzebub pointed to his head. “GPS right here.”

Twenty minutes later, we turned left into the driveway of Dearly & Son. Jonas was sitting at the top of the stairs to the apartment, waiting for us. When Beelzebub got out and walked around, he opened my door. “You’re fine. Come on. Let’s go see the Doppelgänger.”

“Doppel what?” What the fuck is that?

Jonas jumped from the small porch to the ground and rushed over to us. “That’s it exactly. I couldn’t figure it out, and even Jo is stumped. They’ll be back in a little while.”

“What’s a…? What did you call it?”

Beelzebub rolled his eyes. “Don’t people do research anymore? It’s a demon who takes on the form of another to cause mischief.”

“Like what you’re doing with Jay?” It was right there. I had to say it.

Beelzebub held up his index finger. “I’m providing a service so Jay can return to the human realm after the bonding is complete—or if his pecker falls off and they get bored with each other.” He really laughed at that, and after a second, I couldn’t hold back, either. Frick still wasn’t my favorite person.

“Anyway, it sounds like someone down below is playing a prank or just being an asshole. Take me to the being.” Beelzebub then adjusted his clothes and followed me up the stairs to the apartment, Jonas bringing up the rear.

Once we were inside, the large demon sniffed the air. “Oh, this isn’t good. Outside, now.”

The three of us rushed outside and into the yard. I led them to the receiving bay and let us in through the side door instead of opening the garage. I then turned to Beelzebub. “What’s wrong?”

“I believe the demon inhabiting the Gatekeeper’s Doppelgänger is an incubus, possibly one of Nyx and Erebus’s children. It might be a god or goddess, and I can’t kill a god or goddess without jumpstarting the war and getting Chaos involved, which none of us wants. Gatekeeper can cast it out and send it back to Hell, but I can’t touch it.” Great.

“Can it figure out you’re not Jay? If you talk to that Doppel-thing like they’re Keir, can you keep it from knowing you know what it is?” Hell, even I was confused with my point.

Beelzebub stood there for a minute before he shook his head. “Won’t work. You’ve gotta be the one to talk to her—I mean him—and see if he’ll give you a hint about where he’s from or what the last thing was that he can remember. We’ve got to start somewhere.”

I sighed. “Okay, but he just stares at me like I’m the fucking plague. I think he’s homophobic because when I told him he was my fiancé, he nearly shit himself.”

“Maybe it’s just you. Maybe he doesn’t want to be married to someone who looks like he hasn’t seen a shower in a month.” Beelzebub snickered. I walked over to the metal walk-in and looked at my reflection. I did look like hell.

“It’s because of that ride from Hell I just took with you.” I smoothed my hair back and plucked the elastic band from my wrist to hold it in place. It had grown out but didn’t look very stylish. I hadn’t thought about whether Keir would like it or not. Was I getting too comfortable?

Beelzebub opened his mouth to answer as my phone rang in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out and saw a number I didn’t recognize, but I answered anyway in case Georgia had forwarded the phone to me from the shop.

“Clegg Cycles. Dash speaking.”

“Mr. Clegg? Paxton De Vil here. We met earlier today. I’d love to meet you for a drink if you have time. I have some questions I’d like to ask if you can get away.” Ah, the guy from the police station. Maybe he had a lead on Mr. Green’s family?

“I’ve got time. My fiancé is out of town, but I’ve got a friend I’ll bring along. We’re overdue for a catch-up. How about I come to Sacramento and meet you? Say six-ish at Lavender Lounge. You know it?” It was in Lavender Heights, a queer community in Midtown Sacramento.

“I’ll find it. See you there, Mr. Clegg.”

“Dash.”

“See you there, Dash.”

I shoved my phone in my pocket and stared at my two companions. They both had eager expressions, which wasn’t good for me. “Neither of you is coming with me. I’m calling Vale.”

Jonas started to protest, but I held up my hand. “I wanna talk to him about you, and I might as well kill two birds with one stone.” I then turned to Beelzebub. “I’ll give you a ride back to Jay’s house. Stop beating people up and getting into trouble. If Jay is ever allowed to come back here, he won’t want to find his ass in jail.”

I then shot off a quick text to Vale.

Wanna get dinner with me? I’ll pick you up at six at your place. Dash

A second later, my phone buzzed.

Yes, please. I need to talk to you anyway. I’ll be ready. V

Son of a bitch!I needed Keir. He could manage ridiculous situations a lot better than me.

In my heart, I knew my guy could handle himself under any circumstances. Probably a hell of a lot better than I was doing with Vale and Jonas and Amelie and Trent.

I went upstairs to shower and change before I dropped Beelzebub at Frick’s house. His comment about my appearance was bugging the fuck out of me, so I put in a little effort, though my guy wasn’t going to see me.

The Doppelgänger was sitting in the living room watching television. “You wanna go have dinner with Vale and me?” We had to start talking sometime.

“Who’s Vale? Your other boyfriend?” His snippy tone was more than I cared to hear, but I couldn’t yell at him. I just needed to wait until Jo was back, and then we could question the guy together.

“I don’t have a boyfriend. I have you, my fiancé. I’m not sure what’s going on, but we’re going to talk about it soon. Your mom’s hosting us for Thanksgiving, and then she’s getting married at Christmas in Monterey.” Fake Keir sighed and turned back to the television without an answer, so I took it as my cue to leave.

I drove to Trent’s place, where Valentino shared an apartment with him. I took the elevator to their floor and knocked on the door. Trent opened it immediately and stepped into the hallway.

“He’s not ready, and he’s a mess. He thinks Jonas is going to cheat on him, and apparently, he’s had a boyfriend do it to him before. You gotta talk him down. I wish Keir was back. He’s better at this than you.”

I snorted. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. He’ll be back soon, I’m sure. Meantime, I’m in charge. Now, where do we stand on your proposal to Amelie? Why the hell didn’t you have her move in with you? Is it about your Mormon upbringing? I’d have thought you’d have left all of that behind when Amelie gave you your first blowjob.”

My temper was simmering under the surface, which wouldn’t get me anywhere with anyone, so I sucked in and then blew out a deep breath. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Let’s go inside and talk about your strategy while I wait for Vale.”

Trent nodded, surprisingly, and opened the door to the apartment. We walked inside, where Trent’s grandmother’s spirit was in the kitchen wiping the counters. “Hi, Mrs. Simmons.”

“Is she here? I’ve been blocked since you stole my proposal.” Trent’s tone was harsh, which was a surprise.

“Dude, proposing to your girlfriend at a poker game is the lamest⁠—”

What the hell was I saying? My proposal to Keir was at that game, and it was rockstar level, dammit.

“For me, it was great. For you, you need something much more romantic. Amelie thinks you hung the moon and stars, so you need to live up to that, Trent. I’ll help you. Call me tomorrow, and let’s start brainstorming some ideas, okay?”

Thankfully, Vale came into the room and gave me a smile. A really sad smile. “Hey, there he is. You ready? I need your help with something. Tell Dad goodbye.”

I pointed toward Trent before going to the door and turning the knob. “Bye, Mrs. Simmons.” The spirit laughed.

“Bye, Dashiell.”

At least someone liked me.