He chuckled. “I guess you are not paying attention, beautiful, because I distinctly remembered asking when and where I could pick you up. Both of those words are indicative of a question. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I couldn’t believe this. My first conversation with Daemon over the phone and he was giving me a lesson in grammar. The only problem was the fact that he was right. Apparently, we were playing hard ball.
“Unfortunately Daemon, I’m going to have to decline. I don’t recall having been asked nicely, and really, your demands aren’t doing much to make me want to agree to seeing you tonight.”
He sighed into the phone. “My Dearest Paige, would you please do me the honor of agreeing to spend some time with me this evening?”
I couldn’t contain the grin that broke out on my face. Paige – 1, Daemon – 0. Unfortunately, I now had run out of reasons why I couldn’t agree to see him tonight. I could go for the tried and true excuse of having to wash my hair, or David’s hair, or both. Somehow I think that Daemon would see through that. I stated my demands. “Fine. I’ll agree to a short get together, but you’re not picking me up. I’ll meet you somewhere.”
I heard him laugh from his end and my traitorous body buzzed from the sound. The constant mutiny of everything below my neck was frustrating me to no end. I couldn’t believe he was affecting me physically just by being on the phone.
“Like I’ve said before, I’ll accept what I can get with you, Damsel. There’s a coffee shop around the corner from my house on 1st and 3rd, we can start there. Meet me at six?” My brain desperately searched for a witty come back but I was drawing a blank. “Yeah, that’ll work. I’ll meet you there.” I hung up the phone before he could respond and tossed it on the passenger seat when it chirped again.
Daemon: Try not to think about me too much.
And we’re back to Mr. Egotistical. I hated to burst his bubble with my response, but not really.
Me: What? Oh, were you still talking? I had already forgotten all about you. J
Daemon didn’t respond to that jab and I high fived myself in my head. I’m not sure that raised my score to the ‘two’ category, but it definitely landed me at a firm ‘one point five’.
I stuck around Mr. White’s house for another couple of hours but he never came outside. Calling it a day, I drove back to the office to deposit my gear and drop off the car. I considered stopping for coffee, but remembered there would be free leaded goodness at the office.
My eyelids were drooping as I pulled into the garage. I really missed my caffeine and I ventured inside in search of a cup. I attempted to rush into the kitchen but stopped short when Peggy called out to me. Reluctantly, I turned to wave at her and she immediately started in about her latest boy problems. I smiled and nodded at all the right parts but I had no idea what she was saying. I could see the coffee maker from where I was standing and my focus was solely on that machine. Brad, one of the managers, walked in as I was staring and my eyebrows narrowed as I watched him reach for the pot. The second hand on the wall clock suddenly began to echo and I watched helplessly as the steaming black nectar poured into his cup. I started tapping my fingers to get Peggy to move it along but she didn’t take the hint. When she stopped to take a breath, I waved goodbye and flew into the kitchen. I have no idea if she was done talking, but I saw my break and I took it.
Brad was placing the pot back on the burner when I grabbed a Styrofoam cup and marched over.
“Oh! Hey, Paige. Sorry, but I just took what was left.”
I gave Brad my best death stare but he didn’t drop to the floor like expected. I attempted mind control and willed him to give me his cup, but he just looked at me funny and walked off with the goods. My knees buckled when I realized my search for coffee had not come to an end and I berated myself for not stopping at a store before I got here.
I was in desperate need of caffeine but I wasn’t about to stop at the coffee shop from this morning. The only other place was the one I would meet Daemon at later, so I didn’t want to go there either. There was a slight chance that coffee would be available at my apartment, so I ran to my bike and sped home.
I dragged myself up the three flights of stairs and threw open the door to my apartment. Annie and David sat in the living room and I managed to grunt in their direction as I moved toward the kitchen. David raised an eyebrow at me when I passed but I couldn’t attempt actual words without caffeine. I made it to the kitchen and scooped out the last of the coffee grounds into the machine. I poured in the water and hit the power button. My fingers were tapping out their normal rhythm as I watched the machine spew steam and sputter. A funny tingle happened in my spine when I realized I didn’t hear coffee dripping into the pot. I looked at the empty pot and then up at the reservoir. The water appeared to be moving, yet coffee was not magically appearing. I tapped on the top of the machine to encourage it along.
Nothing.
I tapped on the machine again, but then hit it with my fist to move it along.
Still nothing.
I panicked and must have resembled a gorilla with all the jumping and grunting and slapping at the machine. I had developed my own little coffee dance as I tried everything to make just one drop come out. I felt a hand land on my shoulder and I spun around to find David behind me.
“Paige. I have bad news.”
My eyes widened and I looked back at the machine. NO! I quickly looked back and forth between the machine and David, silently willing him to tell me he was joking. He wasn’t. My mouth opened like something resembling English was going to come out but my voice wasn’t responding and I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. David gave me a sympathetic look and patted me on the head.
“Annie discovered it this morning. I believe she’s been traumatized. I had to stay home from work to console her.”
I looked over at the machine again and then ran my hand over its smooth top surface. We’ve shared so many good times over the years. Sure, most of that time was spent with me urging it to hurry along, but it always eventually gave me what I needed. I wasn’t sure what to do at this moment and my head dropped down as I held back a tear. I walked out of the kitchen and made my way over to my bedroom. I turned to close my door and David walked into the living room to rejoin Annie and continue their mourning.
I closed my door and tossed myself on my bed. Hugging my pillow to me, I turned my face into the cool cotton and thought about what to do with our current situation. Obviously a trip to the store was warranted, but I couldn’t help but feel like it was too soon to replace my good friend. A sense of loyalty had suddenly come over me and I was shocked to discover I had developed such an attachment to an inanimate object.
The lack of caffeine must have gotten to me because I fell asleep for a few hours. I woke up slightly confused and my alarm clock indicated it was three in the afternoon. I stumbled out into the living room to find that Annie and David had left. A note was on the table telling me that they had run to the store to purchase a new machine. I was pleased that they had the situation under control, so I grabbed my laptop and sat down on the couch.
I booted up the machine and decided to research the person I would be meeting up with shortly. I typed Daemon’s name into Google and waited for a response. There weren’t too many hits and I selected the link to the Florida corporation website. My jaw hit the keyboard when the corporate filings for Tomb appeared on my screen.
Daemon wasn’t just a bouncer at Tomb, Daemon owned Tomb. And not only Tomb. He also owned three smaller bars in the surrounding area. I ran through the listings of his business ventures and discovered that he was the sole proprietor of all four establishments. It appeared that he first obtained one of the smaller bars five years ago and built up from there.
I typed the property appraiser’s website into the browser and entered Daemon’s name into the search bar. His address popped up and confirmed that Daemon owned the apartment where David and I had seen him on Sunday. My emotions were all over
the place and at first I was angry when I realized that Daemon had lied to me about being a bouncer. I stewed for a moment before remembering that it was Logan who had told me that Daemon was a bouncer, and that, technically, I had never asked Daemon directly.
I continued my quest into Daemon’s background but wasn’t able to find any other information through public records. Pulling out my big guns, I used my company log in to request a background report from a subscription service available to investigators and law enforcement. I entered in Daemon’s information, watched the little hourglass spin around for a moment, and then a link popped up to a .pdf copy of the report. I opened the link and read through the information it gathered.
Most of the information was your standard statistics of a normal member of society. I scrolled through his history of vehicle registrations, which included a few motorcycles, his phone numbers, addresses and business listings and licenses. I was pleased to discover that he didn’t have a criminal record, but it occurred to me that his background didn’t contain information older than five years. I skipped to the section of the report which would detail members of his family and there was nothing.
It wasn’t unusual for information regarding his youth to not be included, but usually there was some information about a person’s family contained in these reports. I flipped back to his driver’s license history and that only went back five years as well. I looked at his birth date and found that he was twenty-four years old. His history should go back at least eight years, but there was nothing beyond that five year mark.
Very strange indeed.
While I was scratching my head trying to determine what planet Daemon may have come from, my phone chimed.
Logan: Hey Beautiful. Doing anything tonight? Thought I’d take you up on your offer and meet your friend.
Me: Perfect timing. She just broke it off with her boyfriend last night.
Logan: Uh…should I be worried?
Me: Trust me. It’s not her, it’s them.
Logan: Ok, I’ll trust you on that. What time should I come by?
Me: You can head over now, but I have to leave at 5:30. No worries, David will be here so it shouldn’t be awkward.
Logan: Is David the guy who got knocked out in the pit that one night?
I snickered. David was never going to live that down. I finished my conversation with Logan and had just given him my address when David and Annie returned. They made their way into the kitchen cradling a large box and I was intrigued. I pushed myself up and padded into the kitchen behind them. David solemnly removed the old coffee maker and placed it aside with a remorseful look. We stood together and held each other in remembrance.
David broke free first and pulled the new machine from the box. My eyebrows narrowed when I gazed upon the shiny red machine that had more buttons and dials than I had ever seen before.
Now, how in the hell was I supposed to operate THAT in the morning??
David must have noticed my concern because he turned to me and stood in such a way that would make any game show hostess jealous. “Paige, let me introduce you to our new brewer. She’s got a timer that we can set so the coffee is ready when we get up.” He turned excitedly to demonstrate the machine’s features. “And if you turn this dial here, you can set it to make a single cup for emergencies.”
His explanation was starting to sink in to my caffeine-deprived mind. “Hold it. So what you are saying is, no more waiting for coffee?” He gave me a bright smile and nodded.
Hallelujah!
We played with the machine for a while and read over the instructions about all the buttons and dials. Once we felt satisfied that we knew how to work the machine, it was time for the christening. I bounced over to the cabinet to the grab supplies and froze when I discovered we were out of coffee grounds.
“What the hell?! It’s official, I’ve stepped into some alternate universe that apparently is hell bent on denying me my tasty beverage!”
I continued my rant and my phone chimed with a text from Logan alerting me that he was on his way. “Oh crap! Logan’s going to be here soon. Quick Annie, go make yourself presentable, he’s coming to meet you.”
Annie cocked an eyebrow and was about to respond but David beat her to the punch. “Logan? As in hot surfer boy bartender from Tomb? That Logan?” I nodded my head and David bounced up and down, clapping his hands excitedly. He grabbed Annie’s hand and started dragging her towards her room.
“Come on Annie, we need to hurry and get you ready. This guy is major hot factor. I just know you’re going to love him.” As David pulled Annie into her room, he looked back over his shoulder and added, “Paige, you are a genius! Seriously, they should erect a statue in your honor.” The door slammed behind them. I momentarily felt bad for Annie, having been on the receiving end of David’s ‘beauty treatment’ myself a time or two.
I giggled as I thought about all the tweezing and plucking Annie was currently undergoing and looked at the clock. Shit! It was almost five and I had to get ready to meet Daemon. I hurried in my room to freshen up and choose an outfit. I picked out a royal blue bustier top to give myself the illusion of cleavage and paired it with my favorite jeans and knee high boots. I braided my hair down the back of my head so that if I took it down later, it would have some decent wave to it. After slapping on a layer of mascara, some eyeliner and a nude lip gloss, I was ready to go.
The doorbell rang as I walked back into the living room. I started for the door but David flew past me and indicated in a melodic voice that he had it. I turned to see a very beautiful Annie emerging from her bedroom, freshly shined and polished for her guest. She looked radiant in her emerald green top that accented her auburn hair and green eyes.
David threw open the front door and practically yanked Logan inside. Logan looked very dapper in a pair of loose jeans and a fitted shirt that perfectly complemented his tan skin tone. David dragged poor Logan into the living room to make the introductions. Logan nodded in my direction and his eyes widened upon sight of Annie. I jumped up and down in my head when I noticed his approval.
Annie eyed Logan, but then smiled brightly when she finished her inspection. David deposited Logan by Annie and then walked over to stand next to me. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Like I said, Paige, you are a genius!” He nudged me with his shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. I couldn’t help my grin.
After everyone was settled and Logan and Annie started talking, I turned to David to give him his babysitting instructions, which only included, “Don’t let her do anything stupid.”
David saluted and said, “I’ve got this. No worries.” I glanced at the clock and saw that I was now officially running late for my date. David looked at me in question and I answered his silent query.
“I’ve got a date. Don’t wait up.” I started to turn to leave, but David grabbed my arm to stop me.
“I need details.” He narrowed his eyes at me to indicate his dissatisfaction with not being previously advised about my plans.
“Um…” I looked away and perfected my innocent look before glancing back up at him. “…I’m meeting Daemon.”
David’s eyes widened and his jaw went slack. “You are meeting up with Mr. Gorgeous Man God himself…” He paused but then raised his voice. “…And you didn’t tell me?!”
I waved my hands to tell him to lower his voice and whispered my response. “Yes. I’m meeting ‘Mr. Gorgeous Man God’, but I don’t have time to explain. I’ll give you a full report when I get back.”
David crossed his arms over his chest to show that he meant business. “I’d expect nothing less. Now go get him girl!” He half pushed me out the door to hurry me along.
Chapter Nine
I raced down the stairs and stopped dead when my feet hit the parking lot below. My bag dropped from my shoulder and my helmet dropped from my hand.
What. The Fuck?
My bike was trashed. I walked in circles around it to take in the damage. Both tire
s were not just slashed, but shredded. The front headlight was busted and the seat was torn apart. All the paint was keyed and the word ‘whore’ was clearly carved into the gas tank. The side mirrors hung helplessly from the sides and the gas cap was missing. I cringed at the thought of what could have been poured down the tank. Whoever did this obviously meant business.
My legs gave out and I slumped down to the ground. Who could have done this and why? I reached in my bag to pull out my phone.
Me: Date’s cancelled.
Daemon: Cold feet? Or have you gotten yourself in trouble again?
His mockery wasn’t appreciated at that moment, however he caught me in a weakened state and I let it go. My fingers wouldn’t cooperate to type out what happened so I took a quick picture of my bike and sent it him.
Daemon: Give me your address. I’m coming over.
I didn’t have it in me to argue or otherwise respond with my standard sarcasm. I gave him my address and dropped my phone back into the bag. By the time Daemon pulled into the parking lot, I was still sitting in the same position gaping at my once beautiful bike.
Daemon exited his large, black, military style truck and rushed to my side. No words were exchanged as he approached. He walked a circle around my bike to better assess the extent of the damage and I saw him physically tense when he read what was carved into my tank. He circled the bike one more time before walking back to me. Reaching down to grab my helmet and bag, he whispered, “Paige, let’s go up to your apartment so we can talk about this.”
My head nodded in silent agreement and I reached up for him to help me stand. He placed his hand on the small of my back and I led him up the three flights of stairs to my front door. Daemon reached around me to open the door and I stumbled inside.
As soon as they caught sight of my expression, David, Annie and Logan jumped up in unison. A small chuckle broke through my catatonic state when Logan saw Daemon. The look on his face was a mixture of surprise, concern and fear, and I believe those emotions flashed through him in that order. David and Annie took a moment to openly gawk at Daemon but then sprang into action wrapping me into a group hug. We stood that way for a few moments before I felt David mouthing a question over my shoulder. Daemon must have answered with a silent indication because David passed me over to him and then walked outside.