Keeley Thomson (Book 2): Keelzebub (24 page)

Gary was sitting at the table already, next to Eve and Rebekah. Elis was nowhere to be seen, but Balthias stood in the corner of the room, watching. He was “invisible” at the moment, and damping his naturally projected fear broadcasting, but that didn’t stop her or Darla from seeing him. It was hard to hide things from Greater Demons.

Kind of why they were called that. Really, in a way, that was their main thing, what truly made them different. The rest was good, immortality, strength and all that, but it was seeing reality clearly, at least more clearly than others, that made a real difference.

Keeley waved to him, happily. He didn’t move though and no one else seemed to notice that fact except Darla.

“OK, foods ready, Rebekah, would you help me serve?”

The woman hopped up as if her life was threatened, even though the words had been kind and genuinely friendly. Everyone else took a seat, Keeley next to Hally on one side and Gary on the other after some shifting around. Reaching out she patted his hand, nearly overwhelmed by the vast anger there. She’d braced herself for pain, sadness and maybe some anger, but the boy was a hairs breadth from getting a gun himself and hunting down the people that had killed Rob.

Even knowing they’d just kill him too. His bruises weren’t even healed from the last beating they’d given him. He didn’t care. It wasn’t rational at all, just a burning thing that threatened to consume him, if something else didn’t happen.

The girls came out with several large platters, large silver trays, loaded with sliced fruit, giant cinnamon rolls that looked like they’d probably came from Fritters diner, topped with fluffy frosting and piles of eggs, sausages and thin cut steaks. Keeley was starving, so loaded her plate to a level that got strange looks from Hally and Gary. She just grinned.

“I need to eat a lot more than you guys do. Darla does too. If we’re going to share information you might as well all know that.” She ate a bite of eggs, buttery and with a hint of basil, before she kept going.

“Especially since from now on I elect you three to go on food runs.” She didn’t really mean it, but Darla nodded as if it only made sense.

“I agree. We have some things to do and really, if any of you decide to get silly on us, you’ll probably die. Gary, for the time being I’d like you to coordinate food with Rebekah for her and her slave. That’s blood by the way, human, preferably fresh, but we can order in some from the red-cross as well. Animal can work in a pinch, but if so, get with me first. That might work better for the time being actually. Until a system is worked out.” She waved her fork at the female Vampire, who cringed, but less today than even two days before.

“I mean for him to help procure for you, not be food. Kindly don’t eat our friends. I know some of them look young and tasty, but we have other plans for them.”

Hally reached over and took Keeley’s hand again, seeking comfort .People were talking about getting human blood after all. It had to sound a little weird. She gave it a little squeeze and kept eating, a bit faster than was polite. She’d gotten behind in eating again. She was doing better though, so at least there was that. The cute red-head wrinkled her face like a little kid for a second, an almost imperceptible thing.

“So, were going after the people that killed Rob? How? Do we beat them up… or have them arrested?”

Eve raised her eyebrows and made a soft sound, almost a snort, but shook her head gently and took a bite of roll before speaking herself, drawing it out, even though everyone was watching her, or in Keeley’s case, watching while trying to not look like she actually stuffed food into her mouth like a starving person.

“How do you think that would work? No, we kill them all. The question is, how do we get away with it? Do we know who they are really?”

That got a serious look from Darla, who nodded, looking at Gary, since he was the one she expected to have a problem with what she was going to say, no doubt. What she said made sense to Keeley at least, though Gary did act offended for about ten seconds.

“We know who they are and have a plan, but I want all of you to stay here with Rebekah until it’s over. To answer your questions, yes, we’re planning to kill the one responsible and possibly those that did the actual deed, though there are others involved in this that we may kill, even though they’re innocent in all of this. It can’t be helped, though we seek to try.” The head cheerleader didn’t look much like one, as she fixed a solid gaze on Gary. No, she looked fierce.

Dangerous.

“If you get stupid, think that you can handle this better than two Greater Demons with hundreds of times more experience than you can possibly imagine, not only will you die, but probably get our other friends killed as well. This isn’t a children’s tale. The stakes are life and death. People will die before the month is out. Rob will have his vengeance and us our revenge. If that isn’t enough for you, please let me know now, so that we don’t have to lose everything later when you decided to mess with my plans.”

She didn’t glare, but Gary looked down after a few minutes and shrugged his muscular shoulders.

“Fine. Make sure to kill them though. If you don’t, I will. Somehow.”

Nodding Keeley kept eating. It seemed fair to her after all.

Darla outlined her plan, which was a lot more complicated than Keeley figured, but didn’t involve her going off to fight either, which was sensible. It was Darla’s problem after all. Her asset had been destroyed, Roberto the human was hers, so it was up to her to get revenge and make sure this Gatherer didn’t make the same mistake twice. She did want Keeley’s help though.

“We need to make certain Edith isn’t at her hiding spot when I go in. I can kill her easily enough, but I want to wait, if possible, until after we break the device holding her slaves in thrall. That gives them the best chance of survival. Any ideas?”

Reloading her plate, she thought, and snagged two more of the vast rolls. They were good.

“Sure. She expressed a bit of worry over the dancers that we had at the party, she figures, probably correctly, that the PTO is going to gritch at her over that. I’m planning on a community Halloween party, another thing with the police and Coretechs supporting it, though with a smaller budget and just one large event. It should be more family friendly anyway, but if I offer her a spot on the planning commission for it, so that she could report to the angry mob of parents that she’s already taking steps to prevent another fun event from happening, she should jump at the chance. We need some other people on it too… Honestly I could use the help.”

Darla smiled, a vulpine thing, curling mainly at the corners.

“I have some in mind. Get your Clara in on it, and Karen Benson. Eve, would you be willing to sit in on that as well? You have a good sense of such traditional parties. Besides, I think it’s time you met with Karen a little more closely. She’s your stepmother after all, and a good person. An old friend of mine too, like you are now.”

Eve grimaced.

“I don’t know, I’ve met her, but she and I aren’t close. It could be awkward.”

Hally stared around the table and finally looked at Darla, then down at her plate.

“Not much left for me to do then, is there… I get it. I mean I’m not that smart, so maybe I should just go home?” The voice was tiny, barely heard even as everyone else went silent.

Rebekah’s eyes went wide.

“No, that isn’t true. We need some shopping done… I can’t do it very easily,” she gestured with a pale hand at her strange slightly bulging mouth filled with rows of fangs and her solid, blood red eyes. Hally went very still, as if just now realizing what the other woman really looked like. The Vampire kept talking.

“I got paid last night, so could use some things. Balthias might want some as well.” She didn’t look at the corner, but the Lesser Demon smiled.

It was an evil looking thing, but Keeley could only expect so much from him. Lesser Demon after all.

Darla interjected happily though.

“Oh, yes, Keels, those funds you arranged for have come in. I took the liberty of having my man set up several accounts for you, I have some bank cards and checks for you. I didn’t know what pattern you wanted on them, so they’re a little plain. I hope that’s all right?” She hopped up and came back a minute later with three different cards suck to white pieces of paper. Keeley memorized the pin numbers and picked out the easiest to remember one, just four five’s in a row, which was a horrible number if you cared about it being stolen, and handed it to Hally.

“We need clothing and toiletries for Elis as well.” She schooled her face and looked at the corner where Balthias stood.

“Some sex lube too. Balthias, how are things going that way?” She didn’t expect an answer, but he made himself visible to the room, which got a whimper from Hally, and spread his massive hands.

“No need for such. Yet. He weakens though and soon shall be my conquest. Perhaps if the Lady Hally could provide such it would entice him further? He fears the pain of my mightiness might be too great to bear.”

Eve nodded and tried to act like seeing giant Demon looking things appear was common place now, which in her life it very nearly was.

“That sounds good. At least to tease him with. I don’t actually want him raped though. I’ve decided that making him hunt down the others would be better. I don’t want to go all evil or anything. Not on him.”

Balthias grunted, a dark sound. He shook his head slowly and looked right at the cute black haired girl.

“Cockblocker.” It was too modern a term for his regular speech pattern, so got a giggle from the table. Even Rebekah managed a grin. Gary didn’t, but with a flourish of a hand Eve sighed.

“Don’t worry, well get you something. I just don’t want him broken, yet.”

That got a bow from the huge form, still standing over in his corner.

Darla made some calls, Hally nervously got with the girl Vampire and the Lesser Demon who was very, very courteous to her the whole time, and Gary… fumed.

He was planning to runoff and kill someone. It was so clear Keeley didn’t have to touch him to get the idea. They didn’t have a lot of time for that though, did they? Him being a dork and getting himself killed or making Darla rush in to save him.

Not at all.

“Stop it. This is a serious thing for a Greater Demon. She needs to do this in a very specific way. I know that you’re angry, but if you do what you’re thinking, a lot of people may die for it, that haven’t earned anything of the sort.” The words weren’t enough and were falling on deaf ears.

That was Darla’s problem though, not hers. She just needed to arrange a meeting.

For the next day.

Honestly, “Mrs. Gibson” did most of that. Keeley just had to call the Edith Givens and her own school Principal. He was easy to convince, but Edith was her normal cheery self, which meant she had to make everything into a problem.

“Why should I do what some little girl wants? I’m already going to have trouble because of you. First you ruin my plans for the school party by co-opting my caterer, then your behavior, strippers, girls flashing the crowd, so many police it felt oppressive. Hardly a ringing success.” The sound of her voice was bitter. Probably because the media had thought it was pretty darned well planned and thought that the “adult” stuff, at least the dancers, added just the right touch of naughty without doing anything illegal.

The police department had actually confessed to having arranged that part. Not Chief Benson, but the actual officers had taken up a collection to pay for it and called in some favors. It was a big hit with all the kids, showing that the police were just pro-law, not anti-fun. It was something that could get lost in their day to day work, Keeley realized.

They’d just taken the local police from the buzz killing Gestapo and made them nearly cool in one action.

Keeley had to like that.

So did Roy, who was quite pleased when Darla had arranged for Karen to be on the panel for the Halloween party. As if giving her work to do was a great favor.

Keeley looked at the phone in her hand for a second before speaking, knowing that calling Edith on her stupidity wouldn’t actually fix it. That never worked. People were either blind to their own errors due to ego, or honestly unable to think well enough to correct them. Edith wasn’t dumb, so she just needed to be guided into the correct course of action. If Keeley turned it into a fight the woman would balk and not come.

“Oh? I can see that. Kind of the reason for asking you. So that you can give your ideas, but I can get where you’re coming from too. No problem if you don’t want to do it. It’s not directly for a school function, and while Mrs. Gibson wanted to work with the school district on this, we already have the Raintree principal, so we can just focus the press on him for this… Well, sorry to take up your time, thanks for talking to me about it. We’d still love any input you have to add, if you think of anything…” Keeley tried to sound innocent and sincere. It was harder to do than it sounded, Demon emotional control or not.

She kept wanting to slip into sarcastic. The woman was just that abrasive.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Learn to listen girl. Fine, When is this meeting?”

It was slated for the Chief of Police’s home at seven the next evening. They had a real deadline after all. It was kind of being rushed along, but that had nothing to do with this little side project. Edith repeated the information, and said she’d be there. That didn’t assure it of course, but adding anything else would probably seem suspicious. She didn’t want to set off alarm bells.

Though if it had been her being called by a schoolgirl on a Sunday and she were the Principal, Keeley wouldn’t have bought it at all. Still, it was a real meeting.

Hally went out to get some shopping done, taking Eve, who drove well enough, but didn’t have a license, barrowing Darla’s nice little convertible. No one on the police force would pull it over. They knew better. Still, it was a poor plan. They really needed to get Eve a driver’s license. Hally and Gary too. What if they needed to go out of town or something?