The Demon Deception (27 page)

“Oh, believe me, she tried. She tried to
dredge up ancient history.”

“I guess it didn’t work.” Sam paused, then
said, “I wonder why she was naked when I stopped by.”

“Well, since you’re much younger than I, she
probably thought that you would just jump right in to the
situation. You young guys are so much easier to influence. Too much
testosterone floating around.”

“Good thing I’m not the average guy.”

“Good thing, indeed. Though I’ve seen the way
you and Darcy look at each other.”

“Eh, maybe.”

“What, the magic’s disappearing?”

“Well, she’s a great girl. She’s fun, quirky
almost.”

“Yeah, and her being pretty has nothing to do
with the chemistry at all, does it.”

“Well, there is that.”

“So, what’s up?” Lazarus asked.

“Well, she’s a super smart girl, but I’m not
sure if she’s right for me.”

“Why not?”

“Different values, I guess.”

“Let me guess, the ‘isms aren’t quite your
cup of tea. You Marine altar boys are always so conservative.”

“’Isms. What the hell is an ‘ism?”

“You know, liberalism, feminism,
humanism.”

“Something like that, though I hadn’t thought
of it that way.”

“I bet you haven’t, choir boy. Kind of hard
to see the forest for the trees when you’re looking at Darcy.
Probably hard to think of anything when she’s around.”

Sam changed the subject, “So, what time
tomorrow?”

Lazarus thought about it, “It’s not that far
of a drive. We can get there in about four, four and half hours. We
can get breakfast, then get on the road. After we pick up the last
of the munitions, we can get a hotel in Tucson. Easier to get one
there than to get one in Tombstone or Bisbee.”

“Okay, how about breakfast at eight o’clock
then?” Sam asked.

“Sure, that’ll do.”

“I’ll call Lilith and Darcy, and let them
know.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go and tell
them in person.”

“Whoa, no, not tonight. I’m sure that Lilith
would be naked again, and Darcy would want to talk until
midnight.”

“You know Darcy has a big crush on you.”

“I’m thinkin’ that as well, but I need to
avoid that for a few days, until we’re finished. We can see after
that. She and I have to talk though, if we go down that road.”

They finished talking, and Sam hung up to
call Lilith and Darcy. Lazarus turned on the TV, then thought about
the movie. He looked at the clock, and revised his opinion. Just
enough time to take a cold shower and go to bed.

----------------------------------------------------

Lazarus met everybody downstairs. They piled
in the van, and headed to a truck stop that had a Denny’s.
Breakfast went smoothly. Everybody was quiet. Lazarus knew that
would change once they had their coffee. Lazarus looked at Sam. Sam
was shoveling eggs and hash browns down his throat. Darcy was
quiet, and pensive. She kept pushing her breakfast around with her
fork, with little going into her mouth. She kept glancing over at
Sam when she thought nobody was watching. She definitely had a
thing for him. Lilith, however, ate like nothing was going on
around her. She was quiet because nobody else was talking.

This was fine with Lazarus. He wasn’t in much
of a mood to talk right now. Lilith was beginning to invade his
dreams in a way he hadn’t experienced since he and Myra were
married. He had a very long night, last night. He dreamed about
Myra, during the time after they were married. He dreamed about
making love to Myra, her legs around his waist. Then the scene
changed, and the woman he was with was Lilith. When he woke up, he
was covered in sweat, and the sheets and blanket were on the
floor.

Lazarus tried to block the visions of Lilith
last night with a very cold shower, but it just wasn’t working
anymore. He didn’t know what he would do to get the thoughts of her
body out of his head, but he figured that some time on a deserted
island might clear it. Or maybe he could do the monk thing for
about a hundred years. Lilith looked at him, and gave him a
dazzling smile. He thought about the deserted island some more.
Maybe thirty years with no one around to distract him.

They ate, he paid. Afterwards, he walked over
to the coffee island, grabbed a large cup and filled it with the
extra caffeine blend. He walked over to the counter, and there was
an attractive young lady standing behind the counter. She wasn’t a
beauty in the sense that Darcy, or God forbid, Lilith was. She was
attractive because of her youth, and her lack of self-awareness of
the effect she had on the people around her.

He put the coffee on the counter. She spoke,
“You know, if you get a breakfast sandwich with that, you’ll get a
dollar discount.”

He smiled at her, “Well, that sounds like a
great deal, but I just had breakfast at Denny’s.”

She rolled her eyes, and exaggerated a sigh,
“Whatever.” She said it with a smile, indicating that she was
joking. His smile grew bigger, “You have a lovely day, young
lady.”

She smiled back, “Thanks, you too.”

He picked up his coffee, and began whistling
as he walked out of the truck stop to the van. He was whistling as
he climbed in, and sat down in the back next to Lilith. Lilith
looked at him, “You’re in a very good mood.”

He nodded, “Yes, I am.”

“What happened? You were a gloomy Gus at
breakfast.”

“Well, you have that effect on me.”

She wrapped her arms around his, and leaned
her head onto his shoulder, “Silly boy. You couldn’t live without
me.” When Lazarus didn’t answer her, she continued, “What happened
to put you in a good mood?”

“I’ve just been reminded, that no matter what
happens, life goes on, and it’s bigger than me, or you.”

Lilith laughed, “Speak for yourself. The
world revolves around me.”

Lazarus nodded, “I have no doubt that you
truly believe that.”

Lilith smiled again, “I have empirical
evidence that indicates that it’s a fundamental truth of the
universe.”

“And what evidence do you have?”

“Well, the few times I’ve been killed, the
world disappears. When I come back, or, am allowed back, it
reappears.”

Lazarus nodded, “Ah, the peek-a-boo theory of
reality. If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist. Next time I hunt you,
and you’re cornered, feel free to try that approach. If you don’t
see me, I don’t exist. At least, until I’ve destroyed your
corporeal form.”

Lilith laughed again, her giggle tinkling as
it filled the van.

Darcy turned to look back at them, glancing
at Sam as she did so, “I thought you two were enemies? You know,
the Good versus Evil thing.”

Lazarus took a sip of coffee, noncommittal.
Lilith grinned at him, as if they were sharing a secret, then she
glanced at Darcy, “We are.”

“How can you two be so chummy if you hate
each other so?”

Lazarus swallowed his coffee, “I don’t hate
anybody. That’s a destructive emotion. I know there are people that
the world is much better off without. Such as sociopaths. I remove
them from the world. No hate involved. Plus, we’re in tight spaces
here, and a smile is the grease that allows society to
function.”

Lilith shook her head, “I disagree. I think
manners are the grease that allows society to function.”

Lazarus spread his hands in a conciliatory
manner, “I’ll bow to your expertise, since you’re the one who is
desperately trying to destroy polite society. I assume that you’ve
studied it diligently to crack its weaknesses.”

“Why, thank you, sir.”

“My pleasure.”

Darcy stared at them, shook her head in
dismay, and turned back around look out the window.

Lilith curled into Lazarus, and put her head
on his shoulder. It was going to be a very long trip to Tucson.

----------------------------------------------------

They arrived in
Tucson around noon. Sam was still in the driver’s seat, and he took
the off ramp to get onto Valencia. They drove west on Valencia,
past Interstate 19 overpass, until the beige houses turned into
industrial buildings and salvage yards. Lazarus pointed out a
Seven-Eleven. Sam pulled into the parking lot, and parked the
van.

Lilith looked at Lazarus, “Why are you
parking here?”

“I want to go take a look at the building
before we drive up to it.”

“Reconnaissance?”

“Of course.”

“Expecting someone?”

“Always.”

Sam turned and spoke, “You think
Mephistopheles will have his agents here?”

Lazarus concurred, “Last chance for them to
mess with us. Plus, the really good stuff is going to be there. If
they want to put us away, this is the time to grab us.” He leaned
over to Sam and put his hand on Sam’s shoulder, “And, no matter how
good your contact and your OPSEC is, it’s kind of hard to keep
things like missiles hidden from the government.”

Sam spread his hands, his expression
optimistic, “I don’t know, my guy’s pretty good.”

Lazarus smiled at Sam’s confidence, “We
already had one site compromised. We still don’t know who that was.
If your guy was compromised by another group, odds are pretty good
he was already compromised by the ATF. You don’t move that kind of
serious hardware without raising some eyebrows.”

“Mephistopheles? You mean, like the cat from
the Broadway play?” Darcy was clearly out of her depth on the demon
thing. The lack of a classical education in Lazarus’ opinion. A
little time in a Catholic high school would have done the trick.
Lilith’s leg bumped his. Suddenly, thoughts of Lilith in Catholic
school put a distinct image in his mind.

Lazarus shook his head, pressing that image
way down, as far as it could possibly go, “No, and that’s Mr.
Mephistopheles. The Mephistopheles I’m talking about is the
original. He works for the same boss that she,” Lazarus pointed
towards Lilith, “works for.”

“Boss?”

“Yeah, you remember our conversation from the
other night?”

Darcy took a second, and her expression
turned from confusion into one of skepticism. “What, Satan
again.”

Sam, Lilith, and Lazarus all began doing
their rendition of jazz hands, all talking at the same time.

“Don’t say his name.”

“Ah, bad form, don’t say that name here.”

Even Lilith tried to shush her, “Look, honey,
you don’t want to say his name. Among the high profile people here,
it invites unwanted attention.”

“I thought you work for him?”

“I do, but I don’t like the attention any
more than Eli or Sam does. If the boss gets involved, he can be
very unpleasant. While I like a little bondage, my boss gets very
enthusiastic about it, to the point where I may, or may not survive
the encounter.”

“And you continue to work for
him?”
Darcy sounded like she was about to recommend a battered women’s
shelter to Lilith.

Lazarus spoke, “At this point, she has no
choice. After, oh, three to four thousand years of reaving souls
for the Great Deceiver, it’s not like she can put together a resume
and suddenly find a passion for real estate.”

The skepticism was still apparent on Darcy’s
face.

Lazarus slid open the back passenger door of
the van, “Anyway, I’m going to go do a sneak and peak, and see
what’s there. You guys can stay here, and I’ll be back in a little
bit.”

Lazarus got out of the van, and stretched. He
was stiff from the ride. He had spent too many days traveling. He
tried to shake it off, but it wasn’t going to happen in the few
minutes he had. He began walking, hoping that the stiffness would
ease. He turned south from Valencia, walking on the side walk. It
was a warm day for late October, a typical day for southern
Arizona. He wished he could take off his jacket, but that would
have been a problem with his pistol. Plus, he liked the protection
of the Kevlar and chain mail. He never knew when someone was going
to try to stick a knife into him. Or shoot him.

Another few minutes and he was almost at the
cache site. Then he saw the dark blue, government sedan sitting in
an alley. He slowed down, and stopped. Evidently, they saw him as
well. The passenger door swung open, and Agent Johnston stood up.
He was dressed in a dark blue suit, and had a cup of coffee from
what Lazarus thought might be the same Seven-Eleven that the van
was parked at. Lazarus stood there and watched them, wondering what
was next. Another agent, one of the ones from Saint Louis, opened
the driver’s door, and stood up. They both looked over at Lazarus.
Agent Johnston took a drink of his coffee, and shut his door.

He nodded at Lazarus, as if to say, “You can
run, but you can’t hide.” Johnston turned and walked towards the
cache site, a warehouse. The other agent closed the sedan door,
turned and headed into the warehouse after Johnston. Lazarus turned
around and walked back to the Seven-Eleven.

The van doors were open when he got back. Sam
was standing next to the van on the passenger side, leaning in to
talk to Darcy. Darcy was sitting in the back seat, turned towards
Sam, giggling at something he had just said. Lilith was sitting in
the front seat, one foot on the pavement, and one leg cocked with
her foot on the frame of the door. She was drinking a coke. He
walked up, and their faces turned to him.

“Well?” Sam asked.

“I was right. Agent Johnston is there.”

“How do you know?”

“He nodded at me, drank his coffee, and
walked inside the warehouse.”

“Do you want to go in and get the rest of the
munitions?”

“I think we have to.”

“Why?” Lilith asked.

Lazarus explained, “They know we’re here. If
they know about the missiles, they know about the explosives, the
weapons and ammunition. We’re going to have to deal with this
sometime. I’m thinking that if we go into that warehouse, we can
deal with it now, get it over with, and not have to worry about it
when we’re facing other dimensional monsters that are trying to
suck our faces off.”