War-N-Wit, Inc. – MeanStreet, LLC (4 page)

“
What
did you say?”

“Second-chancer. Not full angel.
But she deserves a second chance to be.”

“The
hell
you say!”

“Micah. She’s a teenage cat burglar.
Look at her clothes. Look where you found her. What you think she was doing in that mansion? Looking for gumdrops? She and her Dad have been pulling jobs for years!”

“And just
why
do you think they—and more specifically
she—
was doing that?”

“Okay, so the Dad had his back against the wall trying to take care of her Mom.
And she did it to take care of her Mom
and
keep her Dad out of trouble. Shoulda known you’d pull that out of her essence on the way up. Still doesn’t excuse it.”

“You sonofabitch.”

“Hey! That’s an insult to the Grand Conductor, not just me!”

“You can’t take the heat, get outta the kitchen! She is
not
a second-chancer! She shouldn’t even be dead! She’s a baby herself! Why the hell couldn’t you just let me handle the cult and take care of the baby?”

“It was her
time
, Micah! Free will only goes so far. It was her
time
and this was her
way
. Or would you have preferred we leave her on earth until all the innocence and good she had leached out of her soul? What then? Where would she go when
that
time came?”

“Innocence and good would
never
have leached out of that girl’s soul! She took thirteen knives in her back to save that baby, G!
Thirteen! Twisted! Knives!
”

“She reminds you of somebody, doesn’t she? Like Hannah?”

Micah’s face twisted and darkened.

“Don’t
talk about my little sister!”

Gabriel’s face softened. “Look, Micah.
I know you’ve never understood why Hannah didn’t come up with you. But some humans are born to be repeaters. Living many lives before their harvest. Because they’re
strong
, Micah. Not because they’re inferior. Because they’re on a different path. A path through many lifetimes, touching many people. As humans.”

“Then why didn’t I have the choice to repeat? To go back into other lives with her?”

Gabriel shrugged. “I’m not the Grand Conductor. I can’t answer that. One more time. Free will only goes so far.
”

“
That girl is
not
a second-chancer!”

“That’s not your call.”

“How many promotions have I turned down?”

“How many—what the hell’s that got to do with this?”

“How many promotions have I turned down?”

“A lot.”

“And promotions are rewards, right? An acknowledgment of a job well-done?”

“Well, yeah.
But admit it, Micah. To yourself, if not to me. You’ve never taken a promotion because you think somewhere, someday, you’ll find Hannah again. Whoever she is. In whichever life you find her. Don’t you? And for what? Have you ever, one time, come close?”

“
None of your damn business. Okay, it’s reward time. And I’m calling ‘em in, all of ‘em. All the rewards I never took.”

“What?”

“
She has full angel status. That’s what I want. For all the promotions I never took, all the rewards I never claimed.”

“I can’t—”

“Sure you can.”

“I don’t have that kind of authority!”

“So negotiate for it. Do this one thing for me. I’ve never asked. Once. This time, this time, G—I’m asking.”

Gabriel sighed. “Shit. You drive a tough bargain.
Okay, okay. Somehow I’ll fix it. But you gotta train her.”

Over on the couch, Mia moaned slightly
. Her eyelids fluttered.

“
Agreed. So fix it. Priority.”

“Priority.”

Micah moved to the couch and kneeled beside it, smoothing her hair back as she struggled back to consciousness.

“Where—where
am
I?” She sat up abruptly and groped behind her back, feeling for—feeling for what? She wasn’t sure. “The baby! Is the baby okay? Oh, my God! I’m dead! Aren’t I?” She stared into Micah’s eyes. “But you—you
saved
me? Didn’t you?”

“The baby’s fine, sweetheart, I promise. Now about the rest of it—I guess that depends on your definition of a couple of words.
Like
dead
and
saved
. We need to talk.”

The office wall shook
. Harold, his small parrot body blazing golden light, shot in through the wall.

“
Squawk…invasion of the body snatchers…invasion of the body snatchers…whassup doc…squawk!
”

Mia gasped.
“What’s—
who’s
—that? Them? And oh my God! Your back! Are those
wings? What’s going on?
”

“Damn,” said Gabriel mildly. “
Talk about second chancers and in one flies. Whut up, Harold?”

Chapter Six

The phone rang in an office very similar to Gabriel’s. Except for the lighting, a peculiar shade of blackish-red. Probably had something to do with the upholstery on all the furnishings. And the curtains. And the lighting itself. And the impossibly black wood of the big desk. Or maybe from the reddish glow emanating from the eyes of the desk’s occupant.

The intercom buzzed on the desk phone.

“Yes?”

“
He’s here.”

“Let’s not keep
him waiting. Show him in.”

The man behind the black desk leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the
scarlet desk blotter. He laced his hands behind his head. Like Gabriel, he was long and lean. On first blush, even handsome. But there was something there, something behind the regular features. Something feral. Waiting to escape.

The door opened.

“Well, well. Long time no see, brother. How’ve you been, Jerahmeel?”

“I’m not your brother, Lucifer.”

Lucifer smiled. Very pleasantly. Except for that slightly pointed edge to all his teeth.

“Not in a long time. But seeing as how you’re here, I’m thinking you’re ready to renew the relationship.”

* * *

“Harold, calm down! We can’t understand a damn thing you’re saying with all that squawking!”

“
Invasion of the body snatchers…invasion of the body snatchers!
Does anybody bloody
listen
to me or am I
alone
on this planet?! Whoo, and hello, pretty girl on the sofa! Where’d you come from?”

“
Newbie. Formal introductions later.
Who’s
a body snatcher?”

“That bloody
magic act in Vegas! Why do I get stuck with all the shit jobs?”

“Got two words for you, Harold.
Second. Chancer.
Remember?”

“Right. Okay, so I’m sitting there on my perch on stage, weather eye on the horizon and all that b
ullarky. Magician dude makes this couple from the audience disappear in his magic box.”

“Not that uncommon for magicians.”

“
They bloody well didn’t come back, mate!
”

“At all? You know magicians send the audience volunteers—”

“Out from the back of the stage or under the stage or whatever floats his boat, but I’m telling you, mate, this couple’s
gone
! And the magician and his assistant?
Squawk…what a pair…what a pair…
”

Gabriel sighed. “Why do I think that’s
actually
not
a reference to the magician and his assistant?”

Micah laughed.
Mia looked from one to the other. She tugged Micah’s hand and shook her head.

“
Really, where am I? I’m dreaming. This can’t be happening.”

“Sorry, darling, yes, it is. I’ll explain in a few.”

Harold squawked again for attention. “Oh, she’s got a pair, mate! Problem is, they aren’t really hers!”

“We’re not really concerned with cosmetic surgery, Harold.”

“You’d better
get
concerned, mate! ‘Cause they’ve snatched some other bodies somewhere! To
wear!
You twig
?
”

* * *

“So tell me about it. My guess is you’ve finally figured out you can’t save humans from themselves. So you might as well use ‘em.” Lucifer opened an ornate box and lifted a cigar out reverently. He sniffed it and sighed in satisfaction. He cut the tip, struck his fingertip against a rough stone paperweight, and lit it. He waved his hand casually toward the box. “Join me? Cuban. Finest of the fine. Hard to get without—connections.”

“I’m tired of
being a flunky. The big three get all the attention.
You
get more attention than me. Nobody even knows my name.”

Lucifer
guffawed. He choked and a stream of smoke streamed from his nose and mouth.

“
Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!
Not even disillusionment! Jealousy, pure and simple! Just go ahead and say it! Repeat after me, now!
The Grand Conductor likes them best!
Oh, this is just icing on the cake! Cream cheese icing at that!”

Jerahmeel
glared across the desk. “Glad I’m such good entertainment.”

“Little brother, I haven’t had this much fun since
Nero fiddled while Rome burned. But okay, whatever. Never look a gift horse in the mouth and all that. And of course, the more ignoble the reason, the better. Now. What about your staff? It’s not impossible to stage a coup alone, and you don’t want too many noses sniffing in the business but it’s a lot easier with at least one other—team member, as it were. Got anybody?”

“Of course. What kind of fool do you take me for?”

“The jealous kind. Duh.”

“Remember my head
honcho? Seraphim?”

“Goes by Sera. Transformation form of choice is a black cat. Not terribly original. Always st
ruck me as a bit of copycatting there. But then, she never was especially bright.”

“She’s a bitch. Hell to live with. And that’s another thing. Gabriel gets a head
honcho like Micah? Certified hero and all that? And I get a bitch who choked to death on a fishbone? Or her own spleen, more likely. I mean, how fair is that? Woman never should have been an angel to begin with, let alone assigned to one of us! How’d that happen, anyway?”

Lucifer waved his hand in dismissal. “Grand Conductor owed her grandmother a favor. Or so I’ve heard. You ought to be glad she’s a bitch.
And a stupid one. You had a Micah, you wouldn’t be here right now talking to me. Because he’d know it. And so would everybody else on the Guardian Council. Why’s she willing to throw in with you? Big reward, but big damn risk.”

“General piss-off. Got the hots for Micah and he won’
t have anything to do with her. What do you want out of this?”

“
MeanStreet. I want Gabriel’s third of the Guardian Council.”

“
MeanStreet? Michael was the one tearing after you with fire and fury, as I recall. Gabriel pretty much stayed out of it.”

“Exactly.
At least Michael had the courage of his convictions. Gabriel? Ran away to earth and waited to see who won. Playing both sides against the middle. You’re either with me or against me. Neutrals not allowed.”

Jerahmeel shrugged.
“Works for me.”

* * *

“So she actually—
unzipped
? Like—her skin? And stepped out of it? New one on me.” Micah looked over at Gabriel. Who’d actually dropped his casual feet-on-desk pose and leaned forward in his chair. “But not, I’m thinking, a new one on you, G. Your poker face is slipping. And it’s saying you’ve heard of this before and you don’t much like it.”

Gabriel relaxed his frown and resumed his signature casual posture. “Sounds like a dimensional break. Demons from an adjoining dimension. Happens. Very rarely.
Nothing to worry about, I’m on it. Harold, from what you heard, got a guess as to a time frame?”

“
Saturday night,
mate! Didn’t I just say so? Nobody bloody
listens
to me!”