Chapter 28: The Best of Friends...

An hour later, she fit in just fine. To say that she was "one of the guys" would have been far from the mark. Lorelei clearly had little in common with them, and was quite spectacularly not a guy. But she held her own, neither seriously flirting nor being standoffish. Lorelei may have been there as Alex's girl, but soon enough she was everyone's friend.

She had them talking openly about topics that were normally sensitive -- Drew's mixed racial heritage, Wade's experience in the war. Even conspiracy-minded Jason had given up theorizing how Alex's "date" could be some sort of prank or stunt.

Over the course of the evening, Alex couldn't help but notice that each of his friends had found occasion to rescue Lorelei from the clumsy and sometimes rude attentions of some other patron of the pool hall. He wondered if that was the handiwork of her centuries of social acumen; it wasn't like they'd ever had cause to not bring dates to the hall before. Yet somehow Lorelei was indebted, slightly, to each of his friends for a small display of chivalry.

Eventually, Lorelei beckoned Alex close to her with a finger. He came over, smiling at her. "They like you," he noted.

"I know. I'm glad. Alex, they'll want to talk to you a bit without me present."

"About you, you mean?"

"It's natural," Lorelei shrugged. "I have arrangements to make for the weekend. The hour is late, but not for what I have to handle. Would you like me to give you some space?"

After a moment's thought, Alex nodded. "Might be good, I guess."

She leaned over, kissed him, then made her goodbyes. "He's gotten to lay around all day while I've been taking care of business," Lorelei said simply. "I'd like to call it a night. Can someone do me a favor and take him home for me?"

"Yeah, we got him," Drew nodded. "Really nice having you out with us. You coming to the party Saturday night?"

"It's a plan," Lorelei said, flashing them all a winning smile and kissing Alex as she sauntered out. Most of the patrons of the pool hall watched her go. The only one who didn't, really, was a slightly heavyset man in a cheap suit seated near the bar behind the roped-off "twenty-one and over" section. With no one looking his way, he went unnoticed as he ate.

The guys moved into a two-on-two game with Alex partnered up with Drew. "So now that she's gone and we can cynically talk about her behind her back..." Jason observed dryly.

"Yeah, yeah. What's on your mind?"

"That story about you two meeting serious?" Drew asked. "Guys had jumped her, you came to her rescue?"

"Pretty much," Alex nodded. Then he looked up from his shot at the table and sighed. He was getting a resounding chorus of 'what-aren't-you-telling-us' stares. "So the thing is, I was over by Sacred Heart cemetery when it happened, which was where those guys were dragging her," he said very quietly. "I jumped in surprising the guys. I grabbed her and ran. As we fled we noticed the funeral parlor there caught fire from something. We left quickly and we didn't stop to find out if they were chasing us. Eventually the cops and fire engines arrived to handle it. We left as Lorelei really didn't want to talk to the cops."

"And why's that?" Wade asked, now suspicious.

"Because she's had some nasty associations in the past."

"Like the dudes who jumped you and Taylor?"

Alex looked to Jason's questioning frown and nodded. "Exactly like that."

"But you don't think she's got trouble with the cops themselves?"

Alex shook his head. "No. She had no problem talking to them last night. Identified herself and all that. Would've preferred not to, but when she had to there were no worries."

"Huh," Jason said. The guys looked at one another, particularly Wade and Drew. Wade lifted his head curiously. "Show us," he said.

Unsure what Wade meant for a moment, Alex finally shrugged and put down his pool cue. He looked around the pool hall furtively -- it was growing fairly empty at this point -- and then unbuttoned his untucked shirt and peeled off the bandage over his wound.

All three guys took a look. Wade whistled appreciatively. "God damn, you are one lucky sumbitch," he chuckled.

"You don't know the half of it," broke in a scratchy voice. Alex fixed his shirt and the guys all turned toward the newcomer. He had strolled up as they talked, probably listening in despite the music on the PA system and the other customers...

...who, now that Alex glanced around, were very few indeed. And those who were still present seemed to be packing up.

"Help you with something?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. More to the point, I wanted to see if I could help you guys with something. You all seem to be a bit in over your heads tonight... you in particular, pal," the stranger said, eyeing Alex. His words were friendly enough. He had a nice, disarming smile. Yet all four young men found themselves feeling rather unsettled in Rob's company.

************

"The honeymoon suite is available? Yes, I've seen it. Such a lovely view of the Sound. We'll absolutely love it. Yes, same information as before," Lorelei said into her cell phone, strolling back and forth in front of the pool hall. "Tomorrow through Sunday. Yes, check out on Monday."

The street was lightly busy, with the wet sheen of Seattle's frequent drizzle on just about everything. Lorelei kept her eyes on her surroundings as she spoke. "Lovely. Thank you, Jeffrey. You're a doll." At that, she tapped her phone off, and strode across the street.

"Rachel," she said clearly, "we must speak."

A moment passed. Then another. Lorelei waited until, finally, Rachel stepped out from behind a parked SUV. Her white dress clung to her lithe figure from the moisture in the air, with her blonde hair hanging damply from her head. The angel's beautiful face was set in a sulky, suspicious frown. "What do we have to talk about?" she asked.

"You could have come inside. Joined us." Lorelei's voice hinted -- barely -- at compassion. "You look like a forlorn puppy out here."

Rachel's pouty frown deepened. "I'm not bothered by a little rain."

"Of course not."

"What do you want?"

Lorelei took a deep, steadying breath. "Our master asked that we attempt to put aside our hostilities," she said coolly. "I am compelled to honor that. By more than just our bond."

The angel's eyes narrowed. "He's not mm—" Her voice trailed off.

Lorelei merely nodded. "You feel it now, don't you? It is as you said in the cemetery. You were affected less than I, but your own bond strengthens over time. You are as inextricably linked to Alex as I."

They stared at one another for a long moment, Rachel with suspicion and Lorelei with patience and confidence. "It's not as terrible as you might think. He is a good man, Rachel. A very good man."

"What do you know about goodness?"

"I am learning. Rachel, you and I must come to an accord, for the good of all three of us. Yourself most of all."

"And you care so much about me because...?"

"He cares deeply for you. I am directly connected to such feelings. And I want him to be happy," Lorelei answered evenly. "One of the friends he is with inside smokes. He will likely come outside at some point, potentially with Alex. To be seen would interrupt us, and to conceal ourselves would waste power when we could simply walk together. He is with friends. Shall we?"

The angel glanced at the pool hall, then back at Lorelei. She kept her eyes on the succubus as she turned slowly to walk with her. "I'm watching you," she warned.

************

There were those who were ready to be approached by a demon, and those who were not.

It was a fundamental principle of life for being such as Rob Gorge, as well as Lorelei and her kind. The protection of a mortal's guardian angel (or the important lack thereof) had some impact on this, but the matter was largely a concern of what choices a mortal had made in life. Hell did not inspire all evil, or even a majority of it; most of humanity's darkness came from within. It was only among those who had already begun to slip that demons could find prey.

Benevolence and a virtuous life were far more effective in warding off the attentions of Hell than religious piety. Even a devout atheist, such as Jason, was generally safe from visitations from the Pit simply if he didn't do things to make himself vulnerable. Moreover, those who were not ready to receive Hell's overtures typically felt an instinctive repulsion. There could be fear, suspicion, even hostility as their subconscious mind felt the soul's reaction to danger and evil. Subtle powers of manipulation were of dubious reliability at best in the face of that defensiveness.

Rob knew this in approaching these young men. They weren't ripe. He'd been a little crazy since last night, though. Lorelei's bullying and refusal to bargain stuck in his craw. She may as well have made him roll over and beg. But now, however, he figured he'd seen the weak point. He could score an amazing coup here. And then the succubus would learn her place... underneath Rob.

In Rob's mind, and in the mind of most demons, working mortal marks was all just a matter of timing and circumstance. He had great faith in mankind's ability to fall. One just had to coax them along correctly.

"That girl of yours, son," Rob said to Alex with a paternalistic smile, "she's trouble."

"Show us a girl who isn't," Jason said flatly.

"Point," Rob sighed. "How much do you know about her?"

"Everything I need to know," Alex said.

"I kinda doubt that."

"Sorry, who the hell are you?"

He shrugged, offered his hand. "Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name."

"Oh, so you're Satan," Alex scoffed.

"I always figured Satan would look more like Ozzy Osbourne," Jason frowned.

"Man," Drew put in, "I always thought Satan was Ozzy Osbourne."

Rob chuckled, swallowing his resentment as he withdrew his unshaken hand. "I'm Rob. Rob Gorge. She didn't tell you about me? Can't say I'm surprised. We come from intersecting social circles, let's say. Anyway, I'm Rob. And I'm the owner of this establishment."

"Owner's an older guy named Ahmed," Drew said.

"No, the owner was Ahmed," Rob corrected. "I bought the place out half an hour ago. It's a nice place."

Rob glanced around at the last few people on their way out. "Spent a bit of time buying out everyone's tab so we could talk, too."

"Y'all bought the pool hall and paid everyone else t' leave so you could talk t' Alex?" Wade blinked. "Don't you think that might seem just a little creepy?"

"Oh, I was hoping to talk to all four of you. It's about Alex and his girl, sure, but I figured maybe you could help me show Alex some logic once you'd heard things out. See, I know a guy can get kind of blinded by a pretty ass when he's the one riding it. But you three might be able to see things a bit clearer and help Alex realize what kind of trouble he's in."

The music was off. None of the guys had noticed that at first, but the silence was punctuated by the sound of the last waiter in the place walking up with a bottle of scotch and five shot glasses. He put it all down at the table without looking up at anyone, then walked away.

"Mister," Wade said darkly, "are y'all threatenin' our friend?"

"No, no," Rob said dismissively. "I'm not. That girl is, though. Lemme ask, what's the name she gave you, hm? Don't wanna say? How about Lorelei, is that close? It's Lorelei, isn't it? Yeah," he nodded. Nobody had confirmed it for him, but he didn't need them to.

"You need to start explaining yourself," Alex said. His throat was dry. This was freaky.

"So last night I ran into little Lorelei there out at the mall. Had a talk with her about... mmm, things you probably wouldn't understand. It wasn't pleasant. She can get kind of bossy, you know? Controlling. Arrogant." Rob poured five shots, taking one of his own. Nobody else accepted the drinks. "And then I find out that there's this whole incident in the parking lot. Bad guys with guns. Some nice, poor kid gets shot. So I start putting two and two together."

"How'd you find us here?" Alex asked.

"That, my friend, is a combination of pliable members of the Seattle Police Department and the almighty dollar," Rob smiled proudly. "After that, it's just legwork and more money. I know everything about you, kid. Your school. Your job. Your home. That mom of yours is a damn hot—"

"None of this makes me want to sit here and talk to you," Alex broke in.

"No, but you'll stay and listen, 'cause you know what's good for you, kid." Rob took up another of the shot glasses left on the table and downed its contents. Behind him, the waiter left the pool hall and locked the door behind him.

"Or at least, you probably mostly know. But anyone can be tempted. You've been fuckin' her, right? Sure you have. Gotta be fuckin' her. Anyone would, and I'm sure she's been throwing it out there at you. Kid, listen. Pussy comes and pussy goes. Unless you let it control you. Now I know she's probably some hot snatch, but take a real good look at where that's landed you. You've already been shot once. You know there'll be more trouble. I've seen the kind of trouble her kind makes. Believe me, you don't want any of that."

The others were silent, looking between Alex and Rob. "You're making an awful lot of assumptions," Alex said.

"Nah, educated guesses," Rob shrugged. "The only things I haven't figured out yet are how she came to be with a nice young man like yourself. Bitches like her are usually drawn to bad boys. Real bad boys. You've met a couple already, right?" Rob said, waving a finger at the side of Alex's chest. He downed another of the shots.

"So I've seen how she looks all out of sorts right now. Like something rough happened to her. Oh, you can't see it, but I can. And she was askin' about certain things last night, which makes me figure you might be the kind of thing she was askin' about."

"What the hell's he babbling over?" Drew frowned.

"Hell if I know," Jason shrugged.

Alex just listened, trying to maintain a poker face to conceal his deepening alarm. He wondered what this guy could know, or what he could be.

"Listen to me, Alex. All of you. She's just one girl. Just one piece of ass in a world full of it. All you need is the right tools and you can go out and get whatever pussy you want, and you don't have to compromise for it. I can make that happen for you. All the hot, willing pussy you could want, and anything else, too." His voice shook, just a bit, like he was getting overexcited and having a hard time controlling it.

Rob's shaking hand reached into his pocket. He pulled forth a fistful of small diamonds and let them fall on the table. "I'm here to offer you a tidy sum for this... troubled asset you've got on your hands," Rob grinned greedily. His hand continued to shake. He drew from another pocket a stack of hundred dollar bills wrapped in a paper ribbon. "We can do cash. Just wanted to show variety. These stacks don't look as impressive as they used to, what with everything going electronic and all. Anyway, I can make it untraceable. All we need to do is come to an amount for you and your friends here. So, can I take this problem off your hands, pal?"

"This 'problem' is my friend," Alex said after a long pause. "And I can't think of a single god damn reason why I should want for anything more than I've already got. Unless it's an opportunity to show my gratitude for having her in my life."

"That's sweet," Rob said with a hint of a chuckle playing at his voice, "but let's be real, eh? Everybody's got a price. Whatever that price is, I can meet it. Don't think of it as giving something up. Think of it as trading up. I'm offering a lot more than just pussy here. And no pussy is better than the pussy you've bought, and you can buy more than you would imagine with what I'm offering."

Drew's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Everyone's did, in fact, save of course Rob. When Drew spoke, he asked, "Did you just come in here and offer to buy another person off my friend?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did, kid. Way of the world, believe it or not. Don't go making it into a racial thing. But it's either buy now or cry later, 'cause if you aren't selling there'll be trouble for sure."

"Those are my options?" Alex asked. Rob nodded. "Sell to you, or you make my life a living hell?" Again, Rob nodded, somewhat cockily. "That's all I've got to choose from? You're sure?"

Rob opened his mouth to answer, but Alex didn't wait. He promptly grabbed the bottle of scotch and smashed it over Rob's head.