The Price of Possession by Dakota Brown (universal ebook reader txt) 📗

towardthe exit. I glanced down, making sure it was enough to cover everything, beforewatching as they left.

"I'm leaving a bad review!" he shouted.

"I'll look forward to ripping you a new oneonline, too," I shouted back. "Fucking tourists," I mutteredbefore grabbing the hundred-dollar bill and handing it to Stacy. "At leasthe tipped you well."

Her eyebrows rose. "I'll make change for thepizza."

"Naw, mate, don't worry about the pizza. Tip'sall yours. Just clean off the table. Jerks." I hopped off the chair andstomped back toward the kitchen to a round of applause from our regulars andsome mystified looks from a few out of towners.

The tourists were typically pretty easy to tell inSanta Fe, and we catered to the local crowd. They were a loyal group. They alsoknew I took good care of my staff. The secret to Price's Pizza Parlor, happystaff, and secret family recipes for the crusts. The nostalgic nod in the décor,music–and the owner–toward the eighties punk scene didn't hurt, either.Especially in Santa Fe.

"Thanks, Chris."

"Sure thing, Billy. Thanks for grabbing me.Always a good time." I shot him a grin, and answered a few smiles from mycooks, before shutting myself back into my office. This paperwork was the worstpart of having a business. Yet again, I debated training Billy for this job. Iliked staying active with the shop, but to be honest, I'd rather be in thekitchen than in the office.

I had settled back into the payroll when Billy crackedmy door open again. My stomach grumbled when the heavy scent of garlic hit me.Maybe it was time for lunch. Dinner? I glanced at the clock. Dinner.

"Yeah?"

"There's a priest here to see you," he saiduncertainly.

Fuck.

"Black guy? Ordered a basil and mozzarella with abeer?"

"Yeah." Billy nodded. "Then he askedfor you."

"Kay, make his small a medium. On the house.Throw a ginger beer on the order and I'll meet him in a minute." Good timefor dinner, I supposed, though I clenched my jaw and wondered what Dariuswanted with me. He and I went way back, thick and thin and all that, but whenhe showed up, he usually wanted something, and if it was something he couldn'thandle, it was going to either be very interesting, or very dangerous. Possiblyboth. I hadn't seen him since I'd officially given up my old life five yearsback. Despite the lack of contact, he was arguably my best friend. Perhaps bydefault since I didn't have a lot of friends left these days. We had driftedapart after our misspent youths, but he had still turned up now and again. Atleast until after my family had gotten killed five years back. Then it hadseemed like he had ducked away for good.

"Sure, boss."

I shot Billy a thumbs up and made the final entries onthe payroll. I was definitely teaching Billy how to do this.

Once I finished, I headed out into the kitchen. A fewof my cooks gave me curious looks. I shrugged. "Gotta atone for my sins, Iguess." A cocky grin had them laughing as I left the kitchen.

Mandy was just giving Darius our pizza when I hit thedining area. Our drinks already sat on the table of the small corner booth.

He looked up when I approached, a broad smile easinghis pensive expression. I hadn't seen Darius in five years, but not much hadchanged. Perhaps a hint more gray in his short cropped brown hair and in thecarefully trimmed beard and mustache he wore. I hadn't seen him in anything buthis black clothing with the white collar since he'd taken his vows, though apriest walking into an eighties throwback pizza joint amused the hell out ofme.

I smiled tightly back. "Mandy, I'll shout if weneed anything, otherwise leave us alone, okay?"

"Sure, Chris." She glanced at Darius and henodded that he was okay, and the waitress split.

"Price, good to see you." He pushed a platetoward me, and I helped myself to the pizza before answering.

"Yeah, always good to see you, too, mate. What'sup?"

"I'd stick to the platitudes, but I don't want toget eviscerated." He chuckled.

I winked and took a bite of my pizza, groaning softlyin pleasure. I really did like pizza. Never got tired of it.

"We've got an interesting one down at the jail."

I arched an eyebrow and took a drink, waiting. He wasgoing to ask for help and I was going to tell him no, because I was out. Done.Not getting dragged back in. Gone respectable and all that.

"The demon wants out. Is practically begging usto send it home. I can't get it out of the guy's body."

My other eyebrow shot up to join the first. "Saywhat?"

"The demon wants to be exorcised. I can't get itout. The guy is hanging onto the creature somehow."

"That's...not how it works."

Pizza forgotten, my mind whirled around thepossibilities and came up blank.

"Yes, I realize that."

"Did you try, uh, asking the demon why it wasstuck?"

"It can't tell us. Mostly it's not even able totalk or control its host, which is also weird. The signs all say the demon hasbeen there a while, but it has been reduced to begging for release."

"That's bizarre."

"Yes."

He didn't say it, but obviously that is why he hadwalked through my doors. He wanted me to have a go at releasing the demon.Trouble was, that wasn't my gig anymore.

"Darius..."

"Chris, please. I wouldn't ask if it wasn'timportant."

"More to it than just one stuck demon?"

He nodded.

"Care to fill me in?"

"I can't. It's an ongoing police investigation.If they want to tell you more, that's up to them."

I sighed, remembered my food, and put some attentionto filling the void in my gut while I considered Darius' predicament. I shouldbe sending him packing. Best friend or not, Darius usually broughttrouble with him.

"You know I quit, right?"

His shoulders slumped. "Chris..."

I waved my hand, "yeah, yeah, I know. Triedeverything, can't think of anything else, I'm your only hope, etcetera."

Darius sighed. "I've said it before, and I'll sayit until the day I die. I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this."

"I'm not sorry you dragged me in, just neverexpected you to abandon me, or I might not have followed in the first place."He knew I didn't