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Aidan waited patiently in front of Levi Court, a small cul-de-sac quietly tucked just outside the main metropolis. There were only four houses situated in the semi-circular residential street. Aidan paced, waiting for the note’s writer to arrive and hoping the homeowners weren’t going to call the cops on him for suspiciously casing their houses.

One minute after 8 PM, the door to the house farthest from the connecting road opened slightly. Aidan took this as his cue to enter. He wasn’t surprised when he found Richard sitting on the couch. He was swirling a glass filled with amber liquid, his blue eyes both somber and frightened at the same time.

“You don’t live here,” Aidan noted.

Richard laughed quietly to himself.

“No, I don’t. The company owns this cul-de-sac. We can use these houses for anything we want. Alone time, debauchery. A nap.”

Richard sipped his drink again and continued.

“You haven’t been here long enough to get the keys. And Aidan, let’s be honest, you aren’t getting keys.”

Aidan moved slowly into the room, watching Richard closely, not sure where the other man was going with his monologue.

“See, I know who you are,” Richard said, looking him in the eye. “I know you are here to save us. Or at least try to save us. But you won’t get everyone to redeem themselves from this Hell. Especially her.”

“Who?”

“You know,” Richard answered quietly. “She seems quiet and remorseful, but she’s not who you think she is. Trust me. I can’t be saved because I know too well what she is.”

“What did you do, Richard?” Aidan asked gently. “How did you end up here?”

Richard stared at Aidan for a long time before responding.

“It doesn’t matter. None of our past lives really matter. Compared to what we do on the board? It’s meaningless. In the moment, the fear of getting caught or killed or whatever the consequence would be, it seems like this is a better deal. You get to live and your sins erased. But they aren’t really erased. They still exist. You are erased to avoid human consequence, but you are fodder for a demon. You are the plaything of evil. No one, except maybe Horatio, would say that’s better.”

“How old is he?”

“Horatio? Old. Very, very old,” Richard explained. “And he’s been a bastard since the beginning. He was designed for this job. Legend has it the previous CEO was threatened by Horatio’s loyalty. It was Horatio’s predecessor who crafted trouble within the circle to push Horatio out. It backfired. Horatio figured out the plot and turned the tables on him. Out-schemed one of the best schemers. That’s why our boss eliminated that whole board except Horatio.”

“And Lucien?”

“He’s old too, but much younger than Horatio. And Lucien shouldn’t be one of us. He’s a better man than every single person at that table. But he got stuck. And I can see it in his eyes. He searches for penance but knows it won’t come,” Richard stated between sips of his drink. “But you are avoiding what I told you.”

“The “her” you speak of?”

“Yes.”

Aidan smiled. “You mean Cassidy, don’t you?”

Richard didn’t answer. He stared into Aidan’s eyes, waiting for him to say it out loud.

“Are you suggesting she’s the demon in charge?” Aidan questioned. “That seems a stretch.”

“Or is it brilliant? Hiding behind the sweet face of a sullen, beautiful woman?”

Aidan noticed Richard’s eyes welling up as he gulped the last of the amber liquid.

“I assumed she was just like me,” Richard began. “A lost soul too cowardly to face their sins. Almost immediately, we got along. And before you know it? We’re in bed and I’m in love. But then it hit me. Where was the consequence? We weren’t hiding, not really.”

Richard stood up and paced the room. Aidan watched him, not interrupting his confession.

“And then she showed me her true face,” he continued. “I’ve never been so scared. Not because she was hideous or frightening. But because I knew I sealed my fate. So, Aidan, I’m telling you this because both of our times are up. And I want you to be ready.”

Aidan nodded. He knew this would be the last time he saw Richard alive.

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