Mimi's Demons

Chapter 64: Frenemies and #moreracism

Outside, it was bright as ever. Not a cloud in sight.

Omen waited for him outside a nondescript Honda sedan. Unfortunately, nothing about Omen could pass as nondescript, from his turban to his Sketchers sneakers. He had an eyebrow raised at the closing door behind Duke.

"Sir, may I ask why he's screaming?"

"Think's the kid's going to kill him for being a failure." Duke didn't wait for Omen to open the passenger side door. He wasn't a princess. The thought made him smile with how Mimi-like it sounded.

Omen waited outside until the kid came out the restaurant door in his gray, baggy glory. Omen got into the driver's seat, followed moments later by the kid sliding into the back.

Duke didn't miss Omen's quick glance back. It amused him to see the unflappable giant unnerved by someone so skinny who wasn't his wife.

"Report," he gruffed.

"Only one common spider, so just a run of the mill liar, not an influenced one," said Honrye. "Fornicator. Self-absorbed. Low grade sociopathic tendencies. Addict. Classic grunt material."

"Pity."

Omen didn't hide his questioning glance at Duke this time. Though he hadn't when Duke had told him the kid was coming along for the meeting either. He knew the reports of his men and the doctor; of Honrye's less than human existence. He even knew of his strange ability to frighten, though Duke had lied about it being the instigator of his killing of Dr. Cricket. But Duke hadn't been willing to divulge further than that, so Omen hadn't asked. It was his job to protect without asking questions. But even this seemed to be pushing the envelope for him.

"Spider, sir?"

"A saying. Kid's good at psychoanalyzing. Savant."

Omen seemed doubtful, but said nothing more.

"How's the taste?" Duke asked.

He looked up in the rearview mirror to see, to his sadistic amusement, the kid giving him a look flat as paper.

"I don't think you have room to give me attitude." Not after his stunt on Halloween.

Honrye looked away, hiding his expression with his hood. "Bland. He lives his life off fear."

"I take it the fearless are tastier?"

"Not particularly. More flavorful, maybe." Every word dripped with distaste and discomfort that only made Duke happier. "How's my misery? Tasty enough for you?"

Duke shrugged, thinking of the bullets still percolating in the kid's gut. He wondered how they were doing after the healing the demon most likely got from eating the fear off the cartel's man. "Like pinâ colada." He hoped they still hurt, else he'd have to think of another punishment for the monster crawling out of its hole to make him lie to his daughter about having a kid mow his lawn.

Even as he ruminated on his displeasure, the image of the demon's downturned head and small voice bubbled up.

'I just wanted to see her,' Honrye had whispered.

Well, he'd done a little more than that. Bastard.

Duke didn't have to ask to know Omen thought their conversation strange. But he'd thought it strange that Duke was bringing along the weird bat kid in the first place and still hadn't said anything. Such were the perks of a good employee. He wondered if he should slip Omen a bonus, though he was already paying the sikh enough to afford a mansion of his own.

While Omen expertly maneuvered lunch break traffic, Duke took out his phone and dialed Monty to see if he could move the board meeting up to tomorrow. Might as well have everyone in one place when he cornered the head of the cartel. He hated repeating himself, afterall, not to mention he had other responsibilities now that he was a parent.

Once he'd finished with Monty, he rung up Kavya, who'd asked him herself if she could share nanny duties with Serena. Omen must have told her he was looking, to which Duke was not displeased. Kavya had a good head on her shoulders and more experience with children who weren't starving vagrants in a war torn third-world country. Most importantly, Mimi liked her.

Kavya answered immediately with a report that Mimi was currently eating lunch with Juli. Duke could even hear them chattering in the background. A part of him considered asking her to put him on speakerphone so he could listen in. Some of the things Mimi would say were comedy gold. Not that Mimi appreciated him thinking so.

But he was already treading a thin line when it came to his daughter's privacy. He wanted to be a father, not an overbearing creep.

A particular squawk from Mimi over the line, followed by Juli's boisterous laughter, made him miss the last thing Kavya had reported. It had been something Mr. Shackett's had said, but Duke wasn't too concerned. He could just read Mr.Shackett's report.

"What are they laughing about?" he asked.

Kavya huffed a little and he could hear her smile over the line. "Juli squirted his lemon onto Mimi's chicken fingers." Kavya excused herself quickly before turning the phone away to scold Juli mercilessly.

Duke found himself smiling. A glance in the rearview mirror told him the demon knew exactly what he was missing out on.

"I'll leave it to you," he told Kavya, excusing himself before hanging up. He glanced to Omen, who was tapping a large finger on the steering wheel. "I hear there are plenty of orphans no one is keeping track of in Columbia and Peru."

Omen gave him a look.

"Just saying," said Duke.

"You've never cared before, sir."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know you were looking before. But Mimi's filled me in. I'm surprised you didn't ask. You more than deserve a favor for all your hard work."

"My men let that get past us," Omen gestured with his eyes towards the backseat. "And then there was the traitor..."

"And you've compensated for that. Though why haven't you mentioned that before? Let me guess, you were afraid I'd kidnap a baby from the hospital."

"Nothing quite so uncouth, sir." Though the way Omen looked to the side mirrors when there was no reason to was telling.

Duke rolled his eyes. Seriously, you'd think his only friend would realize Duke had gotten as far as he had because he had taste. He'd wait till the unwanted baby got out of the hospital before nabbing it. Less cameras.

"Fine. It's your wife who deserves a bonus. Mimi's flourished beneath her care." As in she actually cared about her health and hygiene now. "As long as it doesn't distract from her duties, I see no issue arranging a little jaunt to a southern country for her. Unless you two would prefer something that looks more...curry fed?"

Omen was not amused. "Sir."

Duke chuckled anyway.

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I do need to line those two up with a baby, don't I? Gosh, where are my sticky notes...baby...for...Omen...oh, but we do have a untethered teenager stuffed in the basement. He's a bit 'horny,' but perhaps he'll do? >3