Mimi's Demons

Chapter 102: It All Comes Out in the End

 Duke didn't have to wonder long where Mimi had ran off to. Omen sent a short text that Mimi was with him, along with her cat who had naturally found his way there, though the finality of the short words gave Duke a different weight in his stomach.

Sure enough, when Omen opened the door of his small apartment in the servant's quarters, his mouth was as tight and thin as it could go, and he hadn't even bothered to put on a turban, leaving his hair piled high on his head. He was even wearing a dressing gown.

That spoke volumes of how much he respected Duke right now.

Duke opened his mouth, but was cut off by Omen coming out and closing the door behind him.

"You killed the boy in front of her."

Omen's low voice made his growl sound from the depths of hell. Duke could feel his toes being vibrated in his shoes.

"It was just the demon, he's not dead—"

"She doesn't know that," Omen rumbled. Oh wow, had he always been this big? "And demon or not, he's a child. You shot a child, multiple times."

Never, ever, through all the atrocities, underhanded dealings, threatening, and shady business had Omen ever spoken to him like this, as though Duke had become a wet turd on his freshly polished Oxford shoes.

Nevertheless, Duke didn't let it show that it affected him. He, after all, was the boss. Not Omen.

"I warned you about getting too attached to the demon," he said.

"The fact remains. When I signed the contract to protect you, there was a clear line about involving children in business. No harm to them, no trafficking them..." Omen seemed to loom over him, inflating to an even larger size. "Yet your daughter is in my wife's arms now in hysterics."

Duke fell quiet. There was nothing he could say to that.

"I acted too quickly."

"Oh?"

"I let my anger get ahead of me. He was feeding on her."

The heavy wave of Omen's anger seemed to pause.

"Feeding?" he asked.

"Like how he feeds on the fears of..." Duke twisted his hand in a 'whoever' gesture. "She had a nightmare or something and came out to find me but ran into him instead. He had his mouth on her."

Ever so slowly, Omen seemed to deflate back to a tired Sikh looking particularly scruffy and hairy.

"You still should have dealt with him out of sight."

"I'm aware of that," said Duke wearily. "Is she...?"

"We'll keep her for tonight—"

"Papa?"

The door had opened a bare hair, and through the crack was Mimi's little shadow.

Duke got stuck between the crossfire of wanting to scoop her up and squeeze her tight and run away.

Running away...it had been a long, long time since he had felt that need. Yet Mimi made him feel all sorts of old feelings, as well as new.

Omen gave him a pointed look. Duke swallowed.

"I'm sorry, kitten. I should have...I did not handle that as I should."

The door opened a little wider, just enough for the softened hallway light to show the tear tracks on her face.

Duke's stomach clenched with another hit of guilt.

"Did...did you kill him?" she asked.

Duke wasn't sure what kind of answer she wanted with that question. Did she want the demon dead or had she supposed it was human? Or even a child like her, as Omen was?