The Devil's Love

Tempt the Devil: Chapter 4: Sarah

I watched him walk towards the door, mentally trying to tell myself to say something to him.

But what do I say?

I looked at the card, a thick business card with embossed black letters. Anton Dremain, Dream maker, problem solver, life changer. But no phone number. I turned it over and still there was nothing.

"Hey, there's no number on the card."

Anton stopped and turned around slightly, his hand still on the door handle.

"There is no number if you do not intend on calling me."

As I looked down at the card again, a phone number had appeared.

"How..."

I looked up and he was gone and I was incredibly freaked out.

"It is good magic, is it not?"

Shrieking as I turned around, I saw Igor standing behind me.

"Man is a magician, you like him then you call him."

"Sure. Hey, I'm going to shut up early tonight."

"Good, I will clean now."

The lumbering brute of a man turned and walked into the kitchen, Erica squeezing past his bulky frame.

"Did you say we're closing early tonight?"

"Yeah. Got stuff to do in the morning and I want a good night's rest. Hey, I need your keys."

Erica frowned and nodded, pausing before handing them over.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just upgrading security. You know how it is."

She nodded and removed the shop key from the split ring, handing it over with the frown still intact.

When the kitchen was clean and everything was noted down, I locked the doors and wandered across the road to my apartment block. Yes, it was because of the geographical convenience that I had this apartment and yes it was a little out of my price range.

I sat by the window with the dinner that Igor had put into a container for me. On the window sill were my phone and Anton's card. The view was of my shop and the minuscule alley beside it. Trucks should be able to fit down it so that I could get deliveries with ease but they couldn't. The little car that was backing down it barely fit.

I picked up the phone and dialed Anton's number, he answered on the second ring.

"Sarah."

"Uh hey. How did you know it was me?"

"A hunch."

My mouth twisted with disbelief.

"There is a car in the alley. Tell me how you knew they would rob me?"

"I heard him say tonight's the night. Assumption is easy. I looked at their faces and listened to their words. I saw how you were tending to his duties and could see that things weren't right. Did you do as I said?"

Huffing as I fell back into the chair, I toyed with his card and continued to watch the view of my shop being robbed.

"Yeah, Igor stayed. Tell me why."

"He's a good man Sarah, he will protect your shop and deal with the intruders."

"That's for the authorities to do."

Anton made a disgruntled noise, offering nothing else to the statement I had made. A body thumped onto the roof of the little car, one that I saw was Leith. I gasped with shock and saw Erica scrambling for the driver side door, Leith slowly sliding off the roof. He had barely made it into the car before Erica hit the gas, screeching out of the alley.

"Great. Now I'm down on more staff."

I was beginning to wonder if this was worth it. Maybe I should sell the business with an apology to Igor.

"Nonsense." Anton chided down the phone line. "Rest easy tonight, tomorrow is a new beginning."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have a shop going down the drain."

"What time do you open?"

"Five."

There was silence, for a moment I thought that the line had dropped out.

"Not for lunch trade?"

"I've only got one chef Anton, I can't ask Igor to work for the entire day and night. I can't even afford him now."

"Be at the shop at ten am Sarah. Can you do that?"

"Of course."

Saying goodbye to the peculiar man was difficult, hanging up the phone was even more difficult.

I trudged around the apartment, weary in mind and body. Anton questioning why I didn't open for lunch only reminded me of how bad things were. I couldn't understand it. We weren't overpriced, the food was tasty and the place was clean. Yet it had become so bad that I cut the hours based on the highest booking times which was dinner. After eating the dinner Igor had made for me and showering, I sat on the bed and looked over the profit and loss. Of late it was more loss and no profit.

Shadows moved over the shop front, catching my eye. I scrambled to the edge of my window and saw Igor and Anton talking, a rather large black dog by their feet.

Igor never mentioned owning a dog, so I could only assume it belonged to Anton yet there was no dog hanging around when he ate. Did that mean he lived close by? And why was he back at the shop, talking to Igor?

I frowned at the view, watching Igor tip his head which almost looked like a bow. My nose crinkled as I became more and more confused. The two men turned away from each other and walked in opposite directions.

It was crazy but I pulled a pair of jeans on and my sneakers, finding an old sweatshirt and jacket. Grabbing my keys I ran out of my apartment and down the one flight of stairs, pushing through the door and into the cold night air.

I was crazy, I should go back to bed and forget about following him. Someone forgot to send the message to my feet, they followed Anton through the dark streets. Puffs of air pushed out as I breathed, the chill setting deep into me.

It wasn't until we reached Carnegie Hall that I realized how far away from home I was. Chasing after a stranger in the darkened streets of New York city.

Anxiety and dread started to swell, Anton was getting further and further away. From where I had come seemed so dark and dangerous, ahead of me seemed easy.

"You're an idiot Sarah," I whispered as I turned to follow Anton again.

Turn after turn I kept up, keeping a reasonable distance from him. With a cramp in my side, I stopped and looked at the boxed design of the museum of modern art. I frowned, he was backtracking but for what reason?

As I stood upright again, the cramp slowly dying away I realized that I had lost sight of Anton.

"Damn it."

"Something wrong?"

I shrieked and spun around on my feet, seeing Anton leaning on the wall of the building. That was not possible.

"How?" I rasped.

He lifted his lean body off the wall and walked over, looking so dangerous. Now I feared for my safety, realizing what an idiot I had been.

"How what Sarah? Do be more specific."

The world started to shrink, slowly darkness took over the light and left me swimming in a sea of never ending black.