The Sin Hunter: Double or Nothing

Phone Call

"Alright, now here's the schtick," a scarred, rasping voice hissed in the shaded interior of the limo. Wheels thundered down the highway through traffic while a glass of scotch swirled in a stained glass on the right door handle. "We've run into some issues regarding a very particular Living World incursion. Our sources have been informed that Liana Winters' death is being looked into by external sources, and good Lord wherever that selfish ball of eye crud is, you will NOT like who's on the trail." A cooler, slick and stricken voice rocked the interior of the limo, sliding into a seat beside the demon whose teeth gritted against one another, sending figurative sparks crashing against the seats.

"I see. Y'know, Bile, I don't think you've come to me with these issues since that poor oldie skipped town. Poor Bubzy and his serpentine empire. Didn't he understand that slots have to be filled and nobody stays in power forever?" Bile chuckled, closing his circle-pierced eyes in silence. "Mm-hmm. Got it. Hey, does the Sin Hunter ring any bells to ya?" Something on the other end of the room shrieked and splintered, loud crashing sounds erupting rom the phone. Bile lowered the phone, setting it by his side while he raised the glass of scotch to his coarse, scaly lips, sipping slowly before the phone went silent again, heavy breathing pulsing in the receiver.

"I...BEG your pardon? What, cuz you know my hearing's gotten worse, really has, WHAT was THAT NAME. Again?" Bile coughed, clearing his throat before he responded. "The Sin Hunter, sir," Bile replied, in a tone set and clear, while the receiver buzzed with intense breathing. "The Sin Hunter? I'm sorry, and who let that tired, lousy, home wrecking, train crashing, LORD AND LADY OF HELL'S ASS KICKING TRENCH COAT ENTER THIS EQUATION?!?!" Bile crossed one leg over the other, picking away at lunch with a toothpick. "Calm yourself, Mam. My boys have this whole thing covered. As long as we're on the scene, the Sin Hunter will never even have to hear your name, is that clear?" 

"OH, don't you take that tone with me, you worthless pile of scales and slippery shenanigans! Let's not forget that being the former boss' right hand does NOT put you at a higher rank than where I'm sitting now!" Bile cleared his throat, rolling his eyes in weary irritation. "Of course, of course...sir." he paused then, as if saying those words had struck him in the stomach. The receiver crackled again, grumbling. After a long, shuddering breath and a sigh, they responded. "Okay. Alright, we can still operate with three propellers. Look, the Sin Hunter's gonna get his way unless we beat him to the punch. Now where'd you say that that dumb lawyer was hospitalized at, again?"

Bile fixed his tie as the limo's windows slashed with spotlights. The shimmering lights in Greed's Central Forest Park glistened in the vibrant night sky as the limo passed by a park crowded with families, tourists and best of all, the upper class looking to cash in on some fun. Bile grinned a sharp, trimmed grin before returning to the phone. "Not to worry, Mammon. The situation's been taken into good hands. I've got my boys lining every wing of that hospital. The Sin Hunter won't even be allowed to see the building as long as your guys are watching that place." A sigh of relief as Bile clipped a pen to the edge of his pocket square, fastening a ruby red badge over his dark blue suit. 

Green lines traced along the outer corners and on the seams of the navy blue, enforcing Bile's aquatic origins further and the chaos in his bloodstained veins. "Beelzebub trusted you at your job, so I trust you at your job. But let me make something abundantly clear, Bile. If you screw this up for any of us, you know who the higher up's higher ups will ask for the blame game." Bile flashed a saliva-frosted smile, chewing at the corners of his eyes as the limo rolled to a slow on a right turn through 45th and Silkwick. "Like I said, Mam, I wouldn't place your eggs in one basket. I know what the Sin Hunter's capable of, and I've already contacted backup in case he gets what he's looking for. This is under wraps, nobody'll ever know, never need to know that you were behind any of this work."

"Good. Just the way I like my business. Discreet, in-and-out, no questions asked. Nicely done, Bile." The saltwater serpentine flashed his pale gold teeth in a set of charcoal-gritted gums in the mirror in his seat. "Pleasure's all mine, sir. Like you said; Beelzebub trusted me, and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't continue that deal." Shuffling on the other end of the phone as the car pulled into a slow roll beside the curb outside of a bar. "Thank you again, Bile. That will be all." The phone clicked dead, ending the call. Bile shifted in his seat, fastening his tie and readjusting the black pearl brackets on his cuffs one last time as the limo door slid open. "Your arrival, sir," the driver beckoned. Bile nodded, the reflections of his blood red lenses flashing with sickeningly pale silver lids.