Page 38 of The Wickedness of Man

Instead of looking properly chastened, Harry settled for standing just out of Jax’s view and miming a noose while sticking out his tongue. I had to actively fight to keep from going across the table at him. I’d already broken his nose tonight; I might go for a few ribs, next.

“Unfortunately, this operation was the closest we’ve gotten to her in many years. Succubi, my boy, can tempt a man with just a single look. If she was able to catch your eye through the camera…” He closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly. “Then she’d probably already been in contact with you. Probably already tempted you.”

It hadn’t been the doctor that tempted me, but I wasn’t about to tell them that. “I didn’t have anyone else in that apartment—ever. I got food, took some runs, then just sat on my ass for eight, ten hours a day monitoring her office. I didn’t even talk to anyone except to check in with Home—at what point would I have the opportunity to get seduced by a succubus? When would she even have seen me?”

“You tell us,” said Harry, still smiling as he strode over to stand behind Jax. “What happened when we lost contact with you?”

I thought back, once more, to the scene, staring at the table as I fought to recall the exact order of events. “Home called, frantic, saying the doctor disappeared from the house and asked me to check if she was at work. I confirmed she was at the office, then spotted a woman arriving in the parking lot. I was worried she was in danger, so I told Home I’d been burned, destroyed the phone, and left.”

“That’s the thing, Knight,” said Jax, his voice sad. “We spoke to the agent you call ‘Home.’ He never called you; you called him.”

“That’s a lie,” I spat, head snapping up to meet his gaze. “He woke me up after I’d been?—”

I stopped short.May as well go the full monte. You’re going to get crucified either way. Something isn’t right here.

“After you’d been what?” Jax pressed.

“…I’d been drinking the night before,” I admitted. “I was passed out when Home called me; there were a bunch of missedtexts, and I was… sluggish. Confused. I made my way to the window, confirmed that the doctor was there, and then…”

I saw Magda… and the doctor saw me.

“Drinking! Really, Caleb!” spat Jax reproachfully. “On assignment? You should have been on your knees in prayer! You know alcohol is prohibited.”

“I had the day off.” I hung my head. Iwasmissing something, and it was making me feel crazy. Why had Home lied? He’d woken me up with the call… hadn’t he?

“Day off?” Harry said, scoffing at me. “You were on assignment, dumbass! Why would you have the day off?”

I paused. Wait… where had I gotten that idea from? Why did I think it would be a good thing to get drunk on Friday when I was on assignment?

My missing time. Shediddo something to me.

“According to Home, you called him, babbling about the doctor being at the office. He stated,” Harry said, “that you seemed incoherent, and you mentioned something about there being a woman in the parking lot, then said you were burned and going in against orders.”

I shook my head, desperately trying to understand what wasn’t adding up.

“No, he called me… I was sleeping—he—check the call logs!” I demanded.

“We did,” said Jax. “There were no text exchanges. In fact, he’d never even realized the doctor left her house, so he never texted you. The only call was from you.”

I slammed a hand on the wooden table, making everyone in the room—including the strange, black-veiled nun—jump. “I am telling thetruth, goddammit!”

Harry held his hands up, placating as he took a step back. “As you know it, yes, you are.”

“The fuck do you mean ‘as I know it’?” I spat, not giving a single care about Jax’s brows furrowing in the coming reproach building behind them. “That’s what happened. I can’t lie in here, and you both know that, so Home is lying. He must be.”

“But you must also realize that meanswecan’t lie in here, either,” Harry pointed out gleefully. “You texted Home and told him the doctor was en route, and then Home texted you back. That’s the last text he sent you, Knight. We ran his phone through the system, andhisversion of events checks out. So, in a sense, you are right: Youhadbeen burned.”

“I hadn’t though, I—” I froze. I’d gotten dinner a couple blocks from the apartment; the beer had been on the counter next to me, and it spilled… but why? There’d been money in my hand, and the case of beer?—

That bitch. But… how? How had she known…? She must have wanted to use me to help her get Magda out of there… but why?

“How often do you drink on assignment, Caleb?” asked Jax.

“Never,” I said. “Last night was the first time.”

“Do you remember what brand the beer was?” continued the bishop. “How much you had to drink before you passed out?”

I struggled to recall, but the label was a blur in my mind. “No.”

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