CHAPTER 14


 

 

 

THE TWO SUVs slowed as they passed in front of Lilith’s Den. Outside a line of women waited patiently to be screened and admitted to the nightclub. Circling the block, the lead vehicle parked near a dimly lit corner. The second pulled up behind it. Eight men climbed from the cars and huddled against the building.

"What time is Freddie getting here?" asked one of them, keeping his voice low.

"When he gets here," snapped another.

"What’s your problem?" demanded the first, bristling at the other man’s tone.

"He’s just pissed because he screwed up earlier and now we have to bail him out. Freddie should have shot his ass," growled a third.

Jimmy would have slugged the man if a dark Jeep hadn’t pulled up next to the first car.

"Any problems here?" Freddie asked, glaring at the group.

"No, boss. Just a little excess energy. We’ll make sure the guys work it off."

"You’d better. One more screw up today and I’ll have all of you shot," threatened Freddie. "Now shut up and listen. Cooley, you take three guys and go the hospital and get Candy and that interfering bitch. Take them to my place. I’ll tend to them later."

"Sure boss."

"Oh... and Cooley... if they give you any trouble, do what ever it takes to shut them up... get it?"

Cooley grinned. He knew how to quiet whores. Rubbing his crotch he couldn’t wait to get them alone. Signaling for three of the men to follow him, he climbed into the lead SUV and drove off.

"What about us, boss?" mumbled Jimmy.

"We’re going to pay a little visit to Lilith’s Den. Come on!"

As they neared the nightclub, Freddie signaled for two of his men to circle the building and watch the back door. The other two followed him. Pushing past the line, he forced his way through the door.

"Hey man!" complained one of the women. "This is women only!"

"Shut up, bitch!" snarled Freddie, palming the gun handle protruding from his pants, "or I’ll make you."

Throwing up her hands and backing away, she shook her head.

"I ain’t looking for trouble, mister."

Freddie smirked and walked away, his two thugs chuckling smugly.

Seeing the gun, Bertie pushed a button on the wall and then stood to block the entrance to the main room.

"No men allowed," she growled, unimpressed by the three men in front of her.

"Well, I think tonight you’ll make an exception," Freddie warned, once again displaying his weapon.

"No exceptions... no men."

Patting the wooden handle of his gun, he smiled knowingly.

"I’d suggest you rethink that."

Crossing her arms, Bertie stood her ground and glared angrily at them for a few seconds.

"Okay. I’ve rethought it."

"I thought you would."

"The sign says ‘no men’! So it’s no men. Now get out!"

Freddie wasn’t used to women standing up to him. For a moment he hesitated but then realized his two goons were watching. Pulling out the gun he pointed it at Bertie's head.

"I don’t take lip from no fucking bitch... especially a fat slob like you!"

The woman blinked and stiffened. Taking a step forward, she pushed up the sleeve on her right arm.

"That’s okay, Bertie," said a quiet voice from behind. "Let the gentlemen in. I’ll handle this."

"You sure, boss? I don't mind removing these vermin," replied the bouncer.

Lilith chuckled, knowing Bertie wouldn't hesitate to take on all three of the intruders.

"I'm sure. Thanks."

Stepping aside, the bouncer motioned them past. Freddie smirked.

"Another time," promised Bertie, her voice low and threatening. Freddie cringed when he caught the look in her eyes. He knew he had made an enemy and this woman was big enough to do some damage if she ever got the chance. He'd have his men take care of her another time. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Now, now, Bertie," admonished Lilith. "Mr. Perez is a guest here. We don’t want him to feel unwanted."

"Sorry, boss."

Everyone knew she wasn’t.

"So, what is it I can do for you, Mr. Perez?" asked Lilith, leading him through the room toward her table in the corner. Several women turned to stare at them and frowned.

"I thought men weren’t allowed in here!" yelled one from across the room.

Lilith stopped to stare at her and then the other occupants. The grumbling stopped although the low whispers were indicative of the discontent permeating the room. Motioning to the chairs around the table, the club owner signaled to Agra to bring some drinks. When three Budweisers were set on the table, Freddie and the two men frowned, wondering how they knew what beer they liked.

"It’s a common preference for men," replied Lilith as if reading his thoughts.

Freddie looked up at the tall, dark-haired woman with the black eyes. Slowly his gaze wondered from her face, down her body and then back up. Licking his lips crudely, he imagined what it would be like to fuck her.

"You wouldn’t last two seconds."

"Huh?"

"Fucking me. You wouldn’t last two seconds," she said, sitting down and crossing her long legs.

"How did..."

"That’s all men like you ever think about. I have to admit, it’s the one thing that’s consistent with your type."

Being a pimp, Freddie didn't like women talking down to him. Knowing his two men were witnessing the disrespect made it worse.

"Ok. So you want to play games, eh, Miss..."

"Lilith."

"Lilith. Well, Lilly, I’m here to clear up a few things."

"Ah. I’m intrigued, Mr. Perez, but I don't believe you hear well. The name's Lilith. L..I..L..I..T..H. Just in case you can't spell. Now, what is it you think needs clearing up?"

Ignoring her sarcasm, Freddie looked at his fingernails and stroked them slowly with his thumb.

"Let’s say we need an understanding. You keep your whores away from mine and we’ll get along fine."

"My whores?"

"Don’t play games with me... the Sisterhood."

Lilith laughed.

"Agra!" she called. "Would you come over here?"

Freddie watched the bartender swagger toward them. The orange hair with the purple tips made her look like a punk rocker.

"What’s up boss?"

"Agra, Mr. Perez here seems to think I am the Sisterhood’s pimp."

"You?" Turning to the other barkeeper, a short plump woman, she called out. "Hey Mudy, this guy thinks the boss runs the Sisterhood."

Several women choked on their drinks and the sound of coughing filled the room. Others snickered and stared at Freddie as if he had grown horns or something. Mudy gave him the finger and went back to making drinks. Turning red, Freddie felt his anger growing.

"Look, lady. We can settle this nicely or I can come back here with a few extra men and be not so nice," he threatened, looking first at Lilith and then Agra. When their eyes momentarily flared a brilliant red, he swallowed nervously. The bartender noticed the action and chuckled. There was no humor in her laughter. Placing her palms on the table, Agra leaned down, her face just inches from his.

"I own the Sisterhood... and I don’t take threats well," she hissed, her hot breath fanning his cheek.

Freddie jerked back and reached up to touch his face. It felt hot and tender like a mild sunburn.

"Hey. My mistake. I’m just trying to be reasonable and protect my investment. Like I said, you stay on your turf and I’ll stay on mine. That’s all I’m saying."

"I tell you what, Mr. Perez. I’ll think about it. In the meantime I’d suggest you call your goons back from the hospital before they end up like the ones I had to take care of earlier today."

Startled, Freddie wasn’t sure what to say.

"I... uh... I don’t know what you mean," he stammered.

"Oh. I’m sorry. Perhaps I’m mistaken. I thought you sent some of your men to the hospital to get Candy and my whore," snarled Agra, curling her upper lip slightly.

When he didn’t respond, the demoness straightened up and glared down at him. Later Freddie would swear her eyes were the color of blood.

"I was jus... just making sure they were ok. That’s... all."

"How nice. Well, maybe you should call the guys and ask them to drop the girls off here, since you are being so... thoughtful."

"Yeah. Sure."

Taking out his cell phone, he punched in a number, glancing at the bartender nervously.

"Cooley. When you pick them up, bring the whore to Lilith’s Den."

"Bring both of them," ordered Agra.

"But Candy belongs to me."

"Not any more. She joined the Sisterhood today. She’s mine!"

"You can’t..."

"What?" demanded the demoness, quietly threatening.

"Nothing. Cooley, bring them both here... No I’m not kidding... just do it."

Before he could hang up, Lilith reached over and took the phone from his hand. Smiling graciously, she put it to her lips.

"Oh... and Cooley, if you lay a finger on them... if you so much as look at them wrong, I will personally cut off your hands and feed them to you one finger at a time."

The threat was said so calmly that everyone who heard it knew the club owner was serious. Handing the phone back to Freddie, Lilith stood up and smiled. Freddie could feel something almost evil behind it.

"Now, Mr. Perez. You rudely pushed your way into my club, threatened my bouncer, who happens to be a good friend of mine, with a gun and then threatened me. Four of your men were sent to kidnap members of the Sisterhood and kill them. Oh, by the way, you will need to replace Cooley. He’s about to have a terrible accident. I don’t take kindly to rapists. As for the two jerks at the backdoor... you can pick their bodies up when you leave."

Freddie started to interrupt when Lilith held up her hand to silence him.

"No. Not a word. I listened to you... now you will listen to me. Your reign over your whores is over. You have one week to get your business in order and leave town... one week... not a day more. If you choose to ignore my suggestion I promise you, you won’t live to regret it... but you will regret. Agra will be by in a few days to collect your whores. They are now under the protection of the Sisterhood."

At the moment, Freddie wasn’t sure what to do or think. Once he was out of there, he’d decide on his next move. For sure, he wasn’t about to let this bitch dictate terms to him.

"I suggest you do."

"Huh?"

"Take me seriously."

Reaching over, she caressed his cheek lightly. The pleasant, cool trail left by her fingers soon turned warm and then began to burn causing him to gasp. Jerking his head back, he covered his cheek with his hand, his eyes watering from the pain.

"What are you?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

Lilith looked at Agra and the two women smiled.

"What’s the old cliché? Your worst nightmare?"

"You got it, boss."

They laughed, knowing it wasn’t exactly the truth. Freddie’s worst nightmare wasn’t going to happen in this life. He had an eternity of them ahead of him.

"Now, Mr. Perez, I think we have a good understanding. It’s time you left... after all, this is a ‘women only’ bar and you’ve overstayed your welcome."

Motioning for Bertie to come over, she watched as her bouncer escorted the three men from the club.

"I don’t trust him," Agra said.

"Neither do I. Send Mudada to watch him. If he tries anything, tell her to handle it... but... make sure his soul is left in tact. She’s not to damage it in any way. I want him to spend a long time repenting his sins."

Nodding, the bartender returned to the counter and whispered to Mudada. Wiping her hands, the plump demoness nodded, grinned and then left. Grabbing her crotch in a lewd manner she made a slicing gesture across her lower body. Lilith chuckled. Mudy would like nothing better than to cut Freddie’s nuts off. Knowing it would cause him tremendous pain and not affect his soul, it wouldn’t take much for him to piss her off enough to do it. She had her doubts about the pimp lasting more than a few days.

I could almost feel sorry for him, she thought.

"Why?" asked the Child, intruding on her mother’s thoughts. "He doesn't deserve anyone’s sympathy."

"True. I did say ‘almost’."

"But the thought was there. You are growing more human in your old age."

"Old age? Demons don’t grow old."

"Maybe. Who can really say? Perhaps we’re simply long lived. Many of us have disappeared and no one knows where they have gone."

Lilith had to agree. There weren’t as many demons as before. Even taking into account the Great Battle and the few skirmishes that had occurred since then, it didn't explain the thousands who had vanished.

"Only time will tell."

"Time, something we never think about... at least in your world. I think about it a lot... and wonder if it exists in this place. It’s strange. I haven’t seen myself since I was banished here. Do you think I’ve aged any, Mother? It’s hard to tell when you can’t see your own reflection. I can’t even remember what I used to look like."

"I don’t know."

"Well, I’d hate to think I still had the face and body of a demon child."

"I can understand that. So, you were telling me about your plan. How did you get Eve to cooperate with you?"

"It was easy. Eve was naïve but she was intelligent. She was also very curious. When I noticed she avoided one particular tree, I asked one of the demons about it. He told me about the Tree of Knowledge and how the Twin had declared it off limits to any of his creations."

"True. He thought absolute knowledge would corrupt anyone. Even Dis and the demons believed this."

"I know. None of them wanted anything to do with it, but I did learn enough about the Tree to formulate my plan. Every day I would return to paradise, climb it and wait for her to walk by. One day, she stopped and looked at the fruit. I knew she was thinking about it... wondering... so I whispered to her."

"You talked to Eve? The Twin would never allow a demon to talk to his creations. He never forgave Dis for interfering with Adam and me."

"If he had known, probably not... but I wasn’t there in demon form. I made myself into one of his creations. It was easy. The Twin believed Paradise was safe so I knew as long as I remained small and unobtrusive, he’d never notice."

"So you became the serpent. Most of us believed it was Leviathon (I’m assuming you want the old spelling rather than Leviathan) who tempted Eve. When he defended Dis's actions concerning me, the other Angels felt he was being disloyal to his brother and threw him from the Heavens. Had Dis not caught him before striking the Underworld, he would probably have been destroyed. He was so bitter he threatened he would get his revenge one day. As the commander of Dis's navy, he could come and go anytime without be questioned... and as one of the few true shapeshifters, he seemed the logical suspect. Your father confronted him once and he just glared at Dis and then left. We thought it best to drop the subject since the deed was already done."

"Leviathon has always been loyal to Father, but loved the angels. Unfortunately, they forced him to choose sides before the Great Battle and he chose loyalty. He felt betrayed by what they had done."

"Yes. Emotions ran high back then. So, when did you learn to shapeshift? None of us knew you could do that."

"There were many things I could do once I figured them out... After all, I am my Father’s daughter."

Lilith thought about the many times Dis had taken on different shapes and appearances for his own reasons. He had even done an Elvis impression at Yemaya’s last performance.

"Exactly," said the Child, reading her thoughts. "It’s wasn't hard once I figured out the details. When Eve discovered I could talk, she was ecstatic. Up until then, Adam was the only thing she could talk to. All of the other animals had their own languages. Once, she confided in me that she was growing bored with her existence. That's when I knew I had her."

"Had her?"

"Yes. I began talking about the Underworld and its inhabitants. Eve was like a sponge, soaking up every word I spoke. I would mention something and she wanted me to describe it in great detail. She thirsted for knowledge. It was like an addiction and I was her fix. She asked about me... about the demons... how many there were... how many angels... how everything came to be. What I didn't know, I made up. Every day I visited with her and we'd talk. Of course, I never let her know I was a demon. She thought I was just another of the Twin's creations... otherwise she would have told Adam. In time, she began to ask me how I knew so much. That was the opening I was waiting for. I told her about the Tree of Knowledge and how I had been created to protect it from the undeserving."

"And she believed you?"

"Why wouldn't she. Eve was perfect. I think that was the Twin's greatest mistake. Her perfection left her flawed. She had no reason or ability to doubt me."

"That's true. Dis always said the innocent were the easiest to deceive because they were the first to believe. Eve was proof of that, I guess."

The Child hesitated before continuing with her story, sensing a change in her mother's mental state.

"Whatever it is, there is nothing you can do to change it," Lilith said trying to reassure her.

"I know. I guess this is the hardest part. It was the beginning of the downfall of Paradise. At the time, I didn’t give much thought about the consequences of what I was doing."

"You were a child."

"I wasn't that young, Mother. Nor was I innocent. I just wanted to teach Adam a lesson he would never forget... that's why I told Eve that he had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge."

"Adam never ate from the Tree."

"True! But she didn’t know that. I planted the seed of doubt in her. After all, did she not wait on him hand and foot? And wasn’t he the one who taught her the names of everything in Paradise? And answered her questions?"

"He and I knew them from the day we were created."

"But Eve didn’t. The Twin let Adam teach her. Perhaps it was his way of keeping her subservient... or he just thought it would give them both something to do. Anyway, it didn't take long for her to become suspicious of both Adam and the Twin, wondering why she wasn’t offered the fruit if he was. Then I told her about you."

"You told her about me? That was cruel!"

Lilith didn't know whether to be angry or impressed at her daughter's ingenuity.

"At the time, I hated her. I despised her innocence... I resented her subservience to Adam and most of all, I think I hated myself because I was growing fond of her. She was so nice and trusting. Later, I felt sorry for her. She was happy and I destroyed that. Anyway, the more I talked about you, the more she felt... cheated. It was only a matter of time before I convinced her to take a bite of the fruit, just a small one. I can remember it as if it were only yesterday."