Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong Read Free Book Online Page A

ANGEL

    B ianca knocked on an office door, waited, then opened it. Behind the desk sat a man about my age, with a close-cropped Vandyke and short braids. He was running figures through a calculator, and his eyes stayed fixed on the result as we walked in. His suit coat hung on the chair behind him, and his white shirtsleeves were rolled up to reveal well-muscled dark forearms. Guy Benoit, the gang leader.
    “Guy? This is Faith.”
    “The Expisco?”
    “Yup.”
    He grunted something that could have been “good,” then jotted down a figure before looking up. A cold-eyed evaluation, but unlike Romeo’s, I couldn’t tell whether I’d passed or failed. A second grunt and he returned to his accounting. I glanced at Bianca. She’d made herself comfortable, draped in a chair, long legs crossed in front of her, blue eyes fixed on Guy.
    “I presume Bianca told you the rules of conduct?” he said, fingers flying over the calculator.
    “She did.”
    “Thus ends your training, Faith. We expect our recruits to hit the ground running. Your crew mates will help, but don’t expect anyone to hold your hand. If you don’t work out, there are a dozen more to take your place.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    I added the “sir” instinctively, thinking even as the word left my mouth that he might take it as sarcasm.
    Had this been a job interview, I’d have been seriously considering how badly I wanted the position.

    “I don’t need to tell you the importance of being a loyal crew member. I’m sure the recruiter explained what happens to those who betray us, either intentionally or through carelessness.”
    “Yes.”
    “Then we won’t need to discuss that ever again.” He lifted his gaze to mine for a split second before returning to his work. “This club has a line every night yet it barely breaks even. For us, it’s all about the marks.
    Miami is full of rich brats looking for a good time.”
    From the twist he gave “rich brats,” I wondered whether the cover story Benicio gave me had been such a good idea.
    “They have expensive tastes in everything, from women to booze to dope, and while that would be the easiest way to divest them of their trust funds, it’s a fool’s gambit. What we run here is a legitimate business, following every law right down to fire code regulations. There’s more than one way to fleece a mark. If a young woman overindulges and passes out on our premises, it’s our duty to see to her and make her comfortable. But we’ll unload her apartment while she recovers. From your dossier, I believe that’s the sort of thing you could help with.”
    I nodded. “I dated a professional thief a couple of years ago. I used to go on jobs with him. Just for kicks.”
    His lips tightened and I cursed under my breath. Benicio had screwed up. Or, at least, misjudged. Maybe most gangs were rebellious, undisciplined kids looking for easy money and a good time, but Guy took his job seriously, and expected his crew to do the same. A spoiled socialite looking for “kicks” wasn’t welcome.
    I tried to make up for lost ground. “I know how to use picks, torque wrenches, snap guns and shims. With the right tools, I can do impressions, but I’m still learning that. I can use a Slim Jim and hotwire a car. I know the basics of safe drilling, but I’ve never opened one myself. I’ve disarmed simple security systems. What I’ve had the most practice at, though, is simple stealth skills—moving quietly, avoiding security cameras, foiling attack dogs, that sort of thing.”
    A grudging nod.
    A rap at the door. Again Guy didn’t answer, but the door opened after a few seconds. In walked a stocky young man, who looked no older than twenty.
    “Rodriguez, this is Faith, the new recruit. She’ll need a phone and pager, but that’s not why I called you in.
    I want to talk about this next job.”
    Bianca stood and waved me to follow her. She made it two steps, then Guy said, “Bee? I need you here.”
    He yelled