Collateral Damage (Demon Squad Book 8) by Tim Marquitz Page B

determine which is intended to be which.”
    My guts went all Nagasaki at hearing their names, but I managed to bottle it up so Poe would go on. It would serve no one if I exploded and went off without learning everything I could about the bastards that killed my woman. My knuckles, however, ached as I clenched my hands into fists to keep losing control.
    Poe seemed to understand my situation so he didn’t hesitate. “They were prisoners within Limbo until only just recently, fanatics placed there by Longinus at the behest of Lucifer, so very long ago. They have no love for either, nor do they have any for their descendants.”
    And suddenly it all made sense. My stomach soured, Daddy Dearest once more at the helm of a situation that had come back to bite me in the ass. I let out a quiet growl, not completely able to maintain my composure. I so wanted to kill someone right then, Lucifer at the top of the list.
    “They were released and aimed in your direction—”
    “By that bitch Shaw?”
    “I-I-I,” he started, frustration marring his normally placid expression before finally smoothing over once again. “I cannot say who is responsible for their freedom or their mission, but Rebecca Shaw is not without her own sins here in our shared glass house. Nor am I, I’m afraid.”
    The revelation wasn’t much of a surprise. “You working for her, aren’t you?” It was suddenly all so clear. I remembered the ping of familiar essence I’d felt at Katon’s house. It had been Poe, lurking in the distance.
    He nodded. “I am, but not by choice. She holds the strings to the marionette that is me these days. I am not myself anymore, not since I have returned, and there are things I’m being made to do that will haunt us all, though I resist as best I can. I am so very sorry for what may come of it. For all intents and purposes, I am your enemy once more, Mister Trigg, an asset of the Department of Supernatural Investigation.”
    Shit. That wasn’t exactly what I was thinking, but poor guy. He’d gone from bad to dead to worse. An idea slithered into my skull regarding the middle portion of that, but I wasn’t ready to go there yet. I needed some time to think. “Why don’t you come with me? DRAC would take you in, I’m sure of it. We could—”
    “That is not possible. The bonds that tie me to the service of Miss Shaw cannot be so easily severed, but I did not come here to discuss my circumstances. My fate is set. It is you who must be wary.”
    No surprise there. “Tell me what’s going on, Poe.”
    “Shaw has joined forces with Trinity, their interests one and the same: the destruction of the bloodlines of Lucifer and Longinus. Neither will rest until that mission is complete, be assured of that. Trinity is immortal and fueled by their hatred. They will hunt you until their final breath.”
    Lovely. For once, why couldn’t I make enemies of test pilots or stunt car racers, someone who’d die at an early age? “Where are they?”
    “I cannot tell you,” he answered. “And sadly, there is more I am unable to convey, but there is another being behind the scenes that hopes to bring you low, all in the bitter name of betrayal.”
    What else was new? I drew in a deep breath and let it out slow, the air whistling between my lips. “So let me make sure I have all this straight. Another day, same pile of shit, new bad guys sprinkled in with the old?”
    “However crudely put, that essentially sums it up.”
    I groaned. “Anything else you can tell me?” I dug into my pocket and pulled out the weird die. “What about this?”
    Poe shrugged. “There is no more I can do for you, Mister Trigg. I ask that you please understand this and do nothing to compromise my position within the ranks of the DSI. I can help you no further and may well have gone too far as is.”
    There were a million questions I wanted to ask, but I knew Poe was playing it straight. He always had. If he’d been able to tell me more, he would