Chapter 14 Heebie Jeebies


I spent a good while scraping the black paint off the windshield, then phoned Anyanka. She was at home and waiting for me.
I parked on the side street back of her apartments and lit a smoke. I still wasn't sure who I could trust. I might be falling for Anyanka, but there was still something holding me back.
A high tenor voice broke into the useless merry-go-round of my thoughts.

Mr. Harris, will you please step out of the vehicle? I looked up into a pair of guileless eyes under a mop of blond hair. Then I looked down at the barrel of the pistol he held in his delicate hand. I decided to play along. He made me turn my back to him while he kept talking, I'm very sorry, Mr. Harris, but one can't be too careful. May I search your pockets?

Sure. Help yourself, I grinned. He patted me down, then reached around to retrieve my revolver. That's when I hit him. He folded like a damp deck of cards. He sat on the curb and rubbed his chin, his dusty black suit getting dustier.

What'd you do that for? He whined.

I don't like being man-handled, I told him. Did Giles send you, because if he did...

he squealed, Certainly not! The rabbity blonde was terrified. I thought you were working for him. He's got something that belongs to me...

Look, I don't have the time or patience... I began.

Just then, Anyanka rounded the corner. she exclaimed, pointing a furious finger at the rabbit. He scurried to his feet and took off in a stumbling run.

He's not worth it, honey. Let him go. She sniffed disdainfully, but said nothing. She still wasn't speaking when we hit the road.
I knew something had to clear up soon between us. I pulled into an abandoned gas station and looked over at Anya. She stared back at me, her eyes diamond-hard. I asked finally.

Well, what, Xander?

When are you going to tell me the truth?

She sighed and looked away into the hot black night. You won't like it. It's complicated.

Make it simple for me.

Wouldn't you rather do this... She was hard to resist and I wasn't sure I wanted to. The fingers of one hand crept up my thigh as the other slid inside my shirt front and heart pounded a mile a minute. Or maybe this... Silky lips touched the tight cords of my neck as her hands wandered farther. It was all I could to restrain the moan that threatened to spill from my throat. She finally realized I wasn't going to play this time. Okay, she took a deep breath and slid back to her side of the car, You want the truth? L.A., Angelus and Giles. Things were done. People were hurt. Lines were crossed that should never have been crossed. She stopped and lit a cigarette, then tossed it unsmoked out the window. Her voice had a tremor,Giles became a liability to my employer. Bad for business.

Business. Demon business. She nodded.

D'Hoffryn sent me to take care of the problem. To deliver Justice.

There was the answer, the bit that had been missing. She wasn't a simple curse slinger for wronged women. Everyone had heard of D'Hoffryn: godfather of the largest Demon Syndicate on the planet. D'Hoffryn would never send an amateur for a job like this.
So, you're what? A professional assassin?

I prefer We take care of our own.

I laughed cynically. Here I thought you just wanted my body.

Oh, I do.

Like you did Oz?

That was business. You're personal. I like a man to be a bit more, shall we say, substantial. She ran the tip of her pink tongue over her sharp white teeth and I shivered. I'd been weak and broke and now I was deep into the shark infested waters of corruption. I guess I hadn't I needed the money that bad, but there it had been. My big mistake.

I pulled away from her hungry arms and started the car, Now what?

Now we get your friends and I get my shot.

It didn't look like I had much of a choice anyway. Without Anyanka, we'd all be sitting ducks for Giles.

I looked over at the quiet figure in her snowy white dress and that hopeless gone feeling cam back again.. Why'd you wait until now to take him down?

I like show business.
tbc