Lucifer waited for Malcolm Graham in his home. Given that, because of his new ability to be killed, Malcolm now had the means to do so, as well as the order to by his brother, Lucifer decided it was best that the human not know he was coming. He needed the upper hand, and he was certain he had it,

Lucifer stood out of view in the darkened kitchen as the front door opened and closed. It was Malcolm, he was sure. Lucifer had sent the man's wife and child away, per the woman's request of him.

"Mel," Malcolm called. When there was no answer, he started for the kitchen. "Mel, when's dinner? I'm starving."

Lucifer was just inches away from the corrupt detective when he made his presence known. "I'm afraid I've sent your wife and child away."

Malcolm whipped his head around. He immediately went for his weapon, but Lucifer got it out of his hands before he could even hope to fire.

Lucifer smirked as he held the weapon up. "Is this how you welcome all your guests?"

Malcolm took a couple of steps away. He knew what this man was, and now he'd disarmed Malcolm. He could do a lot to him. "Where's my wife and son?"

"Gone. You won't see them again. You must forgive me, but I did give your wife my word that I'd get you out of her life. I'm sure she didn't intend to be the one to have to leave, but I did keep my word," Lucifer said.

Malcolm didn't really have the time to process the fact that his wife had left him, not when the Devil was in his house looking like a hunter who was circling a wild animal to shoot. "You…. This is breaking and entering. I…I could arrest you."

Lucifer laughed. "Are you really one to lecture anyone on the law. You're a child thief, who is planning to commit murder. It's a bit hypocritical of you, isn't it?"

Malcolm's fear began climbing even higher. "I don't know…"

"Do not lie to me, Detective Graham. I take a very strong offense to, even more so than your plan to murder me. Actually, I can't really blame you for the latter. I know what Hell is like for people like you. In fact, it's quite unpleasant for me, let alone a human whose sins are as great as yours. It's expected that you would take my brother's deal. He brought you out of your torment, and I'm betting he promised you'd never have to go back," Lucifer said.

Malcolm didn't respond. He just stood there, looking down at his hands as they shook wildly.

"Unfortunately for you, my brother doesn't share my abhorrence for lying. He can't keep you out of Hell indefinitely. In fact, I imagine it won't be long before it calls you home," Lucifer said with a sadistic smile.

Malcolm shook his head in fear. He couldn't go back there. It was awful, and it felt like he'd been there for eternity. He couldn't go back to that.

"You see, normally, humans choose their ultimate destination with the presence or absence of profound guilt. The guilt sends you straight down to me. However, there are exceptions. There are people who consume themselves with guilt for small things, or things that weren't truly their fault. Then there are people who feel no guilt at all for the monstrous things they do. You know them as sociopaths. They don't so much as get past the gates of Heaven. Even if you have no guilt, or somehow get past it, you won't be permitted there. My father doesn't allow those who bring harm to children into his realm," Lucifer said. It was one of the few of his father's beliefs that he shared. No one who harmed a child should so much as get a glimpse of the Silver City.

"No," Malcolm croaked in terror.

"Yes," Lucifer said with a bit of a chuckle. "You'll be back where you belong soon enough. No one can prevent that. However, it could be worse. See, I have some control over Hell, as it is my domain. I don't control who goes there, but I can control what sort of Hell awaits for them when they do. I typically don't bother. You people torment yourselves quite efficiently down there, with help from the demons, of course. There's no reason to involve myself. But there are exceptions. When I found souls like yours, who purposely harm the truly innocent, I make sure your torment. You become subjects of the demons'… fun."

Malcolm backed up as Lucifer advanced on him and his eyes glowed red. He thought he'd seen the worst of Hell, but he couldn't even imagine being thrown at a bunch of demons to be tormented any way they pleased.

"No. Please don't," Malcolm begged.

"Well, perhaps I could be persuaded to leave you to your Hell loop. I'm always up for a deal. Shall we make one, Detective Graham?" Lucifer asked. By now, he had Malcom against the wall and was just inches away from him.

Malcolm nodded vigorously. "Yes. I'll do anything!"

"Excellent! You will give me the location of Trixie Espinoza."

"I don't know where she is," Malcolm said. That was the truth. Once he handed the kid off to the guy who made the sale, he had no idea what happened to her. He hadn't cared to find out either. Once he got paid, he put the whole thing behind him.

"Do not lie to me!" Lucifer snarled in a demon-like growl.

Malcolm shrank away as much as he could, given that Lucifer was pretty much on top of him. "I'm not! I don't know where she is now. I…I just handed her off. I didn't make the actual sale."

Lucifer could murder the pathetic human in front of him. He spoke of selling a child as though he had sold a car or a house. There was nothing Lucifer hated more than someone who harmed children. Even with his father's rule about not killing humans, Lucifer was tempted to send this bastard to Hell personally. The only thing that did stop him was that the detective was entitled to her own form of justice. Lucifer would make sure that happened. "You will tell me who you gave her to and where I can find him, and then I suggest you pray to my father that it leads to the child's location. Not that I expect him to be of any help."

"I will. I'll right it down," Malcolm agreed right away before pulling himself away from the Devil and rushing to the living room. He was tempted to run away as fast as he could, but he knew Lucifer would catch him. Plus, there was still the fact that he'd be at his mercy in Hell eventually. He knew he was screwed one way or another. At least if he gave Lucifer what he wanted, he could avoid a worse eternal fate.

Lucifer followed him and watched impatiently as the frightened detective grabbed a pen and paper and wrote something on it.

Malcolm went back to Lucifer and held out a piece of paper. "This is all I know, I swear."

Lucifer snatched the paper away from him. "One more thing. Did Detective Douche have any role in this?"

Malcolm shook his head. "No. I got Dan drunk and waited for him to pass out. My guy was waiting a few blocks away."

"And you didn't force his state in any way?" Lucifer asked.

"You mean did I drug him? No. I didn't need to. In fact, it wasn't that hard to convince him to keep drinking," Malcolm said.

Lucifer nodded. "It seemed Detective Douche was still a neglectful idiot. The detective would do well to make sure he never got near her child again once she got her back. However, at least she would know that he didn't actively participate in her child's abduction.

"We have a deal now, right?"

"So long as the child can be recovered safely, yes. While I would love to put you in one of my special cells, I don't go back on my deals. I will just take solace in the fact that your afterlife will still be far from pleasant," Lucifer said with a smirk before heading for the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer was in the living room of his penthouse enjoying a drink a few days later. He had sent Mazikeen to find the man Malcolm Graham had given up and interrogate him. He had no doubt that she would be successful. If anyone could get information out of someone, it was Maze

Lucifer had not yet told the detective about what he managed to get out of Malcolm. He didn't want to give her hope without having definitive answers for her. Plus, he wanted her to have plausible deniability for whatever he might need to do in search of her daughter.

Just then, Lucifer heard the sound of the elevator. He looked up to see Maze coming his way. "Mazikeen, wonderful to see you. I trust you've been successful."

Usually, this would be where Maze smirked and boasted about her talents, but she was not happy with what she learned. "You shouldn't have gotten involved with this. You should've let that human handle her own problems!"

"Excuse me?" Lucifer asked in a cold tone before standing up.

"That freaking detective isn't worth this. Bury it!" Maze growled before shoving a file she'd been holding at him. She considered burying this information herself when she got it and telling Lucifer she was unsuccessful, but she knew very well the consequences of lying to Lucifer. She wasn't that stupid. But this could not get out. The Decker women could never be told what was in that folder.

"What are you talking about?" Lucifer asked. She was acting like the file was some sort of bloody ticking bomb. Why did she care so much if he found the detective's offspring?

"Read it!" Maze practically yelled.

Lucifer looked at the file. He immediately froze when he saw the name on it. Matthew Davis. It was the man who he'd taken Beatrice from.