City of Sin
Temptation II
***Once more, I own nothing of the show Lucifer or comics etc. ***
*Follow me on Twitter at AngelSlayer135 for, hopefully, more frequent status updates.
***CoS***
The first thing Chloe Decker decided, upon waking up the following morning, was that she hated her alarm, and that when she had a free hour she would be going to buy a new one that didn't make such an annoyingly loud beeping at five in the morning.
Next, and far more pressing, was that she would need to find somewhere on the way to work for breakfast, because after needing a far longer shower than usual she was nearly running late. A quick stop at the drive-through, thus ensuring her car smelled like donuts and coffee for the next day or so, and she had a large enough haul to potentially bribe her captain if need be for a few minutes of tardiness.
After parking the blonde made her way into the station, pausing only for a second to look up at the sky. Dull, gray clouds as always. Sunshine seemed like such a rare commodity anymore. Some had blamed global warming, some opted for big industries pumping out pollutants from factories, and still others had chosen the government to shoulder the fault. Shaking her head, and dismissing the various conspiracy theories, she headed inside, receiving a few nods of acknowledgment from security.
Ella had been overjoyed at the sight of the sugary, and sprinkle coated, rings of dough and after stuffing one almost completely into her mouth she began an explanation that was muffled due to the food.
"Swallow first?" The detective had helpfully suggested, earning an attempted grin before the excitable girl followed the order and began her explanation again upon doing so.
"Okay, so you know how she was drugged, and I said that Ricin normally doesn't kill that fast?" Chloe nodded, albeit a bit embarrassed that she hadn't investigated it more the previous evening. She had been a bit distracted though. "Well I ran another couple of tests overnight, hoping to find something else that might be suspicious, and guess what?"
Waiting for a moment, the blonde sighed as she realized that the technician did want her to guess. "You… found something helpful?"
The Latino girl nodded excitedly, "Not just helpful, super helpful. There was another chemical mixed in, one that is also a controlled substance."
"Which means that we can trace that one as well, making it easier to find out perp."
Now Chloe smiles as well. Ella was always nicer towards her, always put in more effort into her cases. This only confirmed that simple acts of kindness were always appreciated.
The other woman was speaking again, and she refocused in on the conversation already in progress, "So?"
"So…"
"You said you were sticking around last night, to do some more video searching. Did you find anything?"
This question brought Chloe back to what she had been doing the previous evening. To staring at a bright screen in a dark room, and then to her own shame. With a clear head and a good night sleep she could look back and see that it had been wrong. It didn't matter whether or not Lucifer hadn't seemed to care about being videotaped, she was acting no better than the perverts on the internet who went looking for leaked pictures of naked celebrities.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment, before the detective realized her friend was still waiting for an answer, "Oh I uh… no nothing really, except for some eye-strain."
Though the technician didn't say anything, Chloe could feel as though she was being analyzed, exposed in her lies.
"Are you… okay Chloe? How did you sleep last night?"
Though they were 'work friends', and one of the few people she would consider herself close to, the detective was certainly not going to tell Ella about her restless night and the erotic dreams that had filled them.
She was definitely not going to mention the state in which she woke up in. "I mean… I guess not, a bit restless. Probably too much screen time late at night."
"Orrrrr it sounds like you need to unwind a bit. What did you do besides working and sleeping yesterday?"
This made the older woman pause for a moment as she replayed the past twenty-four hours in her mind, hoping it didn't sound too pathetic.
She had a feeling it would.
"Well, I mean… it was a busy day Ella and the case is important…" Okay now she sounded like a whiny teenager.
The other girl merely nodded, "Yes, it is, but so is your own health. When was the last time you went out and just had some fun? Did something other than work, or work-related stuff?"
It had been a while, probably far longer than it should have been. "Guess I'm just… not really that social."
"Well we are going to change that! Let's go out this weekend, hit a club or something and just cut loose a bit. Maybe get some drinks and go dancing or just…. Something!"
Chloe nodded, not replying but giving just enough to focus on other tasks. Ella was right… probably. The last time she had been out in a social way was when she had been married still.
She promptly crushed the reemerging memory and with a last request for an updated list returned to her desk to start her morning work. It was then that she noticed an envelope lying discreetly under her keyboard.
One that bore a very familiar name in gold writing.
***CoS***
The Devil watched from his glass tower as a familiar car pulled up to the front of his building, a certain blonde-haired detective stepping out a moment later. For a split second she seemed to look up, directly at him if he had to guess, and a stray thought crossed his mind about whether she could somehow see him.
The idea passed, however, when her expression failed to change, and she headed inside. So, his plan had worked after all, as if he had any doubts. Lucifer Morningstar was not one to take chances, especially not with something this important.
He had glimpsed the inner workings of the young woman, and though she seemed immune to some of his abilities she was not to his power of deduction and reading humans. His letter had been delivered, by Maze no less, which would likely have piqued her interest enough without anything further added on. But he hadn't just stopped there, oh no. A message, hand-written no less, detailing some new information in the case and asking her to meet.
In a world so focused on technology and efficiency such a letter would undoubtedly earn her focus.
"She's here" a voice purred from nearby, widening his smirk. "Just like you said she would be."
"Of course she is my dear Maze, did you truly doubt me?"
The response was short and to the point, a bit of zealotry slipping into the demon's voice, "Never."
Turning, he revealed his teasing grin, thus earning a bit of an eye-roll from the dark-skinned woman. He knew her to be unbreakably loyal, but it was so much fun to test it every once and a while. "I should probably go and greet her, hm?" As he turned to leave a thought occurred to him, "Actually… I have a better idea."
***CoS***
Being at Lux when it was emptied, when she had control over the crime scene and those present was one thing. Now that the remainder of the building had reopened, however, Chloe Decker felt very out of place.
The music was drumming, low and echoing through not just the room but also her chest. Faceless beings moved and danced in a large mass that threatened to swallow the entire room. Young and old, male and female, and every race imaginable mixed in this environment, a place to discard the expectations and social norms that held them back outside of those four walls.
There was… a power in it, the ability to be someone else for a few hours, to do whatever one wanted and damn the consequences.
Chloe would secretly admit that she could easily see the appeal, but she wasn't here for entertainment or anything like that, instead she walked up towards the bartender who looked up and gave her a nod. "I'm uh…. Here to see Mr. Morningstar."
Before the man could respond, another voice called out, "I'll take it from here, Detective Decker, right? This way, he's been expecting you."
Following in the footsteps of the leather-clad woman the blonde had to consciously find something else to look at. Who knew someone could make walking up steps so damn erotic? The pair reached an elevator and with the flash of a keycard entered. After pressing the button, and allowing the soft music to flood the box, Maze leaned backwards to take in the one her lord had become fascinated by in such a short time.
Chloe shifted, not quite sure what to say to the beautiful woman standing only a few feet from her but wanting to break the silence anyway. "Have you been employed by Mr. Morningstar for very long?"
A grin formed on the other's face, as if enjoying a private joke, "Feels like for a millennium or two."
"What is it that you do miss… sorry I didn't catch your name."
"Mazikeen, and I am Lucifer's… assistant. I do anything he requires. Anything."
The detective bit down to hide the shiver that passed across her skin at the woman's statement. There had been a sensuality in her words, but before Chloe could comment, a tone rang out and the elevator came to a halt.
"He's waiting for you." Maze commented, before gesturing towards the open door. As the detective entered the hallway noting that it was likely the penthouse, the door closed behind her, Mazikeen choosing to head back down to lower levels.
Biting her lip, and assuming that if she was 'expected' then it would be okay to continue, Chloe walked on further into area, noting the high ceilings and comfortable atmosphere. If she hadn't been convinced before she would have now, Morningstar had to have some source of income other than being a club owner to afford this type of residence.
A few more steps and a masculine voice echoed out from the room, "Ah there you are detective, I was wondering when you would show up. Apologies for not greeting you in person but I became a bit preoccupied."
Despite not seeing him she nodded, and followed his voice until she turned a corner, "That's quite alright Mr. Morningstar after all you are the one who…" She trailed off, frozen in place as her eyes widened at the sight before her. Lucifer was, as she assumed, sitting on what appeared to be a rather comfortable looking couch. That wouldn't have been startling, save for the fact that there was another individual on their knees directly in front of him, head frantically bobbing up and down in his lap.
"You… uhm… I… uhh…" Ah yes, how calm and composed she was.
Meanwhile the man merely quirked an eyebrow before his lips curved upwards into a smile, "You seemed a bit interested yesterday in what you saw on the cameras, I just thought that since you were receiving more information on your suspects you might want a closer view on this as well. Besides, Eve here does love an audience."
The woman currently deepthroating him gave a muffled moan, the sound of which finally brought Chloe back to her senses and allowed her to divert her eyes elsewhere. She should leave, should scowl and threaten him with breaking some sort of law and then leave and not look back. But a voice in her head reprimanded her, any information on the case would lead to a faster resolution. Closure for the victim's family, justice for the departed, and a faster turnaround to then move onto the next case, surely these must be worth standing in the room for a few more minutes while not looking at the lewd display taking place in front of her.
Another voice whispered about how this was an excuse and that she hadn't turned completely away from the display.
Clearing her throat, and unintentionally wetting her lips, the blonde tried for a normal conversation once more, "I received a note… about you possessing more information."
"Ah yes, it seems as though…" he trailed off, and the woman was about to inquire further when a pleased sigh escaped his lips. Ah yes right, he was receiving a blowjob at the moment. "Apologies for that, Eve does this delightful humming at times and… well I digress. As I was saying, I reached out and obtained a complete list of those in the building that night, I do wish I could have had it to you sooner though."
Sooner!? The fact he had obtained this type of information at all was incredibly helpful, the fact he sounded disappointed at having taken almost twenty-four hours to do so was ridiculous. "That is… amazing Mr. Morningstar and I cannot express how much we appreciate…"
She had turned back towards him to express her gratitude, forgetting the situation for a moment. The man's hand was on the other woman's head, much like how she remembered from 'movie night' save for a different position.
Once again, she froze, speechless and uncertain as to what exactly to do. Thus, the room was silent save for the lascivious sounds of slurping and the occasional cough and choking.
"I… uhm…" What was she supposed to do, to say? 'Stop having oral sex in your apartment on your time while helping out with an investigation you are not required to be a part of'? It took her the better part of a minute to realize that not only had she zoned out enough to miss the small book extended towards her, but also had been staring at the 'activity' taking place only a few feet away.
With a blush, that she swore might cause her to feint from the blood redirection, the detective snatched the offered object and practically sprinted back towards the elevator, calling out once last, very embarrassed, thanks of appreciation before being able to hide in the small box, infinitely thankful it was unoccupied.
***CoS***
She needed to get out into the fresh air. Away from the music, from the smell of sweat and sex, away from the temptation of going back in the elevator and... Chloe shook her head, closing her eyes and leaning over the banister while taking deep, steadying breaths and trying to slow her heart rate.
To just clear her mind.
"Enjoy the show?"
The blonde practically jumped from the voice that whispered into her ear, a pair of arms suddenly on either side preventing her escape as the scent of rich, golden alcohol with a whiff of an open bonfire flooded her nostrils.
Mazikeen leaned in closer, pressing up against the woman's back, "I'm surprised to see you back so soon. Didn't peg you as being performance shy."
"I... I didn't want..." What? What didn't she want? To see what it would be like to throw caution into the wind and just enjoy herself? Didn't want to continue like she had the previous evening like some pervert?
If possible, the dark-skinned woman leaned in even closer, practically spooning the detective. "Then what do you want?"
A ringing broke the air, originated from Chloe's cell and earning a frown from the demoness as she instantly retreated a few feet backwards as the blonde moved to answer it on reflex.
"Looks like we will have to continue this another time." The unspoken promise sent shivers across the woman's spine as she picked up the call from the precinct. It was Ella, she had narrowed down a list of buyers meeting both ingredients. Now, they had another to further compare with.
Whispering a thanks, and noticing that she was once again standing alone, Chloe breathed out a sigh of relief, or perhaps regret, and continued towards the exit, pausing for only a moment when she caught someone moving in the corner of her eye. Turning completely, she scanned the audience but found no one.
It wasn't surprising though, there was no chance her best friend from childhood would be in a club like this in Los Angeles.
***CoS***
Between the two lists they had managed to narrow down the pool of suspects to a handful of individuals, one of which stood out during one of her perusals through the victim's past. Her former employer, Jimmy Barnes.
Physically, the man didn't match the general description of the two who had been on the video, but he was wealthy enough to hire someone else to do the deed for him. Had he wanted to watch it happen, to make sure he got his money's worth? Or maybe he was just the type of monster who got off on that sort of thing.
Either way it was a good start, and he was the only one who had a personal connection with the victim.
***CoS***
Chloe Decker had always been a bit envious at the apparent efficiency that lawyers seemed to have. They always seemed to be where they needed to be exactly when they needed to be there, and they always seemed to have more information than anyone else.
Still, the blonde detective couldn't hide the surprise on her face when she saw a familiar blonde woman sitting at her desk.
Even more difficult to hide was the hatred.
Charlotte Richards, who was naturally having a conversation with Dan despite the two being at her place of work rather than his.
The attorney and her had a long and complicated relationship. It had begun a few years back; Miss Richards had been the lead defense attorney on a case she was investigating. At the time she had still been married, and while her relationship wasn't the best it had been stable.
That was why on the one day she had decided to surprise Dan and come home early had been such a shock, finding the two of them in their bed together. Her husband had tried to deny it, explain away things at first with the corny lines of "It's not what it looks like" and "I can explain."
Explain what? How his dick ended up in the woman? Maybe they had been renovating the room and decided to do it naked? Maybe he had just fallen onto her? Eventually, however, Dan had gone from denying, and trying to explain, to placing blame.
It had been her own fault he had an affair. She wasn't providing for his needs, she wasn't sexy enough, wasn't home enough, wasn't busty enough or didn't have long enough legs. She wasn't good enough in bed to satisfy him.
All of this ignored, naturally, his own ineptitudes and the fact they both worked the same job, him being home more often was due to pushing his work onto others and taking shortcuts during investigations, not sheer talent.
Either way though, Charlotte had obviously continued seeing the man through the case, and even occasionally afterwards during the divorce proceedings. Even worse was the woman's comments during trial or anytime they were around others. It had never been direct but rather offhand insults, "Always failing to get the job done." Along with other hints at her supposed inadequacies.
And now the bitch was sitting at her desk, talking and laughing with her ex like they were old friends just catching up.
For half a second Chloe debated either just leaving the police station, or finding something to arrest the woman on, but pushed the desires aside as 'childish' and made her way towards her original destination.
"Miss Richards, if you are here to speak with Detective Espinoza please do so at his workstation, not mine."
Dan looked as though he had been caught in an affair all over again, "Oh uh Chloe we were just…"
"I don't care." And she didn't or at least she tried to convince herself of that.
"Actually, Decker, I am here to speak with you." The blonde detective noticed the lack of respect in her tone but ignored it. "I understand you are investigating my client, James Barnes in connection with an ongoing homicide."
A glance towards the closest man had him looking away in either shame or guilt. It appeared that police confidentiality didn't extend to those you had slept with… or maybe were sleeping with currently. "It is the policy of the L.A.P.D. not to discuss ongoing investigations. Should action be taken against your client such as an arrest or issued search warrant then you will be informed as per standard protocol."
The lawyer frowned at the legal speech, clearly anticipating a more emotional or informative response. Before any comment could be made, however, the only man present decided to do so for her. "Come on Chloe, we talked about this. The girl obviously overdosed and we have no evidence to the contrary besides a few guys acting weird on camera. Let it go already."
Charlotte immediately snorted, apparently amused by the truth of the case. "You are investigating based on that? Here I heard you were an actual detective."
Fighting the urge, and damn did she have to fight hard, not to scratch the woman's eyes out Chloe forced a smile, "Well then I suppose there isn't much reason for you to be in the precinct then, and if you aren't here for official business then you will need to leave. Girlfriends aren't authorized to hang around the station."
Musing on how a lawyer could have such an obvious sign of anger, her eye twitching noticeably, the blonde turned towards her ex, and noticed he was busy looking anywhere except at her, "Please escort your friend, girlfriend, hookup, or whatever she currently is out of the precinct Detective Espinoza."
With that she turned and made towards the forensic lab. If she couldn't get to her desk, then she could at least speak with Ella.
***CoS***
A certain blonde detective stared down at the paper that had just been delivered to her. Despite holding it in her hands, despite reading over the text several times already, she still didn't believe it.
It was a warrant for "Any and all properties owned by James Barnes." Now that wouldn't have been so odd, she had applied for one after all, but it was a 'Blanket' search warrant for 'any items pertaining to criminal acts.' It was even signed by three different judges.
Chloe had never seen such a thing before, not to such an extent at least. Hell, she doubted that the federal government could acquire such a thing. So, how had she?
Frowning, the woman rubbed tiredly at her eyes. Was this case becoming political in some way? It had to have, there was no other explanation. Maybe Barnes was involved in something much bigger than she realized. Maybe their victim was more important than her background had led them to believe.
Maybe… her thoughts came to a halt when she flipped through the stack one more time. At the very bottom of the last page were two initials she hadn't noticed before, written in incredibly fine penmanship.
LM
It couldn't be… could it? Lucifer Morningstar? There was no feasible way that a club owner had that much political pull, and that he would use it for her. But the woman was having trouble coming up with literally any other possible explanation. The officers at the scene had mentioned that the man seemed connected, that they couldn't just start searching through the man's property, even with a warrant.
Was Lucifer more than he seemed? Was his club some sort of nexus for the rich and powerful? Did he truly have enough power to have three judges sign such a borderline illegal document?
Another voice, one far softer but just as demanding, whispered in her mind that she should just accept the 'gift' and use it to put the bad guy in jail. Why over-analyze a good thing that made her life so much simpler?
Integrity warred with practicality in her mind until she finally pushed forward. Barnes was a murderer, maybe he had killed before this one time, maybe not, but regardless he deserved to be in jail. If they found further evidence, then all the better to get scum like him off the street.
Without so much as a glance at her ex and his partner, who had become very interested in what she was looking at, the detective stood and headed for her car.
***CoS***
"I thought you wanted to test her abilities."
"I do my dear Maze, but I came to realize that despite her skills I don't care about her career as a detective. If anything, I would rather her not have any connection with law enforcement."
The dark-skinned woman frowned, "So why help her?"
A smirk answered, "Because it is the first step that will lead her directly to my side. Slow justifications at first. Who would blame her for wanting a monster behind bars? A few shady actions here, maybe the breaking of a minor law or two there but if it stops murderers and rapists what is the problem hm?"
Nodding, the demoness began to make the connections, "After that the line continues to blur. If she justifies that she might justify just a little more each time."
"Exactly, and in the end when her fellow, useless, detectives figure it out and throw her from her position I will be there to catch her and give her a new life. One where her altered morals will not be judged, but rather praised."
***CoS***
Jimmy Barnes looked as if he was stuck between rage, terror, and paranoia, Charlotte Richards was clearly annoyed, and Dan… well Chloe wasn't entirely sure why he was in the interrogation room with them. Maybe he was trying to offer moral support to his fuck-buddy, but it didn't really matter. He too looked as though he didn't know whether to be angry that the investigation had continued or upset that he might have been wrong.
"We have you dead to rights Jimmy. Your fingerprints on a bottle of pills that match what the victim overdosed on, emails between you and the two men seen on camera interacting with the girl just before she died, and confirmation of a wire transfer from you to the perpetrators in the sum of twenty-thousand dollars that evening. Is that the going rate for murder these days?"
A growl from across the table showed her just how right she really was, especially since it was coming from the one supposed to be keeping calm. "I'll have that search warrant thrown out in two minutes and you know it Decker."
But Chloe merely smiled cheerfully back, "You mean the one signed by three separate judges? I'm curious to find out how you intend to manage that." She really did need to find out who had helped her out and thank them, not just for the victim but for the sheer pleasure of watching Charlotte Richard's snarl of rage and defeat.
"So back to you Jimmy, this is your life after all, not your lawyer's. Do you want to try and explain any of this or just wait to get buried in court?"
"Mr. Barnes, I urge you to keep…"
"She was going to ruin me!" the man exclaimed, earning a smirk from Chloe and a groan from the other two individuals.
***CoS***
Chloe was riding high for the first time in more than a week. The bad guys were behind bars, awaiting a trial that was almost guaranteed to result in them rotting away for most of their lives. Her personal nemesis, Miss Richards, had lost. Dan and his partner were pouting somewhere that wasn't within whining distance, and the blonde was overall just in a great mood.
Nothing could ruin this moment, and Ella's suggestion of going out to celebrate was beginning to sound more and more like a good idea. The lab tech did know some of the best clubs and bars, at least according to her, and Chloe was warming up to the idea of getting a little out of her comfort zone.
There was even a voice deep down that had tempted her with a call to Lucifer, although that one had been suppressed and ignored for the time being.
She had been in such a good mood that the arrival of two individuals had gone unnoticed, that is until one of them spoke, "Excuse me, detective Chloe Decker?"
Turning, she frowned at the two men, both wearing generic black suits. "Yes, that's me. Can I help you…"
"Agent Canaan and my partner Agent Pierce. We would like to ask you a few questions about your case involving Lucifer Morningstar."
***CoS***