Chapter 4

A month now. That's how long she's been down here with no word from Lucifer. Scarlett sighed as she sat at the small table out on the terrace after completing her laps in the pool. She had started swimming at least two times a week now. Sometimes Angel would join her and relax in the hot tub. On those nights, Alastor wouldn't make an appearance until the spider demon was gone. There were a couple night when he didn't make an appearance at all because she would join Angel in the hot tub where they would talk and laugh until it got late. However she would still see a figure in a hotel window watching the.

Tonight, Alastor was sitting across from her as usual. Their game of cat and mouse went on and on over the month, both being very observant about one another. Scarlett was still unsure who was the cat and who was the mouse at this point.

The clicking of Alastor's coffee cup being set on the table broke the long silence as she stared at her phone. She scrolled through the text conversations she's had with Jason wondering if he was out looking for her. She was sure that by now there would've been a new target to kill, and when she didn't respond to him, he would go looking for her. Not like he would be able to help her though.

"Missing a boyfriend up there, are we?" Alastor teased and Scarlett looked up at him. She locked her phone, placing it on the table. The last thing she wanted was the Radio Demon to get access to her phone. Although, she did wonder if he would even know how to use it if he did. He didn't hide his distaste for modern technology. But still, she'd rather be safe, if he saw the photo and videos she had on her phone it would give her away. She could delete them, but having them to watch sometimes helped keep her sane.

"Not a boyfriend," she said, "he's a good friend. A mentor."

"I didn't know journalists had mentors," Alastor said, and she realized her mess up, but quickly recovered.

"Many professions do," she said, "it's not like I started out being a perfect journalist. I had someone teach me the ropes." His claws tapped on the metal surface of the table as he watched her. Did he pick up on her lie?

Scarlett stood up then, deciding it was time to go. She said good night to the demon like every night and walked off to her room. When she reached her room door, she placed her hand on the handle only to freeze up when Alastor appeared right behind her. He was a little too close for comfort as he leaned over her.

"You forgot something," he taunted, holding out her phone in his hand while she turned to face him.

"Thanks." She kept the smile on her face to hide her caution as she grabbed the phone from him. He deliberately let his claws brush her fingers when handing the phone over.

"Good night my dear." He moved away then and walked down the hall to his room and Scarlett quickly slipped into hers. She was annoyed at herself that she felt a moment of unease when he was that close. But it was justified unease, he was clearly stronger than her. Her only advantage was that he was unaware of her abilities and her hidden blade on her wrist.

"Oh man!" Angel groaned as he leaned onto the bar after getting home the next evening. Scarlett raised an eyebrow at him while Husk served him a drink.

"Rough day?" Scarlett asked. She had gotten to know Angel enough now, to learn about his situation with one of Hell's overlords. Learning this made her enjoy being around him more and feel closer to him. She understood what it was like being trapped and forced to do things you didn't want to.

"Twelve hours of filming," Angel groaned as he cracked his back, "I can't feel my body."

"If you want," Scarlett offered, "I know some Yoga and other stretches to help relieve your muscles."

"Maybe later." Angel sighed as he sipped his drink.

"I could really use a good massage." He complained and Scarlett smiled.

"I can to that too," she said, "come on let's go up to the terrace." She grabbed one of Angel's hands and he followed her up to the 10th floor.

"Now that hits to spot." Angel sighed as he laid on his stomach on one of the lounge chairs. Scarlett hovered over him, her knees resting on either side of his waist as she pressed her thumbs into his back muscles. The position they were in could look very intimate to anyone who didn't know them.

"You've got to start stretching," Scarlett scolded, and she pressed down on a knot in his muscle.

"Ya," he waved one of his bottom arms. Scarlett moved up on the chair to reach his shoulders, glancing up at the hotel when she felt eyes on her. She could make out a figure in a window, watching them. It was Alastor, she could tell by the figure. It was also at that moment she realized that due to her outstretch arms, her shirt had pulled up to reveal the dagger that was always strapped to her back. She straightened up for a moment and pulled her shirt down to cover the knife, hoping the Radio Demon was too far away to see it.

"Man that helped a lot," Angel said and she got off the lounge chair so he could sit up and stretch.

"Well I'm always here to help." She smiled and he placed a hand on her head and messed up her hair a little.

"Thank Scarlett." He said and she brushed his hand off her head with a smile.

"Anytime." She replied and watched him walk back into the hotel. She pulled out her airpods and started her music before kicking off her nightly laps around the terrace. As she was running, one of the plants suddenly fell over, blocking her path. Out of habit and instinct, she jumped over it by using a nearby lounge chair to provide her with the right amount of height. She landed gracefully by the pool but was completely taken off guard when a shadow suddenly appeared in front of her. She lost her balance on the edge of the pool, but her fall was stopped by a hand placed on her lower back. She looked up to see Alastor smiling down at her. He held his staff behind his back as he pulled her away from the pool ledge and closer to him.

Her stomach filled with butterflies at the close proximity. He's been near her before and has even brushed against her on several occasions. But he's never fully touched her the way he did now. She was vulnerable in this position; she didn't like it.

Scarlett couldn't stop herself from glaring at him, not noticing his hand move lower down her back. It wasn't until she felt his claws lightly scrape the skin of her back that she noticed his hand had moved under her shirt. Running on pure instinct to defend herself, she twisted out of his hold and jumped back to put distance between them. Her right hand reached for the dagger's hilt, and she froze when it was no longer there.

"Uh-uh." He waged a finger at her like he was scolding a child, "that wouldn't be a smart idea." One hand held his staff behind his back as he held his free one up and snapped his fingers. Her dagger appeared in his hand. He held it by the hilt and moved it back and forth, making the blade glint in the light.

"My what an exquisite blade this is," he smiled up at the dagger before disappearing. Scarlett froze when he was suddenly behind her, the dagger being pressed to her throat. She took a step back, only to be pressed to his chest as the blade followed her.

"I would love to know where you got this." he asked, and she considered all her options.

"Vaggie gave it to me for protection." She lied then sucked in a breath when the blade was pressed closer to her throat.

"I don't like being lied to," he threatened, "you've had this since you arrived. Is the life of a journalist really that dangerous? Or perhaps there is another reason you carry this around?"

"I don't recall that being any of your business." She snapped out.

"Hm," the sound rang from his lips as he moved the knife away and stepped back. She quickly put some distance between them, her hand going to her throat to make sure it wasn't injured as she kept her eyes on him. He twirled the knife between his fingers as his free hand rested on his staff.

"Such a light blade," he remarked, tossing it up a few times and catching it, "very well balanced, I'd bet is was made for a special purpose."

"Give it back to me." She finally said and he smiled.

"No my dear, I don't think I will." He taunted. She moved then reaching out to grab his wrist holding the knife and he easily dodged with a laugh.

"You are quite skilled," he smiled, his hands being placed behind him as he dodged her, leading her in almost a dance on the terrace. Her movements were so effortless and quick, he had to stay focused to keep up with her, but at the same time he was enthralled with her movements. They were graceful, but deadly. One moment of hesitation and she could reach him. Her fingers brushed the front of his jacket, and he quickly jumped away, twirling in the air and landing on the other side of the pool.

"My!" he laughed, the knife and his staff disappearing from his hands so he could brush off his coat and straighten his jacket before the staff appeared again. "Not many are able to get that close to me! I'm truly impressed!" Scarlett glared daggers at him as he rested his staff in front of him with both hands resting on top.

"I'll tell you what my dear," Alastor said, "you can come retrieve your knife from my room tomorrow. But I'm going to want something in exchange."

"I'm not giving away my soul for a knife," she snapped.

"Oh of course not," he waved his hand in dismissal, "but I must say, I'm looking forward to learning about you my dear journalist. Charlie and all the others will be leaving after breakfast for an outing. They won't be back until the evening. It'll just be you and me here all day." He held his hand out and the knife appeared in his hand again, "come to my room when they leave, and we can discuss how you can get your knife back. Or I'll just keep it. You're choice." He gave a bow, the blade of the knife glinting under the light when he moved that arm in front of his chest for his bow before he disappeared into the shadows.

"Ugh!" for the first time in a long time, Scarlett let out a frustrated yell before taking a deep breath to compose herself. If that were any other knife, she wouldn't bother with it. But Jason gave it to her. He had it made specially for her, she had to get it back. She let out a deep breath as she looked up at the red sky. It was clear to her now that she was the mouse in their game of cat and mouse. She greatly underestimated him and that unsettled her more than anything else down here. She rarely ever underestimated people.